text: Headlines May 04, 2012Is Federal Supervision the Silver Bullet to Pension Underfunding?"The threat of a Federal Solution hopefully will deter plans who currently make the full actuarial required contributions payments from going back on this promise," says Chris Tobe, a former trustee of the Kentucky Retirement Systems (KRS). (May 4, 2012) -- Public pensions in the United States are guilty of a series of broken promises, according to Chris Tobe of Stable Value Consultants and a former trustee at the Kentucky Retirement Systems (KRS). While corruption may be a portion of the problems that public pensions face, the majority of the problems come from self-inflicted yearly underfunding, according to Tobe. Tobe, who recently published a whitepaper on the state of public pensions in the US, concludes that from a policy point of view, there are various basic choices to follow to address the massive level of underfunding. With the vast majority of public plans whose sponsors make the actuarial required contributions that has kept their funding ratios above 50%, public schemes can and should stay the course and weather the storm which can include major benefit changes, Tobe says. "However, there are a number of large state plans that have essentially broken the buck," Tobe asserts. "These states have not paid the full actuarial required contributions and are endangering the solvency of both their plans and states as this shortfall combined with down markets. These plans with self-inflicted wounds demand a different solution. Both of these solutions involve the federal government, one the Federal Bankruptcy Court, the other some type of Federal Supervision." In other words, Tobe concludes that there are no magic solutions. While the majority of public pension plans who have played by the rules making their full actuarial required contribution payments can survive intact with perhaps some benefits changes, these changes will not be painless -- many workers may have to work more years than planned and all retirees will probably see limited cost of living adjustments for many years. Meanwhile, a minority of plans have shown that they have been unable to provide long term stability. In this case, Tobe says: "I think a Federal solution can make a smoother transition for this current crisis. The threat of a Federal Solution hopefully will deter plans who currently make the full ARC payments from going back on this promise." Tobe added: "There are no good solutions to this problem. I just think Federal Supervision is a less bad solution than Federal Bankruptcy." Read all of Tobe's whitepaper here. Paula Vasan | email@example.com |


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By Raj Giri | November 25, 2011 | Comments
On the UFC: "I can understand why some people are really into it. I'm more driven to WWE for its soap opera storylines, the larger than life characters. I enjoy promos. Whenever I watch UFC I feel like the main event goes 30 seconds and I'm like, 'Really? It was interesting for 30 seconds but 30 seconds? Really? I paid $60 for this?' but I can see why people love it. You can have a 30 second match or you can have this amazing bout. You never know what you're going to have."
Word Association: R-Truth: Failure. Daniel Puder: Won but lost at the same time. Bill DeMott: Great teacher. Vince McMahon: Genius.
You can check out the full interview below. Miz also took over "The Buzz" entertainment segment and covered stories on the Dancing With the Stars champion and talked about the release of WWE '12, you can check that out at this link.
Raj Giri is the owner of WrestlingINC.com. He can be followed on Twitter (@RajGiri_303) at http://twitter.com/RajGiri_303.

subset: commoncrawl


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Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 64
Perfect Fight Tips and Tricks
Here is what I did to unlock the Perfect Fight with the 2nd controller glitch patched:
I started the level with only 1 controller. I headed to the far right side and faced left. When the boss came out, I started flinging nades at him. I actually started a tad early so most of them landed on him when he appeared. I stayed on the far right side and faced RIGHT. I held down the x button to charge my shot. When fully charged, I faced left and fired. I immediately faced right again. If he started walking towards me (he stays on the bottom until he throws the grenade that makes the floor burn) I would jump onto the platform above me still facing right. He would turn around. When he turned around, I would press down and hit 'A' so I would drop to the floor again. Once he climbed up to the top platform, I went up to and avoided the gun shots. Jump the first one and duck the 2nd, continue until floor is clear. I kept at this and was able to move onto the next stage without losing a guy. This doesn't always work, but once I got this pattern down, I was able to move on to the 2nd stage without losing any lives. The 2nd stage is easy, so I will move onto the 3rd stage. This is where I died a lot. Just keep firing at him and using the jump and shoot trick to cause damage to him and jumping over him. Doing this usually causes him to not slice you and he simply moves to the other side. Rinse and repeat until the 2 helicopters come out. I lasted until both were destroyed and then I died. IF YOU MAKE IT TO THIS FINAL PART and die - press start on another controller and beat the boss. Achievement unlocked for me on 2 accounts with this method. Neb86 also posted it worked for him. He actually gave me the idea to try this. Even though th game is now patched, by doing this I was able to successfully get the achievement. Good luck! |
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 794
Gamertag: LanceX2 |
did you die as in get a game over?? then you let it game over you or did you kill him before the 10 seconds went up for game over
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Code Geass Hell Yea best anime ever
You don't like Aquarius.. but your fav char is probably Cancerrr~ebi
Welcome ^^
ooo I love waffles!
Welcome to Anime Planet!


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The acquisition process had already been under way for some time. The FlexyCore team, it turns out, was already integrated into the Android team. There was no official word on the value of the deal but reports estimate the deal was worth $23 million for this five-year-old company with software that boosts Android performance.
On the heels of the Tuesday news from France, Google offered confirmation in the form of a brief statement to GigaOM. The message stated that "The FlexyCore team has strong expertise in building software to optimize Android device performance, and we think they'd be a great fit with our team."
What is so special that justifies $23 million? In one word, optimization. In two words, in line with Google's development history, like Butter.
10 Times Faster
The technology optimized Android for manufacturers and carriers; for consumers, the company's expertise was most well known because of its app, DroidBooster, created to improve the speed of apps running on Android but at the same time easing the ravages of battery drain. One of its slogans was, "Low end . . . at the speed of high end," calling its product the "Android Accelerator," rendering performance of a device's Android system 10 times faster.
Asking why the acquisition, considering DroidBooster, seems like a silly question. Nonetheless, in the absence of any details from Google other than its two-line confirmation to GigaOM, it is worth considering just what Google has in mind.
The Android-watching community on Tuesday seemed to sing it out in unison: Google wants to make very sure that the same Android experience is pushed out for an Android user no matter what device the operating system is running on, and no matter how expensive -- or inexpensive -- the device. Going back to the DroidBooster mantra, it is most likely a matter of low end meeting the high end in performance standards so that Android stays healthy and grows.
With the upcoming Android 4.4 KitKat release, FlexyCore's contributions may be in evidence on low-end phones with performance that will satisfy customers.
Spreading the Butter
Google has been aggressive about staying under the hood, so to speak, tinkering with Android to get it right. In 2012, Google announced Project Butter in Android 4.1, attempting to make it as smooth as possible and in particular to avoid any problems with device lag.
Project Butter's goal as an initiative for the Android mobile operating system was to make the OS quicker, a big step forward for Android 4.1. Much attention was paid to making the user interface fast and smooth, with improvements to the frame rate and making everything run in lockstep -- application rendering, touchscreen processing, screen composition and display refresh.
As for FlexyCore, its CEO, Gilbert Cabillic, was formerly a CTO at Texas Instruments, where he managed an R&D team focused on Java technologies and embedded operating systems. He has a PhD in computer science from the University of Rennes.


text: Home > Entertainment Rapper Nicki Minaj, country's Keith Urban pump up "American Idol" Reuters Posted at Sep 17 2012 06:55 AM | Updated as of Sep 17 2012 02:55 PM Share Save Facebook Twitter GPlus LinkedIn Pinterest LOS ANGELES - Controversial rapper Nicki Minaj and country singer Keith Urban joined the "American Idol" judging panel on Sunday, as the ageing Fox show seeks to boost its star power and recapture sliding audiences in a crowded TV talent show field. In a decision that divided "Idol" fans, Minaj, 29, known for her outlandish outfits and headline-making performances, and Urban were confirmed by Fox hours before auditions in front of judges kicked off in New York for the show's 12th season. They joined Grammy-winning singer Mariah Carey, whose name was announced in July, and record producer Randy Jackson - who with host Ryan Seacrest are the only remaining members of the original line-up. The new line-up follows the departures earlier this year of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and singer-actress Jennifer Lopez after two years, and returns the singing show to a four-person panel last seen in 2010. The Fox announcement followed months of rumors about likely contenders for the job, including rapper Kanye West, pop star Katy Perry, Latin singer Enrique Iglesias, former "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert, and teen idols Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus. "American Idol" has been a ratings juggernaut since it debuted on Fox in 2002 but audiences are now only about half the more than 30 million who watched regularly in the show's 2005 and 2006 heyday. The last season finale in May drew a record low of 21.5 million viewers and "Idol" lost its eight-year crown as the most-watched program on U.S. television to "Sunday Night Football". The 12th season will start broadcasting in January 2013. Competition in the TV talent show market has increased dramatically in the last year with the hiring of pop star Britney Spears for a reported $15 million salary for "The X Factor" on Fox, and radio DJ Howard Stern for NBC summer hit "America's Got Talent". FAKE POPES, ALTER-EGOS, EXPLETIVES Fox reality programming chief Mike Darnell said "Idol" now boasts "one of the most exciting judging panels around". "Nicki's an unbelievably captivating international phenomenon who has made an indelible mark on rap and pop. And Keith is ... one of the biggest stars in country music and I know that our fans and contestants will fall in love with him," Darnell said in a statement. Minaj is the top female rapper in a hip-hop world dominated by male artists. She burst onto the music scene in 2010 and quickly made a name for herself by adopting numerous alter-egos and with multiple hit records including "Starships". She has also proved controversial, appearing on the Grammy awards red carpet in February with a fake pope. She made headlines last week for expletive-filled lyrics that appeared to support U.S. Republican contender Mitt Romney, but which she later said were meant to be sarcastic. Reaction to Minaj on Sunday was typically extreme, with some viewers saying they would never watch "Idol" again and others giving a big thumbs up. "Nicki is a judge on American idol this year watch them ratings go all the way up," wrote Montrell on the official AmericanIdol.com message board. "Well American Idol has lost this viewer and his family. Nicki Minaj is a disgusting choice to judge any talent show," wrote user Sheavendoor83 on the Entertainment Weekly comments page. New Zealand-born Urban, 44, is married to Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and is a four-time Grammy winner with sales of 15 million albums. "SO excited to be joining the team on [email protected]!!!!!!" Urban tweeted on Sunday. According to industry website The Hollywood Reporter, Minaj will get about $8 million, with Urban collecting around $4 million. Carey, one of the world's top recording artists, is said to be getting $17 million, making her the highest-paid celebrity judge on television. But celebrity judges don't always guarantee success. Audiences for Fox's revamped "X Factor" were down about 3.5 million viewers from 2011 when the show returned last week, despite the addition of Spears and singer Demi Lovato. "X Factor" was beaten by NBC pop contest "The Voice", boasting judges Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and country star Blake Shelton. "The Voice" will also get a spring season in 2013 that competes with "Idol" for viewers. Fox is a unit of News Corp and NBC is majority-owned by Comcast. Share Save Facebook Share on Twitter GPlus LinkedIn Pinterest Read More: American Idol Keith Urban nicki minaj /sports/03/30/17/venus-beats-kerber-in-miami-konta-ousts-halep/news/03/30/17/duterte-faces-additional-impeachment-rap-over-china-ties/sports/03/30/17/spieth-mickelson-among-masters-hopefuls-at-houston-open/business/03/30/17/shares-advance-after-fitch-keeps-ph-at-investment-grade/sports/03/30/17/durant-making-very-good-progress-can-return-in-regular-season


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Five Bicycle Lighting Systems for Night Riding
Torch Flux Backpack
Like every cycling-centric pack, this waterproof, 28-liter satchel is constructed with a 1000 Denier Cordura Nylon fabric exterior and a tarpaulin vinyl-coated polyester lining. But what makes the Flux backpack different is the LED-powered fiber-optic panel that produces between 40 and 50 lumens of red, rear-projected light depending on mode: Less for flash, more for steady. The included USB-rechargeable battery has a runtime of two to five hours and the lighting unit can also be used as a stand-alone seat-post-mounted light. [$120; torchapparel.com]


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The two advocates who have been bickering in the trailers of Jolly LLB will land on the sets of the popular celebrity dance reality show. But to do what?
The sets of Nach Baliye 5 will soon turn into a courtroom 'coz Boman irani and Arshad Warsi – actors of Jolly LLB – will drop in to promote their movie. And pretty judge Shilpa Shetty will be spotted standing in the witness box with Boman and Arshad interrogating her about…what? Her fluctuating style statements? Or the way she dishes out her superr se uparr comments? We have no clue, not yet.
By the looks of it, the episode seems to be a totally entertaining one. Why, apart from Boman and Arshad, we also see Gautam Rode and Karan Wahi posing as wannabe lawyers. Now that could get so hilarious, right?
What's more, we are told that apart fro posing as the lawyer Boman also entertained the audience by stringing the guitar, and that too impeccably. Birdies chirp that Irani also sang the Give me some sunshine song from his popular movie 3 Idiots as he played the guitar. Hmm, interesting.
While we love Boman for being such a multi-faceted personality, we would like to ask you readers about which advocate you think will make us laugh more – Boman Irani, Arshad Warsi, Gautam Rode or Karan Wahi? Tell us, quick!
Photos: Yogen Shah


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Geralt of Rivia returns in 2014 in the final chapter of CD Projekt Red's epic trilogy. It's looking damn fine, too.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Trailer: Geralt Takes up the Sword Once More
by John Llewellyn Martin June 10, 2013 @ 2:33 PM
CD Projekt RED's upcoming game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is the third and final chapter in the epic Witcher saga. And now, thanks to the Microsoft E3 2013 press conference, we get a new trailer, showing off Geralt in all his glory.


text: Mingo is bad at 4-3 DE if you play him there exclusively. Some of the moves LSU does leaves me baffled and that's one of them. He's obviously more of a space guy and should be rushing the passer standing up outside of a more natural DE's outside shoulder. Being fair though, Fluker had a good game against him. Still don't think people are properly projecting him on how he is going to fare in an offense like this which features more 5 and 7 step dropbacks. The Gilbride offense would leave his weaknesses more exposed.


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The Art of the Lion KingImagine Shakespeare's Hamlet reborn as a lion cub, and you have the exciting lead character of Disney's breathtaking new animated film The Lion King. Filled with lush full-color artwork (plus gatefolds) and a text that retells the tale, this lavish book is a beautiful keepsake of an unforgettable film experience. Foreword by James Earl Jones (the voice of Mufasa, Simba's father in the film). |
What people are saying - Write a review
The art of The Lion King
User Review - Not Available - Book VerdictDisney aims for a smash hit this summer with The Lion King , the first original animated screenplay it has ever produced. This book incorporates the film's artwork and screenplay, plus a foreword by ... Read full review
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Common terms and phrases
Africa Allers and Minkoff ANDREAS DEJA ANDY GASKILL animated feature animated film ANIMATION DRAWING ART BY CHRIS art director BACKGROUND COLOR KEY BANZAI BARRY JOHNSON BRENDA CHAPMAN BURNY MATTINSON camera character animators CHRIS SANDERS cleanup artists CONCEPT ART CONCEPT PAINTING Disney animated Don Hahn DON MOORE DOUG BALL DRAWING BY ANDY EFFECTS ANIMATION ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD Elton John father GARY TROUSDALE HAKUNA MATATA HYENAS jungle landscape LAYOUT DRAWING LEFT AND RIGHT lion cub Lion King lionesses LORNA COOK MARK HENN movie Mufasa OPPOSITE BOTTOM OPPOSITE TOP OVERLEAF painters Pride Lands Pride Rock PRODUCTION DESIGN Pumbaa and Timon Rafiki Randy Fullmer Rice Rob Minkoff Roger Allers RUBEN AQUINO SCAR'S scene SHENZI SIMBA AND NALA SKETCH BY ANDY SKETCH BY BARRY SKETCH BY BRENDA SKETCH BY CHRIS SKETCH BY LORNA song STORY SKETCH STORYBOARD ART studio THOM ENRIQUEZ TIMON AND PUMBAA TONY BANCROFT TOP LEFT visual voice wildebeests WORKBOOK DRAWING ZAZU Zimmer


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Whiskas Adult Dry Cat Food is made with fresh meat and contains important vitamins and minerals. The special part of Whiskas dry cat food are the the tasty nuggets crispy on the outside with a delicious meaty filling. Your little tiger is sure to love them! Plus Whiskas Adult Dry Cat Food offers 100% complete nutrition for fully-grown cats thats sure to keep your pet healthy and happy. Dental Protection Plus specially developed to maintain healthy teeth Lots of high quality healthy ingredients for a balanced diet No added artificial flavours The practical resealable bags ensure that the tasty bites stay fresh longer.
Check stock and price


text: The Waterfowl Jacket by Natural Gear has an outer shell and liner that is fleece lined with a brushed poly-tricot outer shell. The poly tricot material is incredibly tough and super quiet. The water-resistant liner is chocolate fleece with rib knit waistband, collar and cuffs and has slash pockets inside and out. The outer shell of this Waterproof Windproof Insulated Jacket has large snaps, rain gutter, a beard protector, fully taped seams, elastic waist and cuffs and a heavy-duty zipper front. The slash pockets, dual chest pockets, roll away hood, and extended collar to keep the wind and rain out. Everyone needs that one item in their hunting closet for when it just gets nasty. This is the ultimate outerwear piece for cold weather hunting of any kind. With the array of pockets, there is plenty of room for all your gear and with the thick insulation; you will be ready for even the coldest of conditions. This jacket is a must have for the serious outdoors man. Features:


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Hi there lovers. Wednesday has marched around again, and I am in a true Humpday Huff. My back hurts, I'm tired and I really do NOT understand why my coffee cup is empty, AGAIN. Somebody help a blogger out, here.
Anyhoodle, forgive me if there are extra doses of anger/snark in our Internet round-up today. If you got me a cup of coffee this wouldn't happen, you know.
Let's start with the cheerful news that Britain is out of money (and the U.S. is not far behind). Cheerio, hip hip and all that.
In Republican Contender news, Romney squeaked by with a win in Michigan and Arizona. None of this is surprising, although I am saddened by Newt's drop-off despite a great performance in the last debate, and by Santorum's inability to NOT say things that are not presidential nor helpful. Ron Paul is, well, Ron Paul, trucking along like the good ol' guy he is.
Also, if you're nervous about being mauled by a grizzly in the woods, don't bother protecting yourself. Because you know how it is, there's these crazy people out there who are hot and ready to shoot a park ranger on sight, and I'm sure that making the rest of us less safe will stop them.
Speaking of protecting yourself, what if I told you that a grandfather in New Hampshire is awaiting trial for reckless conduct after stopping a thief from robbing his house. I ask you, what good are our Second Amendment rights now? Why have a gun if you can't even use it to scare a crook, much less injure or kill one?
Now I'm all upset about guns. Really, you should think about that coffee.
A outdoorsy blog announced this week that China should probably kill the electric car, since it's sort of maybe kind of dirtier than a gas-powered vehicle. Why won't they suggest the same for the U.S. and drill, baby, drill? Because they are more devoted to an ideal and a political party than they are to the environment or the economy. Sad but true.
Remember how in the Arizona debate, Ron Paul made the point that we cater more to illegal immigrants than legal ones? Oh, L.A., you never fail to amaze. Hey, did you just wash up in San Diego, pardner? Welp, here's directions to your local welfare office, and free education for your kids and free healthcare… oh, that's not enough? OK, here's a driver's license. Welcome to AMERICA! Land of the welfare state, home of the illegals!
What was that whole "burning the Koran" thing? Oh, right. The truth is so antiquated, you guys. Don't even bother, just bring me coffee already.
Most people don't know who the Koch brothers are, and if you do, you probably only know them as Evil Oil Barons who Like Republicans and are therefore Very Bad Dudes. This story might clear that up a bit for you.
Well, since no one has brought me coffee yet, I guess I'm going to have to hunt some down myself. Things can only get better from here, my friends.


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Get an overview of this hotel4-star hotel with bar/lounge and 24-hour front desk
Located in the heart of Perigueux, this hotel is steps from Office de Tourisme du Perigueux and Tour Mataguerre. Eglise St-Etienne de la Cite and Tour de Vésone are also within 10 minutes.
Hotel Features
A bar/lounge, self parking, and a meeting room are available at this hotel. WiFi in public areas is free. Other amenities include a 24-hour front desk, free newspapers, and multilingual staff.
Room Amenities
All 66 rooms offer free WiFi, flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, and free newspapers. Other amenities available to guests include free bottled water, hair dryers, and safes.
Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!Opens in a new windowMercure Périgueux Centre
Hotel Amenities
Mercure Périgueux Centre features a terrace, multilingual staff, and complimentary newspapers in the lobby. Event facilities measuring 753 square feet (70 square meters) include a meeting room. High-speed wireless Internet access is complimentary. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. This business-friendly hotel also offers a television in a common area and an elevator (lift). Onsite parking is available (surcharge).
- 24-hour front desk
- Total number of rooms - 66
- Number of floors - 5
- Bar/lounge
- Free newspapers in lobby
- One meeting room
- Terrace
- Year Built 2006
- Conference space size (feet) - 753
- Conference space size (meters) - 70
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Elevator/lift
- Free WiFi
- Multilingual staff
- Television in common areas
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Self parking (surcharge)
Room Amenities
- Air conditioning
- Free newspaper
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Phone
- Free bottled water
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Free toiletries
- Hair dryer
- In-room safe
- Desk
- Satellite TV service
- Flat-panel TV
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Shower only
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Free WiFi
Where to Eat
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 6:30 AM and 10 AM.
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
- In-room accessibility
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 2 PM
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-in time ends at midnight
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Free cribs (infant beds)!
- Pets allowed for an extra charge of EUR 8.00 per pet, per stay
- Dogs and cats only
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No rollaway/extra beds available
- A tax is imposed by the city: EUR 1.65 per person, per night
Optional extras
- Fee for buffet breakfast: EUR 16 per person (approximately)
- Self parking fee: EUR 10.50 per night
- Pet fee: EUR 8.00 per pet, per stay
Hotel Name
- Accor Perigueux Centre
- Mercure Périgueux Centre
- Mercure Périgueux Centre Hotel
- Mercure Périgueux Centre Hotel Perigueux
- Mercure Périgueux Centre Perigueux
National Rating
This property has received its official star rating from the French Tourism Development Agency, ATOUT France.


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Mechanical Deformation Induced in Si and GaN Under Berkovich Nanoindentation
- First Online:
- Received:
- Accepted:
DOI: 10.1007/s11671-007-9106-0
- Cite this article as:
- Jian, SR. Nanoscale Res Lett (2008) 3: 6. doi:10.1007/s11671-007-9106-0
- 37 Citations
- 1.9k Downloads
Details of Berkovich nanoindentation-induced mechanical deformation mechanisms of single-crystal Si(100) and the metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD) derived GaN thin films have been systematic investigated by means of micro-Raman spectroscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) techniques. The XTEM samples were prepared by using focused ion beam (FIB) milling to accurately position the cross-section of the nanoindented area. The behaviors of the discontinuities displayed in the loading and unloading segments of the load-displacement curves of Si and GaN thin films performed with a Berkovich diamond indenter tip were explained by the observed microstructure features obtained from XTEM analyses. According to the observations of micro-Raman and XTEM, the nanoindentation-induced mechanical deformation is due primarily to the generation and propagation of dislocations gliding along the pyramidal and basal planes specific to the hexagonal structure of GaN thin films rather than by indentation-induced phase transformations displayed in Si.
Si GaN Nanoindentation Micro-Raman spectroscopy Focused ion beam Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopyIntroduction
The development of nanotechnology and microsystems has relied, in many ways, on the major progresses accomplished in surface science and materials science. In the past, much effort has been devoted to characterizing the optical, electrical, and magnetic characteristics of the resultant structures and devices. The successful fabrication of devices based on semiconductors requires better understanding of the mechanical characteristics in addition to their optical and electrical performances. This is because that the contact loading during processing or packaging can significantly degrade the performance of these devices. Therefore, there is a growing demand of investigating the mechanical characteristics of materials, in particular in the nanoscale regime, for device applications.
Contact loading is a type of mechanical impact that many electronic materials experience during processing or application, there are several issues to be addressed. Firstly, the mechanical responses of materials to an applied load might be vastly different from that of the same bulk ones. For this purpose, unfortunately, the traditional methods such as tensile measurements do not scale well into the micrometer- and nanometer-regions. Secondly, the role of structural changes under contact loading are largely underestimated owing to the difficulties in probing the structural characterizations of materials affected by the contact interaction directly. In this respect, depth-sensing indentation (nanoindentation) has proven to be a powerful technique in providing information on mechanical properties (hardness and elastic modulus) of materials and, variation of these properties with the penetration depth, based on the analysis of the respective load-displacement curves [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] while also producing contact-induced damage. While diamond anvil cell (DAC) experiments are capable of investigating the mechanical and phase transformation in bulk materials under hydrostatic pressure [7], the materials behavior under nanoindentation is of more relevance to realistic contact loading conditions.
In fact, the load-displacement curves obtained during nanoindentation can be viewed as "fingerprints" that contain much information about deformation mechanisms. For example, the onset for dislocation slip or twinning event in InP and GaAs [8] and, the solid-state phase transformation in Si [9] have been associated with the discontinuities during nanoindentation. For GaN thin films, Bradby et al. [10, 11, 12] proposed the mechanical deformation behaviors during nanoindentation with the spherical indenter. During the nanoindentation of GaN thin films, a discontinuity (so-called "pop-in" event) in the loading curve was observed, indicating that the main deformation mechanism appears to be the nucleation of slip [12]. Nevertheless, the point indenter induced microstructural changes have not received sufficiently attention yet. As a result, locations of the details of single-crystal Si(100) and GaN thin films microstructure via a nanoindentation with a Berkovich diamond indenter have not been explored.
Herein, in this study, the deformation behaviors of single-crystal Si(100) and metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD)-deposited GaN thin films under contact loading have been investigated using Berkovich nanoindentation, followed by analysis using micro-Raman spectroscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) techniques, in order to understand the final structures of the indentation-induced transformation zones observed in experiments.
Experimental Details
Two materials of single-crystal Si(100) wafer with light boron doping (1 × 1015 atoms/cm3) and, GaN thin films deposited on (0001)-sapphire substrates by using the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method with an average thickness of about 2 μm [3] were used in our present experiments.
The nanoindentation tests were performed on a Nanoindenter MTS NanoXP®system (MTS Cooperation, Nano Instruments Innovation Center, TN, USA) with a diamond pyramid-shaped Berkovich-type indenter tip (face angle 65.3°), whose radius of curvature is 50 nm.
For microstructure analyses, a 10 × 5 indent array with each indent separated by 100 μm was produced by holding at the peak load of 200 mN for 30 s with the same loading/unloading rates of 0.5 mN/s and 10 mN/s for single-crystal Si(100) and GaN thin films, respectively. The materials residual impressions produced at an indentation load of 200 mN were examined by a micro-Raman spectrometer (Renishaw, UK) with an Ar+laser (excitation wavelength 514.5 nm). The size of the laser spot is about 1 μm, smaller than the dimension of impressions ∼5 μm. In the Raman experiments, a low laser power of 2 mW was used to avoid any possible artifacts from the center of the residual impressions as determined by optical microscopy.
The cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) samples were prepared by means of a FEI Nova 220 Dual-Beam workstation—focused ion beam (FIB)/scanning electron microscopy (SEM) system. This technique enabled us to cut through the nanoindentation and locate the specific site of interesting efficiently. In practice, we first milled two crosses alongside the indented area for markers and, then deposited a 1 μm-thick Pt layer to protect this area of interest from Ga+ion beam damage and implantation. Material was removed from both sides of the selected area with an ion current of 5 nA, followed by successive thinning steps with decreasing current ranging from 3 nA to 300 pA until the lamella was about 1 μm-thick. Subsequently, the bottom and one side of the lamella were cut free while titling the sample at an angle of 45° to the ion beam. A central area containing the nanoindentation apex of a few micrometers in length was then chosen and thinned further to a thickness of ∼100 nm, leaving at the sides thicker areas that prevented the lamella from collapsing. An ion dose of 70 pA was adopted for final cleaning steps. Finally, a small area of interest was selected and thinned until electron transparency was achieved. The transfer of the lamella from the sample holder to a holey carbon coated TEM grid was made ex situ by using a shape glass tip under an optical microscope outside FIB station. A JEOL-2010 TEM operated at an accelerating voltage of 200 kV was used to study the microstructures of XTEM lamella.
Results and Discussion
Nanoindentation on Single-crystal Si(100)
Silicon (Si-I) is a technologically very important material and is also of considerable scientific interest for its electrical, mechanical structural and, optical characterizations. In the past four decades there have been a significant number of investigations of the structural phase transformations of Si when it is subjected to sufficiently high hydrostatic or non-hydrostatic pressures. It is well accepted from DAC high pressure studies that Si transforms from the cubic diamond phase (Si-I) to the metallic β-Sn phase (Si-II) at increased pressures [13, 14]. During pressure release Si-II further transforms into several metastable phases including amorphous silicon, body-centered-cubic Si-III phase, rhombohedral distortion Si-XII phase [15] and, hexagonal diamond phase Si-IV [16]. These pressure-induced phase transitions can also be achieved by indentation tests [9, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21]. In addition, it has been demonstrated that the microstructures of Si after indentation with a spherical indenter depends on the maximum indentation load [9], loading/unloading rate [22] and, number of applied stress cycles [23]. And, a larger indentation load endorses crystalline phase transformation [24], while a high loading/unloading indentation rate promotes an amorphous phase [22].
Since phase transformations significantly affect the electrical, optical and mechanical characteristics of machined surface, the machining processes also have important implications for the manufacture of Si substrates, microelectromechanical systems and, microelectronics devices. Nevertheless, the Berkovich indenter induced microstructural changes have not received sufficient attention. Moreover, the plan-view TEM analyses cannot distinguish the phase changes inside the deformation region along the vertical direction. Consequently, in this section, we will use the micro-Raman spectroscopy and cross-sectional view TEM techniques to clarify this problem mainly.
In closing, we have made on indentation in single-crystal Si(100) to track the transformation of the metastable phases of Si-III and Si-XII using micro-Raman spectroscopy in combination with XTEM techniques. Multiple pop-ins and pop-out events on Si have been reported; the cause of the pop-ins is not clear at this time, but the pop-out is ascribed to the reason of phase transformation. Micro-Raman spectroscopy demonstrated its ability to detect phase changes beneath the Si surface, giving different signature at different location surrounding the indentation. The extra Raman bands from the metastable phases of Si-III and Si-XII are clearly visible in the continuous load-unload cycle, consistent with the XTEM observations.
Nanoindentation on MOCVD-derived GaN Thin Films
GaN, a III–V wide-band-gap semiconductor, has received a great deal of attention in the recent years due to its potential for the realization of photonic devices such as laser and light emitting diodes (LEDs) operating in the ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as solar-blind photodetectors [30]. Its wide band gap, high breakdown field and, high electron saturation velocity also make it as an attractive candidate for the development of electronic devices operating at high temperature, high power and high frequency relative to other competing materials such as Si and GaAs [31, 32]. Consequently, majority of researches on this compound have been focused on exploring its optoelectronic characteristics. However, due to the ubiquitously existent lattice mismatch-induced stress between GaN thin films and the available substrates, the resultant defects have been found to significantly affect the threshold power density in stimulated emission of GaN optoelectronic devices. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly evident that research on the mechanical characteristics of GaN thin films is important to make GaN thin films to be a good candidate for electronic devices. In this work, the mechanical deformation of GaN thin films under Berkovich nanoindenter is examined. Such knowledge is of great importance for realizing better manufacturing processes and devices stability.
In addition, the multiple pop-ins behavior has been observed in materials with hexagonal structures such as sapphire [34], GaN [12] and single-crystal bulk ZnO [35], while for materials like InP and GaAs with the cubic structure only single pop-in event was observed [8]. Nevertheless, the above discussions do suggest that multiple pop-ins indeed are specific features of materials with the hexagonal lattice structure and, the geometry of the indenter tip may play an important role in determining the nanoindentation-induced mechanical responses. Thus, in order to identify the deformation mechanisms specific to the Berkovich nanoindentation direct microstructure characteristics in the vicinity of the indented area are needed.
The inset of Fig. 4 displays the typical SEM micrograph for an indented surface obtained with the maximum applied indentation load of 200 mN. There is no evidence of dislocation activity or crack formation in the area of indented surface. Thus, if the dislocation nucleation and subsequent propagation are indeed the primary mechanism for the observed multiple pop-ins, it should prevail underneath the indented surface. It is also interesting to check if there is any pressure-induced phase transformation involved. At the ambient conditions, GaN tends to crystallize into the Wurtzite structure. However, theoretical studies [36, 37], which have been confirmed experimentally [38, 39], have predicted that, upon applying a hydrostatic pressure on the order of about 50 GPa, GaN will undergo the pressure-induced phase transformation into the Rocksalt structure. These values are significantly higher than the apparent room-temperature hardness of GaN thin films and the maximum load employed in this study. As will be presented in the followings, we used the micro-Raman spectroscopy and XTEM techniques in trying to clarify some of the issues concerning the nanoindentation-induced phase transformation in GaN thin films.
In closing, it is apparent that, in the Berkovich indentation scheme, the primary deformation mechanism for GaN films is dislocation nucleation and propagation along easy slip systems, similar to that concluded with spherical indenter [12]. Since the multiple pop-ins are usually observed after permanent plastic deformation has occurred (80 mN in the present case) and two of the possible mechanisms, the deformation-induced phase transformation and fracture of thin films [41] were basically ruled out, the most likely mechanism responsible for the multiple pop-ins appears to be associated with the activation of dislocation sources [42]. In this scenario, plastic deformation prior to the pop-in event is associated with the individual movement of a small number of newly nucleated and pre-existing dislocations. As the number of dislocations is increased and entangled to each other, large shear stress is quickly accumulated underneath the indenter tip. When the local stress underneath the tip reaches some threshold level, a burst of collective dislocation movement on the easy slip systems is activated, leading to a large release of local stress and a pop-in event on the load-displacement curve. Each of these collective dislocation movements is reflected as a slip band in the indented microstructure displayed in Fig. 6. Finally, we note that the so-called "slip-stick" behavior [12], characterized by material pile-ups caused by interactions between the as-grown defects and the indentation-induced dislocations, is not significant in this study. Whether it is due to the insignificant grown-in defect density of our GaN films or is related to the specific geometric shape of the indenter tip used is not clear at present and further studies may be required to clarify this issue.
In conclusions, a combination of nanoindentation, micro-Raman spectroscopy, FIB and TEM techniques has been carried out to investigate the contact-induced structural deformation behaviors in single-crystal Si(100) and MOCVD-deposited GaN thin films.
The micro-Raman analysis, measured from the indented materials which had plastically deformed on loading, showing a phase transformation occurs in Si whereas the results for GaN thin films do not give sufficient evidence for phase transformations. By using the FIB milling to accurately position the cross-section of the indented region, the XTEM results demonstrate that the major plastic deformation were taking place through the indentation-induced metastable phases (Si-III and Si-XII) and amorphous phase exhibited in Si, and the propagation of dislocations displayed in GaN thin films. Results revealed that the primary indentation-induced deformation mechanism in GaN thin films is nucleation and propagation of dislocations, rather than proposed stress-induced phase transformations or crack formations in Si via Berkovich nanoindentation.
This work was partially supported by the National Science Council of Taiwan, under Grant No.: NSC 96-2112-M-214-001.


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Drew Karpyshyn
Drew Karpyshyn | |
Drew Karpyshyn at Lucca Comics & Games, 2014
Born | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada[1] |
July 28, 1971
Occupation | Novelist, game designer |
Language | English |
Genre | Fantasy, science fiction |
Website | |
drewkarpyshyn |
Drew Karpyshyn (born July 28, 1971) is a Canadian video game scenario writer, scriptwriter and novelist. He served as a senior writer for BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and lead writer for the first two Mass Effect video games. He left BioWare to focus on his own projects and Chaos Born novels, and returned to it three years later in 2015.
Karpyshyn was at one point employed as a loan officer.[2] Following a car accident, he quit his job and returned to college, gaining a degree in English.[3] He got his start as a game designer for Wizards of the Coast, and he also has written two novels for Wizards of the Coast, both published in 2001 and both set in the Forgotten Realms setting: Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal and Temple Hill.[2]
Karpyshyn joined the video game company BioWare in 2000.[2][4] He wrote the scenario and much of the dialogue for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and was one of the lead writers and planners on Jade Empire, as well as working on several games in the Baldur's Gate series. His next major project was the Mass Effect series of games.[5] His third book, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction was published by Del Rey Ballantine Books in 2006.[2]
Mass Effect was named Game of the Year, in addition to receiving four other awards at the 2008 Elan Awards.[6]
Karpyshyn moved to Austin, Texas to help with Star Wars: The Old Republic.[7] He left BioWare in February 2012 to focus more on his own projects.[1] He returned to BioWare 3 years later in 2015. and will focus on the post-release development of SWTOR.[8]
Personal life[edit]
In March 2000, Karpyshyn appeared on an episode of Jeopardy!, finishing third.[7][9] He is a fan of the NFL's San Diego Chargers.[10] He believes that in the NFL, Bill Belichick is most likely to follow the ways of the Sith, and Peyton Manning is the most likely to be a Jedi.[11] Though his musical tastes lean more to what he calls "mainstream alternative," such as the Foo Fighters and Green Day, he also enjoys Sage Francis' song The Best of Times. He prefers to write at night without any music playing.[12]
He previously lived in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, with his wife Jennifer.[3] In the spring of 2009, he moved with his family to Austin, Texas.[10]
- Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
- Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
- Neverwinter Nights
- Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- Jade Empire
- Mass Effect
- Mass Effect 2
- Star Wars: The Old Republic
Forgotten Realms[edit]
- Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (novelization) (2001)
- Temple Hill (2001)
Star Wars[edit]
- Star Wars - Darth Bane: Path of Destruction (2006)
- Star Wars - Darth Bane: Rule of Two (2007)[7]
- Star Wars - Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil (2009)[7]
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan (2011)[13]
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Annihilation (2012)
Mass Effect[edit]
- Mass Effect: Revelation (2007) (Prequel to the video game series)
- Mass Effect: Ascension (2008)[7]
- Mass Effect: Retribution (2010)[14]
Chaos Born[edit]
- Children of Fire (2013)
- The Scorched Earth (2014)
- Chaos Unleashed (2015)
- ^ a b "BIO - Drew Karpyshyn". Drewkarpyshyn.com. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
- ^ a b c d "Karpyshyn, Drew". Contemporary Authors. January 1, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2012. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required)
- ^ a b "Drew Karpyshyn". Archived from the original on March 9, 2009.
- ^ Gelinas, Ben (September 16, 2008). "Spinning a gripping ... game". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014.
- ^ "Pixels, Panels, and Prose Colloquium at University of Texas at Tyle April 14". US Fed News Service. April 15, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2012. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required)
- ^ Zacharias, Yvonne (February 18, 2008). "Mass Effect dominates as game of the year: Science fiction video, made by Edmonton company, cleans up at Elan Awards", The Vancouver Sun, p. D1.
- ^ a b c d e Drew Karpyshyn's FAQ
- ^ Chalk, Andy (September 21, 2015). "Mass Effect lead writer Drew Karpyshyn returns to BioWare". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- ^ J! Archive - Show #3577, aired 2000-03-07
- ^ a b BIO | Drew Karpyshyn
- ^ Taking a Knee with 303: Drew Karpyshyn
- ^ A Word with New York Times Best Selling Author and NFL Fan Drew Karpyshyn | The Warren Peace NFL Report
- ^ Star Wars: The Old Republic | News Articles
- ^ "Mass Effect novelizations". Archived from the original on July 23, 2010.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Drew Karpyshyn at Wizards of the Coast
- Drew Karpyshyn at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Interviews
- Drew Karpyshyn on Ten Minute Interviews (January 2015)
- Drew Karpyshyn Interview with RoqooDepot.com (September 2008)
- Drew Karpyshyn Star Wars Celebration VI Interview with RoqooDepot.com (August 2012)
- Drew Karpyshyn 'Annihilation' Interview with RoqooDepot.com (November 2012)
- Drew Karpyshyn Interview with Game-Spectrum at the Internet Archive (June 2007)


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text:
This article will be about Great Adventure throughout the remainder of the 80s. Same as the last article, credit for the pictures goes to Harry Applegate and Tom Bohsen of Great Adventure History.com and AmusementPics.com.
1986- Park opens Ultra Twister
Ultra Twister was the first and only TOGO Pipeline coaster in North America. Despite problems like low capacity and difficulties of evacuating passengers during the event of a breakdown, it was a popular ride. It ran until 1988. It was removed during the 1989 season. It moved to the now defunct Six Flags AstroWorld as part of Six Flags' "Ride Swap" program, in which a Six Flags park would get a "new" ride at a reduced cost. When AstroWorld closed, it moved to Six Flags America, where it is in storage Over the years, plans were made and canceled of what to add on the site. Eventually, in 1995, the Viper roller coaster (another TOGO coaster) opened. It was removed during the 2005 season. Now the site is occupied by El Toro: The 3rd tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world.
1987- Splash Water Falls opens
(Note- The second picture was taken in 2005)
Throughout the eighties, theme parks opened water rides that not only got people wet, but completely soaked. Great Adventure's first foray into this fad was in 1981 with the opening of Roaring Rapids. Their next entry came with the opening of Splash Water Falls. This ride was a modern "shoot the chutes" ride. The ride became an instant sucess. It was renamed "Movietown Water Effect" in 1993. It was removed at the end of the 2007 season. Its spot is now occupied by "The Dark Knight Coaster"
Despite the new addition, 1987 was a problematic season. There was a fight on Easter Sunday, which prompted park management to install medal detectors. There was also a death of the Lighting Loops coaster. All these problems almost caused the park to close permanatly. During the 1987-1988 off season, Bally's sold Six Flags (company) to Wesray. Under Wesray ownership, Great Adventure started to rebuild its family image and improve safety.
1988- Bugs Bunny Land and Condor debut. Sarajevo Bobsled removed
During the 1987-1988 off season, Great Adventure re-configured the Looney Tunes Land kiddie area. The new Bugs Bunny Land opened with the park in spring 1988. The featured exsiting Looney Tunes Land rides that were renamed as well as a few new rides. The area lasted until the end of the 2004 season. In its place is the Golden Kingdom area and Balin's Jungleland mini kiddie area. The kiddie rides in Balin's Jungleland were a few rethemed Bugs Bunny Land rides (with the exception of the elephant ride which was relocated from The Great Escape).
At 1984 New Orleans Worlds Fair, Huss introduced a new model called the Cyclo Tower. After not running for most of the fair due to operational difficulties, Huss did four more years of engineering work on the ride. In 1988, Huss finally put the ride in production as the "Condor". The ride lasted at the park until the end of the 1990 season, when it was moved to Six Flags Great America as part of Six Flags' Ride Rotation program.
After five seasons running, the Sarajevo Bobsled is removed and shipped to Six Flags Great America, where it reopened as Rolling Thunder. In 1995, it was put into storage and was relocated to the Great Escape in 1998.
1989- Great American Scream Machine opens. Ultra Twister is removed
During the 1987 season, Great Adventure was planning the open a looping roller coaster with a then unheard 7 inversions. The coaster was to called Ninja (In the 80s, Six Flags had several coasters with the Ninja name). The project was cancelled at the last minute when Great Adventure decided to open Bugs Bunny Land and Condor in an effort to rebuild its family image. The Ninja coaster project was moved to Great America, where it opened with a new name: Shockwave (Like Ninja, Six Flags opened several coasters with the Shockwave name).
During the 1988 season, Great Adventure started to plan this coaster again, but with a lift hill three feet taller than Shockwave. Then park president Ray Williams, who was park president of Six Flags Over Georgia before coming to Great Adventure, decided to renamed to project The Great American Scream Machine. The coaster was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world when it opened. The record would be broken in three weeks, with the opening of Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point. Even though it lost the record for tallest and fastest overall coaster in the world, it still had the record of tallest and fastest LOOPING coaster in the world (That record would be broken in 1990, with the opening of Magic Mountain's Viper coaster). The Great American Scream Machine and Magnum XL-200 are credited for started the roller coaster wars
After three seasons of operating, Ultra Twister closed in 1988. During the 1989 season, Ultra Twister was removed and relocated to AstroWorld. At AstroWorld, the ride's lift was changed for 90 degree ascent to a 45 degree ascent. When AstroWorld closed in 2005, Ultra Twister was moved to Six Flags America, where it is currently in storage.
Hope you enjoy part 2. Part 3- 1990-1992 is coming soon.
Retro Great Adventure 2
2nd article in Great Adventure article series
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Vine leaf hanger 120 cm
Item number: 623.803.00
made of plastic and fabric, wine branches with very realistic foliage, for decorations of pubs, wine bars or wine cellars, price per piece
- colour: green
- length: length 120 cm
- Price plus Shipping costs
- 1 piece £35.90 VAT excl. £26.91 VAT excl. £32.02 VAT incl.
Item x added
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text: BANK OWNED.. 2/1 FOR ONLY $22,900! ACT FAST By Jordan Chancey Real Estate Agent with Leslie Wells Realty Inc Email Short URL Share: February 20, 2011 05:36 AM 5918 11TH ST E BRADENTON, FL BANK OWNED. Great little house waiting for your TLC. 2/1 block home on a large corner lot. 2BR/1BA Single Family House $22,900 Year Built 1957 Sq Footage 1,100 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 1 full, 0 partial Floors 1 Parking 1 Car garage Lot Size 10,018 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DescriptionGreat little house waiting for your TLC. 2/1 block home on a large corner lot. Just bring your toolbox, this can be your next rental or starter home! Hurry and see today! Property Features Living roomDining roomYard Community Features Garage parking Additional Photos FrontKitchenLiving RoomDining RoomBathroomYard Contact Info Jordan D. ChanceyLeslie Wells Realty Inc.(941) 545-8816 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing


text:
Thanks for the Gut update. I tend to go for longer and longer stretches away from RTF and wonder about some of the colorful characters.
Tom (Still in the triple digit post count!)
Tom Wall
I used to post a lot more. I remember discussions with Shayne about force fetching and going toe to toe with Alec.
The count reset in 2003 but I've been around for forever. I remember when the "count reset" Shayne had like 12k posts or something like that.
Most of the people that were around in the beginning don't post anymore or very infrequently. Alec, Shayne, Joe S, Cray, Pat F to name a few.
Most people on this board would not know who Qui Chang was. I do miss the old days.
"So what is big is not always the Trout nor the Deer but the chance, the being there. And what is full is not necessarily the creel nor the freezer, but the memory." ~ Aldo Leopold
"The Greatest Obstacle to Discovery is not Ignorance -- It is the Illusion of Knowledge" ~ Daniel Boorstin
I always suspected Joe was Qui Chang. Anyone know for sure?
Or is it still a secret?
What is GDG regards,
Dont wave your phony patriotism in MY face! If you really love America, open your wallet and hire an American kid to build what you buy. Doug Fraser (paraphrased) 1980
Real Americans buy American.
I to miss the old days. not quite as civil and more fun. When someone was being stupid they were told. I miss the drama and battles Like Marvin and KG discussion about judging. The Angie or Melanie giving someone a good slap down. The Poocah shell thread. My post count went from 1 or more a day to that many a month now. Sad....
"Communism only works in Heaven, where they don't need it, and in Hell, where they already have it" Ronald Reagan
How true. Now, someone is always hitting the report post button to further their own agenda, etc; the board is heavily moderated; special types of apologies are demanded where in the old days, a "knock it off" would do; people with knowledge of training have stopped posting training advice because those who have taught Fido to poop in a specific spot will tell them they are wrong; people like Jerry Harris (miss his stories and songs, and quick wit) and Richard Halsted (miss his history)are no longer on earth.... Shayne has moved on (or should I say "swished"), Gut has moved on (really cared more about Dozer ), the nymphs are no longer as nubile, etc. I think a lot of us who have been on the board a long time... if you did a bar graph of the posts, they have dramatically decreased in the past year or two... or so...
And, I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for Gooser!
FC Tribute to Justice, JH "Honor"
FC AFC Contempt of Court "Ruckus"
Medal Of Honor, QAA "Valor"
HRCH Kirby's High Sierra, SH, QAA "Kirby" Feb. 19, 2002 - Aug. 14, 2014
HRCH Niki Snowbird, SH, QAA "Niki" July 22, 2001 - May 11, 2015
Southland Order In the Court, QAA "Gavel" July 17, 2002- March 24, 2013
Southland Rusty Nail - derby points, qual placements "Rusty"
Disoderly Conduct "Chaos" -qual placements
Thanks Susan, had a good chuckle reading the first few pages of that thread again!! Miss a lot of those folks on here, not near the entertainment, or for that fact knowledge Still good to see those names and folks around.
Miss the Petals Regards,
AFC Iron Lines Sergeant Pepper "Pepper"
FC FTCH Westwood's Sunday Silence "Buck"
Sweet Swingin' Fred MH ***


text:
Daily Journal
TUPELO – Free tax returns, anyone?
Several community partners are offering just that beginning Saturday and continuing through the April 15 tax deadline.
Families who make no more than $35,000 a year may have their tax returns prepared for free and filed electronically for quick response from the Internal Revenue Service.
The Tupelo Neighborhood Partnership, BancorpSouth and the IRS have joined hands on the project, with the bank providing 60-plus volunteers trained by the IRS.
The neighborhood partnership is coordinating the service at the Park Hill Village Community Center on North Madison Street, where the Tupelo Housing Authority is offering space three days a week.
"It's going to be an outstanding service," said Torris Purnell, TNP president. "Sometimes they pay $200 to $400 to get their taxes done when they go to a tax preparation service."
For families with limited income, that's a big tax bite.
In addition to saving money, the service will save time, Purnell said. Taxpayers may receive refunds in 10 to 14 days using electronic filing at the site and direct deposit.
The entire program falls under the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance umbrella, an effort similar to AARP's Tax-Aide program geared to senior citizens.
"They're doing a wonderful effort in Tupelo, and they're doing it very well," said Kathleen Heirdon, an IRS tax specialist in Jackson. "The VITA group – with their evening hours and their weekend hours – is going to be reaching out to working people who may be working during the day."
BancorpSouth has been organizing its VITA effort since November, said Monica Aldrige, a vice president in the bank's Community Reinvestment Act division.
"The primary purpose of the VITA site is to assist the low-income individual and ensure they're getting the proper credits they're due," she said, citing the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit. "When someone goes to file their taxes on their own, they may not be aware of some of the credits they're eligible for."
Purnell said taxpayers who come to the site may open savings accounts – if they don't already have one – and have their tax refunds deposited into the new accounts within days.
What's more, they can save money on the tax filing itself.
"The main reason we're participating in this program is to help people manage their money better," he said, adding that people may also register for financial literacy and homebuyer education courses offered by TNP.


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The death of the life insurance specialist: What will it mean for the industry?
By Jeff Reed
Kestler Financial Group
The question seems so simple: How do you see life insurance and other related financial products being distributed in the future? The answers were anything but simple.
I recently attended an annual meeting with our carriers. With more than 250 people representing more than 60 agencies and in excess of 15 carriers and other industry experts in one place, there was more than enough information to keep me busy writing for weeks. While I will drill down into some of the specific topics in the coming weeks, there were two major topics discussed that impact all of us.
The first and perhaps most compelling was the panel discussion on the future of distribution. The question seems so simple: How do you see life insurance and other related financial products being distributed in the future? The answers were anything but simple.
The complication comes from all of the related topics: product design, which markets are we talking about, and how will it be underwritten are all part of the answer to this question. Before we get to those, we need to talk about the second topic: Who will be the next generation of life agents?
One of the statistics tossed around during the discussion was the 4 percent reduction in the field force over the last few years. The consensus was that this number was not indicative of reality. For most life agents, retirement is really not in the cards. They stay in the business forever. They generally love their clients and enjoy their work so much that they slow down a bit, take some more days off and maybe take on a junior partner. If we talked about fully employed agents who consider life insurance their primary business, I think there would be about four agents left in the entire country!
An obvious overstatement, but you get the point. The life specialist is a dying breed. We're being replaced by the various flavors of "financial advisors" who address any number of aspects of financial planning, asset management or risk management. This is where the growth in the agent base is coming from, and they approach insurance products differently. They are generally less comfortable with the underwriting process, as a result of their relative lack of experience. Frequently, that translates into a less-than-ideal underwriting result and a good deal of frustration for all involved.
When you combine this trend with the carriers' understandable desire to sell more product, a few things become clear:
- A significant increase in the face amount that a client can purchase on a "jet issue" basis is coming. We're talking up to $1 million for the younger healthy client.
- Direct-to-consumer distribution is also going to expand. Transactions that do not represent an opportunity for the agent to add value will no longer require one. The fee-based financial advisor may simply point their client in the right direction and get out of the way.
- Less insurance will be sold
So, if all of this is the proverbial train bearing down on us in the tunnel, then what should we be doing about it? I will cover that in my next article.


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Company Will Offer Innovative Solutions Delivering the Broadband Capabilities of 3G to Homes and Offices
Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies, products and services, today announced that it has added 3G femtocell chipsets to its product roadmap. The Company will be offering Femtocell Station Modem™ (FSM™) chipsets that will be the industry's first to utilize the broadband speeds of 3GPP HSPA+, in addition to utilizing CDMA2000®, including 1X and EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B. The chipsets will include baseband functions, network listen and integrated RF capabilities for all major wireless bands. The chipsets also will feature innovative techniques addressing the issue of interference between femtocells and the macro network. Sampling is currently scheduled for the second quarter of 2010.
"Femtocell technology holds great promise for the mobile industry by delivering better 3G coverage to subscribers and increasing data throughput," said Ed Knapp, senior vice president of marketing for Qualcomm Flarion Technologies. "Femtocell technology will enhance the overall experience for end users while operators will benefit from the enhanced capacity femtocells will provide. Qualcomm is combining its industry leadership in silicon integration and power-efficiency with its mobile device and base station chipset experience to now add FSM chipsets to its technology roadmap."
Femtocells are cellular access points that use DSL, fiber or cable broadband connections to extend the reach of cellular service within a small area. Qualcomm will offer FSM chipsets for both residential and enterprise applications to its OEM customers. Extensive performance analysis, simulations and field tests indicate the issue of interference can be effectively addressed with the Company's interference mitigation techniques. More details on these techniques are available on the Femto Forum's website at www.femtoforum.org.
Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 100 Index, the S&P 500 Index and is a 2008 FORTUNE 500® company. For more information, please visit www.qualcomm.com.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the Company's ability to successfully design and have manufactured significant quantities of 3G femtocell chipsets on a timely and profitable basis, the extent which femtocells are deployed, the speed by which femtocell cellular access points are adopted, change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 28, 2008, and most recent Form 10-Q. ###
Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA USA). All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Nothing in this press release is an offer to sell any of the parts referenced herein. This press release may reference and/or show images of parts and/or devices utilizing parts whose manufacture, use, sale, offer for sale, or importation into the United States are subject to certain injunctions against Qualcomm. This press release is intended solely to provide information for those products and uses of products that are outside the scope of the injunctions. Any device utilizing 1x-EVDO parts that are intended for activation on a U.S. wireless network (other than Verizon Wireless) must utilize Qualcomm's hybrid mode alternative solution.


text: Deadspin Up All Night: 100 Yard DashTom Ley9/17/12 6:54pmFiled to: Duan!Deadspin Up All Night55EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalink Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. Treat yourself to a Negra Modelo and some Monday Night Football tonight. Sean will be here to watch the game with you.Reply55 repliesLeave a reply


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The talk of re-bound, recovery and strength in the real estate market is growing and now we have further evidence from one of Miami's own. Miami-based Lennar Corporation, the largest U.S. homebuilder by market value, reported last month that not only did it exceed analysts' expectations for its fiscal fourth quarter, it crushed them- citing a revenue jump of 42% from last year's fourth quarter. Better yet, Lennar's 2012 saw elevated revenue of 33% over 2011.
Lennar's growing sales revenue undoubtedly demonstrates the power of an opportune trifecta:
(i) a market's desire for new homes;
(ii) shrinking supply of existing homes; and
(iii) record-low interest rates.
The desire and demand for new homes is exemplified in Lennar's reports of voluminous new orders and contract backlog (representative of future sales) which increased 32% (to 3,983 homes) and soared 87% (to 4,053 homes), respectively.
CEO Stuart Miller confidently stated: "2012 was a turnaround year."
On the heels of such a robust fourth-quarter, Lennar also announced that it will enter into the multi-family sector to offer options to renters unable to obtain new loans. Even with the pivot in the market, lending standards are still strict and renters who lost their homes in foreclosure need housing. The benefit of these new renter-relationships is that it helps identify possible future buyers from its own pool of renters. Construction will start in 2013 on 3,000 apartments and will cost more than $500 million. Projecting forward, Mr. Miller says Lennar plans nationwide multifamily development of more than $1 billion in the next three years. Partners in this endeavor include Prudential Real Estate Investors and the Carlyle Group.
Lennar has always been a leading force in development and we anticipate these rising revenues and new sector prospects to encourage their continued growth and superiority in the real estate market.
See more »
DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.
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Hello all,
I have the tutorial on how to make the head in a jar, but can't find any 'faces' to print out. A year or so ago there was a site with faces to use, but i can't find it.
Does anyone know of any creepy faces i could print out to put in my jar?
thank you!


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Wisconsin Lhasa Apso Rescue |
Lhasa Apso Rescue Groups | Volunteer | New Location ▼ | Change Breed ▼ | |||||
Find a Home for an Animal ▼ | Memorials | Rescue Alerts ▼ | ||||||
Donate to Lhasa Apso Rescue as a gift or memorial, and we will mail a free acknowledgement card within 24 hours. |
2,919 Lhasa Apso Dogs have been adopted on Rescue Me! |
No Lhasa Apso for adoption in Wisconsin, please click a new state below. |
PIease Read Before Adopting a Lhasa Apso in Wisconsin | |||||||||
Lhasa Apso Dogs can make good pets in Wisconsin if they match your IifestyIe. The Lhasa Apso is a darling long haired lap dog. Lhasa Apsos have a loud bark and make good watchdogs. Lhasa Apsos are friendly, but do not like to be teased by children. Lhasa Apsos are best suited to homes where they are the only pet, and need a firm master. Lhasa Apsos need to be with their people, and are good dogs with which to travel. This breed can live in an apartment if it gets enough activity and is walked every day.
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♥ This page is in fond memory of these Lhasa Apso Dogs who are no longer with us... ♥ If you have experienced the loss of a beloved pet, or if you know someone who has... [POST A MEMORIAL HERE] |
Help Spread the Word! Please link to Wisconsin Lhasa Apso Rescue from your website. |
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Trading Services
Market Regulation Advisory Notices View All MRANs
Intraday Data
Subscription Based Data
Through the use of various combinations of CME Group derivative products, market participants have the ability to simulate the financial aspects of several real world product transformations for the opportunity to hedge price risks or profit from pricing opportunities. The "crush" expression is taken from the soybean processing term for buying soybeans, crushing them and selling the resulting soymeal and soyoil. In the soybean crush transformation, a raw material is broken down into underlying components. The cattle feeding process differs in that it turns inputs into one finished product. Specifically, feedlot operators buy feeder calves and feed to start the process. Then, after a period of time, they sell finished cattle ready for slaughter. A cattle feeding spread models the economics of the operation and provides a way to estimate profitability. This article will discuss the concept and operation of the beef cattle feeding process in the context of what is commonly known as the cattle feeding spread or "cattle crush".
© 2017 CME Group Inc. All rights reserved.


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more useful options | |
PerlMonks |
Re: I just want to understand why ...by parv (Priest) |
on Oct 09, 2012 at 07:47 UTC ( #997944=note: print w/replies, xml ) | Need Help?? |
Could you change the title from being useless to "Understanding creation of missing keys" or similar?
In Section
Seekers of Perl Wisdom


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Plextor is perhaps best known for their optical drives began producing way back in 1989. Fast forward to 2009 and perhaps they saw the writing on the wall with the introduction of the MacBook Air sans optical drive and branched out a bit by rolling out their first SSD drive. Since then, they've offered several models for both enterprise and consumer application. More recently, they gotten in on the ground floor of the mSATA SSD train which brings us to the matter at hand with our first look at their M5M series mSATA drive and more specifically, the 128GB version. While not groundbreaking from a hardware configuration standpoint, we've found that it packs a pretty good punch and matches up well with the competition. Just how well we'll discuss during the course of the article.
Plextor offers capacities of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB which can be had for $74.99, $114.99, and $199.99 respectively. Performance numbers range from 160MB/s to 430MB/s in writes depending on the drive capacity and 540MB/s in reads across the board. All of the drives offer a three year warranty and a 2,400,000 hour MTBF. Let's have a closer look at the components since we don't have to actually open anything up to take a gander.
Performance | |||
Model: | PX-64M5M | PX-128M5M | PX-256M5M |
Capacity: | 64GB | 128GB | 256GB |
Buffer | |||
DRAM Cache: | 128MB DDR3 | 256MB DDR3 | 512MB DDR3 |
Read/Write Speed (Under Windows NTFS) | |||
Seq Reads (SATA 6Gb/s): | Up to 540 MB/s | Up to 540 MB/s | Up to 540 MB/s |
SeqWrites (SATA 6Gb/s): | Up to 160 MB/s | Up to 320 MB/s | Up to 430 MB/s |
Rndm Reads (IOPS 4KB): | Up to 73,000 | Up to 80,000 | Up to 79,000 |
Rndm Writes (IOPS 4KB): | Up to 42,000 | Up to 76,000 | Up to 77,000 |
Power Consumption | |||
Mobile Mark: | 0.2W | 0.2W | 0.2W |
Environment and Reliability | |
Temperature: | 0°C ~ 70°C (Operating) |
Shock: | 1500G, At 1 msec half-sine |
Vibration: | 7 ~ 800Hz, 2.17Grms (Operation) |
MTBF: | >2,400,000 hours |
Warranty: | 3 years Plextor's Warranty Service |
Compatibility | |
OS Supported: | Microsoft Windows Family / Linux / Mac OS |
Agency Approval: | BSMI, UL, TUV, C-Tick, CE, KCC, VCCI, FCC, RoHS, CB |
Command Set Support: | TRIM, S.M.A.R.T., NCQ, ATA/ATAPI-8 |
DATA Encryption: | AES 256 |
Firmware Upgrade: | Supported |
Interface: | SATA 6Gb/s, compatible with SATA 3Gb/s and 1.5Gb/s |
Form Factor and Connectors | |
Form Factor: | JEDEC MO-300 mSATA SSD form factor |
Power Connector: | 3.3V mSATA connector for DC 3.3V input |
Data Connector: | mSATA connector |
Dimension and Weight | |
Dimension (W/L/H): | 50.8mm x 29.8mm x 3.6mm |
Weight: | 9g Max. |
First up is the 256MB Micron DDR3 cache that's used by the controller to buffer data as needed which is common on most all drives except for those with a SandForce controller.
Storage components come complements of Toshiba with 19nm MLC NAND with part number TH58TEG8DDJBA8C. There are four total on the board with each being 32GB in density for 128GB total.
The M5M series is controlled by the most recent iteration of the Marvell controller carrying part number 88SS9187. This is the very same we've seen in a few drives already and it's clearly the best performing controller Marvell has put out to date. Plextor employs custom firmware to get the performance they want and the more standard features are still there like TRIM support, 256-AES encryption and wear-leveling algorithms. One additional Plextor feature is their True Protect technology used to bolster data integrity by confirming with certainty that each piece of data is correctly stored using the newest 128-bit error correction code.
Comments are closed.


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LONDON (MarketWatch) — European equities saw a mixed trading session on Friday, moving sideways as investors focused on earnings season in the U.S. and worries that accelerating Chinese inflation will limit monetary easing by the nation's central bank.
The Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, +0.33% trimmed an earlier loss to the end the day with a 0.1% decline, posting a 0.3% loss for the week. The index remains up nearly 2.7% since the start of the new year.
China quashes censorship protest
Protesters were taken away in vans after Chinese officials reached a deal with a newspaper embroiled in a scandal over censorship.
"The markets have had a New Year euphoria rally, but whether it can [be sustained] is to be questioned. No one actually wants to take any further positions ahead of the weekend," said Justin Urquhart Stewart, co-founder of Seven Investment Management.
"The one thing that has returned to the market is confidence. The market always wants to go up, but couldn't do it because of uncertainty. Now that we have gotten past the fiscal fudge in the U.S. and we see better news globally there are reasons to move forward," he said.
Among notable movers in the pan-European index, some drug makers were on the rise after UBS upgraded the pharmaceutical sector to overweight from neutral and highlighted it as its preferred defensive play.
Shares of Roche Holdings AG ROG, +0.91% gained 1.4% and Novo Nordisk AS NOVOB, +0.38% NVO, +0.23% moved 1% higher.
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA IAG, -0.84% jumped 5.4%, as UBS lifted the British Airline-parent to buy from neutral.
Pointing in the other direction, shares of Getinge AB GETIB, +0.65% tanked 8.2%. The Swedish medical-equipment firm said demand for its products weakened during the final quarter of 2012, making net profit before taxes for the full year fall short of expectations.
Investors also trained their attention on the U.S. earnings season, which kicked off earlier this week with encouraging results from aluminum firm Alcoa Inc. AA, -0.03% Friday's results from Wells Fargo & Co. WFC, -0.52% the first major U.S. bank to report, beat expectations, although its closely watched interest margins declined more than expected. See: Wells Fargo profit rises 24%, mortgage business strong
U.S. stocks traded mostly lower on Wall Street. See: Stocks slip as Wells Fargo sends banks lower.
Japan was also in focus after the government approved a 10.3 trillion yen ($116 billion) stimulus package aimed at boosting GDP growth by 2 percentage points and creating 600,000 jobs. See: 'Abenomics' gaining traction in Japan—and Google searches
Data from China, however, countered any lift in sentiment from Japan's efforts. Consumer prices rose to a seven-month high in December, stoking fears that additional stimulus measures are off the table. The consumer-price index climbed 2.5%, with food prices jumped 4.2%. See: China consumer inflation quickens on food costs
Mining companies, which are sensitive to growth in China, dropped on the news, with shares of BHP Billiton PLC BLT, +2.69% BHP, +0.99% BHP, +0.29% down 2.7%, Rio Tinto PLC RIO, +1.20% RIO, +0.05% RIO, +0.70% off 1.2% and Anglo American PLC AAL, +1.31% dropping 1.4%.
Also in London, shares of insurer Aviva PLC AV., -0.38% rose 3.3%. Citigroup lifted the firm to buy from neutral, saying it is one of the most attractive opportunities in the sector.
On the data front in the U.K., a report on manufacturing production for November showed a 0.3% decline, missing analyst expectations of a 0.5% increase.
The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index UKX, +0.41% however, advanced 0.3% to close at 6,121.58, with shares of Barclays PLC BARC, -0.35% BCS, -0.88% up 1.7%.
Germany's DAX 30 index DAX, +0.44% edged up 0.1% to finish at 7,715.53. Shares of Deutsche Lufthansa AG LHA, +0.13% off 1.8%, after UBS downgraded the airline to neutral from buy.
Shares of Volkswagen AG VOW3, +0.00% rose 1.6%. The car maker said its passenger cars brand reached a new sales record in 2012, supported by demand for its new Golf model. See: Volkswagen sales reach record in 2012
And in France, shares of Electricite de France SA EDF, +1.90% lost 1.6%, after Credit Suisse cut the stock to underperform from neutral, citing weakening earnings and cash flows.
The CAC 40 index PX1, +0.45% managed a 0.1% rise to finish at 3,706.02.


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Editor's Notebook: 1/7/11
Jeff Genung
• My column today is all about Letters to the Editor (that would be me) and how to write them. Read it here, then sit down and fire one off! We get a lot of them as it is, but I'd be happy to make room for more. Sure '30 Seconds' is more fun, but do you really take it seriously?
• Please tell me you don't, or I will cry.
• The Village of Oxford will have three seats up for grabs in this spring's elections – one for mayor and two for trustees. Hopefully this advance-notice story in today's paper will prompt some people to run for office and get some voters to … vote. 58 people voted last year? Really? Sorry Oxfordians, a 4 percent turnout is pretty pathetic.
• Was I the only one fooled by that "story" going around on Facebook earlier this week about the Snowstorm to End All Snowstorms that was gonna happen this weekend? Looking out my office window right now, my trained meteorologist's eye (I won't tell you what other parts I have from him) tells me it snowed about an inch. Good thing I stocked up on bottled water, Spam and tin foil.
• I actually like Spam. With those Betty Crocked au gratin potatoes? Yumm. Just like Mom used to make.
• Can you tell it's Friday? This blog is going absolutely nowhere.
• Insert pithy bullet point here. See you Monday.