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The implications of a worldwide avian influenza (bird flu) pandemic are real and of dire concern to people worldwide. Some of the connections between agriculture are real and some are as fictional as a dime store novel.
Avian influenza (AI) or bird flu is primarily just that — a disease of birds. In rare cases the virus has spread to humans and in a few cases — the 1918 flu pandemic, the 1957 Hong Cong Flu Epidemic and the 1962 Asian Flu Epidemic, it spread rapidly among humans.
Bird flu occurs when any of 16 known hemagluttinin (HA) and nine neuraminidase (NA) proteins interact and cause changes in the cellular structure of the avian influenza gene. In 1918, the combination of H1N1 proteins caused a mutation that spread freely among humans and killed somewhere between 30 and 50 million people worldwide.
Most experts agree the pandemic got its beginnings from backyard poultry in the Midwest, which was most likely infected by migratory birds.
In 2005, a different strain of the bird flu, H5N1, has made the jump from birds to humans in six Asian and one European country (Turkey). As of Feb. 1, 2006, 160 people in these countries were infected with H5N1 bird flu and approximately 83 of them died. The mortalities were among young, otherwise healthy men and women, and in only one case was this strain of bird flu contracted by one person from another person. All other cases came from direct contact with infected birds.
The H5N1 strain has now been diagnosed in birds in Romania, Croatia, Ukraine and other European countries. Many virologists who study influenza believe the H5N1 strain will be the next epidemic or pandemic flu.
From the hysteria of these tragic cases in 2005-2006 has sprung a number of widely circulated myths about bird flu — some of them directly related to farmers and farming.
Myth one: Using poultry litter for fertilizer increases the risk of spreading bird flu. No form of avian influenza has been known to survive outside a live animal or person for longer than a few hours, except in extreme cases — as in Pennsylvania in the 1990s for 100 days in semi-frozen manure.
Recent concerns about AI viruses persisting in poultry litter and subsequently surviving in the soil when applied as fertilizer and subsequently infecting people who eat food crops grown on this land are myth. The high cost of fertilizer and availability of litter as a source of nitrogen and other soil nutrients likely means a record amount of litter will be used on crops in the Southeast.
A leading expert on avian influenza in the U.S. describes the connection between bird flu and poultry litter this way: "No scientist is going to say anything is impossible, but the chances of an AI virus living in poultry litter and in the soil and being transmitted to a plant and into humans is much less likely than winning the National Powerball Lottery a hundred times in a row."
Myth two: I live and work on a farm in a rural area of the country, so I am less likely to catch bird flu. Avian influenza experts agree the first jump from birds to humans is most likely to occur from wild birds, probably migratory water fowls to backyard chicken flocks — which are much more prevalent in rural areas. Living in rural areas may actually be a more likely location for early cases of bird flu in humans. However, in later stages of a worldwide flu pandemic where one lives won't likely make much difference.
Myth three: If I eat chicken or turkey, I am more likely to contract bird flu. No evidence exists that any sub-type of bird flu has ever been contracted by eating properly cooked chicken or turkey. Properly cooked is open to debate, but the same cooking guidelines that protect against salmonella will be sufficient. Despite the safety of eating poultry products, poultry consumption worldwide has dropped more than 35 percent since the latest cases of H5N1 bird flu surfaced in 2005.
Myth four: If I deliver grain or collect litter from poultry houses or operations in which chickens have died from bird flu, I will likely catch the virus. No, commercial layer and broiler operations are actually a fairly low risk for avian influenza. Even on poultry farms where birds are diagnosed with avian influenza, the virus has to mutate to a form that affects humans and this is not likely to occur in a commercial poultry operation.
Avirulent, or non-lethal strains of avian influenza occur fairly often, but only those determined to be virulent mandate automatic eradication of infected birds. Because of its past ability to mutate into forms that infect humans, all cases of H5 and H7 influenza are being treated as a virulent form, even though most strains remain avirulent. Before any strain of bird flu can infect humans, it has to mutate into a form that can be transmitted from animal to animal, then animal to human, then make the biggest and most rare jump of all to a form that can be passed from one human to another.
The last jump from chickens to humans has occurred several times throughout history, most recently with the H5N1 virus in Asia and Turkey. In 2003, in New York, one poultry worker was diagnosed with H7N2 bird flu. He recovered and no spread of the virus was documented. In 2004, in British Columbia in western Canada, two poultry workers were diagnosed with H7N3 bird flu. Both were treated with oseltamivir, both recovered, and no spread of the strain was documented.
In both the Canadian and New York cases, the human infection was traced back to live markets. Charlie Beard, retired USDA poultry scientist and one of the first to track avian influenza, calls live markets a ticking time bomb. Beard contends these live markets are a likely source of future bird flu epidemics.
Myth five: The flu vaccine I take annually will protect me from bird flu. The most likely strain of bird flu to infect humans is the H5N1 strain currently causing problems in Asia and Turkey. This and similar strains are resistant to commonly used flu vaccines. The only vaccines known to reduce the severity of these strains are oseltamivir and zanamivir. Both are used sparingly worldwide to prevent resistance problems.
The reality is that avian influenza isn't likely to affect either farmers or the general public by contact with chickens or turkey, rather with wild birds, especially ducks. Farmers who duck hunt should be particularly aware of birds that appear listless or less vigorous than other ducks in the flock or that have discolored or shedding feathers. Likewise processing and handling wild ducks or other migratory birds should be done with care.
Migratory ducks are known carriers of avian influenza. In the H5N1 cases in Asia and Turkey, a much higher level of feather shed, characteristic of AI infection as been detected in wild ducks. In some of the 2005-2006 cases of bird flu in humans in Asia, the infection came from direct contact with wild ducks.
For farmers with chickens, there is a greater risk that these backyard flocks will become infected by contacting saliva or feces of wild ducks, most likely via a sharing of feed. Sheltering backyard chickens from wild birds, especially migratory ducks is good insurance against bird flu and other diseases vectored by these birds.
"Most of us who have followed bird flu, or avian influenza, for a long time agree that a pandemic will occur, but there is less agreement on when, where and how severe the problem will be," Beard says.
Beard, who developed the first test to detect avian influenza back in 1971, explains that humans have no immunity to newer strains of bird flu. The H1N1 flu that has been around since the 1918 pandemic still kills approximately 35,000 people in the U.S. each year. If a strain with close to the virulence of the H5N1 strain that has killed approximately 50 percent of humans infected in 2005-2006 makes the jump to a form that spreads from humans to humans, this would be a catastrophic pandemic that would literally affect the whole world in a matter of days, Beard warns.
Far from being a forecaster of worldwide destruction, Beard contends everyone involved in diagnosing and managing bird flu should plan for the worst and hope for the best. He points out that flu vaccines, modern communication, and sophisticated diagnostic tests are factors in favor of managing a worldwide flu pandemic.
While the risk to humans from bird flu is real and the likelihood of a worldwide pandemic is certainly a potential threat to people worldwide, many of the myths surrounding this disease may affect management of farming operations and these should be weighed carefully against reality.
e-mail: [email protected]


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subset: commoncrawl


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There was a time when environmentalism was a fringe issue, confined to a few countries and a limited spectrum of society. However, growing awareness of the consequences of poor environmental practices, as well as positive examples of the benefits of better environmental practices, has helped reshape the public's views. Now, in varying degrees, environmental awareness and concern are practically universal.
This has been reflected most obviously in government regulations, which have often been the first step toward reform and improvement. But private initiatives have grown in importance, as evidenced by the successes of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating systems. In Europe, in particular, environmental product declarations, or EPDs, have become an element in helping the public and decision makers understand what is really "green" and in what ways.
Now, interest in EPDs is growing in North America. In part, says Amy Costello, environmental sustainability manager at Armstrong World Industries, Lancaster Pa., and a member of the ASTM board of directors, interest is growing because of the pervasiveness of "green washing" — marketing claims that a product is "green" or "natural" that offer no validation.
EPDs have been used for construction products since the 1990s; an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard for EPDs, ISO 14025, Environmental Labels and Declarations — Type III Environmental Declarations — Principles and Procedures, sets out requirements they should meet. In fact, EPDs are the product of two other acronyms — LCAs and PCRs. An organization seeking to provide an EPD for a product needs first to conduct a life cycle assessment, or LCA, of that product or material and then, in conjunction with an independent organization such as ASTM International, must develop an EPD. Both the EPD and LCA must follow the rules outlined in the product category rules, or PCR, for that type of item. PCRs for construction products have been developed in Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom.
Indeed, Costello says, she believes the prime driver for developing and adopting EPDs in the United States is the proposed LEED v4, which is being balloted this summer and which focuses on increasing technical rigor. "Manufacturers to some degree are driving PCRs because they understand the importance of making sure that the playing field is level," says Costello. For example, when a manufacturer conducts an LCA there are many assumptions that can be made in LCA modeling.
For example, what will happen to a material at the end of life? Will 100 percent be sent to a landfill or will 20 percent be incinerated and 80 percent sent to a landfill? How far will a finished product be transported after it is manufactured? Sometimes material is sent locally, sometimes far away, but the model requires an assumption.
"These types of assumptions result in uncertainty in the modeling results. So, if we can standardize these assumptions then we can have LCA model results that are more meaningful," says Costello. If one manufacturer makes assumptions that differ from another, then potentially the result for similar products may be radically different. "This issue worries manufacturers who are concerned that customers will select one product over another based on the environmental impacts provided in an EPD," she explains.
Like others in the field, Costello compares EPDs to mandatory food product labeling, which provides dietary information for packaged foods. The standard appearance of the labels are universally used so that consumers have a consistent way of comparing products.
Costello says LCAs are also important in and of themselves. "At Armstrong, we have been performing LCAs since around 2000 and have published their findings," she says. "That has helped manage the sustainability of the products."
There is the example of Levi Strauss, which wanted to look at the environmental impact of their company and performed an LCA on one type of their iconic jeans. The results showed that although there was room for improvement in activities such as cotton production and manufacturing, the greatest environmental impact associated with the product came in its use by consumers, where water and energy consumption (for washing) tipped the scale. Indeed, energy consumption after manufacture was several times higher, overall, compared to other parts of the product life cycle. That discovery prompted the company to work with retailers and detergent manufacturers to educate consumers about the potential financial and environmental benefits of washing less often and using detergents suitable for cold water washing.
For a company like Armstrong, Costello says the LCA process can yield similar insights. "We look at impact across the board. An LCA helps us understand which raw materials and processes have the biggest impacts," she says. With this knowledge, she explains, "we can redesign or reformulate our products or processes to reduce impacts." For example, the environmental impacts associated with our vinyl composition tile flooring are reduced when we use reclaimed post-consumer VCT material collected through our VCT recycling program. So, for Armstrong, understanding can lead to products that have reduced environmental impacts, Costello explains. "It is a network effect, where no one realizes the impact until you do an LCA," she adds.
Ralph M. Paroli, Ph.D., director, R&D, measurement science and standards, National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, says that increasing implementation of EPDs will be good for everyone. "For any given building, they can help you design for the characteristics you need such as cost, durability or emissions," he says. "Some products might have a high initial environmental footprint, but if they last for 100 years, they may actually be more environmentally friendly than something with a small footprint that only lasts two years."
Nor are EPDs likely to be confined to building materials. Paroli says he has seen an informal shift toward an EPD approach in the consumer field as well. "I have been in some Starbucks stores where they have decals showing that the materials they use are a certain percent more recycled than what they used previously," he says.
In the end, Paroli notes, the whole EPD process isn't really radical; it's a return to common sense. "My grandparents' generation thought about how long a product would last — they were really using life cycle thinking," he says. And that thinking is now back in vogue. "I have met college kids who are now studying life cycle assessment modeling as part of their curriculum," adds Costello.


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GRAHAM � A Burlington man convicted of murdering his wife and setting fire to their home to conceal the act won�t get a new trial, the N.C. Court of Appeals ruled.
Alphonza Leonard Thomas, 30, was convicted in 2011 of the first-degree murder of Natasha Oris-Thomas inside their home on Maple Ridge Drive. Evidence in the trial showed he bludgeoned her to death with a piece of concrete and set fire to the kitchen, which spread throughout the house, Feb. 1, 2010. He was also convicted of first-degree arson.
Thomas was found guilty Oct. 7, 2011.
Documents filed in Alamance County Superior Court this week showed he filed for appeal claiming ineffective counsel by defense attorney Randle Jones at trial. The N.C. Court of Appeals found Jones� defense effective and denied Thomas� motion for retrial.
Also in Alamance County Superior Court this week:
▪ Corey Donell Graves, 22, of Jennifer Drive, Graham, pleaded guilty to indecent liberties with a minor and violating probation on three convictions for indecent liberties with a minor in 2010.
Graves was convicted of three counts of indecent liberties with a minor in Guilford County in October 2010. He was also convicted of failing to register as a sex offender there in May 2011 and placed on probation for that sentence, court documents showed.
Graham police charged Graves with statutory rape/sex offense involving a 15-year-old girl on Dec. 31, 2011. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of indecent liberties this week.
Superior Court Judge James E. Hardin Jr. issued an active 21- to 35-month sentence on the indecent liberties charge with 310 days� credit for time served. Hardin ordered Graves to register as a sex offender for life and be under satellite-based monitoring for life.
Hardin also revoked his probation out of Guilford County, activating a 15- to 18-month sentence on the failure to register charge, and three active 16- to 20-month sentences on the prior indecent liberties convictions.
Graves will be in prison a minimum of 84 months � nearly eight years � minus the 310 days� credit for time served.
▪ Cody Mitchell Carter, 17, of Bass Mountain Road, Snow Camp, pleaded guilty to hit-and-run property damage and driving while impaired.
Burlington police charged him Aug. 6 with crashing into a car in his 1999 Dodge, trapping a passenger in the other vehicle inside their car, and driving away. He was originally charged with hit-and-run causing injury, a felony. He later registered .09 on a breath-alcohol test.
In exchange for the plea, the state dismissed charges of no operator�s license, driving after consuming alcohol under 21 and an open container violation.
Hardin issued a six-month suspended sentence on the DWI charge, placing Carter on 24 months� probation, and a suspended 45-day sentence on the hit-and-run property damage charge. He was ordered to pay $1,194.50 in restitution and fees, complete his GED within 12 months, not drive until licensed by the state and not consume alcohol.
▪ Joseph Steven Boswell, 47, of Shallowford Church Road, Burlington, pleaded guilty to indecent liberties with a child.
Alamance County detectives charged him of the offense in Oct. 2009, accusing him of molesting a 9-year-old.
Boswell was convicted of the same offense in 2006 in Alamance County Superior Court, records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety show.
Hardin issued a 19- to 23-month suspended sentence with two days� credit for time served and placed Boswell on 36 months� probation. Noting that Boswell is a recidivist, Hardin placed him on lifetime satellite-based monitoring and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life. His probation will be transferred to Watauga County.


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By Furious Francis editor-in-chief
Gabe Newell has announced that Valve will be jumping into the console wars next year, with console built for living rooms. This machine is to directly challenge Microsoft and Sony's next generation consoles. With Valve creating a console, there will be major repercussions throughout the industry. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will all be affected one way or another. We think that Microsoft will ultimately lose the most sales for a variety of reasons. Hit the link to find out why. And Please comment on what you think.
Good points but they will only matter if the steambox sells well
Yeah, I'm really interested to see the next generation of games. So many questions?
Can the Wii U keep up?
How Powerful is the Steambox?
PS4 and Xbox 720 graphics features?
Such a fantastic time to be a gamer. Makes me thank god I was not born in the 1700s or something.
one advantage that Steam could have with 3rd party publishers is that it takes less royalties from them.
if I get this right Valve only takes a stake in games as a retailer, while with console games the platform holders take about 12$ and the retailers also take 12$, leaving only 36$ fro publishers and developers. so with steam they can have as much as 48$ per 60$ game.
But Steam is already ripping the benefits of those royalties /
Valve will have the dedicated gaming console with the most dev support and library in history once they release.
No its not now there's 4 consoles to choose from unless you ca buy them all
The Library is the big thing. If they can add console style controls to even 1/2 the PC games they offer, they will have a library larger than any of their competitors right off the bat that is friendly to a console audience. That's the big coup. And it works for people like me that have a PC/ HDMI out setup too :)
Cautiously optimistic for what Valve can offer.
ps4 rumoured to be using HD6670 same as the Xbox720,Wiiu confirmed E6760/6770 hybrid. Look it up i say the 6770 rumours are to do with the E6760 having half the terraflops ie the rumour that Nintendo made the gpg run at 1 terraflop for UE4,the 6770 runs at 1.2 terraflops/6760 at 576 giggaflops basically half so think a E6760 that runs at 1 terraflop.
Doesn't Steam claim as much as about a third of the price though? I believe I heard that somewhere.
@metroid32 No its not,the only console to have that was the next xbox but that turned out to false after those leaked documents hit the net and Sony's rumored gpu is to have 1800 gflops of performance,that's either an underclocked radeon 7970m or a slightly cut down radeon 7870.
Most PC games already allow for controllers and they use the Xbox360 controller as their default. If a game doesn't support controllers, it usually means the game is too hard to play with a one. ex. Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, etc.
Instead of asking, "If they can add controllers..", you should be asking, "Will they still be allowing keyboards and mice?"
If they still allow keyboards and mice, people playing with controllers are in for a world of hurt for certain game genres. FPS's, RTS's, ARPG's, etc all perform better with mice. You simply cannot match the speed and accuracy of it and people playing with a controller will suffer huge disadvantages to those playing with a KB+M.
If you were born in the 1700s you would probably still be excited, as that was when the steam engine was developed.
whaaat don't you know how fun was the yellow flash and poke a dead body back in the 1700
only MS being potentially affected? I mean if there is a new system coming on the market, you can bet that pretty much all existing systems and companies would be taking notice. Not just 1.
On a side note, it would be really funny if this new valve project is actually backed by MS.
As if Ms would not directly bow out but fund the development of another system with another company at the helm. It somewhat makes sense (in a strange way).
i mean MS designed xbox live in the way it is before Steam took a similar approach. So obviously the live layout was something of a blueprint for Steam to use to grow to what it is now. Even sony has studdied live and how it works.
People can be pissed at MS for who MS is but some of their ideas have gone on to help lay the groundwork for other companies today. No doubt there would be a PSN but perhaps it was the way MS made live that influenced Sony to develop PSN the way it is now. Same with Steam.
yeah, thats the main benefit of not being born in the 1700s
It doesn't matter how powerful it is. By simply running on desktop nVidia drivers, the rendering quality and image sharpness will be 5x better than any console, regardless of the graphics level settings.
"Can the Wii U keep up?" That is what I want to see, I really think it will because Nintendo have some worthwhile exclusives and the casual players will probably enjoy it. Nintendo are not rhino, they're doing what they always do so in this case, of course they'll succeed with the U.
so is this gonna be digital only?
I know Valve have some core fans and i am one of them but when a new company enters the business to compete with old dogs who already have built in name recognition its a hard battle early on.
we still know so little if anything about next xbox/ps4, i would also think that both systems will support 100% digital day one, sony actually bought a company for stuff like that.
its just gonna be great at E3 2013, i also believe wii-u will suffer more than anyone else.
Steam's main issue will be exclusive content and being digital only. Other than that they have pretty much everything else going for them. When it comes to smaller games and indie titles Steam is King. They also have the upper hand in value for software and software support (patches and fixes). What Microsoft will do to trump Steam is marketing. Steam doesn't have the retail penetration nor the marketing budget.
I myself would prefer Valve doing better than the other console makers but I have doubts they will be a major competitor outside of the already existing PC community.
Will the steambox offer physical games you can buy? Or just straight downloads?
Retail won't sell it if it's just a digital box to play your steam games on your tv. This will end up being just a niche product aimed at it's current users, it's mostly them who know what steam is. Valve will struggle for name recognition and retail space, which is a high premium. It would require billions from valve to establish it as a real competitor which they may not be willing to spend.
The steambox will steamroll the other consoles. I quit pc online gaming years ago because of the cheating and differences in performance of each persons pc. Id go back in a flash if the steambox can level the playing field.
What are you talking about?
The number of people that are signed into Steam fluctuates between 3 Million and 6 Million depending on the time of day. That number is currently at 5.3 Million and most people in the United States are either asleep or at work.
Seriously, Steam is hardly a niche market, and pretending that it is is ridiculous.
Your right, I would hardly call steam niche. It's user base ranges from super casual to ultra hardcore. I couldn't really see the ultra hardcore picking up this kind of thing since they would be more apt to want the most powerful system available, which means they'll build their own. The super casual may not bother with it because they may be perfectly content with however they play now and not see the need for it.
That leaves the middle of the road people. Quite likely a huge number. So lets assume half of them pick up a system, with about 50% more who never heard of steam picking it up. Is that still enough to sustain another viable system on the market?
Steam is popular, and I think they do a great job for the consumers, but they may face an uphill battle in gaining market share, especially going into a new console generation where competition is likely to get fierce. Unless the steamBox offers something that the end user can't get on the PC then what's really the point in owning one if your at least mildly tech minded?
Why wouldn't retailers sell it? Valve releases their own games at retail just like Sony and Microsoft do. Microsoft and Sony also have stores where you can download games. Valve has also released Steam Cards similar to PSN cards or Microsoft Points Cards.
The only difference between Steam and the others is that you don't need dedicated hardware to use Steam. I should also mention that there are games like Modern Warfare 3 and Black ops 2 for PC that are available at retail that use Steamworks, in which case you need to download the Steam Client to play the game.
This article sucks. Lot's of predictions, future telling and FUD. 3rd party games are going to be better on Steam Box? Says who? How do you know this? Steam online will be better? How do you know this? They have never had a home console. Many consumers are NOT PC gamers. They are CONSOLE gamers.
Joe six pack knows playstation, nintendo and xbox. He does not know Steam. Why would 3rd party games be the choice to buy on a new console nobody has heard of? Steam has been a PC only thing.
Me thinks we are going to have lot's of articles from PC people, that are now excited about consoles. Not saying the author of this article is like that, but I'm guessing lot's of PC only elitist that frown on consoles, are going to be all excited for console stuff.
It's going to be funny.
Don't get me wrong, Steambox could be a great console. Not sure what exclusives that everyone cries about will it have. But it should be a good gaming console. Sucks for our wallets. Now we have to get a 4th console.
im pretty sure it will just be a midrange fixed hardware pc so they can port the steam library to it. it's pretty much up to gabe if they are gonna put really goood hardware in it or just make pc gaming mora accessible to the masses by offering a cheap do it all solution.
I literally face palmed for the first time ever when the announcement came out a couple days ago. Not because of the concept, but because of all the comments. For the longest time PC gamers have been touting the virtues of PC's, only to come out and start saying how great a console is now going to be, even though it will be limited by most of the things that consoles are limited to now.
If SteamBox is priced the same as next gen consoles, which is reasonable to assume, there is no reason that the tech inside will be any better than what the others are offering. Valve has quite a bit of money in the bank, no doubt, but they can't afford to take a major hit on hardware just to provide the end user with a high-spec console.
I'm curious about it myself. The lack of physical media bothers me since I'm not a huge fan of DD, but I think the console has merit.
It'll be an interesting experiment and will be nice to see if a full DD platform can gain significant market share. I believe right now Sony, MS, and Nintendo are going to be looking at that statistic more than anything else. If the SB manages to get a foothold and leg up with a DD model, then next gen could really be the last gen for physical media.
Does this mean no left 4 dead 3 on ps4? :(
I hope so MS sucks.. They hardly bring anything new to gaming their best game is a shooter. They make you pay for multi-player, Halo map pack for free was an error.
They only have 2 AAA games(sequels) & 1 AAA game form epic(spin off sequel).
And 61 kinect games in 2 years.
Who better than valve to take their place?
MS(apple wanna be) can go away. Sorry that is how I feel.
They can't even get windows right. Glad it's selling 58% less than win7.
"According to Murphy, Microsoft only wanted Rare for their kiddie games, hence the Banjo spinoffs and no follow-ups to Perfect Dark outside of the niche fan-favorite Perfect Dark Zero. Don stated that it was Rare's versatility covering kids and adult games throughout the N64 and GameCube era that helped them stay relevant, but having a lot of their mature themed games shotdown created a negative atmosphere within the studio, causing a lot of key talent to part ways with the company."
How is Steel Battalion working out?
Remember that big as controller from the first one?
lol kinect.
Lets see what happen next gen when kinect 2.0 is ready right from day 1.
"Rare hiring new developers for Kinect 2 and Xbox 720 games "
Better hope xbox tv doesn't do well.
I am glad I sold mine. I have been waiting since 2007 for a new AAA IP from them and till this day not even one.
The last of Us & beyond will be very good I am sure.
Just saying I want a gaming device.
"Steve Ballmer: Xbox is Not a Game Console"
"Xbox 360 used more for video and music apps than for gaming"
This is the goal anyway.
Online gaming would have happend with or without MS. PC did it way before xbox.
And pc always influences consoles over the years.
Guess that's why xbox did it in the first place.
yes I am trolling with facts. Or am I really trolling then?
With that said I do like xbox controller the best :)
But they have little to offer in the long run.
OR do I have this whole thing wrong?
I think it will sell well. A LOT of PC guys I know that refuse to purchase a console have all told me that they will without a doubt be supporting Valve's "console" (not really a console, but a trojan horse to put a PC in the living room) because of things like Valve's steam service, sales, and support.
I will be purchasing one. But then again I will also be purchasing the next Xbox and PS as well.
If you currently use steam 'big picture mode' beta you can already get a clear idea what it is. I must say its pretty neat for me since I hook up my PC to my TV.
I'd say Steam will be pushing for more plug and play and default support with controllers and settings.
I know alot of people that will buy a steam box now if the hardware represents good value
Please, this will hurt SONY the most:
Nintendo has:
Mario, Zelda, Pikmin.
M$ has:
Halo, Forza, Fable, Gears, Kinect, XBOX Live, & SmartGlass.
SONY has:
SONY has no Halo, Gears, Fable, or Mario, Zelda, day 1 sellers that warrant a midnight release. Also, SONY is having financial problems. SONY cant have a R&D fight & not recoup the funds because the market is thin.
Valve has:
Half-Life & Steam.
That isn't enough to excite the crowd. This is going to be a battle for them
Huh? You mention Forza but not GT which sold way more? And Fable which hasn't sold a huge amount? And not PSN?
MS has the most to lose from Steam who has had many of the Xbox "Exclusives", but where PC/PC monitor based. I don't know how many Xbox "Exclusives" were bragged about that were also on the PC. Now that "exclusive" on a console point that MS heavily leaned on is dead.
And while PSN has adopted a way more digitally focused feature set with PSN+, Live still is basically for playing Online like it was in 2005.. Live hasn't changed much at all except for adding streaming services. I can't believe how much they sat back while PSN gave users things like games, and are trying things like free Killzone 3 online.
That's not to say that Sony is doing great. But they are very well positioned for going more digital game wise than XBL IMO and have the studios and exclusive numbers to back them up.
you listed ALL of 360's exclusive games, yet only listed 1/20 exclusives for PS3. I don't think that's fair at all you very illogical person!
PS. Dumb-ass
Word of mouth from US players specifically could hurt MS greatly. This is a major move if there is a TV marketing push for core gamers. I see MS going the Kinect Wii route this gen and Valve, Nintendo and Sony will fight for the core game space. Valve and the Half life brand is strong and will get stronger once that is now an exclusive. Left 4 Dead and Team fortress aswell. I honestly don't see what MS can do but out market Valve to retain market share among core gamers. I think that MS with a Kinect type device will still draw the soccer moms for dance games etc... However, for core gamers all you may need is Steambox and Orbis for the mature core gamer to get their worldwide studio gaming fix. I am PC and PS3 right now and a little Vita on the side so I am truly intrigued and interested in what Valve brings to the table. If they still allow mods to games and hardware I don't see MS being able to compete with Valve among core NA gamers who respect PC gaming.
It really depends on what the steam box is. There just isn't enough information to really say if it will do well or not/ will cut user base from X. I am slightly worried what market this system is really targeting. The fact parts can be upgraded is actually a dissadvantage to the average consumer and is really only an advantage to the more gaming obsessed crowd (i.e N4G users). So its appealing to a niche market who go on websties like this but do not own their own rig (btw i am part of that market). More information is needed (digital only......) but at the moment I am confused what market (if any) the system really fits into.
their is no pressure on the SteamBox, Steam already has millions of hardcore gamers using the service, the console will add to the already existing user base, it will not start from scratch.
And a lot of those user have their own rigs or a PC that is fine for playing the odd game here and there. Those millions of users all ready have a way to play with steam and especially when it all ready has its big picture mode. Why would they buy the steam box and even valve has said this isn't the target audience
no PC gamer is expected to buy the SB, Valve doesn't need that and it is not their plan (an epic fail if it is), it is like how the iPod was able to play all iPhone games at launch without starting from zero, all games should be cross play/buy with PC.
as for gamers one good thing is that could force MS to re-fucos on hardcore games, in the last few years(post Kenect) it was putting new resources on making casual games, being content with the handful of the established games they have and leaving risks for 3rd party publishers, leveraging their big install base in living rooms and not felling threatened by games also coming to to a locked in PC gaming community, but SteamBox could change that
Steambox won't do very well in my opinion. Think about it. The reason Microsoft and Sony were able to enter the gaming industry and start off really well is a combination of having the resources to throw a lot into entering the industry, and brand recognition. Everyone knows who Sony and Microsoft are beyond their consoles. Can anyone say the same about Valve and/or Steam?
Plus, I can smell the faint stink of piracy looming from behind the Steambox and its likely very open structure. Piracy is a big enough problem on PC and do people think it wouldn't be the same on the Steambox?
Steambox has to go up against big brand name recognition, it has to gain A LOT of exposure from more than just its 4 million users of Steam, and it has to have a library to rival the big 3. It has a huge battle ahead against the big 3. Same with Ouya.
Steam has more than 4 million users. Most nights it has 4 million concurrent users not total users.
I think the Steambox will do very well. I just hope it doesn't affect their PC store by putting more resources into the Steambox than Steam itself.
Valve are already building the groundwork with Big Picture for TVs and have a section for PC games with gamepad support.
Competition is good and I hope Sony and MS are threatened by Valve move into their sacred territory :)
Why would Sony and MS be threatened by Valve? That's like being threatened by Ouya. You're talking about two multinational conglomerates with decades of brand recognition and hundreds of millions of fans against a small company known mostly by a niche PC gaming crowd and not even for their games but for their online store. Sony and MS have nothing to be worried about from a console that will be a pirate's heaven, will not have the same kind of huge backing that the Big 3 have in games, and has a huge hill to climb in order to even be in the same game as MS, Sony, and Nintendo.
It's funny to see how many people choose to discard reality in favour of overestimating this "console" just because they love an online store.
^ You've made a few fair points, but please, don't make assumptions about piracy and third party support and then try to pass it off as reality.
Valve has an uphill battle, but they're not as obscure as you set them out to be, especially among people who are more into gaming.
The obvious threat to MS/Sony is that 'core' gamers might be more inclined to jump ship. That's the relatively small pool of people that are responsible for a large portion of game sales.
This isn't as big of an issue for Sony since they at least have free online and some quality exclusives, but Microsoft is put in an odd position. Valve would be able to provide a better online service than XBL (likely for free) while having cheaper games (if they have their own digital store).
@fatoldman: "don't make assumptions about piracy and third party support and then try to pass it off as reality."
If you don't think piracy is a problem on PC, ask all the devs who refuse to put games on PC because of it. Better yet, ask Gabe Newell what he thinks of piracy. He'll tell you something along the lines of "it's a problem because of.." and then insert something like "DRM" or "low quality games" or something like that. It is an acknowledged problem by the best PC devs out there and that's a fact. Especially when some in the community fly off the handle and pirate games for having GFWL support. As for third party support, in all likelihood it will be minimal due to funding. Steambox will likely mean that devs would have to self-publish because I doubt Valve has the kind of money to publish a lot of games themselves and with the rising costs of development, 3rd party devs will be looking for publishers and what makes you think that those publishers will be inclined to put content on a console that doesn't give them a cut of the money? Someone said in a post about this that Valve only takes a retailer cut, but that's only for Steam. It's a whole different beast when you're talking about consoles.
Then there's the rumoured "digital only" aspect that would alienate many countries that don't have the infrastructure. Don't think that devs and pubs won't take that into consideration. There's also retail stores that would fight that as well.
Too many people are making this out to be the godsend console and quite frankly it doesn't look like it will be if any of these rumours are true. It just isn't there. You say Valve isn't as obscure as I made it seem, but in truth they are. The only people that know them are PC gamers who use Steam and core gamers who've been gaming awhile and it's been said that the Steambox would NOT be for these people. But beyond those people, who knows Valve? Does your mother know Valve? Does anyone's grandmother know them?
^ Piracy is a problem on PC.
The SteamBox isn't exactly a PC.
The SteamBox would likely use OpenGl, which means that a game made for SteamBox can easily be ported to Windows and OSX. For a developer, this means they can develop a game for one system in mind, and then have it accessible across a broad range of consumers because OpenGL is cross-platform.
If it is digital only, you don't need publishers, and if it isn't, then publishers have the opportunity to have their games available on 3 viable platforms by changing the way they develop the PC version.
Neither my mother nor anyone's grandmother are the target audience for Valve. Just because the SteamBox doesn't target hardcore i7-GTX690-SuperCooled-MasterRa ce PC players doesn't mean the grandmas are suddenly the target audience.
Steam has 40+ million registered users, and they have fans from games like Portal, L4D, TF2, HalfLife and CS (and soon, Dota2). They also have a good reputation among their customers. That's not a bad starting point for someone jumping into the console hardware business.
As for the console being a godsend or not, there isn't enough information to really make any judgement. Most of what you and I are doing is just making assumptions off the few tidbits that we know. I can't fault people for getting excited about it though, as this is something that was unexpected.
Valve isn't dependent on their user base buying the Steambox the way the other console manufacturers need their customers to buy their new consoles next year. Valve's customers with custom rigs will keep their custom built rigs. People curious about Steam but intimidated by building a rig or locating drivers will have an option to access Steam with the Steambox. I definitely have friends who don't feel comfortable with the idea of trying to build their own gaming PC who will probably be interested in the Steambox.
It could b the death of all 4. With three and this economy and cost of games, i assumed one of the three would die off. Now, a fourth.
I think, though that it could affect pc gamers that have moved from console and use steam. Ppl r invested in their xbox and psn accounts. Nintendo may suffer too. Or, valves new box doesnt take off. Does it come out first, how much does it cost, what r the specs? Itwill have to b markedly better to pry ppl away from years of investment. Over time it may work. Is it worth it for valve to do exsclusives?
Have to agree...with Ouya releasing next year and Steam Box to follow I think the big 3 should start worring.
As much as people want to down play smartphones and tablets games, they are selling like hot cakes right now and all they need is a prober console to run these games on the big screen.
off topic sorry but im actually kind of shocked there is a discussion goin on here thats not bashing each other or a company
The SteamBox will Severely cut EVERYONE'S Next Generation Console and game Sales.
This is Valve we are talking about people, Valve!
Ill still be picking up a PS4 and NewXbox though, Valave can bring all the Thunder they want, I still want to play Uncharted, God of War, LBP3, Halo, Forza, Crackdown etc etc.
I want to play Half Life 3 as well though, so it might be Ninty who get squeezed out. For me anyway.
A lot of people outside these forums don't even know what steam is. When this console launches a lot of people will just see it as a new console. This console isn't aim for the common pc crowd since they already have that demographic locked in. I honestly see it having an uphill battle since it's the new kid in town. Has a lot to prove.
I'm pretty sure a lot of steam's users with a PC that needs upgrading will buy it if it lets you play the games you bought on PC; since steam has an enourmous 50 million user base I'm pretty sure that it will give a good boost to its popularity and don't that steam got awesome sales and most new games are at 50$ instead of 60$.
If Valve does it right they might end up being the best selling console next gen, if they don't this may be another dreamcast.
But Valve's entire success isn't contingent on this device. Console manufacturers usually invest an insane amount of money and then have their success or failure (for perhaps of the entire company, not just the device itself) contingent on that machine selling.
I don't see Valve sinking all their cash into creating something like the CELL or whatnot. If Valve takes the route of using decent but affordable PC parts and sets realistic expectations, they still have their 40 to 50 million customers even if the Steambox never really takes off. They don't go under if their device fails the way other console manufacturers would. As long as they don't get careless about how much they invest in this thing, it's not a huge risk the way it would be for other console manufacturers.
contingent (plural contingents)
An event which may or may not happen; that which is unforeseen, undetermined, or dependent on something future; a contingency.
That which falls to one in a division or apportionment among a number; a suitable share; proportion;
@monkey nuts
Wow, I don't have to say much about how badly you failed here. Maybe you should learn the basics of the English language before you start attempting to correct me. You're way out of your league if you are attempting to give me a lesson.
contingent- dependent on or conditioned by something else <payment is contingent on fulfillment of certain conditions>
Personally If it's reasonably priced, I'll be converting straight to the Steam box and picking up a Ouya. I may or may not get an Xbox or PS4... but they kinda burnt me out this gen.
MS went after PC gamers when they first came into the market, and something like this is going to appeal mostly to that crowd.
Sony's likely going to be affected, Nintendo's still has the family market, but its going to be MS that bears most of the force that Valve's going to bring.
A L4D3 as a SteamBox exclusive will really hurt the NextBox more than the PS4 or WiiU simply because the series has never touched those brands.
its funny how neither Microsoft or Sony will admit anything about their new consoles. its almost irritating because they think the over-saturated gaming market is just waiting to buy these next gen systems. when in reality if your buying an xbox360 or ps3 in 2012 your either broke or not an avid gamer, so for microsoft and sony to assume they will get sales next gen like they did with the ps3 and xbox360 is a joke. people who bought a ps3 or 360 in 2012 for black friday most likely are either replacing a current faulty console or buying their first this genertion, these people will wait another decade to buy the xbox720 and Ps4.
not to mention since the current gen started many wii gamers and casuals are now enticed into buying tablet, phone or other handheld portable gaming devices, these werent around back in '05/'06 to cut into gaming sales like they are in 2013. and now you have ouya and steambox entering the market, plus more triple AAA free to play titles on pc. these are all things that will certainly eat into the gaming customer base that microsoft and sony think they are going to recapture with these new consoles like they did when the xbox360 nd ps3 came out in '05 and '06.
they better release info on the new consoles soon or they really will be in for a surprise come launch when there are still new next gen consoles sitting in stores like the wii u when it released. nintendo is already learning lightening doesnt strike twice. back in '05 there werent wii's left over after black friday, in 2012 there are certainly many wii u's left over. this is an indication these console companies like microsoft and sony need to stop with the secrecy because us hardcore gamers already know they have these new consoles and we will buy them on launch, i hope they dont assume everyone else is as noligable and eager as we are.
You talk like everyone knows what ouya and stembox is. Everything you just stated is so wrong my friend. You do know that this Gen has had the most console sold out of any other gen? Add the 70+ mill of Sony 70+ mill of xbox and 90+ mill of wii's and compare them to the prior gens. Nothing is eaten away their market share. I guess ipad and all the casual stuff is eating away into Nintendo market but Sony and Microsoft isn't in trouble what so ever. Once the consoles get announce everything new to the common consumer that isn't on the Internet will get eclipse. It isn't rocket science to know that the next Sony and Microsoft set of consoles are around the corner you know.
Maybe consoles are being bought for kids who were too young for them when they launched? And it's "knowledgeable".
yeah so im sure their parents aren't going to rush out anytime soon after they just bought their kid a console to go buy a newer version of the same product. and thanks word police, don't write me a ticket...
Pretty sure it won't effect the current console manufacturers that badly, but it will be interesting to see if we have a 'console' that's not heavily locked down. Basically a PC with the user end experience of a console.
I think that MS and Sony are in the deep trouble! Nintendo Wii U has launched allready, it sells more than PS3 at this moment. Quia is coming 2013 march, in june its probably SteamBox time. So if MS and Sony brings new consoles in the end of the year 2013 it shall be too late for them. Gamers have been waiting since 2011 for a new console from MS and Sony, i am one of them. If SteamBox is very powerfull and games are cheap then i will abandon Sony for real! Sony once was very powerfull company but now anymore and if they come to the market last one with new console then its over for them.
Am not taking sides , but wouldn't his intention force them MS to move quickly to close their OS or find a way to cut into his profits also. before he even has a chance of getting that hot mess ubunto to work or be accepted. MS being a software giant they probably have tech or software laying around since he became rival. As a person that likes to gamble my money is on the bigger wallet or checkbook if you prefer .
I can see Valves PC console as an alternative rather than a threat...
I can recall only 3 games I would miss from Valve, namely Half Life Series, Counter Strike and Portal.
Valve are more likely to offer any future games as timed exclusives to the Steambox...exclusivity for 3-6 months maybe? I can't see them giving up on millions of sales by abandoning the major industry players that is Sony & MS.
If worse came to worse, I think it could affect MS more so than Sony due to the bigger support MS has received from Valve in the past.
In fact, it's precisely the kick up the butt Sony/MS need for next generation hardware & services!
Sometimes publishers have to take The risk of ignoring huge parts of The gaming World just to Push The own product. Just Look at what EA did. With making bf3 an Origin exclusive and Not bringing it to Steam
I really think the Steambox will end up being a joke, probably a mid-range PC at best. I spent $230 on a Geforce 660, a nice upper midrange card, and I can't see the Steambox having anything of that power inside of it. Valve will probabaly want to keep the price low if they want to appeal to the mass market. Current games on Steam, such as Far Cry 3 and even AC3 will run at medium settings and games coming out next year will probably run even worse on the Steambox.
All console players do now play far cry 3 and ac3 on low settings. That doesn't seem to be a big problem to most people.


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Ethanol backers say they can add jobs
ST. PAUL - Minnesota's ethanol industry could help produce jobs in a time they are most needed, agriculture supporters say.
"We can help Minnesota recover from this recession," Brad Nelson told a state Senate agriculture committee last Thursday.
Nelson, a south-central Minnesota farmer and Minnesota Ethanol Producers Association president, said, however, that federal government rules limit how much ethanol can be used in gasoline, which stifles the state's industry. He said the rules need to be changed before ethanol can reach its potential.
"Ethanol has been a huge boon to the state of Minnesota," added Doug Albin, a Clarkfield farmer and Minnesota Corn Growers Association president.
The two were among several reporting on the status of Minnesota ethanol, a fuel now made mostly from corn.
Senators heard concerns that they should not cut off subsidies paid to ethanol production plants as they seek ways to balance the state budget. The ethanol industry had been quite profitable, but in recent months those profits have dried up.
The state is due to pay $15 million to farmers that own eight ethanol plants each of the next two years, with another $1.2 million needed in the following year for the final two plants receiving state help.
"It is winding down," Steve Ernest of the state Agriculture Department said of the subsidy program.
Ethanol supporters credit the funding with launching their industry, among the strongest of any state. However, Gov. Tim Pawlenty earlier targeted the program for cuts and farmers fear the same will happen this year when legislators and Pawlenty grapple with a budget deficit estimated to be near $7 billion.
Rod Jorgenson, a Kasson-area farmer, told the committee that one plant cost $18 million to build - with the help of the subsidies - but expanded at a cost of $65 million, adding more jobs.
Some ethanol plants have closed and others are fighting declining profits as high corn prices are combined with low ethanol prices.
"The ethanol industry is hurting," declared Steve Anderson of the Central Minnesota Ethanol Co.
Even so, Anderson said, his Little Falls facility plans an expansion to a new type of ethanol, adding 20 jobs.
"We think we can manage this storm," he added.


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The fifth installment in Relapse's exhaustive reissue campaign of DEATH's immensely influential catalog is Leprosy, the band's titanic second album. Originally released in 1988 Leprosy was a pioneering album, building upon the thrash sounds of Metallica and Slayer but adding a previously unheard level of raw extremity. These songs are the roots of an entire genre: death metal. While this was only the second record DEATH released, it immediately cemented them as heavy metal icons.
The entire album, as well as the bonus material, has been painstakingly remastered by Alan Douches (Mastodon, Nile, etc) and will be reissued on 2xCD/Limited Edition 3xCD/LP/Picture Disc LP/Digtal. The Deluxe 2xCD contains 50 minutes of previously unheard and unreleased Leprosy demos and rehearsal material housed in an embossed o-card package with a 24 page booklet featuring unseen pictures of the band as well as brand new liner notes from Ian Christe (Sirius/XM) and Jeremy Wagner (Broken Hope). The LP features the remastered core album on wax together with a download card for all of the music included on the 2xCD.
Listen to the entire Deluxe 2xCD version of Leprosy at Loudwire, HERE.
In addition to the 2xCD reissue, a super limited 3xCD version will be available exclusively from http://www.relapse.com featuring everything included on 2xCD version + an exclusive 3rd CD featuring over 40 minutes of unreleased live material, housed in a deluxe embossed 8 panel digipak with a 24 page booklet, limited and numbered to 2000 copies. The entire tracklisting is available below.
Disc 1
1. Leprosy
2. Born Dead
3. Forgotten Past
4. Left To Die
5. Pull The Plug
6. Open Casket
7. Primitive Ways
8. Choke On It
Disc 2
Leprosy – 9/23/87 Rehearsal
1. Open Casket
2. Choke On It
3. Left To Die
4. Left To Die – Take 2
Leprosy – 12/05/87 Rehearsals
5. Left To Die
6. Open Casket
7. Pull The Plug
8. Choke On It
9. Born Dead
10. Forgotten Past
Disc 3
Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY – December 13th, 1988
1. Leprosy
2. Open Casket
3. Zombie Ritual
4. Pull The Plug
5. Left To Die
6. Mutilation
7. Forgotten Past
8. Born Dead
9. Denial Of Life
10. Primitive Ways
11. Infernal Death
Live at The Dirt Club, Bloomfield, NJ – December 11th, 1988
12. Leprosy
13. Pull The Plug
14. Forgotten Past
15. Primitive Ways
Digital Deluxe ONLY Bonus Tracks – Live at The Dirt Club, Bloomfield, NJ – December 11th, 1988
16. Open Casket
17. Mutilation
18. Infernal Death


text:
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Warm Bodies has topped this weekend's box office with $20 million grossed, according to THR!
The paranormal romantic comedy based on the young adult book series stars Nicholas Hoult as a zombie who falls for a girl [Teresa Palmer] after saving her from a gruesome death.
Coming in at number two was Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters with $9.2 million in its second week of release.
Holding strong in third was Silver Linings Playbook with $8.1 million and a total of $80 million grossed so far.
Rounding out the top five were the Jessica Chastain-led films Mama and Zero Dark Thirty bringing in $6.7 million and $5.3 million, respectively.
WHAT DID YOU SEE at the movies this weekend???


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DePauw freshman quarterback Justin Murray threw for 213 yards to 11 different receivers and rushed for a touchdown as the Tigers picked up their first win of the season with a 17-14 victory over Washington (Mo.) University. The win was the first for DePauw interim head coach Scott Srnka as the Tigers improved to 1-3. The Bears dropped to 1-4 with the loss.
Murray put the Tigers ahead, 7-0, as his 2-yard run with 1:27 left in the first capped an 11-play, 90-yard drive.
The Bears knotted the score in the second as Tim Bartholomew scored on a 38-yard pass from Dan Burkett with 6:10 remaining.
DePauw responded, however, as Taylor Wagner returned the ensuing kickoff 52 yards to the Washington 43. Eight plays later, Armani Cato scored on a 3-yard run to give the Tigers a 14-7 advantage with 2:17 left in the half.
The Bears were driving near the end of the half, but DePauw's Adam Folta picked off Bears' backup signal caller John O'Connor at the Tigers' 6 with 31 seconds left in the half.
Eric Malm tacked on a 32-yard field goal at the end of DePauw's first possession of the second half to push the lead to 17-7.
The Bears' Andrew Skalman picked off Murray later in the third, but Washington's drive stalled at the DePauw 11 and Eric Chalifour missed on a 27-yard field goal try.
Early in the fourth, Washington drove to the DePauw 34, but Clark Costello intercepted O'Connor at the 14. The Tigers were unable to gain a first down and the Bears blocked Paul Simon's punt and recovered at the Tigers' 39.
O'Connor then teamed with Drew Sexton for a 38-yard scoring play to cut DePauw's lead to 17-14 with 11:25 left.
DePauw used up nearly nine minutes of clock time with a 17-play drive in which it converted two third down plays and a pair on fourth down. Malm missed a 44-yard field goal attempt, but the Bears took over with just 2:25 remaining.
The Tigers' J.D. Robinson came up with DePauw's third interception with 1:32 remaining and, after the Tigers were forced to punt, the Bears advanced to their own 26 before the clock expired.
The Bears outgained DePauw, 318-277, but the Tigers possessed the ball for 35:45.
Murray completed 22 of 31 passes for 213 yards with five each going to Nikko Sansone and Jackson Kirtley. Andrew Cusamano rushed for a team-high 31 yards.
Burkett completed 9 of 13 for 120 yards and a score, while O'Connor was 9 of 20 for 123 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Drew Sexton hauled in seven catches for 121 yards.
Defensively, Simon and Cody Crook each totaled seven tackles for the Tigers. Crook and Michael McManis each had one sack.
Cody Deterding and Fade Oluokun each totaled 11 stops for the Bears.
DePauw's Simon averaged 45.0 yards on five punts and his second boot of 75 yards broke the Tigers' school record of 70 yards held by Dick Mace against Valparaiso on October 10, 1959.
The Tigers return to North Coast Athletic Conference action when they host Ohio Wesleyan at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 6. The Bears host Wabash on October 13.


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Quintessence wrote:Perhaps I just don't have enough competitiveness in me.
Poofah wrote: But without rewards for doing it, people will quickly find their time better spent farming up the latest PvE pet.
Saa wrote:p/s Giant Bone Spider. This guy is so much fun. Siphon Life + his second dot then force swap the opposing pet. Rinse and repeat for as long as your opponent will allow it. With luck you'll have 3 siphon lifes healing a tonne of damage. This is usually the pet I open with.
Deepfriedegg wrote:Never knew about Giant Boner Spider but he looks to be a big fun. The speed points are kind of wasted on an undead because slow undead always gets two rounds after death so they would be better on H or P but anyway. Anyway, how does Death Grip work? It is supposed to switch into battle the pet with lowest healt. Anyway, he seems to be killing stuff rather slow
Deepfriedegg wrote:The speed points are kind of wasted on an undead because slow undead always gets two rounds after death so they would be better on H or P but anyway. Anyway, how does Death Grip work?
Saa wrote:I don't say this in a 'hurr hurr l2pvp' manner and hope it hasn't come across this way. I do however feel that endlessly levelling pets to 25 with no intention of using them for anything other than ......more wild pet grinding is, to say the least, unsatisfying.
Stabya wrote:
How about Pet Honor Points that can be spent on Stones or Special PVP Reward only Pets?
By making some pets only obtainable from PVP, and offering more achieves, this will make it more worthwhile
Saa wrote:However the current problem would still exist, in so much as once you had these pets, you're back to your current lament.
Saa wrote:I like this idea as long as the pvp pet reward didn't end up like the FFF as a 'go to' pet for pvp.
Saa wrote:Maybe 'rating' would be an idea though I would have no idea if it would be difficult to implement.
Stabya wrote:How about Pet Honor Points that can be spent on Stones or Special PVP Reward only Pets?
Stabya wrote:I think the biggest drawback to PVP pre-5.2 are
1 - Overpowered Pets and abilities
2 - Lack of Incentives to PVP
Polynices wrote:
Another problem with PvP pet battles is having your team locked. I'd love to be able to hunt wild pets for rares or leveling XP while waiting around for a PvP battle to start but I can't. I have to pick a good PvP team that might be bad for capturing and definitely won't include a leveling pet. So two major pet battle activities are in opposition and can't be done at the same time. Bad.
I've also had a few experiences where I face the same opponent over and over again and after I beat them once or twice they start fleeing from every battle until I give up and move onto some other activity. Lame.
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posted by Eugenia Loli on Thu 29th Sep 2005 19:31 UTC
This version of Glade (Glade-3) is a complete rewrite of the original Glade codebase. One of the main differences from glade-2 is that C code generation has been removed from glade-3; the preferred way to use glade files is with libglade. Another main difference is that glade-3 was designed to make maximal use of GObject introspection, thus easing the integration of external toolkits and handling widgets, signals and properties genericly. It has a few useful new features such as stacked Undo/Redo and Multiple Project support and respects the same XML format as glade-2.


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Up to [cvs.NetBSD.org] / src / sys / kern
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Current tag: netbsd-1-6-PATCH002
Revision 126.96.36.199 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs], Fri Nov 8 09:31:35 2002 UTC (16 years, 1 month ago) by tron
Branch: netbsd-1-6
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Pull up revision 1.68 (requested by thorpej in ticket #429): Fix 2 bugs with MSG_WAITALL. The first is to not block forever if one is trying to MSG_PEEK for more than the socket can hold. The second is that before sleeping waiting for more data, upcall the protocol telling it you have just received data so it can kick itself to re-fill the just drained socket buffer.
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Jugular Vein Sampling for Hormone Levels for the Diagnosis of Cushing Syndrome
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00001453
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : November 4, 1999
Last Update Posted : October 6, 2017
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Patients with Cushing disease have hormone producing tumors in their pituitary gland. Often these tumors are so small they cannot be detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The inferior petrosal sinuses are small veins that drain the blood from the pituitary gland. By taking a small sample of blood from these sinuses, doctors can differentiate a small tumor in the pituitary gland from other tumors in the body producing the hormone. Patients with Cushing disease have high levels of the hormone ACTH in the petrosal sinuses. Patients with other causes of Cushing syndrome do not have increased levels of ACTH in the petrosal sinuses.
The procedure to collect blood from the petrosal sinus is called Inferior Petrosal Sinus Sampling (IPSS). The technique is very sensitive and can tell the difference between a pituitary tumor and other causes of Cushing syndrome nearly 100% of the time. However, IPSS is very difficult to perform and is only available in a few hospitals. Therefore, researchers are looking for another possible way to diagnose Cushing syndrome that would be less technically difficult and more readily available to patients.
ACTH is produced in the pituitary gland as a response to the production of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) in the brain (hypothalamus). This study will compare ACTH levels in the internal jugular veins before and after CRH stimulation with those obtained by conventional IPSS from patients with Cushing's syndrome.
Obtaining blood from the jugular veins is a simple, practically risk free procedure that could be done easily in a community hospital on an out patient basis. Researchers believe that CRH stimulation will increase ACTH production from tumors of the pituitary gland (corticotroph adenomas) so that the diagnostic information from jugular venous sampling would be equivalent to that of IPSS.
This proposal to develop jugular venous sampling (JVS) with CRH stimulation as a test for the differential diagnosis of Cushing Syndrome would potentially contribute greatly to the medical care of patients with Cushing syndrome, as a less costly, safer and more widely available alternative to IPSS.<TAB>
|Condition or disease
|Cushing's Syndrome
Sampling from the inferior petrosal sinuses for ACTH levels differentiates Cushing disease from the ectopic ACTH syndrome in nearly all patients. Patients with corticotroph tumors have a petrosal-to-peripheral ACTH gradient of 2 or more, while patients with other causes of Cushing syndrome have lower gradients. Bilateral petrosal sinus sampling also often provides useful information on lateralization of the adenoma for the neurosurgeon. The widespread application of inferior petrosal sinus sampling has been limited by concerns about potential complications and by technical failures in the hands of less experienced radiologists. In this protocol, we compare ACTH levels in the internal jugular veins before and after CRH stimulation with those obtained by conventional inferior petrosal sinus sampling from patients with Cushing's syndrome. Obtaining blood from the jugular veins is a simple, practically risk-free procedure that could be accomplished easily in community hospitals on an outpatient basis. We hypothesize that corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation will increase ACTH production from corticotroph adenomas so that the diagnostic information from jugular venous sampling would be equivalent to that obtained by catheterization of the petrosal sinuses.
Currently fewer than ten centers in the United States have sufficient technical expertise with inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) to ensure reliable results. This proposal to develop jugular venous sampling (JVS) with CRH stimulation as a test for the differential diagnosis of Cushing syndrome would potentially contribute greatly to the medical care of patients with Cushing syndrome, as a less costly, safer and more widely available alternative to inferior petrosal sinus sampling. Initial data from 35 patients undergoing both JVS and IPSS revealed no technical problems with either procedure. IPSS correctly identified 28/31 patients with Cushing disease, while JVS correctly identified 23 of these patients using conventional criteria (petrosal:peripheral greater than 2 before or 3 after CRH administration). Thus, JVS may be a useful initial procedure at institutions where IPSS is not available. However, since it is likely that jugular:peripheral ratios will be lower in patients with ectopic ACTH secretion (so far, 1.2 - 2.04), the protocol evaluates also the performance of JVS in patients with ectopic ACTH secretion to determine whether the criteria for interpretation of JVS should be different than those used for IPSS.
|Study Type :
|Actual Enrollment :
|98 participants
|Official Title:
|Internal Jugular Vein Sampling for ACTH Levels for the Differential Diagnosis of Cushing Syndrome
|Study Start Date :
|April 10, 1995
|Study Completion Date :
|October 20, 2014
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 75 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Patients with the following characteristics may be included in the protocol:
Age 18-75 years.
Evidence of Cushing syndrome. Evidence to suggest overactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, such as increased urinary excretion of glucocorticoids or lack of suppressibility with low doses of dexamethasone in conjunction with clinical features, will be sought prior to admission.
Patients will be excluded from entry to the protocol if:
A clear-cut pituitary tumor is present on T1-weighted conventional pituitary MR scan.
There is any contraindication to catheterization. Patients with known reaction to contrast material will be excluded from this elective study if they have a strong history of previous contrast media reaction and cannot be studied safely by giving medical prophylaxis before the procedure.
The patient is pregnant.
Combined blood withdrawal during the six weeks preceding the study exceeds 450 ml, or if hematocrit at entry is less than 33%.
Because of the increased risk of morbidity caused by contrast dyes in patients with a renal dysfunction, patients with a creatinine greater than 1.3 mg/dl will be excluded.
Patients with a diastolic blood pressure persistently greater than 100 mm Hg (with or without medication) will be excluded from sampling procedures.
They have had radiation exposure during the previous year that represents a significant additive risk in combination with the expected doses in this protocol. Patients and their doctors will be questioned about their exposure to radiation before they are accepted into the protocol.
For the questionnaire only, patients who do not speak and read English will be excluded. This instrument has not been validated in non-English speakers.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00001453
|United States, Maryland
|National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike
|Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
|Principal Investigator:
|Lynnette K Nieman, M.D.
|National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00001453 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|November 4, 1999 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|October 6, 2017
|Last Verified:
|October 20, 2014
Keywords provided by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC):
Petrosal Sinus Sampling
Corticotropin Releasing Hormone
Cushing Syndrome
Internal Jugular Vein Sampling
Corticotropin Releasing Hormone Stimulation
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Cushing Syndrome
Pathologic Processes
Adrenocortical Hyperfunction
Adrenal Gland Diseases
Endocrine System Diseases
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone
Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists
Physiological Effects of Drugs


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Internet Ethics: Views From Silicon Valley
The Ethical Dilemma of BYOD
Pat Gelsinger and Brian Buckley
A recent study claims that "[b]ring-your-own-device strategies are the single most radical change to the economics and culture of client computing in a decade." As people increasingly bring their own (mostly mobile) devices into the workplace, and use them for both personal and professional activities, new challenges arise—for the employees as well as their employers. In this brief video, Pat Gelsinger, the CEO of VMware, discusses some of the implications of BYOD for data security and personal privacy. Can people enjoy the convenience of BYOD without compromising either the assets of their employers or their own personal privacy? Gelsinger argues that this is a problem that can be addressed through a technical solution, and challenges tech companies to devise products and services that will protect both the corporations and the individuals who adopt the BYOD strategy.
Below, Brian Buckley, Lecturer in the Philosophy Department and Incoming Director of Pre-Law Advising at Santa Clara University, comments on some of the ethical questions raised by the video:
"Mr. Gelsinger's discussion of mobile devices and privacy raises at least three ethical questions about balance in the use of such devices. These questions are either implicit in or complementary to his assertion that this is a 'technology problem' that may be solved in part by firewalls, etc.
The first question involves information protection: What is the optimal balance between (a) introducing mobile technologies into the workplace and (b) preserving the value corporations have in their proprietary data? Companies innovate, do research, and invest in order to secure for themselves information that is profitable to their ongoing enterprise. This connection between protection and incentive is thus essential to promoting corporate growth and advancing stakeholder interests. After all, what company would invest corporate funds in research and development, etc., if the rewards of that investment were not secure? And yet these rewards are put in jeopardy when certain devices are brought into a workplace without safeguards. A balance therefore upholds here the very foundations of a business model that captures value, and it must be taken seriously.
The second question involves employee privacy: What balance is optimal between (a) the introduction of mobile devices to the workplace and (b) the employees' reasonable expectations of privacy? An employee enters the workforce expecting the necessary inconveniences of steady employment—the commute, the hours, etc. But it seems problematic to claim that part of those inconveniences might include an erosion of certain realms of privacy. The newer devices, however, could thrust employees into the public domain without their consent, or otherwise capture their personal data. This constitutes a breach of personal boundaries that is not part of the employment contract and is a serious offense to respect for persons. The firewall that Mr. Gelsinger proposed would, however, work both ways—protecting both the intellectual property and assets of the corporation as well as the personal information of the employee. However such a firewall is fashioned, a balance must be struck that never promotes or celebrates the use of mobile devices at the expense of employee protections.
The third question, a broader one suggested by the video, involves the saturation of technology and its possible effect on character: What is the optimal balance between (a) the use of mobile data devices in employee life and (b) the increasing reliance of employers and employees on such devices? Mr. Gelsinger worries about privacy matters and the proprietary issues, but it seems that another reasonable concern involves the expected overuse of mobile devices. Employees may increasingly feel the need to incorporate the mobile data into their private life—to work on projects on the weekend, on vacation, etc. Furthermore, the mobile quality of various applications, with their accompanying data, might incentivize employers to either expect or reward such behavior. It is not hard to imagine the employer who is 'very sorry' to interrupt the vacation or who 'just this one time' wants the employee to give up her weekend, etc. Mobile data technologies might encourage this. I acknowledge that this also can be a good that allows for people to stay at home with a special needs child, etc. But if character formation (both vices and virtues) is based on daily habits, it seems reasonable to worry about the extent mobile data devices may devalue relationships, professionalism, and communities and instead incentivize workaholics. "


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|OpenBSD General Other questions regarding OpenBSD which do not fit in any of the categories below.
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
PPPX vs TUN
NPPD.conf man page marks the use of two interfaces, pppx and tun.
After reading and re-reading the man pages for both tun, pppx and npppd.conf, why would I use pppx over tun?
Is one better than the other? Is one more secure over the other? I realize that pppx uses pipex to accelerate tunneling traffic, does tun?
The examples at the end of the npppd.conf manpage shows one example for pppx use and one for tun but doesn't state why one was used over the other.
Hello, and welcome!
The tun(4) driver is only used for userland access into the kernel network stack. Each access path requires a separate tun device, and they usually need to be preconfigured. The default install provides only /dev/tun0 through /dev/tun3, you will need to use MAKEDEV(8) if you have more than four tun devices.
The pppx(4) driver is multiplexed, and all pppx devices created are addressable via /dev/pppx0.
In summary, pppx(4) is a better fit for simultaneous dynamic use as an access path in a VPN solution, such as might be used with npppd(8). The tun(4) driver is a better fit for preconfigured network connections in a VPN solution, such as what might be used with net/openvpn.
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Linear Mode


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Clean Eating magazine is the perfect publication for anyone who enjoys having a healthy diet or that is looking to start preparing healthier foods for themselves and their family. If you fall into either of those categories, you should order a discount subscription to Clean Eating magazine today! In each issue you will receive a nearly innumerable number of recipes. Not only will you have access for recipes for all occasions, but they are easy and tasty as well. There are also many articles that provide you with information about the latest news regarding food and health.
Recipes and Meal Planning
Clean Eating magazine has all that you need to prepare a healthy meal for you and your family. You will enjoy reading through each issue and discovering great recipes of which you have never heard. Whether you are looking for something quick and easy that you can make during a busy weeknight or are wanting to find a cleaner alternative to your favorite, classic dish, you can find it all in this periodical. There are even helpful planning and shopping lists in every issue that you will love!
Food and Health
Not only will you have access to many great recipes, you will also be able to learn about the latest findings that are related to the food that you eat and the health of you and your family. You will be able to learn more about how implementing cleaner recipes into your diet can improve both your and your family's overall health. Clean Eating magazine also provides you with features about the best supermarket picks, gear, gadgets, and even cooking tutorials that will help you in the kitchen.
Clean Eating magazine also has many different opportunities for you to get advice from professionals. You can read tips and advice from many different personalities who are familiar with dietary needs and healthy lifestyles. In each issue there is information from dieticians and doctors so that you can be sure that you are receiving quality information.
Start living and eating cleaner by ordering a discount Clean Eating magazine subscription for your home today!
- Publisher: Active Interest Media


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Michael is being inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame! Other recipients of this year's prestigious honor include sportscasters Don Cherry & Ron Maclean, late actor Lorne Green & Olympian Rower Silken Laumann.
Tickets to the 2015 Inductee Celebration at the Sony Centre in Toronto on Nov. 7th are available now. http://goo.gl/P5doKt The show will be televised on Global across the country Dec. 17th.


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Lenhardts Spielejahr 1984
Freelance Writing
CHIP Power Play (2012-2013)
Retro Gamer
I've been contributing to the German editions of Retro Gamer magazine since 2013. Besides translating some of the excellent gaming history articles of the UK team I'm also chipping in with some new articles, usually focused on the German computer game scene of the 1980s and 1990s (e.g. The making of Turrican, Battle Isle, Katakis).
Die Stunde der Kritiker
The 'Critics' Hour' is a German-language video series that shows two guys playing the first hour of a a new release. Watch the hilarious adventures and mishaps of the reviewers who rate the game based on their personal willingness to continue playing. I'm the (almost regular) co-host together with Joerg Langer from GamersGlobal.de.
Kult-Computer der 80er
No, I wasn't working out at the time… "buffed" relates to the "buff spells" in online role-playing games like World of Warcraft. buffed.de is the most popular German online destination for editorial content and databases about MMORPGs. I was editor-in-chief of the 2006 launch team and continued managing Computec's "buffed" brand until 2009.
PC Player (1992-2001)
PC Player was one of the first dedicated PC gaming magazines and peaked as the #1 selling computer game publication in Germany. PC Player was created and managed by Boris Schneider and me, from the initial concept to editor-in-chief duties. DMV-Verlag launched the magazine in December 1992, the final issue was published in May 2001.
Power Play (1987-2000)
Power Play was Germany's leading gaming publication from the late 1980s until the mid 90s. It began as a series of six specials by Markt&Technik magazine Happy-Computer in 1987, spent the next 14 months as a supplement and finally re-emerged as a monthly publication in 1990. Power Play covered the golden age of home computers …


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Comfort Inns Berlin hotels are listed below. Search for cheap and discount Comfort Inns hotel prices in Berlin, VT for your family, individual or group travels. We list the best Comfort Inns Berlin properties so you can review the Berlin Comfort Inns hotel list below to find the perfect place.
Our search will list below Berlin, VT lodging properties that get similar quality scores of a Comfort Inns.Need a group/meeting discount? Get quotes from hotels in Berlin VT
How should we direct your call?


text:
Information by Country
Global Section:
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah meets with Head of UNGEI Secretariat
©Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan
HM Queen Rania has long been a powerful advocate for children, and was appointed as UNICEFs first Eminent Advocate for Children in 2007 and UNGEI Honorary Global Chair in 2009. She has worked tirelessly to advocate for girls who are denied of any education.
At the meeting, HM reiterated her commitment to ensure that every girl regardless of wealth, geographic location, ethnicity, class or disability has access to and receives a quality education.
H.M. Queen Rania is in New York to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative and other global events.


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Golf and gastronomy in Provence Offer
Golf and gastronomy in Provence Offer
Combine the pleasures of sports with the joys of the table! Take up the golfing challenge on Europe's biggest green, as l'Hostellerie allows you access to the Golf Club Barbaroux. Then, be seduced by the sun-gorged authentic cuisine of chef Nicolas Pierantoni for a gastronomic dinner on the establishments beautiful terrace.
Read more about the Golf Club Barbaroux
Offer available all year long
From € 275 per person - Price Low Season, in Euros, taxes and services included, for one night
From € 325 per person - Price High Season, in Euros, taxes and services included, for one night
This offer includes
- One night in a double room with breakfasts.
- Upgrade upon availability.
- Personalized and gourmand welcome in your room with homemade delicacies and Half a bottle of Wine from les Coteaux Varois in Provence.
- Green fee access to the Golf de Barbaroux for two persons with golf car,
- A gastronomic dinner for two, drinks excluded, with our « Menu of the Abbey » which consists of two starters, a fish, a meat, cheeses and dessert.
- Wine tasting in a partner vineyard around the hotel or at the Wine House of the Coteaux Varois in Provence adjacent to our hotel.
Booking and information
To make a reservation please contact us at this number: +33 (0)4 98 05 14 14 or Email us


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The Lady Bisons were one of four Atlantic Sun teams to be included in the top 65. Florida Gulf Coast was rated 27th, Mercer was 53rd and Campbell, the A-Sun Tournament Champion and NCAA representative in 2009, was 64th.
Lady Bisons coach Kristin Peck views the ranking as just another yardstick to measure how far the softball program has progressed. The Lady Bisons set a program record for wins in a season in the NCAA era with 38. They also set a new mark for fewest losses in a season with 14. The pitching staff combined for 18 shutouts, also a program record.
"It is definitely as positive," said Peck. "They take winning percentage, strength of schedule, your road wins, your home wins and how many wins you have against the top 25, top 50 and top 100 teams to come up with the number.
"To be the highest we have ever been on the list and to be ahead of some substantial, big name teams means a lot as to how far we have come as a program, especially over the last few years and even when I was a player here."
The Lady Bisons did not have a senior on the team last season and return all of their starters for the 2010 season.
"We are going to have a full team of returners and we have added some good pieces to that," said Peck.
The Atlantic Sun moved up from 12th to No. 10 in the RPI conference ratings.
"I feel like softball is one of the sports that has gone a little bit unnoticed as to what we have done as a conference," said Peck. "We have had a lot of transition like every other sport in the conference with teams jumping in and out. It has been hard to maintain a higher ranking as a conference.
"We have coaches that are very, very competitive in softball. They want to get out there and get their hands dirty and challenge some of the bigger schools and see what they can do. We have nothing to lose going up against those bigger and higher ranked schools. It is only going to make us better."


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