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As a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), SQL Server uses the referential integrity constraint to ensure that data in one table points to data in another table—and doesn't point to data that doesn't exist. SQL Server uses constraints, triggers, rules, and defaults to enforce referential integrity. In this article, I discuss the two main mechanisms that enforce referential integrity—constraints and triggers.
You don't need to use constraints or triggers to enforce every relationship between tables. Instead, you can encapsulate data integrity in the client application or the stored procedure's logic. Or, you can choose not to enforce a relationship. Choosing not to enforce referential integrity can yield better database performance because SQL Server doesn't necessarily need to fetch data from a disk for validation. However, you run the risk of violating referential integrity. If you use constraints or triggers, you don't need to worry about violating referential integrity. So, the choice is simple: If you don't have special reasons to enforce integrity in your application—or not enforce it—you can choose between constraints and triggers.
Constraints define rules that enforce data integrity. Constraints are simple to maintain and, unlike other mechanisms, they are proactive. In other words, constraints occur before a change operation occurs. But constraints aren't useful in situations where you need to maintain complex logic, such as when you're conducting complex calculations, checking data in other tables, or cascading changes to other tables. You can use triggers to complete these tasks, but triggers are reactive—i.e., they occur after a change operation occurs. Moreover, triggers are more complex and might incur more processing overhead than constraints.
Your database design will dictate the method you choose to enforce referential integrity. A poorly designed database leads to the use of complex, resource-consuming mechanisms such as triggers. In most cases, if you're working with a well-designed database, you can use the preferred mechanism, constraints. But different scenarios need different approaches in enforcing referential integrity.
Entity Integrity
Entity integrity defines a row as a unique entity in a table. You can use a single attribute (for example, the OrderID column in the Orders table) to uniquely distinguish a row from other rows, or you can use a combination of attributes (for example, OrderID and PartNo columns in the OrderDetails table).
SQL Server uses the primary key constraint to enforce entity integrity (for more information, see Poolet, "How to Choose a Primary Key," April 1999). A table can have only one primary key. The primary key constraint doesn't allow duplicate values and doesn't allow NULLs. It automatically creates an underlying unique index to disallow duplicate values. If you try to create a primary key on a column that allows NULLs, the action will fail and SQL Server will generate a system error.
SQL Server also supports the enforcement of an alternate key, which is another attribute or combination of attributes (column or columns) that uniquely identifies an entity, or a row in a table. SQL Server uses a unique constraint to enforce the alternate key. A table can have multiple unique constraints. Like the primary constraint, the unique constraint doesn't allow duplicate values, but it allows one instance of NULL. If a unique constraint is defined on a single column, only one NULL is allowed. SQL Server treats the NULL values as equal, although NULLs are not necessarily equal because NULL is another way of representing an unknown value. If the unique constraint is defined on a combination of columns, SQL Server allows any unique combination of NULLs and known values. The unique constraint also creates a unique index to disallow duplicate keys. You can define the unique constraint on a column that allows NULLs. But the standard way to use the unique constraint is to combine it with NOT NULL. The UNIQUE NOT NULL property precedes the primary key constraint. The SQL Server query processor can use the index created by the primary key or unique constraints to get faster access to the data.
Another device SQL Server uses to maintain entity integrity is the identity property, which you can apply to a column of a numeric data type (tinyint, smallint, int, decimal(p,0), numeric(p,0)). The identity property is an automatic counter that you can define with a seed value and an increment value. Seed is the value for the first row loaded into the table. Increment is the incremental value that is added to the identity value of the previous row that was loaded. The default values for seed and increment are (1,1).You use the identity property if the value of a column is generated on the fly as an incremental value (for example, an order ID) or to uniquely identify a row that doesn't have a good candidate for a primary key. You can define only one column per table with the identity property. You can tell SQL Server to fetch the identity property in a SELECT statement by stating the IDENTITYCOL keyword instead of the column name. SQL Server won't let you define the identity property on a column that allows NULLs. The identity property itself doesn't enforce uniqueness. If left unchanged, the column assigned with the identity property won't incur duplicate values. But you can use the SET IDENTITY INSERT ON command to temporarily disable the identity property so that you can enter explicit values. In this case, SQL Server allows duplicate values. If you intend to use identity property as a means to maintain entity integrity, you need to use it with the primary key or unique constraints, or never disable it.
Referential Integrity Rules and the Foreign Key
In most cases, a foreign key constraint that references the primary table's primary key maintains referential integrity. A foreign key is a column whose value matches the primary key in another table. Referential integrity is also called declarative referential integrity (DRI) because you define it as part of a table's definition.
The simplest way to ensure referential integrity is to not allow changes to the primary key. But if you can't follow this recommendation, you can use a more complex approach. Screen 1 shows relevant columns from a primary table and its related secondary table. The primary table, the Orders table, contains a row for each order. Each row contains the customer ID, order date, and other details. The secondary table, the OrderDetails table, contains one or more rows for each order, and each row contains the parts and quantities ordered. An order ID uniquely identifies the order. A combination of an order ID and a part number uniquely identifies the OrderDetails.
Screen 2 shows the relevant columns of a self-referencing table scenario in which the table plays both primary and secondary roles. For example, an Employees table can contain a row for each employee, and each row can contain the employee name, address, hire date, and other details. The table also contains the ID of the employee's manager, who is also an employee. Corresponding employee IDs uniquely identify the employee and the manager.
You need to enforce four referential integrity rules for dependent, one-to-many relationships. Independent one-to-many relationships don't follow these restrictions.
- Users can't delete a row from PrimaryTable if it refers to a row in SecondaryTable. In the first example above, users can't delete an order that has order parts. In the second example, users can't delete a manager who is in charge of employees.
- Users can't update PrimaryTable.col1 if it refers to rows in SecondaryTable. In the first example, users can't update an order ID if that order has order parts. In the second example, users can't update a manager ID if that manager is in charge of employees.
- Users can't insert a row into SecondaryTable if no related row is in PrimaryTable. For example, users can't insert an order part for an order that doesn't exist. Also, users can't insert an employee if the entry for the employee's manager doesn't exist.
- Users can't update SecondaryTable.col1 if it doesn't have a related row in PrimaryTable. For example, users can't shift an order part to an order that doesn't exist. And users can't assign an employee to a manager if an entry for the manager doesn't exist.
When users modify data in a table, SQL Server needs to check the data in the related table or tables to verify that the modification doesn't violate the referential integrity rules. SQL Server checks data by adding steps to the execution plan. Therefore, performance decreases as the number of table references increases. To enforce referential integrity rules, you can create a foreign key and references constraint, as the statement in Listing 1 shows.
Also, you can establish the reference between SecondaryTable and PrimaryTable when you create SecondaryTable. And you can use the same constraint to enforce referential integrity in the self-referencing table, as Listing 2 shows.
To improve performance, you can create an index of the column or columns that define the foreign key. SQL Server uses indexes in queries that join the primary table and the secondary table, and the SQL Server query processor uses indexes to efficiently perform the JOIN operation. SQL Server doesn't automatically create an index when you create a foreign key constraint, as it does with primary key and unique constraints.
Triggers and Cascading Changes
If you want to configure SQL Server to allow changes to the primary table and to cascade those changes to the secondary table, you need to decide whether to allow cascading delete and update operations. If you allow cascading delete and update operations, you need to enforce all referential integrity rules with triggers. A trigger can contain any programmatic logic that a stored procedure can. You can define a trigger for individual INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE operations, or a combination of those operations.
Triggers fire after change operations occur. A trigger uses the transaction log to construct temporary tables called deleted and inserted. The trigger keeps the rows affected by the change in their old and new forms in the transaction, and the trigger can access and compare the deleted and inserted temporary tables. Without the use of triggers, SQL Server would enforce the foreign key and references constraint before the change operation occurred, thus preventing the cascade operation from triggering. If a foreign key or references constraint is enabled, the cascade operation won't fire. Figure 1 shows a flow diagram of SQL Server referential integrity enforcement mechanisms.
Cascading DELETE Operations
The trigger in Listing 3 cascades DELETE operations from the primary table to the secondary table. If you implement cascading modifications, you have to disable existing referential integrity constraints and replace them with equivalent logic triggers. Otherwise, the cascading triggers won't fire. A trigger is an implicit transaction, and as such, does not need an explicit BEGIN TRANSACTION statement. You can issue a ROLLBACK TRANSACTION statement that executes if a certain condition is met. The ROLLBACK operation reverses the changes made inside the trigger and reverses the changes that invoked the trigger. ROLLBACK operations decrease database performance because if an implicit or explicit ROLLBACK operation aborts an operation, a series of actions follows: First, the modification occurs, then SQL Server writes the modification to the transaction log, then SQL Server rolls back the modification.
The trigger above creates the deleted table. Because the deleted table resides in the cache, SQL Server can access it with little overhead. The deleted table contains the deleted rows from the table it references, in this case, the primary table. You can use a JOIN statement to implement the DELETE cascade between the secondary table and the deleted table.
Screen 3 shows the results when you issue a DELETE statement against the primary table (in this example, the Orders table). Unlike previous versions of SQL Server, SQL Server 7.0 allows more than one trigger of the same type on the same table. Cascading DELETE operations in a self-referencing table involves recursive deletes. This operation is usually application-specific and needs to be handled programmatically. If you decide not to cascade DELETE operations, but the table already has an UPDATE trigger that cascades updates, you need to enforce an invalid attempt to delete a row in the primary table that has related rows in the secondary table. You can use the DELETE trigger in Listing 4 to issue a ROLLBACK TRANSACTION statement that reverses the invalid operation, in this case, the invalid DELETE attempt.
Cascading UPDATE operations
You can use the trigger in Listing 5 to cascade UPDATE operations. You can use the function UPDATE(col1) to see whether the relevant column in the primary table was updated. This function returns true if col1 was updated. In an UPDATE operation, the UPDATE trigger creates two tables: The inserted table contains the new image of the affected rows, and the deleted table contains the old image of the affected rows. You can determine the number of rows that the UPDATE operation affected by checking @@rowcount. If no row was affected, you don't need to do anything. If one row was updated, you can use a simple SELECT statement to pull the new col1 from the inserted table, and you can use the statement to update the secondary table by joining it to the deleted table. Avoid multiple updates to the primary key of the primary table.
Screen 4 shows the results when you issue an UPDATE statement against the primary table (in this example, the Orders table). This update trigger is sufficient for a self-referencing table, too.
If you decide not to cascade UPDATE operations, but you have a DELETE trigger on the table that cascades deletes, you need to enforce an invalid attempt to update a row in the primary table that has related rows in the secondary table. You can use the UPDATE trigger in Listing 6 to enforce an invalid attempt.
Preventing Invalid Changes to SecondaryTable
The preceding examples implement rules 1 and 2, which I presented at the beginning of this article. You can use the trigger in Listing 7 to implement rules 3 and 4.
One trigger is sufficient to prevent invalid inserts and updates to the secondary table. In both cases, you need to ensure that every row in the result table has a matching row in the primary table. The UPDATE and INSERT triggers create the inserted table that contains the new rows, so you can simply check whether the row count in the inserted table is the same as @@rowcount that contains the number of rows that the operation affects.
Encapsulating the Logic
You can create a stored procedure that encapsulates the logic that this article presents. Listing 8 contains the stored procedure definition.
To implement the stored procedure, you simply collect users' input and combine it in the ALTER TABLE ADD CONSTRAINT or CREATE TRIGGER commands.
Choosing the Right Mechanism
Armed with knowledge of how constraints and triggers work, you can choose the best method to enforces referential integrity in your database. For more information about referential integrity, see Inside SQL Server (Microsoft Press) by Kalen Delaney and Ron Soukup.


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Only carbon from the Group 14 elements forms stable double bonds with oxygen under normal conditions. When frozen, carbon dioxide is known as "dry-ice". A non-molecular single-bonded crystalline form of carbon dioxide (phase V) exists at high pressure according to Italian and French researchers.1
Amorphous forms of silica (a-SiO2) and germane (a-GeO2) are known at ambient conditions but only recently has an amorphous, silica-like form of carbon dioxide, a-CO2. This is labelled a-carbonia and made by compression of CO2 at room temperature at pressures between 40 and 48 GPa (that's a staggering 400-500 thousand atmospheres).
During this compression, infrared spectra at temperatures up to 680 K show the progressive formation of C–O single bonds and the simultaneous disappearance of all infrared bands associated with molecular CO2. Raman and synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements confirm the amorphous character of the CO2. Vibrational and diffraction data for a-SiO2 and a-GeO2 are closely related and calculations also suggest shows that a-CO2 is structurally homologous to a-silica (a-SiO2) and a-germania (a-GeO2).
This research helps to understanding the nature of the interiors of gas-giant planets where carbon dioxide may be squeezed at very high pressures. Maybe it could be used to make very hard glass because it is expected to be very stiff rather like diamond. The researchers ponder whether "small amounts of these new glasses could be of interest for technology applications like hard and resistant coatings for micro-electronics, for example."
WebElements December 15th, 2009
Posted In: Chemistry
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subset: commoncrawl


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Latest index
Indexed earnings used to compute initial benefits
When indexing an individual's earnings for benefit computation purposes, we must first determine the year of first eligibility for benefits. For retirement, eligibility is at age 62. If a person reaches age 62 in 2018, for example, then 2018 is the person's year of eligibility. We always index an individual's earnings to the average wage level two years prior to the year of first eligibility. Thus, for a person retiring at age 62 in 2018, we would index the person's earnings to the average wage index for 2016, or 48,642.15. We would multiply earnings in a year before 2016 by the ratio of 48,642.15 to the average wage index for that year; we would take earnings in 2016 or later at face value. (See two examples of indexed earnings.)
Indexed program amounts
In addition, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation uses the national average wage index to compute flat-rate premiums for PBGC-insured single-employer and multiemployer plans, as required by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
Determination of the National Average Wage Index for 2016
The average amounts of wages calculated directly from our data were $46,119.78 and $46,640.94 for 2015 and 2016, respectively. To determine the national average wage index for 2016 at a level that is consistent with the national average wage indexing series for prior years, we multiply the 2015 national average wage index of 48,098.63 by the percentage change in average wages from 2015 to 2016 (based on our tabulated wage data). In other words, the national average wage index for 2016 is 48,098.63 times 46,640.94 divided by 46,119.78, which equals 48,642.15.
The complete average wage indexing series is shown below.


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Hagel Sworn In as Defense Secretary
(CNN) — Chuck Hagel, the former Republican senator from Nebraska, was sworn in as secretary of defense Wednesday after a bruising nomination fight.
Hagel took oath in a private ceremony at the Pentagon on his first day at work and will make remarks to service members and civilian employees of the department later Wednesday morning.
The new defense secretary arrived at the Pentagon about 40 minutes late from his scheduled arrival time of 7:30 a.m. ET.
Shortly after being approved Tuesday afternoon by the Senate–following a long confirmation battle with Republican senators who opposed some of his previous statements and positions–Hagel released a statement about his new job.
"I am honored that President Obama and the Senate have entrusted me to serve our nation once again," the statement read. "I can think of no greater privilege than leading the brave, dedicated men and women of the Department of Defense as they perform vital missions around the globe. I will work closely with Congress to ensure that we maintain the strongest military in the world and continue to protect this great nation."


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What sets F&M Trust apart from the other financial institutions is our commitment to personal and professional service. For over 100 years, F&M Trust has been providing individuals and families with quality financial services and personal attention. You'll find experienced and knowledgeable staff willing to understand your needs and offer solutions to meet them. You get fast, personal response to credit and other banking requests with decisions made locally right in your community.
We know that it can be challenging to stay on top of the changes that can affect your financial situation. That's why we offer a wide range of banking services that, combined with our relationship approach and extensive community office and ATM locations throughout Franklin, Cumberland, Fulton, and Southern Huntingdon Counties, deliver FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS...FROM PEOPLE YOU KNOW.


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Pajama Storytime - Polar Express
For kids ages 3-7 with a parent or caregiver. Kids are invited to wear pajamas and bring their favorite stuffed animal to the Library's Storytime Room for stories, crafts, and snacks. Free. No Sign-up necessary.
Join us for this special program in conjunction with the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra, featuring music from the young violinist, Jacob Van der Werf.
The Steamboat Symphony Orchestra is very excited about the events leading up to their December Holiday Concert.
Wednesday, November 28, SSO Conductor, Ernest Richardson, will lead a "Classical Conversation" at the Art Depot.
Thursday, November 29, Sarah Kostin will lead a pajama time story reading of the Polar Express.
Friday, November 30, the movie the Polar Express will be shown at the Bud Werner Memorial Library.
Saturday, December 1 & Sunday, December 2, the SSO will perform their Holiday Concert.


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Family Jewels – part trois
Here is the third post of my mini series Family Jewels or in this case the family silver!
These pencils are not so much jewels but instead represent a way of life which has largely disappeared – these are the elegant but practical jewels of bygone days.
As with a few of the objects included in this series these pencils were found in the belonginings of Ethel Star my Great Aunt and because of where and who last owned these items, there can only be two possible candidates.
These two ladies, I believe, would be either Agnes Downham or Eliza Hopkins – my 2 x great grandmothers on my mum's side. They both came from comfortable backgrounds – Agnes from Chippenham and Eliza from Leighton Buzzard.
Agnes married George Henry Star and moved to Mansfield and as my Granny (Agnes' granddaughter) remembered, "was not the sort of person who shouted her children in for tea – they had a bell for that".
Eliza grew up in Leighton Buzzard and moved to Mansfield for reasons unknown – at this moment in time. Granny remembered that her grandmother's front parlour was "like a palace" and that "no-one was allowed to sit down in there" unless "Granny [Eliza] was with you".
The first mark shows that F. Webb of Birmingham was the maker; the Lion indicates that it is indeed sterling silver .925. The next mark is the date stamp indicating that the pencil was made in 1897; finally the anchor confirms that the pencil was manufactured in Birmingham.
The amazing thing about these pencils was that they still had lead in them – just think perhaps the last person to use these pencils was one of the ladies above.


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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Four Cobras had four or more kills in Coker's 3-0 Conference Carolinas loss to the Queens University of Charlotte Royals on Friday night. The Royals blanked the Cobras with scores of 25-19, 25-22 and 25-17.
Coker 's Cynallyhia Indriago (Columbia, S.C.) led the offensive attack with five kills, three aces and three digs, while Mindy Morris (Beaufort, S.C.), April Griggs (Bishopville, S.C.) and Katie McElveen (Hartsville, S.C.) had four kills apiece. Molly Bookhart (Orangeburg, S.C.) finished the match with 14 assists for the Cobras.
Coker returns to the court on Saturday as they complete their two game road trip with a 1:00 p.m. match at Pfeiffer University.


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Opinion: Culture
David Foster Wallace, postmodern moralist, dead at 46
The apparent suicide of David Foster Wallace, the prodigiously talented author of the novel Infinite Jest, is a sad, stunning end for a writer whose best work burst with unflagging energy and propulsive imagination. Though often lumped with postmodernists like Thomas Pynchon, Wallace's fiction had a deeply-felt humanity and breadth-of-scope… READ MORE >
Opinion: Books
The Archbishop of Canterbury Reads Dostoevsky
Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, has recently written a book about Fyodor Dostoevsky, author of Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. The book—Dostoevsky: Language, Faith, and Fiction—has drawn some controversy, not so much for its content, but for the question of whether it should have been written in the first place.… READ MORE >
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|November 14, 2012, 02:14 PM
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Join Date: November 14, 2012
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7.65 Argentine Mauser bore sight??
Hi, we have an old 7.65 Argentine Mauser that has been a good rifle for many years, but has been having major accuracy issues for a while. Not sure if it's due to the rifling, the scope, or some other issue.
Is there a bore sight availible for purchase that would work? I have looked around, but cannot find one in the 7.65 cal. Would a .308 bore sight work? I believe the caliber is similar, as I think 7.65 comes out to .311. It's close anyways, and at over $1 per shell, looking for a way to determine the issue with the rifle.
Any info greatly appreciated, Thanks!
|November 14, 2012, 02:21 PM
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Join Date: November 5, 2012
Posts: 89
When solving a problem you make ONE change at a time. Start with a THOROUGH cleaning, and polishing, the bore. Shoot it, and go to step B.
|November 14, 2012, 06:10 PM
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Join Date: October 19, 2005
Location: Tx Panhandle Territory
Posts: 3,694
I don't think a bore sighter would help you a whole lot. It'll give you a ballpark idea of where the scope is looking in relation to the bore, but that's sighting, not accuracy. If the rifle shoots small groups some place other than where you're aiming- that's the scope. If it flings shots all over the place- that's another story.
Do you still have the iron sights on the rifle? You can verify with those. Are the bolts which hold the action to the stock good and equally tight?
Is there any way to try a different scope? And speaking of scope, I assume you've double checked all the mounting hardware and screws?
And, is there a chance you were thinking of a bore SCOPE? One of those would let you see the inside of the barrel, but really tells the average Joe nothing if he does not know what he's looking for.
One option to see if the stock has warped or is somehow affecting the barrel- Cut a piece of hard plastic about the thickness of a credit card into a 3/8"x3/4" , pull the stock off, and place the plastic in front of the recoil lug area where the receiver flat rests flat on the stock. Now tighten everything down. If the groups come together, you'll know the rifle will benefit from either bedding or free-floating (or both if you choose). If it does not help, then I would think it's the barrel. There's a cheaper rout to try on that that is overlooked a lot these days. Take the rifle to a gunsmith and have him counter-bore the muzzle back 3/4". What this does is remove any bad things, errosion, or wear that may have happened to or developed to the crown or muzzle. It'll be cheaper than a new barrel. And it adds new life to old mil-surps that have seen a lot of use and/or abuse. I was told that it was a pretty common practice back in the day before 1903, Garand, and M1 Carbine replacement barrels were readily available.
Rednecks... Keeping the woods critter-free since March 2, 1836. (TX Independence Day)
I'm going to use the words "clip" and "Long Colt" every chance I get. It grinds my gears to see new members attacked when we all know dang good and well what's being refered to.
|November 14, 2012, 06:12 PM
Join Date: November 2, 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 20,033
Handload some ammunition and see if you can tighten up the groups.
Factory ammo really varies. I have a No. 4 (T) which was supposed to get a 2" group at 100 yards (WW II standards). It got 6" with some Indian made ammo. I thought the gun was messed up but the gunsmith recommended that I try different ammunition. So, I bought some commercial stuff and the group went down immediately to 1 1/2".
Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. Molon Labe!
|November 16, 2012, 02:53 AM
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Location: now living in alabama
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Give the rifle a thorough cleaning and check all the mount screws. Also while you are at it, check the crown of the muzzle for any dings etc. You can clean up the crown by using the Head of a large brass screw (half round head) and some polishing compound (can get at auto parts store) and chuck in drill and dress up the crown. You Tube should have some examples of this.
No such thing as a stupid question. What is stupid is not asking it.
|November 17, 2012, 01:04 PM
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Join Date: November 14, 2012
Posts: 2
Thnks for the feedback, we'll see if it can be rectified. Kinda sounds like we should take it to a knowledgeable gunsmith if we get not results.
|November 17, 2012, 01:40 PM
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Join Date: March 22, 2011
Location: Rockland County NY
Posts: 128
I second the idea of trying different ammo. I have a sporterized Argentine Mauser and every type of ammo I've tried shoots vastly different groups.
|November 18, 2012, 09:07 PM
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Join Date: February 2, 2010
Posts: 6,145
What would a bore sighter do for failing accuracy?
|November 27, 2012, 10:59 AM
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Join Date: August 27, 2011
Location: western Iowa
Posts: 204
Slug your barrel, measure your factory ammo. There are threads to help you with both. You may be a candidate for handloads. The jacketed stuff you buy is "SAAMI'd" to safely shoot in the tightest bore.
|7.65 argentine , bore sight , bore sighter , mauser
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|October 11, 2005, 10:39 PM
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Join Date: April 22, 2005
Posts: 1
Buyer Beware...Wild Bill's Concealment Leather
I hate to post this, but I would like to warn other consumers and help them avoid my pitfall.
I ordered a holster and belt combo from Wild Bill's back in May. I searched feedback and found mostly positive remarks, although many commented on the long wait time. His web site states a minimum of 8 weeks, so I did not expect my stuff in a hurry. I understand small shops and custom orders.
However, my card was charged for the full amount right away. I took no action with the card company at the time because I assumed that my leather was being shipped.
Anyway, when nothing came I began to try to contact Wild Bill. Like many small shops, e-mail is not a priority and it took me several tries to get a response. I was told to expect my order to be finished and shipped in July.
July came and went. Repeated e-mails were not returned. Finally a telephone message and e-mail was returned on August 8. Bill informed me of some leather industry problems that were causing delays, but that things were being sorted out and that my order was on the bench and would be shipped shortly.
August came and went. Repeated messages were not returned. Finally, a reply came on September 13. Bill repeated the leather industry supply problem, but said that the problem was solved and that I should expect my gear to ship in a week to ten days.
September has now come and gone. My e-mail and voice messages are not being returned. It has now been a month since Bill stated my gear should ship.
My beef is not with the wait time. I understood that I would have to wait, possibly a long time to get my holster. I have a problem with paying up front and in full and being told at least three times over the last four months that my order was close to completion and would be shipped shortly.
Now I am stuck. If I cancel I lose 25% restock fee. I have now requested he provide me with a firm ship date or cancel my order with no penalty. However, I have not gotten a response from 5 e-mails and one phone message over the last month.
BTW: This was not some super custom order. It was just an IWB for a Glock 33 and a belt.
Can anybody help?
|October 12, 2005, 12:32 AM
Junior member
Join Date: September 8, 2005
Location: Tacoma, WA
Posts: 2,119
Cancel the order
Talk to credit card company about fraud protection. They'll use their weight and investigation to sort it out or at least give you a refund.
You'll likely eat some of the money, but it's a cheap lesson in life.
Good luck.
|October 12, 2005, 01:46 AM
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Join Date: March 14, 2005
Location: Washougal, Washington. YEHAW!
Posts: 1,872
I wonder what "Supply" issues he's talking about.. wreaks of BS to me, mainly since leather cost hasn't changed much(nor has the supply) at all this year, other than slight cost increases due to fuel increases, but nothing terrible.
I know this because we order various types of leather for different repair work quite often.
Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good
More CZ M52 info than you can shake a stick at!
|January 1, 2006, 12:44 AM
Join Date: November 9, 2005
Location: B'ham
Posts: 23
Deja Vu!!
Wow Pepe,
I had to reread your post to make sure I didn't write it in my sleep. Same thing with me, I ordered a Custom CZ holster, belt, and mag clip in May, credit card was charged on May 15th and I did not get any type of confirmation so I called and was told that it should be ready in eight weeks. Like you, I don't care about the wait, just give me an accurate ETA. After 2 more calls and 19 weeks I got my order in October, about the time you posted this. Did you ever get your order?
As far as the supply shortage goes, I checked the website in July or August and saw where they were building up an inventory of holsters so that they could ship immediately, that is probably what caused our delays. They already had our money.
|January 24, 2006, 06:19 PM
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Join Date: December 29, 2005
Posts: 127
this clown hozed me on a holster. claimed he took it out of his "gun show stock". Never got it, same old BS, we messed up, were a small shop, get you one next time we set up on that style.
Guess what amigos, a friend told me this crook is working C&E gun shows in Charlotte, NC. should be fun when I take the holster of my choice out of his "gun show" stock.
Anyone care to join me?
|January 24, 2006, 06:45 PM
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Join Date: December 29, 2005
Posts: 127
here you go people. my email to "WildBill"
Guess what? Your crooked butt has been busted! I am forwarding this to C&E, GrassRootsNC,& Foothills Gun Club also. If that doesn't get your attention I'll be happy to post a mapquest link to your front door for those you screwed over. Foothills is an IDPA affilate. I'm sure IDPA WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS.
Read this link, and see what your dealings has got you:
As you can see I'm not the only one you screwed over. It's been close to 2 years youve been jacking me around. Oh well, $79 I'll never see.
This message will be passed on to M1911-org. S&W Forum, Colt Forum, Glock Talk, AR15.com, AK47 gun net,SASS, and any other forum I can find.
You see, us buyers now have a place to post weasels like you. You brought this upon yourself. Enjoy.
For all you guys tha have an issue with this crook:
(919)779-9582 [email protected]
PO Box 1941
Garner, NC 27529-1941
(919) 779-9582
Gene Cowan
PO Box 10261
Hickory, NC 28603
|January 24, 2006, 10:48 PM
Join Date: March 14, 2005
Posts: 16
Well heck, don't stop there. The Gov is interested in fraud too...
"He that blows the coals in quarrels that he has nothing to do with, has no right to complain if the sparks fly in his face." -
Ben Franklin
|January 25, 2006, 12:04 PM
Junior member
Join Date: December 29, 2005
Posts: 127
SOS different day
Does this generic answer look familiar?
The Firing Line is not the only place that "Pepe" posted. Please note that the date of his post is 10-11-05, and his problem has been resolved. I responded to his post on The High Road, I am not going to do that again, however, since you seem to have a legitimate issue, I have forwarded you a copy of my response. Again, if you will provide an order number or date of order I will research it and issue a refund if the order has, in fact, never been sent. Thank you,
My reply:Forget it, I went through one year of giving you my info. You screwed me from day one. You claimed to have picked me a r hand 1911 black paddle holster from "gun show stock", and some guy I talked to 3 times said you never told him a thing about it,and no one around there ever knew what was going on from one day to the next, but would get me the holster with your "next run" story. Again i never got i it. Next contact was "I will credit your card back. But that takes a while, as we only do that once a month or so". HUH?It still has never been done. This went on & on for another year. I probably have as much time in long distance calls as the holster is worth.
Seeing that you pulled the exact same thing on another customer in the same time period refreshed my memory.
I already heard from Paul Valone from GRNC. His suggestion is to let Steve know of the people you screwed over. Steve is known for bouncing your kind from his shows.
I was stupid enough to take you and your people at your word. I am NOT going through the hastle of having my Credit Card company go looking for that invoice. It did no good for close to 2 years. Why should it change now? The only dates I remember was I oredered it well before my November 2nd Birthday. It was to be a present from my wife. Thr first order was placed arounder September. Probably 2004.
Like I said, I wrote it off as a loss long ago.
I would much rather spread the word on your business practices.
|January 25, 2006, 12:19 PM
Junior member
Join Date: December 29, 2005
Posts: 127
My memory has been jogged.
After you screwed up my birthday order, I bought a Galco and called your office guy and told him to forget the holster on your "next time we set up on that syle" promise. CANCEL THE ORDER. That was the first promise of a Credit Card refund.
I was wrong, I DID get my holster from you!. FOURTEEN MONTHS after I ordered it, and cancealed the order because you did not have the holster I ordered. Your really on top of things huh Bill?
So here we go again, yet another long distance call. Your guy told me to return the holster for a full refund! Seems like we have been down this road once before huh Bill?
SOOOOOOOO, I get to pay postage to return a CANCELED holster order, that took FOURTEEN MONTHS to fill.
I guess it's time for generic excuse number 2: "we only have a 3 man crew"
Maybe you should hire some help or shut the doors?
Still waiting on that refund pal.
Maybe I should hold my breatrh.
|January 25, 2006, 02:00 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: May 1, 2000
Location: Manassas, Virginia
Posts: 914
Did you use a credit card? If so, have them reverse the charges. They'll do it quickly and with minimal fuss.
edit: I just noticed you got your holster. Still, send it back at the cheapest rate you can use (parcel post normally) and call your CC company.
|January 25, 2006, 03:18 PM
Junior member
Join Date: December 29, 2005
Posts: 127
Now he's claims he will refund my money. But he has no record of my purchase. Funny, I wonder how it got here after 14 months? I just sent him the full name and address on the Card. And the phone number I had when I made the purchase.
I should have kept the holster with the track record of this crew. Like I said, I gave it up as a lost cause. I just don't want anyone else to get burned.
It's not as eazy as calling up my CC company. I change the numbers at least yearly.
I'll let you know how this round plays out.
|January 25, 2006, 03:27 PM
Junior member
Join Date: December 29, 2005
Posts: 127
Check for $79.00 will be cut for you and sent out tomorrow. Looked for order Aug 04-Oct 04 under last name "Cowan" and could not find it. Don't have any record of a return, but I would not expect to after this amount of time. Please advise me when you receive the check. Thanks,
I will keep you posted folks.
|January 27, 2006, 01:52 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 26, 2005
Posts: 304
Thanks for the heads up. I'll make sure I put him on my "Don't use" list.
"Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others."
- Edward Abbey
|February 1, 2006, 11:33 AM
Junior member
Join Date: December 29, 2005
Posts: 127
I noticed that my on-line banking has shown that you cashed your refund check--are you planning on letting everyone know that you received it? Just curious....
Of course I am letting everyone know I got my refund. I admit I never thought I would see it. Thank you for finally taking care of the problem. As for the other forum members, the entire saga for me is closed, and you can decide if you want to do business with Bill or not.
|February 28, 2006, 07:54 PM
Junior Member
Join Date: October 16, 2005
Location: Sedro-Woolley, WA
Posts: 8
what a load
I hope that the posting of this saga will do what you intended to do. I will not take the time to read this post and not take heed of the warning. he if I read it properly only paid you back AFTER you posted the problem and gave him neg postings. not who I would do bis with.
|June 30, 2006, 11:34 PM
Junior Member
Join Date: June 30, 2006
Posts: 1
any progress with wild bill's?
i am looking for a holster and wondering if this guy has cleaned up his act (or should i avoid him altogether?)
|October 1, 2007, 09:36 AM
Join Date: October 1, 2007
Location: Buffalo NY/Toronto ON
Posts: 30
Well, count me in. I don't know what to say.
I place my order Sept 5, 2007 and received an immediate callback as my credit card information was wrong; I gave Bill my correct information and was told the goods were "in stock and would ship immediately".
I sent an email on September 15 which was responded to immediately "your goods will be shipped this week" (i.e. week of Sept 15, 2007).
All further phone calls and emails were not responded to at all. I called this morning (October 1, 2007) and was advised that the order has already been shipped but instead of shipping to our U.S. address it has shipped to our Canadian address. We can only hope and pray that it was not sent by UPS as if that is the case we will get hit with HUGE handling fees for bringing it across the border. If shipped by mail, it takes less time and the postal service here in Canada only charges a flat $5 for clearing customs. That's why we pick our stuff up from stateside and hand carry it back across the border. If they want a few dollars for taxes that's fine by me... at least they don't hit me with $30, $40 or $50 in handling fees on top of the shipping costs. We shall see. He did not say how it had been shipped only that it was already on the way. I should have, in hindsight, asked for a tracking number.
I called back and was told that they would not let him put a tracking number on it only delivery confirmation.
So, here I am. Almost a month down the road and still waiting, but it is alright so far. Not too bad a wait, although my orders from Andean, CDNN and others have already arrived (that were place subsequent to Wild Bill's). The proof will be in the pudding ... I am anxious to see what the quality of the product is. And I will report back here.. promise.
So. For now. Wild Bill's Concealment is in my good books. The reason they could not answer email is that they were doing a circuit of shows. I can live with that.
Especially considering delivery of some manufacturer's is running up to TWO YEARS, stated in advance. I just paid a $75 premium to get my hands on a Versa Max II for my HK P7M8 and it was worth it. It is the best holster I have found so far... but I really want something more compact for IWB, like the Summer Special or Royal Guard.
I think that's some of the stuff I ordered from Bill. Maybe he's given me some preferential treatment cuz my holster order was $350 or so and promises of more to come for others of our gun collection. I don't know.
I will give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove me wrong otherwise. I have yet to be 'hit' by anyone ANYONE in the gun business. They are all so exceptional! Outstanding! Andean, CDNN, and I must not forget Gunners Alley. All outstanding firms to deal with.
Wild Bill's communication is a bit behind the times.. it could be vastly improved and automated with a computer and some simple software for entering and tracking orders and it would improve his reputation considerably. But, so far, so good. I am looking for my parcel like a lost puppy dog here. I love getting parcels. And his story was so good and so complete I find it hard to believe that he could 'make up' a story like the one he gave me... i.e. 'spoke to Kim in shipping and the order has already gone out but it went to your Canadian address', etc. etc.
My fingers are crossed. There is nothing in the world that I would like better than to post a positive experience with Wild Bill's Concealment. They seem like such nice people. And you can be sure that I will report back here one way or the other guys. Either a warning to beware posted on every bulletin board, forum and website that I belong to, including my own website (front page so it appears on all the web search tools). Or a compliment of the highest order with comment on communication. Not so bad to deal with.
|October 1, 2007, 10:05 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: May 28, 2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 6,231
delivery confirmation has a tracking number for the USPS web site
Have a nice day at the range
NRA Life Member
|October 12, 2007, 11:34 AM
Join Date: October 1, 2007
Location: Buffalo NY/Toronto ON
Posts: 30
Re; Wild Bill's Concealment UPDATE
Nothing arrived after I was told it was being shipped. So I called two weeks or so ago. I was told it was shipped but that it was shipped to my Canadian address by mistake and it would take a little longer (it is actually just as fast by Priority Mail... and all of my orders placed both prior to and subsequent to my order with Wild Bill's have all arrived in good order).
So I called today, Friday October 12, five weeks after being told my goods were in stock and would be shipped that day (Sept 5/07). And I was told that my shipment did NOT in fact get shipped. They mixed me up with another customer. They were embarrassed and they would ship Monday by Priority Post USPS. I was told that the holsters were finished and being died... they were going to just have to wait for the die to dry and then they would ship the order. Monday for sure. (Oct 15/07) and they would call me with a delivery or tracking confirmation number. I am not sure why the holsters were being finished and died when I was already told some weeks ago that they were in stock.
So far, it has been five weeks of me calling them as opposed to them calling me. Hey, I understand that people make mistakes. We all do.
The latest promise is that the holsters will be died and dried for Monday and will be shipped out and should arrive by Wednesday. The latest promise is that I will be advised of the tracking number when it ships on Monday. I will report back my friends.
And I expect that by the end of the week I will be reporting good news or bad news. I can only hope that it is the former... I would like to see happy customers and a good report being posted.
|October 16, 2007, 02:20 PM
Junior Member
Join Date: October 16, 2007
Posts: 8
If he shipped UPS then it should automatically have a tracking number. If it shipped USPS you get delivery confirmation only.
|October 24, 2007, 11:32 AM
Junior Member
Join Date: October 24, 2007
Posts: 3
I can't believe after all the probs people are having that you still ordered from and seem to be getting screwed?
|November 1, 2007, 08:41 AM
Junior Member
Join Date: November 1, 2007
Location: Southeast
Posts: 1
"About Wild Bill"
Interesting that my first post on this site would be on this subject. It's hard to believe that Bill is still up to his same old standard of doing business.
After reading a number of glowing [email protected] his carry leather, I called & placed an order. Much of what I went through was exactly what everyone else in this thread exerienced.
What really got to me was how so many gun writers extolled his virtues & "quality of product" compared to the real quality of what I ordered, when after much aggrivation, it FINALLY got to me.
The quality & workmanship just wasn't that great either. At least not for what I paid & the time I had to wait, not to mention all the general [email protected]#%* I went through to get it.
All this brings us to wonder who profits from the "glowing praises' of some of our recognized gun gun writers........
|November 1, 2007, 05:41 PM
Join Date: February 19, 2006
Location: MO
Posts: 49
BBB & States Atty.'s office
Hi All,
I dont know if it would help but a similar problem I had with another co. was resolved after filling out papers with the BBB and State atty.'s office.
It was less than a month that I filed that I was refunded my money and I was like the rest of you who felt screwed and helpless.
wont hurt.
Something else. Instead of filing all the complaints on one form I made individual ones of each complaint. Fraud, false advertising etc. Each one is a count against the dealer.
Hopethis helps
|November 1, 2007, 06:52 PM
Junior Member
Join Date: June 11, 2004
Location: Lexington,NC
Posts: 6
I've had a few dealings at the gun shows with WB.
However at the last few shows someone else has been selling his gear at their table...Not WBs table but another vendors table.
I thought they had been bought out or something.
"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you,it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun"-Dalai Lama
|February 14, 2009, 11:44 AM
Junior Member
Join Date: February 14, 2009
Posts: 9
He got me too!
Wish I would have done some research on this guy before I ordered. Has been nine weeks since my order was placed and despite numberus attempts to reach him via email and phone, I have only been able to get one response. "It will ship next week". Two weeks since that and still no holster. I can't belive that this has happened to so many people, for so long and nothings been done about it.
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text:
As Governor Pat Quinn helped swear in the new Illinois senate Wednesday afternoon, he looked forward to the arrival of new troops in the fight for pension reform.
"A lot of the members ran on platforms of pension reform and I think that will help us get that job done," Quinn said.
During the past week's "lame duck" session, neither the Senate nor the House took votes on plans to resolve Illinois' $96 billion pension shortfall.
"We have to resolve this. It's going to cost the future taxpayers of Illinois more and more money," State Treasurer Dan Rutherford said.
Bond rating agencies have threatened to downgrade the state's credit again, making borrowing money more expensive.
"If our borrowing costs get more expensive, it's going to make things much worse," Senator Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) said. "If our bonds become un-saleable on the market, that's going to make things intolerable."
House Speaker Mike Madigan, House Minority Leader Tom Cross, Senate President John Cullerton and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno were reelected to their leadership positions.
This means Quinn will have to negotiate with the same quartet with whom he has not been able to reach agreement on many issues including pension reform issue.
"These kinds of problems only get solved with enlightened leadership by one or more people," Better Government Association President and CEO Andy Shaw said. "We don't have any enlightened leadership in the state."
"Without a powerful governor, its hard to put people's heads together and bring about compromise," Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) said. "Governor Quinn's going to have to step up or get out of the way."
The senate's first legislation for 98th session is to restart the pension reform process.
"It's an all-encompassing plan that includes both the House and Senate concepts for pension reform," Cullerton (D-Chicago) said.


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The couple honeymooned in Croatia and Italy and live in Redwood City.


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GM Fears Too Much Production in Brazil
SÃO PAULO—General Motors Co. on Thursday became the latest auto maker to raise concerns about investments in new plants in Brazil, saying too much domestic production could put a strain on profit.
"Excess capacity is something that worries us," said Jaime Ardila, head of GM Latin America. "The market isn't growing enough to match the increase in capacity."


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Passion – is what one needs to build a great custom bike from an average donor bike. Bajaj Avenger 220 is a popular bike among youths here who look for a bit of cruiser styling but not a regular choice for a custom project, at least we feel. However we showcase stories here from amateur builders, and believe they definitely inspire others to come up with more builds. Today we have in our bucket is a modified Bajaj Avenger 220, shaped into a mini bobber by one amateur guy Nikhil, in B'lore!
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Michael Feinstein will be bringing his brand of class and oomph to the Pasadena Pops for three more years. The musician and orchestra have renewed his contract as the group's principal pops conductor through 2016.
Feinstein kicked off his first season with the Pasadena Pops this summer, leading the orchestra in June at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in a performance that featured Cheyenne Jackson. The next performance will be Saturday with a program dedicated to classic MGM movies (and their music) and guest starring Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole.
His tenure at the Pasadena Pops was initially for a one-year term, but leaders of the group offered him a multiyear extension.
PHOTOS: Concert photos by The Times
Feinstein had never conducted prior to joining the Pasadena Pops. The singer-pianist has built a national audience for his PBS specials dedicated to exploring the Great American Songbook. In New York, he performed his cabaret act for many years at Feinstein's at the Regency. He has a new club at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco and a home in Los Feliz.
In 2010, the Pasadena Pops hired Oscar-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch as its new principal pops conductor. After Hamlisch died in 2012, the orchestra offered the job to Feinstein, who had collaborated a number of times with Hamlisch, but who had no prior conducting experience.
The summer season will conclude Sept. 7, with Feinstein leading a concert devoted to George and Ira Gershwin.
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Kansas City 'preppers' plan for the worst
Kansas City 'preppers' plan for the worst
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KMBC 9 reporter Scott McDonnell attended the largest gathering of survivalists in the country.
Attendees told him they are preparing for what they can do if something bad happens in their community.
They said they can prepare by growing produce, stocking up on food, or not having to call a doctor if a loved one needs medical attention.
The so-called "preppers" also said if things get really desperate, they can come up with ways to get clean drinking water.


text:
Food safety is a serious issue for both consumers and fruit-vegetable growers. Fortunately, growers can address this concern and help ensure the quality and safety of their produce by following a few simple "common sense" agricultural practices, according to a Texas Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist.
"Food safety is a consumer right. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued food safety guidelines for fresh fruits and vegetables that can help us address this concern," said Frank Dainello, Extension vegetable specialist based in College Station. "There aren't any documented deaths in the United States due to pesticide contamination of fruits or vegetables, but every year there are 15 to 20 documented cases of fatal food-borne illnesses."
Dainello was one of 12 speakers addressing growers at the second Annual High Plains Vegetable Conference held on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon Jan. 13.
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Water is a major source of contaminants such as E. coli, salmonella and hepatitis A. Knowing the source and quality of any water adjacent to a production site and monitoring the quality of available irrigation water are other ways to keep fields and produce sanitary, he added.
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"If you plan on using manure fertilizer, make sure it is adequately composted. Consider using a lower-risk, inorganic/synthetic fertilizer instead of manure.
"After we choose a clean site and monitor our irrigation and fertilizer sources, we must provide sanitation training for all workers in the field. Workers who are injured or sick should not be allowed in the field. We must also provide and maintain clean restrooms and wash-up facilities, and post sanitation rules and guidelines in Spanish and English in common work areas."
Keeping harvest equipment and processing facilities clean at all times is another consideration.
"Make sure your harvest containers are clean and in good shape. Teach your workers to minimize soil contact with the bins and the produce. They should also avoid bruising or cutting the produce whenever possible," he said. "It is also a good idea to provide single-use towels, plenty of clean, potable water and disposable gloves for your workers.
"The same rules that apply to worker sanitation should be applied to customers of U-pick or pick-your-own operations."
Freshly harvested produce should be washed with potable water and then stored in a clean packing facility as soon as possible after harvest. Growers should also take steps to exclude rodents and birds from packing or storage areas, and from their clean, sanitized refrigerated delivery vehicles, the specialist said.
"Documentation is key in every step of the sanitation process. Document everything. From field history to worker sanitation and produce handling," Dainello said. "A growers' guide entitled Food Safety Begins on the Farm outlines these good agricultural practices in detail. The printed guide is a collaborative effort of several universities and Cooperative Extension. It is available on the Internet at http://www.GAPs.cornell.edu and http://www.GAPs.cornell.edu.
The High Plains Vegetable Conference is a collaborative effort of Texas Cooperative Extension, West Texas A&M University and agribusiness. It routinely draws growers, shippers, packers, industry representatives, Extension specialists and researchers from five states.
Tim W. McAlavy is a writer for Texas A&M University.


text:
BERLIN (AP) — Germany's swanky resort island of Sylt has been shaken by the death of a Japanese chef following a fight with two customers who had complained about his food.
Miki Nozawa died Monday from a brain hemorrhage after a brawl with the two men at a nightclub near his restaurant in the North Sea island's main town of Westerland.
Prosecutors are waiting for a second autopsy report to determine whether Nozawa — who had opened his restaurant less than three months earlier — died as a result of the fight or due to an existing medical condition.
"We are shocked and stunned, especially by the brutality of what happened," Mayor Carsten Kerkamm told The Associated Press on Friday. "We only know such things from TV."
The island's 20,000 permanent residents are rarely exposed to violent crime, though extra police are brought in during the summer months when vacationers and day trippers swell the population fivefold.
German tabloid newspaper Bild reported the men, who are under investigation but have yet to be arrested or charged, had refused to pay for a dish of fried rice with vegetables and beef.
The German news agency dpa reported that Nozawa, 57, specialized in Japanese-Italian fusion cuisine and had previously worked at the exclusive restaurant "Billionaire," owned by Italian tycoon Flavio Briatore, on Sardinia.
Prosecutors' spokesman Ruediger Meienburg said Friday they are hoping further tests will reveal in the coming days why Nozawa died.
"It can't be said with certainty that the violence was the reason for the brain hemorrhage. The cause could also have been medical issues the victim had," Meienburg said.


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How to have fresh croissants int he morning???
Hi everyone!
I've been experimenting with croissants recently and have had good results (I'm currently using Peter Reinhart's recipe from Artisan Everyday) The only thing i wish I could do is have them fresh and ready for breakfast. Can I freeze them after rolling/shaping them then thaw/rise them overnight on the counter? or should I thaw/rise them in the fridge? Please let me know which one is preferred and if anyone has tried this? This would make things alot easier for me as I could just make a batch on my day off and take them out to thaw/rise the night before I need them then bake without fuss before a busy day (our household is always busy!!!) Thanks so very much for your thoughts!


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Brian Lee Mardis, 37, of Iuka, died Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, at his residence.
He was born on June 25, 1975 in Pratt, the son of Danny Lee Mardis and Brenda Mardis (Petrowsky) Ford.
Brian was a farmer. He was a member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church, Preston, and the Township 8 Fire Department, Byers.
Surviving are his mother, Brenda Ford and husband Eldon of Pratt; his grandmother, Avis Mardis of Pratt; a sister, Cassandra Jo Mardis of Pratt; four nieces, Bailee, Breane, Brooke, and Dani Farr; three step-brothers, Michael Ford, Ryan Ford and wife Brittany, and Cameron Ford.
He was preceded in death by his father, Danny Lee Mardis, and his grandfather, Richard Mardis.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 10, at Larrison Mortuary, 300 Country Club Road, Pratt. Funeral services will be on at 2 p.m Friday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Preston, with Pastor Michael Schotte officiating. Burial will be in the Greenlawn Cemetery, Pratt.
Memorials may be made to South Wind Hospice or the Pratt Recreation Department in care of the mortuary. Condolences may be left at www.larrisonmortuary.com.


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It depends on how they do Thanos in the next movie.
Spiderman's and Batman's enemies won't reach the level of power of Loki (or even Hulk). Again, this goes back to the very nature of the original writing because Marvel has god-like heroes and villians which makes it more of a challenge to construct a movie in which they are in any danger. However, that will all change with Thanos. I mean, we're talking about a guy that can rape Silver Surfer, beat Hulk, beat Thor, possibly go toe-to-toe with Galactus, probably take out Superman, remember Gladiator? Thanos would pwn him.
I don't see the comparison with The Matrix at all.
Edited by Windu, September 07, 2012 - 02:14 PM.


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How to Use
Unlike earlier burial grounds in Boston, Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 by Bostonians for their use, but it was located about four miles west of the city. It was the country's first large-scale designed landscape open to the public.
1. Locate Boston. What limited the city's ability to expand?
2. Find the location of Mount Auburn Cemetery (denoted by a black star) on this map drawn in 1830. Why did Bostonians need a cemetery outside of the city limits?
3. From the evidence you see on the map, how is the area where the cemetery is located different from downtown Boston? How might those differences have contributed to the decision to build a cemetery in that location?
4. Since the automobile was not invented until the last decade of the 19th century, and a public horse-drawn trolley to Mount Auburn was not established until the 1840s, how might a resident of Boston have traveled to Mount Auburn in the first decade after its founding in 1831?
* The map on this screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a larger version of Map 1, but be aware that the file may take as much as 50 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.


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NC DMV: Watch for flooded cars
NC DMV: Watch for flooded cars
State officials are cautioning used car buyers to be on the lookout for flooded vehicles in the wake of storms that recently swept across most of the state.
The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles' License and Theft Bureau said buyers need to wary of deals that look too good to be true since the cars might have been flooded.
State inspectors said buyers can do several things to look for signs of flooding in a vehicle, including checking for rust around the vehicle, checking to see if there are water lines in the car's interior or under the vehicle and making sure all of the electronics are working.


text: hey i need some help. The only way u can reset this SMC2482w wireless bridge is with a web-utility that has difficulty understandin the latest firmware that i have. anyways...i've sniffed the wireless packets with ethereal and i've used netstumbler...all to come up with the bridge's MAC address...i cannot however find the IP which i need to connect through the web-utility to re-configure it. any suggestions? I've already tried sniffin the packets and goin through them to look for the IP. I thought it would be in the ARP packet for sure but no luck...only the MAC address. I know there has to be SOME way to find the IP with its MAC address...i didnt think it'd be this hard...and it shouldnt. Someone help please.


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Jul 30, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Congrats on the CROW award! Man I sure dig your SRT, gave an idea or 2 for my daily driver Intrepid ES with the Good motor!
Dec 27, 2006 at 11:48 am
What is going on guy? Another DI.net homie on the block.
shadowvox6 has not posted to his car garage blog.
Log in to post comments.


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Being a citizen in America today feels a bit like being the student at the bottom of the class. We are continually reminded of how we are falling down on the job. Not enough of us vote. Not enough of us go to meetings, write letters, join clubs and other organizations. Too many of us don't participate. Too many of us have forsaken the public for the private. The result of our neglect is that our social capital, our civic capacity, the sustaining fibers of our democracy, are fraying. We are letting the rest of the class, the rest of the school, down.
Stretching back to Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America is an awareness of the connection between how we act in our everyday lives and America's institutions and overall character as a democratic society and culture. Tocqueville's specific observations about our national character–as joiners and belongers, for example–remain a reference point to this day. But his underlying interest was in exploring how America's democratic ethos affected a wide spectrum of American life–from religion to the arts, from war to relations between the sexes.
The current rap about our defects as citizens reaffirms the existence of a connection between what citizens do in their everyday lives and the vigor of American democracy. But now causation seems to be running in the opposite direction: The focus is less on how our democracy affects us and more on how what we do affects it.
At the most basic level, even our most prominent political institutions–up to and including the Constitution, the Congress, the Presidency and the courts–could not continue without the buy-in of "We the People." There's an Emperor's New Clothes dynamic here: Our political institutions retain their legitimacy only so long as we accord it to them.
Going a step farther, the viability of democratic institutions requires that citizens go beyond simply acknowledging the legitimacy of those institutions: It requires that they act as citizens. If citizens don't vote, if they don't learn and practice the skills of citizens, if they don't tune in and participate as members of the public, then the formalities of a democracy don't count for much. Citizens are what sustains a democracy.
Enter Matthew Crenson and Benjamin Ginsberg's recent book, Downsizing Democracy. At a superficial level, its message is just one voice in the chorus: Citizens have given way to consumers; the collective American public has devolved into an aggregation of private individuals. But listen more closely, and you'll hear the authors singing a different song. Instead of pointing the finger at citizens, Downsizing Democracy makes the case for the quite different proposition that over time citizens have been demobilized, privatized and ultimately marginalized by fundamental changes in how our institutions of government operate.
Crenson and Ginsberg offer blunt criticisms of a range of actions and interactions that they view as problematic. They contend that the push for "service learning" as civic education reflects the idea that people should simply provide services themselves rather than work collectively to induce government to provide them as a public good. The authors delineate a connection between the mobilization of community service "volunteers" and the demobilization of citizens for political purposes. They lament the call for litigated justice in the form of reparations for slavery as "[disaggregating] a morally coherent demand into 20 million private claims, as though the historical crimes of a nation against a race could be redeemed by cash indemnities." They condemn privatization of public services both for diminishing accountability and for substituting profit for the public interest as the primary goal.


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Poets House's Unique ProgrammingEach year Poets House presents a vast range of public programs — including talks, panels, readings, seminars, performances, walking tours classes to the public with poets from around the world — giving audiences the chance to experience some of the leading international voices of the day. Our signature series, Passwords, features the one poet's close exploration and enthusiasm for another's work.
Poets House programs seek to create a meeting place for poets and poetry readers of all aesthetic leanings and at every level – from accomplished poets and poetry aficionados to those brand new to the art. Providing time at the end of each presentation for questions from the audience, and followed by wine and cheese receptions, Poets House programs create a dynamic forum for conversation between artists and audiences.
PasswordsOur signature program series Passwords, developed in 1987, continues to be one of the most robust and popular of our offering. In it, poets read and discuss the work of other poets.
Passwords creates the link between a vast poetic heritage and the voices of poets living today. Usually one poet discussing the work of another, Passwords programs can also take the form of larger tributes, panel discussions or symposia. Often, these events seek to increase our understanding and appreciation of poets whose work is in danger of being overlooked or underappreciated.


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Skip to comments.Valve Software: Xi3 Piston Is Just One Game System, More Incoming.
Posted on 01/11/2013 12:44:25 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Valve Software, a major video game developer and the owner of Steam game distribution service, said that Xi3 Corp.s Piston video game system, which is currently in development, will be only one of such Steam Box devices. More Steam-centered game systems are incoming from other makers; moreover, Valve will offer its own-brand gaming devices going forward.
We will come out with our own and we will sell it to consumers by ourselves. That will be a Linux box, [and] if you want to install Windows you can. We are not going to make it hard. This is not some locked box by any stretch of the imagination. We also think that a controller that has higher precision and lower latency is another interesting thing to have, said Gabe Newell, a co-founder and chief executive officer of Valve, in an interview with The Verge web-site.
On Tuesday Xi3 Corp. announced a development stage system optimized for computer gameplay on large high-definition television monitors. Xi3's Piston is designed specifically to support both Steam and its Big Picture mode for residential and LAN party computer gaming on larger high-def screens. While the details about Xi3 Piston are scarce, it is widely believed that the device is a small form-factor fully-fledged personal computer powered by AMDs A-series Fusion Trinity or Richland accelerated processing unit and can be equipped with up to 1TB hard disk drive. Since the unit is a pre-production one, eventually it may gain A-series Kaveri APU with more advanced AMD Radeon HD 7000-series graphics core and up to four AMD Steamroller x86 cores.
Valve did not disclose any details about its own Steam Box game device.
While Valve has made an investment into Xi3 and the two companies are jointly showcasing Piston at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, Valve stresses that Xi3 Piston will not be the only Steam Box available on the market. At least three types of Steam-centered gaming devices will be available: some will just stream video games from PCs (e.g., Nvidia Shield) or even servers, other will be tightly-controlled by Valve and will render games locally, the third breed will offer something more than just Steam games.
The way we sort of think of it is sort of Good, Better, or Best. Good are like these very low-cost streaming solutions that you are going to see that are using Miracast or Grid. [ ] Better [will] have a dedicated CPU and GPU and that is the one that is going to be controlled. [ ] It has been surprisingly difficult when we say to people dont put an optical media drive in there and they put an optical media drive in there and you are like that makes it hotter, that makes it more expensive, and it makes the box bigger. Go ahead. You can always sell the Best box, and those are just whatever those guys want to manufacture, explained Mr. Newell.
Even though good, better, best approach has its advantages, it is obvious that Valves and its hardware partners interests are pretty different. Valve is interested in a stable platform, which will likely be similar to Xi3s Piston and will be tightly controlled (to what extent?) by the platform designer. Essentially, the firmly-controlled design will quickly become a commodity and there will be few opportunities for hardware makers to differentiate. As a result, many of Valves partners will focus on best-type Steam Boxes, which will quickly evolve into small form-factor video game PCs.
While initially Valve Software plans to address personal computer gaming with its Steam Boxes running Linux or Windows operating systems, the company is also working on mobile gaming devices.
This [Steam Box] is called Bigfoot internally, and we also have Littlefoot. [
] Our approach [to Littlefoot] will be pretty similar. We also think there is a lot that needs to be done in the tablet and mobile space to improve input for games. I understand Apple's [approach]; all the way back in '83 when I met Jobs for the first time, he was so super anti-gaming. In one of the designs that we are building on the controller side, it has this touchpad and we are trying to figure out where that is useful. We do not want to waste peoples money by just throwing in a touchpad. Once we understand what the role is of multi-touch in these kind of applications then it is easy to say you can use your phone for it, said the head of Valve.
Large Image so you can see the detail.
From the stories I get, if I could take a poll on the reasons freshmen and sophomores fail out of engineering classes, heavy gaming on Steam etc is probably 100% correlated.
Well a person has to have their priorities straight. Somebody in Everquest needed killing.
Xi3 Corp. has announced a development stage system optimized for computer gameplay on large high-definition television monitors. The device will be the corner stone of what will eventually become the so-called Steam Box, an affordable gaming PC specifically designed to run titles from Valves popular distribution service. Xi3 Piston will become available at a yet undisclosed date.
Housed in the uniquely shaped, grapefruit-size Xi3 Modular Computer chassis, this new development stage product is being showcased this week at the Consumer Electronics Show by Xi3 and Valve. Xi3's new development stage product is designed specifically to support both Steam and its Big Picture mode for residential and LAN party computer gaming on larger high-def screens.
Box has some upgradable components
And it already runs Linux! No need to hack it.
If they are able to pull of their concept of commoditizing the platform, it could be a game changer for Valve.
Both the PS3 and the Xbox both are closed platforms, supplied by a single vendor and are very limited in their hardware upgrades. If dozens of manufacturers are all cutting each others throats to produce the same basic hardware, hardware that is easily upgraded, they may be able to pull this off.
When the price point starts dropping below 300 bucks it will make moms and dads everywhere start looking at this rather than an Xbox or PS3. Especially since the games the kids are already playing on PC port directly over to it.
Inmy day it was the pool table....a study of angles.....
"From the stories I get, if I could take a poll on the reasons freshmen and sophomores fail out of engineering classes, heavy gaming on Steam etc is probably 100% correlated."
Back in the '70s my dad warned it was the campus pinball machines. While I enjoy online gaming, as a parent, I can't say I'm excited about this, especially since the bulk of my daughter's Christmas money went towards Valve games. I might consider confiscation, but she knows how to use her gun.
With more than 50 million subscribers around the world, Steam is the digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications/community platform from Valve Corp. Big Picture mode allows members to access and play games through Steam on any connected high-definition television display/monitor.
Thanks to Windows 8, it is now time to move PC gaming to something like this Steam Box. I buy my games on Steam now anyway and gaming is the only thing I use a PC for (at home) since I got an iPad.
Valve reveals its modular, mini-PC, Xi3 Piston (Photos)
January 8, 2013 By: Phylicia Fletcher
Valve's Gabe Newell made some vague comments late last year about having a part in the development of living-room friendly PC packages, and the rumor mill was flooded with speculation. Valve today gave more specifics to those claims at CES 2013 with a small device revealed by hardware developer, Xi3 Corporation.
Engadget got a first look at the neat design and capabilities of what is currently called the "Piston," a mini-PC with a heat-resistant, aluminum chassis and a 1TB hard drive. Backed by Valve, the tiny computer is meant to run on the Steam platform with Big Picture Mode and packs a presumably powerful punch with a quad-core AMD APU, although the spec details have mostly been kept under wraps. The Piston will reportedly work somewhat like normal PCs, with a modular motherboard that allows for components to be exchanged for the latest and greatest.
Back in the 70s my dad warned it was the campus pinball machines.
And the rest is history. Well, actually in my early 30's (1982) I took a silly Cobol course for $2,000 and ten months which led to a comfortable six figure career. :-)
College. Meh.
What does a typical game cost ....on Steam?
CES 2013: The 12Gbps SSD Inside Xi3's "Steam Box" Prototype
By Wesley Fenlon on Jan. 9, 2013 at 6 a.m.
Modular computer maker Xi3 has developed an SSD capable of 12Gbps transfers for the X7 series releasing in 2013. That series serves as the template for Piston, a prototype built for Valve's Steam-centric hardware platform.
As the Consumer Electronics Show's press conference day wound to a close Monday afternoon, a press release from Xi3 Corporation shot the modular computer maker to the top of the CES hot list. The press release was vague, almost coy, announcing a development stage product "designed specifically to support both Steam and its Big Picture mode for residential and LAN party computer gaming on larger high-def screens." And at the bottom of the release, Xi3 tacked on this teaser: "Xi3 also announced today it has received an investment from Valve Corporation. Xi3's new development stage computer game system is also being showcased in Valve's booth (#25730) at CES 2013. No additional details about Xi3's new system or Valve's investment in Xi3 will be released at this time."
The implication was clear: Valve's Steam Box, an affordable computer designed to bring Steam and PC gaming into the living room, is finally coming, and Xi3 is behind it.
Turns out that's not the full story--Valve CEO Gabe Newell chatted with The Verge and made it clear that the company will release its own Linux-based Steam system, and that they're working with multiple partners to expand Steam's reach. But Xi3 definitely has something cooking that supports Steam. We talked with Xi3's Chief Marketing Officer David Politis to find out as much as we could about Piston, the codename for their in-development hardware.
Piston is exciting. Modular computing is cool. But out of everything we saw at Xi3's booth, one piece of technology stood out. It's called mSATAmax, and it's an SSD solution the company has been developing for its new computers, the X7 series, set to be released in 2013.
mSATAmax is fast. Really fast. 12 Gbps fast, or about twice the speed of a SATA III connector.
Here's the tantalizing bit: Politis intimated that mSATAmax SSDs won't necessarily be a premium upgrade, and these could very well show up in the Xi3 Steam Box. Yes, the miniature computer will still need competitive processors and graphics and RAM, but PC gamers can attest that an SSD enormously improves load times for games.
Here's a 3-inch long circuit board with NAND memory that's able to handle data transfers of 1536 megabytes per second.
mSATAmax is a big deal for the X7 system, but it's an exciting bit of technology in general. Forget Steam for a second--here's a 3-inch long circuit board with NAND memory that's able to handle data transfers of 1536 megabytes per second. For reference, that's triple the read/write speeds of the 2012 MacBook Air SSD, which is soldered onto the laptop's motherboard. And the 2012 Air's 350-450 MB speeds are, themselves, about twice as fast as the 2011 model's. The X7 series isn't guaranteed to deliver actual reads and writes at those speeds, but we're eager to see how close it comes.
Piston is derived from the X7 series and will resemble a $1000 build, though exact pricing for both the Piston prototype and the X7 computers are up in the air. Xi3's modular systems fit perfectly into the living room model--the X7 series measures only about 4.3 x 3.6 x 3.6 inches--but that tiny form factor inevitably raises the question of power. What kind of games can a 40 watt system play? Politis says the hardware is capable enough to run Crysis 2. That's an impressive bar, even if the game's running on lower settings. So how does the hardware compare to components we're more familiar with?
Xi3 develops specialty boards to suit different situations, and the X7A processor board will come in dual-core and quad-core AMD R-series APU variants. The CPUs clock up to 3.2 GHz speeds, which should work for most games--a CPU-intensive game like Civilization 5 could cause the processor to break a sweat. But what about that GPU? Remember that AMD's APUs combine both CPU and GPU onto one chip, just like Intel's Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge platforms.
The fastest GPU Xi3 lists for its X7 series, the HD 7660G, puts up respectable numbers on benchmarking site Notebook Check. They write the 7660G's performance is "significantly better than the Intel HD Graphics 4000 in the Ivy Bridge Quad-Core models." On medium settings, it delivered framerates in the teens or 20s for games like Far Cry 3 and Assassin's Creed 3, but it topped 30 frames per second in Borderlands 2, Sleeping Dogs, and Dishonored. In a number of cases, it could even stay about 30 fps on high settings (mostly in less graphically intensive games like Torchlight 2).
Politis hinted that Xi3 has at least one more hardware secret about the X7 series up its sleeve to reveal in the next few months.
It's hard to imagine a console competitor selling for $1000, and the fact is few PC gamers will be satisfied with what a 40 watt computer can dish out. But the X7 is at least on paper a capable little box; it offers 4 or 8 gigabytes of RAM, four USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet and a combined DisplayPort/HDMI out port. With mSATA's speed, Piston should be able to play Steam's entire library of indie games with ease. And Politis hinted that Xi3 has at least one more hardware secret about the X7 series up its sleeve to reveal in the next few months. If it's half as intriguing as mSATAmax, we say they're putting that investment from Valve to great use.
Usually, the same as it costs in the store. I like it for the convenience.
If this takes off,....what happens to the Game console makers like, ...M$,Sony, ninento, nvidia......???
It Begins: Valve And Xi3 Team For Piston Steam Box
By Nathan Grayson on January 8th, 2013 at 9:00 am. Tweet this
Expect EA to announce a competing Origin-branded kiwi tomorrow.
Hey everyone, youre never going to believe this. The Steam Box? Its totally real. I know, right? I mean, a series of totally unsubstantiated rumors from Valve alphabeard Gabe Newell was dubious at best, and Big Picture mode spent so much time in development for no reason whatsoever. But somehow completely unexpectedly were now here, watching Valve and mini-PC maker Xi3 team up to reveal an integrated system that exceeds the capabilities of leading game consoles, but can fit in the palm of your hand. Xi3 also compared the devices physical size to that of a grapefruit, meaning that this is yet another mind-blowing technological advancement Ill have to worry about accidentally eating.
Beyond those (subject to change) physical specs and full Steam integration, details are depressingly scarce at the moment. Fortunately, an in-development version of the magical space grapefruit will be squirting its Valve-flavored juices into show-goers eyes at CES this week, so hopefully well have more specifics soon. Until then, though, heres Xi3 being really pleased with themselves.
Today marks the beginning of a new era for Xi3, said Jason A. Sullivan, founder, President and CEO of Xi3. This new development stage product will allow users to take full-advantage of their large high-definition TV displays for an amazing computer game experience. As a result, this new system could provide access to thousands of gaming titles through an integrated system that exceeds the capabilities of leading game consoles, but can fit in the palm of your hand.
Its also worth noting that Valves also made a full-blown investment in Xi3, so this isnt just some throwaway third-party project. Or at least, it certainly doesnt seem that way. Meanwhile, a Linux-powered Steam box was allegedly revealed in Germany yesterday, but theres no telling if the two are one in the same.
So then, the plot thickens, and CES continues to be a treasure trove of interesting (if not necessarily glamorous) windows into the future of PC gaming. The most obvious message here? There are a lot of powerful people attempting to push PC gaming into the living room. Will it work? Will it become the new standard? And, if so, how will the change of scenery affect the focus of the games people choose to develop for our most marvellous of mother platforms? Seems like well get answers to these questions sooner rather than later. Personally, so long as I get to keep my thriving mod and indie scenes, Im fine with playing anywhere office, bedroom, living room, in a box, with a fox, whatever.
Actually, that brings us to the rather interesting question of what defines PC gaming as a whole and whether or not this type of thing presents a threat to that essence. So Im curious: what specific thing(s) makes PC gaming for you, and are you worried that wading into enemy (read: console) territory could extinguish that?
Shockeh says:
Sorry to say, but this is just nonsense. A PC is a Personal Computer. Thats all it ever was. You have an attachment to a vision created by AMD, Intel, Nvidia and the rest who had a vested interest in a gated, elite community that saw themselves as above the console gaming masses (even RPS at times have slipped into this, although usually with enough good humour to recognise it.)
This, whether it succeeds or fails, is a fantastic thing because it blurs those boundaries that we didnt want or need The sooner we see these gated communities created by console platforms (PSN, XBL, all the rest) die a death, the better, and the only way itll happen in reality is if one of those environments adopts the possibility of being open If I had to pick one of the existing ones, Steam and Valve are our best bet, and even they might screw it up yet.
Is the Gaming Singularity here? No. But this is potentially a great step toward it, if handled well.
Steam also has daily deals as well as Bi-weekly deals so be patient for games you want.
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