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(NewsUSA) – When major household appliances break, family stress starts to mount. Whether it's loads of clothes piling up in the laundry room or food spoiling in the refrigerator, the problem is often inconvenient and expensive to fix.
And with about half of Americans reporting that they do not have enough savings to achieve financial stability, according to a survey by Hart Research Associates, unexpected repairs can create a financial hardship.
That's why the Service Contract Industry Council (SCIC) urges homeowners to buy extended warranties to reduce repairs and other unanticipated costs. They're especially beneficial during times of financial uncertainty and flat income growth, protecting your budget against unexpected repair costs and product failure. They also provide support service and routine maintenance that keep your appliances running longer.
Assurant Solutions agrees.
"Extended warranties essentially pick up where the manufacturer's warranty leaves off, extending and often boosting coverage," explains Joe Erdeman, president of extended protection solutions at Assurant Solutions. "When appliances and electronics are upgraded and redesigned every year, they often become more expensive to repair or replace."
For example, repairing the motor for a clothes dryer (depending on the model) could cost an estimated $282. The average service contract or extended warranty for that same dryer costs around $75. A new compressor for a refrigerator could cost anywhere from $568 to $650, compared to a $106 plan with a $25 deductible. No matter the appliance or specific part needing repairs, the warranty is still a better deal.
Generally speaking, major home appliances should last your family a long time. The average dryer should last about 14 years, and the fridge should keep working for at least 17 years. Some kitchen appliances have a shorter lifespan, such as trash compactors, dishwashers and garbage disposals, which last around 10 years.
The catch to these estimates from the National Association of Home Builders is that most appliances and mechanical systems require regular maintenance. To keep your major appliances working properly, clean your refrigerator coils, check washing machine hoses and empty the ice machine bucket once a month to prevent frosting.
If you're not diligent about performing such chores, the extended warranty can save you time and hassle. It provides routine maintenance, power surge protection and peace of mind.
Learn more about protecting your appliances with extended warranties at www.serviceprotectionadvantage.com/spa/.
This article is copyright free. You are free to use it on a blog, website, in a newspaper, or newsletter.
To re-post this, copy the content above, or HTML on the right, and paste onto your site.


text: Slightly tongue in cheek take on early western theme tunes, features eerie whistling, whistle harmonica and dramatic rolling orchestral lines with bubbling break beats. Ideal for a light hearted documentary about the wild west, or a comedy. It could also be a great sample to use in a Hip-Hop track as part of a hook.

subset: commoncrawl


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megaevans on Family Tree Circles
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Journals and Posts
Research about La Rose and Coiler Robertson
I am looking for any information abut Coiler Roberston, his son James Robertson who are my Great great grandfather and my great grandfather.
I am particularly interested in anything to do with their contact with Aboriginal people at the time. Ay help would be great fully received.
Looking for Patrick Kelly who possibly arrived in Australia 1832
I am an artist and my research is about my family history and how they were involved in early contact with the Indigenous population in Victoria and NSW.
I would like to know where my ancestors took land and anything about their movements about the country. I know that Patrick Kelly had a son Patrick John Kelly who owned a property called Burrowye on the Victorian side of the Murray which he sold in 1882. In 1880 he married my Great Grandmother Isobella Robertson and they bought Booramugga in Northern NSW.
- Displaying 1-2 of 2 Journals
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I am looking for any owner of Pangsapuri Sri Intan LJS.
I have ready clients for urgent long term rental stay.
Mostly working nearby area.
Partly @ Fully Furnished.
Rental upon market rate @ lower.
Most of my Contacts are based on First come First served.
Most of them agrees to the term & condition made for the property dealings.
If there are any owner that is willing to rent @ lease out the property thru my service, welcome to contact me,
Mr Putra at 012-2615337 @010-3056823.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Even if you need to sell the unit, you are welcome to our assistance per Term & Condition.
Ready buyers @ tenants for you.
Co broke also welcome to all my REN's friends.
Thank you
Other Terms & Conditions:
Urgent Rental Needed for Long Term Tenancy


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The Decade of Action for Road Safety – Call for case studies [1]
31 July 2013, Geneva, Switzerland – The UN Decade of Action for Road Safety- 2011-2020 aims to reduce the number of deaths from road accidents down to 50% by 2020. Based on information on road safety from 182 countries, accounting for almost 99% of the world's population, 1.24 million of road traffic deaths occur every year.
In this framework, UNITAR's Training Center -CIFAL Curitiba [2]- with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has launched the "First call for case studies on road safety for universities in Latin America and the Caribbean" to promote the academic process of creating, enhancing and deepening knowledge in road safety.
The call for proposals is open to all researchers, professors and university students whose subject of study is associated to road safety and belong to universities within the 26 member countries of the IDB in Latin America and the Caribbean. The deadline for submitting proposals is July 31, 2013.
The three best case studies will be published as a Technical Note of the Inter-American Development Bank in its original format and an additional language. Furthermore, the three finalists will be invited to present their case studies in the First Assembly of the Network of Universities on Road Safety to be held in November 18 – 19, 2013 in the city of Buenos Aires.


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My wife made a trip to Columbus Ohio to see her nephew get married. Perhaps also to get away from the rest of us, as she ends up kind of "rooted" to home and the shop, not getting away to France for bike rides or Dallas for emergency bicycle dealer meetings etc.
Easy getting out there; just two flights, nothing eventful. Then I get this text from her on her return-
You are dead when you get home for putting me on three flights. I am going to die. Have you ever heard of bands Nightranger or Testament because I sat next to the road manager for both bands from ATL to LAX.
Nightranger, no biggie, I remember them, fairly popular mainstream heavy-metal band. But Testament? Not "heavy" metal but "Thrash" metal. Trust me, it's not the sort of thing she'd expose herself to, and if she did come into contact with it, she'd probably feel like she needed a bath and some time to decompress. She's not quite 101 Strings; early Genesis is about the "strongest" legit rock that would appeal to her. Most of the "Progressive English Rock" that was (and still is) my mainstay is a bit "out there" for her. That's likely a good thing, not bad.
Now I'm in that odd position of really wanting to hear the stories about that flight, but concerned I might not survive the telling!


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The organization formerly known as the Ohio Historical Society will soon become the Ohio History Connection. Many state residents reportedly said they saw the organization as inaccessible and antiquated.
The switch will happen on May 24, following public opinion polls that showed "a disconnect between the quality of services we're providing and the image," according to executive director Burt Logan.
The following announcement was written by the folks at the
Ohio Historical Society… uh, Ohio History Connection:
Ohio Historical Society Changes Its Name To Ohio History Connection
The new name is the result of a two-year study and symbolizes a new era of preserving and sharing in Ohio
Washington,DC—The Ohio Historical Society is about to make history of its own with a brand new name: the Ohio History Connection."Sixty years ago, the Ohio Historical Society was called The Ohio State Archeological and Historical Society," said Burt Logan, executive director and CEO of the Ohio Historical Society. "The Ohio History Connection will usher in the next evolving generation of historical preservation both live and online."
Logan said the name change is the result of two years of research both nationally and in Ohio. Logan said an overwhelming majority of respondents enjoyed the services and historical sites in Ohio, but those same people felt the words "historical" and "society" were too exclusive and antiquated.
"That is the exact opposite of what we are and what we aim to be," he added. "We believe the Ohio History Connection communicates our service in the simplest way possible: assisting people with accessing, preserving and sharing Ohio's past."
Logan says the word "connection" also better explains how people can access Ohio history. With more than 1.9 million artifacts in its collection, Logan says the Ohio History Connection is a national leader in changing how people can access history and believes the new name better reflects this trendsetting programming:
- Ohio Memory has more than 426,000 items in its digital collection.
- Ohio As America is an eTextbook used by more than 22,000 4th grade students.
- The Ohio History Connection is digitizing 325,000 pages from 66 Ohio newspapers dating back to 1836.
"Anyone in the world can access Ohio's history with a few simple clicks," Logan said. "This is the essence of the connection we hope to create with people around the world."
Logan said the name change would not impact any current partnerships with Ohio's 58 historic sites and museums or its relationships with the Smithsonian, American Alliance of Museums, the National Parks Service and other leading global organizations.
"The Ohio History Connection helped local communities throughout Ohio earn $2.85 billion in historical reinvestment," Logan said. "While the reinvestment is a reflection of more than thirty years of historic preservation, the new name reflects our progress to better work with local organizations in preserving place, objects and memories."
The new name will take effect Saturday, May 24 and the Ohio History Connection will celebrate at the 3rd Annual Member Celebration on Saturday, May 24. Everyone is invited to learn more about Ohio history or get involved in preserving Ohio history at www.ohiohistory.org.
About the Ohio History Connection: Founded in 1885, the non-profit Ohio History Connection (www.ohiohistory.org) provides a wide array of statewide services and programs related to collecting, preserving and interpreting Ohio's history, archaeology and natural history through its 58 sites and museums across Ohio, including its flagship museum, the Ohio History Center in Columbus. . For more information about programs and events, call 614.297.2300/800.686.6124 or go online at www.ohiohistory.org.


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The 10 biggest beer brands
You might be surprised by the biggest beer brands worldwide.
Sure, Budweiser and Heinken have spots on the list, as expected. But there's also a selection of international beers just now becoming popular in the U.S.
And just try to guess the top beer label as ranked by trade publication the Drinks Business – it's one that most Americans have never heard of (hat tip to the Huffington Post).
But while mainstream labels still dominate the market, beer from small and independent makers are outperforming them.
Through the first half of 2012, dollar sales for craft brews are up 14%, according to the Brewers Assn. industry group. As a whole, beer companies saw sales slip 1% in 2011.
By Tiffany Hsu
Copyright © 2018, CT Now


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Feb. 9, 2005
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Hours after earning its first national ranking under head coach Paul Dill, MIT defeated Newbury College, 21-30, 30-22, 30-23, 30-25, in NECVA action on Tuesday night. The Engineers improved to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play, becoming the only undefeated team in Division III, while the Nighthawks fell to 8-1 and 3-1 in NECVA play. Tech climbed into the national poll for the first time in two years, placing 15th in the CSTV/AVCA Division III Men's Coaches Poll.
Praveen Pamidimukkala had a solid performance, finishing with 13 kills, two aces, two solo blocks and three assisted blocks. Rob McAndrew tallied a team-high 23 kills, falling three short of the Institute record of kills in a four-game match. He also contributed nine digs and three block assists. Michelangelo Raimondi posted nine kills while Ryan Dean and Bob Aspell each contributed eight. Dean paced MIT with 14 digs while Aspell notched a team-best four block assists. Jordan Wan dished out 52 assists and collected eight digs.


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Lady Gaga wants her little monsters in California to save a little H2O.
The "Artpop" singer has partnered with the State of California's drought awareness program Save Our Water to release a public service announcement asking Californians to do their part when it comes to conserving water at home.
"I had the honor of shooting my video at California landmark Hearst Castle and while I was there I learned about the necessity of water conservation during this drought," Gaga explains in the 17-second video posted to the Save Our Water website.
The Hearst Castle in San Simeon is used as a location in the video for Gaga's song "G.U.Y. (Girl Under You)," and features the singer (real name Stefani Germanotta) cavorting across the famous manision's extensive grounds and ornate swimming pools.
NEWS Sandra Bullock Came Face-to-Face With Alleged Stalker
"We're thrilled Lady Gaga has joined the effort to Save Our Water," said Mark Cowin, director of the California Department of Water Resources. "Conservation has always been a Californian value, but in this drought regular conservation isn't enough -- we must take extraordinary measures to save water."
California Governor Jerry Brown has called for a 20 percent cutback statewide on water usage and the State Water Resources Control Board this week introduced fines of up to $500 a day for people who waste water on landscaping, fountains, washing vehicles and other outdoor uses.
More than 36 percent of California is categorized as in "exceptional" drought, the most severe of the U.S. Drought Monitor's five categories.
Watch Lady Gaga's Save Our Water P.S.A. above, and check out the "G.U.Y" music video featuring Hearst Castle (and a few of the cast members of the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills") below. Mobile users can view the "G.U.Y" video here.


text: UFDC Home myUFDC Home | Help | RSS TABLE OF CONTENTS HIDE Copyright Cover Interview Title: Interview with Eve Davidson (February 24, 1978) CITATION THUMBNAILS PAGE IMAGE Full Citation STANDARD VIEW MARC VIEW Permanent Link: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00005951/00001 Material Information Title: Interview with Eve Davidson (February 24, 1978) Physical Description: Book Language: English Publication Date: February 24, 1978 Subjects Subjects / Keywords: University of Florida -- History Notes Funding: This text has been transcribed from an audio or video oral history. Digitization was funded by a gift from Caleb J. and Michele B. Grimes. Record Information Bibliographic ID: UF00005951 Volume ID: VID00001 Source Institution: Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, Department of History, University of Florida Holding Location: This interview is part of the 'University of Florida' collection of interviews held by the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program of the Department of History at the University of Florida Rights Management: All rights reserved by the source institution and holding location. Resource Identifier: UF 59 Table of Contents Copyright Copyright Cover Cover Interview Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Contact Us | Permissions | Preferences | Technical Aspects | Statistics | Internal | Privacy Policy © 2004 - 2010 University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries.All rights reserved. Acceptable Use, Copyright, and Disclaimer Statement Last updated October 10, 2010 - Version 2.9.9 - mvs


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Neoseeker : Videos : Walkthroughs : Pokemon Platinum Version Part 3: Catching 101
Pokémon Platinum Version
- By Game Freak for DS
Pokemon Platinum Version Part 3: Catching 101
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Trailer Info
|From: YankeeGamer5
|May 2, 2011
|Category: Walkthroughs


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Visit Edmunds.com for a complete listing of local car dealerships in Wooster, Ohio. Find the best deal on your next vehicle with online discount price quotes on car, truck, SUV, and minivan models. With the ability to compare prices on new and used vehicles in Wooster, Edmunds.com makes the car buying process convenient and cost-effective. Search for car dealerships in Wooster, Ohio with our comprehensive dealership network and avoid the common hassles associated with car shopping.
Non Display Review Name "Before coming to KNH I visited several car dealers. Wasted countless hours as they all said "come on in we'll get you approved no problem" . what a jo"... Read more Review by: James_L


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Mawhorter named LaVille superintendent
LAKEVILLE — The Union-North School Corporation made it official Wednesday night that Mitchell Mawhorter will begin his duties as the superintendent Jan. 2. Mawhorter comes from his current job as principal at Jimtown Junior High School.
Board President Mark Dickson had made the announcement Dec. 22 that Mawhorter had been chosen by the board to fill the top spot. The position has been filled by interim Julie Lauck since October of this year after being hired in September.
The board began the search for a new superintendent following the resignation of former Superintendent Dr. Terry Barker who accepted a position with School City of Mishawaka.
When Mawhorter learned that he had been named, he said, "I am very excited to become the next Superintendent at Union North. It is a school much like the corporation I attended while growing up in Albion, Central Noble, in that it is small in student population and rural."
Sharing his experiences in smaller communities, he said, "I love that the schools are the center of the center of the whole community much like I have experienced at Jimtown. I want LaVille (LaVille Elementary and LaVille Jr.-Sr. High School) to continually get better at everything we do without losing that feeling of closeness within the community. The first thing that I want to do as Superintendent is build relationships with people so that from there, we can have honest discussions about how to make our students well-rounded graduates."
After the board meeting, board member Rob Swathwood said, "I think he (Mawhorter) will do us a fine job. He's young and enthusiastic. The schools need some continuity."
Fellow board member Mike Berger said he was impressed with Mawhorter during the interview process. He said, "We need to bring some new ideas into the corporation."
Dickson said Mawhorter has worked at all levels of education. Dickson said, "It will be very beneficial in running the corporation. He has a vision for moving forward."
The school corporation had adopted a long-range plan that Dickson feels Mawhorter can implement. The long range plan includes the areas of curriculum, instruction and achievement, personal development and facilities. The objectives were formulated in June of 2011 by a 21-member committee of patrons of the Union-North Corporation. The plan will serve as a guide through the 2013-14 school year.
Mitchell (Mitch) Mawhorter has served as the Principal of Jimtown Jr. High School since 2009. Prior to moving to the Jr. High level, he was the Principal of Jimtown North Elementary for two years, Assistant Principal of Jimtown High School for two years, Assistant Principal of Jimtown Intermediate for two years, and Assistant Principal /math teacher at Jimtown Jr. High School for one year. From 1989-2011, he taught both language arts and math at the junior high level.
Mawhorter has been a junior high basketball coach for 11 years and football coach for three years.
He holds a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with Coaching Endorsement from Purdue University (1989), a master's degree in Elementary Education and Elementary and Secondary Administration and Supervision from Indiana University (2002).
He received his educational specialist degree in Education from Indiana State University in 2008.


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Somewhere between the beach and the garden lies this insanely gorgeous Santa Monica wedding crafted by Callista & Company. Blanketed in blue hues, garden tablescapes and lush florals by Twig & Twine, this celebration is a stunning example of elegance meets beachy California vibes. And Rebecca Yale's images? Worthy of a standing ovation. Psst... see the rehearsal dinner behind this celebration right here!
From the Photographer... Sarah and Claude were married on June 17th, 2017 at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, CA. The couple, who are originally from TX and now live in New York, decided on an intimate destination wedding at the Fairmont because of their love for Santa Monica. The couple met in a Barre class at the Exhale gym and started the morning off with a 6am private workout class at the Exhale at the Fairmont. Callista of Callista & Co. designed and executed the day to perfection setting the tone from the start with delicate cream and light blue invitations by Written Word Calligraphy, which featured lush cream florals with blue and green accents. The bride stayed true to her easy going style and wore flat Aquazzura sandals with dangly pearl earrings and very natural makeup with beachy tousled hair- perfect for their oceanside venue. The bride rocked a very unique blue/green David Yurman engagement ring and they paired them with David Yurman his and hers bands for the wedding day. The bride has a love for stuffed animals and included one of her favorites from her childhood in the day by giving him a little squeeze before leaving the bridal suite, where she got ready with her sister. Both of her flower girl nieces also carried a stuffed animal gifted to them by the bride- a bunny bride and groom. Sarah and Claude took their bride and groom portraits across the street from the hotel in the iconic Palisades Park before saying their I Do's in front of just 30 of their closest friends and family under the famous 140 year old, 80ft tall fig tree in front of the hotel. After the ceremony guests were welcomed to a cocktail hour lounge created by Callista and enjoyed beachy hors d'ouerves including mini lobster rolls and cocktails with napkins that said "we met at the barre." After cocktails guests enjoyed an al fresco dinner at a mix of round tables and a head banquet table decked out by Twig & Twine with floral tablecloths by La Tavola and beautiful white lace chargers from Casa de Perrin. After dinner the bride and groom danced the night away ending the evening with cake from the Butter End and Salt & Straw ice cream for their guests to enjoy on the dance floor or take home for later.


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The average listing price on SpeedList for this year, make, and model is $37,765.
This vehicle has been on SpeedList for 83 days.
CARFAX One-Owner. Clean CARFAX. Gun Metallic 2015 Nissan Murano SL AWD CVT with Xtronic 3.5L V6 DOHC 1 OWNER CERTIFED CARFAX**, **LEATHER HEATED SEATS**, **ALLOY WHEELS**, **BACK UP CAMERA**, **NAVIGATION **, **ALL WHEEL DRIVE**, **PREMIUM SOUND S...
CARFAX One-Owner. Clean CARFAX. Gun Metallic 2015 Nissan Murano SL AWD CVT with Xtronic 3.5L V6 DOHC 1 OWNER CERTIFED CARFAX**, **LEATHER HEATED SEATS**, **ALLOY WHEELS**, **BACK UP CAMERA**, **NAVIGATION **, **ALL WHEEL DRIVE**, **PREMIUM SOUND SYSTEM**, **BLUE TOOTH/ HANDS FREE**, CVT with Xtronic, AWD, Intelligent Cruise Control, Power Panoramic Moonroof, Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW), SL Technology Package.Recent Arrival! 28/21 Highway/City MPGAwards:* 2015 IIHS Top Safety Pick+Reviews:* Spacious and upscale interior; comfortable seats; nice balance of power and fuel economy; pleasant ride. Source: Edmunds* Inspired by the future of aerospace, the redesigned 2015 Murano's striking aerodynamic body looks as though it was shaped by the wind. Boomerang shaped headlights integrate with the aerodynamic profile. Available high-efficiency LED headlamps create a light pattern that replicates natural daylight. An available power panoramic moonroof reaches over both rows of seats for all to enjoy the ride. Inside you will appreciate the front and rear outboard Zero Gravity Seats, inspired by space-age technology they help take pressure off the lower back and reduce fatigue. Rear passengers can recline and activate their own available heated seats. Passengers in the rear seat can also enjoy a USB connection port with smartphone interface. In addition to warming up, the front seats also cool down. Whether it's a hot day or a cool night, the cabin can be waiting for you thanks to the Remote Engine Start System with Intelligent Climate Control. A quick pull of two releases folds the 60/40-split second-row flat, giving you a maximum of 69.9 cubic feet of cargo space and the available power-return seats allow you to restore seat positions with the touch of a button. An available 11-speaker Bose audio system adds soundtrack to your commute while NissanConnect with Navigation keeps you connected to the world. The 3.5L V6 is able to produce 260hp at an efficient 28MPG on the highway. The drivetrain comes with either standard front-wheel drive or the available intuitive AWD which reacts not just to changing conditions, but changing needs including cruising vs. cornering, or dry vs. wet roads. Available safety features include blind sport warning, moving object detection, Intelligent Cruise Control, and Predictive Forward Collision Warning. Source: The Manufacturer Summary
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Shehr e Wehshat Part 1 by MA Rahat
Shehr e Wehshat Part 1 is written by MA Rahat. It is very famous monthly urdu novel from Pakistan. I like reading this novel very much. Shehr e Wehshat Part 1 by MA Rahat is an amazing Urdu Novel. The language of novel is very lucid and clear. This urdu novel is very easy to understand. Vocabulary used in this novel is common and familiar to everyone. This novel creates world of its own. You will get involved in the story of this novel. You get really great knowledge and information through this novel. You will start relating your self with the theme and story of the this fabulous urdu novel. You would love to read Shehr e Wehshat Part 1 by MA Rahat. This novel will really catch your heart and soul. You will not be able to put the novel aside before reading till the end. You may download it for offline reading but you must buy the original hard copy which better one. In this way writer and publisher would get their due benefit.
یہاں سے حاصل کریں
To Download this book click on the link given below:


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And behold: Captain America! Sure, we have already seen images of the costume, and sure, we have seen the costume in action thanks to a stunt double, but if the man in the suit can't pull it off then none of that matters. Judging by the upcoming cover of EW, so far so good.
The Entertainment Weekly has published the first pictures of Chris Evans as Captain America. In the image you can see the WWII influenced design and the boss shield that Cap will use to pummel some Ratzi scum, plus you can check out Evans as a blonde if that's your thing.
Captain America: The First Avenger stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, a runt of a man that volunteers for a program to make him into a super soldier– it works, obviously, or there wouldn't be much of a movie. The film takes place during WWII, and will serve as the origin story for Cap who will next be seen in The Avengers. You can also expect Evans to pop up all over the place as Cap, as he signed a six picture deal with Marvel.
Directed by Joe Johnston (Wolfman, Jurassic Park III), the movie hits theaters on July 22, 2011.
Editors' Recommendations
- 'Avengers: Endgame': Everything we know about the 'Infinity War' sequel
- 'Captain Marvel': Everything we know about the movie so far
- 'Spider-Man: Far From Home': Everything we know about the 'Homecoming' sequel
- Marvel's Falcon and Winter Soldier to team up for a Disney streaming series
- Scarlett Johansson lands humongous paycheck for 'Black Widow' solo movie


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with a GPS map from GPSTravelMaps.com
If you like to travel, and you enjoy doing so at your own pace, then you know that you don't want to take chances being lost. Get to where you're going with confidence with our downloadable GPS maps for Garmin units.
Our maps include thousands of points of interest, including hotels, restaurants, historical places, parks, beaches, embassies and consulates, hospitals and pharmacies, and many more. We've spent years developing and refining our maps in order to provide the most detailed, up-to-date data available.
Purchase securely through our online store and install your downloaded map within minutes on your Garmin handheld device, or order an SD Card with the map pre-installed that will ship to your front door. Save time and money, avoid pitfalls, and plan effectively. Travel like a local with GPSTravelMaps!
Get full-featured navigation with turn-by-turn directions without needing a cell phone signal and data plan. This map works with no strings attached.
The map is made for your Garmin GPS device, so it will work just like the maps you're already familiar with, with all the features you already enjoy.
Use the time on your trip to do the things you are going away to do, rather than getting lost or figuring out how to get where you want to go.
"I was reluctant to purchase the map for Costa Rica but I made a good choice in doing so. The map was accurate all of the time except for 2 times, in a week of travel. Once the map took me to a road that didn't exist the other time it couldn't find a restaurant (it was open for only 2 months. You have to use points of interest in Costa Rica and just enter the name (park, restaurant, etc ) and your GPS will get you there. Excellent customer service. I had questions about downloading the map and got immediate responses to my questions. Highly recommend the map. BTW Hertz wanted $12 per day for their GPS."
"My experience with GPSTravelMaps has been great thus far. Maps were detailed and had many dirt roads even as far as Lanquin in the north. We couldn't have got as far and explored as much as we did within our time constraints without the use of these maps."
"Garmin does not have a map of El Salvador available, and I thought I was going to need to live without one. This would be a real challenge since it is hard to find a detailed physical map and there are not a lot of street or road signs. A friend of mine was going to lend me his, and when I saw that he had a Garmin like mine, I looked for your company on the web. The download was easy (and saved money) and the map worked excellently. I felt comfortable exploring areas of San Salvador that I would not have gone anywhere near without the assistance of your map. We went through the countryside, to small towns, near the ocean, and through San Salvador even into some very small areas (I was working in a very poor barrio), and the map worked perfectly. The only flaw was that occasionally it wouldn't know that a street was one-way, but that wasn't hard to navigate around and it would always bring me back as I moved toward my destination."
"Been using GPSTravelMaps for years now, with the Central America map just the latest map that I've downloaded. They put out a great product and with the consistent update, it just keeps getting better."
"The Barbados map had every possible back road and dirt path there is. The Barbados road system is a mess, this map is a must if you're renting a car.
Link up with us on your favorite social networks:
Also, subscribe to our newsletter to get coupon codes and update news!
See some videos of our map products in action on our YouTube channel, where you'll find travel tips and clips of our maps in use. One that you might enjoy is tips for river crossings in rural Costa Rica.
If you have adventure footage of our maps in use, we'd love to see it. Let us know and we'll get the word out for you!


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Robertson Field at Satow Stadium is one of the best college baseball facilities in the Ivy League and in the Northeast. In the fall of 2007, the playing surface was rebuilt with FieldTurf™, enabling the Lions to have more outdoor practice opportunities during the offseason.
Another upgrade took place during the summer of 2010 when stadium-style seating was installed, adding to the stadium's capacity. Included in the renovations were upgraded dugouts and an extended press box as the facility officially became known as Robertson Field at Satow Stadium. Then in 2016, updated batting cages were installed beyond the leftfield wall.
October 12, 2007, marked the official launch of the Columbia Campaign for Athletics: Achieving Excellence. The campaign reflects a deep and shared commitment to athletics among the University community. One of the main goals of the campaign is to build world-class facilities that foster championship performances.
Thanks to the generosity of former baseball players Phillip Satow '63CC and Hal Robertson '81SEAS, this goal has become a reality for the Columbia baseball team.
As a result of Satow's and Robertson's leadership gifts, the baseball team was able to install a state-of-the-art artificial surface. The surface is a hybrid fiber, rubber and sand infill blend designed to have a more consistent feel. It covers both the infield and outfield, with the only dirt covering the mound and home plate.
The FieldTurf™ surface is more resilient than a grass field, allowing the team to practice outdoors more often in February in preparation for the spring season. With the installation of the new field, the weather has become less of a factor. In the past, the Lions have been forced to spend most of their pre-season indoors due to precipitation during the winter in the Northeast.
(Note - Parking in and around Baker Athletics Complex is extremely limited. Fans are encouraged to use mass transit when possible.)
BY AUTOMOBILE: From WEST SIDE HIGHWAY/HENRY HUDSON PARKWAY: Exit Dyckman Street, and proceed east to Broadway. Make a left on Broadway and proceed 20 blocks north to 218th Street.
From FDR/HARLEM RIVER DRIVE: Continue north to end of Harlem River Drive. Bear right at light and proceed north on 10th Avenue to 218th Street.
*From MAJOR DEEGAN EXPRESSWAY (I-87): Exit 230th Street. Proceed on 230th Street westbound (from
From WEST: Take George Washington Bridge and follow signs for Henry Hudson Parkway North or Major Deegan Expressway North (follow directions above).
From NORTH: Take Cross-Westchester Expressway (I-287) or Cross-County Parkway west to Saw Mill River Parkway south. Take the Saw Mill to the Henry Hudson Parkway South or Major Deegan Expressway South (follow directions above).
From NEW ENGLAND: Take Connecticut Turnpike (I-95) to Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95). Exit Cross Bronx to Major Deegan Expressway North or Henry Hudson Parkway North (follow directions above).
From LONG ISLAND: Take Long Island Expressway East to Clearview Expressway North, or Northern State Parkway/Grand Central Parkway East to Cross Island Parkway North to Throgs Neck Bridge. Bear left after toll for Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) South (follow directions above).
From SOUTH: Take New Jersey Turnpike North to Exit 18 George Washington Bridge (follow directions above).
*Commercial and Oversize Vehicles must use Major Deegan Expressway
By MTA NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY: Broadway-Seventh Avenue IRT Local ("1" train) north or south to 215th Street, then walk two blocks north and cross Broadway at W. 218th Street. OR 8th Avenue IND Express ("A" train) north to 207th Street, then proceed north to 218th Street.
By MTA METRO-NORTH COMMUTER RAIL: Marble Hill Station is located just across the Harlem River from Baker Athletics Complex, at 225th Street. Walk east to Broadway, then south across the Broadway Bridge to 218th Street.
"Phil and Hal have taken the facilities for Columbia Baseball to the top of the Ivy League," noted head coach Brett Boretti. "Having a great facility is extremely important in the recruiting process and also in the everyday teaching capability of our staff. We now feel we have the best facility in order to teach our guys as best as we can."
Satow played baseball, both in high school, where he captained the Erasmus Hall High team and at Columbia. He played second base on several excellent Lion teams, including the 1963 squad that won the Eastern/Ivy League title in a tie with Dartmouth and Navy.
"[The gift] was a natural fit," Satow said. "I love Columbia. I have always been a supporter of Columbia Athletics. And I love baseball; it is one of the loves of my life."
Satow graduated in 1963 with a degree in economics and entered Naval Officers Candidate School. He served four years as a naval officer, rising to the rank of lieutenant junior grade, the final two in Washington, D.C. While stationed there, he earned a masters in economics at Georgetown, and later spent 14 years at Pfizer, rising to Vice President, Pfizer Europe, and later moved on to Forest Laboratories, joining the firm when it was just a small concern. He became Forest's Executive Vice President for marketing and a member of its board, and then the President of Forest Pharmaceuticals.
He also founded a pharmaceutical company, JDS Pharmaceuticals, with his son Michael '88CC. "I started it with my son, we worked it together and sold it. It was the highlight of my career."
Later, well after graduation, Satow became deeply involved in Columbia College alumni affairs, serving as president of the College alumni association, and on the Board of Visitors; his wife Donna is a 1965 General Studies alumna and two of his three children graduated from the College.
"We are all," he says, "Columbia people."
Robertson is a former two-sport student-athlete for Columbia. Not only was he a defensive back for the Lions' football squad, he started at second base for the baseball team and served as Columbia's co-captain during his senior year. As a sophomore, Robertson received All-Ivy League recognition after hitting .328 with 24 runs batted in and seven home runs in just 30 games. His seven home runs equaled Lou Gehrig's 1923 total and ranked second in single-season school history at the time.
"I thought about how much the university has meant to me over the last 30 years and thought it was the right thing to do," said Robertson of his leadership gift. "Columbia gave me my start to my professional career and this was an opportunity to give back."
Robertson began his career as an industrial engineer in the food processing industry in Cincinnati after graduating in 1981 with a degree in industrial engineering. For the next several years, Robertson worked in the banking industry while he pursued a master's in finance at the University of Cincinnati at night. Upon completion of his degree, he went on to work for a Fortune 200 company where he managed the corporate data center.
Two years after he began consulting in the banking industry, Robertson founded Methods Research, Inc. In addition to this company, he is also a majority owner of his own home building business, Heartwood Builders, LLC.
Hal and his wife, Katie, live in Cincinnati with their five children.


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City Pollution
- Artículos
Nowadays, more and more city grew in all over the world. These city create jobs, entertainment, production and houses to people. Although it provided us so many convenient and benefit to our daily life, pollution happen everyday in order to produce those things it needs to produce. All those vehicles come out with smoke with will cause air pollution; contaminated water and waste that produce by factory will cause water pollution; rubbish that throw by us will cause land pollution.
We as citizen have to do somethings to help to prevent the pollution goes on. What happen in reality is that citizen not only did't contribute in helping prevent the pollution but make it worst. For example, in Malaysia people often use air-conditional even the weather is pleasure or turn the temperature of the air-conditional to lowest. This action will waste a lot of electrical energy. Besides, malaysian like to throw rubbish everyway instead of throwing them in the dustbin. This not only affect the image of the city but create land pollution. Malaysian did not built up positive environment purchase behavior. They will buy those cheap things but harmful to environment even thought they are rich to afford 'green products'. The examples are endless.
City pollution is a crucial problem because it affected not only the environment but human themselves. Would you want your child living under a city with high pollution rate? So, we as citizen have to put in efforts in order to create an unpolluted environment for ourselves, the environment and also our children.


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A sensitive conference call between FBI and British police's cybercrime investigators was recorded by the very people they were trying to catch, officials and hackers said Friday.
Hacking collective Anonymous published a roughly 15-minute-long recording of a conference call apparently devoted to tracking and prosecuting members of the loosely-knit group.
The FBI said the information "was intended for law enforcement officers only and was illegally obtained."
RELATED: Eight steps to protect your Gmail account
"A criminal investigation is under way to identify and hold accountable those responsible," the bureau said in a statement.
It's not clear how the hackers got their hands on the recording, which appears to have been edited to bleep out the names of some of the suspects being discussed.
"The FBI might be curious how we're able to continuously read their internal comms for some time now," the group gloated in a message posted to Twitter.
Amid the material published by Anonymous was a message purportedly sent by an FBI agent to international law enforcement agencies. It invites his foreign counterparts to join the call to "discuss the ongoing investigations related to Anonymous ... and other associated splinter groups." The email contained a phone number and password for accessing the call.
The email is addressed to officials in the U.K., Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and France, but only American and British officials can be heard on the recording.
Graham Cluley, an expert with data security company Sophos, said that hackers had been able to eavesdrop on the call because they had compromised an investigator's emails.
"No doubt the police authorities will be appalled to realize that the very people that they are trying to apprehend, could have been tuning in to their internal conversations," he wrote in a blog post.
An email to the FBI agent who sent the email was not immediately returned, while one of the British investigators on the call referred questions to Scotland Yard's press office.
The press office said it was still working on a statement.
The recorded discussion itself appears sensitive. Those on the call talk about what legal strategy to pursue in the cases of Ryan Cleary and Jake Davis — two British suspects linked to Anonymous — and discuss details of the evidence gathered against other suspects.
Karen Todner, a lawyer for Cleary, said that the recording could be "incredibly sensitive" and warned that such data breaches had the potential to derail the police's work.
"If they haven't secured their email it could potentially prejudice the investigation," she told The Associated Press.
Anonymous is an amorphous collection of Internet enthusiasts, pranksters and activists whose targets have included the Church of Scientology, the music industry, and financial companies such as Visa and MasterCard.
Following a spate of arrests across the world, the group and its various offshoots have focused their attention on law enforcement agencies in general and the FBI in particular.


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St. Boniface celebrates 125th anniversary
Parishioners, students, teachers, parents and alumni gathered together on Saturday evening in celebration of the 125th anniversary of St. Boniface Catholic School and Parish, located along Main Street in Kersey, Fox Township.The anniversary celebration began with a Mass at 5 p.m., followed by a dinner held inside the school cafeteria. St. Boniface School Principal Marie Giazzoni welcomed all in attendance, including the Most Rev. Donald Trautman, bishop of the Erie Diocese."You have a great story to tell here and have every reason to be proud of St. Boniface School," said Bishop Trautman during his remarks. "St. Boniface School is a success story, let us tell the world about it."At the beginning of the dinner, State Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Elk/Clearfield) presented Giazzoni with a citation honoring the school's and parish's anniversary. Giazzoni also read another citation from U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) honoring the two entities.First grade student Anna Lundin then said grace before the meal, which was prepared by school cook Diana Gahr.Following the dinner, fifth grade students Hailee Agosti, Daniel Fritz, Jarret Ingram, Jackson Lindemuth, McKayla Wilson and Peter Pontzer, each read a short portion about the history of St. Boniface. In 1884, Fr. John Link became pastor of St. Boniface Parish and encouraged the development of a school which opened on Feb. 2, 1885, with two classes being taught by Sister Benedict Blasius OSB and Sister Raphael Eitherlaub OSB. At this time, St. Boniface School became the first Catholic school in Elk County and remains the oldest school still in operation in this portion of the Diocese of Erie.In 1901, Fr. Frank Wagner became pastor. With the population and number of children increasing, it became necessary to add two rooms to the school. A total of three classes were taught.Construction of a new and larger school began in 1955, as the old school was badly deteriorating. Fr. Charles Hacheri was pastor at the time, during which enrollment went from 98 students in 1950 to 180 students in four classrooms.The new school opened in 1957 with eight grades being taught in six classrooms. Two new classrooms were added shortly thereafter along with a new kindergarten class in 1977 and a preschool program in 1988. St. Boniface Parish School received its accreditation on Dec. 7, 1982 from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. It was the first school in Elk County to establish an all-day kindergarten program in 2003, while at the same time its preschool program expanded to include three- and four-year- olds.Wendy Gahr Noll was the featured alumni speaker at the event. After finishing at St. Boniface, Noll graduated from Elk County Christian High School in 1987 and obtained a bachelors degree from Gannon University and a masters degree in agricultural science from West Virginia University. She and her family currently reside in Morgantown, W.V., where she is a soil scientist and GIS coordinator employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Noll recollected her time at St. Boniface, where she learned the four "Rs", reading, writing, arithmetic and religion, and also participated in a number of fundraisers, events and activities."I have had the opportunity to travel around this country and meet many great people because of the strong St. Boniface education," Noll said. "The strong example taught by my parents was reinforced here at St. Boniface."Next, current fifth grade students McKayla Wilson and Jarret Ingram spoke about their favorite aspects of attending St. Boniface.Kindergarten teacher Janet Dellaquila provided a teacher's perspective about the school.Giazzoni then acknowledged all of the hard work from previous principals and teachers and staff, including priests and nuns as well as lay instructors. St. Boniface Pastor, Fr. James Faluszczak, recognized the students' hard work and accomplishments over the years.Bishop Trautman also provided his congratulations to the school and the parish on their anniversary.
Local Social Media Posts


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Dear Mohamed, I am writing on behalf of the WebCGM WG to acknowledge and thank you for your contribution of a draft Relax NG schema for WebCGM 2.1. We will add this to the WG's agenda for future attention. (Presently, we are focusing on the last steps to Recommendation for WebCGM 2.1). FYI, we have had another contribution, in XML Schema language. This also is on our future agenda, and has not yet received any focused WG attention. Best Regards, -Lofton Henderson. At 09:43 PM 1/23/2010 +0100, Innovimax SARL wrote: >Dear, > >Please find a very rough first contribution to a Relax NG compact schema >based on the DTD based on the data available here [1] > >Please note that the extension mechanism used here is very similar to the >one used in the DTD > >Please also note that the data typed could be further detailled here > >This is supposed to have very similar behaviour as the DTD in terms of >validation results > >It could provide a start for providing more precise validation into next >edition > >Best regards, > >Mohamed ZERGAOUI > >[1] ><http://www.w3.org/TR/2010/PR-webcgm21-20100114/WebCGM21-XCF.html>http://www.w3.org/TR/2010/PR-webcgm21-20100114/WebCGM21-XCF.html > >On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 11:09 PM, Innovimax SARL ><<mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com>email@example.com> wrote: >Dear, > >Here is a now official exchange on WebCGM (which is also an OASIS and >ISO Standard) > > > >---------- Forwarded message ---------- >From: Lofton Henderson <<mailto:email@example.com>email@example.com> >Date: Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 4:06 PM >Subject: [Draft] Response to Last Call comment >To: <mailto:email@example.com>email@example.com >Cc: <mailto:email@example.com>email@example.com > > > >1 == moving forward with XML Schema or Relax NG == >Sticking to DTD to define a XML dialect is neither sufficient neither >a way to widespread the use of this XML dialect. For that, I ask the >WG to consider providing normative XML Schema and/or Relax NG schema >of the XCF model. It will help adoption especially because XCF uses >Namespaces. > >RESPONSE to your first comment: >The WebCGM Working Group (WG) agrees that WebCGM could potentially >benefit by addition of a normative schema -- XML Schema or Relax NG. >Unfortunately, this proposal is beyond the scope of this 2nd LCWD >review, and it is deemed to be too late in the WebCGM 2.1 development >cycle. Ideally, such a proposal would have been included in the WebCGM >2.1 Requirements, or before 1st LCWD review at latest. The >implementation of such a proposal would involve major disruption of >the WebCGM 2.1 text -- removal of the DTD and complete rewriting of >Chapter 4 (at least). Since it does not address an error in the >specification, or a serious defect, or violation of any W3C >requirement, the WG believes that the proposal should be postponed >until a future WebCGM development cycle. > >As an interim step, the WG thinks that a non-normative Technical Note, >separate from the progression of 2.1 WebCGM, might be an interesting >approach. The WG would also welcome an initial contribution, if you >have interest in making such. >--------------------------- end ------------------------------- > >In case we could add that to our todo list > >Regards, > >Mohamed > > > > > > > > > > > > > >-- >Innovimax SARL >Consulting, Training & XML Development >9, impasse des Orteaux >75020 Paris >Tel : +33 9 52 475787 >Fax : +33 1 4356 1746 ><http://www.innovimax.fr>http://www.innovimax.fr >RCS Paris 488.018.631 >SARL au capital de 10.000 € > > > > >-- >Innovimax SARL >Consulting, Training & XML Development >9, impasse des Orteaux >75020 Paris >Tel : +33 9 52 475787 >Fax : +33 1 4356 1746 ><http://www.innovimax.fr>http://www.innovimax.fr >RCS Paris 488.018.631 >SARL au capital de 10.000 € >Content-Type: application/octet-stream; name="xcf.rnc" >Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="xcf.rnc" >X-Attachment-Id: f_g4sva6ls0Received on Monday, 25 January 2010 16:19:39 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 20:23:42 UTC


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Senior Art Exhibit Open Through Graduationby Howard Hewitt • April 13, 2012 Share:
Wabash's senior art majors are sharing their capstone experience with a public exhibit in the Fine Arts Center..
Matt Levendoski, Kelvin Burzon, Yangnan "Paul" Liu, Evan Bayless, Brandon Doebler, and Ben Muensterman are displaying works in the annual Senior Art Majors Exhibit in the Eric Dean Gallery, Randolph H. Deer Art Wing.
"This exhibition represents the first time, for most of our seniors, that their work has "gone public," said Art Professor and Department Chairman Doug Calisch. "It is a rite of passage and the final graduation requirement for all studio art majors.
"Because the curriculum for an art major requires focused pursuit of a particular medium, technique, and/or concept, the works exhibited are the culmination of a three-semester investigation. With close mentoring, the students take responsibility for the overall layout of the exhibition, the exhibition publicity, personal artist statements, and gallery outreach to local schools. In addition, each graduating studio art major will leave one piece with the College, to be displayed permanently on campus."
Calisch takes pride in presenting the students work in each year's annual exhibit. He called the six seniors a supporting and nurturing group. "With subject matter as varied as photographic reflections, Chinese childhood, serotiny, ceramic elegance, the seven deadly sins, and fanciful architecture, the exhibition promises to be a rewarding experience for both artists and viewers."
Bayless is presenting "Bottles" and "Aryballo" a series of "vessels that have similar bodies but were given individual identities in the treatment of their necks, textures, and stoppers," he wrote in his artist's statement.
"I chose to incorporate all natural materials in the textures and accessories of my vessels," the Crawfordsville native said. "Some of the pieces received texture from materials like tree bark, knots from trees, deer antlers, turtle bones, corncobs, pinecones, fossils, and shells." (Bayless artist statement)
Doebler's photography exhibit is titled "Reflection" giving an opportunity to learn from the past and question the future. Doebler is from Pekin, Indiana.
"While I enjoy naturally occurring reflections, I have also become fascinated with creating reflective abstractions in and through my work," Doebler said. "My interest in the unknown continues to propel me into a world of spatial ambiguity and abstraction." (Doebler artist statement)
Kelvin Burzon, Fort Wayne, was inspired by old daguerreotype death portraits.
"I've been obsessed with such images, their beauties, and the taboos that revolve around them," he said. "The discomforts that surround these images explore our fear or sensitivity to death." (Burzon artist statement)
Matt Levendoski, LaPorte, In., finds inspiration in philosophy for his artwork. "Environmental stimuli such as fire trigger serotinous plants to release their seeds," he wrote in his artist's statement. "This image of fire as life giver has driven me to create works that balance naturally occurring events with my creative process." (Levendoski artist statement)
Ben Muensterman, Evansville, is presenting his artwork with a mind's eye toward his hometown. "I have always been interested in the way that communities develop and expand over time," Muensterman wrote in his artist statement. "My visual style has been passed down to me by the culture in which I have grown up, and it also allows me the opportunity to contribute something new to this same culture to which I belong. " (Muensterman artist statement)
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Photo Galleries
2012 Senior Art Show


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Plextor PX-B310U (BD)
Chris takes a look at this external BD drive from those clever folks at Plextor
Plextor PX-B310U Blu-ray Disc Combo Review
For some adding a Blu-ray drive to their PC can be a real headache. If my day job has taught me one thing it's that the majority of people are afraid of technology and simply aren't confident enough to crack open the case and have a go themselves (which is good for my continued employment I guess). This leaves them with the option of roping in a technically savvy friend or family member do the job or taking their PC to a local PC store and paying for what is actually a relatively simple operation. Thankfully companies like Plextor offer a third option with their external Blu-ray Disc drives, and in this review we're going to be taking a look at their latest model, the PX-B310U.
Okay, so the first thing you'll probably want to know is just what you can expect to find inside of the box. Along with the PX-B310U itself you'll find the power adaptor, a USB cable, and a stand for vertically mounting the drive. On the software front Cyberlink's BD Suite (with TTHD) is also included. This allows you to do all sorts of things with the drive, including playing back Blu-ray movies with PowerDVD 8, burning discs, and creating video.
The main drive specifications can be found on the right-hand side of this page, but I thought it might be useful to include a link to the Plextor product page and a table summary of the main specifications below.
As you can see, the PX-B310U supports reading of all major DVD and Blu-ray formats, along with writing of many DVD formats. Blu-ray writing is not supported, so if that particular feature is something that you desperately need you'll have to look elsewhere. The drive itself measures 163 x 51.5 x 224.7 mm and is finished in a glossy black with a large Blu-ray logo, which looks very pretty but acts as a magnet for fingerprints. The rear of the drive features power and USB connectors along with an on/off switch, while the front features an eject button and a blue status LED. Oh, it also has an emergency eject button for those who like to keep a paper clip handy. The included stand slots into groves on either side of the unit, allowing you to chose the orientation of the vertical mounting, and there are four rubber feet on the base of the unit should you chose to go with the more traditional horizontal option.
Two DVD-ROM discs are included with the PX-B310U. The first is PlexUTILITIES, a diagnostic program that details various bits of information about the drive, allows you to perform health checks, and provides a number of media tests. It also provides easy access to program and firmware updates, although at the time of writing there were no new firmware updates available. The second disc features Cyberlink's BD Solution, a set of applications that enable you to play back DVD and Blu-ray Discs, author DVDs and Blu-rays, edit video, burn/archive information, enable packet writing, and create/print labels. This should be familiar to anyone who's ever bought an optical drive before, as this sort of bundle is commonplace.
Installation and Testing
Unlike internal drives, installation of the external PX-B310U is just about as easy as you can get. Simply connect the supplied 12V power supply and then attach to your PC via the included USB cable and you're good to go! To test the read/write capabilities of the drive I used Nero CD-DVD Speed (version 188.8.131.52) with a variety of media. For reference my test system comprises of the following key components:
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 @ 2.66Ghz
- M/B: Gigabyte P35-DS3L (Intel P35 Express)
- RAM: OCZ PC2-6400 DDR2 Vista Performance Gold 4GB @ 800Mhz
- GPU: ASUS nVidia GeForce GTS 250 512MB DDR3
- HDD: 2x Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA
- OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional x64
For the first test I used the included Cyberlink BD Solution CD (around 617MB) to examine the PX-B310U's CD read performance. The test results can be seen below, and it's worth noting that they compared favourably to my internal Blu-ray drive (outperforming it in every area).
Next I ran a simulated CD-R burn test using an ISO image of around 629MB. The results of this test can be found below, and they also compare very favourably to my internal dive (once again outperforming it across the board).
Next I gave the drive a DVD-ROM containing 3.65GB of data to test. Although the performance wasn't up to the advertised 16x read speed the PX-B310U annihilated my internal drive, which suffered from a massive drop off in speed half way through the test before recovering to finish fairly respectably.
For the final DVD test I decided to run a simulated DVD-R burn of 4.38GB. Again the performance here was good, achieving parity with my internal drive.
Burn quality seemed consistent across different brands of media. There was one anomaly with a Verbatim branded CD-R that reported a lot of errors, but upon closer inspection the media had a few imperfections. When burning other CD-Rs I experienced no such issues, as you can see by the following quality report for Memorex branded media.
I tested Blu-ray performance with a variety of software players including PowerDVD, TotalMedia Theatre and Media Player Classic Home Cinema. All performed as expected, with smooth stutter-free playback. The drive even performed admirably when directly playing .m2ts files using MPC-HC. The only disc that refused to play was Panorama Distribution's Hong Kong release of Pulp Fiction, but this disc has tripped up more than one player in the past. As you can see, performance was some way off of the advertised 6x speed for single-layered media. I ran the test a number of times and achieved similar results, with the image below representing the slowest reported speeds. However, the access times were a lot lower than the advertised figures (and this is also true of CD and DVD media) and the drive's real-world performance was nippier than my internal unit, so take the results with a pinch of salt.
Because this is a portable drive I had hoped to test Blu-ray playback on an older system. Unfortunately my old desktop didn't meet the minimum system requirements in a number of areas, so my attempts were short-lived. I also tested the drive with an older laptop, but again it didn't meet the minimum specs and I was unable to continue. It's unfortunate that I was unable to test the drive with a wider variety of hardware, but my days of keeping up with the Jones' PC-wise are long behind me. Having said that, the only real bottleneck with my ageing Althlon XP 3000+ system was the GPU (and old vanilla GeForce 6800). If it hadn't been for the lack of video horsepower I might well have been up and running on a system that is now five or six years old, which is good news for people running similar systems with slightly more 'oomph' given that my card is only a single generation behind the minimum requirements.
I have to admit to being somewhat sceptical about USB 2.0's ability to handle the required throughput for high-definition playback, but the PX-B310U proved me wrong. Plextor's external combo drive is a solid performer that offers a worthwhile alternative to internal drives. Older non-SATA systems will benefit the most providing they have the processing power and necessary RAM for Blu-ray playback, but it could also provide an option for small form factor laptops without an internal bay. The drive could also be useful in an office environment where it's necessary to share data via BD media across multiple workstations. Obviously you're going to pay more for an external drive and the hefty £190 RRP might be enough to put some people off, but with a number of retailers advertising the drive for around £125 it becomes a more attractive proposition and you can expect the price to fall even further over time. If you are unable or unwilling to add an internal drive and the ability to write to Blu-ray Disc is not a priority, you could certainly do a lot worse than to pick up the Plextor PX-B310U (caveats about system requirements aside).
Review by Chris Gould
System Requirements: CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz or equivalent or higher; RAM: 512 MB (1GB recommended); Interface: USB 2.0; Operating System: Microsoft Windows® 7, or Vista (32 or 64 bit OS) or XP SP2; Hard disk Drive: 1 GB free space required for software installation, Up to 10 GB free space required for DVD authoring; Other: Internet connection recommended for updates; For BD Playback: Intel Pentium-D 3.0 or Higher CPU; 1GB RAM; HDCP supported graphic cards with 256MB RAM and 32-bit color support. ATI x1600 or nVidia 7600GT or later GPU; HDCP capable monitors required. Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Vista or later required
Media Information: Supported BD Format: BD-R, BD-RE, BD-ROM, BD-R DL, BD-RE DL, BD-ROM-DL; Supported DVD Format: DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, DVD±R (Single/Multi Boarder), DVD±R DL (Single/Multi boarder), DVD±RW; Supported DVD Writing Method: Disc-at-Once, Incremental Recording, (DVD-RW) Restricted Overwrite, (DVD+RW/DVD-RAW) Random Access Write, (DVD-R DL_ Layer Jump; Supported DVD Size: 12cm or 8cm Diameter; Supported CD Format: CD-DA, CD-Text, CD ROM Mode-1/2, CD-ROM XA, CD-I, Photo CD, Video CD, CD Extra; Supported CD Writing Method: Disc-at-Once, Track-at-Once, Session-at-Once, Fixed Packet, Variable Packet; Supported CD Size: 12cm or 8cm Diameter
Reading speed: DVD+R 16 x; DVD-R 16 x; DVD-RW 6 x; DVD+RW 8 x; CD-R 48 x; CD-RW 32 x; BD-R 6 x; BD-RE 6 x; DVD-ROM 16 x; CD-ROM 48 x; BD-R Dual Layer 4 x; BD-RE Dual Layer 4 x
Writing speed: DVD-R 16 x; DVD+R 16 x; DVD-RW 6 x; DVD+RW 8 x; DVD+R Double Layer 8 x; DVD-R Double Layer 8 x
Access Time (Typical): BD Media 350 ms; DVD Media 160 ms; CD Media 150 ms; Buffer Size 2MB
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