text:
December 1, 2011 - Both output and new orders rose at slower, albeit still solid, rates in November, according to the RBC Canadian Manufacturing Purchasing Managers IndexTM (RBC PMITM), a monthly survey, conducted in association with Markit, a leading global financial information services company, and the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC), which offers a comprehensive and early indicator of trends in the Canadian manufacturing sector.
The headline RBC PMI - a composite indicator designed to provide a single-figure snapshot of the health of the manufacturing sector - registered 53.3 in November, down from 53.7 in October, and indicated the weakest improvement in Canadian manufacturing business conditions in four months. Index readings above 50.0 signal expansion from the previous month; readings below 50.0 indicate contraction.
The RBC PMI found that Canadian manufacturing business conditions improved further in November. New orders and output both increased solidly, with firms generally linking growth to greater client demand. Nevertheless, the rates of increase eased since October to five- and four-month lows respectively. New export orders also fell for the second month running. Meanwhile, the rate of input price inflation slowed further from April's peak to the weakest in the 14-month survey history.
"The latest RBC PMI numbers show that global uncertainty is weighing on the Canadian Manufacturing sector," said Craig Wright, senior vice-president and chief economist, RBC. "Although the Canadian numbers continue to point to an expansion in the sector compared to declines in other parts of the globe, the trend over the last couple of months has been one of slowing growth."
In addition to the headline RBC PMI, the survey also tracks changes in output, new orders, employment, inventories, prices and supplier delivery times.
Key findings from the November survey include:
Firms partly attributed the latest improvement in operating conditions to greater client demand. Subsequently, the volume of new orders received by Canadian manufacturers rose solidly in November. That said, new order growth eased since October and was the weakest in five months. Meanwhile, new export orders fell for the second month running, albeit the latest decline was only marginal.
Reflective of larger new orders, monitored companies raised production further in November. Output growth was nonetheless the slowest since July. Backlogs of work fell for the second consecutive month, while stocks of finished goods decreased modestly.
Panellists bought a larger amount of inputs in November, as has been the case since data collection began 14 months ago. Anecdotal evidence attributed the increase in purchasing activity to greater new order requirements. That said, input inventories were depleted for the third month running, as some firms introduced leaner stock holding policies. Concurrently, suppliers' delivery times lengthened during the latest survey period. A number of respondents suggested that vendors were also working with lower stocks.
Employment in Canada's manufacturing sector increased further during November. Approximately one-fifth of surveyed firms hired additional staff, compared with 12 per cent that reduced their headcounts, and generally linked job creation to further output growth.
Higher input costs were recorded by Canadian manufacturers during the latest survey period. Fuel and steel were particularly mentioned as having increased in price. Although the rate of input price inflation was solid overall, it slowed further from April's peak to the weakest in the 14-month series history.
Respondents attempted to pass on greater cost burdens to clients by raising their output charges in November. However, average selling prices rose only fractionally, with a number of monitored companies commenting on stronger competitive pressures.
Regional highlights include:
"Although the overall improvement in business conditions was solid in November, the latest report highlighted a further easing in the rate of growth of the Canadian manufacturing sector," said Cheryl Paradowski, President and Chief Executive Officer, PMAC. "New orders received by Canadian manufacturers continued to increase, which reflected greater demand, but the rate of expansion was the slowest since June. Moreover, new export orders fell for the second month running, albeit only marginally. That said, inflationary pressures eased further, making the latest rise in input prices the weakest in the survey's history."
The report is available at www.rbc.com/newsroom/pmi
- 30 -
For further information, contact:
Royal Bank of Canada
Rina Cortese,
Director, Media Relations
RBC Capital Markets
Telephone +001-416-974-5506
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Gillian McArdle,
Head of Communications, Canada,
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Telephone +001-416-842-4231
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Cheryl Paradowski,
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Notes to Editors:
The RBC Canadian Manufacturing PMI Report is based on
data compiled from monthly replies to questionnaires sent
to purchasing executives in over 400 industrial companies.
The panel is stratified by Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC) group, based on the industry contribution to GDP.
Survey responses reflect the change, if any, in the current
month compared to the previous month based on data collected
mid-month. For each of the indicators the 'Report' shows the
percentage reporting each response, the net difference between
the number of higher/better responses and lower/worse responses,
and the 'diffusion' index. This index is the sum of the positive
responses plus a half of those responding 'the same'.
Diffusion indexes have the properties of leading indicators
and are convenient summary measures showing the prevailing
direction of change. An index reading above 50 indicates an
overall increase in that variable, below 50 an overall decrease.
The RBC Canadian Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index
(RBC PMI) is a composite index based on five of
the individual indexes with the following weights: New Orders
- 0.3, Output - 0.25, Employment - 0.2, Suppliers' Delivery
Times - 0.15, Stock of Items Purchased - 0.1, with the Delivery
Times Index inverted so that it moves in a comparable direction.
The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) survey methodology
has developed an outstanding reputation for providing the
most up-to-date possible indication of what is really happening
in the private sector economy by tracking variables such as
sales, employment, inventories and prices. The indices are
widely used by businesses, governments and economic analysts
in financial institutions to help better understand business
conditions and guide corporate and investment strategy. In
particular, central banks in many countries (including the
European Central Bank) use the data to help make interest
rate decisions. PMI surveys are the first indicators of economic
conditions published each month and are therefore available
well ahead of comparable data produced by government bodies.
Markit do not revise underlying survey data after first publication,
but seasonal adjustment factors may be revised from time to
time as appropriate which will affect the seasonally adjusted
data series. Historical data relating to the underlying (unadjusted)
numbers, first published seasonally adjusted series and subsequently
revised data are available to subscribers from Markit. Please
contact email@example.com.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries
operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada's largest
bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and
among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization.
We are one of North America's leading diversified financial
services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking,
wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment
banking and transaction processing services on a global basis.
We employ approximately 74,000 full- and part-time employees
who serve close to 15 million personal, business, public sector
and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S.
and 55 other countries. For more information, please visit
About Purchasing Management Association of Canada
The Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC) is
the leading, and the largest, association in Canada for supply
chain management professionals. With 7,000 members working
across private and public sectors, PMAC is the principal source
of supply chain training, education and professional development
in the country, requiring all members to adhere to a Code
of Ethics. Through its 10 Provincial and Territorial Institutes,
PMAC grants the SCMP (Supply Chain Management Professional)
designation, the highest achievement in the field and the
mark of strategic leadership. For more information please
see www.pmac.ca.
About Markit
Markit is a leading, global financial information services
company with over 2,300 employees. The company provides independent
data, valuations and trade processing across all asset classes
in order to enhance transparency, reduce risk and improve
operational efficiency. Its client base includes the most
significant institutional participants in the financial marketplace.
For more information, see www.markit.com.
About PMIs
Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) surveys
are now available for 32 countries and also for key regions
including the Eurozone. They are the most closely-watched
business surveys in the world, favoured by central banks,
financial markets and business decision makers for their ability
to provide up-to-date, accurate and often unique monthly indicators
of economic trends. To learn more go to www.markit.com/economics.
The intellectual property rights to the RBC Canadian Manufacturing
PMI provided herein is owned by Markit Economics Limited.
Any unauthorised use, including but not limited to copying,
distributing, transmitting or otherwise of any data appearing
is not permitted without Markit's prior consent. Markit shall
not have any liability, duty or obligation for or relating
to the content or information ("data") contained
herein, any errors, inaccuracies, omissions or delays in the
data, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. In no
event shall Markit be liable for any special, incidental,
or consequential damages, arising out of the use of the data.
Purchasing Managers' Index and PMI are trade marks
of Markit Economics Limited, RBC uses the above marks under
licence. Markit and the Markit logo are registered trade marks
of Markit Group Limited.
Royal Bank of Canada Website, © 1995-2018
Privacy & Security | Legal | Accessibility


text:
Opposite sides...
Of the country this weekend – Keanu Reeves was in New York going for groceries, has been for a couple of weeks now, and Charlize Theron was back in LA like a hot bitch in Versace at the Spike TV Guys Choice Awards. As noted last week, it seemed sketchy that they'd be dating, and that kiss – click here for a refresher - was at best awkward, at worst like brother and sister...which of course frees her up for Ryan Gosling who is, actually, in Los Angeles.
But goddamn Keanu looks really gaunt and really horrible. Right now, Ryan is winning. In my imagination, he and Charlize make for some crazy fantasies.
Charlize's black leather with zipper was my favourite all weekend of all ladies from both events. A classic LBD for all time. I want.
She and fellow South African Sharlto Copley look good together too, non? Why do I keep trying to set her up? She's a crusty broad on a good day and on a bad day she's a something else c.
Photos from Brian Flannery/Flynetonline.com and Christopher Polk/Kevin Winter/Gettyimages.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) December 24, 2012
According to Google Trends, a tool used to show search volume trends, "Photo Booth Rental" search demand rental is expected to increase by 5-7%. Because Peekaboo Photo Booth is a national rental company serving over 16 major markets, it is even more important to factor in these types of forecasts.
Since 2006 the concept of renting a portable photo booth has truly exploded in popularity. In fact, this business continues to experience year-over-year growth as photo booths become a social norm at weddings, mitzvahs, sweet sixteen parties, and nearly any other special event you can imagine.
Peekaboo Photo Booth based out of Orlando, Florida, has been there since the beginning of this nationwide phenomenon. "Our specialty is delivering a great photo booth experience at events" states Andrew Birr of Peekaboo Photo Booth. "Though more photo booth companies continue to enter the market, it just makes sense to go with an experienced provider. Why risk your event?" he continues.
"Peekaboo Photo Booth has the ability to do over 500 events monthly, we are excited at the 2013 season forecast and ready to help host your event" explains Andrew.
Not only is Peekaboo Photo Booth able to handle a high volume of weddings, but they consistently tackle everything from parades and large corporate holiday parties to small private parties for teens. Peekaboo offers a wide variety of costume's, online file sharing, scrapbooks, and instant printouts at the event.
About Peekaboo Photo Booth
With more than five years of experience, Peekaboo Photo Booth has completed thousands of successful events. The company offers classy, cabana-style booths that are easy to set up and simple to use. Based in Winter Park, Fla., Peekaboo Photo Booth is a privately-owned firm that offers services nationwide. In addition to operating in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, the company also has a presence in the following metropolitan areas: Detroit, Tampa, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Washington D.C., Orlando, Boston, Atlanta, Seattle and New York. Peekaboo Photo Booth is a Photo Booth Rental Business and celebrates a nationwide footprint servicing both private and corporate events.


text:
Personalized Social Search Still Years Away
Ever since their inception, search engines have sought to deliver better and better results to their users. Just a few years ago, they started defining "better" as "more personalized." With social sites gaining prominence, how long will it be before search engines incorporate your specific social profile into your search results?
Continue reading
Continue reading


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July 12. 2013 8:48PM
Wall Street rises on banks' results
By ANGELA MOON
— U.S. stocks advanced on Friday, supported by banks' strong earnings, but Boeing limited the Dow's gain after an airplane fire in London.
Both the Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 index ended Friday's session at record closing highs, even though the point and percentage gains for the day were slim. The Nasdaq closed at a 52-week high.
The S&P 500 scored its best weekly performance since January and a third consecutive week of gains.
Financial stocks were the day's biggest gainers, with the S&P 500 financial sector index up 0.8 percent.
"The momentum has been incredibly strong ... At some point, a breather or some sort of consolidation makes sense," said Joe Bell, senior equity strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Research in Cincinnati.
Over the past three weeks, the benchmark S&P 500 has erased the losses of nearly 6 percent from the selloff triggered by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in late May, when he first raised the prospect of trimming the central bank's $85 billion in monthly bond purchases. Since then, the market has been getting reassurance from Bernanke and other Fed officials that the U.S. central bank will keep monetary policy loose for some time.
"For now, it seems like some of the comments made this past week have settled the market back into place," Bell said. "Hopefully we'll be back to paying more attention to the earnings reports," which will probably take the spotlight in the next few weeks, he added.
Shares of Wells Fargo & Co, the biggest U.S. mortgage lender, jumped 1.8 percent to $42.63 after the company posted quarterly results that topped expectations. Citigroup rose 1.5 percent to $50.81. Bank of America climbed 2 percent to $13.78 and ranked among the most actively traded stocks in both the Dow and the S&P 500.
JPMorgan Chase & Co, the largest U.S. bank by assets, reported a 31 percent jump in quarterly profits. The stock, however, slipped 0.3 percent to close at $54.97, giving up an earlier gain of more than 1 percent. The stock had traded higher for most of the day.
The Dow Jones industrial average edged up 3.38 points, or 0.02 percent, to end at 15,464.30, a record closing high. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 5.17 points, or 0.31 percent, to finish at 1,680.19, also a closing high. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 21.78 points, or 0.61 percent, to close at 3,600.08, a 52-week high.
For the week, the Dow rose 2.2 percent, while the S&P 500 gained 3 percent and the Nasdaq climbed 3.5 percent.
In Friday's session, Boeing was the Dow's biggest decliner. Boeing shares fell 4.7 percent to $101.87 after a Dreamliner operated by Ethiopian Airlines caught fire at Britain's Heathrow airport on Friday.
Shares of Dreamliner component manufacturers also slipped, including Honeywell International, off 0.2 percent at $82.37, and Spirit Aerosystems, down 2.3 percent at $22.61.
United Parcel Service was among the biggest losers in the S&P 500, sliding 5.8 percent to $86.12, after the world's No.1 package delivery company said second-quarter profit would fall short of expectations. Shares of rival FedEx Corp fell 2 percent to $102.29.
UPS weighed on the S&P industrial sector index, which fell 0.6 percent.
Analysts expect S&P 500 companies' second-quarter earnings to have grown 2.8 percent from a year earlier, with revenue up 1.5 percent, data from Thomson Reuters showed.
U.S.-listed shares of Infosys jumped 4.8 percent to $46.17 after the company reported quarterly results and maintained its revenue growth forecast.
On the economic front, the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary reading for July on the consumer sentiment index was 83.9, down from 84.1 in June and shy of forecasts for 85.
About 5.4 billion shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and NYSE MKT, below the 6.4 billion daily average so far this year.
On the NYSE, advancers narrowly beat decliners with 1,488 stocks rising and 1,478 shares falling. On the Nasdaq, nearly 14 stocks rose for every 11 that fell.


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At the fourth annual ARM® Developers' Conference, the industry's leading engineers, architects and designers will come together for a three day event to learn about the latest ARM processors, technology roadmap, tools, design methodologies and how to integrate these into future designs.
Attendees will have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves into the latest trends and strategies for designing with the ARM architecture. Utilizing classroom tutorials, product demonstrations and in-depth design center activities participants will be introduced to over 100 classes, hands-on labs, workshops, demonstrations and panels discussing the latest breakthrough technology. More than 70 ARM Partners will breed insight into the techniques that help conquer today's top design challenges.
The ARM Developers' Conference is a unique venue for ARM Partners across the semiconductor ecosystem – providing everything from SoC, embedded, ESL and EDA solutions to MCUs and application processors – to collaborate and create an innovative environment where industry trends are emphasized and today's top design challenges are analyzed.
When: Tuesday - Thursday, October 2-4, 2007
Where: ARM Developers' Conference Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, Calif., USA
How: For free press and analyst registration, please visit http://rtcgroup.com/arm/2007/registration/press-registration.php
Who: ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from mobile, home and enterprise solutions to embedded and emerging applications. ARM's comprehensive product offering includes 16/32-bit RISC microprocessors, data engines, graphics processors, digital libraries, embedded memories, peripherals, software and development tools, as well as analog functions and high-speed connectivity products. Combined with the company's broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.
ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. "ARM" is used to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM, Inc.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan Limited; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Belgium N.V.; AXYS Design Automation Inc.; ARM Germany GmbH; ARM Embedded Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; and ARM Norway, AS.
Contact Details:
|Nandita Geerdink
Text 100 +1 415 593 8457
|Michelle Spencer
|Erik Ploof


text:
UPDATED with Westbrook ...
Eagles coach Andy Reid did not mince words in describing his dismay with the Eagles' 48-22 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
"An absolutely horrendous performance," Reid said.
"There were too many mistakes, and that's my responsibility," Reid said. "I have to make sure this thing is right. It wasn't right today – any phase of it ... In the first half, we had way too many penalties and we were lucky enough to keep the game close. We came out in the second half and had turnovers and penalties and everything else. Again, that's my responsibility. This is my football team and I have to make sure that they play better than that. I will make sure that happens."
Along with taking responsibility, Reid also said, "We all have a little piece of the pie, and we all have to make sure we do a little better job all the way around collectively, both coaching and playing."
Kevin Kolb made his first career start and finished 31-for-51 for 391 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
"Kevin did some good things and then there are a couple of things he shouldn't have done," Reid said.
Reid also said that if Donovan McNabb was not healthy enough to play against Kansas City next week that Kolb would be the starter.
The Eagles used the Wildcat seven times in the first half to some effect, seemingly setting the stage for the return of Michael Vick next week.
"That was one of the plusses," Reid said. "We had some production with that. We have used it before with Brian [Westbrook] and DeSean [Jackson]. We probably would have still used it [with McNabb]."
Those two also appeared on the postgame injury report. Westbrook has a high ankle sprain on the same ankle that had an offseason cleanout procedure. Jackson has a groin strain. He missed a few plays in practice Wednesday with a groin problem.
"We'll be fine there," Reid said. "We'll know in the next day or so."
Westbrook said the ankle was sore, but it was not as bad as last season. He said he hoped to play next week against Kansas City. Westbrook said he tweaked the injury in the third quarter. He tried to play through the pain, but came out of the game. He then went back on the field for a play, but came out again.
"It was just sore," Westbrook said. "I tried to put a little weight on it. Tried to be effective out there on the field. You don't want to go out there and hurt the team. So, try to be effective, see if you can do that. As far as running, I wanted to make some cuts; I just wasn't able to do it."
The Eagles were marred by penalties and poor decisions on special teams and also a costly turnover by Ellis Hobbs at the start of the second half. "We didn't do very well," Reid deadpanned when asked about special teams.
"Penalties and poor field position kill you," he said. "When you're playing a good football team like the Saints, you better not start [drives] backed up by committing special teams penalties."
The expected offensive line rotation with Max Jean-Gilles starting and Stacy Andrews ended up being Jean-Gilles almost exclusively. Andrews had offseason surgery to repair a torn ACL.
"I want to make sure that Stacy is able to put that foot in the ground," Reid said. "He's not hurt ... I backed off on him a little bit this week. I don't know if it's fatigued or tired or whatever it is, but I went with the other guys."
To read Les Bowen's report from the game, click here.


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The transmitter sub-assembly which operates in this case at 259.7 MHz and is remotely controlled from the remote control and monitor ... This antenna provides E-plane coverage of 170 degrees and H-plane coverage of 360 degrees about a point 0.5 inches below the center of the ... In addition to the seven (7) direct tracks , a side track is also provided for voice annotation of recorded data. ... (b) Cascade Impactor pickup head installed in the existing storm window by the pilota#39;s left side.
|AAS Science and Technology Series
|- 1971
You must register with us as either a Registered User before you can Download this Book. You'll be greeted by a simple sign-up page.
Once you have finished the sign-up process, you will be redirected to your download Book page.How it works:


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Become a fan
Ducktails Tickets
Unfurling out of Los Angeles this July comes St. Catherine, Matt Mondanile's fifth outing as Ducktails. The new album emerges from the roots of Mondanile's previous work, from the free-form, ambient bedroom experiments of seminal underground release Landscapes (2009), to 2013's eighties pop re-imagination The Flower Lane, but ultimately moves Ducktails on to a more refined, personal and sincere place.
St. Catherine is a finely-honed collection of baroque pop songs that take the blissful, cascading melodic fretwork that Mondanile has made his signature with both Ducktails and his other band, Real Estate, and applies it to songs of considerable new emotional heft and dynamic range.
A seeking meditation on the sensation of love, from its initial growth to eventual dissolution, St. Catherine sees Mondanile seek to project these most universal pop themes through the prism of a keen interest in the beauty and sacred aspects of the Catholic church he's harboured since his childhood altar boy days. The result is fittingly romantic, mysterious and celestial - a dizzying, awe-struck listen replete with strange lyrical images and seductive melodies that are alluring and foreboding in equal measure.
The title St. Catherine is a reference to St. Catherine of Alexandria, the saint of knowledge and virtue who was condemned by mortal men for devoting herself to Christ, an act of faith that at the time was seen as a type of dangerous lunacy. "The title track, St. Catherine, is about being blinded by light", says Mondanile of the record's central metaphor, "It's about throwing yourself into a revery, regardless of the consequences."
Mondanile partially wrote and recorded St. Catherine over the course of 2014 and then finished off recording at the start of 2015. The longest time he has ever spent working on a record, it took place in bedrooms and studios predominantly in east LA and Glendale, but venturing as far as Berlin and New York as Mondanile worked on tracks around heavy periods of Real Estate touring.
When Mondanile finally settled back in LA at the start of 2015, it was Rob Scnapf, co-producer of Elliott Smith's classic albums XO and Either/Or, that he turned to in order to help put the finishing touches to St. Catherine. Together, the pair added a new crispness and punch to the record's more upbeat, psychedelic pop tracks (such as James Ferraro-featuring, lolloping lead single "Headbanging In The Mirror", and the soaring "Into The Sky"), that recalls the artful muscularity of Smith's later work, whilst title track, the heavenly "St. Catherine" boasts one of Mondanile's greatest ever lead guitar lines and benefits greatly from Schnapf's warm, rich feel.
Where St. Catherine impresses even moreso, however, is when Mondanile steps out of his comfort zone, as he does frequently and with great success. The Julia Holter-featuring "Church" and "Heaven's Room", tracks which see Mondanile flex his muscles as a composer and arranger, introducing complex, interlocking vocal harmonies, gorgeously sweeping string parts (provided by Andrew Tholl and Christopher Votex) and a host of off-kilter electronic elements into his sonic palate - channeling the likes of Broadcast, and Stereolab but with a younger wide eyed sensibility.
Ducktails Dates & Tickets
Sorry, we don't have any Ducktails tickets on sale at the moment.


text:
How To Build Cheap And Easy 'Bag Cups
Build 'Em Yourself
Why do I build my own stuff? One: Because I'm cheap. Two: I like things that are handmade opposed to high dollar CNC parts (I don't even own a plasma cutter). To me, it just gives the parts some character and opens up ideas instead of being locked into one particular design. The following photos show how to create your own 'bag cups using a grinder, a drill, and a welder—that's it. Oh, and the process takes just over an hour, and you probably already have enough materials lying around the garage to get started TODAY! Enjoy :).
Dedicated Customswww.louisvilleechopshop.com


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The Polk County Sheriff's Office is purchasing a new $2.5 million helicopter to replace one of two 41-year-old models currently in service.
WINTER HAVEN | The Polk County Sheriff's Office is purchasing a new $2.5 million helicopter to replace one of two 41-year-old models currently in service.
The helicopter, an MD500E, is being paid for by the sheriff's "replacement account," a savings account that was opened 12 years ago and is overseen by the Polk County Commission.
PCSO spokeswoman Donna Wood said that every year the Sheriff's Office returns unused funds to the commission, which puts a portion of the money into the savings account. Over the years, the fund has built up enough to allow for a purchase of this magnitude.
"In the last eight years, since I've been sheriff, I have returned over $40 million," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. "Instead of going out and raking up a tab, you save up until you have enough to buy it outright. We planned for it. It's not something that sneaked up on us."
The current choppers are a pair of military surplus Bell-OH58s.
"Vietnam-era helicopters are not something I feel comfortable with our guys flying at night," Judd said. "They don't make them anymore, and the ability to buy parts for them is diminishing."
The PCSO will be scrapping one of the Bell-OH58s to use for parts to get the other one in tip-top shape. The spare lighting and infrared systems will be moved into the new craft.
Judd said the PCSO helicopters spend hours a day in the air, launching every day of the week for various reasons.
"We live in a county that's 2,010 square miles and it's impossible to patrol without helicopters," Judd said. "It's expensive but it's necessary to keep people safe.
"A lot of lives have been saved by these helicopters, and a lot of bad guys have been put away."
[ Clifford Parody can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. ]


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Basic Criminal Procedures
Prentice Hall, 2002 - Law - 206 pages
Written in a direct and basic style that requires no prior knowledge of how or why the justice system operates, this book details the basic, generic elements of criminal procedures that are relevant within the context of either a national or a specific state's procedural framework. After an examination of significant procedural concepts and terms, it offers a detailed presentation of criminal procedures in sequential steps—from the point of an individual's first contact with police, through the law enforcement process, the courts, the correctional system, and back into the community on probation or parole. Excerpts from current appellate court decisions are featured throughout. Criminal Procedures in Perspective. Fundamental Concepts of Law. The Exclusionary Rule. The Laws and Procedures of Arrest. Miranda: Its Meaning and Application. Booking and Custody Procedures. The Adversary System: Roles of the Prosecution and Defense. The Court Structure and Pretrial Procedures. The Prosecutor's Case in Chief. Defense Strategies and Trial Outcomes. Sentencing Procedures and Alternatives. Post-Sentencing Procedure. For anyone interested in Criminal Procedures in the Justice System.
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text:
Main Site - :: Why Won't God Heal Amputees? ::
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Ahhhhhhh! This thread has been taken over by the NERDSCHPEAKERS! Flee for your lives!
I have decided not to use an image.
There IS a god!
We have requested that members avoid images in signature blocks because the forum software doesn't always deal with them properly. Sometimes the type and quality of the image can cause the forum threads to become "stuck" or turn into gibberish. Not all forum software is made alike, and certainly on this forum not all updates have been processed. We constantly live on a precipice.Also, images in signature blocks have the added quality of making the threads unreadable on certain devices with small screens or with no alternative browsers. If you are viewing the forum on a small device or one that is not necessarily well-equipped to handle lots of images, the reading experience becomes tedious to impossible. Some devices will "drag" tremendously when one attempts to scroll a thread. I think the forum software is designed to kill avatars when the target screen is under a certain size, but it won't kill images in signatures.
Perhaps post meaningful sentences?
I know this is way off topic but how do you post your own thread here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: boogie man on January 03, 2014, 01:59:16 AMI know this is way off topic but how do you post your own thread here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, meaningful posts please. The idea is that you demonstrate your ability to be a valuable contributor to the forum. Before you can start your own threads


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BUENOS AIRES – This was Jacques Rogge's final press conference as head of the International Olympic Committee, an organization that fancies itself as having a global role that can reach beyond fun and games.
Rogge made it very clear Wednesday, as he nears the end of his 12-year IOC presidency, just how limited a role that really is.
His predecessor, Juan Antonio Samaranch, lobbied for the IOC to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The IOC leadership shows up occasionally at the United Nations to talk about an Olympic Truce, an idea that always has been more myth than fact, even at the Games of ancient Greece. IOC leaders always love being received by heads of state, whether or not those presidents or chairmen are dictators.
But Rogge simply will not use the Olympic Charter's professed tenets about inclusiveness and non-discrimination to make even a strong statement about the Russian anti-gay legislation that has made the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics – and by extension the IOC – a target of criticism in many countries.
"We have clearly on various occasions expressed our view on situations in countries, but we are restricted in our power and our actions by the fact we are guests of a sovereign country in which we hold the Games," Rogge said Wednesday.
The law in question allows Russia to arrest and prosecute anyone who engages in "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations." Whether that bans just Gay Pride parades or can apply to wearing a rainbow pin is unclear.
No one would dispute the IOC lacks the power to change legislation in a nation, Olympic host or not. As one senior IOC member joked, "The aircraft carrier we were going to use to attack Russia is stuck in Lausanne."
That does not mean the IOC is limited in using its presumed moral authority to take a strong stand on an issue of human rights, no matter which Olympic host country it might offend.
For Rogge, a 71-year-old Belgian, and the IOC, it is good enough that Russia promise not to enforce its law on athletes and spectators during the Winter Games.
What happens to Russia's LGBT population after that is not something the IOC worries about.
And, despite the IOC's feelings about how all will be for the best in the best of all possible Olympic and Paralympic worlds, it also remains unclear what will happen to athletes and spectators who make public displays of support for the LGBT community or of disgust for the Russian law.
"Are you convinced this solution is the right one?" Rogge was asked at the press conference. "Is there nothing more the IOC can be doing or should be doing to make this law not an issue for these Games? Is there more you are discussing with them?'
Rogge's reply:
''We have received very strong oral and written reassurances about the fact that the Russian Federation will respect the Olympic Charter and that no negative effect will occur for people attending the games or participating in the Games. . .the International Olympic Committee cannot be expected to have an influence on sovereign affairs of a country."
It had seemed stunning when Rogge expressed his "disappointment" in Russian pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva's homophobic comments during last month's World Championships in Russia. For a man who has circumspection in his DNA, that was a thorough rip of Isinbayeva, whom Rogge had made a Youth Olympic Games ambassador in 2010. She also is honorary mayor of a Sochi Olympic village.
"We have a true champion in Yelena, a true role model for young people," Rogge said in 2010.
Rogge's successor is to be chosen Tuesday. It looks as if whoever he is – all six candidates are men – will inherit the hot potato of whether the IOC should let Isinbayeva continue as an ambassador.
"This is something we will consider in due time," Rogge said.
The end of the Sochi Olympics and Paralympics would seem amorally convenient.


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Since cute cat and dog pictures have proved so incredibly popular of late on Shorpy (over 550 "Likes" so far for the last one), I thought I'd post one of ours. This is August, 1948 in our back yard in Larkspur, California. One guess who's the alpha critter here. Tom, aka Boots the Cat, didn't take foolishness from anybody, much less Nippy the dog. Nippy herself was well-named; in fact, shortly after this was taken my folks had to give her away to some friends because of her tendency to take nips at people, most recently including the two-year-old me. Tom/Boots, on the other hand, took a more tolerant view of people, but nevertheless steadfastly maintained a feline aloofness that made his somewhat occasional visits something of an event. The closest he ever came to coming indoors was when he'd wend his way through the foundations and up the basement stairs to the top step just behind the closed kitchen door, where there'd always be a dish of cat food waiting for him. I remember the piscine redolence of that spot that lingered for years after his last appearance.
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BANGKOK (AP) — The price of oil rose Thursday after preliminary data showed China's manufacturing activity expanded for the first time in 13 months, a positive sign for the global economy.
Benchmark crude for January delivery was up 13 cents to $87.51 per barrel at late afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 63 cents to finish at $87.38 a barrel on Wednesday.
Oil prices were responding to the release of HSBC Corp.'s monthly Purchasing Managers' Index for November, which showed a reading of 50.4 on a 100-point scale on which numbers over 50 indicate expansion.
That was a moderate improvement from October's 49.5 and boosted hopes that the world's No. 2 economy was finally emerging from the deep slump it has been mired in since the 2008 financial crisis.
"I think that number encouraged the traders to bet on rising oil prices," said Ken Hasegawa, energy analyst at Newedge brokerage in Tokyo.
Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, fell 21 cents to $110.65 a barrel in London.
In other energy futures trading in New York:
— Heating oil rose 2.4 cents to $3.072 a gallon.
— Wholesale gasoline added 2.1 cents to $2.709 a gallon.
— Natural gas gained 6 cents to $3.892 per 1,000 cubic feet.


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The American Gut project builds on the Human Microbiome Project by allowing anyone to participate, and will let the public join in the excitement of this new field," said Lita Proctor, program director for the Human Microbiome Project
(PRWEB) November 26, 2012
In association with the Human Food Project, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder along with researchers at other institutions around the world are launching a new open-access project known as "American Gut" in which participants can get involved in finding out what microbes are in their own guts and what they are doing in there.
"The project builds on previous efforts, including the five-year, $173-million NIH-funded Human Microbiome Project, to characterize the microbes living in and on our bodies," said Associate Professor Rob Knight of CU-Boulder's BioFrontiers Institute. "But unlike other projects that have focused on carefully chosen test subjects with a few hundred people, this project allows the public to get involved and is encouraging tens of thousands of people to do so," Knight said.
"Galileo saw outer space through his telescope, and we want to see the inner space of your gut through modern genetics," said Rob Dunn, a scientist at North Carolina State University and a collaborator on the project. "The new project will be "crowd-funded" by individuals interested in learning more about their own gut bacteria and by others who simply want to contribute to the project," said Dunn.
"By combining the crowd-funding model with the open-access data analysis model that we pioneered with the Earth Microbiome Project, we can finally give anyone with an interest in his or her microbiome an opportunity to participate, whether by contributing samples or by looking at the data," said Knight, also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist.
Public interest is immense, says the research team. 18,000 people have already signed up to receive more information by email about the project when it launches. "The American Gut project builds on the Human Microbiome Project by allowing anyone to participate, and will let the public join in the excitement of this new field," said Lita Proctor, program director for the Human Microbiome Project. "We can expect this to lay the groundwork for all sorts of fascinating studies in the future, that others will in turn build on."
The American Gut project is an opportunity for the "citizen scientists" working with team of leading researchers and labs throughout the United States to help shape a new way of understanding how diet and lifestyle may contribute to human health through each person's suite of trillions of tiny microbes, say the researchers. A key aspect of the project is to understand how diet and lifestyle, whether by choice -- like athletes or vegetarians -- or by necessity, including those suffering from particular autoimmune diseases or who have food allergies, affect peoples' microbial makeup, said Knight.
"This will be the first project of its kind that might be able to address this question at such a large scale," said Jeff Leach, founder of the Human Food Project and co-founder of American Gut. The gut microbiome has been linked to many diseases, including obesity, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease -- all of which are much more common in Western populations," he said.
"We should start thinking about diets not only from the perspective of what we should eat, but what we should be feeding our entire gut microbial systems," said Leach. "A key aspect of the project is to integrate studies of Americans of all shapes and sizes with studies of people living more traditional lifestyles in Africa, South America and elsewhere," he said.
"The steep decline in the cost of DNA sequencing and recent advances in computational techniques allow for the analysis of microbial genomes orders of magnitude cheaper than was possible only a few years ago, said Knight. Sequencing is now getting cheap enough -- participants who donate $99 or more can expect to get tens of thousands of sequences from microbes in their gut -- that participants can include their families and even their pets," Knight said.
Doctoral student Daniel McDonald is one of several CU-Boulder students who will be involved in the effort. "I am excited to have the opportunity to develop new computational tools in order to further explore this frontier," said McDonald, who is in the Interdisciplinary Quantitative Biology program at the BioFrontiers Institute.
"I am pleased to participate in this pioneering effort that marries the vast interest of the public in science with questions that are worth answering about human health and nutrition," said Martin Blaser, chair of the Department of Medicine and professor of microbiology at New York University. "Through this consortium, the technical and intellectual resources are there to lead to important new knowledge."
The project will seek to build on a growing canine and feline database as well. "The majority of data we currently have on the dog and cat microbiomes has come from a handful of small studies in research or clinically ill animals," said Associate Professor Kelly Swanson of the Department of Animal Sciences and Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "This study will apply the technology to free-living pets, where diet, genetics, and living environment are quite different from household to household.
"This research may identify important trends not possible with lab-based studies, and help guide us on how to feed our pets in the future," said Swanson.
The backdrop to the project is the radical decline in the cost of DNA sequencing, which allows analysis of microbial genomes orders of magnitude cheaper than was possible only a few years ago, and recent advances in computational techniques. Participants in the project include many of the key players in the Human Microbiome Project and research facilities around the world.
To learn more about participating in or contributing to the project visit https://www.indiegogo.com/americangut. For a list of additional collaborators on the project visit http://humanfoodproject.com/the-people/collaborators/.


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MAKHACHKALA, Russia (AP) — Russian security forces tracked down and killed six rebels suspected of involvement in Thursday's suicide bombing that left four policemen dead in the restive southern province of Dagestan, officials said.
An unidentified driver blew himself up after officers at the post just outside the town of Khasavyurt asked him to pull over, killing four officers and injuring another six, Russia's Investigative Committee said. Police said the bomb contained 100-120 kilograms (220-265 pounds) of TNT.
Security forces launched a sweep for the bomber's accomplices and surrounded their hideout near the village of Mironovo in the Khasavyurt region. In the gunbattle that followed, six militant suspects and a special forces officer died, said Amir Amirov, a spokesman for the regional branch of Russia's Interior Ministry.
Dagestan and other provinces in Russia's volatile North Caucasus have been plagued by an Islamic insurgency which spread throughout the region after two separatist wars in Chechnya. Dagestan has become the epicenter of violence, with police and other authorities frequently gunned down.


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No one hurt as FPU 'Bubble' collapsesBy MEGHAN PIERCE
Union Leader Correspondent
February 09. 2013 6:39PM
RINDGE – Wind and snow from the weekend blizzard took down the Franklin Pierce University Grimshaw-Gudewicz Activity Center known as the "Bubble" Friday night.
No one was inside the structure when the collapse occurred, a university employee said Saturday afternoon.
The Bubble is made out of a plastic material that covers 72,000 square feet and reaches seven stories high. It is held up by a constant air flow between an outer and inside layer of the material.
It also collapsed during the 2008 ice storm.
The center serves as a recreation area and gym for the entire campus population and is also open to Rindge residents.
The facility also has a weight room and is used as an inclement weather practice facility for the university's athletic program.
Kelsey Devlin, a member of the Franklin Pierce track team, said in 2008 the Bubble was back up in within a week, however, because of the large tears in the bubble caused by the blizzard, she has been told it could take a month for the Bubble to be back up and open.
Until then Devlin said the track team will use an indoor track about 45 minutes away in Massachusetts for practice.
Franklin Pierce student Steve Nardone, who works out in the Bubble daily, said without the Bubble students won't get out and be as active as they were.
"I think the school will get it up and operational as soon as possible because sports is kind of a focus here," he said.


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Newly elected Ted Yoho, of Gainesville, is one of only 16 House Republicans who did not join anti-tax activist Grover Norquist and sign his renowned pledge.
Perched above Washington's so-called fiscal cliff, several senior Republican lawmakers appear to be back-pedaling from anti-tax activist Grover Norquist and his renowned pledge.
But for Alachua County's congressional delegation, signing or avoiding the pledge does not seem to be that big a deal.
Neither of the county's representatives in the next Congress added their names to Norquist's legions in this election year.
For the upcoming Congress, 219 House members and 39 senators are declared supporters of the pledge.
U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, a Democrat, is not on the pledge list. And newly elected Ted Yoho is one of only 16 House Republicans who did not join Norquist's ranks.
Yoho, a Gainesville Republican, narrowly defeated veteran incumbent Rep. Cliff Stearns in the August primary and then won the general election in November.
Yoho was a tea party favorite and a proponent of the Fair Tax, the plan to implement a national sales tax to replace most federal levies. Yet Yoho is shown as a non-signer of the pledge, according to the website for Norquist's organization, Americans for Tax Reform, or ATR.
Yoho, who beat Stearns, a Norquist backer, told NPR on Wednesday that he declined to endorse the pledge because "signing a pledge is not going to fix our debt problems, our financial woes in this country."
"The only pledge I made is that I said I would serve eight years," added Yoho. "If you sign a pledge like (Norquist's), you've got handcuffs on."
Yoho said he might consider higher taxes, such as on the wealthiest Americans, but only after it has been demonstrated to him that revenues are still short despite the implementation of significant spending cuts and that all the waste, fraud and abuse has been wrung out of the budget.
The current Congress contains 238 House members and 41 senators as pledge supporters, according to ATR.
All but six House Republicans signed the pledge, including all of Florida's GOP delegation. Just seven GOP senators declined to sign.
Meanwhile, two House Democrats and one Democratic senator are on board — none of them from Florida.
Only one Democrat in the next Congress has adopted the pledge: New Jersey Rep. Robert Andrews.
Right after Election Day, the liberal group Think Progress pointed out that at least 79 Republican House and Senate candidates, including some incumbents, who had signed Norquist's pledge were defeated.
Norquist's "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" was instituted in 1986 with an endorsement of President Ronald Reagan, according to ATR's website. Reagan that year enacted a landmark overhaul of the tax code.
Reagan's revisions cut the rate on top earners from 50 percent to 28 percent and on corporations from 46 percent to 34 percent. The 1986 law also raised the rate for those on the bottom rung from 11 percent to 15 percent, increased the capital gains rate to 28 percent from 20 percent, and eliminated many tax shelters and loopholes.
Norquist's pledge states plainly that the endorser vows to oppose "any and all" efforts to raise marginal tax rates on individuals and businesses and to fight any net reduction or elimination of tax deductions or credits unless accompanied by a matching cut in rates.
"The idea of the Pledge is simple enough: Make them put their no-new-taxes rhetoric in writing," ATR's website says.
ATR adds, "In the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, candidates and incumbents solemnly bind themselves to oppose any and all tax increases. ... Since the Pledge is a prerequisite for many voters, it is considered binding as long as an individual holds the office for which he or she signed the Pledge."
In recent days, as Congress tries to hammer out a budget compromise, a few Republicans have indicated a willingness to jump the Norquist ship in order to avoid going over the fiscal cliff.
The list of would-be defectors includes Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bob Corker of Tennessee. U.S. Rep. Peter King of New York also might be among them.
Norquist told NPR this week that he's not worried about GOP lawmakers breaking their vow, noting that recent news reports could have been recycled from the 2010 elections.
He added that he believes the Republicans will not buckle because Democrats will fail to produce any "iron-clad" budget cuts that will win GOP support for higher revenues.
Several taxes are expected to go up on Jan. 1. Those include the tax cuts enacted by President George W. Bush, the estate tax, and the temporary reduction in the payroll taxes. Five new taxes also will be introduced under the Affordable Care Act.
Meanwhile, $109 billion in spending cuts are scheduled to occur in accordance with the budget deal reached in 2011. Those reductions are split between defense and social programs.
Contact Bill Thompson at 352-867-4117 or email@example.com


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The Apple App Store app for iPhone has finally made its way to the UK - with a revamped version packing many new options for British fanboys.
App Store 1.3, which is being rolled out globally for the first time, brings with it advanced customisation options for Mac orders; you can now choose the RAM, HDD size and the like as per the online store, and there are more in-store options as well.
From within the app you can now book Genius appointments at your local store, check out the appointments availability at other nearby locations, take a butchers at the workshop schedule and also get the phone numbers of hot Apple Store employees*.
The release comes hot on the heels of the (poorly dubbed) Apple Store 2.0 launch, which turned out to be the secret Apple event planned for the 19 May.
Live now, Apple Store 2.0 gets rid of the paper signage describing the devices laid out on the hallowed wooden tables, and brings in iPads to give you all the deets.
Well, we say iPads, there's no iOS action (at least not the iOS that we're used to), and the home button apparently does nothing. These tablets are purely product info specialist, although they do allow you to get the attention of an Apple staffer at the touch of a button.
Apple Store 2.0 first landed in the land downunder, but we're hearing that its now globally on show (including here in the UK).
*One of these options isn't actually available - we're sure you can work out which one.


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Systems administrators often need to know file-version information—for example, to determine whether a software patch has been applied. The information is metadata, embedded in a Windows executable (e.g., .exe, .dll) file as a set of dot-delimited numbers, such as 22.214.171.124. From left to right, these numbers indicate major version, minor version, build, and revision. Each number is a 16-bit, unsigned integer. The first two numbers (i.e., major and minor version) represent the most significant 32 bits of the version number. The last two numbers (i.e., build and revision) represent the least significant 32 bits of the version number.
In Windows Script Host (WSH) scripts, you can retrieve a file's version by using the FileSystemObject object's GetFileVersion method. For example, the code in Listing 1 is a short VBScript script that outputs the file version of Notepad.exe.
In Windows PowerShell, you can use the VersionInfo property of a file object, which returns a .NET FileVersionInfo object. This object has four properties—FileMajorPart, FileMinorPart, FileBuildPart, and FilePrivatePart—that correspond to the four parts of the version number. The code in Listing 2 shows a short PowerShell function that uses the -f operator to output the version of Notepad.exe. This listing also shows how you can use the FileSystemObject in PowerShell to get the same information.
So far so good. But retrieving file versions is one thing; how do we compare those version numbers? We've already seen that a file-version number is actually a 64-bit, unsigned integer. VBScript doesn't have a 64-bit unsigned integer type. PowerShell has the UInt64 type, but not all PowerShell operators work with this type. To solve these problems, I wrote some VBScript and PowerShell script functions that take the pain out of comparing version numbers. Before presenting these functions, though, I need to give you a bit of background about how they work.
Step 1: Break Down the Bits
We can't use 64-bit numbers directly in VBScript, and we can't use these numbers in PowerShell without some missing operator support. So we'll begin by breaking down the version number into a pair of 32-bit numbers. Because we can't easily compare two 64-bit values, we'll compare two pairs of 32-bit values instead.
First, you need to know how to convert a string a.b, where a is the most significant 16 bits and b is the least significant 16 bits, into one 32-bit value. We can't simply interpret the string as a floating-point number, or the comparison won't work properly. For example, as floating-point numbers, 5.20 is equal to 5.2. In that scenario, 5.15 is the greater number (because 15 is greater than 2). In a version-number situation, that's obviously not the case: 5.20 is greater than 5.15.
To correctly convert the string a.b into a single 32-bit number, we perform a left shift on the first number and then add the second number to it. To illustrate, let's use the programmer mode in the Windows 7 calculator.
Open the calculator, Select View, Programmer, and then select the Hex and Dword radio buttons along the left edge of the window. (The effects are easier to observe in hexadecimal than in decimal.) In this example, we'll create a 32-bit number that represents the version number 3.7. Follow these steps in the calculator:
- Enter the number 3, for the major version.
- Click the Lsh button, enter the value 10 (i.e., hexadecimal for 16), and press Enter. This action shifts the number 16 bits to the left.
- Press +, then press 7, and then press Enter. This action adds the minor version.
The resulting value is hexadecimal 30007, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Sample Hexadecimal of a Converted String
Thus, the formula for converting the string a.b to a single 32-bit value is as follows:
(a Lsh 16) + b
Because VBScript and PowerShell don't have an Lsh operator, we'll use the following equivalent formula instead:
(a * 216) + b
I previously mentioned that I decided to break the 64 bits of a version number into two 32-bit numbers. In the script code, I decided to return the two 32-bit numbers as a two-element array. For example, the version number 126.96.36.199 would be returned as an array containing the values 196615 (30007 hexadecimal for 3.7) and 327681 (50001 hexadecimal for 5.1).
Step 2: Compare the Versions
So far, we've seen that we can represent a 64-bit value as a pair of 32-bit values. The question now is how do we compare those values? Given two version numbers a.b.c.d and w.x.y.z, Table 1 shows the possible comparison results.
Step 3: Writing the Code
Now that you understand the nature of file-version numbers and how to compare them, we're ready to take a look at the VBScript and PowerShell code that does the work. Listing 3 contains the VBScript functions, and Listing 4 contains the same functions written in PowerShell. These functions are described in Table 2.
Take care to note the syntax difference between VBScript and PowerShell when using these functions in your own code. In VBScript, function calls require parentheses with a comma between parameters, whereas in PowerShell the parentheses and commas must be omitted. For example, in VBScript, you would write
Result = CompareVersions(Ver1, Ver2)
whereas in PowerShell, the equivalent code statement is
$Result = CompareVersions $Ver1 $Ver2
To see these functions in action, download the code. Versions.vbs and Versions.ps1 are standalone scripts that use these functions to let you compare file versions from the command line. The scripts contain some additional functions as well: ValidateVersionString returns whether a specified version string is valid, and GetVersionArrayAsString is the inverse of GetVersionStringAsArray. I've also included a JScript version of the script, Versions.js, just in case JScript is your preferred language.
Listing 1: Retrieving a File's Version in VBScript
Dim FSO, FileName
Set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
FileName = "C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe"
WScript.Echo FSO.GetFileVersion(FileName)
Listing 2: Retrieving a File's Version in PowerShell
$fileName = "C:\Windows\system32\notepad.exe"
function get-fileversion {
param([System.IO.FileInfo] $fileItem)
$verInfo = $fileItem.VersionInfo
"{0}.{1}.{2}.{3}" -f
# Outputs the file's version
get-fileversion $fileName
# You can also use the FileSystemObject object's GetFileVersion method.
$fso = new-object -comobject "Scripting.FileSystemObject"
# Same output as previous get-fileversion function.
Listing 3: VBScript Functions
' Bitwise left shift
Function Lsh(ByVal N, ByVal Bits)
Lsh = N * (2 ^ Bits)
End Function
' Returns a version string "a.b.c.d" as a two-element numeric
' array. The first array element is the most significant 32 bits,
' and the second element is the least significant 32 bits.
Function GetVersionStringAsArray(ByVal Version)
Dim VersionAll, VersionParts, N
VersionAll = Array(0, 0, 0, 0)
VersionParts = Split(Version, ".")
For N = 0 To UBound(VersionParts)
VersionAll(N) = CLng(VersionParts(N))
Dim Hi, Lo
Hi = Lsh(VersionAll(0), 16) + VersionAll(1)
Lo = Lsh(VersionAll(2), 16) + VersionAll(3)
GetVersionStringAsArray = Array(Hi, Lo)
End Function
' Compares two versions "a.b.c.d". If Version1 < Version2,
' returns -1. If Version1 = Version2, returns 0.
' If Version1 > Version2, returns 1.
Function CompareVersions(ByVal Version1, ByVal Version2)
Dim Ver1, Ver2, Result
Ver1 = GetVersionStringAsArray(Version1)
Ver2 = GetVersionStringAsArray(Version2)
If Ver1(0) < Ver2(0) Then
Result = -1
ElseIf Ver1(0) = Ver2(0) Then
If Ver1(1) < Ver2(1) Then
Result = -1
ElseIf Ver1(1) = Ver2(1) Then
Result = 0
Result = 1
End If
Result = 1
End If
CompareVersions = Result
End Function
Listing 4: PowerShell Functions
# Bitwise left shift
function Lsh([UInt32] $n, [Byte] $bits) {
$n * [Math]::Pow(2, $bits)
# Returns a version number "a.b.c.d" as a two-element numeric
# array. The first array element is the most significant 32 bits,
# and the second element is the least significant 32 bits.
function GetVersionStringAsArray([String] $version) {
$parts = $version.Split(".")
if ($parts.Count -lt 4) {
for ($n = $parts.Count; $n -lt 4; $n++) {
$parts += "0"
[UInt32] ((Lsh $parts[0] 16) + $parts[1])
[UInt32] ((Lsh $parts[2] 16) + $parts[3])
# Compares two version numbers "a.b.c.d". If $version1 < $version2,
# returns -1. If $version1 = $version2, returns 0. If
# $version1 > $version2, returns 1.
function CompareVersions([String] $version1, [String] $version2) {
$ver1 = GetVersionStringAsArray $version1
$ver2 = GetVersionStringAsArray $version2
if ($ver1[0] -lt $ver2[0]) {
return -1
elseif ($ver1[0] -eq $ver2[0]) {
if ($ver1[1] -lt $ver2[1]) {
return -1
elseif ($ver1[1] -eq $ver2[1]) {
return 0
else {
return 1
else {
return 1


text:
About this item
You can have peace of mind that your important documents and media are secure from theft, fire, and water damage in this safe. It carries third party ratings - UL and ETL laboratory ratings - not independent factory ratings. In the event of a fire, just get out of the house, the safe will protect all that is important to you.
This safe is equipped with 4 - 1" bolts which is 60% larger than traditional safes. You can organize your items by utilizing the interior key rack, door tray, door pocket, and the multi-position tray. The interior dimensions are 13.8"H x 12.6"W x 11.9"D.
The backlit electronic key pad and the interior LED light helps you open the safe and locate your items if safe is stored in a dark area. A bolt down kit is included so you can bolt the safe to any floor for added security.
Policies & plans
- Advanced fire protection - UL classified for 1 hr at 1700 F
- ETL verified to pass a 15 foot drop test to ensure safe stays closed if falls
- ETL verified for 1 hr fire protection of media
- ETL verified water resistance up to 8 inches of water for 24 hours
- 4 large - 1" bolts - 60% bigger than traditional safes
- Pry resistant hinge bar helps provide protection from forced entry
- Electronic lock with backlit key pad
- LED interior lighting
- A multi-position tray enables easy organization
- Key rack, door tray and door pocket for small items
- Bolt down kit included to prevent unauthorized removal
- 1 Year Manufacturer Limited Warranty
- After Fire Replacement Guarantee
Assembled Country
Assembled Size
- 19.3"L x 16.3"W x 17.8"H
- 99 lbs.
Component Country
Shipping Info
Standard - 2 to 6 business days
Premium - 2 to 4 business days
Express - 1 to 2 business days


text:
Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
The following activity occurred Monday, Jan. 21, to Sunday, Jan. 27, as reported by the Lewiston Police Department. LPD logged a total of 84 responses during this period.
Monday, Jan. 21
•Lewiston Road and Barton Drive, MVA with injuries. Statements taken from both drivers; parties taken to Mount St. Mary's Hospital and Health Center and vehicles towed. Report filed.
•2800 block of Ridge Road, local law violation. Statement taken from a female, 38. Report filed and forwarded to the building inspector.
•4600 block of Model City Road, assist. LPD on location with Lewiston No. 1 Volunteer Fire Co. on a report of smoke in a building.
•5900 block of Garlow Road, assist. LPD on location with Niagara County Sheriff's Office for a domestic.
Tuesday, Jan. 22
•Location not specified, larceny. Statement taken from a female regarding an incident that occurred approximately three years ago. Party found more items missing.
•700 block of Center Street, criminal mischief. Male reported damage to a van. Investigation to continue.
•400 block of Meadowbrook Drive, check situation. Family member on location; all OK.
•Robert Moses Parkway, two-vehicle accident. Statements taken from the drivers. Report filed.
•4600 block of Model City Road, check welfare. Patrol checked on a female juvenile and found all OK.
•5100 block of Walmore Road, assist (two calls). LPD on location with Lewiston No. 2 Volunteer Fire Co. for a propane leak. All OK. Second call, a female, age 65, difficulty breathing was taken to Mount St. Mary's
•4500 block of Washington Drive, domestic. Patrol reported a male-female domestic. Male, 31, listed as a suspect and female, 34, listed as a victim. Suspect fought with a male juvenile and the female. Patrol placed suspect under arrest and transported to Niagara County Jail.
Wednesday, Jan. 23
•LPD office, harassment. Statement taken from a female, 39. Female juvenile listed as a victim and female (no age) listed as a suspect.
•5900 block of Hyde Park Boulevard, custody problem. Patrol spoke with a female; investigation to continue.
•Kiwanis Park, suspicious vehicle. All OK.
Thursday, Jan. 24
•Ridge and Dickersonville roads, two-vehicle accident. Statements taken from the drivers; reports filed.
•Locations on Indian Hill and Chew roads, reports of vehicles in ditches. Patrol assisted four vehicles on Indian Hill Road and one on Chew Road.
•Lewiston-Porter Middle School, officer requested. Patrol reported call as an incident involving juveniles and a photo.
•300 block of North Fifth Street, unattended death. Male, 75 listed. County coroner contacted.
Friday, Jan. 25
•Garlow and Upper Mountain roads, vehicle fire. Patrol reported a vehicle, possibly a 2000 to 2006 Chevy Tahoe, with no plates or VIN at time of report. Vehicle towed.
•4400 block of Creek Road, check welfare. Patrol assisted Crisis Hotline at the location. All found OK.
•1000 block of Swann Road, neighbor problem. Patrol spoke with a male, 45, regarding a neighbor's son on the property. Investigation to continue.
•1700 block of Mount Hope Road, custody dispute/violation of a court order. Patrol spoke with a male, 29, concerning a visitation problem.
•Creek Road, address not listed, larceny. Statement taken from a female; suspect unknown. Investigation to continue.
•Pletcher Road, address not listed, check welfare. Call involved a possible physical altercation. Complainants were a juvenile and a female, 47. Male (age unavailable) listed as a suspect. Investigation to continue.
•Center Street, injury MVA, car-pedestrian. Statement taken from the driver. Female, 64, taken to Mount St. Mary's.
•800 block of Center Street, check situation. Bar/restaurant owner reports being informed via an anonymous call of a recent burglary. Investigation to continue.
•5400 block of Walmore Road, theft of services. Business closed on patrol's arrival.
Saturday, Jan. 26
•North Fifth Street and Oxbow Lane, MVA accident-arrest. Male driver, 29 interviewed, resulting in the arrest on the following: resisting arrest; obstructing governmental administration, second; driving while intoxicated; driving while ability impaired, drugs; leaving the scene of a property damage accident; and driving an unregistered vehicle. Arraignment at Lewiston Town Court, bail of $1,000/$2,000 assigned, and driver remanded to Niagara County Jail. Report filed.
•5900 block of Kline Road, attempt to locate per Niagara Falls Police Department. Patrol advised the owner of a vehicle was possibly suicidal. Subject located by NFPD.
•700 block of Fairchild Place, hit-run accident. No further information.
•Indian Hill Road, vehicle in ditch. Driver fled prior to patrol's arrival. Vehicle towed with hold placed. Investigation continuing.
•800 block of Center Street, public lewdness arrests outside a bar/restaurant. Patrol reported the arrests of a female, 22; and two females, both 19. Appearance tickets issued to all for Lewiston Town Court. Report filed.
•4800 block of Eddy Drive West, mental health response. Female, 38, went voluntarily to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.
•I-190 South, vehicle/traffic stop-arrest. Female, 31, arrested for driving while intoxicated; avoiding traffic control device/intersections; moving from a lane unsafely; and refusal of a breath-screening test. Driver released on uniform traffic tickets to Lewiston Town Court; vehicle secured.
•800 block of Center Street, three separate public lewdness arrests outside a bar/restaurant. Patrol reported the arrests of a male, 22; a male, 21; and a male, 18. Appearance tickets issued to all for Lewiston Town Court. Reports filed.
•Niagara University, Seton Hall, intoxicated female. Lewiston No. 2 on location for transport to Mount St. Mary's.
Sunday, Jan. 27
•700 block of Mary Lane, AED response, death. Male, 64, listed as victim. NCSO ID Unit and county coroner on location. Report filed.
•Upper Mountain Road, vehicle/traffic stop. Male, 50, placed under arrest for aggravated unlicensed operation. Suspect released on uniform traffic tickets to Lewiston Town Court; vehicle released to a licensed driver. Report filed.
•4400 block of Dickersonville Road, assist EMS. Male, 44, reported going through withdrawals. Lewiston No. 2 on location.
•400 block of Mountain View Drive, fraud complaint. Male, 53, reported a credit card company was trying to collect a fraudulent debt. Report filed.
•West Lane, assist. Patrol on location with NCSO for an attempt to locate. Residents advised to work with NCSO.
•6000 block of Ward Road, overdose. LPD assisted NCSO on the transport of a 31-year-old male to Mount St. Mary's.
•700 block of Center Street, alarm response at a business. Property secured.
•4700 block of Eddy Drive West, unwanted person. Female, 44, and female, 32, listed as persons involved. Parties separated.


text:
** (out of four)
Obvious statement of the day: Dumb criminals are funny.
Once the ordinary Joes in "The Babymakers" become dumb criminals—in service of robbing a sperm bank—the movie transforms from a low-impact comedy with too many loose ends into a likably absurd mini-riff on "Ocean's Eleven." That is, if Danny Ocean was a schlub who was attracted to large melons on the cover of a food magazine and desperately needed to recover his only remaining functional sperm.
Co-starring and directed by suburban Chicago native Jay Chandrasekhar ("Super Troopers," "Beerfest"), "The Babymakers" stars Paul Schneider ("Lars and the Real Girl") and Olivia Munn ("Magic Mike") as Tommy and Audrey, a married couple struggling to conceive. He's sure his boys can swim. After all, he financed Audrey's engagement ring by secretly donating to a sperm bank—20 times. Now, though, Tommy's sperm can no longer get it done, eventually resulting in the crackpot robbery scheme with Tommy's pals (Kevin Heffernan, Nat Faxon) and Ron Jon (Chandrasekhar), a supposed former member of the Indian mafia.
There are a few really good laughs in "Babymakers," particularly when Ron Jon hatches a plan that requires a very conspicuous parking lot concert to cover the noise involved. Frequently the script from Peter Gaulke and Gerry Swallow ("Ice Age: The Meltdown," "Black Knight") settles for gags like Tommy accidentally turning up the volume on a porn movie featuring two women and a horse or Wade (Heffernan) observing that there aren't any gay fat guys (not true at all). Then it gets worse when Wade slip-slides around a room after an unfortunate incident with drums of semen and a rickety shelf.
A movie can crack you up a few times, but after a scene like that it's tough to remember much else.
Watch Matt on "You & Me This Morning," Friday at 6:55 a.m. on WCIU, the U
email@example.com. @mattpais


text:
Reusable Polymer Gift Bags
Gift wrapping is in the bag.
- Available in 4 geeky themes.
- Water-resistant.
- Available in two(ish) sizes.
The great part about gift bags is that you just stuff the gift down in there, add some tissue paper, and you're done. Your present qualifies as "wrapped" just as much as someone with spare time who sat down with scissors and tape and made precise hospital corners with wrapping paper. But it seems like such a waste. You pay a couple of bucks for something the person's just going to throw away. The recipient enjoys it for a moment (cats a bit more sometimes), and then it ends up in the trash. That's where these bags come in. They're not flimsy paper and cardboard. They're made from non-woven bonded polypropylene which means the recipient can use them again and again. The large ones are perfect to throw in the car for grocery store runs or for schlepping all your stuff when you're planning a day out and the weather is being indecisive. And the small ones make great lunch bags. When you give a gift in this bag, it's really like you're giving two gifts: the present itself and the bag they can keep on using. That sounds like winning to us.
Reusable Polymer Gift Bags
- Water-resistant, non-woven, bonded polypropylene.
- Contains 25% recycled materials.
- Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
- Dimensions: Large Wonder Woman, Marvel Heroes, and Large Hello Kitty are 14" wide x 15" high x 4" deep.
- Dimensions: Star Wars is 13.75" wide x 14" high x 6" deep.
- Dimensions: Small Wonder Woman and Small Hello Kitty are 10" wide x 12" high x 4.25" deep.
- The drop (from the apex of the handle to the bag, straight down) on each is as follows: Marvel Heroes and Large Hello Kitty 9", Star Wars 8.5", Large Wonder Woman 7.5", Small Hello Kitty 6.5", Small Wonder Woman 5.5".


text:
CHEKHOV NOW FESTIVAL The fifth annual festival features new theatre works inspired by the plays and fictions of beloved Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. Pictured above is a scene from The Bet, an adaptation of a short story by the same name. Runs Oct. 27 Nov. 21 at the Connelly Theatre, 220 E. 4th St. Tickets are $15, call TheatreMania at 212-352-3101.
PUPPETRY FESTIVAL Theater for the New City will present The Voice 4 Vision Puppetry Festival to celebrate the work of a unique group of New York artists who have been creating dynamic puppet theater for many years. Pictured above is Preston Foerder and puppets. Nov. 4-14. 155 First Ave. at E. 10th St. $15. 212-254-1109.
THE HOUSE OF YES A dark comedy presented by Strange Sister Theatre combining an unhealthy obsession with the Kennedys, a hurricane, Thanksgiving with future in-laws, and a mentally unstable twin sister. Wed, Oct. 20 Sun., Oct. 24. Wed. Sat. at 8pm with a Sat. and Sun. matinee at 2pm. Sanford Meisner Theater, 164 11th Ave. $15, $12 Students. 212-340-1013.
THE MOST FAMOUS CABAL OF ALL Theater for the New Citys annual costume ball: non-stop theater, costume competition and ballroom dancing. Sun, Oct 31. Free outdoor entertainment begins at 4 pm, doors open at 7:30 pm. Costume or formal dress required. 155 First Ave at E. 10th St., $20. 212-254-1109.
NEVERLAND: THE WORLD OF GAMES A play based on Peter Pan that explores the idea of Neverland as a place where people get to play all day, a world with no school, no work, and no responsibilities. Developed by White Birds Birdhouse Ensemble with Kathryn Dickinson. HERE Arts Center, 145 6th Ave. Oct. 15 Oct. 31. Fri & Sat at 7pm and Sat & Sun at 2pm. $15. Call 212-868-4444 or visit www.here.org for tickets.
LAUGH AND CRY ON GREENWICH Laugh and Cry featuring: Do You Mind If I Join You? will be playing at the Spotlight on Halloween Festival at The Greenwich Street Theater. Written and directed by Cinti Laird. Pictured above are Jimmy Aquino and Mary Sheridan. 547 Greenwich St. Oct. 9 at 1:30 p.m., Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 12 at 7 p.m., Oct. 15 at 9:30 p.m., and Oct. 20 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15. Visit theatermania.com or call 212-352-3101.
NINE PARTS OF DESIRE American premiere. This play lifts the veil on exactly what it means to be a woman in the war-zone known as Iraq. Written and performed by Heather Raffo. Directed by Joanna Settle. Opens Oct. 9. Manhattan Ensemble Theater, 55 Mercer St. at Broome. $55 plus fees. For tickets, call 212-239-6200.
CRUX AT ST MARKS Crux is a new play by Joseph Langham in response to the current world political climate, recent tragic events and our seemingly constant state of war. A voter registration drive will also take place. Thru Oct. 3. Shows at 8 & 4pm. Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Pl. between Ave A and 1st Ave. $12, $8 Students/Seniors. 212-868-4444.
The adams conglomerate high school drama club presents: tales of the 8th grade!!!, follow the fictional adventures of five teenage girls as they experience friendship, love, death, smoking, sex, shoplifiting, pedophilia, kidnapping, basketball...you know, high school stuff, part of the NYC Fringe Festival 2004, THE PLAYERS THEATER, 115 MacDougal St., through Aug. 28, call for performance times, $15, 1-888-FringeNYC.
Africa & plumbridge, troubled teen meets her fairy-godmother and becomes Cinderella in this life-affirming musical based on a true story, a cast of 16 sing a score featuring rock, opera, soul & soaring ballads in this musical fit for the whole family, part of the NYC Fringe Festival 2004, THE PLAYERS THEATER, 115 MacDougal St., through Aug. 29, call for performance times, $15, 1-888-FringeNYC.
All the help you need: the adventures of a hollywood handyman, a hilarious and frightening autobiographical one-man show by Tim Ryan, a NY actor hires himself out as a jack-of-all-trades in Hollywood, part of the NYC Fringe Festival 2004, ACCESS THEATER, 380 Broadway, 4th fl., through Aug. 28, call for performance times, $15, 1-888-FringeNYC.
Alphabet city II, a new series of monologues based on East Village interviews that spotlight the vital history and present diversity of the Lower East Side, METROPOLITAN PLAYHOUSE, 220 E. Fourth St., Aug. 26-28, 8 p.m., Aug. 29, 7 p.m., $10-$20, 212-995-5302.
The awesome 80s prom, a new interactive theater piece in the style of Tony & Tinas Wedding & the Donkey Show, a unique experience that brings you back to the time when movies featured Molly Ringwald, where the audience picks the winners, WEBSTER HALL, 125 E. 11th St., Fri., 8 p.m., through Aug., $25 plus two drink min., 212-868-4444.
Black martian, a Haitian-American, in search of identity, trips over himself encountering psycho cooks, bible-toting street playas and knife-wielding Italian women, journey through 3 countries and 15 chracters in this coming-of-age one-man show based on a ture story, part of the NYC Fringe Festival 2004, THE NEXT STAGE, 312 W. 11th St., through Aug. 28, call for performance times, $15, 1-888-FringeNYC.
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|2011-05-25, 14:45
|Link #241
Archangelic Demon Vampire
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Mauritius
Age: 25
Thanks for the info. Then for the elements type... I'd guess:
Kyousuke - Blood (DUH)
Gabriel - Divine
My main idea here is that Kyousuke's after Dracula's way of not being dependent on blood for surviving (if that is in fact the case for the HnA Dracula). I had the idea that Dracula was different from the remaining vamps because he had "evolved" a lot more compared to the more old-school vampire that Kyousuke is.
(Aria and Kinji dispatching Dracs would also have an incidence on my fan-fic... so info plz?)
On a side note... any idea with which other OC here my own characters would have success interacting with? As I said, I'm currently writing their arrival in class. I guess that Meister's "Recurrent Characters From Other Classes" could simply be... another class. So yeah, that leaves a lot of chars for my own OCs to interact with... hmm... 9 Girls and 7 Boys... Now I need a teacher. Oh wait, we have Hanzo. Perfect.
|2011-05-25, 17:50
|Link #242
Spherical Cow
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In a vacuum
Age: 29
In fact, this should be a question everyone should consider; the Ariaverse is a place where these kinds of things are bound to happen !
|2011-05-25, 22:16
|Link #243
Archangelic Demon Vampire
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Mauritius
Age: 25
So he has four weak spots that are responsible for his regeneration... what are theses, and is there anything that explains how come he is a vampire/can live a long time? I've read also that he drinks blood from humans so that he may take their form, but is it mandatory for him to drink?
She is easily embarrassed by anything that has a lot of sexual connotations behind it.
Subject to Gabe's good old pranks and sarcastic comments. He likes to make her think that she's a siscon.
|2011-05-25, 23:30
|Link #244
Spherical Cow
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In a vacuum
Age: 29
You dont hav to wait long, hes in the 3rd arc after Shiraiyuki's story and probably the boss character of the season. Theres quite a bit of details on his power in the novel, but imusing my phone so i cant access it yet sorry But from my memories, those weak spots are like his vampire organs, if you only hit one, the rest will regenerate it, so youll have to hit all four at once.
|2011-05-26, 03:59
|Link #246
~ Your Smile ~
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 346Pro
Age: 32
Receiving from another dimension, here's Eri-chan!!
Elizabeth Alexander
Affiliation: Butei - SSR - 20.
Voice: Ogame Asuka
Raised in an environment steeped in mysticism and the paranormal, Eri, as she is called by her friends, is the head investigator for paranormal events and psychic crimes. She is privvy of many practices of traditional witchcraft, like hiding one's true identity so that her magic is protected. This fluffy witcher also collects samples from the scene, and any knowledged gleaned goes into deciphering and furthering the Liber AL vel Legis in her possession. Alexander is fond of fatty, greasy and/or sugary foods, and Eri if given the chance would eat nothing but pizza (yet not gain any weight). At other times, she has been seen drinking weird packet drinks (like Noggenfogger Elixir). Because of this archaic upbringing, Eri's mannerisms have turned out completely puzzling; she would speak into thin air, explaining that as talking to her [Holy Guardian Angel]; at times Eri would explain that the [Holy Guardian Angel] is a part of her subconcious, and that she is from another plane of existence; when she's planning/meditating/spacing out, Eri literally puts/wraps on a thinking 'blanket', explaining that to be a "focusing recepticle" for receiving extra-planar signals. [Holy Guardian Angel] can 'manifest' herself in a reflection of Eri. This being, while looking exactly like Elizabeth, takes on a darker, more serious personality topped off with a halo. Even as a reflection, she is perfectly capable of interacting with other people in normal reality. Eri devised a ritual that calls on [Holy Guardian Angel] to manifest a part of her power in reality involving sucking on the most sweetest-sourest gobstopper ever to exist, distracting her physical body while she focuses on her alternate self. Eri and the HGA then fuse and transform into a powerful telekinetic unit with black wings, Crow=AREXANDA. Eri is part of the "Nakamura Faction" because of her ongoing investigation of the unidentified blade in Alistair's possession.
Last edited by MeisterBabylon; 2011-05-26 at 09:34.
|2011-05-26, 05:47
|Link #247
VxR Productions
IT Support
Another attempt, this time focusing on another angle:
Paraplegic Butei: Pamela Anne Advantrice
|2011-05-26, 07:49
|Link #248
Spherical Cow
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In a vacuum
Age: 29
You know, I'll bet if I ask that to every guy in here, 95% of the female OCs they create would probably have that same respond of 'shyly covering herself'... That's just not fun anymore
Kha, don't use Aiwass, I've got a better suggestion for you.
Aiwass is Aleister Crowley's [Holy Guardian Angel], I can list out all the mumbo jumbo but essentially it's a part of his spiritual conscious that's separated from himself and is representative of ones truest divine nature. In other words, In the system of Magick, the single most important goal is to consciously connect with ones HGA, a process termed Knowledge and Conversation. By doing so, the magician becomes fully aware of his own True Will.
Eri's [Holy Guardian Angel] would be someone that looks almost like her and is unique to her.
|2011-05-26, 09:09
|Link #249
~ Your Smile ~
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 346Pro
Age: 32
So pretty much the change I need to make is give Eri's HGA a proper name... I tried to look for other beings like Aiwass in what the Internet has gleaned with regards to the BotL, but I haven't been successful. That's why I opted to interpret it as Aiwass is the HGA of the bloodline to save me some trouble. If you could point me towards a similar name, that would be awesome.
...or I could just name her HGA after the concept, 'Madoka'.
And Crow=AREXANDA is just terrible, I know...
Last edited by MeisterBabylon; 2011-05-26 at 09:36.
|2011-05-26, 09:55
|Link #250
Spherical Cow
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In a vacuum
Age: 29
Wow, this turns out to be alot harder than I had originally thought; months ago when I was doing research I could have swore there were more materials on the Holy Guardian Angels... Even the names of other people's HGA
Simply put, just use any hebrew name/word, if you want to go the extra mile, you can pick a name/word that have a meaning in the Gematria, heck if you want, you could just pick the hebrew word for 'Crow', which is [Orev]. This same Hebrew word also means evening, mixture, and pleasant.
|2011-05-26, 10:08
|Link #251
~ Your Smile ~
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 346Pro
Age: 32
I'll see what else does the Gematria have.
EDIT: I'll just take Orev because I can't make anything sound proper with the Gematria...
Isara: So if Eri-chan and Orev-san are the same person, then put two together... We can call you Eri-O!
Jim: She's not a cookie...
|2011-05-26, 11:53
|Link #252
Archangelic Demon Vampire
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Mauritius
Age: 25
Anyways... when you see a girl naked, there are usually 2 things that will possibly happen, either what I said earlier, or either hell is going to descend on the one that was lucky enough to see the forbidden beauty.
@Tempy: Thank you for the information. Gonna use it to redo my own Vamp's profile and perhaps do some adjustment.
|2011-05-26, 11:56
|Link #253
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 29
Ayari : *nosebleeds* Not that I mind if the eater is female.....
Kanari : Onee-chan.....you are having dirty thoughts again.
The pros and cons of Twin Phase.....
|2011-05-26, 12:30
|Link #254
Part-Time TTK & Master
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Iwakawa base and Chaldea
Age: 38
Amélie will ask what kind of business the guy have here and will threaten to denounce him to the disciplinary comitee. Convincingly. If guy happened to be in Amélie's appartment for some reason, the maid will likely be poking the back with a pointy object.
Fio would likely tackle and possibly drag the target in the shower room or her room. Whatever happen may leave that someone in bliss or traumatized.
Sanae will blush furiously and hides behind the wall, in the closet or in the bathtube and while screaming "Don't look at me, I have nothing to show!"
Naoko will politely push the mofo out of the room.
Svetlana will do like Sanae, hide and yell. Guy should expect to be later stalked around the school ground and be shot with paint round or stun rounds. For about three days.
Erin will show off, in a "Feast your eyes and burn that image in your mind" way. Then she will calmly walk toward the guy and do one of her armlocks, that hurts, implying that this pain will be the price to pay. And later, she would use that incident as blackmail material, and find a way to make the poor lad one of her "minions" as she likes to say it.
Last edited by Sheba; 2011-05-26 at 13:35.
|2011-05-26, 18:02
|Link #255
Spherical Cow
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In a vacuum
Age: 29
There's one more thing you should know...
Maybe real life isn't as bad as we think...
|2011-05-26, 19:04
|Link #256
~ Your Smile ~
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 346Pro
Age: 32
Alistair: Mystery Blade
Manami: Blood Broadside
Crysanthe: Wind Fury
Isara: Plasma Lance
Merii: Shower Fatale
Erio: Blasting Rod
Seravee: Swallow Reversal
Adara: Dragon Slayer
That's what I thought would be used in a climax, if there is no choice but to glass a supernatural being.
Last edited by MeisterBabylon; 2011-05-26 at 19:17.
|2011-05-27, 07:09
|Link #257
~ Your Smile ~
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: 346Pro
Age: 32
The X-Butei
Yandere Kanojo?
Crysanthe Spyridoula
Affiliation: SSR - 17
Voice: <needs suggestions>
It is said that trouble comes in twos. And indeed they do; Crysanthe from Greece is the only other Choutei ranked 17 in the school, surpassed only by Hotogi Shirayuki. In many ways, Crys and Shirayuki are similar; they are both in the Student Council Executive Committee; they do extremely well in exams; they were figures of mythical power to their peoples of origin; they both find themselves in the childhood friend role; and they treat said childhood friend with the same amount of attention, concern and tender-loving care. After comparing notes, Jim and Kinji quickly realize that the twin typhoons may well be sharing notes... Except one thing: Crys is literally a typhoon. Like how her ancestors tears flooded the Nile, Cryss sorrow, or jealousy, or any other negative emotion, brings torrent, thunder and lightning from the skies, or her own two hands. Anyone foolish (or unfortunate) to pick a fight with her will quickly find themselves battling the elements themselves. On normal days, Crys is calm, gentle, and completely dry. On these days, only when she feels down does a small storm cloud appear over her head and rain on her to comic effect. This good mood is as fickle as the weather, and can quickly degenerate into a Category 5 yanstorm complete with mini-Columnus overhead. Crys is initally part of the Nakamura Faction because of Jims involvement. Later, even as she holds on to her suspicions, Spyridoula accepts Alistair as a friend and officially joins the X-Butei.
Man, this girl's creation process is as unstable as she is; none of my other ARIA OCs have received as many patches and hotfixes as Crys has. Even now, some parts are still in flux, even after I waited till I got more information about Adseard and Hotogi, and am still trawling novel translations for possible hooks and contravention. Even her voice actress kept changing, from Belldandy to BEATORICCHI to a certain light music band president to now I dunno!
I hope you guys can help me out here, both on the Choutei side and the voice-acting.
|2011-05-27, 12:57
|Link #258
Part-Time TTK & Master
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Iwakawa base and Chaldea
Age: 38
The three first of "my characters and the other OCs" batch.
I am sorry if I could not get all of them, some have posted and never come back, others tweak their plans every once in a while, etc...
You can go with the default, "Neutral, never meet each other." because it happens, or just make it up.
Kirsten Vikernes
Preston Lee Whitworth
Amelie D'Artagnan
Last edited by Sheba; 2011-06-23 at 04:49. Reason: adding William Wallace
|2011-05-27, 15:42
|Link #259
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 29
Name: Alicia Capone
Nationality: American-Italian
Age: 17
Butei Rank: A
Ancestor: Al Capone
Department: CVR
Bloodline Ability: Murderous Intent - Precision Kill
Weapon: Colt S.A.A mod .45 ACP, jeweled switchblade (belonging to her ancestor), silver-plated Tommy Gun (kept in school locker), BAR mod 7.62
Friends: Ayari/Kanari, Karla, Meikyo
Originally from the US, Alicia was an ordinary student from a Chicago middle school, where she got into a brush with the law by seriously injuring a group of local teens for trying to hit on her. As a result, her parents packed her up and sent her to Japan, enrolling her in the local Butei Academy in hopes of reining her behaviour in. However, that didn't change her personality, but her grades are above average and thus she was streamed into the Civetta class.
When Meikyo was streamed into CVR, she was unable to walk. As a result of her previous transgressions, she was often picked on by the students from other classes, no matter how the Civetta girls try to protect and help her. To make matters worse, NK has despatched agents to take her out. On one occasion, a couple of agents tried to take her out while she is out for her medical checkup, but failed and thus held hostages. Alicia then appeared and shot them out with her revolver. After that incident, they both became fast friends and she was assigned as a "protector" to the now more-vulnerable Meikyo.
Alicia is an extremely charming girl, however, her yangire personality makes her a figure of fear for her enemies. On another occasion, the car of the Tokyo mayor, who seeks to close down the Butei Academy as "it is a school of breeding violence", parked outside the school, while the mayor criticised the school for taking in Meikyo while passing by the class. Alicia then took her Thompson during lunch break and destroyed his car, which is parked near the school entrance, sparking an uproar in school. Though the nothing happened as EU and a number of prominent politicians (who hated the mayor) intervened, she was given a month of detention after school, which Meikyo visits her every day.
Alicia and Meikyo, despite being foreigners, developed a fledgling interest in the otaku culture of Japan. Alicia's dislike of the Tokyo mayor stemmed from the latter's constant censorship of "harmful material", thus making it hard for both of them to pursue her interests. Subsequently, she took an interest in airsoft weapons, and tried to get Reisen to modify an airsoft M1918 BAR into a real weapon, but was turned down as she did not have enough cash. She then vandalised his yacht with spray paint, and as revenge, Reisen fired teargas grenades into her dorm on a daily basis until Meikyo begged both sides to stop, partly because she living in the same room as Alicia too. Hence, Reisen modified the gun for her, and she agreed to pay him in instalments.
Last edited by SaintessHeart; 2011-06-06 at 21:38.
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