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Due to dwindling enrolment, the South Asian Studies undergrad program is moving in with its graduate counterpart at the Munk Centre's Asian Institute. Longer-term plans include eliminating SAS majors and specialists.Starting September, the course-code prefix NEW for South Asian Studies courses offered from New College will be replaced by SAS. The change comes with a shift in the program's priorities."This is a good time to rethink what we want the program to do," said Chelva Kanaganayakam, program director of Munk's grad program. "We feel the program should make [students] more competitive in the workplace." He said the program should take the market into account."Undergrads who take this program are not necessarily going to do South Asian Studies as a career. They aren't going to do an MA and a PhD in SAS and become professors. They might join an NGO, or a bank. What do they need?"Kanaganayakam's answer: a program that is "smaller and more robust." With limited resources, some courses will have to go. Introductory Sanskrit will be axed next year. Intro to Bengali is on the chopping block after next year, pending community funding."Given our resources, do we put that money into languages, or do we offer more broad-based courses on certain topics that will lead to a coherent program?" asked Kanaganayakam."It has now become increasingly clear that South Asia is an important player in global economics […] I wonder, if students were given courses that dealt with current economic, political, and social concerns, would they respond to those courses more favourably?"Kanaganayakam expressed hopes that better-attended courses will convince the community to come forward with funding for more courses. But for now, a draft of the centre's four-year plan states that the major and specialist programs will be eliminated between 2011 and 2014. Such a move will require approval from the Faculty of Arts & Science Council.The Peace and Conflict Studies program is also moving to Munk, though its offices will stay at University College for now.Migration to the Munk Centre won't solve SAS's basic problem of not having its own department. The 25 South Asianists on campus are paid by various departments, whose priorities they have to consider ahead of the SAS centre.SAS offers few courses itself, its major and specialist requirements comprising mostly courses from outside departments. Equity Studies, African Studies, and Caribbean Studies, which are among the programs that will remain at New College, face the same restrictions.Alissa Trotz, director of Caribbean Studies, said that these programs all lack recognition from the Faculty of Arts & Science as "theory-producing" areas."Shoestring funding exists for programs like ours that are at odds with the demand for courses, which could be greater if we had more resources," said Trotz."With the current financial climate, I don't think we can go to the university and ask for more resources," Kanaganayakam said. "It would be futile to even attempt something like that."For now, the rest of the New College programs are staying put. "We work well with our colleagues at the Munk," said Trotz. "But Caribbean Studies is quite happy in New College at the moment. The kind of social justice and equity concerns that are at the heart of the New College intellectual mandate are also central to the Caribbean Studies program."
South Asian Studies moves to Munk
Complicating community ecology
Assistant professor Karl Cottenie of the University of Guelph has a bone to pick with the way some ecologists calculate an ecological community's complexity.Complexity is a measure of how many species can be found in a habitat and how these species interact with one another. A general rule is that complexity decreases as distance from the equator increases. For example, compare the ecological density of a tropical rainforest to that of the arctic tundra.To understand how complex a habitat is, one can take a reductionist approach and look at a single food-chain stratus, also known as a trophic level. Alternatively, a larger local guild—all the organisms sharing a common resource or niche—can be analyzed. The challenge for ecologists is to combine trophism and local guilds to evaluate the complexity of an entire community.This is necessary because community ecologists are interested in understanding which community-shaping factors can be linked to variations in complexity. For instance, how does the depth of a pool influence the complexity of the community living within it? This requires the ability to assess complexity under different conditions.Many researchers in this field use the calculated value "species richness"—a number calculated from a variety of factors, including the number of species found, the area of the habitat, and other factors influencing complexity—to describe the complexity of a community. Dr. Cottenie disagrees with this approach. His work disputes the validity of the species richness term in an effort to "formalize a rant [he's] had for the last decade."Cottenie explains that he can't see the advantage of reducing a complex web of species interactions to a single number. He believes that the species richness formula ignores a great deal of information about community dynamics that is critical to a comprehensive understanding of community ecology.In a seminar room filled with students and faculty of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cottenie asked who in the audience had used species richness as a dependent variable in a graph. A few sheepish hands rose amid laughter."There are certain aspects of that reduction that [when performed intelligently] make sense," he said. But throughout his talk, Cottenie tried to convince listeners that a more detailed analysis is required to properly explain community ecology.Cottenie believes scientists should use a multi-variate approach, breaking communities down into components such as environment, the number of species that can be found around a habitat, and the connectivity to other habitats. Only then can the complexity of a community be analyzed for the diversity contributed by a number of variables. By breaking down species richness into various sub-factors, Cottenie believes that more information can be extracted about a community's structuring forces than by reducing the set to a single "species richness" calculation.Cottenie confessed that he is one of the few ecologists who hates field work, so his case studies draw upon work performed by collaborators, including work from the fields of Belgium, the marshlands of Spain, and the wetlands of Southern Ontario. In total, he's analyzed 156 datasets using both the species richness and the composition approach.Through this statistical analysis, Cottenie showed that the composition approach was often able to find patterns of variation the species richness approach would miss. He found that the composition approach is better equipped to detect the nuances of influence imparted by each of the contributing variables.Cottenie admitted that species richness was able to predict some aspects of population variation, but it was ineffective at capturing the effects of spatial variables. Therefore, applying species richness as a dependent variable can prevent researchers from observing important processes."My take from this is that species richness is often fiction," stated Cottenie.Instead, he believes ecologists need to embrace the complexity they are trying to study, not hide behind the single, catch-all figure of species richness. To understand complexity, it must be studied as a whole.While this analysis is useful to community ecologists trying to understand existing communities and the forces that shape them, it has practical applications as well. This type of examination is important in planning the expansion of threatened habitats and dealing with the devastating affects of invasive species."Community ecology is in an exciting time," said Cottenie. Describing the discovery of new tools that make variation decomposition easier than ever, Cottenie wants to convince ecologists to banish species richness from their y-axes.
Can Saskatchewan pay you to move there?
Saskatchewan is hungry for grads. This week, its premier, Brad Wall, heads to Toronto this week to promote his province's offer: up to $20,000 to move to Saskatchewan and stay there for seven years. Wall will hit the National Job Fair and the Grab-a-Grad fair on Tuesday and Wednesday, in his second recruitment drive in seven months.Saskatchewan's Graduate Retention Program offers tuition rebates to students from approved universities and programs in the form of tax credits."This is a serious situation when our best and brightest could be lost to us forever," Conservative leader Bob Runciman told the Canadian Press. He added that workers were already leaving Ontario because they could not find jobs. Without government incentives to keep them here, the brain drain would only worsen, Runciman said.Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty begged to differ. CP reports that McGuinty said 100,000 jobs in Ontario remain unfilled, despite the loss of 160,000 jobs since October and a higher unemployment rate."My competition is not the rest of Canada," McGuinty said, pointing to states like New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, and California.Wall will attend the job fairs with his delegation, which includes Regina and Saskatoon mayors.The National Job Fair takes place March 31 and April 1 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The Grab-a-Grad Fair takes place April 1 at Ryerson, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.More information about the Graduate Retention Program can be found at http://www.aeel.gov.sk.ca/grp
What are the odds?
It's "Rrroll Up The Rim To Win" season again, and many Ontarians may be surprised to learn they're less likely than other residents across the nation to win a car in the contest.Commencing in February and concluding at the end of May, Tim Horton's "Roll Up The Rim" promotion has been popular in Canada and the United States for the past 13 years. In 2006, it was revealed that the odds of winning a prize—particularly a Toyota—were skewed in favor of Quebec residents, whose chance of winning a car was reported to be one in four million. Ontario residents had a one in 11 million chance at the grand prize.The "Roll Up The Rim" website assures everyone that the odds are the same everywhere, by mentioning that the odds in favor of winning any prize in Canada are 1:9. Based on the detailed account of distributed cups and prizes among the eight different regions, U of T mathematics and statistics professor Jeremy Quastel commented, "This makes sense: they just divided the total number of cups distributed by the total number of prizes in order to obtain 1:9 odds."The website adds that "Tim Hortons audits the 1:9 odds daily while producing Roll Up The Rim To Win cups. Auditor reports are monitored weekly to ensure odds are always 1:9.""How do they audit the cups produced? There are so few winning cups, especially for the Toyota," commented Quastel. "How do they manufacture these? For the small prizes it's easy, because so many of these winning cups are manufactured, but how do they produce the cups with the bigger prizes, like the car? And how do they decide which stores will receive the winning cups? How do they get these cups into the store? Someone must sneak in at night and mix these cups with all of the others."As well, the 1:9 odds are only based on the sum total; when the numbers are examined individually for each region, it is clear that there are inequalities.The numbers released by Tim Horton's showed the odds were in favor of those purchasing cups in the "Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, and Yukon" (ASNTY) and "Atlantic provinces, Gaspesie, Iles-de-la Madeleine" regional groupings. Participants in these groups are two times more likely to win a Toyota than those in Ontario.Individual statistics for each region showed the number of cups distributed in each and the odds of winning each of the prizes. In British Columbia, two winning Toyota cups were distributed in 2006 and the odds of winning were one in 7,990,500. In the ASNTY regional grouping, four Toyotas were distributed in 2006 and the odds of winning were one in 6,077,750.In Ontario, however, the odds were not as good. Eight Toyotas were distributed and the odds of winning were one in 11,353,500. The probability of winning in the Quebec and Labrador regional group were one in 4,037, with four Toyotas distributed.Looking at the "Rules and Regulations" section of the Tim Horton's website, not much has changed since 2006. The number of cups distributed to each region has increased and so has the number of prizes. Therefore, the proportion of cups to prizes for each region has remained the same as it was three years ago.For some consumers, this reality may make "Roll Up The Rim" less exciting, and they may be less inclined to purchase coffee at Tim Horton's, particularly in Ontario.Greg Skinner, a spokesperson for Tim Horton's, told the CBC in 2006, "There are only 30 cars. If it was all equalized, some places, like P.E.I. or New Brunswick, might not get one at all. This is just about trying to create some excitement."However, Ontario residents may not see their lesser likelihood of winning as "exciting."
Court orders Quebec profs to back down
Striking professors at the Université du Québec à Montréal are to tone down their tactics in the last days of the semester, the Quebec Supreme Court ruled last Wednesday. Judge Jean-François de Grandpré granted a 10-day injunction that bans any attempts to intimidate students, staff and faculty, or to block them from entering campus buildings.UQAM professors are demanding wage increases of 11 per cent over three years and the employment of 300 additional staff. The injunction came after recent one-day strikes and a five-day strike last week, which shut down classes Wednesday and Thursday. Professors have been without contract for nearly two years. Their union, SPUQ, rejected an offer two weeks ago. The offer promised 25 new hires and an immediate four per cent wage hike, according to UQAM.Last week, online commentators expressed outrage that professors are striking for higher wages during a recession."We're not going to be able to support this [influx of students] so this is the time to invest," said Carey Nelson, a UQAM language instructor and SPUQ negotiator. Nelson told The Varsity that student enrolment generally increases in difficult economic times, when chances of employment are scarce.Cries for funding also come in the wake of a 2007 audit that found UQAM on the edge of bankruptcy, due to badly planned real estate undertakings that cost up to $750 million. UQAM professor Beatrix Beisner recently told the CBC that these losses should not have affected professors' salaries, which she said fall short of their counterparts at other Quebec schools."Why should the university suffer as a whole—in terms of its major mandate, which is education—why should that suffer?" Beisner asked.UQAM has reassured students that classes taught by lecturers, who are represented by a different union and are not striking, will keep running and that the trimester will end as planned. Negotiations between professors and university administration are scheduled to resume after April 6, when professors will return to the university.With files from Hilary Barlow
Gastronomy: Natural Laxatives
There is a vast array of bathroom-friendly literature available to North Americans. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series comprises nearly one hundred books, and begs the question: why are North Americans spending so much time in the bathroom? The "constipation epidemic" is common in developed countries, though many choose not to actively address the issue.According to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, "[It's] estimated that constipation affects nearly 15 per cent of the North American population, or 42 million persons in the United States alone." Poor diet is generally the cause, evidenced by the wide range of laxative products on the market today. There are numerous adverse side effects to laxative use, such as electrolyte imbalance, dehydration, and altered nutrient absorption. Many natural dietary alternatives provide the same benefit while posing no health risk.Throughout history, some common cures have included aloe vera, buckthorn, basil leaves, dandelion, chamomile, flowering spurge, cinnamon, peppermint, wild indigo, and tamarind. Many of these plants are still used today, commonly incorporated into teas, cooking, and supplements.Prune juice is one of the most well known and, similar to figs and dates, their laxative effect can be attributed to high fibre content. Bananas, prunes, walnuts, and seaweed are all examples of foods that lubricate the intestines. Papaya, sweet potato, and figs promote bowel movements. Flaxseed and psyllium seed are examples of demulcent herbs that reduce bowel irritation. Fennel, bran, senna leaf, ginger, and cayenne pepper also promote digestive health. In general, a high-fibre diet, fresh juices, and plenty of water act as natural colon cleansers. Foods to avoid include fatty, fried, and processed foods—all of which have come to play a huge role in modern diets."Natural laxatives help stimulate peristaltic effect on the large intestine to get rid of the digested residue," says family physician Dr. Meenaz M. "Regular cleansing not only helps improve digestion and absorption of nutrients, but also raises your energy levels."Paying better attention to gastrointestinal health can prevent a myriad of illnesses. Laxative abuse can result in a wide range of complications, such as gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, liver problems, and bowel ulcerations. Some of these digestive diseases are virtually unheard of in developing nations such as Africa, where intake of fruits and vegetables is high. Embrace some of these foods into your daily diet—your colon will be thankful.
Grad assistants vote on strike mandate
Graduate assistants could go on strike, if they vote to approve a strike mandate today. A positive vote gives the CUPE local 3907, the union representing 310 graduate assistants at OISE and U of T, the right to strike if negotiators are unsatisfied with admin's offered terms of contract.The strike would interrupt, and possibly halt, professors' research projects."Essentially the university's taken a hard line, claiming financial difficulties as a result of the recession," said Ajamu Nangwaya, the union's chair external.The union has been in negotiations with U of T admin since November. After a period of unsuccessful negotiations, conciliation meetings are ordered."The university met with the union on Friday and several dates, towards the end of April, have been set aside to continue the negotiations," Angela Hildyard, VP of human resources and equity, said in an email to The Varsity.Nangwaya said admin is taking away seniority rights, reducing working hours necessary for GA status and increasing the number of half-year contracts over eight-month ones. He also said U of T is offering an annual salary increase of roughly 1.75 per cent in comparison to the three percent other CUPE locals receive.Earlier this year, teaching assistants in CUPE local 3902 reached a settlement with U of T after months of negotiations and an approved a strike mandate.U of T grad assistants vote today at 1 p.m., in OISE room 214.
Hub of the university
Renowned faculty and alumni. World-class facilities. Top-notch programs that offer limitless discovery. Yes, the University of Toronto clearly has its spot among the most highly regarded universities on the planet.There just seems to be one thing left for the school to hang its hat on: a vibrant university sports scene.It's hardly the Blues' fault. Just walk through the Athletic Centre on any spring day and try not to notice all the OUA Championship banners Varsity Blues teams have raked in this past year hanging in the main lobby. Clearly, there's a lot worth cheering for.It's possible the shadows of the old Varsity Stadium still linger, bringing to mind memories of an ugly, crumbling mass, desperately in need of repair. The same could describe the university's most ridiculed, and unfortunately, most publicized sports program, the men's football team.So maybe that's why, in the summer of 2002, bulldozers mercifully demolished the stadium, in an attempt to take out some of the stink from the armpit of the campus.With the emergence of the Varsity Centre out of its stale ashes, the Faculty of Physical Education and Health looks to the future in hopes of building a strong, stable university sports scene, bringing the Varsity Blues back to its glory days.The first step involved hiring Diamond & Schmitt, an internationally recognized architecture firm and no stranger to the St. George campus (their portfolio includes the Bahen Centre for Information Technology and the Davenport Wing of the Lash Miller chemistry building), to design and execute the new Varsity Stadium.Duncan Higgins, the project manager for the first phase, said that Bruce Kidd, the Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Health, came to Diamond & Schmitt's design team with a clear vision for the new stadium. Instead of one closed to campus by high brick walls, Kidd wanted a stadium that was welcoming and inclusive to the community as a whole."That was defined as the goal by the dean and […] we had to work very hard with the city to maintain that and make sure that happened," said Higgins.This resulted in an open fence along the perimeter of the stadium giving passersby a clear view of the field. The fence also provides places for groups of people to gather, like the front entrance to Varsity Centre on Bloor Street and the corner of Devonshire Place. Today, a raised plaza allows anyone to sit comfortably and watch the action inside.More than that, the new stadium features first-class facilities, such as the field turf and the track circling the field. Both have the highest possible rating by their respective international bodies. This summer, the stadium will host a world-class track and field meet on June 11 featuring Olympic triple gold medalist and world record holder Usain Bolt."[The new Varsity Stadium] will give a real new focus and a sense of pride to people that are involved in the athletics departments at the university," said Higgins. "There will no longer be the embarrassment."Revitalizing the sports culture at U of T clearly is not an overnight project, even with a brand new $92-million state-of-the-art Varsity Centre. It will require years of successful planning and execution on the part of alumni, faculty, athletes, and students.Masha Sidorova, an ex-Varsity Blues athlete and recent grad of the U of T's Physical Education program currently completing her Sports and Event Marketing degree from George Brown, was a member of the Varsity Centre's implementation committee as the co-chair of the Council of Athletics and Recreation from 2006 to 2008.Sidorova said the Council started to target first year students in 2007. By informing frosh leaders about Varsity sports and educating them on important resources, such as websites for Varsity team schedules and how to book a section at Varsity Stadium, they encourage colleges and faculty to get in the game."That helps you set the ground and build that tradition right from the get-go," said Sidorova. "[First years] can learn from their leaders and peers that this is what we do at U of T, or this is something cool to participate in."Sidorova believes students can decide for themselves during their first few weeks at school whether supporting U of T sports teams will be something they participate in."Not when they're almost done university […] and thinking 'Wow! I didn't know we had a swim team and we hold national championships,'" says Sidorva. "[They need to know] that we have a tennis team and rugby team involved in great competitions and [they] have the ability to watch them."Judging by the much-increased support for the football team's home games, the hard work is paying off. For example, on Sept 3, 2007, over 3,000 fans showed up for their first-ever game played at the new stadium. Last year, decent crowds turned out to watch the team dramatically snap their 49-game losing streak on a last-second field goal, and witness a second victory at home with a blowout win over rival York.Sidorova believes the university can get the word out by making more students aware of the Athletic Centre. Game events are posted inside the building and on U of T's main home page daily.One idea that was kicked around involved high-definition monitors, which are found at or near the front entrances to most buildings throughout the campus, to post Varsity game times and locations. Yet colleges and facilities that host these monitors have the right to display whatever content they want. One could logically assume Hart House would want to use their monitors to inform people about an upcoming show performed at their theatre, or that the Medical Science Building would want to tell others about their seminars.A possible solution could involve cross-promotion. For example, the Medical Science Building could agree to promote men and women's basketball games and in return the Athletic Centre would promote graduate programs that may interest some Physical Education undergrads.As for now, supporters are using a wait-and-see approach to see if the seeds planted in first-year students will begin to grow, blossom, and spread to others."I think sports are extremely important and […] it's a memory that you can take away and bring home," said Sidorova. "Obviously, winning helps too."


text: Based in the Faroes, a group of islands between Iceland and Norway that has been an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948, T++r record and perform in both English and in their native Faroese language. The progressive folk/Viking metal outfit formed in 1998 in Denmark around the talents of Heri Joensen, K+íri Streymoy, and Gunnar H. Thomsen. Joensen's brother J+¦n and singer P+¦l Arni Holm joined the group for its 2002 debut, How Far to Asgaard, but left soon aft... Read more

subset: commoncrawl


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Affordable health care and educational programs through Planned Parenthood help make our community great. Please join us to celebrate 100 years of Planned Parenthood!
Sunday, September 18, 2016 • 4 to 6 PM
210 S. Ashley Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan
fabulous local food • cash bar • live music • casual dress • raffle
Interested in sponsorship opportunities for your business?
Planned Parenthood of Michigan | PO Box 3673, Ann Arbor, MI 48106


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Dean Weber joined the Creighton University School of Law faculty in 2008. At the University of Minnesota he was co-editor-in-chief of the Minnesota Journal of Global Trade (now the Minnesota Journal of International Law). He is a member of Order of the Coif.
Prior to joining the faculty, Dean Weber worked as an associate at the multinational firm of Fredrickson & Byron, P.A., with its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he did corporate work including work in mergers and acquisitions, general corporate counseling and entity formation with a special focus on undocumented entrepreneurs. Dean Weber has lived and worked abroad in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Dean Weber's scholarship focuses on two distinct fields of interest: immigration and real property and mortgages. His work has appeared in many notable journals including the Marquette Law Review, The American Bankruptcy Law Journal, the Yale Human Rights & Development Law Journal and the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal. His work has been cited by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, American Law Reports (ALR), and American Jurisprudence (Am.Jur.).
Dean Weber has served on several non-profit boards of directors and currently serves as the Board Vice President of the Heartland Workers' Center (Centro Laboral). He has been cited in national publications such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press, as well as many local news outlets. He frequently engages in pro bono immigration work with Catholic Charities as well as informal advising with other community organizations.
He was awarded the Outstanding Faculty Award in 2014.
- B.A. (2001), St. John's University
- J.D. (2005), University of Minnesota
- Commercial Law
- Contracts I
- Contracts II
- Immigration Law
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Negotiable Instruments
- Sports and Entertainment Law
My goal is to make every student a more rigorous, analytical thinker. Challenging students to defend their beliefs and opinions is useful, but in my experience it is even more useful to force students to come up with innovative, client-centered solutions to complex problems. I love watching students first comprehend the doctrinal substance of the law and then move to a broader understanding of its practical application. Especially in my upper level courses, I strive to create academic experiences that are practice-oriented and skills-intensive."
"In class discussion we cover many scenarios where students see that law is not necessarily justice. My passion in teaching at Creighton is to give students the knowledge and skills necessary to become constant advocates for justice.
- David P. Weber, Cities and States Battle Back: Taking the Fight to the Zombie (Mortgages) and Abandoned Properties, PROB. & PROP., Jan./Feb. 2015, at 42.
- David P. Weber, Zombie Mortgages, Real Estate, and the Fallout for the Survivors, 45 N.M. L. Rev. 37 (2014). David P. Weber, Immigration Reform: Stuck on Repeat, CREIGHTON LAW., Fall 2014, at 12.
- David P. Weber, The Ethics of Attorneys Using an Individual's Unauthorized Immigrant Status Against Them, NEB. LAW., Sept./Oct. 2013, at 19.
- David P. Weber, Restricting the Freedom of Contract: A Fundamental Prohibition, 16 YALE HUM. RTS. & DEV. L.J. 51 (2013).
- David P. Weber, State and Local Regulation of Immigration: The Need for a Bilateral (Reciprocal) Ratchet, 18 ILSA J. INT'L & COMP. L. 707 (2012).
- Regulaciones Estatales y Locales de Inmigración: La Necesidad Para un Trinquete Bilateral, 18 ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law 835 (2013)
- The Ethics of Attorneys Using an Individual's Unauthorized Immigrant Status Against Them, The Nebraska Lawyer, Sept./Oct. 2013, at 19
- State and Local Regulation of Immigration: The Need for a Bilateral (Reciprocal) Ratchet, 18 ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law 707 (2013)
- Restricting the Freedom of Contract: A Fundamental Prohibition, 16 Yale Human Rights & Development Law Journal 51 (2013)
- The Murky Mess of MERS: The Complications of Collecting on Promissory Notes when MERS is Around, CONSIDERCHAPTER13.ORG (Apr. 10, 2011)
- The Coercive Use of Immigration Status in a Civil Society, The Nebraska Lawyer, Nov./Dec. 2011, at 11
- The Magic of the Mortgage Electronic Registration System: It Is and It Isn't, 85 The American Bankruptcy Law Journal 239 (2011)
- (Unfair) Advantage: Damocles' Sword and the Coercive Use of Immigration Status in a Civil Society, 94 Marquette Law Review 613 (2010)
- David Weber and Barbara Schwartz, Asylum Practice and Procedure, in GETTING THE ANSWER, GETTING IT RIGHT: AN IMMIGRATION LAW SEMINAR (Neb. Continuing Legal Educ. ed., 2010).


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Re: Relocating to New Mexico from CAJun 2, 2006
On 1/28/06, Claudia wrote:
> I was hoping that I could get some input from NM teachers.
> I have taught in Ca for four years. I hold my admin
> credential and a masters degree in Ed. I want some
> recomendation on where would be a good place to look for
> work. How is APS? How about Rio Rancho? Any suggestions on
> where to live?
> Thanks
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Let's Bowl
We all know that Avalanche players can work it on the ice rink; they're professionals, for crying out loud. But can they bowl? That's for them to know and you to find out at this evening's Cruisin' the Lanes Celebrity Bowling Tournament, which starts at 6 p.m. at Lucky Strike Lanes in the Denver Pavilions, 500 16th Street.
Avs team members have hosted the event for five years, with the torch handed off to newbies each year. John-Michael Liles will do the honors this time around. "It's kind of neat the way that they keep passing the baton to a younger player who takes up the cause," notes the tournament's Jane Carroll Andrade.
General admission is $100 and includes food, four drink tickets and extras such as karaoke and an auction for a date with one of America's Next Top Models. Stellar. After the Avs and other celebrities including former Broncos, screen stars and more attempt to out-bowl each other, the lanes will open up to attendees. Additional sponsorship levels are available; get more information at www.cruisinthelanes.com.
Sat., Feb. 3, 6 p.m.
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Downtown McMinnville
Oregon's Favorite Main Street
Take a peek at what's going on in McMinnville in 2016!
The McMinnville Downtown Association works to promote and enhance our historic downtown as the economic, social and cultural heart of the community.
Dates, Days & Times:
Show Dates February 13, 2017 - March 12, 2017
Opening Reception Saturday, February 18th from 5 PM to 8PM during McMinnville's Art & Wine Walk
Gallery Hours: Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5 pm,
Sunday 11am - 3pm


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Seluah, "Phase III"
In 2002, Seluah's debut EP launched a mystery rife with ethereal melodies and dub rhythms, allotting the band a singular, trippy space in Louisville's well-documented music scene. LEO Weekly hailed it as "one of the best records to ever come out of Louisville," and Ear X-tacy called it "a psych-dub masterpiece." After brief stints supporting Rachel's, Matt Pond PA and Shipping News, Seluah went dark for six years while continuing with their other bands (Rachel's, Boom Bip, People Noise) before reuniting in September 2010.
Seluah's 2012 debut full-length album Red Parole was much broader in scope and instrumentation than its EP. The bulk of Red Parole reflects an early '70s mammoth guitar aesthetic, both fuzzed out and sweetly melodic, punctuated by mesmerizing vocals that glide over each track. Seluah performed most of the material while opening for TV On The Radio in the fall of 2011.
The following summer, Seluah performed a live score to Tod Browning's 1927 silent film "The Unknown," starring Lon Chaney and Joan Crawford, as part of Flyover Film Festival. The set incorporated songs from Red Parole, as well as doom-laden interludes hinting at newer material to come. Last summer, the group was invited to perform at The Forecastle Festival alongside headliners Outkast, Beck and Jack White. Seluah gained an ally in Henry Rollins, who exposed "Black Sand" and "Elysian Fields" to 500,000 weekly listeners during his KCRW radio show.
Seluah embarks on 2015 with its second full-length, Phase III. Using longtime collaborator Kevin Ratterman's new dream studio, the band conjured stark, foreboding imagery on its most lurid venture yet. As is especially true with "Nanon," Phase III depicts a dark, hypnotic world you can't help but visit more than once.
Album Credits:
All songs written and performed by Seluah
© 2015 Seluah Music (BMI)
Andrew Killmeier: guitar, keys
Matt Johnson: guitar
Andrew Peace: bass
Edward Grimes: vocals, drums
Christian Frederickson: viola
Executive Producer: Les Pollitt
Engineered and mastered by Kevin Ratterman at La La Land Studio in Louisville, Ky.
Lacquer cut by Roger Seibel at SAE Mastering
Artwork: Cesar Perez Ribas
Front cover photo: Aron Conaway
Band photo: Meagan Jordan
Contact: email@example.com
"Throughout the eight tracks on offer the playing remains exemplary, the band creating an identity, a unity of sound that means the collection sounds like a complete album to be listened to in one sitting, preferably at a decent volume, allowing the dynamics of the music to shine through." —Terrascope
It's very difficult to find the right words or choose one song to represent Seluah's hauntingly beautiful record Phase III. Hence, I'd definitely suggest to take Nanon as a appetizer but to listen to it in its entirety afterwards, preferably on a late summer evening. —Road And A Track
"It's more rock than post-rock, although by a small margin, with an almost reticent passion that can sometimes feel aloof. That's just an illusion, however, as just below the atmospheric surface simmers a weirdly-dangerous vibe that flirts with violence." —Louisville Courier-Journal
"'I think we're the most comfortable we've ever been together in terms of accepting the fact this record is pretty dark, and we're just going with it confidently without looking over our shoulders. We're not the gloomiest guys around, and we like music that's a bit 'happier' sometimes. It just turns out when the four of us play together, it's generally been that way.'" —LEO Weekly (Interview)
"With their latest effort, we're gifted seven brand new songs, each with their own unique personality while at the same time exuding a similar purpose. It's an early Pink Floyd meets Spiderland type of record, in the way that it combines atmospheric indie rock with building, almost progressive song structures. —Never Nervous
"… the band is able to pinpoint its focus on the elements of the first album that worked and further exploit them. —Vinyl Mag
"The new album picks up right where Red Parole left off, with 'Experiment in Horror' setting the tone for a set of moody, at times menacing psych-noir explorations." —Blurt Online


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A sweater and coat all-in-one, this sweater trench will keep you warm on fall days to come. A double breasted silhouette that's made to cover you completely it features front slouchy pockets and a button down fastening. It's perfect for layering while on the go.Details
Pair it with leggings and tall boots on a chilly fall day.


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St. Ives Apricot Scrub, Blemish And Blackhead Control
California's Proposition 65 Warning: May This item contains chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Reference by California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) at: www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/Newlist.html.
Shipping Weight : 0.70 lb
St. Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub, Blemish And Blackhead Control - 6 Oz
Our Price:$3.80
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Oral-B Pro-Health Batteries Tooth Brush With Precision Clean Battery - 1 Ea
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Sundown Pure Vitamin E Oil, 70,000 Iu For Skin - 2.5 Oz
Our Price:$5.71


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136 Magnolia Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306
OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Friday | 9AM - 5PM
GALLERY HOURS: Tuesday - Friday | 4:30PM-7:30PM; Sundays |12PM-3PM
Art House is committed to ensuring that all its programs and services are accessible to all. Art House has a wheelchair accessible entrance/limited restroom accessibility. If you require a special accommodation, are a wheelchair user attending our venue for the first time, or have specific questions about the physical features of our facility please call Christine Goodman at 201-915-9911, at least two weeks prior to your visit.
Located behind the Journal Square PATH STATION (Summit Ave. and Magnolia Ave.)


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See this American hero fuck and fight his way through the modern era, along with some other favorite comic book characters. Read More
Studio: Exquisite Multimedia
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Stars: Ashley Orion Charley Chase Evan Stone Keywords: Legs, Threesome, Parody, Big Dick, Black Hair, Natural Breasts, Big Ass
Stars: Jacky Joy Sean Michaels Keywords: Skinny, Glasses, Interracial, Nurse, Big Tits, Big Dick, Parody, Big Ass, Black Pop Shot: Facial
Stars: Alex Knight Juelz Ventura Keywords: Legs, Skinny, Big Tits, Big Dick, Parody, Tattoos, Black Hair, Big Ass Pop Shot: Facial
Stars: Jennifer White Dane Cross Keywords: Skinny, Legs, Parody, Big Dick, Natural Breasts, Big Ass, Brunette Pop Shot: Facial
Stars: Bill Bailey India Summer Keywords: Legs, Skinny, Glasses, Parody, Big Dick, Small Tits, Brunette Pop Shot: Facial
Keywords: Blonde, Skinny, Legs, Parody, Big Dick, Small Tits Pop Shot: Facial
The man who ended World War II was a genetically modified super soldier named Steve Rogers. Code Name: Captain America! After being frozen in a block of ice for 70 years, he's back and he's the only thing standing between the American people and the forces of evil. Along with Nick Fury, Sharon Carter, and the rest of Shield, the Captain has to battle his arch nemesis, the Red Skull, and the sexy but deadly Madame Hydra, who wants to fuck the Captain as badly as she wants to kill him! See this American hero fuck and fight his way through the modern era, along with some other favorite comic book characters. The politics may have changed, but the fucking and suckings remained the same!
Runtime (Stream, Download): 153 minutes
Studio: Exquisite Multimedia
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STARmeterSEE RANK
Down 52,509 this week
Ross MacGibbon
Ross MacGibbon was born on January 29, 1955 in Bromley, England. He is a director and producer, known for The Car Man (2001), Coppélia, A ballet in three acts (2000) and Explosive Dance (1998). See full bio »
Born:in Bromley, England, UK


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Matthew Perry's New TV Hookup Is Matt LeBlanc's Girlfriend!
Hollywood really is a small town, after all!
In a Friends-themed game of musical chairs, it turns out that Matthew Perry's love interest on new show Mr. Sunshine has intimate ties to a dear old pal.
PHOTOS: Friends stars then and now
On the ABC comedy -- premiering Feb. 9 -- actress Andrea Anders plays Alice, an office hookup buddy to sports agent Ben (Perry).
In real life, Anders, 35, is longtime girlfriend to Perry's old Friends cohort Matt LeBlanc -- whom she met playing his fictional girlfriend on cancelled spinoff Joey.
PHOTOS: Stars who found love on set
She and LeBlanc, 43, went public with their relationship amidst in 2006, shortly after his surprise split from wife of three years Melissa McKnight; Anders was branded the "other woman" in some media reports.
PHOTOS: Jen Aniston and Courteney Cox through the years
The weird connections don't end there: Anders also plays LeBlanc's girlfriend on his new Showtime series Episodes, in which the actor plays a fictionalized version of himself!
Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly
We Recommend
- Feb. 06, 2017 Take a look back at the 1997 Grammy Awards red carpet


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Swedish Lamb
|1 Tablespoon
|Ground black pepper
|1 Tablespoon
|Leg lamb
|5 Pound
|3 , sliced
|3 , sliced
|Beef broth
|1 Cup (16 tbs)
|Strong coffee
|1 1⁄2 Cup (24 tbs)
|Heavy cream
|1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs)
|1 Tablespoon
1. Preheat oven to hot (425° F.).
2. Rub the salt and pepper into the lamb and place the meat on a rack in a roasting pan surrounded with the onions and carrots. Roast thirty minutes, then skim off the fat.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to moderate (350° F.)' and add the broth, coffee, cream and sugar. Continue roasting, basting frequently, forty minutes to one hour, depending on desired degree of doneness.
4. Transfer the lamb to a warm platter and force the gravy through a sieve, or puree in an electric blender
Rate It
Nutrition Rank
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: Complete recipe
Calories 5388 Calories from Fat 3166
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 352 g541.9%
Saturated Fat 159.9 g799.3%
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 1683.9 mg561.3%
Sodium 8083.7 mg336.8%
Total Carbohydrates 97 g32.2%
Dietary Fiber 16.1 g64.3%
Sugars 41.3 g
Protein 441 g881.4%
Vitamin A 647.7% Vitamin C 75.1%
Calcium 49.8% Iron 250.1%
*Based on a 2000 Calorie diet


text: Car Hoarder Parks 48 Junkers On California StreetMatt Hardigree11/02/10 10:30amFiled to: Down On The StreetCar CrimeCovinaCar Hoardinghoarding2451EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalink Mark Shoff's turned the streets of Covina, California into a giant car show for his massive collection of mostly junky beaters. Neighbors don't want to live in a giant junkyard, but Shoff's found loopholes in the parking laws. Advertisement Photos of the streets show a collection of older cars of varying collectability, ranging from a nice vintage Mercedes to a Black Dodge Dart with a busted window. Many of the cars are dented or damaged and lack proper registration, says the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.To foil Shoff's giant car show, residents encouraged the passing of regulations forcing cars to be moved every 72 hours and not parked on certain streets on Tuesdays. But Shoff is aware of how the system works and moves them a few inches on those days or switches the streets they're parked on with the help of an unidentified female. Advertisement Despite the nuisance, residents say he follows the few marked signs and doesn't park the car where people complain. Car hording? Someone call Dr. Phil so some of us can have a shot at these clunkbuckets. (Hat tip to Marco!)[San Gabriel Valley Tribune]Reply245 repliesLeave a reply


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This application is for continuation of a program that first began in 2002, for training in cancer biostatistics. The need for well-trained statistical scientists in biomedical research is massive and it is not being met by the number of graduates being produced by biostatistics departments across the US.
The aim of the training program is to increase the participation in cancer research of the new generation of biostatisticians who are educated not only in the powerful methods of modern statistics, but also in the biology and epidemiology of cancer, the current body of knowledge about the etiology of the disease, its detection, prevention, natural history and treatment. This training program will provide biostatisticians with the requisite scientific knowledge to understand current issues in cancer research, and training in statistical and epidemiological techniques and research methodology related to cancer. The goals of the training program are to give students who are obtaining a Ph.D. in Biostatistics or a related field (i) a solid understanding of cancer biology, (ii) experiece and ability to communicate and collaborate with cancer scientists, (iii) understanding of recent developments in cancer requiring innovative statistical research and (iv) independent research skills. The interdisciplinary program that will enable the trainees to obtain knowledge and experience in an area of cancer research and to participate as a biostatistician in an active research program under the direction of a mentor in biostatistics and a cancer scientist. The cancer research experience will be facilitated by the Cancer Center Biostatistics Unit. In addition to the biostatistics courses, the trainees will be required to take courses in cancer epidemiology, biology and genetics. The strong programmatic activities include two specifically designed courses on biostatistical issues in cancer, a journal club, a bi-annual retreat, visits to cancer research labs and meetings with invited visitors. The training program is based in the Department of Biostatistics, which was rated by the National Research Council in 2010 as the top Biostatistics department in the US. The training program is for 4 pre doctoral trainees. The training program is supported by 17 primary faculty from the departments of Biostatistics, Statistics and Epidemiology and 20 supporting faculty from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Biostatisticians are of crucial importance to many aspects of Cancer research. They develop and provide new designs and new ways to validly analyze the increasingly complex data that is being collected in cancer research. While students in this training program receive top rate training in statistics they will learn about the science of cancer prevention, treatment and research. This training program will help seed the next generation of cancer biostatisticians.
|Conlon, A S C; Taylor, J M G; Sargent, D J (2014) Multi-state models for colon cancer recurrence and death with a cured fraction. Stat Med 33:1750-66
|Conlon, Asc; Taylor, Jmg; Elliott, Mr (2014) Surrogacy assessment using principal stratification and a Gaussian copula model. Stat Methods Med Res :
|Taylor, Jeremy M G; Shen, Jincheng; Kennedy, Edward H et al. (2014) Comparison of methods for estimating the effect of salvage therapy in prostate cancer when treatment is given by indication. Stat Med 33:257-74
|Conlon, Anna S C; Taylor, Jeremy M G; Elliott, Michael R (2014) Surrogacy assessment using principal stratification when surrogate and outcome measures are multivariate normal. Biostatistics 15:266-83
|Hamstra, Daniel A; Conlon, Anna S C; Daignault, Stephanie et al. (2013) Multi-institutional prospective evaluation of bowel quality of life after prostate external beam radiation therapy identifies patient and treatment factors associated with patient-reported outcomes: the PROSTQA experience. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 86:546-53
|Foster, Jared C; Taylor, Jeremy M G; Nan, Bin (2013) Variable selection in monotone single-index models via the adaptive LASSO. Stat Med 32:3944-54
|Mason, Heidi; DeRubeis, Mary Beth; Foster, Jared C et al. (2013) Outcomes evaluation of a weekly nurse practitioner-managed symptom management clinic for patients with head and neck cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy. Oncol Nurs Forum 40:581-6
|Conlon, Anna S C; Taylor, Jeremy M G; Sargent, Daniel J et al. (2011) Using cure models and multiple imputation to utilize recurrence as an auxiliary variable for overall survival. Clin Trials 8:581-90
|Foster, Jared C; Taylor, Jeremy M G; Ruberg, Stephen J (2011) Subgroup identification from randomized clinical trial data. Stat Med 30:2867-80
|Shojaie, Ali; Michailidis, George (2010) Network enrichment analysis in complex experiments. Stat Appl Genet Mol Biol 9:Article22
Showing the most recent 10 out of 12 publications


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"If you do not turn inward, you will never know reality." —Ajahn Chah
For General Inquiries:Phone (415) 488-0164 • Fax (415) 488-1025Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Technical Support: Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Media Inquiries: Please contact Kathryn ArnoldDonations: Please contact Teena Merlan
5000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., PO Box 169, Woodacre, CA 94973
If the person you are calling is on the phone, you will be transferred into their voicemail.
Due to an increase in spam, we are no longer publishing email addresses on the web site. All staff email addresses are firstname.lastname@example.com (no spaces) as in email@example.com (for Jane Doe).
©2017 Spirit Rock Insight Meditation Center PO Box 169, Woodacre, CA 94973
Non-Profit Tax ID # 94-2971001


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Our website uses cookies to function. You can read our Privacy Policy here, by continuing to use this site you agree with our Privacy Policy
The park has recently had a facelift, with two football goal units, a challenging multi-play and a basket swing being installed. It is part of the Studio Way Woodland Trail.
Working with the Countryside Management Service we have successfully secured Heritage Lottery Funding for an exciting project, Scene Change at Studio Way. Plans to bring the history of Studio Way back to life have been drawn up, in consultation with local residents.
The first phase of the project is to undertake woodland management works around the site to improve access. From Tuesday 2nd February for approximately 4 weeks, contractors will be on site cutting back paths.
Future improvements include:
A Green Space Action Plan (GAP) has been produced by Countryside Management Service in conjunction with Hertsmere to outline the future management of the woodland trail for the next five years (2014 to 2019).
The plan includes the management and removal of mature poplar trees and maintenance of existing and recently planted woodland. There will also be improvements to ensure visitor access and experience is of a high standard.
For further details please see the Green Space Action Plan.
This year's phase of poplar removal, several of which were dead or dying, to allow for natural woodland regeneration was carried out in February to the rear of Bray Close, Danziger Way, Neagle Close and Wilcox Close. Next year, further trees will be removed to the rear of Danziger Way and Wilcox Close as identified in the Action Plan.
Where can I find it?
Off Denham Way Borehamwood WD6 5PY
What does it offer?
We welcome feedback about our website. We are continually working to improve the content of our website. If you have any suggestions on how it can be improved, or just want to offer some feedback on it, please use the form below.
Powered by Contensis
Welcome to Hertsmere Borough Council's website.


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specially , the hover effect and the tiny border .
This reply has been reported for inappropriate content.
By the way, I can't hover the image to see the original navigation hover effect >..<
what do u actually mean #hompimpa
He actually mean that the style of the "home" point, could be just the active status.. and we don't see the hover effect.
But how ever, I tryed to build a navi like that one.
~ http://jsfiddle.net/4p7QN/1/ ~
~It's not perfect and the colors arn't right, but I hope it helps you.~
@hompimpa's is much better!
Just kidding. Here it is ⇒ http://cdpn.io/IdLxj
Thanks a lot @Hompima and @Scribblerockerz .
You guys just save my day
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.


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With Instructables you can share what you make with the world, and tap into an ever-growing community of creative experts.
i played this game when i was young and decided to bring a part of it to life. all you need is: - cardboard -scissors -paint very simple!
just draw the boomerang :) you can easily change the dimensions if you want it bigger
you know what to do
just paint the colors you want (because each boomerang is different)
Funktionierender Batarangby springefactory
Clemson Tiger Amigurumiby suziemedders
Japanese Lanternby itsmesandradee
Join 2 million + to receive instant DIY inspiration in your inbox.
© 2016 Autodesk, Inc.


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It gallops. It bounds. It runs faster than you can.
The WildCat four-legged robot, which you can see in action in the video above, looks straight out of the director's cut of our planet's robotic alien invasion.
Funded by DARPA's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation program, the robot is being developed by firm Boston Dynamics and is meant to move on all types of terrain. The video shows WildCat's best performance so far. With a loud and grating whirring sound, it achieves speeds of 16 miles per hour using bounding and galloping gaits (the top elite runners can sprint 100 meters at 15.9 miles per hour). You can also see it turn its direction pretty quickly, too.
This isn't the first time Boston Dynamics has come up with a scary robot inspired by our lovable, cute pets. Its other robot, BigDog, in development since 2005, is now strong enough to throw cement blocks and could help troops traveling over rugged terrain who need to carry heavy loads. The company's slogan—"changing your idea of what robots can do"—appears to be an understatement.


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A/N: I do not own any of the recognizable characters, locations, items, or devices featured in this story. I am just a fan; always have been, always will be. Please, enjoy!
The cacophony of Go City hit Dr. Drakken's ears the instant he stepped out of automatic doors of the Go City International Airport. Car horns blared as families reunited in the road and lone travelers hailed passing taxicabs. A smile spread across his face as he soaked it all in. It had been three years since he last set foot in America. There were days he was almost able to convince himself that he didn't miss it. But now, immersed in familiarity, there was no denying that there was something in the abrasive swearing chorused out by harried travelers, something in the smell of street vendors' day-old hot-dogs, that just couldn't be found in Geneva. Oh, sure. The Swiss had their chocolate and their watches, but their cute cottages and centuries-old buildings were quaint, not striking. He shut his eyes for a moment, grin still plastered on his face, and lost himself into the sound—
"Hey, buddy, you need a taxi or something?"
Drakken opened his eyes to see a short man in a grey uniform looking at him. He held a stack of yellow tickets and wore an expression that was anything but friendly.
"'Cause if you don't, you better get a move on," the man said. "You're holding up the line."
"Erm. Right. Yes."
Drakken took one of the yellow tickets and was paired up with a taxi to take him uptown to his new apartment. The taxi smelled like leather and sweat. Drakken opened the window and the wind blew through his hair. He inhaled and exhaled deeply. Then, he realized the cab driver was staring at him through the rearview mirror.
"What?" he snapped.
The man driving started at Drakken's tone. Then, he said, "I know you. You are Doctor Drakken, yes?"
"Yes. Who are you? I don't know you."
"Oh, no. You would not. I am just an admirer." The man smiled. "I was engineer in my country. Your hydro-hovercrafts are inspiration!"
"Thank you. You know, I designed my first prototype for them in college. My so-called friends laughed then, but after just a few tweaks—Vrroom! There was no stopping my first working hovercraft…! Which was a bit problematic, since the brake system proved rather tricky…"
The cabbie's smile faltered in the mirror, but if Drakken noticed, he didn't care. He continued on about the hovercrafts for a few solid minutes before sighing.
"But of course," he said conspiratorially. "I did keep the best version for myself. A man has to have his priorities straight. Fame and fortune are all well and good, but there's just something… something… " Drakken threw his hands in the air emphatically, at a loss for words. "…about having something that's truly one-of-a-kind."
"Yes," said the cabbie. "I know exactly—"
"If you wouldn't mind zipping it?" Drakken said. "I want to enjoy the city for a minute."
He looked out the window as they crossed over the river. Leisure boats skipped across the greenish waves and pigeons (or were they gulls? Drakken never could tell…) flew over the bridge. He was going to like it here. On Monday, he would start teaching his first science course. Not that he needed the income or the benefits. Drakken had made quite a chunk of change over the last few years, selling his inventions for the betterment of mankind. Like he'd said, he kept the best stuff for himself, but there was no harm in making the planet a bit more eco-friendly, since he'd worked so hard to save it from destruction. Go City University had given him a research grant to continue perfecting his pro-planet patents. It sounded like a pretty sweet deal.
Until you realized that Drakken didn't have any new patents to perfect. He slumped against the window. The shadow of Go Tower crossed over the cab. He would think of something. He had to. Drakken looked up at the white marble tower, which climbed high up into the clouds. He sighed.
"The Tower is work of art, no?" the cabbie said. "The whole city is named for the Go family. They were into the saving the world business long before you were, Doctor."
"Oh, shut it," Drakken said, sitting upright.
"They are an inspiration," the man continued. "Was not the woman your assistant once?"
Drakken felt a vine crawl up the side of his neck. He had to remind it not to strangle the cab driver.
Out loud.
The driver met his gaze in the rearview mirror. The cabbie was exceptionally pale now and a single bead of sweat trickled down his pronounced brow. The vine retracted back into Drakken's neck.
"Shego was my partner once, yes," he said. Then, casting a glance back at the Tower, he bit his lip. "I wonder what she's doing now…"
This was crap. Absolute hooey. Shego crouched between the branches of the oak tree. For the last ten minutes, she had not moved. Her muscles ached. For the fiftieth time this week, she reminded herself that this was just a job and that she had done so many more degrading things in the last several years. One particular instance in which she was forced to sell ice creams to spring-breakers jumped to mind. She scowled. That was a different life, a different time. A time when she'd sworn off heroics in favor for excitement.
That Shego would never be caught dead scampering up a tree to chase a cat.
"Come on, Whiskers," she muttered. "Come to Auntie Shego."
The orange tabby licked its right paw. It looked up as it did, and if Shego didn't know better, she would have sworn it was smirking at her. This wouldn't have been half as frustrating if she didn't have a meeting across town in ten minutes. She growled under her breath.
The sound caught the cat's ears and it put its paw down. Then, after stretching, it pranced over to the thinnest part of the branch, still just out of reach. Shego inched forward. Her suit snagged on the bark. She tugged. The movement pulled the fabric free, but shook the branch just hard enough that the thin part snapped in two. Shego and Whiskers tumbled to the ground. And while the cat landed on all fours, Shego landed, unceremoniously crouched a foot away and covered in leaves. She looked up to see the cat's owner looking at her through thick bifocals.
"You could have killed him!" the woman scolded. "What were you thinking?"
"Jeez, lady," Shego said, standing up and dusting herself off. "You told me to get the cat down. You didn't tell me how to do it. So I improvised. Got a problem with it, fill out a complaint to City Hall. Capisce?"
"Oh, believe me. I will," said the woman. "Oh, none of your brothers ever give me this kind of trouble. What would they say if they knew how… how… lippy you can be?"
"Believe me, they know," Shego said. She rolled her eyes, but the word 'lippy' snagged on her heart like jumpsuit on a tree. "I'd love to stick around for a lecture, but… places to go, people to see. All that jazz."
And on that note, Shego jumped into her red convertible parked next to the green-zone. Stuck below the windshield wipers was a little, pink slip. Shego cursed under her breath and sped off. The parking ticket flew into the air and landed somewhere in the road. She was going to be late for her meeting with the temp agency. Again. Every time they had a job for her, Team Go found some menial thing for her to do on the other side of the city. When she first agreed to work with her brothers again, Shego had hoped that it would keep her busy and in the law's good graces, all while giving her a slice of the action. As if. And if the agency didn't find her a better day job, Shego just might reconsider a life of villainy just to spite her brothers. She pulled up to the temp agency and rushed inside, still in full crime-fighting regalia. She tapped her fingers against the counter.
"Hey. I'm here for an appointment with Barbara Hoffman."
The secretary looked up and snickered. Her eyes zeroed in on Shego's stomach. Shego looked down and saw that her suit had ripped just above her navel.
"Take a picture," she growled, leaning against the counter to put her bared skin out of view. "It'll last longer."
"Right," the secretary said, looking at her computer screen. "You're late, Miss Go."
"Gee, I had no idea."
"Mrs. Hoffman has other clients."
Shego growled and reached across the table. She picked the secretary up by the scruff of her turtleneck and pulled her close. Shego raised her free hand and it ignited into a green glow.
"Tell Mrs. Hoffman to clear her calendar," Shego whispered. "Or so help me—"
The secretary gulped. "You know what? Just go on in, Miss Go."
Shego set the secretary down and walked into Mrs. Hoffman' office. She'd been there a dozen times in the last three years. Her memories of the place weren't overly fond. There were new pictures of Hoffman' kids, but otherwise, everything was still decorated in a sickening shade of lavender. Shego shuddered and took a seat. Mrs. Hoffman was on the phone.
"Right," she said. "Well, a client's just walked in. … Qualified? Oh… Um…"
Shego pulled a nail file from the pouch on the leg of her suit. She started on her nails, all the while pretending to ignore Hoffman.
"Well, it's… difficult to say. I'll have to ask her. Can I call you back in fifteen? Great. Thanks, Bobby."
Hoffman put the phone down. Shego blew on her nails.
"Another substitute teaching gig?" she asked without looking up.
"Oh, no," Hoffman said firmly. "Not for you. Not after that stunt you pulled in Lowerton."
Shego grinned. "Hey. Those kids shouldn't have been on their cell phones while I was talking. I told them I had a no cellphone policy."
"They were nine!"
"Who gives nine year olds cell phones anyways?" Shego rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. She'd substituted for a pregnant math teacher at Lowerton Elementary School for all of three days before complaints started flooding in. She'd crushed about twelve cellphones by that time. Before that, she'd been asked never to return to Middleton ISD. Apparently, the exercise regimens she subjected the cheerleading squad to were "unethical". Whatever that meant. "So, what do you got for me?"
Hoffman sighed. "It's not 'for you'. GCU is looking for a qualified research assistant."
"That's me to a T, Hoffman," Shego said. "I'm probably over-qualified."
"Shego," Hoffman said, lowering her voice. "Your degree is in child development, remember?"
Shego scoffed. "Yeah, yeah. But teaching was never really my calling, y'know? I was a research assistant. For ages. I was the queen of research assistants."
"This is legitimate science, not mad science," Hoffman said, even more quietly than before. "I really, really don't think this is a good idea—"
"Look. I'm desperate to get out of the Tower for a bit," Shego said seriously. "I'll kill someone if I stick around there much longer. If it's a job you think I can do—whatever it is—it's a better idea than sticking me in the hero biz. Am I qualified or what?"
Hoffman took a deep breath. "You know you can't be in a classroom any more. You've ticked off every school district within twenty miles."
"So? It's a university job. As a research assistant. It's not like I'll be teaching the classes. Professor What's-It will. And I'll just… you know… weld things and make copies." Shego flashed Hoffman a smile. "Come on. What's the worst that could happen?"
Hoffman exhaled. "This is your last chance, Shego. I'm serious this time. If you blast anyone with your laser hands, karate-chop any more property, or even steal office supplies, I'll see to it you never work in this city again. Am I clear?"
"Crystal. When do I start?"
A/N: Many thanks to my friend, Eunice, for looking this over and giving me the confidence to jump into the KP-verse! Also, thank you to Blackfire 18 for catching my awkward phrase "crouched and unceremoniously" and inspiring me to fix it. It's all better!
Reviews are much appreciated! I'd also gladly take title suggestions, as this is currently a working title.


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Spinach Crescents
|Refrigerated dough
|8 Ounce (For Crescent Roll)
|Italian salad dressing
|1 Tablespoon (From A Mix Or Bottled)
|Snipped spinach
|1 Cup (16 tbs)
Divide rolls into triangles; cut each in half lengthwise.
Brush with salad dressing and sprinkle with grated Parmesan-Romano cheese.
Mix spinach and bacon-like pieces; press into dough.
Roll up and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 375°F 10 to 15 minutes.
Rate It
Nutrition Rank
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: Complete recipe
Calories 1108 Calories from Fat 565
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 63 g96.8%
Saturated Fat 22.6 g112.9%
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 1365.4 mg56.9%
Total Carbohydrates 126 g42.1%
Dietary Fiber 9.4 g37.4%
Sugars 2.3 g
Protein 14 g27.3%
Vitamin A 450.1% Vitamin C 112.4%
Calcium 26.1% Iron 49.5%
*Based on a 2000 Calorie diet


text: Point and Laugh Comedy Night Comedy, Stand-up Add review 0 Love It Save it 0 Add review 0 Love It Save it Time Out says Details Users say Time Out says A mix of up-and-comers here, with each act doing short sets, hosted by Will Pointing. For the latest line-ups, check the dates below. Details Users say Share Tweet


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I have 2 questions when dose Disneyland Resort film there Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade? Who is going to perform this year at Disneyland Resort Disney Park Christmas Day Parade?
No announcement yet.
Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade 2013
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[Question] Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade 2013Tags: None
Re: Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade 2013
1. Traditionally, they have filmed the Disneyland portions of the Christmas Day special during the first two weekends of November, with them taping the parade portion on the 1st weekend (since they use Christmas Tree Point for the camera/host duties.)
After the parade portion has been recorded, the tree can go up, and the garland is strung across Main Street. Sometimes they have done it all, on the first weekend of November and the next couple of days. I think a lot of that is determined based on when DL's TV Host is available for shooting.
Since several outside groups are involved in the Parade portion tapping, news as to the exacts dates for that will like leak out ahead of time, to give you advance notice. They also often set up alternative dates/locations in case of inclimate weather. A year or two ago, (I believe it was for Christina Aguilara) the weather outside wasn't cooperating, so they taped her portion inside the Grand Californian.
2. As for who performs, that information is not usually released until the day of the performance. Sometimes word might leak out the day before. But they have been very tight lipped on this info.
Oftentimes, the performers do their songs the same weekend as the parade. Usually a separate stage area is set up for the performance, whether it's in front of the castle and/or around the main hub in DL. Sometimes it's done right in front of Christmas Tree Point, between different parts of the parade. When Princess and the Frog came out, they did some recording in New Orleans Square. Last year, during the first week of December, they filmed one of the performers on a Special Stage right in the middle of Radiator Springs, on the street between Flo's and Lizzie's. So, not everything is necessarily taped the first part of November.
Besides the special stages/camera set ups, the next biggest clue for the filming is some standing signs that DL will place in the areas where the filming is going on.Critter Country's a mess ev'r since the Country Bears were kicked out. Ya can't cover pooh with honey and 'spect people ta like it.An Adventurers It's Time to Put the Spotlight Back on Bring Back the REAL Disney GalleryLife for Me! ~ ~ ~ Melvin, Buff, and Max!!! ~~~~ Dump the Dream Suite!Meese-ka Moose-ka Mice-Chatter!
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Acclaimed Times reporter Tom Wicker dies
MONTPELIER, Vt. – Tom Wicker, the former New York Times political reporter and columnist whose career soared following his acclaimed coverage of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, died Friday at his home in Rochester, Vt. He was 85.
Wicker died after an apparent heart attack Friday.
Wicker grew up in poverty in Hamlet, N.C., and wanted to be a novelist, but pursued journalism when his early books didn't catch on. He worked at weekly and daily newspapers in North Carolina before winning a spot as a political correspondent in the Times' Washington bureau in 1960.
Three years later, he was the only Times reporter to be traveling with Kennedy when the president was shot in Dallas.
Gay Talese, author of the major history of the New York Times, wrote of Wicker's coverage: "It was a remarkable achievement in reporting and writing, in collecting facts out of confusion, in reconstructing the most deranged day in his life, the despair and bitterness and disbelief, and then getting on a telephone to New York and dictating the story in a voice that only rarely cracked with emotion."
One year later, Wicker was named Washington bureau chief of the Times.
In 1966, Wicker began his "In the Nation" column, becoming, along with colleague Anthony Lewis, a longtime liberal voice on the Op-Ed page. Two years later he was named associate editor of the Times, a post he held until 1985.
He ended his column and retired to Vermont in 1991 but continued to write. He published 20 books, ranging from novels about gritty, hard-scrabble life in the South to reflections on the presidents he knew.
Click here to comment on this story »


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1) In a large pot of gently simmering water, place the corn cobs for 15 minutes.
2) Remove and insert a skewer on the cob, brush with the fresh creme, sprinkle with the grated cotija cheese and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
3) Serve immediately.
Serving size Per servingComplete recipe
Calories 702 Calories from Fat 74
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8 g12%
Saturated Fat 4 g20.1%
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 10.8 mg3.6%
Sodium 252.4 mg10.5%
Total Carbohydrates 156 g51.9%
Dietary Fiber 13.1 g52.5%
Sugars 38.7 g
Protein 20 g40.1%
Vitamin A 28.9%
Vitamin C 56.3%
Calcium 17.3%
Iron 17.7%
*Based on a 2000 Calorie diet


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Resort Paisley Print Bikini Set Your love for this season's seventies throwback doesn't stop when your on holiday - so make sure this paisley print bikini set by Resort is at the top of your list! Wit...
Just 150 metres from the banks of the Walensee lake and 250 metres from the Flumserberg Cable Car, Resort Walensee Appartements in Unterterzen offers fully equipped apartments in a quiet location.
Offering accommodation with air conditioning, Resort Style Apartment/Home - The Woodlands is situated in The Woodlands, 2.7 km from Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The Woodlands Town Center is 2.6 km...
The Alex in the heart of Zermatt is a mountain hut on the outside and a stylish boutique hotel on the inside. It features a superb spa, sports and fitness area and offers free Wi-Fi.
Resort Bikini Set Brighten up your beachwear collection this season in this super bright bikini set by Resort. This set features a halter neck top with triangle cups and a buckled under band that offe...
Resort MIX & MATCH BUTTERFLY HIPSTER BRIEF Resort Mix and Match Hispter Bikini Briefs Head to the beach and show off your toned tum in these sleek hipster bikini briefs from Resort. Sitting just below...
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published 13/02/2016
AdvantagesBeautiful hotel in a beautiful location
DisadvantagesA bit "away" from anything else
published 04/08/2016
AdvantagesLots to do at the hotel and in the surrounding area. Hotel rooms and lodge accommodation available
DisadvantagesLack of wi-fi information. Broken go-karts.
published 30/09/2012
AdvantagesNew games are great, fun controls
DisadvantagesSome games a bit dull


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Valve Changes Its Review System on Steam
Subject: General Tech | September 16, 2016 - 01:56 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: valve, steam, pc gaming
A few days ago, Valve changed how user reviews work on Steam. Now, user reviews on the search page and at the top of the product page will only reflect customers who purchased the game from Steam. Other user reviews will still be collected, but only from the product's reviews panel with a more broad filter applied, which must be done manually.
This change was made because Valve detected some titles where review scores varied greatly between Steam user and outside keys. If the vast majority of reviewers who purchased the content on Steam and the vast majority of reviewers who acquired the game outside of Steam are the same, then random error converges quickly. An average of 1000 reviews should be within 3% of the average opinion of 1,000,000 random customers, for 95% of titles. 99% of titles would be within 4% of the average opinion, given 1000 reviews for a million customers.
Of course, the differences are not always truly random. Keys which were given to crowd-funding backers could be abnormally good, if it well-served the niche audience that helped it get made, or abnormally bad, if it slighted that audience.
In the worst case, developers could be giving away keys to services that flood fraudulent reviews.
As such, Valve took the position that
it will (Update: Yeah, I kind-of messed up the grammar on this sentence when I restructured it in editing... read it without the strikethrough, and this update of course) only reviews from their direct customers would be promoted. This upset many developers, although some games received a bump in score, if you trust Steam Spy. Again, if their title was a hit on Kickstarter, Patreon, or other services, then it subtracts their most evangelical users.
On the other hand, from Valve's perspective, they want to promote the opinion that best applies to someone browsing on Steam. This makes sense, since a review should be intended to guide someone who doesn't already have an opinion of the title one way or the other. Again, reviews are designed to be the general consensus of a random group of people -- the expected value of an average user -- but constrainted to a certain set of properties.
Of course, it would be beneficial to Valve to run further experiments to make sure that an average Steam reviewer reflects an average Steam customer for each, specific title. Basically, it's a good hypothesis, but testing isn't done. It could change greatly as it evolves through the Scientific Method.
Europeans: Epic Games Is Hosting a VR Game Jam
Subject: General Tech | September 6, 2016 - 09:58 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: nvidia, epic games, valve, htc, vr funhouse, vive
So Epic Games, NVIDIA, and HTC (with Valve) are hosting a game jam aboard the MS Bleichen ship in Hamburg, Germany. The purpose is to develop mods for VR Funhouse. Nothing says a fun VR experience like room-scale experiences on a boat. Hopefully it will be firmly docked to prevent judges from getting sea-sick... or not. Maybe that will make the carnival games even better?
The jam takes place between September 24th and September 26th. Epic, NVIDIA, and Valve will be donating prizes to the event. Tickets cost 16.67 Euros, although I'm guessing that doesn't include food or a place to sleep -- they don't say one way or the other. The general public can also buy tickets for the last day, to experience the creations.
DOTA 2: The International 6 Begins Monday
Subject: General Tech | August 2, 2016 - 11:08 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: valve, pc gaming, esports, DOTA 2
Every year, Valve hosts a giant gaming event called "The International". While the prize pool is still being increased through purchases of the The International 2016 Battle Pass DLC bundle, it currently rests just below $19.4 million USD. The way previous years worked is that about a third went to first place, and the rest trickled down. Keep in mind that DOTA 2 is a team sport, though, so winnings don't all go to a single person.
Anywho, it will be a five-day event broadcasted on Twitch, Steam Broadcasting, WatchESPN, and YouTube. Owners of a SteamVR-compatible headset will also be able to view the broadcast in VR (which isn't just for The International, but this is the first The International to support it). It's not just projecting you into the stadium, either; it gives you a command center to see stats around you, or you can jump down into the map to see the battle around you "human scale".
The International 6 begins on Monday.
Valve Announces TF2 "Meet Your Match" Update
Subject: General Tech | July 6, 2016 - 09:48 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: valve, tf2
Conveniently just after Overwatch received its Competitive Play update, Valve has announced the Meet Your Match update to Team Fortress 2. This update includes Competitive Mode, which is a ranked, 6v6 gametype, which sounds even more like Overwatch. Only the first day has been revealed thus far, as Valve likes to break update posts into chunks and release them over the course of a week, but it includes three maps, two achievements, and the official launch of the PASS Time game mode. The second part of the update is coming soon.
PASS Time was originally announced last year, in collaboration with Bad Robot (J.J. Abrams' production company) and Escalation Studios. While I've never played it (yes, I pretty much only play 2Fort...) it sounds similar to game modes like Bombing Run or Grifball. Obviously, those game modes are typically for more individual shooters, not TF2's class system, so it's interesting to see how, for instance, a Level 3 Sentry plays into it.
HTC Vive Currently Dominating Oculus Sales
Subject: General Tech | July 3, 2016 - 01:21 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: valve, htc, steam, steamvr, vive, Oculus, oculus rift
Thanks to Keith of WCCFTech for tweeting this out.
According to the Steam Hardware Survey, the HTC Vive is dominating the Oculus Rift by more than a factor of two (0.15% to 0.06%). More-so, its rate of change is also double that of Oculus (0.06% to 0.03%). If these numbers are accurate, this means that the SteamVR is massively overtaking Oculus SDK in terms of both amount and rate of change.
Now the questions are "why?" and "what does that mean?"
The most obvious reason, to me, is that HTC has much better availability than Oculus. For the last month, they announced that the Vive ships within two-to-three business days. If you look at Oculus? The website tells you to expect it in August. It is currently the second day of July. While a month is not too long of a time to wait, it would make sense that a consumer would look at the two options and say "Yeah, the this week one, please."
If that's the case, then the platform battle could be decided simply by retail availability. It wouldn't be decided by a Valve-developed first-party game. It wouldn't be decided by DRM locking games into an exclusive deal. It would simply be decided by "you can buy this one". That is, unless Oculus ramps up production soon. At that point, we'll need to look back at hardware surveys (not just Steam's) and see what the split is. They could catch up. They could be left behind. Who knows? It could be another factor altogether.
For now, the Vive seems like it's the crowd favorite.
Steam Hardware Survey Shows Drop for Linux
Subject: General Tech | July 2, 2016 - 06:21 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: valve, steam, linux
The current split of Steam users, according to the Steam Hardware Survey, is 95.5% for Windows, 3.6% for Mac OSX, and 0.8% for Linux. Phoronix reports that this does not count SteamOS, and there might be other "inaccuracies" with the survey, but the Linux figures are 0.04% less than they were before (a relative drop of about 4.8%).
Windows users are up, and Mac OSX is flat.
A 4.8% drop in a month isn't promising, but it's also not too concerning. If you were intending to target a platform with 0.8% marketshare, then you can benefit from the long shelf life that Linux provides. It's not like a publisher is counting on that platform to reach two-week launch window sales figures. We'll see if the pendulum will swing back in the future, especially if Valve creates compelling, new, first-party content for Linux. They seem to be waiting to put their full weight behind it.
Oculus Backs Down on Hardware Check
Subject: Displays | June 25, 2016 - 06:23 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: valve, oculus rift, Oculus, htc vive
Facebook has disabled their software check that prevents Oculus Store games from running without an Oculus Rift being connected. Further, Motherboard has directly quoted an Oculus spokesperson as saying "We won't use hardware checks as part of DRM on PC in the future". This check prevented these games from running on the HTC Vive using the user-created tool, Revive, until the creator of Revive disabled the DRM in response.
Oculus will continue to develop their DRM itself, of course. They have also been approaching developers to make Oculus-exclusive content, and I expect that will continue. This is where we get into a little bit of a debate that has been brewing online. Some believe that, due to the size of the potential market, exclusivity could bring content to life that otherwise would not be viable. While that does have some merit to muse over, I cannot see how that would be any better (for society) than all the platform holders pitching in to an open incubation fund. This way, art will not locked away unless it absolutely requires a specific feature that some platforms cannot provide, and consumers will have a larger pool of content to justify the initial purchase.
That topic aside, Oculus has not pledged that they won't interfere with third-parties that want to support Oculus-exclusive titles on other headsets. A hardware check will not be involved, now or in the future, though.
AMD and NVIDIA release drivers for Oculus Rift launch day!
Subject: Graphics Cards | March 28, 2016 - 02:20 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: vive, valve, steamvr, rift, Oculus, nvidia, htc, amd
As the first Oculus Rift retail units begin hitting hands in the US and abroad, both AMD and NVIDIA have released new drivers to help gamers ease into the world of VR gaming.
Up first is AMD, with Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.3.2. It adds support for Oculus SDK v1.3 and the Radeon Pro Duo...for all none of you that have that product in your hands. AMD claims that this driver will offer "the most stable and compatible driver for developing VR experiences on the Rift to-date." AMD tells us that the latest implementation of LiquidVR features in the software help the SDKs and VR games at release take better advantage of AMD Radeon GPUs. This includes capabilities like asynchronous shaders (which AMD thinks should be capitalized for some reason??) and Quick Response Queue (which I think refers to the ability to process without context change penalties) to help Oculus implement Asynchronous Timewarp.
NVIDIA's release is a bit more substantial, with GeForce Game Ready 364.72 WHQL drivers adding support for the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and improvements for Dark Souls III, Killer Instinct, Paragon early access and even Quantum Break.
For the optimum experience when using the Oculus Rift, and when playing the thirty games launching alongside the headset, upgrade to today's VR-optimized Game Ready driver. Whether you're playing Chronos, Elite Dangerous, EVE: Valkyrie, or any of the other VR titles, you'll want our latest driver to minimize latency, improve performance, and add support for our newest VRWorks features that further enhance your experience.
Today's Game Ready driver also supports the HTC Vive Virtual Reality headset, which launches next week. As with the Oculus Rift, our new driver optimizes and improves the experience, and adds support for the latest Virtual Reality-enhancing technology.
Good to see both GPU vendors giving us new drivers for the release of the Oculus Rift...let's hope it pans out well and the response from the first buyers is positive!
Valve targeting lower price systems and GPUs for VR
Subject: Graphics Cards | March 19, 2016 - 07:02 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: VR, vive, valve, htc, gdc 2016, GDC
A story posted over at UploadVR has some interesting information that came out of the final days of GDC last week. We know that Valve, HTC and Oculus have recommended users have a Radeon R9 290 or GTX 970 GPU or higher to run virtual reality content on both the Vive and the Rift, and that comes with a high cost for users that weren't already invested in PC gaming. Valve's Alex Vlachos has other plans that might enable graphics cards from as far back as 2012 to work in Valve's VR ecosystem.
Valve wants to lower the requirements for VR
Obviously there are some trade offs to consider. The reason GPUs have such high requirements for the Rift and Vive is their need to run at 90 FPS / 90 Hz without dropping frames to create a smooth and effective immersion. Deviance from that means the potential for motion sickness and poor VR experiences in general.
From UploadVR's story:
"As long as the GPU can hit 45 HZ we want for people to be able to run VR," Vlachos told UploadVR after the talk. "We've said the recommended spec is a 970, same as Oculus, but we do want lesser GPUs to work. We're trying to reduce the cost [of VR]."
It's interesting that Valve would be talking about a 45 FPS target now, implying there would be some kind of frame doubling or frame interpolation to get back to the 90 FPS mark that the company believes is required for a good VR experience.
Image source: UploadVR
Vlachos also mentioned some other avenues that Valve could expand on to help improve performance. One of them is "adaptive quality", a feature we first saw discussed with the release of the Valve SteamVR Performance Test. This would allow the game to lower the image quality dynamically (texture detail, draw distance, etc.) based on hardware performance but might also include something called fixed foveated rendering. With FFR only the center of the image is rendered at maximum detail while the surrounding image runs at lower quality; the theory being that you are only focused on the center of the screen anyway and human vision blurs the periphery already. This is similar to NVIDIA's multi-res shading technology that is integrated into UE4 already, so I'm curious to see how this one might shape out.
Another quote from UploadVR:
"I can run Aperture [a graphically rich Valve-built VR experience] on a 680 without dropping frames at a lower quality, and, for me, that's enough of a proof of concept," Vlachos said.
I have always said that neither Valve nor Oculus are going to lock out older hardware, but that they wouldn't directly support it. That a Valve developer can run its performance test (with adaptive quality) on a GTX 680 is a good sign.
The Valve SteamVR Performance Test
But the point is also made by Vlachos that "most art we're seeing in VR isn't as dense" as other PC titles is a bit worrisome. We WANT VR games to improve to the same image quality and realism levels that we see in modern PC titles and not depend solely on artistic angles to get to the necessary performance levels for high quality virtual reality. Yes, the entry price today for PC-based VR is going to be steep, but I think "console-ifying" the platform will do a disservice in the long run.
Valve Releases SteamVR Performance Test - Is Your Rig Ready?
Subject: Graphics Cards | February 22, 2016 - 11:03 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: vive, valve, steamvr, steam, rift, performance test, Oculus, htc
Though I am away from my stacks of hardware at the office attending Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Valve dropped a bomb on us today in the form of a new hardware performance test that gamers can use to determine if they are ready for the SteamVR revolution. The aptly named "SteamVR Performance Test" is a free title available through Steam that any user can download and run to get a report card on their installed hardware. No VR headset required!
And unlike the Oculus Compatibility Checker, the application from Valve runs actual game content to measure your system. Oculus' app only looks at the hardware on your system for certification, not taking into account the performance of your system in any way. (Overclockers and users with Ivy Bridge Core i7 processors have been reporting failed results on the Oculus test for some time.)
The SteamVR Performance Test runs a set of scenes from the Aperture Science Robot Repair demo, an experience developed directly for the HTC Vive and one that I was able to run through during CES last month. Valve is using a very interesting new feature called "dynamic fidelity" that adjusts image quality of the game in a way to avoid dropped frames and frame rates under 90 FPS in order to maintain a smooth and comfortable experience for the VR user. Though it is the first time I have seen it used, it sounds similar to what John Carmack did with the id Tech 5 engine, attempting to balance performance on hardware while maintaining a targeted frame rate.
The technology could be a perfect match for VR content where frame rates above or at the 90 FPS target are more important than visual fidelity (in nearly all cases). I am curious to see how Valve may or may not pursue and push this technology in its own games and for the Vive / Rift in general. I have some questions pending with them, so we'll see what they come back with.
A result for a Radeon R9 Fury provided by AMD
Valve's test offers a very simple three tiered breakdown for your system: Not Ready, Capable and Ready. For a more detailed explanation you can expand on the data to see metrics like the number of frames you are CPU bound on, frames below the very important 90 FPS mark and how many frames were tested in the run. The Average Fidelity metric is the number that we are reporting below and essentially tells us "how much quality" the test estimates you can run at while maintaining that 90 FPS mark. What else that fidelity result means is still unknown - but again we are trying to find out. The short answer is that the higher that number goes, the better off you are, and the more demanding game content you'll be able to run at acceptable performance levels. At least, according to Valve.
Because I am not at the office to run my own tests, I decided to write up this story using results from a third part. That third party is AMD - let the complaining begin. Obviously this does NOT count as independent testing but, in truth, it would be hard to cheat on these results unless you go WAY out of your way to change control panel settings, etc. The demo is self run and AMD detailed the hardware and drivers used in the results.
- Intel i7-6700K
- 2x4GB DDR4-2666 RAM
- Z170 motherboard
- Radeon Software 16.1.1
- NVIDIA driver 361.91
- Win10 64-bit
|2x Radeon R9 Nano
|GeForce GTX 980 Ti
|Radeon R9 Fury X
|Radeon R9 Fury
|GeForce GTX 980
|Radeon R9 Nano
|Radeon R9 390X
|Radeon R9 390
|GeForce GTX 970
These results were provided by AMD in an email to the media. Take that for what you will until we can run our own tests.
First, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is the highest performing single GPU tested, with a score of 11 - because of course it goes to 11. The same score is reported on the multi-GPU configuration with two Radeon R9 Nanos so clearly we are seeing a ceiling of this version of the SteamVR Performance Test. With a single GPU score of 9.2, that is only a 19% scaling rate, but I think we are limited by the test in this case. Either way, it's great news to see that AMD has affinity multi-GPU up and running, utilizing one GPU for each eye's rendering. (AMD pointed out that users that want to test the multi-GPU implementation will need to add the -multigpu launch option.) I still need to confirm if GeForce cards scale accordingly. UPDATE: Ken at the office ran a quick check with a pair of GeForce GTX 970 cards with the same -multigpu option and saw no scaling improvements. It appears NVIDIA has work to do here.
Moving down the stack, its clear why AMD was so excited to send out these early results. The R9 Fury X and R9 Fury both come out ahead of the GeForce GTX 980 while the R9 Nano, R9 390X and R9 390 result in better scores than NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 970. This comes as no surprise - AMD's Radeon parts tend to offer better performance per dollar when it comes to benchmarks and many games.
There is obviously a lot more to consider than the results this SteamVR Performance Test provides when picking hardware for a VR system, but we are glad to see Valve out in front of the many, many questions that are flooding forums across the web. Is your system ready??
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text:
framenoun [ C ]uk /freɪm/ us /freɪm/
frame noun [ C ] (BORDER)
More examples
- A picture frame often has bevelled edges.
- This door won't shut properly. I think the frame must be out of true.
- The painting was presented in a gilt picture frame.
- She painted the window frames with great care so that no paint got onto the glass.
- She wears glasses with tortoiseshell frames.
frame noun [ C ] (STRUCTURE)
B2 the basic structure of a building, vehicle, or piece of furniture that other parts are added onto(建筑物、车辆或家具的)构架,支架,骨架
a bicycle frame 自行车车架
› UK US rack a wooden or plastic triangle used to put the balls into position at the start of a game such as snooker(台球、斯诺克等运动中开球时使用的)三角框
› the size and shape of someone's body体格;骨架
frame of mind
frame of reference
More examples
- The opera singer's 104-kilo frame has earned him the epithet of 'Man Mountain' in the press.
- The frame needs to be strong enough to support the engine assembly .
- He has a runner's wiry frame.
- It's a frame rucksack with a belt and padded shoulder straps.
- Although it was old, the frame of the bed was in good condition.