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The Evangelical Surprise
Last year the Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster, Ohio, became a regular stop for journalists covering trends in Christian right politics. In 2004 its pastor, Russell Johnson, helped organize a campaign for a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and succeeded in having it put on the ballot for the November elections. It passed with 63 percent of the vote, and many believed that it gave George W. Bush his narrow margin of victory in the state and returned him to the White House. The following year, Johnson launched the Ohio Restoration Project with the goal of recruiting two thousand "patriot pastors" to register three hundred new voters each and bring them to the polls for "values candidates" in 2006 and beyond.
Johnson's meetings and rallies began with a chorus singing hymns while images of the American flag, the Statue of Liberty, and American troops in combat moved across huge video screens overhead. Johnson would then speak of "the secular jihad against people of faith" and warn Christians against standing by, as Neville Chamberlain did, while the Jews died in Europe. Talking with visitors to his nondenominational evangelical church, Johnson, energetic and a skillful debater, spoke forcefully on "the bigotry against the teaching of Creationism," the war against Christmas, and Roe v. Wade, which, he said, had led to the crisis in Social Security by killing millions of American taxpayers. He also described how he worked with other state activists, some with ties to national organizations, to create computerized lists of sympathizers in conservative churches throughout Ohio, and to follow up with the distribution of voting guides and the recruitment of volunteers to bring church members to the polls.
In the quarter of a century that Christian right activists such as Johnson have been mobilizing voters to oppose abortion and gay rights, and support prayer in the schools among other causes, conservative white Christians have moved gradually into the Republican camp. In the past two presidential elections, how often a person attended church was a better indicator of how he or she would vote than any other demographic characteristic—income, age, gender—except for race. Blacks voted strongly for Democrats. But those white voters who went to church once a week or more voted heavily for George Bush; those who went seldom or never voted in large measure for Gore, then Kerry, while those who went to church once a month split down the middle, just as voters in general did. The Republicans had, in other words, apparently become a quasi-religious party, and the Democrats the party of less religiously observant people and secularists.1
Johnson and his fellow Christian right activists speak of "values voters," but most of these voters are evangelical Protestants. Evangelicals have a disproportionate part in what pollsters call the "God gap" between the two parties. They make up a quarter of the population—around 75 million people—and a far higher percentage of them are frequent churchgoers than are mainline Protestants and Catholics. Furthermore, the group as…
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EDT:Deployment Introduction
If you are developing Web Client Project or project with Services, then a EDT Deployment Operation is need to deploy your RUIHandlers or Services to target dynamic web project. Different with deploy to app server, your generated Java/JavaScript/Html files in EGL project will be copied to the target project. By doing this, a pure dynamic web project will be created and with no EGL feature. And also, the resource binding will be set in the target project to make it works. Then you can deploy this new project to your app server.
Deployment Description
There will be a Deployment Description (DD for short) File in each EGL project you created. As we introduced in last section an EDT Deployment Operation is needed if you are writing a EGL project with Handler or Service. The DD file maintains all the deployment needed information. The following section will introduce the details of it.
The DD file will be created automatically when you create any of the EGL project in EDT. In the EGLSource folder with the same name of your project. Although RUIHandler and Service deployment will added to DD file automatically when you use creation wizard, there are still some settings need your manual modification. See the points listed below.
- Overview Tab:
This tab shows all status of details tabs. You may switch to specific tab by click button "Details" or double click the item in grid.
Target Project combo box listed all dynamic web project in the current workspace. You should select one or create a new one for this field. When doing the deployment, this filed can not be empty.
- Rich UI & Service Deployment:
One of the main purposes for DD file is to deploy Rich UI Handler and Rest Services to target project. These two types of EGL file will be added to the DD file by default when you create them by creation wizard.
You can manually modify the RUIHandlers/Services you want to deploy in these two tabs.
In the Service Deployment tab, all Rest Services you created will be listed in the table. If you forgot to check the option "Create as Web Services" when creating service, you can modify them in this tab easily. Just click the "Add" button at the right of the table. The "Add Web Services Wizard" will pop up, and you can manage the services in this pop up window. When configuration finished, click "Finish" button to accept it.
- Resource Bindings:
The resource binding tab configures the DB resource or Deployed REST Service you may want to use in this project. If the project contains DB logics, EGL written REST Service or Third Party Service invocations, you may use these tab to configure these settings.
For details of Resource Binding, see the introduction RESOURCE BINDING. And SERVICE INTRODUCTION
- Imports & Resources:
The imports tab allows you to reference another DD file in different projects to reuse some settings. It can make your project structure more clear. For example, you have two EGL projects. The first one including all RUIHandlers, and the other one including all services. Then when deploy the RUIHandler project, you just to import the service one. This can reduce the redundancy and have a better consistency.
And the resources tab allows you to modify the resources you want to deploy. By default, all resources in WebContent/generatedJava/generatedJavaScript/src folders will be deployed. For example, you can modify the resources to remove the src folder to reduce the size of target project.
Deployment Operation
There are two way to trigger a deployment operation. You can trigger it by context menu of DD file -> "Deploy EGL Descriptor", or by click this button at top-right of the DD file editor view. If the target project of DD file is empty, there will be an alert notifying you to modify it. And also if no RUIHandler or Service Deployment added in the DD file, there will be an alert too.
Some Tips of Deployment
1. If you are using Java external type in your projects, you should have configured the java build path of your EGL project to make sure no compile error in generatedJava codes. But when you deploy the EGL project to target project, the external JAR can not be deployed to target project. You need to modify the Java build path again in the target project manually.


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Ashley Tisdale: Holiday Shopping with Mom!
Ashley Tisdale grabs a coffee while out holiday shopping on Tuesday (December 18) in West Hollywood, Calif.
The 27-year-old actress went casual in comfy pants and a plaid shirt as she and her mom Lisa browsed the stores.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Ashley Tisdale
The night before, Ashley partied it up with her sis Jennifer and her BFF Selena Gomez at the Blondie Girl Productions Holiday Party in Studio City, Calif.
10+ pictures inside of Ashley Tisdale and her mom Lisa out holiday shopping�
Posted to: Ashley Tisdale


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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Raised in a working-class Long Island home as the son of a butcher and a school bus driver, there was little real possibility that Bruce Arena would someday travel the world as a soccer dignitary.
But a poster of the Italian National Team in his grandfather's Brooklyn sandwich shop made an impression on a 10-year-old Arena that has lasted a lifetime, punctuated Tuesday when he headlined the 2010 induction class into the National Soccer Hall of Fame during a ceremony at New Meadowlands Stadium.
Arena was inducted alongside former NASL star Kyle Rote Jr., two-time US World Cup veteran Thomas Dooley, MLS icon and current Toronto FC coach Preki and longtime soccer reporter Paul Gardner.
Now considered one of the most identifiable and formative figures in American soccer, it's nearly impossible to imagine the last 15-plus years without Arena. Yet he came from an auspicious background to land where he is now, head coach of his third MLS team and still the most successful coach in US National Team history.
"Lacrosse, American football and baseball were the sports in my childhood household," Arena said, adding his memories of poster hung on the wall of his grandfather's shop. "Soccer was nowhere to be seen or heard. As a 10-year-old, I simply made a mental note of what, to me at the time, was an incredibly unusual sport."
Arena's soccer career famously blossomed from that moment, a kid who once worshipped Mickey Mantle eventually transformed into the most accomplished American soccer coach in history. Though his playing career was comparatively pedestrian – he largely rode the bench as a backup goalkeeper in the NASL – he succeeded wherever he went as the man on the sidelines.
His career began in earnest with a run of success at Virginia which included five national titles and the development of players like Jeff Agoos, Tony Meola, Claudio Reyna and John Harkes.
[inline_node:315598]Then came back-to-back MLS titles with D.C. United in 1996 and 1997, and titles in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and Intramerican Cup with the club in 1998.
But Arena – who went on to coach in MLS with the New York Red Bulls before taking his current job in 2008 with the Los Angeles Galaxy – saved his best memories Tuesday for the calling card of his career: unparalleled success with the US National Team.
Arena led the Americans to quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea, springing a 3-2 upset over Portugal in the group-play opener that springboarded the team to their most successful World Cup run to date.
"Hearing our national anthem in the aftermath of 9-11 was one of the most emotional experiences of my life," Arena said of the World Cup opener. "To be part of that day, where the US stepped on the field … and to demonstrate to the world that we're a united country and we can put a product on the field was the absolute highlight of my career."
Arena also heralded the Americans' effort in a 1-1 draw against Italy during group play at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, a match when Arena carried the mass card from his late Italian father's funeral in his pocket to face the eventual World Cup champions.
"Our team fought courageously that day," Arena said. "Getting that result against Italy … was a very special experience."
[inline_node:315597]Arena also shared memories of D.C. United's 1996 MLS Cup run, and thanked MLS and US Soccer coaching figureheads and longtime friends Bob Bradley, Dave Sarachan and Glenn Myernick.
But he reflected on tough periods, too, including a spell in 2007 and 2008 after he parted ways with the Red Bulls after an underwhelming 15-month stint there. He eventually landed square in the middle of the David Beckham era in Los Angeles, hired to take the reins there by MLS founding fathers Phil Anschutz and Tim Leiweke.
"I was a coach without a team, and I wasn't building a whole lot," Arena said. "Change is necessary to be successful, and they brought me back into the game and they allowed me to do what I loved to do."
Arena added that he still receives notes and well wishes from his former players, confirming perhaps more than any title that the path he chose from humble backgrounds to sports royalty was one blessed with fortune and destiny.
"I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to build teams and have successful teams," Arena said. "But more importantly, to create and develop young people, and to try and build relationships that I could have for the rest of my life."
Watch Bruce Arena's induction speech:


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Prior to purchasing any product from Printpps.com, customers are able to preview a proof online before checkout. If you uploaded your own design, the file you uploaded is your proof because we print from the file you provide.
We print millions of custom products annually and our customers are delighted with the products we provide. However, on rare occasions, customers have very specific color, formatting, and registration requirements. The only way to determine if the product you are ordering matches your specific color, formatting, and registration requirements, is for you to pay for an actual printed proof and see if the actual printed product matches your specifications. PrintPPS.com will be happy to send you a printed proof for a non-refundable charge of $30.00.
Personalized Paper Manufacturing Group's pricing is based off "Quantity Pricing", where by increasing your total quantity lowers your cost per individual product. The only pricing we have available is the pricing shown in the pricing calculator.
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Our occasional contributor Joel Mowbray ([email protected]) first brought the newly elected Ohio state treasurer Josh Mandel to the attention of our readers in the 2008 post "Star on the rise," when Josh was running for reelection to the Ohio legislature. Joel subsequently reported for us how then state rep. Mandel's Democratic opponent was seeking to use Josh's return to duty for a second tour in Iraq for the surge against him during Josh's campaign for reelection. Today Joel provides this update on Ohio's newly elected state treasurer:
Once left for dead in the region, conservatives are making a comeback in the Midwest. Right-wingers and many others are swooning for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and soon there could be a new Midwestern conservative with a national following.
Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Marine who served two tours in Iraq, is a familiar name already to loyal Power Line readers. Although it appears he's reluctant to jump into a new race right on the heels of knocking off a sitting treasurer, Mandel is getting pressured by many in the Ohio GOP to challenge liberal Sen. Sherrod Brown. The Washington Post and Hugh Hewitt have recently written glowing stories on why Mandel would make a strong candidate, even as they acknowledge that there's a good chance he might not run.
It's not hard to see why establishment Republicans and grassroots conservatives alike are pushing Mandel to run.
Political operatives love Mandel for his profile. Not only is Mandel a Marine who served two tours in Iraq, but he also has built a national fundraising network. He also was elected to the state House from a Cleveland area seat where Democrats outnumber Republicans two-to-one, and he's an unusually effective retail politician.
Conservatives love him because he has a strong track record, including legitimate foreign policy bona fides and a history of unabashed fiscal conservatism. He's shown other Republicans that it's possible to attract moderates, independents and even Democrats without compromising on principles.
His profile surged four years ago when, with his first bill as a new state legislator, he co-sponsored the successful effort to divest Ohio's pension funds from companies doing business in the Iranian energy sector.
That initiative is what gave Mandel a national profile as a demonstrated leader, which in turn enabled him to establish a national fundraising network.
But what will help Mandel most with the conservative base is that he was a "Tea Party" Republican long before there was such a thing.
In his first political office, serving on the suburban Cleveland city council, Mandel led the charge for cutting property taxes. Initially, he was opposed by six of his fellow councilmen. Then he reached out to the community, managing to turn out hundreds of ordinary citizens demanding tax relief.
The result? The city council voted six-to-one to cut property taxes – one of the relative few times such a thing has happened in Ohio.
In 2008, Mandel was one of a handful of conservative lawmakers who resisted intense pressure from GOP leaders and opposed a bloated bipartisan "stimulus" bill. The bill, which Republican operatives argued would help win moderate voters, passed anyway.
Then voters promptly handed control of the state House to Democrats.
Last year, Mandel proved his ability to run an effective statewide campaign, winning more votes than any other candidate for executive office. Yet if Mandel is interested in running for the Senate next year, he's not showing his hand.
Should Mandel choose to run for the Senate, Democrats will fret not just about losing the Senate seat, but also about the possible impact on Obama's chances in the Buckeye state. Ohio Republican operatives see Mandel as a dynamic and attractive surrogate who has also built an impressive turnout operation – the kinds of things that can tip a close race elsewhere on the ballot.
All this speculation, of course, is premature. But if Mandel does decide to run for the Senate, another Midwestern conservative soon could become a household name.
When Josh first ran for state representative in 2006, he wore out three pairs of brown leather shoes while knocking on 19,679 doors in his Democratic-leaning district. When Josh visited Minnesota last year year he brought a pair of the worn-out shoes along as an exhibit. I declared Josh my favorite candidate in the last election cycle. Like many of the extraordinary young veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has a great contribution to make at home. In the column linked in Joel's post above, Hugh Hewitt dubs Josh "Sherrod Brown's worst nightmare."


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Get Started with NRCS
Resources for Small Farms
NRCS works with state, local, and community groups to increase awareness of the conservation assistance we offer and build participation among farmers and ranchers. Outreach and partnerships helped grow the number of NRCS program applications from underserved producers last year by 82 percent in StrikeForce areas.
Local Community Based Organizations are critical to this effort. Since 2010, USDA has partnered with over four hundred of these organizations - congregations, volunteer organizations, nonprofits and others.
If you are located in a StrikeForce area and would like to partner with NRCS, start by contacting your StrikeForce State Coordinators.
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StrikeForce includes targeted counties in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
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Check out our Other Esteem photo gallery with 0 HQ pics. Last update in Esteem gallery:
Hyundai has planned the development of a navigation system that can differ from other elements of augmented reality.
Porsche officially announced that diesel engines in their cars will no longer appear.
For an updated version of R8 Spyder begin new road tests.
The SUV from Mazda has upgraded in appearance, take a new powerful Skyactiv-G engine and G-Vectoring Control Plus.
We select only big size other esteem photos for our photogallery.


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Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI) is the second largest coal dealer in the U.S. The company is responsible for 8% of the electricity generated in the U.S.[1][2] The company sells coal mainly to power plants, steel mills, and industrial facilities.[3] Arch Coal produces about 16% of the U.S. coal supply at its 11 mining complexes in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia.[2]
Arch estimated that power generation declined roughly 4.0 percent in 2010, which represented the largest decline in power demand on record.[4] The decline in the demand for coal and also the price of coal has had an adverse effect on Arch's sales volumes and profit margin. At the same time, the dominance of coal power plants as the primary source of electricity is being threatened by the increased use of natural gas and nuclear energy, and also renewable sources such as hydroelectric and solar power.
Arch Coal sells coal to electric utilities, factories, and other coal-burning businesses. These customers then burn the coal to fuel their generators and produce electricity. Arch Coal's operations in the Western Bituminous region are located in southern Wyoming, Colorado and Utah and include four underground mining complexes and one surface mining complex. ACI's operations in the Central Appalachia region are located in southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia and include four mining complexes, including nine underground mines and four surface mines.
The vast majority of ACI's coal was transported by an extensive U.S. rail network and delivered to 175 power plants across the U.S., powering the equivalent of 20 million homes.[1] Arch Coal's mines benefit from economies of scale; Arch coal's surface mines are 215% more productive per hour than the national coal industry average, and its underground mines were 60% more productive than the national average.[3]
I have been impressed with much of the cotencre design in Risa-3D. I have 2 suggestions. One, compute the shear strength of the column based on equation 11-4 (126.96.36.199) which takes into account the axial load on the column. This load can greatly increase the shear strength of the column.Without using the axial load I get tie spacing of 4 for a 30 square column with 2500 kips. I do not mind being a little conservative, but the contractor is going to scream loudly if I require 6 spacing in a non-seismic region. My second suggestion would be to compute both the compression and tension lap splices for the column reinforcing.
By 2015, the U.S. government will require power plants to reduce sulfur-dioxide emissions nearly 60% below 2003 levels.[6] Arch is helping power plants achieve these reductions by mining clean-burning, low sulfur coal for electricity generation. Nearly 82% of Arch's 2.8-billion-ton reserve base is low in sulfur content, with 73% meeting the most stringent requirements of the Clean Air Act without the application of scrubber technology.[6]
Though Arch already mines low-sulfur coal, it has made investments in technology companies focused on making coal combustion cleaner. It has partnered with a coal-conversion company that plans to transform coal into domestic supplies of gasoline, with the potential to capture CO2 emissions during the conversion process for use in enhanced oil recovery.[6] Furthermore, Arch Coal has invested $8 million in clean coal research through the Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Wyoming Clean Coal Technology Center.[6]
Arch Coal's mining activities can have an adverse effect on the environment. In March 2011, Arch Coal agreed to pay $4 million for more than 1,000 violations of the Clean Water Act in a settlement with Kentucky, West Virginia, and the Environmental Protection Agency.[7] West Virginia, Kentucky, and the EPA claimed that Arch Coal violated its permits and released excessive amounts of iron, manganese, and other pollutants into streams and rivers at four plants: Cumberland River Coal, Coal Mac, Mingo Logan Coal and Lone Mountain Processing. Arch Coal has since taken measures to prevent an estimated 2 million pounds of pollution from entering watersheds each year and has installed a treatment system to reduce selenium discharges.
Coal companies are price competitors. This makes it difficult for companies to maintain high profit margins. When demand for coal is high, as could be caused by colder weather patterns or a rapidly expanding economy, prices rise because of an undersupply to meet the demand.
Arch estimates that power generation declined roughly 4.0 percent in 2010, which represented the largest decline in power demand on record.[4] This expected decline in coal consumption reflects overall weaker power generation trends, stronger nuclear utilization, increased precipitation in hydroelectric power regions, fuel switching to natural gas, weak demand facing industrial customers, reduced need for coking coal from domestic steel producers, and the impact of lower coal exports.[4]
The only way coal companies like Arch Coal can control their profitability is by keeping their costs down. This is also very difficult, however, because the majority of coal inputs are also commodities - steel, natural gas, diesel. As the prices of these products fluctuate, the cost of coal production fluctuates, making the profitability of coal a function of an output cycle and a number of input cycles. Thus, even if coal is in high demand with high prices, rising steel costs can crimp profit margins.
Production constraints can have a powerful, positive effect on coal price and, thus, Arch Coal's profitability. Limited transportation resources, like port space and rail capacity, can artificially limit the supply of coal. Further constraints, like labor or capital, can limit the amount of coal being produced at a mine, again limiting supply and pushing prices up. While this has the potential to limit coal companies' potential revenues, it also tends to make coal more profitable. Limits on labor, port, and rail capacity in foreign markets have contributed to the profit boom in the American coal industry.
Mines are dangerous places to work; perils range from falling debris to accidental explosions to dust-induced respiratory illness. Unions and citizens movements are working for better mining conditions, which means higher production costs; the U.S. location of Arch Coal's mines means that labor cannot be exported to less-regulated parts of the world. The recent Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 2006 is an example of a government regulation that has the potential to raise costs and lower profitability by taking time and energy away from production.
Recently, the company has been selling off more and more of its holdings, in an attempt to retain high-capacity, low-cost mines and acquire new, more profitable ones. Arch Coal sold the majority of its Appalachian holdings in 2005; in the process, it got rid of many of its liabilities, including future employee health-care and pensions. The shrinking supply of coal in the Appalachian mines has been leading to higher costs of extraction, making the region less and less profitable. Other companies, like Peabody Energy (BTU), got rid of their holdings in the region only recently, giving Arch Coal a head start to gain back its losses. All in all, divesting resources from the region should be a positive move because it would allow Arch Coal to divert resources to more profitable locations like the Powder River Basin.
As a form of energy, coal faces most of its competition from natural gas, a cleaner burning source of power. If natural gas prices fall, the entire coal industry could face a drop in revenue as power consumers turn to the cheaper form of energy.
Arch Coal faces increased competition during times of high coal demand, and decreased competition during times of low demand. Because of the company's size and well-established industry position, there is very little risk of its collapse during a period of low demand. Arch Coal's major competitors include Peabody, Massey Energy Company, CONSOL Energy (CNX), Rio Tinto PLC, and a number of Chinese entrants such as Yanzhou Coal Mining. To compete effectively, Arch Coal must control its costs; controlling prices is very difficult because product pricing is a function of the market.
|2008 Coal Industry Production Data
|Arch Coal[10]
|Tons of Coal Sold (millions)
|Total Reserves (millions of tons)
|Coal sales (millions of dollars)
|Net Profit Margin


text:
Details about this Driver
|Download driver for: SONY VGN-TT198U
|Supported System
|Win 8, Win 7, Win 10, Win xp, Win Vista, Win 8.1, Win Server 2003
|File Size
|6262 kb
|Setting Utility Series Update driver for SONYVGN-TT198U
This utility updates the Setting Utility Series software to version4.1.01.09230 to address the following issue:
The side button mouse settings in VAIO® Control Center may notfunction properly
Character flickering may occur in the VAIO HDD protectionutility
The Presentation option incorrectly appears in the S-button list ofVAIO Control Center for systems running Microsoft® Windows Vista®Home Basic operating systems
The VAIO Power Management Viewer application may stop r...
Simple Way to Update Sony Drivers
There are numerous of frequent warnings as well as other messages that you could get in the driver upgrading process, several of which I've paraphrased and listed right here along with tips on how to proceed:
QUESTION: My VPCL234FX screen cursor is moving erratically and automatically opening proplems. When typing hae to reset cursor to continue to form. It took me 15 minutes to kind this concern. Does any one have a option to this situation?
ANSWER: What is the present operating system of your Desktop computer? Let's isolate the challenge by following these recommendations: Reinstall drivers: Go to Device Manager -> double click Human Interface Devices -> right click the driver/s under that and select Uninstall (DO NOT DELETE). Do the same to Mice and other pointing devices -> (Again, DO NOT DELETE). Restart the computer. Boot the computer to Safe Mode: https://us.en.kb.sony.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/43530/c/65,66/kw/safe%20mode. You may also run DriverTuner to download the Sony drivers and Windows Update for Microsoft drivers.
Way to Update Drivers with Device Manager
- Driver updates for Windows 10 and many devices (such as monitors, printers, and video cards) are automatically downloaded and installed through Windows Update.
- While it's likely you already have the most recent driver, if you're having trouble with a device, you can try fixing it by updating the driver or reinstalling it. Here's how:
- Select the Start button, type Device Manager, and select it from the list of results.
- Expand one of the categories to find the name of your device, then right-click (or tap and hold) it, and select Update Driver Software.
- Select Search automatically for updated driver software.
- If Windows doesn't find a new driver, you can try looking for one on the device manufacturer's website and follow their instructions.
- If these steps don't work, try reinstalling the driver: Open Device Manager, right-click (or tap and hold) the name of the device, and select Uninstall. Restart your PC and Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver.
Still can't Fix SONY VGN-TT198U Driver Problem? Don't Worry! You can Try DriverTuner
1. Click here to download a Professional Driver Updating Tool and double click it to install
2. Scan your PC for out-of-date drivers. Select the ones(here you should choose SONY VGN-TT198U) which need to be updated and click download. Or you can just check SELECT ALL.
3. When the download process is finished, click SETUP to install them. Voila! Your driver for SONY VGN-TT198U has been updated. Sometimes a restart is required to put the changes into use.
|Fix Driver Problems
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Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP


text:
Demand for California almonds, in nearly 90 countries throughout the world, elevated shipments to a record 1.024 billion pounds for the 2003/04 crop year which concluded July 31, 2004.
The release of the Almond Board of California's year-end position report, an account of all receipts and shipments transacted by handlers during the previous 12 months, confirmed - for a fifth consecutive year - record increases in shipments in both domestic and export markets.
Domestic shipments rose 7 percent during 2003/04 compared with the previous crop year to reach 312,160,183 pounds - an increase of over 20 million pounds. Almond shipments to overseas markets increased by 3.11 percent in 2003/04 to reach a new high of 712,122,629 pounds. Overall, exports accounted for 70 percent of total shipments, vs. 30 percent shipped within the U.S., the single largest market for California almonds.
Second largest crop
California's more than 6,000 almonds growers also recorded their second largest crop in history producing 1.033 billion pounds, a 4.68 percent decrease from the previous year's record of 1.084 billion pounds. The California Agricultural Statistics Service has forecasted that the 2004/05 almond crop, currently being harvested throughout the almond growing region, will weigh in at 1.08 billion pounds.
Other highlights of the year-end report include:
Russia, a key emerging market for California almonds, experienced a 58 percent rise in shipments to 14,238,160 pounds. This increase can be attributed to a growing urban population enjoying greater economic prosperity and to the expanded introduction of almond containing confectionery and snack lines.
Almond growing competitor Italy increased shipments 30 percent from the previous year moving it into the top five export markets for California almonds.
Spain maintains its position as the leading export market for almonds with another 25 percent increase, matching its previous year's 25 percent growth for a record 132.2 million pounds during the 2003/04 crop-year. Overall, exports to Western Europe increased 8 percent to 419.3 million pounds and Eastern Europe grew by 32 percent to 20.8 million pounds.


text: Inspired by the lamps of miners and workers, Cage is enclosed by a metal cage which here becomes a decorative element and the name of the lamp. The contrast between the glossy surface of the blown glass diffuser and the hand-crafted steel external cage makes Cage unique. In the floor lamp version Cage is available with a glamour white or fashion black diffuser to which a black or white metal cage is applied to achieve a total of four different colour variants. Its light source is what lends Cage its dual soul. When it is turned off the colour of the glass is in block and the glossy surface reflects the geometric shapes of the cage, when it is turned on, the reflected effect disappears and the colour of the glass becomes warmer.


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Choir & Music:
St. Paul's Fine Arts Academy:. Where: 10600 N Council Rd., OKC, OK, St. Paul's Lutheran ChurchAccepting registrations for the fall semester in the following areas of study:PRIVATE: Piano, Voice, Saxophone, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, String BassCLASS: Guitar (both beginning and intermediate), Art (Painting and Drawing ages 4 and up as well as Watercolor for Teens and Adults), Dance, Ballet and Tap/Hip Hop (ages 3 and up), Irish Dance, Zumba – aerobics to salsa musicOur instructors are top notch. Background checks have been done on each teacher, and the building is a safe environment. You may visit our website at www.stpaulsfaa.com or contact firstname.lastname@example.com or 405-721-0590.Tulsa Choir: Tulsa Homeschool Choir serves Tulsa and surrounding communities. Director Jana Davis Tollefson, an Oklahoma Certified music teacher who has taught in public/ private schools and maintained a private piano/voice studio over 20 years, desires in these choirs to develop young musicians for Christ who will walk in confidence, giving glory and honor to Him in their music. Preparatory, kindergarten-third grades rehearsing Thursdays 2:00-2:45 p.m., costs $60.00 per semester; Intermediate, fourth-sixth grades, rehearsing Thursdays 1-:1:45, costs $60 per semester; THC, seventh- twelfth grades rehearsing Thursdays 2:00-3:30 p.m., costs $100.00 per semester and $10 per family per year refundable music fee. Seventh year begins August 23, 2007, at Asbury Church, 6767 South Mingo, Tulsa. Contact: email@example.com


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Don't let the Perfect be the Enemy of the Good.
I read a recent article in the New Yorker magazine that brought up some very good points about why hiring is so unacceptably slow. They talked about how HR and recruiters are looking for the exact perfect fit for new hires; they will interview dozens of people in their pursuit of perfection and then most times not hire anyone. I have seen this from personal experience. I have a long and successful career in Sales; many times when I go through the initial phone interview screening by HR they get all excited about my experience, successes, etc then there is that moment where they say: wait, you sold media advertising, not software/healthcare/research and they tell me that could be a problem. Companies are looking to fill any position only with a candidate that has the 'perfect' experience. This is not the way to go about hiring the best candidate, this is a lazy and ineffective way to find a replacement for someone that has left or in creating a new position. If a candidate has sold media branding that candidate would not be a good fit for a company looking to hire someone to sell media advertising for autos. I have heard stories from many people looking for work and I hear the same things from them; you always hear the advice that you should try to play up some of your experience to get a job. But employers aren't looking for that, they only want to see the perfect candidate. Then, after interviewing countless numbers of people, wasting everyones time, most times they don't hire anyone. I haven't even mentioned the filters that are used for online resumes that block out about 80% of the people outright, because of simple words that are or are not on the candidates resume.
This obviously is not the way to go about hiring the best candidate for a job. Anyone looking to hire a candidate, whether they be a recruiting a VP of sales, needs to open their minds and understand what makes for a good hire. This open-mindedness includes more than just whats on paper, it really comes down to what talents people have. Talents are innate qualities that cannot be learned. Skills, on the other hand are learnable. So, using me as an example, my talents include knowing how to work with people, knowing the importance of building a relationship with a client/prospect, generating outstanding revenue, being able to listen to clients/prospects needs, being able to ask the right questions to what it is the client is looking for and having a self brand of trust. These are all things I excel at; these are also things people can't be taught to do. I saw it so many times over the years when we would go through different sales training; most of my colleagues would follow the instructions to a T, not realizing that if you walk into a company with a scripted approach that will turn clients off. But I saw my colleagues, bosses, bosses boss, do that exact thing they were told to do by some 'expert'. Needless to say they were never successful.
Hiring should be focused more on personalities, how you interact with your potential boss, how they interact with you. Prejudging people and only looking for the 'perfect' candidate is the wrong way to get the best talent thats out there. Right now companies have the upper hand in the hiring process, that won't always be the case. My first piece of advice to overhauling the hiring process is to think out of the box, talk to and evaluate potential hires about their talents. Talented people are hard to find, the skills involved in learning to sell a different product are the easy part. I have been using sales as an example but I believe what I am talking about pertains to every job category out there, and also at every level. We have unprecedented unemployment levels, companies hiring very few people and going about the hiring in completely the wrong way.


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Gary Rydstrom is a wizard with sound. In the last three decades, he's worked with James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Pixar, racking up seven Oscars and nine more nominations for his contributions to such films as "Titanic," "Minority Report," "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" and "Finding Nemo," among others. Although the new film "The Secret World of Arrietty," the latest production from Japan's revered animation house Studio Ghibli, finds Rydstrom in the director's chair for the second time, he's sticking close to his field of expertise — he directed the actors as they recorded the audio portion of the English-language release of the film, which Disney is opening in the U.S. on Feb. 17.
Hayao Miyazaki co-wrote the Japanese screenplay for the film, which is based on "The Borrowers," Mary Norton's 1952 children's book about tiny people who live in the nooks and crannies of human homes, "borrowing" what they need to survive. Rydstrom says it's a bit more straightforward than many of the myth- and fantasy-filled films to come from Studio Ghibli, which Miyazaki co-founded in 1985.
"It's a very simple story, but it's beautifully told," Rydstrom said. "It comes from an English book from an English author, from a Japanese studio. We threw in our American cast, and the music, which is beautiful, is done by a lovely French composer [Cécile Corbel], so it's incredibly international."
Like many in the industry, Rydstrom describes himself as a "huge fan" of Studio Ghibli's productions — he previously helmed the audio for the U.S. release of Ghibli's film "Tales From Earthsea," based on the book by Ursula K. Le Guin. "It's nice when a studio has such an identifiable sensibility," Rydstrom said. "They make movies like no other animation studios make them. I love movies that feel like they are done by human beings that have such a personal and sometimes quirky and unique style to them, and all their movies do. … There's also a beauty in how they use animation to study the most minute moments of life."
"Arrietty," Rydstrom says, is no different.
"It's full of little moments about how the raindrops hit the leaves, and how nature reacts to humans and tiny humans running through it. There's an observation to life that Studio Ghibli has, a beautiful observation to life that's completely unique."
"Arrietty," the directorial debut of Studio Ghibli's youngest director, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, was critically praised and a box office hit when it opened in Japan in 2010. The film received three subsequent translations: a French dub, a U.K. dub featuring the voice of Saoirse Ronan, and Rydstrom's American release.
"It might be a weird thing for me to see the U.K. version, the same way it probably is for the Japanese filmmakers to see our version. Probably disconcerting to see your movie with completely different actors," Rydstrom said. "I don't feel in competition with it at all. It's funny, this is a way that various people then, with a new cast, a new director, a new writer, can reinterpret the same movie. Someday maybe it will be a good term paper or a thesis for someone to figure out how the U.K. and American versions differ."
Karey Kirkpatrick, whose credits include "Charlotte's Web" and "Chicken Run," wrote the U.S. screenplay, producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy cast the film, and Rydstrom worked with the actors to make the unnatural, mechanical process of voicing a character in a vacuum more organic.
"If this was my movie, my animation movie, we'd be working with the actors first," Rydstrom said. "We'd be finding the lines and the characters and what was good, and then once we'd cut that and liked that, we would animate to that. This is already animated. We have to make English fit into the timing of the original Japanese, make sense to us as an audience, and then the actors have to make it seem natural. A lot of what I was doing was making sure that the actors felt comfortable enough with the process to still be natural. Because they have to pay attention to timing as well as emotion, and that's a hard thing to do. It's a weird, backwards way of approaching a movie, and it's also not my movie. It's Studio Ghibli's movie, and we want to be true to the original spirit of the movie as much as possible."
Rydstrom says his job was made easier by a talented cast of experienced comedy actors, including Amy Poehler, Will Arnett and one of Rydstrom's heroes, Carol Burnett. "What I liked is every one of these famous-in-comedy actors worked against what their normal type would be in a movie," Rydstrom said. "Carol Burnett, who's usually such a nice, lovable person — she's played a few bad characters, like in "Annie" — but she really sunk her teeth into this role, which is the bad guy in the movie, this maid, who is this underhanded, sneaky, cruel character. And she played it to the hilt, so that was my favorite."
Arnett, usually seen in quirky or sarcastic roles, played an "earnest, direct" father with a dash of "cool dude" action hero, he said, and Poehler played a high-strung, worry-wart mother. "She made the character, which could have been shrill and annoying, she made this character lovable," Rydstrom said.
But the real star, who "carries the movie," he said, is Bridgit Mendler, the 19-year-old "Wizards of Waverly Place" actress who voiced Arrietty, a naive and curious 14-year-old Borrower girl who befriends a human boy.
"Bridgit was able to act with her voice and give a real personality and sparkle to the performance, and you like her the moment you hear her," Rydstrom said. "I was utterly impressed with her the whole time that we worked on this. When you're doing this kind of thing, you watch actors come in and start doing their lines and start building up a character. It's amazing to see what they bring to the movie with their voice acting. … There's a difference acting with your voice only, and your voice has to carry all the funniness and warmth and personality that you can sometimes rely on your facial expressions and your body actions for."
Rydstrom, who is currently working on sound for the upcoming Pixar film, "Brave," said he'd love to direct more features. He was slated to direct "Newt," a Pixar film he co-wrote, but the project was pushed back and then presumably canceled.
"That's not happening, or at least not happening now, but we developed it over a couple of years," Rydstrom said. "I'm trying to be open to any possibility for things in the future, but right now in my career, I'm getting a chance to do a variety of things, which is nice to do. Sound design, which I've done for years, and still love to do, and these Studio Ghibli movies, I really enjoy the challenge. It uses talents I have from my sound career in post-production in an interesting way, and I get to work with actors, which it turns out that I really love. So I'm open to any and all opportunities down the road."
— Noelene Clark
Studio Ghibli films spirited away to the big screen
Trailer: 'The Secret World of Arrietty'
Miyazaki's 'Nausicaä' as personal archaeology
Miyazaki breaks silent protest of America's actions in Iraq
Brad Bird: Hollywood won't copy Pixar
Billy Crystal talks 'Monsters Inc.' prequel
D23 news: Pixar is making a dinosaur movie
The treasures of the Disney Archives
'Planetes': Misfits in a mission to clean up space junk


text:
LOUISVILLE, KY—GE Appliances recently announced that it is the first manufacturer to offer full suites of connected appliances that work directly with the virtual Google Assistant, which is powered by artificial intelligence. This capability helps consumers more easily build and operate a Smart home.
How well an assembled plastic part performs depends a great deal upon how its component pieces are joined. Those made of strong, hard plastic may be fastened together or bonded. Thermoplastic pieces allow for even more options, including screws and rivets, various types of adhesives or welding, staking and being snap-fit....
Collaborative robots are an important element of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing initiatives. Many engineers are intrigued by these next-generation machines that can control force and work safely next to people on assembly lines without traditional safety guarding....
LA CROSSE, WEAlmost 500 production workers at the Trane assembly plant here are on strike, citing pay and forced overtime as top issues in contract negotiations.
According to a new study by P&S Market Research, global sales of self-piercing rivet technology (SPR) will grow at a cumulative annual rate of 26 percent between 2016 and 2022. P&S predicts manufacturers worldwide will consume 45 billion of the fasteners in 2022....
Sheet metal is still the material of choice for auto body components, white goods, electrical enclosures and other products....
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text:
Mr Woof - I challenge you
Mr Woof - I challenge you
Quote:I am not convinced that gay parenting is a good thing.
Wrong, and I would love to tell you why.
RE: Mr Woof - I challenge you
(13-12-2012 09:52 PM)earmuffs Wrote:Go for it!Quote:I am not convinced that gay parenting is a good thing.
Irrespective of perceived evolutionary difficulties, explain to me why homosexual men,bi sexuals, and to a lesser degree lesbians, are equal to, or better than, heterosexuals, not withstanding issues where the latter may be deemed grossly incompetent.
The issue involves not simply the rights of a specific gender it involves the rights and future of of a child.
It is not a question of one gender not being kind , decent, or caring . The crux of the issue is how we re produce as a species and whether an enormous change in the rearing of children, contrary to the historical method, will be equal to or superior.
I am well aware of the neglect, cruelty, and abuse inflicted on infants by heterosexuals. Is there reason to think that the male or female species involved in homosexual union will perform better. Why would this be so? It seems quite possible that all the problems of current parenting would emerge.
In terms of an agnostic idealism I would also question what seems a strange aberation in terms of the historicity of the human species.
I personally feel that any rushed or coerced legislation in this area could open a Pandora's Box and that the rights of gay people should be carefully weighed against the rights of those whom they would seek to rear.
RE: Mr Woof - I challenge you
Okay where to begin.
I think what you are saying is that all the negative shit straight parents do will still happen with the gays.
This I disagree to an extent (and the reaosn for the thread).
The core issue for things such as abuse and neglect is simply because that child was unwanted. But for whatever reason the parents believed that they now have an obligation to raise this child even though they are resistant to the idea and perhaps see the child as the cause of all their new found problems.
There is certainly evidence for when abortion is made legal that crime rates drop because unwanted babies are simply not born (most often the case is that that person then has a baby later when she/they are ready/want a baby). I believe this to be significant evidence that most abuse and neglect you speak of then comes from as I say unwanted babies.
Now as to why this wont (or far far less) with homosexual parents is obvious, homosexuals can't create a baby (with each other). So in order for that couple to have a child they need to a) rent-a-whom or b) adopt.
This is not something that just happens and so serious discussion ensues. Straight away if that couple doesn't want children they simply wont go to adoption agency.
This results that gay couples that have children via whatever option truly do want that child and so thus are more likely to love, care-for, protect etc.. that child. They certainly are not going to go through the lengthy adoption process just to get a child and throw it in the washing machine for a couple hours a day.
Just because naturally male and female can create a baby I don't believe that qualifies them as better parents.
What about single parents? You imply that single parents are then bad parents because they're not the natural man/women.
The key ingredients in raising a child have absolutely no relevance to gender. Things like love/patience/good role model etc.. etc.. all that airy fairy stuff. Gender plays no role in that it is purely personality.
Obviously no parents is perfect and issues will arise, not 100% of children raised with gay parents is going to be mr/mrs goody-two-shoes but that is all part of parenting. Parents of same-sex or parents of different-sex will and do make mistakes, that is just part of life.
I also think gay parents would raise more tolerant children. As gay people themselves, not to mention a gay couple, not to mention a gay couple with a child, they are under certain social pressures much the same as say teenage girls and models in their magazines (probably a bad example but you get my drift) and so they will raise their children to be more tolerant as they know what it is like to be on the receiving end.
And finally it's not the governments place to determine who and who isn't fit for parenthood.
Well with the exception of course if you get your children taken away because your a bad parent (which I support), BUT even in those cases the government gave you a chance. Think, innocent until proven guilty.
You/government simply cannot look at someone and simply based on their sexuality say "no you will make an unfit parent", that is morally wrong.
The following 3 users Like earmuffs's post:3 users Like earmuffs's post
morondog (14-12-2012), Near (14-12-2012), FSM_scot (18-12-2012)
RE: Mr Woof - I challenge you
(14-12-2012 02:48 AM)earmuffs Wrote: Okay where to begin.I made no reference to single parents but will address the points you raise.
The fact that same sex couples can't create a baby together, as you indicate may be a good place to begin.
Even if we assume that the same sex couples are top people the situation is complicated by surrogacy or adoption.
Remember the baby has no say in any of this. If the couple divorces, the child is left in limbo so to speak.Should it then be raised by a heterosexual couple or go to another gay couple?
I do not think it "morally wrong" for a government to look at sexuality relevant to bringing up children.
Would a child prefer gay parents or straight parents? Are two males equal or preferable to a loving natural mother's nurturing breast? Irrespective of how nice the gay parents may be, nature, in the big picture, is geared to heterosexuality and in the higher animal kingdom this has governed where we find ourselves today.
Yes some heterosexual couples carelessly have unwanted children; I see this as a separate problem.
With gay couples there may be a novelty factor,serious discussion may or may not occur, and even if they do sincerely want children they may fail to recognize that given the way things actually are in the world, and have been for thousands of years, they are placing their demands before the child's best interests.
AS for the children of gays being more tolerant this pre supposes to some degree that the gay life is preferable to the heterosexual life and I don't see this as in any way being established.
Your reference to liberal abortion laws preventing child neglect is really off the gay topic and could be addressed in another post.
RE: Mr Woof - I challenge you
Well that was certainly the most homophobic post I have seen yet on these forums. So congratulations.
Quote:I made no reference to single parents but will address the points you raise.
Yes you did.
You said that homosexual couples make unfit parents because apparently nature is geared towards male/female partnerships (when it's not, it's simply geared towards male/female genes interacting to form the baby). Single parents are then not this male/female but rather just male or just female. Thus according to you, single parents are wrong and shouldn't have children.
Quote:Remember the baby has no say in any of this.
The baby has no say in whether it is born to some crips gang member drug addict in LA either, yet under your logic as long as said gang member is with a male partner, they are better fit parents more so then some gay couple from Beverly hills with all the money (and wait for the cheesy line) and love (annd there it is) in the world.
Quote:If the couple divorces, the child is left in limbo so to speak.
If the couple divorces then it is exactly the same situation as if a heterosexual couple was to divorce. The baby is not re-homed in the sense that it goes to new parents. ???
Quote:I do not think it "morally wrong" for a government to look at sexuality relevant to bringing up children.
Because you're a homophobic bigot.
Quote:Would a child prefer gay parents or straight parents?
A child would prefer to go where ever it can receive said things I mentioned in my previous post; patience, love blah blah blah.
The only reason I can think of as to why heterosexual parents are favorable to same-sex parents would be if the child was picked on for having 2 mommies or two daddies. But who's fault is that? People like you Mr Woof.
If you constantly deny gays equal rights to things such as marriage or the ability to adopt then you continue to say "gays are not equal to straight people" and just leave it open for bigotry and whatever the word equal to racism is for sexuality. sexualitism?
Think about the blacks. 1950's it was illegal for black people to drink from the same fountain (in the states). Today you guys have a black president. The racism is there but it's certainly not that bad and it's frowned upon.
Black children didn't get to choose if they were black back then, are you saying they should have chose to be white? That they brought racism upon themselves? Or that the black parents should have done the "responsibly" thing and just not have children?
You can ask any teenager, any adult, any child today raised by gay parents and I would bet my life savings they would give you the same if not better responses to questions in regards to their parents as children brought up under straight parents or single parents.
Quote:Are two males equal or preferable to a loving natural mother's nurturing breast?
If by breast feeding then I would say nothing really beats natural milk, BUT, there are many parents who never breast feed. MY mother never did because it was too painful for whatever reason. Are you suggesting that heterosexual parents that don't breast feed are horrible parents?
And besides, baby formula today is very very good.
If you are referring to love then it goes back to what I say about unwanted pregnancies. They believe 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned. Which leads to neglect, abuse etc...
Where as gay and lesbian couples very really have an unwanted child. It's almost always planned.
Like I said, you don't plan to have a baby just so that you can throw it in the dishwasher for a couple hours...
Look at this picture, you can't honestly tell me those two guys don't look like they're gonna love that child to death?
Quote:Irrespective of how nice the gay parents may be, nature, in the big
No, it's not.
Making a baby obviously requires male/female but raising that child has absolutely nothing to do with gender.
Please explain to me HOW nature has geared parenting towards heterosexual parents? You say it is but not how it is.
I've told you how it's not.
Quote:Yes some heterosexual couples carelessly have unwanted children; I see this as a separate problem.
It's not a separate "problem" as much as single parents in the scheme of your bigoted argument are a separate "problem".
Like I say, 50% of heterosexual couples babies are unplanned.
This relates back to the abortion because the abortion shows that unwanted/unplanned children suffer more neglect, more abuse and are more likely to become things like criminals.
And as I also said, same-sex couples very rarely have an unplanned/unwanted child. Any idiot can see the benefit in that.
Quote:With gay couples there may be a novelty factor
Novelty factor?
I think this line takes the cake for most bigoted line in TTA history.
Are you suggesting that the reason as to why gay couples have children is because of "novelty factor"?
Quote:and even if they do sincerely want children they may fail to recognize
False bigoted retarded assumption.
Quote:AS for the children of gays being more tolerant this pre supposes to
It's a bit of common sense really.
If a child grows up in a home where the parents are not homophobic bigoted assholes, then that child is far less likely to grow up as a bigoted homophobic asshole.
Just look at religion, parents are Catholic or whatever that child doesn't grow up Muslim, they grow up Catholic.
Quote:Your reference to liberal abortion laws preventing child neglect is
No it's not as mentioned above.
The following 1 user Likes earmuffs's post:1 user Likes earmuffs's post
FSM_scot (18-12-2012)
15-12-2012, 12:34 AM (This post was last modified: 15-12-2012 01:53 AM by Mr Woof.)
RE: Mr Woof - I challenge you
(14-12-2012 08:23 PM)earmuffs Wrote: Well that was certainly the most homophobic post I have seen yet on these forums. So congratulations.Well you seem to have worked very hard on that fatuous little diatribe.
Your first effort was more restrained and well presented.
I had planned responding to whatever you came up with but seeing you have chosen attacks and insults I will endeavour to get between those ear muffs that seem to be limiting your insights even if it means saying a few things I would not normally say.
Back in the 50s when I was about your age I mixed with many gay people, only in those days they were known as camp. Someone once told me that stood for convicted and male pervert. In those days in Melbourne the gays did not seem overly concerned about parenting, the emphasis then being getting layed as much as possible. The fact that people did not like them as much as today made the sexuality a sort of taboo experience, and this was enjoyed by some. How things have changed in a relatively short time.I am not saying that all malegays are like this but with some there is an unrestrained attitude to sexuality. As you are probably aware gay men in many cases adopt passive and positive roles relevant to intercourse with one adopting the dominant male role and the other the submissive role. Some swap roles (versatile) and others abstain from anal intercourse. Whether this aligns well with bringing up a child is highly debatable. Sure, heteros, in some instances practise buggery,but it is not obligatory,and the fact that males may be obliged to engage in unhygienic, unaesthetic intercourse, may not be their fault, and while arguably acceptable in a one to one relationship, may be something of a barrier to child caring.
It may not be the norm, but some young men have breast implants along with hormone treatment and become chicks with dicks and engage in both receptive and and penetrative anal intercourse. Would they make good mothers...fathers.
It does not make a person a bigot to express an honest opinion and I am not beholden to you or the gay community. The past few decades or so has seen the gay community attempt to merge into main stream society and they have used alleged discriminations and violence against them to create an atmosphere conducive to such their sexuality being thought no different to that of heterosexuals, when in fact it is,physically, manifestly so.
You seem to see a great experiment with the lives of children as justified and make no mention of any need to assess gay parents as you see only genuine parenting types would choose to adopt. I am not at all sure about that. Stupid people gay, hero, bisexual or whatever are in no way immune to wanting to bring up a family. Heteros are not obliged either; as you seem to think. There are many contraceptives available and there have been for years. It may be justifiable to sterilise some women rather than create surrogate kids for the lowest order gay men, and they do exist, contrary to your beliefs, and will certainly prevail themselves with legislation that is too open and poorly thought out.
Finally let me mention bi-sexuality; here the sex addict will look to the best of both worlds ( I know, I was one) though in those few early years marriage was the last thing on my mind. AS bi-sexuality is often unfairly linked to males/females I would like to make a distinction between the genuine people with male/male, female/female desires, who through no fault of their own have been born that way. These people unlike the bisexual do not have an option and all of their problems need to be addressed as fairly as possible.
If an open slather legislation is utilised enabling all gay people in an historically untried mass experiment, it may well backfire and lead to an exacerbation of our already dire family problems. The loving kind parenting gay may well prove to be, en masse, in no way superior to the en mass heterosexual, along with the attendant problems associated simply in being as they are. It is also highly probable that the hard line gay lobbyists are looking to the general acceptance, even dominance of a third sex a factor that we need to be aware of and one that would insure a snow balling effect on the existing status quo'
15-12-2012, 02:03 AM (This post was last modified: 15-12-2012 02:12 AM by earmuffs.)
RE: Mr Woof - I challenge you
So it's not gay parenting you have a problem, not even sure it's gay people but rather allllll this could have been avoided because the underlying issue you have with the whole thing is the way gay people have sex.
So I'm not even going to bother responding any more.
One thing I have learned on my time on this forum is that there is no use arguing with ill-informed-bigoted-fucktards.
Your apparent dislike of homosexual intercourse is clearly clouding your ability to think rationally on a topic completely unrelated.
Come back when that cloud passes by.
RE: Mr Woof - I challenge you
(15-12-2012 02:03 AM)earmuffs Wrote: So it's not gay parenting you have a problem, not even sure it's gay people but rather allllll this could have been avoided because the underlying issue you have with the whole thing is the way gay people have sex.So now you are a psych therapist as well as a loud mouth,
My youthful experience with gays taught be that they aren't all poor deprived folk who have been eternally misunderstood, far from it!
You see gay culture through rose coloured glasses and refuse to consider any criticisms; like many others,you are hoodwinked by the claims that homosexuality is normal and not a condition to be acceptive of, or look to correct.
You refuse to consider that some gays involve themselves to a high degree in cruising, steam rooms,multiple partners, and are obsessed with sex. Rather you see them as potential hopes for young children and the unborn. You make no attempts to differentiate between bi sexuality and natural homosexuality, so called. The afflicted gay cannot turn the anal orifice into a vagina so in many cases says its just a matter of 'natural' choice.The same thing,quite normal. While a lie is told enough times to many, it becomes a truth.
You speak of the caring men but ignore the uncaring who would become part of the parenting legislation.
Your approach is to simplify and down grade all of the potential negative implications.
From an evolutionary stance, your rigid determinism sees man/woman as a joke, while our evolution depended on just that.
You speak of the sadness re the child born in the ghettoes and see salvation in the would be third sex.
Your whole approach is simplistic and geared to a highly questionable premise.
As you are 'right' anyone who disagrees is a bigot and fucktard.
Gay folk, like all of us, are good and bad in varying degrees and I think the genuine ones would prefer heterosexuality if they had the chance. Why wouldn't they? Any schism designed to advance gay sexuality at the expense of the conventional is to promote an inferior (by virtue of physical actuality) one.
I am very happy that in my youth I saw this optional (for some) life style for what it is, in at least some circumstances, and can warn others of embracing something that is not natural at all, in any meaningful sense, being, rather, a denied affliction.
RE: Mr Woof - I challenge you
I take it back, THAT is the most homophobic post I've seen on the forum.
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RE: Mr Woof - I challenge you
It is people like you Mr Woof that this is even an issue.
It is people like you that are causing the whole gay "issue" and "issue".
It is people like you that are causing young teen boys and girls to take their own like because society has such a strong negative stigma towards it because people like you, Mr Woof, that are ill-informed, selfish, bigoted, homophobic cunts who can't see beyond their own little selfish world.
It is people like you Mr Woof that perfectly decent people whos only apparent "problem" is that they are gay are constantly treated like second class citizens.
It is people like you Mr Woof that have made it so middle age + aged men are only now coming out of the closet because they have been ashamed to come out earlier, who have been living with this secret their whole lives, living a lie (if you want cliche's).
How fucking dare you consider the way I am something that needs to be corrected. You have no fucking idea what it is like, no fucking idea.
For shame.
You are a grown fucking adult for christ sake with a "claimed" brain, I suggest you pull your bigoted head out of your fucking ass, you low life disgusting individual and use it.
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This article, Konohagakure, is canon and uses Creative Commons licensed content from our mother site, Narutopedia's Konohagakure article.
The list of authors can be seen in the page history there.
Senju clan|千手一族|Senju Ichizoku is the hidden village of the Land of Fire. As the village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Konohagakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Hokage. There have been five official Hokage, the most recent being Template:Nw. On a mountain overlooking the village from the north exists the Template:Nw which has the faces of all those who have taken the office of Hokage engraved on it. Although Konoha which would later become known as the most powerful village possessing an elite shinobi army corps,[1] much like the country in which it resides, has been relatively peaceful since the end of the Third Shinobi World War, it remains one of the most powerful villages in existence, and has great military power and influence, though this has waned in the past three years following the attacks by Orochimaru and Pain. The shinobi of this village wear blue or black shirts which may or may not have swirl patterns on the shoulders, along with matching coloured pants over a green flak jacket which also has a red swirl on the back, and pockets on the chest area. They also tend to wrap bandages around their legs.
History Edit
Founding Edit
Before the ninja villages came into being, there was the Template:Nw when ninja were organised into small mercenary clans that knew nothing but battle. Two such clans were the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan, who have warred against each other since the time of their ancestors and are revered by others as the strongest ninja clans. Eventually, intending to end the countless bloodshed, Template:Nw used his power as leader of his clan to enter a truce with the Uchiha clan despite reluctance from its leader Template:Nw. Afterwards, the two clans would form the first shinobi village where Madara and Hashirama had met as children: Konohagakure — a name invented by Madara himself.[2] Hashirama Senju used his Wood Release abilities to produce much of the village's infrastructure.[3] This ability and his ideals were two of the reasons he was chosen to become the village's leader: the Hokage.
However, not being named Hokage and fearing that the Senju would oppress his clan, Madara attempted to gather support to overthrow Hashirama. But after his kin ostracised him, Madara resolved to deal with Hashirama himself by enslaving Template:Nw the Nine-Tails to do his bidding. The epic battle that ensued, causing the formation of the Template:Nw while Madara was presumed dead, resulted with Kurama sealed within Template:Nw, a member of the Uzumaki clan who were known for their unique chakra, who became the Nine-Tails's first known jinchūriki and created a tradition on it due to the close ties between the Senju and Uzumaki clans. At some point, Hashirama came to bind some of the other tailed beasts and gave them to the other newly formed ninja villages to promote peace. However this peace was short lived.
The First Three World Wars Edit
Konoha took part in the first three Shinobi World Wars. Hashirama died shortly after the village began to flourish, and the mantle of Hokage was passed onto his brother Template:Nw who became the Second Hokage. During his administration, making attempts that no other Uchiha ends up like Madara, Tobirama created the Template:Nw and placed the Uchiha in charge of it. As the building also housed the jail and was located in the vicinity of the Uchiha's compound, this essentially ostracised them from the rest of the village. In giving them this task, Tobirama hoped to redirect the emotional Uchiha into a task which would benefit the village as well as save them from their curse.[4] Tobirama died during the First Shinobi World War when he sacrificed himself to ensure the escape of his subordinates Template:Nw, Template:Nw, Template:Nw as well as Template:Nw, and Template:Nw from Kumogakure's Template:Nw. Having inherited the mantle of Hokage now, Hiruzen later led Konoha's forces during the Template:Nw where his three students Template:Nw, Template:Nw, and Template:Nw became known as the Legendary Template:Nw. Other than fighting across Amegakure with numerous clashes with its leader Template:Nw, little is known of Konoha's actions during the war. Konoha became involved in the Third Shinobi World War fighting the ninja of Iwagakure at Kusagakure. Konoha was almost defeated, but Minato Namikaze helped turn the war back in their favour with his apprentice Obito Uchiha among those who "died" during the war.
Nine-Tails' Attack Edit
- Main article: Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha
After the end of the Third Shinobi World War, Minato was chosen as the Fourth Hokage. However, Minato's administration was short lived as Obito, having fallen into the Curse of Hatred and became a heir to Madara's legacy, snuck into the village and removing Kurama from its current host, Minato's wife Kushina Uzumaki, to have the tailed beast attack Konoha. Minato was able to defeat the masked ninja, unaware of his true identity, but he and Kushina later sacrificed their lives to seal the Nine-Tails into their son, Naruto Uzumaki. Many ninja died defending the village that day and blame for the events were projected on both Naruto and the Uchiha clan, the former unaware that he became the Nine-Tails's Jinchūriki and latter secretly accused of orchestrating the attack. In the aftermath, becoming Konoha's leader again, Hiruzen learned that Orochimaru had been kidnapping children in an experiment to reproduce Hashirama's power. However, though knowing he had to kill Orochimaru, Hiruzen did nothing and allowed his former apprentice to leave Konoha as a missing-nin who founded his own village to continue his human experimentation: Otogakure.
Hyūga Affair Edit
The Hyūga Affair (日向の件, Hyūga no Ken) — as the incident is known nowadays in Kumogakure — happened nine years prior to the start of the series, while Kumogakure and Konohagakure were at war. In an attempt to put an end to the fighting, they agreed to a peace treaty to be signed on the date which coincided with Hinata Hyūga's third birthday. The treaty was soon revealed to be nothing more than a cover when the person who was the Head Ninja of Kumogakure at the time — who was in Konoha to sign the treaty — attempted to kidnap Hinata in order to obtain the Byakugan and its secrets. The shinobi was killed in his attempt by Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyūga.
Uchiha Clan Massacre Edit
- Main article: Uchiha Clan Massacre
Due to being blamed for the Nine Tails's attack on the village, believing that Madara's warning of them becoming nothing more than second class citizens is becoming a reality, many of the Uchiha members began plotting a coup d'état that would wrest control of Konoha. However, there were few members of the Uchiha who saw the dangers from such a venture. One such figure being Itachi Uchiha, who became a spy for Konoha's leadership. After peace talks failed, his part in the death of Shisui Uchiha playing a factor in it, Danzō Shimura orders Itachi to wipe out his clan. Assisted by Obito, whom he thought was Madara himself, Itachi killed all but one of kin: his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha. Honouring Itachi's request as he leaves the village, Hiruzen promises to protect Sasuke from Danzō. From there, the higher ups cover up the slaughter as cold-blooded murder with Itachi joining the Akatsuki to protect Konoha while living as a fugitive for the rest of his life. However, wishing to be punished for his crime, Itachi told Sasuke to live a life of vengeance so he would die by his brother's hand and restore their clan's honour.
Joint Otogakure-Sunagakure Invasion Edit
- Main article: Invasion of Konoha
Around five years after the Uchiha clan massacre, Konoha was invaded by Orochimaru forging a alliance with Sunagakure ninja to end the peace and prosperity that Konoha alone had enjoyed since the Third Ninja War. Prior to the final stage of the Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru murdered the Fourth Kazekage and assumed his identity to get close enough to his former mentor to strike. Though the invaders were repelled, Konoha suffered heavy casualties that included Hiruzen after he redeemed himself by disabling Orochimaru's ability of using normal forms of ninjutsu when he could not take his former apprentice with him in death. Though Tsunade was named the Fifth Hokage, recovery for the rest of Konoha's military forces was slow and understaffed to the point that it could not properly respond to events occurring in the interim, such as Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki sneaking into Konoha in search of Naruto and Sasuke's defection weeks later.
Pain's Invasion Edit
- Main article: Invasion of Pain
Three years after the failed Sand and Sound invasion, the Akatsuki's leader Pain attacked the village in an effort to capture Naruto. Konoha's forces had some success while fighting the Six Paths of Pain individually, but could do nothing to stop the village's destruction by Pain's Shinra Tensei. Naruto returned to Konoha shortly afterwards (having been delayed by Danzō's actions) and defeated Pain before confronting Nagato, the man behind Pain, about his actions in the death of both their mentor Jiraiya and Konoha's citizens. After Naruto convinced him that his actions were wrong, Nagato gave his life to revive everyone that died during the invasion. Naruto has since then been celebrated as a hero of the village.
Because of the attack, Konoha lost much of its economic and military capabilities, falling behind Iwagakure. Konoha's status as the most powerful village also passed onto Kumogakure. Tsunade was left in a coma from exhausting herself in protecting Konoha from Pain, causing Danzō Shimura to temporarily take office as her replacement. Danzō oversaw the start of the village's lengthy rebuilding process and dealt with the immediate aftermath of Pain's attack. Also, Sasuke's international crimes are now known to Konoha, which led the village to sever ties with him to prevent him from becoming a burden any longer, and officially brand him as a criminal to be killed.
Fourth Shinobi World War Edit
- Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War
Following Pain's attack on Konoha, along with the Akatsuki's other actions against the other ninja villages, the five Kage hold a Kage Summit to decide how to proceed with the organisation. After learning of his true goals for the tailed beasts, the ninja villages join forces to combat the Akatsuki's true leader Tobi who declared the Fourth Shinobi World War. Danzō is killed shortly after war is declared, but Tsunade wakes up from her coma in time to resume her position as Hokage and plan the village's actions during the war. Despite being under construction, the village is being used as a haven of sorts for refugees from countries predicted to become battlefields such as Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost.[5] By the time Orochimaru and Taka had been able to sneak into the village during the Fourth Shinobi World War, most of the village's old structures had been erected such as the administrative side of the Academy.[6]
Locations Edit
Clans Edit
Within the village there are many powerful and well respected clans. Of these there are four clans which are regarded as noble clans. These are the: Aburame, Akimichi, Hyūga and Uchiha clans — the latter of which was regarded as the most powerful clan in the village.[7][8] All known clans in the village are:
Trivia Edit
- The second fanbook gives Konohagakure a population size of five out of five stars, a military strength of three out of five stars, and an economic strength of two out of five stars. It has the greatest population of all the five main shinobi villages.
- The hiragana あん (an) is painted on the four entrance gates of the village (one hiragana on each door).[9] This means "hermitage" or "retreat". In kanji, the character is "庵". There are also torii built all around the perimeter wall of the village.[10]
- Masashi Kishimoto stated that Konohagakure was modelled after his own hometown.
- In the first Naruto volume, page 87, there's a sketch of downtown Konoha. If you look closely, you may also see a billboard with a cartoon version of Masashi Kishimoto with a paintbrush.
- After Konoha's destruction, there were very few glimpses of the village during its reconstruction in the manga until chapter 616, showing the village looking as it did before the invasion. In the anime (as well as Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3), most of the village was built within the crater caused by Pain.