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Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 6th Sep 2012 22:41 UTC, submitted by Hiev
"This is an introductory overview post for the Linux Graphics Stack, and how it currently all fits together. I initially wrote it for myself after having conversations with people like Owen Taylor, Ray Strode and Adam Jackson about this stack. I had to go back to them every month or so and learn the stuff from the ground up all over again, as I had forgotten every single piece. I asked them for a good high-level overview document so I could stop bothering them. They didn't know of any. I started this one. It has been reviewed by Adam Jackson and David Airlie, both of whom work on this exact stack." Introductory or no, still pretty detailed.
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RE[2]: Old blog post is old
by feydun on Sat 8th Sep 2012 05:39 UTC in reply to "RE: Old blog post is old"
Maybe it was linked accidentally instead of its more recent follow-up:
It's an excellent series, I wish it existed last year when I was looking for an introductory overview.


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The Bahamas is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola, northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States. Its total land area is 13,939 km2, with an estimated population of 330,000. Its capital is Nassau. Geographically, The Bahamas lie in the same island chain as Cuba, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Blessed with the perfect location, less than 100 miles off the coast of Florida, the perfect climate—averaging a little over 75 degrees; and the perfect environment—crystal clear turquoise blue waters and pearly white sandy beaches, the Islands of the Bahamas is the perfect travel destination for your vacation.
With pearly white sandy beaches, a sub-tropical climate the Bahamas are ready-made for exploration.
The moment your toes touch sand and your gaze meets water, you know you're in The Islands Of The Bahamas. It's the comfortable ease, the instant sense of belonging. It's finding that your departure from everyday life is also your arrival at an extraordinary place within yourself.
Enjoy luxurious allinclusive Bahamian resorts, Bahama fun filled tours and a variety of Bahamas vacation activities in the Caribbean's most popular sub-tropical location.

subset: commoncrawl


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5 Reasons Wearing a Tie Gets You More Respect Why this simple accessory makes all the difference
Men may sometimes feel limited to classic looks, but these looks haven't stood the test of time because they're just some run of the mill passing trends. A suit is certainly one timeless look that demands respect, but let's break it down a little further. The tie is pretty much the one variable that really pulls the entire suit together and fetches boatloads of respect from friends, foes, and strangers. Let's look at the 5 reason why a tie is so important.
A neck tie has always been, and always will be, the square root to really getting respect when it comes to your menswear game. There's a reason why men in power have worn ties throughout history; think about it.
If there's one thing that demands respect on any front, it's having the confidence to wear your ensemble with pride and let everyone know you are certain in your abilities. Though when this beacon of self-worth is paired with a stylish neck tie, it really gets elevated to that next level. People can be very perceptive. If you wear a tie with absolute confidence, it will translate through and upon first moment's glance, respect will be established.
This isn't always true, but in large part it can be. Someone wearing a tie generally has a level of professionalism that must be sustained to remain the successful individual they are. In this case, the tie may or may not be in direct connection with their work day. When people see a man wearing a tie, the tendency is to assume they are looking at a professional – whether young or mature.
Looking Good
I'm not trying to fool anyone here. This should be the #1 reason why ties demand respect. Nothing says sharp dressed like a carefully selected neck tie. People that dress well are often catered to more by the assumption they're deserving. It's not that you're being judged or shunned, but it's also not like ripped up jeans and a faded t-shirt really say, "I'm a person of significant importance."
The Extra Mile
Since ties only tend to measure a little under 60 inches, if you were to scale that out according to the respect barometer, it really goes a long way. Sometimes people mention they're not concerned what others think of their appearance. These same people are rarely the CEO of a Fortune 500 company also. But really taking time to piece a suit together and put on that beautifully crafted tie (from Ties.com of course), really shows you go the extra mile. People notice these things in life, and it's typically the people you want to have notice you.
Gus Penton
Latest posts by Gus Penton (see all)
- The 7 Manliest Cocktails Not sure what to order at the bar? Try one of these stiff, classic, manly drinks. - October 19, 2017
- The Life Of A Celebrity Stylist: Kev Couture It's not all glitz and glam - March 11, 2013
- The GentleManual Guide To Acing Your Job Interview Consider these tips to nail your next interview - February 22, 2013


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Nebraska senior Cole Pensick is one of 44 players who have been named to the Spring Watch List for the 2013 Rimington Trophy. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and is named in honor of two-time Husker Outland Trophy winner Dave Rimington, who starred for Nebraska from 1980 to 1982.
The 6-2, 275-pound Pensick is in line to take over as Nebraska's starting center in 2013, after splitting time between guard and center last fall. Pensick is one of five senior offensive linemen with extensive playing experience that figure to make the offensive line a strong unit for the Huskers in 2013.
The Lincoln Northeast product played in all 14 games in 2012, including starting the final two games of the year at center. Pensick served as the top backup at both guard spots for most of the year, while also backing up the center spot. The play of Pensick and the Husker offensive line helped Nebraska average better than 240 rushing yards per game, while topping 200 yards on the ground in 12 games. In the two games Pensick started at center, the Huskers averaged 260.5 yards rushing
Pensick is one of four centers from the Big Ten Conference among those named to the Watch List. The winner of the 2013 Rimington Trophy will be honored at a banquet in Lincoln on Jan. 11, 2014.


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Linked by David Adams on Tue 14th Feb 2012 17:24 UTC
Today Samsung AV product lead Chris Moseley had comments about Apple's rumored entrance into the television marketplace that sound eerily similar to that which Palm CEO Ed Colligan's said a few years back about how Apple's ability to simply walk into this market and figure it out like they had managed to do after years of research.
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RE[3]: Research
by lindkvis on Wed 15th Feb 2012 12:18 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: Research"
That anyone at all bought an Apple TV box is testament to the mindless drone market. That they sold poorly gives me a bit of hope for Apple fans, yet.
Typical geek arrogance. If you don't like something, or it doesn't have a feature you prefer, then it is worthless and the people buying it are idiots.
The truth is, Apple products are convenient. Especially together with the whole iTunes ecosystem. And if you already have an iDevice and use iTunes for your music purchases, then the current Apple TV may well make sense. It is cheap enough that it certainly fits the impulse buy category.
I bought an iPhone again at my last upgrade. I could have bought an Android and perhaps got a couple of features that I don't particularly need. But I also would have had to change a working music purchasing/syncing setup that I am happy with.
RE[4]: Research
by spiderman on Wed 15th Feb 2012 13:31 in reply to "RE[3]: Research"


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Former Chief Judge Of Patent Court: We Need To Strengthen, Not Weaken, The Patent System Because [Reasons]
from the insert-logical-fallacy-here dept
And yet, he refuses to give up his idealistic (and completely incorrect) notions of how patents work. The latest is a piece he's written for A Smarter Planet, a blog owned by IBM, in which he attempts to hit back at patent critics while arguing that what the US really needs is stronger patent protection, not weaker, including protection for things like software. The article is full of questionable assumptions combined with logical fallacies. I'm sure Judge Michel is intelligent and knowledgeable (you don't get as far as he did otherwise), but he does his own legacy a disservice by making arguments like the one he expresses here:
So in April, 1790, the first Congress enacted the first Patent Act. Over the next two centuries, the Act was amended and strengthened regularly, because successive Congresses observed industrialization and economic growth all around them, as under the Founders' system, the United States went from importing nearly all manufactured goods to itself manufacturing all the products it needed and prospering as a major net exporter.This is a nice story -- and it's one that we've heard before. Unfortunately, it's not supported by the actual history. That history shows that the continued patent expansionism post-dated, not pre-dated significant expansions in innovation. That is, rather than encourage innovation, the increases in patenting almost always came after the innovation, when the early innovators then ran to the government to seek to block out follow-on innovations and competition from disruptive new upstarts. Furthermore, study after study has shown absolutely no evidence that strengthening a patent system leads to greater investment in innovation. Instead, it shows greater investment into patenting.
Within just a little over one hundred years, America surpassed all other nations in wealth and technology, partly because of its strong patent system, aided by wide oceans, abundant natural resources, and universal public education. Throughout the 19th century American inventors outpaced their counterparts elsewhere. During the 20th century, the American patent system helped stimulate the computer revolution as well as astonishing advances in medicine, including creation of whole new fields, such as bio-technology. After a slump in the 1970s, when Japan replaced America as the leading maker of consumer electronics, in the last two decades of the century our nation regained its rapid growth and technological leadership.
Ironically, criticism of patents and especially of the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office is peaking just as an array of reforms are taking hold. Over the past nearly four years the extraordinary leadership of former IBM executive David Kappos has greatly upgraded PTO operations. The courts, too, have instituted reforms in damages and other areas of controversy. Congress has responded by enacting the America Invents Act, which after a decade of neglect and fee diversion finally has provided the PTO with the resources it needs. The AIA also launched a Patent Pilot Program to have volunteer judges in over a dozen districts largely specialize in managing such cases. And, the private sector has stepped in to help train patent examiners in the newest technologies. In light of all this, now is the time to rely more, not less, on the American Patent System.I'm not sure what's "ironic" here. The "reforms" that Michel mentions had nothing to do with the key complaints many made against patents: that they were being utilized by trolls to stifle real innovation, that patents themselves were overly broad and vague, that the damages awarded in patent infringement cases were excessive and had no basis in reality. Earlier versions of the AIA attempted to address some or all of those problems, but they were all left on the cutting room floor after patent supporters whined about them.
As for the "patent pilot program," it's difficult to see how that solves anything. In fact, it could actually make the problem worse, not better. As we've discussed, CAFC itself, which Michel used to lead, was the result of a similar "experiment," in which it was believed that centralizing all patent appeals cases to a single court, where a few judges would be "experts" would lead to better outcomes. But it did the opposite. That's because the judges had little contact with actual innovators, but plenty of contact with patent lawyers, who benefited from massive expansion of patent laws. And so they heard one side of the story over and over again, leading to massive expansion. Doing the same thing at the lower courts, and giving more power to a few judges who will be continually exposed to patent lawyers, is likely to create the same push towards expansionism in the district courts as well.
Nevertheless, some commentators suggest excluding whole business sectors, such as software, from patent eligibility and greatly shortening the patent term for other technologies. A few go so far as to say that only pharmaceutical firms really need patent protection. But the behavior of hundreds of companies in dozens of technologies suggests otherwise. Witness IBM: for the past 20 consecutive years it has received more U.S. patents than any other company in the world. Examples of other companies that rely on patents include Microsoft, General Electric, General Motors, Caterpillar, DuPont and Procter & Gamble. Ignoring such facts, certain commentators even argue that patents deter more innovation than they promote.This assumes, entirely without proof, that companies that get patents do so because they promote innovation. This is laughable and simply untrue. Once again, studies have shown that patents and innovation are not linked but are entirely independent. Companies, however, see plenty of benefit in using patents in a protectionist manner to stamp out competition. Furthermore, the system is rigged these days such that companies that want to compete need a large patent portfolio not because it helps with innovation, but because it helps ward off some lawsuits from others to avoid a patent nuclear war with both sides suing each other.
Michel lovingly points to IBM's continual dominance in the patent numbers, but ignores the many stories of IBM's famed patent bullying, such as the bullying it did against Sun many years ago:
"OK, maybe you don't infringe these seven patents. But we have 10,000 U.S. patents. Do you really want us to go back to Armonk [IBM headquarters in New York] and find seven patents you do infringe? Or do you want to make this easy and just pay us $20 million?"To argue that because large companies get patents, the patent system is working is just silly and unsupportable. Those companies don't "rely" on patents. They get them, because that's how the system works.
Yet, with many corporations and banks flush with cash reserves and pension and private equity funds seeking places to invest, now should be the era of increased investment in innovation, the country's best hope for creating new wealth and new jobs. Instead, such investments lag. What, then, is needed to produce the needed private investment? Adequate incentives, for such investments are inherently risky. Slack consumer demand in a continuing recession is part of the problem, but so is the inadequate strength of patents. Obtaining and enforcing them remains far too slow, costly and cumbersome. Still worse, the uncertain scope of patents and the unpredictability of infringement and remedies outcomes inhibit business leaders who need certainty and predictability.And this is the really nefarious part in Michel's argument. This isn't just an argument in favor of the patent system, it's an argument in favor of trolling operations. Trolls repeatedly try to defend their indefensible efforts by arguing that they're "investing" in innovation by paying for such "risk." Anyone who's experienced any run-in with patent trolls knows this argument is complete hogwash. Trolls do it because it's a system that allows them to legally shakedown real innovators for money, because it gives them a giant weapon where the cost to pay off the troll is almost always less than the cost to defend (and win) a case in court.
Most informed persons believe, correctly, that innovation holds the key to future prosperity. What we need is a stronger, faster, fairer patent system with quality patents and predictable protections. The issue is whether companies can look beyond short-term earnings and stock prices to also focus on the company's long-term health and on the needs of the American economy, American communities and American workers.Yes, we agree that innovation holds the key to future prosperity. The problem is that there is no evidence that the patent system actually increases that innovation, and a ridiculous amount of evidence that it does exactly the opposite. It retards innovation, diverting money from actual innovations that hit the market, to lawyers. The costs associated with the patent system far outweigh any benefits. Could you craft a functioning patent system? Perhaps, but today's system is not it, and if Judge Michel ever spent time with actual innovators who were the victims of patent trolling, he might learn something. But, you know, that would offend his patent lawyer and patent troll buddies.


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Review Roundup: LES MISERABLES Opens in the Philippines
Manila, Philippines, January 17, 2013 -- "Les Miserables" fans in the Philippines had to wait a little longer for the Tom Hooper-helmed stage to screen adaptation of the famous musical, based on Victor Hugo's novel, because cineplexes, primarily in Metro Manila, were booked for the annual Metro Manila Film Festival, which showcases local movie productions, over the holidays.
However, the epic musical film, which is Golden Globe Awards' Best Motion Picture pick of the year, finally opened yesterday, January16, and reviews are out.
BroadwayWorld brings you a roundup:
Philbert Ortiz Dy, ClickTheCity.com: Much fuss has been made over the choice to have the actors sing live on set. But the more interesting choice in the movie is to have them sing in a more naturalistic way: to largely avoid theatrical technique, focusing more on the acting than the singing. This is an odd musical to try that with, because nothing about the musical is remotely naturalistic. Many of these songs are already pitched at the level of high opera, and having the actors choke through them seems counterintuitive. Still, the film sometimes hits on something exceptional. The performance bring new nuance to some of the songs, and in moments, the emotion can be astounding...
That said, this is still one of the greatest stories ever written, and the movie still manages to get the basic point across in spite of itself. Much credit must go to the cast, many of whom vividly bring these characters to life. Anne Hathaway deserves whatever plaudits she will garner over the next few months. Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne do a fine enough job. Stage vets Samantha Barks and Aaron Tveit bring some of that experience to the screen, and it is much appreciated. Some of the other casting choices don't work out so well: Russell Crowe is unable to evoke the same level of emotion through his singing, and Sacha Baron Cohen seems to think his character is beneath him.
David Dizon, Abs-CbnNews.com: Director Tom Hooper deserves praise for shooting some of the musical's best solos ("I Dreamed a Dream," "On My Own," "Bring Him Home," "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables") in one continuous, unforgiving take without cuts -- it's like watching a theater performance up close, flaws and all...
Shorn like a sheep and forced into prostitution, Hathaway sings "I Dreamed A Dream" with both rage and despair and her performance is heady and potent. When she sings that line "Come with me, where chains will never bind you" in "Valjean's Death," it sounds like a blessing.
Mikhail Lecaros, GmaNetwork.com: "LES MISERABLES" is not a movie musical in the traditional sense, nor is it a case of a stage production awkwardly grafted onto a cinematic template. What director Tom Hooper is presenting here is cinema as stage production, in the truest possible sense. This is a stage production, plain and simple, albeit one with a multimillion dollar budget and shot unlike any musical film you've ever seen...
If there's a weak link in the cast, it would be Russell Crowe as lawman Javert. Crowe gives it his best shot, but is hampered by the fact that the hawkish nose that made him such a distinctive gladiator is also what he sings out of. Crowe cuts a striking, formidable figure in uniform, making it all the more unfortunate that his performance ends up being tear-jerking for all the wrong reasons.
Carljoe Javier, Rappler.com: Of special note is Daniel Huttlestone, who plays the instigator Gavroche. This Kid Rocks out his part, snarling in cockney and standing tall among all the other actors...
In any case, "Les Miserables" is the kind of movie that many people will love. And many people will hate.
Sometimes you feel that it's indulgent. Sometimes there's just too much of the damn singing that could have been done away with (oh and now I can imagine angry commenters saying, "You idiot, it's a musical!").
But this film adaptation is extremely effective. It employs film techniques to the service of the story of "Les Miserables," giving us a glorious version of it.
BroadwayWorld Philippines: Hooper's non-intrusive camerawork, which amounts to grandiose wide shots, especially during the sweeping melodic instrumental music played prior to or in between the sung parts, and medium close up shots, mostly one long takes filmed at least two minutes to capture the emotions of show-stopping solo numbers such as Valjean's "Soliloquy," Fantine's "I Dreamed a Dream," and Marius' "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," aided the telling of the story, which at the core of it was the frequent exposition of Christian virtues of faith, hope, charity, mercy, and forgiveness...
On the surface, "Les Miserables" can move one to tears because of its characters' intertwined melodramatic destinies, poignant songs with ear-shattering crescendos, and bittersweet denouement.
On a deeper level, the film can also be deemed a Christian movie in disguise, which may come off as too preachy and tacky to some.


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The new E-15 ethanol-blend of gasoline has once more ignited controversy, with AAA on Friday, Nov. 30, saying that it may damage car engines and the ethanol industry calling the warning baseless.
The new E-15 ethanol-blend of gasoline has once more ignited controversy, with AAA on Friday, Nov. 30, saying that it may damage car engines and the ethanol industry calling the warning baseless.
Minnesota, the nation's fifth-largest ethanol producer, still has no locations selling E-15, which contains 15 percent ethanol blended with gasoline compared with the standard 10 percent blend known as E-10. The closest locations pumping E-15 are in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, a state ethanol association head said.
But the wrangling over E-15 matters to Minnesota. The state ships more than three-quarters of its 1 billion gallons of annual ethanol production out of state. It is counting on driver acceptance of higher-blend ethanol fuels like E-15 to boost sales.
Ethanol sales have hit "the blend wall," meaning the nation's gas supply has absorbed as much ethanol as it can under the 10 percent blend rules. The industry waged a long battle to get E-15 blend approved over objections from environmentalists and the petroleum industry.
The Automobile Association of America said a survey showed the new E-15 blend, approved in June, was unknown to 95 percent of consumers. Less than a fifth of cars on the road have been approved to use the fuel, and engine damage may not be covered under warranties, AAA said.
Only so-called flex-fuel car models have been approved by automakers to use E15, or about 12 million of the more than 240 million light-duty vehicles on the roads.
"It is clear that millions of Americans are unfamiliar with E-15, which means there is a strong possibility that many motorists may improperly fill up using this gasoline and damage their vehicle," AAA President Robert Darbelnet said in a statement.
"Bringing E-15 to the market without adequate safeguards does not responsibly meet the needs of consumers," he said.
Tim Rudnicki, executive director of the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association called the AAA warning "incredibly irresponsible."
E-15 received extensive testing from the U.S. Department of Energy and more evaluation from the Environmental Protection Agency, he said.
Growth Energy, a national trade association for the ethanol industry, said the AAA study "has no scientific basis and is nothing more than hollow criticism lacking any facts."
Rudnicki said pumps carrying E-15 are clearly marked and car manufacturers put stickers on gas caps that say whether they are approved for the higher ethanol blend.
The AAA warning echoes ones used in the 1980s to try to discredit E-10, Rudnicki said. "What the AAA is doing is pulling a page from the play book from a couple decades ago," he said.
Ethanol, fermented from grain such as corn in a process similar to making moonshine, is required to be blended into gasoline under the Renewable Fuels Standard because it cuts the amounts of crude oil used to make motor fuel.
The E-15 blend may lead to accelerated engine wear and failure, fuel-system damage and false "check engine" lights when used for sustained periods, AAA said.
Heavy-duty vehicles, boats, motorcycles, power equipment, lawn mowers and off-road vehicles are prohibited from using E-15.
Material from Bloomberg News was used in this story.
Distributed by MCT Information Services


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by Mike Masnick
Mon, Jan 5th 2009 12:46am
Filed Under:
dtecnet, mediasentry, riaa
Over the past few days there's been a lot of attention paid to the news that the RIAA has ended its relationship with MediaSentry, the highly controversial firm that the RIAA used to try to find those involved in file sharing. There have been various lawsuits questioning MediaSentry's techniques -- and the sheer number of falsely identified people certainly suggested pretty strongly that the company wasn't doing a particularly good job. Of course, with the RIAA's "new strategy" of abandoning lawsuits in favor of having ISPs be their enforcers, the record labels still need a company to come up with whatever flimsy evidence it can find. So, don't think the ending of the relationship means that the RIAA has stopped monitoring file sharing. Instead, it's simply switched to a new company: DtecNet out of Copenhagen.
If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...
- While Everyone's Busy, Hollywood & Record Labels Suggest Congress Bring Back SOPA
- RIAA Court Filing In Stairway To Heaven Case Warns Against *OVERPROTECTION* By Copyright
- Police Chief Tries To Blame Newspaper Shooting On The Loss Of Social Media Monitoring Tool, But It Doesn't Add Up
- UN Free Speech Expert: EU's Copyright Directive Would Be An Attack On Free Speech, Violate Human Rights
- Michigan State University Reportedly Spent $500k To Monitor The Social Media Accounts Of Larry Nassar's Accusers And Journalists
Reader Comments
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bikey (profile), 5 Jan 2009 @ 2:38amYes, the Europeans rejected it, but not before Sarkozy tried to sneak his pillow-talk legislation back in in what he hoped to be unread pockets of the seemingly unrelated telecoms package (the Europeans are still wondering what interest Business Software Alliance had in lobbying hard for the telecoms package...), a scheme thwarted only by a curious UK academic who discovered it. Is anyone beginning to notice the overlap between IP worldwide policing and the decline in so-called personal data protection (non-existent in the US but historically important for Europe) in the name of the War on Terror? IP is what's left of the western economy, especially now that finance has tanked. This is not conspiracy, it is industrial policy, let lose in a world where we have gone from being citizens to consumers to data subjects, with our rights diminishing accordingly. Running along side is the content lobby's relentless efforts to criminalize all perceived IP infringement (search IPRED2) in Europe, pursuing the secret ACTA which would leave IP enforcement in the hands of customs officials worldwide, while trying to get the US government to pursue its civil actions on the home front (the homeland? whatever) among other things. See legislative history of Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act 2008
Anonymous Coward, 5 Jan 2009 @ 6:04amDoes DtecNet has the same address as MediaSentry?
Or did DtecNet recruitment procedures require hiring individual with the most experience and best relationship with the RIAA and hence resulted in hiring nearly all the MediaSentry staff?
Anonymous Coward, 5 Jan 2009 @ 6:09amscrew the RIAA, just let them die!
re: bikey"Intellectual Property is the oil of the 21st century"
- Mark Getty, chairman of Getty Images
i first saw that statement quoted in "steal this film II"
it really sums up this whole "war against piracy" thing pretty nicely. having power means playing games to get control of natural and finite resources. people, governments, armies, and companies have been doing this since the dawning of life itself. in this game, keeping those resources finite is at least as important as obtaining the resources themselves.
in essence, we are are talking about the means of production. mass production and mass distribution favor small numbers of large companies, unless the finished product and its distribution are digital. when everything is digital, the rules change.
the problem with digital goods is that since anything digital can be reproduced effortlessly by anyone with a computer, the old rules of mass production and distribution no longer apply and the resource game is now in a state of flux.
richard stallman discusses this in a rather grim depiction of this digital resource game:
mslade, 5 Jan 2009 @ 6:21am
The RIAA...The RIAA is a scary and intimidating entity. They are an effective deterrent against stealing music online. I definitely do not steal music online because of the formidable lessons the RIAA has taught me through its education/litigation campaign. I take the RIAA very very seriously.
wnyght, 5 Jan 2009 @ 7:00am
Re: The RIAA...and you are an ignorant fool.
Monarch, 5 Jan 2009 @ 7:25am
Re: The RIAA...Either you left out the brackets around your statement, or you are an ignorant fool, as it is impossible to steal digital data. Digital data can only be copied. You can break many other laws obtaining the digital data, but stealing is not one of them.
Monarch, 5 Jan 2009 @ 7:28am
Re: Re: The RIAA...That was supposed to be "Sarcasm" brackets but the html code removed them, I didn't Preview like a fool, and there is no way to edit your comments once posted. So if the dude did put sarcasm brackets up, the html may have ripped them out.
PaddyMac, 5 Jan 2009 @ 7:51am
Re: The RIAA...For every 100 fools like MSlade, there are another 10000 of us who do not *baaaa* at every non-governmental entity that tries to illegally assert itself.
Anonymous Coward, 5 Jan 2009 @ 6:16pm
Re: Re: The RIAA...Something is fundamentally wrong when a person who observes our laws is labled a "fool".
Bryan, 28 Aug 2009 @ 6:03am
Re: Re: Re: The RIAA...No, something is fundamentally wrong when the people who live in a country that was founded on the idea of freedom are scared into following ridiculous laws for the sole benefit of an industry who's existence is not even necessary. My point is that laws are not the foundation of ethics and morality. It was once legal to own a person with the only basis for that argument being the color of their skin. Laws are constantly changing, and if their was one set of morals that were "right" then this wouldn't need to be true. The fact is, morality is subjective and if you blindly follow whatever laws are set in place just because you're scared of the consequences, you are a fool. Think for yourself. Don't let the government decided what's moral and ethical; because you'd just be another sheep in their flock of mindless slaves.
Anonymous Coward, 5 Jan 2009 @ 7:19amRIAA - Real Ignorant Arrogant Assholes
Synjin, 5 Jan 2009 @ 9:23am
The RIAA...This world is filled with Evil Entities and the RIAA is truly one to be delt with. soon a family photo posted by someones mother and copied by some friend to share will be cause for people to be jailded and fined for there are no limits to where Evil will go or what it can do when good men do nothing but stand in fear of what could happen... we fight these dark powers and beat then back to regain our freedom... funny how once again in Europe it seems the dark ages are seemingly returning. where are the nights to stand and fight? who will they be? has history been forgotten? its a new age yes, so no we fight in a new world, but its always been the same war, us who would be free to live and those who would bind our hands and inslave us for there needs...
G _Nobody, 5 Jan 2009 @ 9:46am
Put your money where your mouth isPut your money where you mouth is....
Support the "I not BUYING DRM, nor OVERLY PRICED cr@p, and as long as the RIAA and BIG MEDIA peruse the notion that the need to LIE, STEAL and CHEAT the REAL ARTIST"
... support independent artist
Anonymous Coward, 5 Jan 2009 @ 11:05am
Re: Put your money where your mouth is...and buy used.
Sued, 5 Jan 2009 @ 10:22amI was sued by both RIAA and Direct TV. I got a lawyer and fought them. Let me save you the money for the lawyer.
Just ask them to show 1 occurance where you shared CC material.
Motion to deny summary judgment.
I beat them, so can you.
Anonymous Coward, 5 Jan 2009 @ 7:04pm
Re:What does Creative Commons (CC) licensed material have to do with it?
Synjin, 6 Jan 2009 @ 1:35pm
RIAA........WOW Mr. Anon Coward I can't believe you asked that question... Look it up man, and get up to speed and join the rest of the real world. the major lables are saying its there way or the highway like they are the ones who sat down and wrote the songs them selfs, we should be able to sapport our fav artist the way the artist feels is best for them I always buy the music I love to hear and I listen to it in any format I want where I want and how I want. If I can hear it for free over public radio why can't I make a copy of a digital version? even one I paid cash for... remember back when we were all kids with our first casset player we ran out and got blanks and made copies of our frinds tapes just to save the cash on buying it our selfs and then when we could aford to we payed for what we wanted and built our own collections... in todays world the artist can now be there own lable and the big lables don't want that to happen... get a clue this is an old fight for power.
riggie, 12 Oct 2009 @ 5:43am
Riaa music and moviesi hate todays music i would never pirate it because its junk and i would never pirate aor buy todays movies because its based on the hollywood american mentality its junk and not worth pirating and not worth buying. This entity riaa should bes phased out by the worlds population standing up to it. they are protecting out dated business models that are outdated and those degenerates should embrace the technology not sue people. They should sell there products and services via bittorrent as a way of users downloading and having access to there material. Riaa should be dismantled systematically abandoned and destroyed and there days are numbered they are clasping at straws and one day they will be extinct. They will fight like peasants and all there measures will be in vain that will ultimately send them broke and im glad because corporations are a threat to us and our civil liberties. For each corporation that goes broke i celebrate. I am glad we had this economic crisis becuase i love seeing companies go broke. its a pity that the lay person got hurt but i delight in the fact that the corporations go broke. its pure joy


text:
Some brilliant and emotionally devastating photos in here:
In this March 22, 2016 photo, infant Udai Faisal, who is suffering from acute malnutrition, is hospitalized at Al-Sabeen Hospital in Sanaa, Yemen. Udai died on March 24. Hunger has been the most horrific consequence of Yemens conflict and spiraled since Saudi Arabia and its allies, backed by the U.S., launched a campaign of airstrikes and a naval blockade in 2015. #
A demonstrator stares down a riot policeman during a protest marking Chile's 1973 military coup in Santiago, Chile, on September 11, 2016. #
Migrants step over dead bodies while being rescued by members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO in the Mediterranean Sea, about 12 nautical miles north of Libya, on October 4, 2016. Twenty-eight Europe-bound migrants were found dead on a day of frantic rescues off Libya, including at least 22 in an overloaded wooden boat, an AFP photographer and the Italian coastguard said.
A male chimpanzee named Chacha screams after escaping from nearby Yagiyama Zoological Park as a man tries to capture him on the power lines at a residential area in Sendai, northern Japan, on April 14. The chimp was eventually caught after being shot with a tranquilizer gun and falling from the power lines


text:
Rashad McCants, one of the players most responsible for leading North Carolina to its 2005 national championship, has provided a critical account of his academic experience at UNC and said that coach Roy Williams was aware of no-show courses in the Afro- and African-American Studies Department.
McCants made the claims during an interview with ESPN's "Outside the Lines," which on Friday published a story and aired an interview with the former basketball player.
McCants told the network that tutors wrote his papers, that he went to classes about half the time at UNC-Chapel Hill and that no-show courses in the Afro- and African-American Studies Department, or AFAM, kept him eligible.
The comments reinforce previous reports that academic advisers steered UNC athletes into the no-show classes to keep them eligible to play. UNC has been under scrutiny during the past three years about AFAM courses that never met, resulted in high grades and had a high percentage of athletes. UNC has denied those courses constituted a violation of NCAA rules.
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The classes helped keep former football star Julius Peppers eligible, according to his transcript that UNC left posted on its website, and McCants says the reason he was eligible to play was because his academic advisers steered him to no-show AFAM courses. McCants was one of several players on the 2004-05 team that majored in African and African-American studies.
McCants said that Williams intervened and helped him remain eligible during the 2004-05 championship season. During the fall of 2004, McCants said he failed two classes, putting his eligibility at risk.
But then Williams, McCants said, stepped in.
"(Williams) said, 'You know, we're going to be able to figure out how to make it happen, but you need to buckle down on your academics,'" McCants said.
Williams in a statement released by UNC denied McCants' claims.
Correction: This story incorrectly said Rashad McCants took 10 African and Afro-American Studies course during his time at UNC-Chapel Hill, according to transcripts obtained by ESPN's "Outside the Lines." According to those transcripts, he took 18 AFAM classes and received 10 A's, six B's, one C and one D in those classes.
CHAPEL HILL - "I strongly disagree with what Rashad (McCants) has said," said Williams, who didn't return a message seeking further comment. "In no way did I know about or do anything close to what he says, and I think the players whom I have coached over the years will agree with me.
"I have spent 63 years on this earth trying to do things the right way and the picture he portrays is not fair to the university or me."
McCants, 29, the second-leading scorer on UNC's 2005 championship team, told "Outside the Lines" that he made the Dean's List in spring 2005 despite not attending a single class. He said advisers and tutors who worked with the basketball team steered him to no-show AFAM courses – the kind that required only an end-of-semester paper – and that he received A's in those four classes that semester.
"Outside the Lines" obtained two copies of McCants' transcript. In his non-AFAM courses, he never received a better grade than a C. He had six C's, one D and three F's in those classes. He took 18 AFAM courses, meanwhile, and received 10 A's, six B's, one C and one D.
McCants told "Outside the Lines" that he didn't question the arrangement of tutors doing his work, nor did he question being steered to no-show classes in the AFAM department. McCants said he assumed tutors wrote papers for other athletes.
"I thought it was a part of the college experience, just like watching it on a movie from 'He Got Game' or 'Blue Chips,'" McCants told "Outside the Lines." "... when you get to college, you don't go to class, you don't do nothing, you just show up and play. That's exactly how it was, you know, and I think that was the tradition of college basketball, or college, period, any sport. You're not there to get an education, though they tell you that."
Impact unclear
McCants' claims are the latest problem for an athletic department that for years has been trying to move forward following the revelation in 2010 of widespread NCAA violations within the football program. Those violations hastened the retirement of former athletic director Dick Baddour, led to the firing of former coach Butch Davis and resulted in a postseason ban in football, among other penalties.
Until now, UNC's prestigious basketball program had avoided the controversy. It remains unclear what ramifications, if any, McCants' claims will bring. The NCAA has shown no sign that it is interested in investigating UNC's AFAM scandal.
Barring that admission, it could be difficult for the NCAA to investigate. John Infante, an NCAA rules expert who worked in the NCAA compliance offices at Loyola Marymount and Colorado State, outlined in a blog post how unlikely it could be for the NCAA to become involved at UNC.
"If UNC does not consider steering athletes toward the (no-show) classes to be a violation of academic policies, the NCAA cannot even start the process of finding an academic fraud violation," Infante wrote on his popular ByLaw Blog. "And if McCants had a paper written for him but would have been eligible even if he had failed the class, that is not an academic fraud violation."
Bubba Cunningham, the UNC athletic director, released a statement Friday in which he encouraged McCants to speak with Kenneth Wainstein, a former federal prosecutor UNC hired in January to investigate past issues of mixing academics and athletics.
"While these are the first allegations we have heard from Mr. McCants, I encourage him to speak with Mr. Wainstein," Cunningham said in his statement. "We are confident Mr. Wainstein's inquiry will provide us with a full understanding of these issues."
Cunningham said in his statement that some of McCants' teammates were "adamant" they had a different academic experience at UNC from the one McCants described.
Reached Friday, Cunningham reiterated his call for McCants to talk to Wainstein.
Wainstein in a statement said he "would welcome the opportunity" to speak with McCants.
During his years at UNC, McCants, who is from Asheville, was known for his grumpy demeanor and for making controversial statements. He once compared playing at UNC to being in prison, and in interviews he often spoke of how he felt he was misunderstood. He wore several tattoos, one of which read, "Born to be hated, dying to be loved."
After UNC won the national championship in 2005, McCants announced his decision to skip his senior season and enter the NBA draft. McCants averaged 9.9 points per game during his first four NBA seasons, but he never played in the league after that. He did not graduate from UNC.
On Friday morning, McCants paid a visit to U.S. Rep. Tony Cardenas, a Los Angeles-area lawmaker who has filed legislation that would provide college athletes more educational and health care rights. Cardenas had invited McCants after hearing he was talking about his academic experience at UNC.
Cardenas said McCants recounted being steered to the African studies major and told to enroll in the "paper" classes.
"He said, 'Now, the education I got there doesn't serve me very well in the real world,' " Cardenas said.
Twitter responses
Several former UNC basketball players used Twitter to dismiss McCants' comments. John Henson, who played at UNC from 2009 through 2012, described McCants as "certified bonkers" and "disreputable." Other former UNC players shared similar sentiments, while some defended their academic experience at UNC.
Later Friday, 16 members of UNC's 2005 national championship team released a joint statement, obtained by The Associated Press, that denied McCants' allegations.
The statement read, in part: "We are proud of our accomplishments both on and off the floor at UNC. With conviction, each one of us is proud to say that we attended class and did our own academic work. ...
"In light of the comments made by Rashad on ESPN Outside the Lines, we want to state that our personal academic experiences are not consistent with Rashad's claims. We know that Coach Williams did not have any knowledge of any academic impropriety, and further that Coach Williams would not have tried to manipulate a player's schedule."
McCants, who arrived at UNC when Matt Doherty was the team's head coach, said the coaching staff knew the academic situation for each player, and that the staff was familiar with the paper-class system that helped keep athletes eligible.
Reached on Friday afternoon, Doherty declined to be interviewed about McCants, but he released a short statement.
"I did not see any problems while I was at UNC as a player or a coach," said Doherty, a former UNC player who coached there from 2000 through 2003. "I feel sorry for Rashad. He has had a lot of ups and downs during his career. If there are any issues, I trust that Bubba Cunningham and the university will get to the bottom of it."
McCants, meanwhile, told "Outside the Lines" that he was prepared for a negative reaction from UNC fans.
"If there are Carolina fans that don't like what I'm saying and don't like what's happening right now, they need to look in the mirror, see that it's a bigger picture," McCants said. "I'm putting my life on the line for the younger generation right now, and I know that nobody else wants to step up and speak out because everybody's afraid, fear, submission, especially the black athletes ... .
"College was a great experience, but looking back at it, now it's almost a tragedy because I spent a lot of my time in a class I didn't do anything in."
Staff writer Dan Kane contributed to this report.


text: Logan is 9 months. It has been AT LEAST 2 months since he has drank any breast milk while I'm at work. We have tried everything. Different bottles, sippies, water bottles, normal cups, hot milk, cold milk, room temp milk and even freshly pumped milk. He won't take any of it. Instead he makes up for it during the night. I'm beyond exhausted. He was sleeping 6 to 7 hours prior to his expressed milk refusal. Since it started I have not gotten more than 3 to 4 hours of sleep at a time and I can feel the negative effects its putting on me. My mood is suffering and I'm afraid he will pick up on it. What else can I do? He drinks water from a sippie cup like a champ but he will NOT drink milk from it. We have even tried adding rice cereal to it because he loves rice cereal. Is there any other kind of flavoring I can add to it to maybe make it more appealing? I'm desperate. I'm not ready to give up but I can't take the sleep deprivation much longer.


text:
A friend of mine works in a record shop in the North of England.
He told me this story the other day -
"Today a bloke came up with a Revolutionaries CD and asked to listen to it. I stuck it on for him and a few minutes later he took the phones off and told me it was 'too reggaefied'. 'I like Scientist, King Tubby, that kind of thing' he said. So...I pulled out a Harry Mudie/Tubby CD and put that on for him. Same response".
If you were my friend what would you recommend at this point in proceedings ?


text:
There's nothing like the excitement of scoring a good deal at an outlet.
There's nothing like the excitement of scoring a good deal at an outlet.
The thrill of the hunt, the ding of the register and – in the case of anyone in the Cape Fear region – the long commute back home.
The Myrtle Beach area has two outlets and there's one off Interstate-95 in Smithfield.
But despite its tourist draw and surge in population in the warmer months, the greater Wilmington area is devoid of any outlet shopping.
Officials with Tanger Outlet, the group that owns and operates the two outlets in Myrtle Beach, said they consider several variables when they are determining where to build. Land availability, easy access to major roadways and potential profitability are all part of that mix.
Per officials with Tanger, no one from the region has approached them showing interest in an outlet mall.
Myrtle Beach has attracted outlet centers because it has a larger tourist population than Wilmington and also because of its major highway connectivity, said Nicholas Silivanch, vice president of retail leasing and acquisition at Coldwell Banker Commercial Sun Coast Partners in Wilmington. The Port City is more of a highway terminus, he said.
The Myrtle Beach centers are in heavy, very dense retail areas.
"Our retail areas lack the same amount of competitive retail that Myrtle Beach has," Silivanch said.
Owners of retail centers also look at the radius where people will travel, he added. Wilmington falls within 100 miles of the Myrtle Beach centers, for example.
That's true with other retailers as well. Ikea has found that people will travel 250 to 300 miles to shop there, so they won't build a store within that radius, Silivanch said.
"They feel comfortable that they have that much draw," he said.
The outlet business means big spending, according to reports by Value Retail News, a retail industry magazine that reports on more than 1,500 outlets and value retail chains.
According to the magazine's 2014 Outlet Centers Report, there are 201 outlet centers in North America, of which 191 are located in the United States.
Eleven centers have opened since September 2012 and another 11 are slated to open this year in either the United States or Canada.
"Simon and Tanger still rule North American outlet development – together the two companies operate 116 outlet centers totaling more than 41 million (square feet)," states the report.
The Smithfield location, Carolina Premium Outlets, is managed by the aforementioned Simon Property Group.
Nicholas Barrett, general manager and regional marketing manager for the Myrtle Beach locations, said both locations get a fair bit of traffic from the Wilmington area – although he declined to go into specifics.
While discretionary spending can fluctuate with the economy, outlet malls hold their own.
"Outlet retailing has proven to be resilient to many types of economic conditions," according to the report. "Areas of recent concern has been the impact of everything from the weather to Obamacare on traffic and sales in all sectors."
Steven B. Tanger, chairman and CEO of Tanger Outlets, said the difference between outlets and traditional malls differ because of the sales strategy.
"There's a lot of noise around existing sales, secular shifts from durable to nondurable, government shutdowns, weather, this, that and the other," Tanger said in the 2014 report. "But the retailers we deal with are sophisticated. They do have long-term strategies."
When asked if there was a need for bigger shopping options, area residents who follow the StarNews Facebook page were split.
Some people said they consistently go to Myrtle Beach's outlets and others said shopping locally was best. A compromise, some suggested, was simply filling the empty storefronts that already exist in the region.
One respondent said there was already enough development in Wilmington, adding that it was OK for Wilmington and Myrtle Beach to have different attractions.
Officials with the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce declined to comment about outlets saying it wasn't something they had information about.
Caitlin Dineen: 343-2339
On Twitter: @CaitlinDineen


text:
The reason for our Tennisopolis post is this: Since my
business partners and I are long-time tennis players. We were
asked (on short notice) if we could organize the booth for our company at the Cincy Tournament in August - So we are looking
for some help.
There are basically two approaches for volunteers:
There's room for about 3-6 more people in addition to my partners and I, August 7-22 the booth hours can be flexible. Both volunteer possibilities are welcomed. Call me for questions or additional information.
Annette Walbon
Views: 49
© 2018 Created by Mark / The Mayor. Powered by


text:
Published by the American Geological Institute
and Trends in the Geosciences
April 2000
Only three years before the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) faces a critical transformation, inclusion into the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, the president of the Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI) asked the director of the ODP to resign.
Kathryn Moran gave JOI President James D. Watkins, Admiral, U.S. Navy (retired) her resignation on Feb. 21. The event ripped through the oceanographic community. Three days after Morans forced resignation, 42 scientists in advisory positions for the Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth Sampling (JOIDES) threatened to tender their resignations if the JOI Board of Governors did not address their concerns.
I was very shocked when I was asked to resign, Moran said in a phone interview. She wrote twice to the board afterwards, worried that the loss of a director would have an impact on the programs future, she said.
Regardless of the merits of the recent JOI decision to remove Kate Moran, the result has been a crisis of confidence within the ODP community in the leadership, and the decision-making processes, at JOI, wrote two scientists on behalf of the 40 others. Oceanographer Nicklas G. Pisias of Oregon State University and James A. Austin Jr. of the University of Texas in Austin sent the letter to the JOI Board of Governors on Feb. 24.
Blame a communication gap
Morans forced resignation was a symptom of a disconnect between the JOI Board of Governors and the international scientific ocean drilling community JOI serves, wrote Pisias, Austin a member of a committee on ODPs future and two other scientists in another letter signed March 24. The JOI Board of Governors acts similarly to a board of executives in a company, with the oceanographic community benefiting from the science program as stakeholders instead of shareholders.
Initially the board of governors was set up and populated by individuals with a direct interest in the ODP, Moran said. Over the years there has been a loss of interest no one was watching over them.
The Ocean Drilling Program followed the efforts of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, which began in 1968 to core the depths of the global sea floor and record the rocks and fluids discovered. JOIDES is the international organization of grassroots volunteer scientists who advise JOI, the nonprofit company that manages the Ocean Drilling Program through a contract with the National Science Foundation. In 2003, the ODP will join with Japans Ocean Drilling in the 21st Century and other ocean drilling partners around the world into the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program.
The immediate actions that Pisias and Austin suggested to the Board of Governors in the Feb. 24 letter included two major changes. They asked to move the oversight of ODP to a subcommittee of the board and to institute a review of the general management, personnel policies and procedures of JOI.
JOI takes action
The JOI Board of Governors (BoG) met to discuss the communitys concerns and responded with a letter to Ted Moore of the University of Michigan and others on March 15, outlining several actions. JOI is now discussing a move to combine the ODP director and JOI president positions, Moore and colleagues wrote March 24 in a summary letter addressing the boards response. Moore, chair of the International Planning Sub-Committee to help structure the future role of the ODP, sent the letter to members of the scientific community who have interests in the present and future of ocean drilling. Any change in hiring positions will need approval from the National Science Foundation.
Adm. Watkins is currently both president of JOI and president of the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE), which lobbies to enhance U.S. funding for ocean research. In the midst of these changes, Adm. Watkins announced March 7 to the CORE Board of Governors his intention to retire before the end of the current legislative session, said Terry Schaff, assistant to the president of JOI. As of now, the current legislative session is scheduled to recess Oct. 6. When the admiral retires, CORE and JOI will compete for new presidents, Schaff said.
The board also established a Management Oversight Committee to assist in overseeing the ODP and has appointed John Orcutt of Scripps Institution of Oceanography to develop a transition plan for ODP to be presented to the Executive Committee of JOIDES in June.
Changes seen as optimistic
Reaction to Morans termination from both the U.S. and various non-U.S. partners within the JOIDES community was swift and strong, Moore wrote in the March 24 letter signed by Austin, Pisias and the chair of the U.S. Science Advisory Committee, Peggy Delaney of the University of California, Santa Cruz. Virtually all JOIDES scientists viewed this event as detrimental to the health of the ODP and to prospects for a continuation of scientific ocean drilling beyond 2003, they wrote.
Moore and colleagues were hopeful that the new management committee would address many of the issues that gave rise to the miscommunication and misunderstanding between the BoG and the ODP Director, they wrote.
Although recent advertisements in the March 14 EOS for Morans position reflected the state of matters at the time, Schaff said, they were developed prior to the decision to combine the ODP director position with the presidency of JOI. New advertisements are expected.
Although Moran is still uncertain about why the action against her was taken, she said she is hopeful ODP will have a successful future.
Kate brought to ODP a vision of the future and the energy to transform a program that is in its twilight into a program with a new beginning, Austin and Pisias wrote. Of primary concern to the ODP community is whether Kate Moran was a good director of the Ocean Drilling Program. From the communitys perspective, the answer is clearly yes.
Christina Reed


text:
You already know what the Dolphins are planning to do with Ryan Tannehill so that's yesterday's news. But the question now becomes what the team will do with its remaining quarterbacks.
Will the team keep all four -- Tannehill, David Garrard, Matt Moore and Pat Devlin -- or will someone have to go?
It must be said that Miami could very well keep all four, assuming all the pieces fall into place. Those pieces include Garrard accepting a backup role, Garrard getting healthy, Pat Devlin going to practice squad and no other team offering a trade for either Garrard or Moore.
But logic, financial ramifications and circumstances may lead the Dolphins to jettison one of the two veterans.
Let us examine the scenario.
First, accept the fact Joe Philbin and his staff are comfortable with three quarterbacks. He has said as much so I take him at his word. Also accept the fact the Dolphins are in a relatively awful salary cap situation.
How awful?
The Dolphins are in the bottom five NFL teams on cap space. The club's cap space hovers between $2 million and $2.31 million, depending on the week. Last week, that was third-worst in the NFL with only the Steelers and Lions having less cap space than the Dolphins.
Now, how a team without a proven franchise quarterback and a lack of bigtime playmakers can find itself in such a compromising cap situation, I haven't the answer. But that doesn't change the facts.
Understanding Miami's tough cap situation, you now understand one reason why Jake Long's much-anticipated contract extension hasn't been signed. And you hopefully understand that some of the roster decisions the team is about to make may be driven, at least in part, based on salaries.
Said another way, if the team can decide between two relatively equal players and one is making considerably less than the other, the more expensive guy is more likely to go.
That brings us to Moore and Garrard. Keeping both is a salary cap luxury. Moore is scheduled to make $2.25 million in base salary this year. Garrard is scheduled to make $2.75 million in base salary. Cutting or trading one would make sense. The Dolphins would lower the price they're paying for backup quarterbacks, which now promises to be at a relatively expensive $6.5 million in salary cap space for both players.
Most teams allocate anywhere between $3-$5 million in cap space for the backup quarterback. So you see the Dolphins are way above that.
And how does the team get down to a more acceptable number if it is looking to clear some cap space? It either cuts, trades or in Garrard's case perhaps negotiates an injury settlement, with one of the players.
Where would that leave the Dolphins?
With one veteran backup and a developmental player (Devlin) either on the roster or more likely on the practice squad. (Devlin is eligible for the practice squad.)
So which backup would the Dolphins prefer?
He is healthy. He is good in the locker room and in the quarterback room. He is accepting of the fact he has lost the quarterback competition to Ryan Tannehill even while he feels "frustrated" that he didn't play better this training camp and preseason.
Moore also has a history of having helped the Dolphins to a 6-3 finish last season as the step-in starter once Chad Henne was injured.
Why not Garrard?
He's injured. He's not going to be ready for the start of the season. He's the more expensive player. And there is a question of how accepting he would be of being the backup, given that he was the starter when he got hurt and his stated goal is to once again start in the NFL.
With Garrard, the Dolphins also have to consider that he is developing something of an injury history and reputation. He was out all of last year because of a back injury. While he says that is completely well, he hasn't taken a hit since then so questions remain. And even without taking a hit, Garrard injured his knee. He's also not exactly ahead of schedule on his rehabilitation.
All of this raises questions as to how long Garrard could hold down the proverbial fort if, say, Tannehill is injured or benched and the backup must play for extended weeks.
So while a healthy Garrard may be a better quarterback than Moore, he's not necessarily the better option to be kept now.
One more thing: This all would all have to play out before the first week of the season. That's the timetable because as vested veterans, both Garrard and Moore will have their full base salaries guaranteed for the year if they're on the roster for the start of the first regular-season week.
Speaking of salary cap space, check out the numbers below that show the bottom 10 NFL teams. They are from last week, which were the latest numbers available to me.
32) Steelers: $2.16 M
31) Lions: $2.19 M
30) Dolphins: $2.31 M
29) Chargers: $2.87 M
28) Falcons: $2.93 M
27) Rams: $2.94 M
26) Ravens $3.123 M
25) Giants: $3.125 M
24) 49ers: $3.24 M
23) Texans: $3.30 M


text:
Contacts for Chinese SEM Specialist
SEM Specialist
Companies are always looking for professionals who have experience but who could also speak the languages. So in addition to the experience, it is required to know the level of Chinese native speakers.
So it is not always possible to find a Chinese SEM in Italy, and you have to go abroad, even if some company is under the illusion that the Chinese may have experience as SEM Specialist and they can also speak Italian! Pure science fiction! Yet the classic agencies NOT work, they are racing to look for the SEM Specialist Chinese in Italy. But you know them the Chinese in Italy? That not even speak Italian! And you even look for a SEM Specialist Chinese? And the fleeing companies (or pretend to escape by opening legal headquarters abroad, but doing business in Italy – ed).
For those few Italians with a minimum of intelligence still remained in the brain, and not taken from "mania abroad at all costs" do a bit of the situation of what being SEM Specialist.
Specialist SEM – Search Engine Marketing Specialist
Let's start with NOT to be confused:
– SEO Search Engine Optimization
– SEM Search Engine Marketing
They are 2 different things that require two different roles:
– SEO Specialist (deals with: Indexing, Optimization and Placement of Organic Results on Search Engines)
– SEM Specialist (is responsible for: managing PPC campaigns (Pay-Per-Click) / CPC (Cost-Per-Click) results in a fee on Search Engines)
SEO is the SEM, require a budget to manage.
For budget NOT means the cost of the employee SEO or SEM!
For budget it means that once hired Specialist SEO or SEM Specialist, there will be a monthly amount / quarterly / half-yearly / yearly, to invest in SEO and / or SEM.
You do not have a budget? I thought that the Internet was "all free"?
At maybe you should consider yourself to dedicate yourself to the noble art of agriculture 😉
Look at it this way: do SEO and / or SEM activities is a "luxury" that not everyone can afford.
If you have no money to invest, you forget to be able to count on the support of an SEM Specialist (professional and not the "pischelli" who tell of being SEM, after doing the classic "corsettino for illusionists SEM 350 Euros" that are scattered for the network with their personal sitarelleri and / or mono-pages.
Same goes for SEO Specialist.
The double figure of the SEM / SEO Specialist exists only in the heads (delayed – ed) of the NOT the employment agency consultants, who delude themselves to enslave people into doing two roles in one, but paying half as a single role. Obviously there are professionals with SEM and SEO skills, but you'll pay them twice and not half!
But we are in Italy alas … the land of the "general rush" and "scoundrels of the neighborhood" that still think of only one thing: "fool the next."
Let us return to Chinese SEM Specialist
Looking for the Chinese in Italy and writes the ad in Italian!
But if the Chinese do not know 'and read nor write in Italian, I DO NOT work agency
go to write the announcement of the SEM Specialist Chinese in Italian?
But you are just out of this world!
You HR / Recruiter with the rotten core, you think only about money and customer "svendete" professionals for 4 pence!
If you are looking for a Chinese, write in Chinese, otherwise you'll never find!
The real problem is that these "geniuses" who seek (and the customer, poor deluded – Ed) SEM Specialist Chinese, do not even know how to write in Italian! and menano much with the fluent English and Chinese!
When's the SEM Specialist Indian?
But we want them to work the interpreters and those who have studied languages or not?
Or should we all become multi-Lungu translators for each Vs. "enlightenment"?
And if a trying day even the HR / Recruiter Chinese, you, how would you react?
Fear eh?
Given that you can not even write in Italian, who knows what would you do! Worse than those who, alas, sleeping on the street!
People who have no guilt, apart from the HR / Recruiter looking for an SEM Specialist Chinese! They deserve Ns. best wishes to learn the Chinese language in order to work in Italy!
skills required for SEM Specialist
– At least 2 years experience as SEM
– Creating campaigns for Ad-Server
– Creativity / template (but this is the stuff of graphics / web designer! What does the SEM Specialist? – Ed)
– Setting up Google AdWords account (the "configuration": D who knows which operation will never be so complicated!)
– Campaign Optimization SEM
– Periodic reports
– Display advertising campaigns knowledge (when it comes to "Ad-Server" it is normal that it comes to diplay, but do not tell for HR / Recruiter of the moment that are quite "pemalosetti" – ed) –
– Creation of template (in this case: it is the task of the graphic / web designer! Let alone the SEM Specialist, and even seek for a graphic / web designer! Starvation deaths no money for co-workers, but with the full portfolio for vs. "vices"! – ed.)
– Excellent knowledge of Google Adwords
– Good knowledge of HTML
– Javascript
and now comes the "icing on the cake for SEM Specialist who was" stoked "to have all the skills required!
Hold fast !!!!
– Indispensable fluent in Chinese language
We tell him together with the HR / Recruiter?
Yes, come on, let's face !!! Let's rein, at least in writing to Ns. anger and frustration!
– Indispensable fluent Chinese language skills for SEM Specialist?
Answer: But go to hell in China: HR / Recruiter sold !!!
Good. China chapter closed.
Who wants to hear, and who is not, if they make a right!
Roles of SEM Specialist
Talking about serious things, we analyze the skills required to SEM.
The SEM Specialist must possess skills in online marketing, web marketing and internet marketing,
and it must also have analytical skills and verbal and written communication.
SEM professional is also expected to know the major search engines, the network of research sites for a fee in Google, Yahoo, Bing, Facebook.
The excellent analytical skills and use of monitoring software, and the identification of technical problems make it an SEM Specialist rapid development of solutions and proposals for the development of business.
SEM Specialist and Landing Page
If you do not know the meaning of Landing Page, well then, you can not consider yourself a true SEM Specialist!
In order for the CPC SEM / PPC campaigns are to be successful, you need to use the Landing Page
The clicks you pay (expensive, very expensive – ed) and therefore, it is appropriate to monetize the incoming traffic on your site, otherwise you will have thousands of visitors and 0 (zero) turnover.
I often read online on definitions of SEM, and / or interviews with various characters, but no one ever enters into the details of their business (who knows why – ed).
And in the end they have not found the SEM Specialist Chinese!
That's weird! Maybe the Chinese in addition to copy all the made in Italy, now, will begin to also copy the SEM Specialist: D. But I have found them, namely: the "talent scout of Chinese" in Italy.
It 'a company on the brink of bankruptcy. They have no internal employees but "external collaborators", enslaved by the contracting agencies contracts. Usual Italian stuff.
My curiosity and my question: why look for a SEM Specialist Chinese in Milan?
I had to ask … was stronger than me.
I had before "the architect" of this series of research "made in China".
To my question: "but why look for a SEM Specialist Chinese in Milan?"
The answer: "because customers who request it"
Customers seeking the SEM Specialist Chinese in Milan, who are they?
To this question, even there is no answer, but I'm investigating. Sooner or later he will arrive also to the customer "estimator" of the Chinese: D
And Chinese translators what happened?
Well, now those are no longer needed.
Now it is fashionable to have more of the target market language skills,
in short, you are a SEM Specialist and want to work in Italy?
Start to learn Chinese, if you want to work, otherwise you will have all the experience of the world, but will not be enough, because "their customers demand it."
But the extent to which "the customer" can affect your life?
Lack of backbone and character …
You need to know "show the way" to the customer set with SEM Specialist Chinese.
We have already passed the point of no return in Italy, where "you do everything for the customer"
without taking into account the skills and expertise of the internal team, "you do what the customer wants."
And if it is the customer who decides everything, you who "passively wait" what good are you?
Thou hast never asked the question (simple, simple – ed)?
What need you, if you are not able to "shew the way" to those who want the SEM Specialist Chinese at all costs?


text:
DailyDirt: Storing Digital Bits In More Ways
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
- Storing digital information in minerals could create memory technology that's durable for a million years. However, the problem probably won't be how long the information remains un-corrupted -- but how long it'll be before the tech is obsolete and no one can retrieve their ancient file formats. Storing information for hundreds or thousands of years can be done, but it's also difficult to ensure the technology to read it will still exist. [url]
- 3D Xpoint is a new kind of non-volatile memory from Intel and Micron that claims to be 1,000 times faster than current flash drives and solid state drives. It's also 10 times denser than conventional memory and is expected to be commercially available in 2016. [url]
- Photonic memory chips sound like the future, and some researchers have even created a non-volatile kind of memory using phase change materials. Using light instead of electrons as the basis for computing devices isn't quite ready yet, but creating more and more components that could form a completely optical computer could jumpstart a different kind of Moore's law. [url]


text:
I've done away with new year's resolutions and adopted instead affirmations for the new year. Unlike resolutions, affirmations cannot be broken.
Among my affirmations: "I feel gratitude for all the people who bless my life." While I feel gratitude on a daily basis for my family, friends, co-workers, and the children and families whose lives have intersected with mine, I don't think I've always shared and expressed my feelings of gratitude as well as I might.
This morning I learned from NPR about the book 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed my Life by John Kralik, a lawyer who decided to write one thank you note a day for a year—to family, friends, co-workers, even to the barista at his local Starbucks.
Feeling inspired, I immediately ordered a copy of the book which I can't wait to read. How could a life not be profoundly changed by this experience? While I am not resolving to write 365 notes this year (because if I missed a day, I would feel inclined to beat myself up rather than feel good about the 364 that I did write), I do affirm that "I share words of gratitude with the people who bless my life." When I have a thought of gratitude toward someone, I will let them know and put more of those thoughts into writing.
And that includes all of you who have taken the time to read this blog and have shared your own words of gratitude and gentle support here over the past year. Wishing you and your families a bright new dawn and every blessing for the year ahead!
What are your affirmations for the year ahead? I'd love to hear them!


text:
|2006-11-16, 16:31
|Link #201
I see what you did there!
|2006-11-16, 16:34
|Link #202
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Netherlands
I guess the information that is lost during the process of transcoding from one source to whatever you want is not equivalent to what the human eye can distinguish, especially when you use filters. There may be information lost, but you can 'deceive' the eye (removing errors, making lines sharper blabla) and make it look better than it did.
You're kinda active these days Uchikatsu :P
|2006-11-17, 04:39
|Link #203
What? I am washed up!
Although, to be honest, I think I'll try and do the next series I encode in pure H.264, with maybe an XVid version coming later if need be. I'm holding on to my XVid far too harshly, and I really haven't learnt that much about H.264 yet... I don't know how or when to push it, and how much I can push it by... Need to catch up ^^
|2007-10-14, 16:58
|Link #204
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Question about H.264 file sizes
Hi, I'm relatively new to playing H.264 files, but I've noticed that most of the H.264 releases are larger in filesize than their XviD counterparts. It pretty much makes burning a 26-episode series on one DVD impossible.
I've seen a lot of the H.264 encodes at HD resolutions, while most XviD encodes are done at smaller resolutions to save on space. But if the H.264 spec was designed to capture information at lower bitrates, then intuitively, shouldn't most encodes be comparable in size to the XviD versions, even at higher resolutions?
For comparison, I see most XviD files (704x396) are around 170-180 MB, while H.264 files (1280x720) are in excess of 240 MB. I can understand that 720p is a lot more pixels to encode than 480p, but for my edification, is 240 MB really the "best" that H.264 can compress, or are these encodes quite liberal with their bitrates?
|2007-10-14, 17:35
|Link #205
makes no files now
Join Date: May 2006
As opposed to what h264 would look at the roughly same filesize (bitrate in more precise terms):
(note: Encodes were produced by different people and and also at different bitrates, but it demonstrates the case well, different raw source too I guess).
And note for the second one that there is still some blocking (I assume it was not on the source and was caused due to the codec not having enough bitrate to allocate for such a high motion scene).
Also, I don't want to nitpick or anything, but you can try taking a look yourself at some 1280x720 h264 encodes that were done at 175MB and you'll see they are horribly blurred and scrapped of detail. I won't be pointing with my finger, they're not so hard to find...
Definition of "best" is rather vague in this context. Does it mean "highest possible quality" or "smallest filesize possible with acceptable quality"?. Of course it depends on the source as to how well something is compressible, however if we count ~20MB for audio, you are left with something like 210MB for video, which is usually a bitrate around 1200kbps (for a usual 24 minute episode). Personally I worked with three 720p sources up to date, and going below 1100kbps (without causing blurring and loss of detail) has proven to be quite problematic. So my personal answer would be "that's as best as you can go while not cutting down too much on quality and not having a big sized file". Next step higher and you're on 350MB (if we take the so called "filesize standards" into account). Guess what wins here?
EDIT: Still in quite a few cases you will see h264 and XviD encodes at the roughly same filesize, however in most cases they both have the same resolution. In some cases the h264 encode will be smaller, usually 140MB (seems to be used fairly often) as opposed to 175MB. This is where you can observe that h264 does compress better, but feel free to do your own comparisons and decide.
Last edited by martino; 2007-10-14 at 17:57.
|2007-10-14, 17:54
|Link #206
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Thanks for the quick and informative response!
Since I've only just started watching H.264 encodes, most of which are at actual HD resolution, I'm only now noticing the subtle imperfections you mentioned at bitrates lower than 1000 kpbs or so.
|2007-10-14, 21:46
|Link #207
Away for good
Join Date: Mar 2006
Age: 30
I still prefer YV12 above anything lossless I got space, and once again the original caps had a much larger filesize (with a higher bitrate of course). These caps here weren't made for you that have very low space (Can anyone define "low space" Please!?)
Again "we" cap TV streams that ARE made to be viewed on a PC, and this means TV>Harddrive>PC Monitor Output.
Depending on what "media player" you use (software that is). They usually have a type of filtering for example MPC has one for DVDs, it doesn't really "filter" em, but it removes that extra brightness added when using a software based media player compared to a hardware based one.
You can if you want, remove this "add" when encoding to a source more suitable for a PC, or you can just let the media player (software in this case) do it's work. This might save you from using a filter that might remove one type of "noise" which in some cases, adds "another" one. And this one is usually a blurred or extra sharp or (you name it) "add" (filter in this case), that comes with your "noise remover".
Remember this: Re-encoding an already capped & cleaned up source might give you a worser result (almost everytime in fansubbing cases), unless the original capper forgot to remove mpeg deblocking or similar things.
You're just a fan watching fansubs. You don't need to interfere with that which falls beyond your knowledge.
|2007-10-14, 22:14
|Link #209
|2007-10-15, 00:23
|Link #211
Away for good
Join Date: Mar 2006
Age: 30
BTW, space has nothing to do with CPU, just cuz h264 eats more out of your CPU it doesn't mean that it takes more space. If you want "HQ" then use WMV9.
Take a laptop for example, you got a core2/P4 but only a 120gb harddrive, and one episode for me is between 300-500mb.
|2007-10-15, 00:42
|Link #212
Certified Organic
Join Date: Dec 2005
perhaps, however, a higher Quality H264 video file will be larger than a Low Quality H264.
the purpose of using xvid is so that everyone can play the video, or do you disagree?
so why do you need to release the same show in 2 codecs that everyone can play? shouldnt you pick one to cater to the higher end users also?
|2007-10-15, 01:00
|Link #213
Away for good
Join Date: Mar 2006
Age: 30
The "majority" is people from the US and we know that well. The "majority" still have low end PCs and this is were the thing comes in.
|2007-10-15, 01:46
|Link #214
Certified Organic
Join Date: Dec 2005
So you are saying WMV3 is as good as xvid? I cannot agree with that.
a 5 to 6 year old computer is not exactly the stone age. it would be about the age it should be replaced. only college kids and techies should be expected to upgrade their computer every two years. I can understand how you would think like that though since your young and grew up in the home PC era.
I should point out that windows XP is very much alive, even more than the newer vista. also Pentium IV's have been around for years and are still doing a good job. dual and quad core processors are nice, but they are not needed to word process or surf the web, which is what most people use their home PC's for.
so your view on 'evolution' may not fit everyone's ideal. Last I checked most houses use a DVD player. probably one in a hundred thousand people use HD or blueray (this an exaggeration obviously). Xvid and Divx are very much alive, my friend. just not in retail stores.
|2007-10-15, 05:00
|Link #215
Join Date: Feb 2006
|2007-10-15, 07:36
|Link #216
makes no files now
Join Date: May 2006
|2007-10-15, 07:46
|Link #217
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
And yes, the evolution of codecs is to save space among other things IMO. If it weren't, there really wouldn't be much point in making a new codec. Would people really use a new codec for anime releases if it made the filesize twice as big for the same quality? It would have to feature something pretty spiffy to make up for that type of inefficiency.
|2007-10-15, 11:02
|Link #218
|2007-10-15, 11:07
|Link #219
Away for good
Join Date: Mar 2006
Age: 30
Some still tend to hug these sizes 170-179mb or 222-233mb etc. That's the problem. Why can't they just encode until they see that it fits their "needs"? That's what QC also was about but got quicly dropped due to people still didnt have that "fast" CPU back then and time. I still hug my P4 it does it's job but it's just for a server now were it works minimally.
And remember, they play with lossless sources and we don't, we play along with a cappers source, unless he releases a .TS rip.
Again just cuz some (if not alot) stash their stuff on CD/DVDs it doesn't mean that you should still hug to this "US standardization". Yes you heard me, and they still release 700mb Movies and it's 2007... almost 2008... 1 tb harddrives costs less than 200 gb hardrives if you look back at 2002 were 1Tb didn't even exist officially... People have copied this and I know that it's here in Europe aswell, Some parts of Asia does it also, But why can't you just leave the CD/DVD era? Fansubs can always be found once more. And If you only watch them once why stash them? If you plan to buy the R1 ugly as hell DVDs then it would be pointless.. But then again stashing them on a harddrives would be the same except that it was the general idea to watch them from your hardrive.
Now it's up to you on what to do. Copy what others have done, or move forward.
Open source beats hacked/closed Source!
|2007-10-15, 11:35
|Link #220
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Netherlands
video codec comparison. And i also remember something about coreavc (closed source) being a way faster decoder than libavcodec, though I use the latter ever since I found out about weird blocking in coreavc's decoded material.
|Thread Tools


text:
Dakota STEP going online in spring 2014
Yes, you read that correctly! A year from now, in the spring of 2014, all South Dakota students who take the Dakota STEP assessment will be doing so online.
According to Secretary of Education Dr. Melody Schopp, the decision to take the Dakota STEP online was not made lightly. We believe it is critical to make this move prior to the 2014-15 school year, when we will have a brand new assessment aligned to the new Common Core standards, which will also be delivered online, Schopp said. This move will give students and teachers valuable experience with online assessment, and it will allow local school districts and the state the opportunity to test our technology infrastructures.
In the coming weeks, the Department of Education will continue to send out updates related to the Dakota STEP. Site visits and webinars will be taking place to help school districts get ready for this change. Administrators should begin making sure they have enough machines to accommodate all students in the tested grades, and that those machines are capable and compatible to handle the testing format. Network strength and bandwidth will also need to be considered. Another round of the Technology Readiness Survey will begin in early March, so administrators can get a better idea of where their schools are at, at that time.
To help students and teachers get used to online testing, DOE continues to expand and improve upon the SD Assessment Portal, or SDAP. The department has been working diligently to align items currently in the portal to Common Core, and to expand the number of items available.
For more information, contact Gay Pickner at (605) 773-3247.


text:
- Font:
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GUNUNG SITOLI, Indonesia — International rescuers on Friday abandoned their search for survivors in the main city of the Indonesian island that bore the brunt of a powerful earthquake four days ago.
A U.N. official said teams would move to other Nias island towns that suffered damage in Monday night's magnitude-8.7 quake.
"There are no (more) survivors here," said Olaf Lingjerde, a U.N. search and rescue official. "We found one person alive yesterday morning, that was the last person. It's been 24 hours since then and there's been nothing."
In the early hours of Thursday, a 13-year-old girl was pulled out alive from a collapsed five-story building 52 hours after the quake.
Four international teams have spent the days since the quake combing the wreckage of about 200 collapsed houses in the city of Gunung Sitoli but have only managed to pull a few people alive from the rubble.
"After three days the survivor rate goes down, especially when you have this weather," Lingjerde said, referring to heavy rain that has fallen in recent days. "There are no reports from locals of any more sounds" from under the rubble.
Some of the rescuers were taking helicopters to remote parts of the island to resume searching there and the Antara news agency reported that Hungary was sending a team of searchers with special sniffer dogs to help.
U.N. relief coordinator Francois Desruisseauz said that a ship carrying 350 tons of rice, water, tinned fish and other supplies arrived at Nias late Thursday and the food was being distributed to hungry survivors Friday.
The rice was shipped from warehouses in Aceh province, where it was being stored to give to victims of the Dec. 26 quake and tsunami catastrophe that killed more than 126,000 in Indonesia and left about half a million homeless.
The government said that so far 279 bodies had been recovered and the final toll would likely be between 400-500 across the disaster zone. Earlier in the week, gave death toll estimates ranging from 1,000 to 2,000.
Angry and hungry survivors have been demanding help from Indonesia's government to speed up delivery of aid.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono toured the island Thursday and at one point officials were confronted by a group of hungry and angry survivors.
"Bad damage to roads and bridges and bad weather are disturbing distribution of aid and the relief effort," Yudhoyono admitted.
Across the island, a search helicopter discovered a group of 11 Western surfers who had been missing since the quake, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said.
"They're feeling well, considering the circumstances," Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Karlsson said. He said the surfers had slept outside since the quake.
Stockpiles of emergency supplies are already in Aceh, taken there to help feed and care for survivors of the Dec. 26 quake and tsunami disaster that killed more than 126,000 Indonesians.
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Help yourselves live a better life.
- Posts
So many people I've come across have told me this, "The world is getting fatter"; "People are getting lazier nowadays"; "There aren't many good looking people around anymore."
Yes, I agree. Ever since the age of technology, people have been walking less and less compared to their ancestors. I know, because I am living in the so called "new generation", where most youngsters use a smartphone, drives a car, and spend time on socializing in settings such as clubs, bars, through drinking. Yes, alcohol. We party hard and make the most of our lives? Alcohol consumed in small amount is still fine but when consumed in high amounts will cause adverse effects.
The one flaw about this generation generation of humans is that, we neglect 'exercising'. It may be because we don't have time, or we're just lazy. Well, what I say to that is, make time for it. Laziness is contagious, it can spread from one person to another.
People should see that we all need some form of exercise in our life. It doesn't have to be "hard-core" exercising like hitting the gym or jogging 20 laps on the football field, but walking more, doing some stretches, playing sports, sweat! That's all we need in a day, to sweat!
Exercising helps our body in many ways. It improves blood circulation, makes our heart healthy, boosts our self-esteem. For the ageing, it prevents arthritis and a lot of back pain. For the guys, a healthy heart means more than you imagine! As for the girls, you won't be complaining about those cellulite forming or the belly fat that's growing!
As much as we all want to enjoy life, remember that exercising allows us to experience life in an even more intense way! For the teens out there, partying will feel like never before. Also when you grow old, you'll save yourselves from a lot of back aches to come. Don't neglect exercising in your lives. If you choose to neglect exercising, remember, that your future health is at risk here.


text:
Grand Theft Auto IV Walkthrough
|First Date
Michelle seems like a really nice girl, doesn't she? As you get to her apartment, she's still getting ready to go out, but she'll let you in. Niko makes some observations about her apartment, and then proposes the two of them go to the "funfair" (he means carnival, of course). Michelle seems smitten with that idea, and just like that, the two are out the door and in Michelle's car en route to that location.
The GPS will give you a quick route to the south end of the borough where the carnival is located. As you drive, Michelle and Niko will have an interesting and awkward conversation, so listen closely. As you arrive to your destination, Michelle will make the obvious observation that the carnival appears to be closed. But, knowing the area well enough, she lets you know that there's an alternative nearby -- bowling.
Bowling is a lovely sport everyone can enjoy, so get out of the car and begin to walk on the nearby boardwalk heading leftward towards a bowling alley called Memory Lanes (how clever!) Head on inside and walk up to the counter and accept a half-game of bowling, which will only last five frames (or more if you manage a turkey). Regardless of who wins, have fun, because the bowling minigame in GTAIV is surprisingly satisfactory.
|Give us feedback!
|Continue Walkthrough...
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