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By EddieK
Hello. I'm trying to make an android game and I have come across a problem. I want to draw different map layers at different Z depths so that some of the tiles are drawn above the player while others are drawn under him. But there's an issue where the pixels with alpha drawn above the player. This is the code i'm using:
int setup(){ GLES20.glEnable(GLES20.GL_DEPTH_TEST); GLES20.glEnable(GL10.GL_ALPHA_TEST); GLES20.glEnable(GLES20.GL_TEXTURE_2D); } int render(){ GLES20.glClearColor(0, 0, 0, 0); GLES20.glClear(GLES20.GL_ALPHA_BITS); GLES20.glClear(GLES20.GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT); GLES20.glClear(GLES20.GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT); GLES20.glBlendFunc(GLES20.GL_ONE, GL10.GL_ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA); // do the binding of textures and drawing vertices } My vertex shader:
uniform mat4 MVPMatrix; // model-view-projection matrix uniform mat4 projectionMatrix; attribute vec4 position; attribute vec2 textureCoords; attribute vec4 color; attribute vec3 normal; varying vec4 outColor; varying vec2 outTexCoords; varying vec3 outNormal; void main() { outNormal = normal; outTexCoords = textureCoords; outColor = color; gl_Position = MVPMatrix * position; } My fragment shader:
precision highp float; uniform sampler2D texture; varying vec4 outColor; varying vec2 outTexCoords; varying vec3 outNormal; void main() { vec4 color = texture2D(texture, outTexCoords) * outColor; gl_FragColor = vec4(color.r,color.g,color.b,color.a);//color.a); } I have attached a picture of how it looks. You can see the black squares near the tree. These squares should be transparent as they are in the png image:
Its strange that in this picture instead of alpha or just black color it displays the grass texture beneath the player and the tree:
Any ideas on how to fix this?
Thanks in advance
By DiligentDev
This article uses material originally posted on Diligent Graphics web site.
Graphics APIs have come a long way from small set of basic commands allowing limited control of configurable stages of early 3D accelerators to very low-level programming interfaces exposing almost every aspect of the underlying graphics hardware. Next-generation APIs, Direct3D12 by Microsoft and Vulkan by Khronos are relatively new and have only started getting widespread adoption and support from hardware vendors, while Direct3D11 and OpenGL are still considered industry standard. New APIs can provide substantial performance and functional improvements, but may not be supported by older hardware. An application targeting wide range of platforms needs to support Direct3D11 and OpenGL. New APIs will not give any advantage when used with old paradigms. It is totally possible to add Direct3D12 support to an existing renderer by implementing Direct3D11 interface through Direct3D12, but this will give zero benefits. Instead, new approaches and rendering architectures that leverage flexibility provided by the next-generation APIs are expected to be developed.
There are at least four APIs (Direct3D11, Direct3D12, OpenGL/GLES, Vulkan, plus Apple's Metal for iOS and osX platforms) that a cross-platform 3D application may need to support. Writing separate code paths for all APIs is clearly not an option for any real-world application and the need for a cross-platform graphics abstraction layer is evident. The following is the list of requirements that I believe such layer needs to satisfy:
Lightweight abstractions: the API should be as close to the underlying native APIs as possible to allow an application leverage all available low-level functionality. In many cases this requirement is difficult to achieve because specific features exposed by different APIs may vary considerably. Low performance overhead: the abstraction layer needs to be efficient from performance point of view. If it introduces considerable amount of overhead, there is no point in using it. Convenience: the API needs to be convenient to use. It needs to assist developers in achieving their goals not limiting their control of the graphics hardware. Multithreading: ability to efficiently parallelize work is in the core of Direct3D12 and Vulkan and one of the main selling points of the new APIs. Support for multithreading in a cross-platform layer is a must. Extensibility: no matter how well the API is designed, it still introduces some level of abstraction. In some cases the most efficient way to implement certain functionality is to directly use native API. The abstraction layer needs to provide seamless interoperability with the underlying native APIs to provide a way for the app to add features that may be missing. Diligent Engine is designed to solve these problems. Its main goal is to take advantages of the next-generation APIs such as Direct3D12 and Vulkan, but at the same time provide support for older platforms via Direct3D11, OpenGL and OpenGLES. Diligent Engine exposes common C++ front-end for all supported platforms and provides interoperability with underlying native APIs. It also supports integration with Unity and is designed to be used as graphics subsystem in a standalone game engine, Unity native plugin or any other 3D application. Full source code is available for download at GitHub and is free to use.
Diligent Engine API takes some features from Direct3D11 and Direct3D12 as well as introduces new concepts to hide certain platform-specific details and make the system easy to use. It contains the following main components:
Render device (IRenderDevice interface) is responsible for creating all other objects (textures, buffers, shaders, pipeline states, etc.).
Device context (IDeviceContext interface) is the main interface for recording rendering commands. Similar to Direct3D11, there are immediate context and deferred contexts (which in Direct3D11 implementation map directly to the corresponding context types). Immediate context combines command queue and command list recording functionality. It records commands and submits the command list for execution when it contains sufficient number of commands. Deferred contexts are designed to only record command lists that can be submitted for execution through the immediate context.
An alternative way to design the API would be to expose command queue and command lists directly. This approach however does not map well to Direct3D11 and OpenGL. Besides, some functionality (such as dynamic descriptor allocation) can be much more efficiently implemented when it is known that a command list is recorded by a certain deferred context from some thread.
The approach taken in the engine does not limit scalability as the application is expected to create one deferred context per thread, and internally every deferred context records a command list in lock-free fashion. At the same time this approach maps well to older APIs.
In current implementation, only one immediate context that uses default graphics command queue is created. To support multiple GPUs or multiple command queue types (compute, copy, etc.), it is natural to have one immediate contexts per queue. Cross-context synchronization utilities will be necessary.
Swap Chain (ISwapChain interface). Swap chain interface represents a chain of back buffers and is responsible for showing the final rendered image on the screen.
Render device, device contexts and swap chain are created during the engine initialization.
Resources (ITexture and IBuffer interfaces). There are two types of resources - textures and buffers. There are many different texture types (2D textures, 3D textures, texture array, cubmepas, etc.) that can all be represented by ITexture interface.
Resources Views (ITextureView and IBufferView interfaces). While textures and buffers are mere data containers, texture views and buffer views describe how the data should be interpreted. For instance, a 2D texture can be used as a render target for rendering commands or as a shader resource.
Pipeline State (IPipelineState interface). GPU pipeline contains many configurable stages (depth-stencil, rasterizer and blend states, different shader stage, etc.). Direct3D11 uses coarse-grain objects to set all stage parameters at once (for instance, a rasterizer object encompasses all rasterizer attributes), while OpenGL contains myriad functions to fine-grain control every individual attribute of every stage. Both methods do not map very well to modern graphics hardware that combines all states into one monolithic state under the hood. Direct3D12 directly exposes pipeline state object in the API, and Diligent Engine uses the same approach.
Shader Resource Binding (IShaderResourceBinding interface). Shaders are programs that run on the GPU. Shaders may access various resources (textures and buffers), and setting correspondence between shader variables and actual resources is called resource binding. Resource binding implementation varies considerably between different API. Diligent Engine introduces a new object called shader resource binding that encompasses all resources needed by all shaders in a certain pipeline state.
API Basics
Creating Resources
Device resources are created by the render device. The two main resource types are buffers, which represent linear memory, and textures, which use memory layouts optimized for fast filtering. Graphics APIs usually have a native object that represents linear buffer. Diligent Engine uses IBuffer interface as an abstraction for a native buffer. To create a buffer, one needs to populate BufferDesc structure and call IRenderDevice::CreateBuffer() method as in the following example:
BufferDesc BuffDesc; BufferDesc.Name = "Uniform buffer"; BuffDesc.BindFlags = BIND_UNIFORM_BUFFER; BuffDesc.Usage = USAGE_DYNAMIC; BuffDesc.uiSizeInBytes = sizeof(ShaderConstants); BuffDesc.CPUAccessFlags = CPU_ACCESS_WRITE; m_pDevice->CreateBuffer( BuffDesc, BufferData(), &m_pConstantBuffer ); While there is usually just one buffer object, different APIs use very different approaches to represent textures. For instance, in Direct3D11, there are ID3D11Texture1D, ID3D11Texture2D, and ID3D11Texture3D objects. In OpenGL, there is individual object for every texture dimension (1D, 2D, 3D, Cube), which may be a texture array, which may also be multisampled (i.e. GL_TEXTURE_2D_MULTISAMPLE_ARRAY). As a result there are nine different GL texture types that Diligent Engine may create under the hood. In Direct3D12, there is only one resource interface. Diligent Engine hides all these details in ITexture interface. There is only one IRenderDevice::CreateTexture() method that is capable of creating all texture types. Dimension, format, array size and all other parameters are specified by the members of the TextureDesc structure:
TextureDesc TexDesc; TexDesc.Name = "My texture 2D"; TexDesc.Type = TEXTURE_TYPE_2D; TexDesc.Width = 1024; TexDesc.Height = 1024; TexDesc.Format = TEX_FORMAT_RGBA8_UNORM; TexDesc.Usage = USAGE_DEFAULT; TexDesc.BindFlags = BIND_SHADER_RESOURCE | BIND_RENDER_TARGET | BIND_UNORDERED_ACCESS; TexDesc.Name = "Sample 2D Texture"; m_pRenderDevice->CreateTexture( TexDesc, TextureData(), &m_pTestTex ); If native API supports multithreaded resource creation, textures and buffers can be created by multiple threads simultaneously.
Interoperability with native API provides access to the native buffer/texture objects and also allows creating Diligent Engine objects from native handles. It allows applications seamlessly integrate native API-specific code with Diligent Engine.
Next-generation APIs allow fine level-control over how resources are allocated. Diligent Engine does not currently expose this functionality, but it can be added by implementing IResourceAllocator interface that encapsulates specifics of resource allocation and providing this interface to CreateBuffer() or CreateTexture() methods. If null is provided, default allocator should be used.
Initializing the Pipeline State
As it was mentioned earlier, Diligent Engine follows next-gen APIs to configure the graphics/compute pipeline. One big Pipelines State Object (PSO) encompasses all required states (all shader stages, input layout description, depth stencil, rasterizer and blend state descriptions etc.). This approach maps directly to Direct3D12/Vulkan, but is also beneficial for older APIs as it eliminates pipeline misconfiguration errors. With many individual calls tweaking various GPU pipeline settings it is very easy to forget to set one of the states or assume the stage is already properly configured when in fact it is not. Using pipeline state object helps avoid these problems as all stages are configured at once.
Creating Shaders
While in earlier APIs shaders were bound separately, in the next-generation APIs as well as in Diligent Engine shaders are part of the pipeline state object. The biggest challenge when authoring shaders is that Direct3D and OpenGL/Vulkan use different shader languages (while Apple uses yet another language in their Metal API). Maintaining two versions of every shader is not an option for real applications and Diligent Engine implements shader source code converter that allows shaders authored in HLSL to be translated to GLSL. To create a shader, one needs to populate ShaderCreationAttribs structure. SourceLanguage member of this structure tells the system which language the shader is authored in:
SHADER_SOURCE_LANGUAGE_DEFAULT - The shader source language matches the underlying graphics API: HLSL for Direct3D11/Direct3D12 mode, and GLSL for OpenGL and OpenGLES modes. SHADER_SOURCE_LANGUAGE_HLSL - The shader source is in HLSL. For OpenGL and OpenGLES modes, the source code will be converted to GLSL. SHADER_SOURCE_LANGUAGE_GLSL - The shader source is in GLSL. There is currently no GLSL to HLSL converter, so this value should only be used for OpenGL and OpenGLES modes. There are two ways to provide the shader source code. The first way is to use Source member. The second way is to provide a file path in FilePath member. Since the engine is entirely decoupled from the platform and the host file system is platform-dependent, the structure exposes pShaderSourceStreamFactory member that is intended to provide the engine access to the file system. If FilePath is provided, shader source factory must also be provided. If the shader source contains any #include directives, the source stream factory will also be used to load these files. The engine provides default implementation for every supported platform that should be sufficient in most cases. Custom implementation can be provided when needed.
When sampling a texture in a shader, the texture sampler was traditionally specified as separate object that was bound to the pipeline at run time or set as part of the texture object itself. However, in most cases it is known beforehand what kind of sampler will be used in the shader. Next-generation APIs expose new type of sampler called static sampler that can be initialized directly in the pipeline state. Diligent Engine exposes this functionality: when creating a shader, textures can be assigned static samplers. If static sampler is assigned, it will always be used instead of the one initialized in the texture shader resource view. To initialize static samplers, prepare an array of StaticSamplerDesc structures and initialize StaticSamplers and NumStaticSamplers members. Static samplers are more efficient and it is highly recommended to use them whenever possible. On older APIs, static samplers are emulated via generic sampler objects.
The following is an example of shader initialization:
ShaderCreationAttribs Attrs; Attrs.Desc.Name = "MyPixelShader"; Attrs.FilePath = "MyShaderFile.fx"; Attrs.SearchDirectories = "shaders;shaders\\inc;"; Attrs.EntryPoint = "MyPixelShader"; Attrs.Desc.ShaderType = SHADER_TYPE_PIXEL; Attrs.SourceLanguage = SHADER_SOURCE_LANGUAGE_HLSL; BasicShaderSourceStreamFactory BasicSSSFactory(Attrs.SearchDirectories); Attrs.pShaderSourceStreamFactory = &BasicSSSFactory; ShaderVariableDesc ShaderVars[] = { {"g_StaticTexture", SHADER_VARIABLE_TYPE_STATIC}, {"g_MutableTexture", SHADER_VARIABLE_TYPE_MUTABLE}, {"g_DynamicTexture", SHADER_VARIABLE_TYPE_DYNAMIC} }; Attrs.Desc.VariableDesc = ShaderVars; Attrs.Desc.NumVariables = _countof(ShaderVars); Attrs.Desc.DefaultVariableType = SHADER_VARIABLE_TYPE_STATIC; StaticSamplerDesc StaticSampler; StaticSampler.Desc.MinFilter = FILTER_TYPE_LINEAR; StaticSampler.Desc.MagFilter = FILTER_TYPE_LINEAR; StaticSampler.Desc.MipFilter = FILTER_TYPE_LINEAR; StaticSampler.TextureName = "g_MutableTexture"; Attrs.Desc.NumStaticSamplers = 1; Attrs.Desc.StaticSamplers = &StaticSampler; ShaderMacroHelper Macros; Macros.AddShaderMacro("USE_SHADOWS", 1); Macros.AddShaderMacro("NUM_SHADOW_SAMPLES", 4); Macros.Finalize(); Attrs.Macros = Macros; RefCntAutoPtr<IShader> pShader; m_pDevice->CreateShader( Attrs, &pShader );
Creating the Pipeline State Object
After all required shaders are created, the rest of the fields of the PipelineStateDesc structure provide depth-stencil, rasterizer, and blend state descriptions, the number and format of render targets, input layout format, etc. For instance, rasterizer state can be described as follows:
PipelineStateDesc PSODesc; RasterizerStateDesc &RasterizerDesc = PSODesc.GraphicsPipeline.RasterizerDesc; RasterizerDesc.FillMode = FILL_MODE_SOLID; RasterizerDesc.CullMode = CULL_MODE_NONE; RasterizerDesc.FrontCounterClockwise = True; RasterizerDesc.ScissorEnable = True; RasterizerDesc.AntialiasedLineEnable = False; Depth-stencil and blend states are defined in a similar fashion.
Another important thing that pipeline state object encompasses is the input layout description that defines how inputs to the vertex shader, which is the very first shader stage, should be read from the memory. Input layout may define several vertex streams that contain values of different formats and sizes:
// Define input layout InputLayoutDesc &Layout = PSODesc.GraphicsPipeline.InputLayout; LayoutElement TextLayoutElems[] = { LayoutElement( 0, 0, 3, VT_FLOAT32, False ), LayoutElement( 1, 0, 4, VT_UINT8, True ), LayoutElement( 2, 0, 2, VT_FLOAT32, False ), }; Layout.LayoutElements = TextLayoutElems; Layout.NumElements = _countof( TextLayoutElems ); Finally, pipeline state defines primitive topology type. When all required members are initialized, a pipeline state object can be created by IRenderDevice::CreatePipelineState() method:
// Define shader and primitive topology PSODesc.GraphicsPipeline.PrimitiveTopologyType = PRIMITIVE_TOPOLOGY_TYPE_TRIANGLE; PSODesc.GraphicsPipeline.pVS = pVertexShader; PSODesc.GraphicsPipeline.pPS = pPixelShader; PSODesc.Name = "My pipeline state"; m_pDev->CreatePipelineState(PSODesc, &m_pPSO); When PSO object is bound to the pipeline, the engine invokes all API-specific commands to set all states specified by the object. In case of Direct3D12 this maps directly to setting the D3D12 PSO object. In case of Direct3D11, this involves setting individual state objects (such as rasterizer and blend states), shaders, input layout etc. In case of OpenGL, this requires a number of fine-grain state tweaking calls. Diligent Engine keeps track of currently bound states and only calls functions to update these states that have actually changed.
Binding Shader Resources
Direct3D11 and OpenGL utilize fine-grain resource binding models, where an application binds individual buffers and textures to certain shader or program resource binding slots. Direct3D12 uses a very different approach, where resource descriptors are grouped into tables, and an application can bind all resources in the table at once by setting the table in the command list. Resource binding model in Diligent Engine is designed to leverage this new method. It introduces a new object called shader resource binding that encapsulates all resource bindings required for all shaders in a certain pipeline state. It also introduces the classification of shader variables based on the frequency of expected change that helps the engine group them into tables under the hood:
Static variables (SHADER_VARIABLE_TYPE_STATIC) are variables that are expected to be set only once. They may not be changed once a resource is bound to the variable. Such variables are intended to hold global constants such as camera attributes or global light attributes constant buffers. Mutable variables (SHADER_VARIABLE_TYPE_MUTABLE) define resources that are expected to change on a per-material frequency. Examples may include diffuse textures, normal maps etc. Dynamic variables (SHADER_VARIABLE_TYPE_DYNAMIC) are expected to change frequently and randomly. Shader variable type must be specified during shader creation by populating an array of ShaderVariableDesc structures and initializing ShaderCreationAttribs::Desc::VariableDesc and ShaderCreationAttribs::Desc::NumVariables members (see example of shader creation above).
Static variables cannot be changed once a resource is bound to the variable. They are bound directly to the shader object. For instance, a shadow map texture is not expected to change after it is created, so it can be bound directly to the shader:
PixelShader->GetShaderVariable( "g_tex2DShadowMap" )->Set( pShadowMapSRV ); Mutable and dynamic variables are bound via a new Shader Resource Binding object (SRB) that is created by the pipeline state (IPipelineState::CreateShaderResourceBinding()):
m_pPSO->CreateShaderResourceBinding(&m_pSRB); Note that an SRB is only compatible with the pipeline state it was created from. SRB object inherits all static bindings from shaders in the pipeline, but is not allowed to change them.
Mutable resources can only be set once for every instance of a shader resource binding. Such resources are intended to define specific material properties. For instance, a diffuse texture for a specific material is not expected to change once the material is defined and can be set right after the SRB object has been created:
m_pSRB->GetVariable(SHADER_TYPE_PIXEL, "tex2DDiffuse")->Set(pDiffuseTexSRV); In some cases it is necessary to bind a new resource to a variable every time a draw command is invoked. Such variables should be labeled as dynamic, which will allow setting them multiple times through the same SRB object:
m_pSRB->GetVariable(SHADER_TYPE_VERTEX, "cbRandomAttribs")->Set(pRandomAttrsCB); Under the hood, the engine pre-allocates descriptor tables for static and mutable resources when an SRB objcet is created. Space for dynamic resources is dynamically allocated at run time. Static and mutable resources are thus more efficient and should be used whenever possible.
As you can see, Diligent Engine does not expose low-level details of how resources are bound to shader variables. One reason for this is that these details are very different for various APIs. The other reason is that using low-level binding methods is extremely error-prone: it is very easy to forget to bind some resource, or bind incorrect resource such as bind a buffer to the variable that is in fact a texture, especially during shader development when everything changes fast. Diligent Engine instead relies on shader reflection system to automatically query the list of all shader variables. Grouping variables based on three types mentioned above allows the engine to create optimized layout and take heavy lifting of matching resources to API-specific resource location, register or descriptor in the table.
This post gives more details about the resource binding model in Diligent Engine.
Setting the Pipeline State and Committing Shader Resources
Before any draw or compute command can be invoked, the pipeline state needs to be bound to the context:
m_pContext->SetPipelineState(m_pPSO); Under the hood, the engine sets the internal PSO object in the command list or calls all the required native API functions to properly configure all pipeline stages.
The next step is to bind all required shader resources to the GPU pipeline, which is accomplished by IDeviceContext::CommitShaderResources() method:
m_pContext->CommitShaderResources(m_pSRB, COMMIT_SHADER_RESOURCES_FLAG_TRANSITION_RESOURCES); The method takes a pointer to the shader resource binding object and makes all resources the object holds available for the shaders. In the case of D3D12, this only requires setting appropriate descriptor tables in the command list. For older APIs, this typically requires setting all resources individually.
Next-generation APIs require the application to track the state of every resource and explicitly inform the system about all state transitions. For instance, if a texture was used as render target before, while the next draw command is going to use it as shader resource, a transition barrier needs to be executed. Diligent Engine does the heavy lifting of state tracking. When CommitShaderResources() method is called with COMMIT_SHADER_RESOURCES_FLAG_TRANSITION_RESOURCES flag, the engine commits and transitions resources to correct states at the same time. Note that transitioning resources does introduce some overhead. The engine tracks state of every resource and it will not issue the barrier if the state is already correct. But checking resource state is an overhead that can sometimes be avoided. The engine provides IDeviceContext::TransitionShaderResources() method that only transitions resources:
m_pContext->TransitionShaderResources(m_pPSO, m_pSRB); In some scenarios it is more efficient to transition resources once and then only commit them.
Invoking Draw Command
The final step is to set states that are not part of the PSO, such as render targets, vertex and index buffers. Diligent Engine uses Direct3D11-syle API that is translated to other native API calls under the hood:
ITextureView *pRTVs[] = {m_pRTV}; m_pContext->SetRenderTargets(_countof( pRTVs ), pRTVs, m_pDSV); // Clear render target and depth buffer const float zero[4] = {0, 0, 0, 0}; m_pContext->ClearRenderTarget(nullptr, zero); m_pContext->ClearDepthStencil(nullptr, CLEAR_DEPTH_FLAG, 1.f); // Set vertex and index buffers IBuffer *buffer[] = {m_pVertexBuffer}; Uint32 offsets[] = {0}; Uint32 strides[] = {sizeof(MyVertex)}; m_pContext->SetVertexBuffers(0, 1, buffer, strides, offsets, SET_VERTEX_BUFFERS_FLAG_RESET); m_pContext->SetIndexBuffer(m_pIndexBuffer, 0); Different native APIs use various set of function to execute draw commands depending on command details (if the command is indexed, instanced or both, what offsets in the source buffers are used etc.). For instance, there are 5 draw commands in Direct3D11 and more than 9 commands in OpenGL with something like glDrawElementsInstancedBaseVertexBaseInstance not uncommon. Diligent Engine hides all details with single IDeviceContext::Draw() method that takes takes DrawAttribs structure as an argument. The structure members define all attributes required to perform the command (primitive topology, number of vertices or indices, if draw call is indexed or not, if draw call is instanced or not, if draw call is indirect or not, etc.). For example:
DrawAttribs attrs; attrs.IsIndexed = true; attrs.IndexType = VT_UINT16; attrs.NumIndices = 36; attrs.Topology = PRIMITIVE_TOPOLOGY_TRIANGLE_LIST; pContext->Draw(attrs); For compute commands, there is IDeviceContext::DispatchCompute() method that takes DispatchComputeAttribs structure that defines compute grid dimension.
Source Code
Full engine source code is available on GitHub and is free to use. The repository contains two samples, asteroids performance benchmark and example Unity project that uses Diligent Engine in native plugin.
AntTweakBar sample is Diligent Engine's "Hello World" example.
Atmospheric scattering sample is a more advanced example. It demonstrates how Diligent Engine can be used to implement various rendering tasks: loading textures from files, using complex shaders, rendering to multiple render targets, using compute shaders and unordered access views, etc.
Asteroids performance benchmark is based on this demo developed by Intel. It renders 50,000 unique textured asteroids and allows comparing performance of Direct3D11 and Direct3D12 implementations. Every asteroid is a combination of one of 1000 unique meshes and one of 10 unique textures.
Finally, there is an example project that shows how Diligent Engine can be integrated with Unity.
Future Work
The engine is under active development. It currently supports Windows desktop, Universal Windows and Android platforms. Direct3D11, Direct3D12, OpenGL/GLES backends are now feature complete. Vulkan backend is coming next, and support for more platforms is planned.
By reenigne
For those that don't know me. I am the individual who's two videos are listed here under setup for https://wiki.libsdl.org/Tutorials
I also run grhmedia.com where I host the projects and code for the tutorials I have online.
Recently, I received a notice from youtube they will be implementing their new policy in protecting video content as of which I won't be monetized till I meat there required number of viewers and views each month.
Frankly, I'm pretty sick of youtube. I put up a video and someone else learns from it and puts up another video and because of the way youtube does their placement they end up with more views.
Even guys that clearly post false information such as one individual who said GLEW 2.0 was broken because he didn't know how to compile it. He in short didn't know how to modify the script he used because he didn't understand make files and how the requirements of the compiler and library changes needed some different flags.
At the end of the month when they implement this I will take down the content and host on my own server purely and it will be a paid system and or patreon.
I get my videos may be a bit dry, I generally figure people are there to learn how to do something and I rather not waste their time.
I used to also help people for free even those coming from the other videos. That won't be the case any more. I used to just take anyone emails and work with them my email is posted on the site.
I don't expect to get the required number of subscribers in that time or increased views. Even if I did well it wouldn't take care of each reoccurring month.
I figure this is simpler and I don't plan on putting some sort of exorbitant fee for a monthly subscription or the like.
I was thinking on the lines of a few dollars 1,2, and 3 and the larger subscription gets you assistance with the content in the tutorials if needed that month.
Maybe another fee if it is related but not directly in the content.
The fees would serve to cut down on the number of people who ask for help and maybe encourage some of the people to actually pay attention to what is said rather than do their own thing. That actually turns out to be 90% of the issues. I spent 6 hours helping one individual last week I must have asked him 20 times did you do exactly like I said in the video even pointed directly to the section. When he finally sent me a copy of the what he entered I knew then and there he had not. I circled it and I pointed out that wasn't what I said to do in the video. I didn't tell him what was wrong and how I knew that way he would go back and actually follow what it said to do. He then reported it worked. Yea, no kidding following directions works. But hey isn't alone and well its part of the learning process.
So the point of this isn't to be a gripe session. I'm just looking for a bit of feed back. Do you think the fees are unreasonable?
Should I keep the youtube channel and do just the fees with patreon or do you think locking the content to my site and require a subscription is an idea.
I'm just looking at the fact it is unrealistic to think youtube/google will actually get stuff right or that youtube viewers will actually bother to start looking for more accurate videos.
By Balma Alparisi
i got error 1282 in my code.
sf::ContextSettings settings; settings.majorVersion = 4; settings.minorVersion = 5; settings.attributeFlags = settings.Core; sf::Window window; window.create(sf::VideoMode(1600, 900), "Texture Unit Rectangle", sf::Style::Close, settings); window.setActive(true); window.setVerticalSyncEnabled(true); glewInit(); GLuint shaderProgram = createShaderProgram("FX/Rectangle.vss", "FX/Rectangle.fss"); float vertex[] = { -0.5f,0.5f,0.0f, 0.0f,0.0f, -0.5f,-0.5f,0.0f, 0.0f,1.0f, 0.5f,0.5f,0.0f, 1.0f,0.0f, 0.5,-0.5f,0.0f, 1.0f,1.0f, }; GLuint indices[] = { 0,1,2, 1,2,3, }; GLuint vao; glGenVertexArrays(1, &vao); glBindVertexArray(vao); GLuint vbo; glGenBuffers(1, &vbo); glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, vbo); glBufferData(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, sizeof(vertex), vertex, GL_STATIC_DRAW); GLuint ebo; glGenBuffers(1, &ebo); glBindBuffer(GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER, ebo); glBufferData(GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER, sizeof(indices), indices,GL_STATIC_DRAW); glVertexAttribPointer(0, 3, GL_FLOAT, false, sizeof(float) * 5, (void*)0); glEnableVertexAttribArray(0); glVertexAttribPointer(1, 2, GL_FLOAT, false, sizeof(float) * 5, (void*)(sizeof(float) * 3)); glEnableVertexAttribArray(1); GLuint texture[2]; glGenTextures(2, texture); glActiveTexture(GL_TEXTURE0); glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, texture[0]); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_WRAP_S, GL_CLAMP_TO_EDGE); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_WRAP_T, GL_CLAMP_TO_EDGE); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_LINEAR); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_LINEAR); sf::Image* imageOne = new sf::Image; bool isImageOneLoaded = imageOne->loadFromFile("Texture/container.jpg"); if (isImageOneLoaded) { glTexImage2D(GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0, GL_RGBA, imageOne->getSize().x, imageOne->getSize().y, 0, GL_RGBA, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, imageOne->getPixelsPtr()); glGenerateMipmap(GL_TEXTURE_2D); } delete imageOne; glActiveTexture(GL_TEXTURE1); glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, texture[1]); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_WRAP_S, GL_CLAMP_TO_EDGE); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_WRAP_T, GL_CLAMP_TO_EDGE); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MAG_FILTER, GL_LINEAR); glTexParameteri(GL_TEXTURE_2D, GL_TEXTURE_MIN_FILTER, GL_LINEAR); sf::Image* imageTwo = new sf::Image; bool isImageTwoLoaded = imageTwo->loadFromFile("Texture/awesomeface.png"); if (isImageTwoLoaded) { glTexImage2D(GL_TEXTURE_2D, 0, GL_RGBA, imageTwo->getSize().x, imageTwo->getSize().y, 0, GL_RGBA, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, imageTwo->getPixelsPtr()); glGenerateMipmap(GL_TEXTURE_2D); } delete imageTwo; glUniform1i(glGetUniformLocation(shaderProgram, "inTextureOne"), 0); glUniform1i(glGetUniformLocation(shaderProgram, "inTextureTwo"), 1); GLenum error = glGetError(); std::cout << error << std::endl; sf::Event event; bool isRunning = true; while (isRunning) { while (window.pollEvent(event)) { if (event.type == event.Closed) { isRunning = false; } } glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT); if (isImageOneLoaded && isImageTwoLoaded) { glActiveTexture(GL_TEXTURE0); glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, texture[0]); glActiveTexture(GL_TEXTURE1); glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, texture[1]); glUseProgram(shaderProgram); } glBindVertexArray(vao); glDrawElements(GL_TRIANGLES, 6, GL_UNSIGNED_INT, nullptr); glBindVertexArray(0); window.display(); } glDeleteVertexArrays(1, &vao); glDeleteBuffers(1, &vbo); glDeleteBuffers(1, &ebo); glDeleteProgram(shaderProgram); glDeleteTextures(2,texture); return 0; } and this is the vertex shader
#version 450 core layout(location=0) in vec3 inPos; layout(location=1) in vec2 inTexCoord; out vec2 TexCoord; void main() { gl_Position=vec4(inPos,1.0); TexCoord=inTexCoord; } and the fragment shader
#version 450 core in vec2 TexCoord; uniform sampler2D inTextureOne; uniform sampler2D inTextureTwo; out vec4 FragmentColor; void main() { FragmentColor=mix(texture(inTextureOne,TexCoord),texture(inTextureTwo,TexCoord),0.2); } I was expecting awesomeface.png on top of container.jpg
By khawk
We've just released all of the source code for the NeHe OpenGL lessons on our Github page at https://github.com/gamedev-net/nehe-opengl. code - 43 total platforms, configurations, and languages are included.
Now operated by GameDev.net, NeHe is located at http://nehe.gamedev.net where it has been a valuable resource for developers wanting to learn OpenGL and graphics programming.
View full story


text:
Graber Blinds, Shades & Window Treatments
- Premium window treatments
- Designer style & timeless look
- Natural, sustainable materials
- In business for over 75 years
- Backed by a limited lifetime warranty
Graber has grown from simple roots into a premier manufacturer of sophisticated, high-quality blinds and shades. Founded in 1939, Graber is renowned for providing window treatments with stylish looks and premium quality. Graber blinds and shades are on the leading edge of design, child safety and green manufacturing, featuring a wide range of products with cordless lift and motorized operation, energy efficient cellular shades and eco-friendly wood blinds and natural shades. With a Graber blind, you will receive an outstanding product backed by a lifetime limited warranty, superior customer service and quality you will see and feel every time you use your new blind from Blindsgalore.
Graber® CrystalPleat® Cellular Shades: Light Filtering
retail $110.45 $74.00
Certified Best for Kids
Products with this label meet or exceed safety recommendations approved by the Window Covering Manufactures Association (WCMA) and have undergone rigorous third-party testing.
- Cellular / Honeycomb
- Semi-Opaque
- Double Cell
- 3/8" Pleat
- Cordless
- Cordless Top Down/Bottom Up
- Top Down/Bottom Up
- Horizontal
- Beige / Neutral
- Black
- Blue
- Brown
- Gray
- Green
- Orange
- White / Off-White
- Yellow / Cream
- Cellular
- Energy Efficient
- Child Safe
- CrystalPleat®
customer reviews for graber
By from Northern California (wine country)
Ordering more for our other rooms> The company has excellent quality, easy to install and great customer services! Pre-ordering "samples" is very helpful too. All around good experience.View this product
"Excellent Product"
By SuzyQ from Kennewick WA
I ordered three blinds for my livingroom, but it took me a month of asking for color samples to get to that point. Blindsgalore replied to my requests for samples very quickly and it was such a great help in making my final choice. I received my order and was very pleased with the quality of the blinds. My husband and I put them up in less than 30 minutes. They look great! I would purchase again in the future.View this product

subset: commoncrawl


text:
View glossary terms beginning with ...
List of terms beginning with Ab
- Abdomen
The abdomen is the area of the body below the ribs and lungs and above the hip bones. It contains many of the body's organs, such as the stomach, small and large bowel, pancreas, liver, spleen, and kidneys.
- Abdominal paracentesis
Abdominal paracentesis is a medical procedure to remove a build up of fluid from the abdomen. A doctor or nurse puts a needle into the abdomen. The needle is attached to a tube and a collecting bag. Fluid from the abdomen (ascites) can then drain away into the bag.
- Abdominal radiotherapy
Abdominal radiotherapy is radiotherapy given to any part of the abdomen. The abdomen is the area below the ribs and above the hip bones.
- Abdominal side effects
Abdominal side effects are unwanted effects on the abdomen caused by cancer treatments. They may include diarrhoea, wind, bleeding, abdominal cramps or pain. They can be caused by abdominal radiotherapy or cancer medicines.
- Abdominal ultrasound
An abdominal ultrasound is a body scan of the abdomen. Sound waves make up a picture of the organs inside the abdomen.
- Abdominoperineal resection
Abdominoperineal resection is an operation to remove anal cancer. The surgeon removes the anus, your rectum (back passage) and part of your lower bowel (the colon). They may also remove some lymph nodes. The surgeon brings the end of the bowel out on to the abdominal (tummy) wall during the operation to form a colostomy (stoma).
- Abortion
Abortion is the medical name for the early end of a pregnancy that is either natural (a miscarriage) or carried out for medical reasons. The word is most commonly used to mean the deliberate ending of a pregnancy.
- Abscess
An abscess is a collection of pus.


text:
CO-OP Pays for 16 Scholarships to CUNA Community Confab
CO-OP Financial Services has sponsored scholarships for 16 credit union professionals to join the 2013 CUNA Community Credit Union & Growth Conference in Uncasville, Conn., next month.
Each recipient was selected after submitting applications before the deadline and meeting certain criteria. This marks the fourth year in a row that CO-OP Financial Services has awarded scholarships for the conference.
"Over the last four years, individuals from dozens of credit unions that would not otherwise be represented have been able to attend CCUC and apply conference takeaways to directly strengthen the credit union movement," said Todd Spiczenski, senior vice president of the CUNA Center for Professional Development in a press release issued on Wednesday.
"Thanks to CO-OP Financial Services' continued generosity, the CCUC message will be once again amplified by the insight and dedication of this year's scholarship winners."
Attendees of the CUNA Community Credit Union & Growth Conference, taking place Oct. 8 through 11, will "create ready-to-implement action plans to help their credit union reach its full potential," according to the press release.
The four winners of the 2013 Community Credit Union of the Year Award will also be announced at the conference.
The 2013 scholarship recipients are:
- Megan Armstrong, chief operating officer of the $42 million Saratoga's Community FCU, New York.
- Jim Bounds, vice president of operations at the $267 million Coastal Community and Teachers CU, Texas.
- Eric Bruen, chief executive officer of the $23 million Desert Valleys FCU, California.
- Debbie Bullock, vice president of marketing & human resources at the $108 million Martin FCU, Florida.
- Asaf Carmeli, vice president of human resources at the $232 million Scient FCU, Connecticut.
- Phillip Dunaway, president of the $187 million Land of Lincoln CU, Illinois.
- Clayton Fuchigami, president/chief executive officer of the $60 million Maui FCU, Hawaii.
- Sherry Holliman, director of the $103 million Northeast Arkansas FCU, Arkansas.
- Michael Mayhew, director of the $332 million Baltimore County EFCU, Maryland.
- Nancy Montie, chief executive officer of the $65 million Besser CU, Michigan.
- Deloris Ransom, manager of the $122,294 Salem Baptist FCU, New Jersey.
- Lynn Sabatino, vice president of the $28 million Members CU, Connecticut.
- Nancy Sieller, chief operating officer of the $38 million Torrington Municipal & Teachers FCU, Connecticut.
- Laura Sorensen, vice president of marketing at the $175 million SageLink CU, Michigan.
- Carla Waldo, chief executive officer of the $14 million Mills42 FCU, Massachusetts.
- Michael Waylett, president of the $44 million Vision Financial FCU, North Carolina.


text:
Find certified Honda repair shops and mechanics near you
Honda is a leading Japanese automaker. Honda's founder, Soichiro Honda, originally worked as a garage mechanic, tuning cars and entering them into races. Honda is involved in artificial intelligence and robotics research. They released a robot called ASIMO in 2000. ASIMO was the first robot to ever ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange in 2002. The first automobile created by Honda was the T360 mini pick-up truck that was released in 1963. Honda was almost taken over by Mitsubishi Motors in the early 1990s.
Honda's most reported problem on RepairPal is associated with transmissions on some Honda Accord models.


text:
CUNA Council HR Awards Celebrate Engagement, Strategy, Innovative Practices
The CUNA Human Resources and Training and Development Council has again recognized credit unions for implementing projects that have advanced employee engagement, health and wellness programs, online training and strategic leadership.
The 2013 Excellence Award winners from the CUNA HR/TD Council were:
- Employee Engagement: The $234 million Town & Country FCU in South Portland, Maine, which created an Employee Experience Team, led by HR and a group of employees, who volunteered their time to help execute various employee-centered activities and events that were reflective of the needs and desires of the staff.
- Employee Engagement: The $599 million Member One FCU in Roanoke, Va., which developed "Using the Humanities to Give Business Training a Soul" program, a diverse offering of courses related to sales, soft skills, economics and leadership that are business related but humanities based. Each program involves music, poetry, literature, the fine arts, history or dance.
- Employee Engagement: The $3.5 billion Mountain America CU in West Jordan, Utah, produced in-house training videos that demonstrated a real-life environment utilizing a medium attractive and engaging to an employee audience.
- HR/TD Management Practices: The $460 million Marion and Polk Schools Credit Union in Salem, Ore., developed a "To the Olympics and Beyond / Health and Wellness" program, a multi-year implementation of a defined wellness initiative concluding with a companywide "Walk to the London Olympics" program.
- HR/TD Management Practices: The $593 million Red Canoe Credit Union in Longview, Wash., that created a "Commit to be Fit" program, a multi-year wellness initiative focusing on whole-body wellness with a year-long commitment to personal happiness.
- HR/TD Management Practices: MACU won another award for its "IRA ELearning Suite," which successfully converted an entire operational training class to eLearning. The set of courses are 24/7 accessible, provide a consistent message and can be revised as needed.
- HR/TD Strategic Leadership: The $234 million Town & Country FCU in South Portland, Maine initiated an online banking conversion initiative that leveraged an "all-in approach" with employee focus groups, volunteer subject matter experts and theme days that enabled the credit union to complete a fast and efficient online conversion program.
- HR/TD Strategic Leadership: The $1.6 billion University of Wisconsin Credit Union in Madison, Wis., established an "emerging leader" program to develop internal candidates for leadership roles through a 12-month program focusing on introducing candidates to leadership success criteria, corporate strategy, core functions and specific training on learning imperatives.
The Excellence Award winners were recognized at CUNA HR/TD Council's annual conference held last month in Anaheim, Calif.


text:
GlobalGolf.com offers a huge selection of golf apparel for men, ladies, and juniors. Our collection of new and discount golf apparel includes a wide range of comfort and style designed for all seasons and playing conditions.
Wearing golf apparel rather than everyday cotton clothes can really help you play and enjoy the game better thanks to advanced textile technologies. Many of our golf shirts, shorts, and pants use highly breathable fabrics that often provide greater stretch and give than their cotton counterparts.
This is an important factor because it provides a full, unrestricted range of motion. And when fabrics are more breathable, they provide better moisture management, which makes your sweat-drenched shirt lighter. It also helps you feel cooler since it promotes faster evaporation.
GlobalGolf.com is proud to offer a complete selection of the latest styles and trends available from the game's leading manufacturers, including some of our most popular items like Nike golf shirts as well as apparel by Puma, adidas, Oakley, FootJoy and more. Our inventory changes on a daily basis, so check back often for our most current selection of products.


text:
Submit News
Warming Evangelist Hansen Retires; Researchers Advise Panic Despite Flat Temps
Jason Mick
April 11, 2013 7:18 AM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
Critics seize on cooling; warming theorist say models may need "readjusting"
You may have noticed it's been a rather cool North American spring. The cool trend is not an isolated incident. Overall, over the last decade temperatures have leveled off. The climate shift has critics of
anthropogenic (manmade) global warming (AGW) theory
crowing and has proponents of the
computer model-based theory
racing to readjust their predictions.
I. Critics: Global Warming has Gone AWOL
Former Californian meteorologist Anthony Watts, a top warming "skeptic", reports:
While the majority of "journalists" are still awakening from their intellectual slumber regarding climate science, the latest empirical global temperature measurements (RSS atmosphere temps and CO2 chart on the left) confirm... global warming has gone AWOL and a slight cooling trend has developed over the last 10 years (a minus 0.42 degrees by 2100 if the trend persists).
This warming hiatus happened despite the loud and hysterical shrieking by the climate scientists on the public dole that current CO2 emissions would cause rapid, unequivocal, irrefutable accelerated warming.
[Image Source: Free Republic]
And Marc Morano of
adds in a
Fox News
The idea that CO2 is the tail that wags the dog is no longer scientifically tenable. In the peer-reviewed literature we're finding hundreds of factors influence global temperature, everything from ocean cycles to the tilt of the earth's axis to water vapor, methane, cloud feedback, volcanic dust, all of these factors are coming together. They're now realizing it wasn't the simple story we've been told of your SUV is creating a dangerously warm planet.
In the peer-reviewed literature, they've tried to explain away this lull. In the proceedings of the National Academy of Science a year or two ago they had a study blaming Chinese coal use for the lack of global warming. So, in an ironic twist, global warming proponents are now claiming that that coal use is saving us from dangerous global warming.
Even more mainstream publications are joining in.
The Economist
It may be that the climate is responding to higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in ways that had not been properly understood before. This possibility, if true, could have profound significance both for climate science and for environmental and social policy.
A March Gallup
showed that today 58 percent of Americans remain worried about warming, up slightly from the 51 percent in 2011. But that's down from the 62-72 percent response levels seen between 1999 and 2001, an era rife with strongly worded predictions of global catastrophe.
The same study also showed an increasing number of Americans believe the media is exaggerating warming impact.
II. AGW Advocates Fight Back
Meanwhile, climate researchers who spent millions in government grant money to author studies on warming -- many of which predicted doomsday scenarios -- are back to the drawing board,
refusing to admit defeat
One key global warming "evangelist"
James Hansen
from his post as head of the
Goddard Institute for Space Studies
in New York City, a top N
ational Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) research center, in April 2013. Now working as an adjunct professor at
Columbia University
, the climatologist earlier this year he
acknowledged warming had flatlined
, "The 5-year mean global temperature has been flat for a decade."
AGW evangelist James Hansen, shown here arrested during a protest, retired this month.
[Image Source: Tar Sands Action]
But in the same "
research note
" [PDF] he argued that the public shouldn't just look at the numbers, but look at more nebulous and abstract observations, which he sees as supporting his beliefs of runaway warming. He
, "The observant person who is willing to look at the past over several seasons and several years, should notice that the frequency of unusual warm anomalies has increased and the extreme anomalies."
Such hopeful sentiments are echoed by other AGW advocates.
Elgie Holstein
, the senior director for strategic planning at the
Environmental Defense Fund
and a former assistant secretary at the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
, seeming suggests that the body of climatologists supporting AGW theory is alone enough to prove global warming in the absence of other evidence.
He comments to
Fox News
This is a highly complex calculation to make in the first place. The short period of time, only 10 years in which the increasing temperature has leveled, really doesn't tell us very much other than the fact that temperatures may still be rising but just not as fast as they were before. What's compelling about the climate science is that we have literally thousands of the world's leading scientists around the country pretty much saying the same thing about where we're headed, and it's not reassuring.
Actice researchers are attempting to develop new models, explaining why the Earth cooled, even as greenhouse gas levels continued to rise. A November 2012 study [abstract]
in climatology's top journal,
Nature Climate Change
, suggests that the ocean absorbed more heat than expected, dampening warming effects.
A recent study suggests oceanic dampening has slowed warming.
[Image Source: Deposit Photos]
Another study
[abstract] in
Geophysical Research Letters
suggests that surface station data may have skewed warming predictions high. While it predicts ongoing warming with rising greenhouse gas levels, it showed that other forms of compiled data predicted a slower, milder warming trend.
The big question is whether
climate figures like Al Gore
, who literally became billionaires on the back of policies like "carbon credits", can sustain the push for
massive spending to "fight" warming
. Such approaches have yet to approve effective in halting global CO2 output; yet that hasn't stopped AGW advocates from suggesting everything from
bans on meat
to spending over
to combat warming in recent years.
The Economist
Watts Up With That
Fox News
James Hansen
"I mean, if you wanna break down someone's door, why don't you start with AT&T, for God sakes? They make your amazing phone unusable as a phone!" -- Jon Stewart on Apple and the iPhone
Related Articles
Top Climate Official: Don't be Confused by Flat-lining Temperatures, Warming is Worse
January 16, 2013, 5:22 PM
New Paper Estimates 74 Percent of Warming is Manmade
December 26, 2011, 12:22 PM
Study Finds "Huge Discrepancy" Between Hard Data and Warming Models
July 29, 2011, 12:53 AM
Al Gore Lashes Out at Obama, Saying He "Failed" to Fight Warming
June 23, 2011, 12:19 AM
Leading Climate Change Skeptic Recants, Wants $100B to Fight Warming
August 31, 2010, 2:44 PM
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text:
Fidelity Health Care
About Fidelity Health Care5042 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 580
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Call 855.757.9233
To talk to a care advisor for free
Service Area for Fidelity Health Care
We don't have the exact service area for Fidelity Health Care. Based on the average area most agencies cover, the agency is very likely to provide services to the area in green and less likely to provide services further outside this area. Be sure to contact the agency to make sure they provide services in your area. Click here to Update Service Area
Other Nearby Home Health Care Agencies


text:
The purpose of screening is early diagnosis and treatment. Screening tests are administered to people without current symptoms, but who may be at high risk for certain diseases or conditions.
Screening Guidelines
Prediabetes is characterized by high blood glucose levels that are not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. The condition often progresses to type 2 diabetes.
In order to detect prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends the following guidelines:
Screen adults of any age who are overweight or
with one or more of these risk factors:
- First-degree relative with diabetes
- Low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (good) cholesterol level and high triglycerides levels
- High blood pressure
- History of diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) or having a baby weighing over nine pounds (4.1 kg)
- Having polycystic ovary syndrome or other conditions associated with insulin resistance
- Being inactive
- History of cardiovascular disease
- Belonging to an at-risk ethnic group (African American, Hispanic, Native American, Hispanic American, Asian American, or Pacific Islander)
- Previous blood test results that show HbA1c levels at 5.7% or higher, impaired glucose tolerance, and impaired fasting glucose
- Screen adults aged 45 and older with or without risk factors
Screen overweight children aged 10 years and older who have 2 or more of the following risk factors:
- Family history of diabetes
- Mother with diabetes or gestational diabetes
- Signs of insulin resistance or having a condition associated with insulin resistance
- At-risk ethnic background
If the results are normal for both adults and children, the ADA recommends screening again in 3 years.
Screening Tests
The HbA1c test is a good indicator of your average blood glucose levels over the past 2-4 months. This test usually does not require any dietary restrictions.
With this blood test, you need to fast (not eat anything) for at least 8 hours before the test.
After fasting overnight, the doctor tests your glucose level. You are then asked to drink 75 grams of glucose dissolved in water. Two hours later, the doctor tests your glucose level again.
Revision Information
- Reviewer: Kim A. Carmichael, MD, FACP
- Review Date: 09/2016 -
- Update Date: 08/23/2016 -


text:
Lending Solutions Debuts Employee Stock Ownership Plan
Lending Solutions Inc. said it has established a new employee stock ownership plan.
The Elgin, Ill-based provider of lending center services and consulting programs for financial institutions said the plan transfers 30% ownership to the employees of LSI through a defined contribution benefit plan and was formally introduced to employees on Jan. 11.
"Transitioning to an ESOP model gives us the opportunity to reward many of our long-term employees for their commitment and hard work over the years, as well as attract new employees," said Mark Johnson, chairman and principal stockholder of LSI.
LSI's ESOP will be administered by the company ESOP committee, working in conjunction with a third-party trustee and a third-party administrator, the firm said. LSI said it engaged the services of Innovative Shareholder Strategies throughout the development and introduction of the ESOP.
"We're tremendously proud of what we've achieved over the past several years at LSI," said Lee Kolquist, LSI CEO. "Our employees have always taken great pride and ownership in their work, and now, with the ESOP, eligible employees will have the opportunity to earn a tangible stake in the company to validate that ownership."
According to the National Center for Employee Ownership, there are approximately 11,500 ESOPs in the U.S. covering nearly 14 million participants, LSI said. The NCEO said companies with ESOPs grow 2.3% to 2.4% faster than comparable non-ESOP companies as measured by sales, employment and productivity growth, according to LSI.
"An ESOP is a complicated transaction with a lot of moving parts," Kolquist said. "The professionals from ISS took the time to understand our objectives and to structure a tailored solution beneficial to LSI, its shareholders, and its employees."
LSI provides lending and member service to over 300 credit unions, banks and mortgage companies. Launched in 2012, ISS is a financial advisory practice specializing in ESOP consulting services.


text:
Meet our child protection expert: Part 2
Why World Vision? In the second of this two-part Q&A (if you missed it, read part 1 here), Matthew Stephens, senior specialist for child protection with World Vision, explores how our community development work and child sponsorship program help protect children from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence.
* * *
5. Child slavery and child sex trafficking are both criminal activities, and World Vision is not a police force. How do World Vision's partnerships allow us to work proactively on these issues within the scope of our organization?
Working in partnership with a host of stakeholders to tackle issues like child slavery and trafficking is an unquestioned necessity. No one organization can eradicate child slavery, but World Vision plays a critical role toward this grand goal. The key to addressing slavery and trafficking is seeing the comprehensive nature of a response -- from prevention to protection to restoration -- as a continuum of care rather than a single intervention.
In part, our aim is to respond to the root causes of exploitation -- poverty, unequal access to education, violence within families, drug abuse, inadequate knowledge and harmful attitudes, among others -- to create a transformational shift in communities such that child slavery and trafficking cease to exist.
Sadly, this is not the reality. World Vision specifically supports the removal of children from exploitative situations by ensuring that legally-mandated authorities have the ability to respond to these situations in a child-sensitive way. World Vision provides training for law enforcement and local partners to this end; mobilizes communities to refer cases of exploitation to these authorities; and holds governments accountable to their obligations to respond to exploited and trafficked children.
World Vision also works with its government and local partners to provide immediate care and support to children removed from these situations, and often coordinates a restorative response to ensure that all survivors receive full and comprehensive care, as well as assistance to be reintegrated with their families and communities whenever possible.
6. Unfortunately, not all of our child protection work happens preemptively. How do we help children recover after abuse, slavery, or trafficking?
When a child has been removed from an abusive or exploitative situation, World Vision works immediately with families to secure critical care for survivors of violence, which may include material support, medical care, short-term shelter, psychosocial support, and legal services. We may provide these services directly or facilitate referrals to professional service providers in communities. In all cases, World Vision coordinates with providers to ensure that survivors receive comprehensive care and monitors the situation to ensure that these children are not at risk of additional harm.
The path of recovery is often challenging. Immediate care for critical needs is the first step in a longer process of healing. When a child suffers abuse or exploitation, World Vision works together with communities to facilitate the return of survivors to family and community-based care whenever possible. We provide long-term reintegration services to survivors, including life skills and vocational training, opportunities to return to school, placement in psychosocial support groups, and work to address the harmful stigma so often attached to surviving exploitation.
7. Do only sponsored children receive protection?
Absolutely not. World Vision promotes a holistic, protective environment around children. When working together, this system can dramatically help to prevent and respond to abuse, exploitation, and violence against all children.
In addition, World Vision works to mobilize and strengthen communities to protect all children -- from advocating for national policies that protect the rights of children, to building the capacity of children themselves to represent their peers in community decisions related to their protection. Sponsored children are beneficiaries of this approach, but the protective environment we seek extends to all children in the communities we serve.
8. As a Christian organization, how does our faith drive our child protection work?
Faith is the cornerstone of our approach to protecting children. World Vision believes that every child's life has value and purpose in God's sight. Our commitment to protect children from harm is the result of the belief that the "kingdom of heaven belongs to ones such as these [children]" (Mark 10:14); that our faith requires us to "seek justice and defend the oppressed" (Isaiah 1:17); and to care for the "fatherless and the widow" (Deuteronomy 10:18).
We believe that God has created all children in His image and that it is our obligation as Christians to defend and protect them. We take up this task, together with local churches, believers, and faith-based partners around the world as a reflection of Christ's love and grace.
Child sponsorship is the cornerstone of World Vision's approach to community development. Join us! Change a child's life for good. Sponsoring a child helps provide life-saving basics, as well as protection from abuse and exploitation. Consider sponsoring a child today!


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This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.
Principal Investigator(s): Matthews, Donald; Prothro, James
This study was designed to investigate patterns of political participation among adult Blacks in the South. All interviews were taken in the former confederate states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Along with a Black adults sample (Part 2), a sample of White adults (Part 3) was included as a control group for comparison and a sample of Black students (Part 1) was interviewed with an aim to projecting trends in participation patterns. Variables ascertained voting behavior, political discussion, degree of political organizational activity, participation in demonstrations, and communication with public officials as modes of political participation. Respondents' views on Black leadership, effectiveness of Black organizations, attitudes of White leaders and officials, the effect of electoral laws on Black participation, perceptions of the major parties, party identification, and feelings on race relations were also assessed. The questions asked of both adult samples are identical, and the data may be used for comparative purposes. Demographic data include age, sex, level of education, primary and secondary occupations, religious preference, and family income.
Access Notes
Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions. Please log in so we can determine if you are with a member institution and have access to these data files.
Study Description
Matthews, Donald, and James Prothro. NEGRO POLITICAL PARTICIPATION STUDY, 1961-1962. Conducted by University of Michigan, Survey Research Center. ICPSR07255-v3. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [producer], 1975. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2006-08-15. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07255.v3
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07255.v3
Export Citation:
- RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- Rockefeller Foundation
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: adults, African Americans, Black community, civil rights movement, community leaders, freedom rides, political behavior, political interest, political organizations, political participation, protest demonstrations, race relations, racial attitudes, segregation, voter attitudes, voter history, voting behavior
Geographic Coverage: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, United States, Virginia
- 1961--1962
Universe: Black and White adult populations and Black college students from the 11 states of the former Confederacy.
The Variable.Count of 458 was incorrect in the previous metadata record. The correct Variable.Count is 538.
Sample: Part 1: Representative cross-section sample of Black college students. Parts 2 and 3: Stratified, multistage, probability samples of Black and White adults.
personal interviews
Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Standardized missing values.
- Performed recodes and/or calculated derived variables.
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Original ICPSR Release: 1984-03-18
- 2006-08-15 This study has been updated from OSIRIS and now includes SAS, SPSS, and Stata setup files, a SAS transport (XPORT) file, a SPSS portable file, and a Stata system file.
- 2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 5 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.
- 2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 4 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.
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Apple, Inc. (AAPL)
has put Taiwan's HTC Corp. (SEO:066570) in a
very bad spot. The larger, more profitable gadget maker has hit HTC with
a series of lawsuits worldwide, and recent scored a favorable
preliminary ruling, which could lead to a complete ban on HTC handsets in
the U.S.
But HTC appears to have some leverage, now.
In an unsealed ruling dating back to July 1, it has been declared that
Apple infringed on intellectual property of recent
HTC acquisition S3 Graphics.
The IP in question covers image compression
techniques in software and hardware. The U.S. International Trade Commission Judge
James Gildea ruled that while Apple's popular iPad, iPhone, and iPod lines of
mobile gadgets are not in violation of the IP, some of Apple's Mac OS X
computers are.
As NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA)
is a licensee, units with its GPUs are not in violation. However, models
with graphics by Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)
or integrated graphics from Intel Corp.'s (INTC)
(such as the newly
refreshed MacBook Air lineup) are in violation.
The ruling thus clears the way for a partial ban
on the import of Macs. As virtually all Macs are manufactured outside the
U.S. (mostly
in Asia), this would be a major blow to Apple's booming computer lineup,
which posted in $17.5B USD computer sales last year.
The judge also ruled that two of S3's patents in
the case were invalid, and that some of the minor claims within the two valid
patents were invalid.
While the ruling was "unsealed" (made
official), it has not yet been made available to the public as the companies
are reportedly quibbling about what constitutes redaction-worthy confidential
information in the document. Bloomberg reported
on the release, based on early information.
The ruling now goes before a full six judge ITC
panel for confirmation.
While a ruling which found Apple's iPad and iPhone
-- which accounted for 46 percent of its revenues last year -- would have been
even better, the victory gives HTC substantial leverage to broker
a cross-licensing agreement, which could save
HTC from a similar import ban on its smart phones.
Meanwhile, Apple filed two weeks ago, on July 15,
a new ITC complaint against the HTC
Flyer tablet, which it says infringes on several of its patents. Of
course, if the companies can come to terms, HTC's tablet lineup would, in
theory, be covered under a cross-licensing agreement, as well.
If the S3 IP can save HTC from Apple's litigious
wrath, that $300M USD acquisition, which was blasted by investors, could just
turn out to be a great deal.


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Get certified - Transform your world of work today
See all CSM courses near LondonSee all CSM courses within United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Rafael Sabbagh
Date: 10-11 March, 2012
Location: London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Regular Price: £995
In this two-day course, you will apply the Scrum framework to build a new product. You will learn what it feels like to be on a Scrum team—experiencing many of the challenges you're likely to face—while being coached by someone involved with the application of Scrum at many organizations. This "learning by doing" style of instruction demands your open mind and active participation.
We will apply the experiential activities to discussion of advanced topics such as how to use Scrum in multiple-team organizations, how to measure progress empirically at a macro level, release planning to maximize ROI, and why such a simple framework disrupts organizations to be the best they can be.
ScrumMaster Certification training includes two days of lectures and interactive exercises designed to effectively teach Scrum principles and practices. Successful completion of a two-day ScrumMaster Certification course, taught by a Certified Scrum Trainer, is a requisite for taking the Certified ScrumMaster evaluation. Upon successful completion of the course, attendees are eligible to take the evaluation, the successful completion of which results in the designation of "Certified ScrumMaster" from the Scrum Alliance.
CollabNet is a Registered Education Provider (REP) of the Project Management Institute (PMI). This course provides 14 PMI PDUs.
Food and refreshments are typically provided.
CollabNet leads the industry in Agile application lifecycle management (Agile ALM) in the Cloud. The CollabNet TeamForge™ ALM platform, CollabNet Subversion software configuration management (SCM) solution, and ScrumWorks® project and program management software enable teams using any environment, methodology, and technology to increase productivity by up to 50% and reduce the cost of software development by up to 80%. The company also offers training, including Certified ScrumMaster training, software development process improvement services, and an innovative community management approach to driving enterprise development success. As the founder of the open source Subversion project, CollabNet has collaborative development for distributed teams in our DNA. Millions of users at more than 2,500 organizations, including Applied Biosystems, Capgemini, Deutsche Bank, Oracle, Reuters, and the U.S. Department of Defense, have transformed the way they develop software with CollabNet. For more information, visit www.collab.net.
Full refunds are available up until 10 business days before the scheduled event date. Cancellations made within 10 business days of the event will be credited toward future events. However, no refunds will be issued. Rescheduling course attendance will be subject to a transfer fee. Substitutions will be accepted at any time prior to commencement of the course. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the course must be attended within 6 months of the participant's original sign-up date, and no refunds or credits will be available for participants who fail to attend a course within this six-month period. No refunds or credits will be available for participants that fail to attend both days of the course.
As an added value to course participants, CollabNet reserves two seats at each of its public courses for individuals who have already successfully competed a course from CollabNet, but would like to take it a second time at no cost. This allows participants to brush up on their Scrum basics or attend a session led by a different Certified Scrum Trainer. The offer is provided on a first-come, first-served basis and must be used for the same course as the original (i.e., an individual who completed a CSM course may enroll in another CSM course, but not a Product Owner course). In addition, this offer is only available within the first six months following the original course, so please contact CollabNet as early as possible to reserve your seat.
All CSM courses are taught by Trainers approved by the Scrum Alliance. Taking a CSM course, passing the CSM test, and accepting the license agreement designates you as a Certified ScrumMaster, which indicates that you have been introduced to and understand the basic concepts you need to perform as a ScrumMaster or team member on a Scrum team. This course also satisfies two elements of the CSD track: Scrum Introduction and Elective.
Venue:(contact CollabNet for details)(contact CollabNet for details)London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irelandhttp://www.danube.com/courses/702Get Directions
The CSM course will cover the following topics (among others) through two days of interactive exercises, lecture, and discussion:


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I walked into the second Annual Emerging Conference bleary-eyed, tired, and unsure of what to expect. The conference, which took place July 6-8, is hosted by the diocesan Young Adult Office and is coordinated by the young adults in St. Bartholomew's Gethsemane group. It's aimed at young adults 18-25 years old and exploring issues relevant to them through the lens of faith. Well, I walked out of there with new friends, and feeling pretty blessed. Here's why.
7. Music to My Ears
Wasn't worship music supposed to be stuffy and boring? At least that's the stereotype. Well, apparently Vince Lujan and his band, Jesus Team A, didn't get the memo. They played everything from covers of the Dave Matthews Band to Matt Maher's "Hold Us Together" to Israel Houghton's "Friend of God," and some of their own original songs. My iPod will have to make room for some new artists.
6. Not Speaking in Unknown Tongues
Ever had any question whatsoever about relationships? Ever feel like people walk all over you? Ever wanted help navigating grief and loss? The workshop speakers, ranging from young adult minister, to professor, to counselors, to mental health nurse practitioner, addressed issues and questions like those during the three rounds of workshops, and they did it in a friendly, down-to-earth-not-overly-theological way. It's nice when they speak your language.
5. Pick Up Lines
Just kidding, didn't hear any of those. But we did get something better: good relationship advice about what to look for in a potential spouse, about dating, about entering into marriage, about commitment, about listening, about interfaith relationships, about working through arguments, and about how sometimes you have to humble yourself and change some of your own habits. The two workshops touching on this were full beyond capacity, by the way. No coincidence I think, given that real and relevant advice from a presenter with the title of HMMO18Y, a happily married man of 18 years, is better than cheesy lines that go like this: "There must be something wrong with my eyes, I can't take them off you."
4. No Losing Focus
I love listening to stories. With my short attention span, I think stories help me understand and remember things better. I think our main presenter, Roy Petitfils, a Catholic speaker, writer, and professional counselor from Louisiana, likes them too. The guy gave three keynotes on building better relationships and he shared some crazy stories. Some were touching. Some were sad. Some were interesting. A lot were funny. Bottom line: the man knows how to reach us young adults and connect us with our faith. After all, when a guy is describing how he went through a Garth Brooks-in-anaphylactic-shock stage as a young adult while connecting that to a faith lesson — you'll remember it.
3. Not the Only One
If you attend a small, rural parish, like I do, you might see 18 to 25-year-old Catholics about as often as it snows in Texas. Imagine my surprise seeing 75 other young Catholics coming from all over the diocese — even from the Diocese of Dallas — for the conference. The first day, I quickly became friends with three other Catholic guys close to my age. We spent most of the conference hanging out with each other, going to workshops, and meeting several other young adults. How great was it to joke around together? How great was it to talk and learn about our faith together? How great was it to have peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream together? Pretty great.
2. Message for __________ (your name here)
Titled, "Ignite Our Hearts for One Another," the conference was about exploring all these relationships in our lives (family, friends, significant others, co-workers). In line with that, Roy Petitfils hit us with some major truths during his keynotes. He said what we most desire in relationships is to know and be known by another; that we hunger for divine intimacy, and we get a taste of that here on Earth through the relationships we have with the people in our lives. How do we do obtain relationships like that? By loving people as they are, by listening to them, by being other-focused not self-focused, and then by sharing our faith from the heart. And if we can't share from the heart or love someone as they are, we need to pray more. As Roy said this, all eyes were on him. Other than the sound of his voice, the room was completely quiet. Talk about a message resonating with an audience.
1. Get Plugged In
|Click here for slideshow
I've been told that God is always moving in our lives in some way or another — that He whispers, softly invites, gently reminds, quietly stirs our conscience. I don't doubt it. After all, don't you sometimes feel that calming reassurance come over you? Don't you sometimes feel your heart on fire? Don't you sometimes feel those quiet affirmations that push you to do something? Maybe those are different sorts of input delivered to us in varying degrees and strengths. I'm not saying I'm right, but I felt a little more receptive to that input when I put my other priorities on the back burner and got some downtime that looked like this: Joining in morning prayer and praise, listening and reflecting on various positive messages, spending quiet time in adoration, and enjoying the company of 75 men and women working toward the same goals. I'm not saying that I found the answers to all my problems, but I did get a little input on where to begin. I'm not saying the input only flows from time to time, or only in a certain setting, just that it helps to get plugged in and listen.
I walked into the second Annual Emerging Conference bleary-eyed, tired, and unsure of what to expect.


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Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites on the Internet. It and rival MySpace account for a good portion of the social networking user base online. Many users of Facebook and MySpace are well aware of the levels of spam that can come through their user accounts.
Facebook recently filed a lawsuit against ten unknown individuals and ten unknown companies. Known individuals in the lawsuit include Brian Fabian, Josh Raskin, Ming Wu, Istra Holdings, Inc, Slickcash.com and 1564476 Ontario Limited.
According to Information Week, Facebook alleges that between June 1, 2007 and June 15, 2007 the defendants tried to access information on users of Facebook using an automated script over 200,000 times.
Facebook claims that the information harvesting attacks cost it more than $5,000 USD. Filings for the suit show that email addresses, user names, passwords, and network affiliations were a part of the stolen information.
A Facebook spokesperson told Information Week via email, "We do not have any details to share at this time, and we do not comment on pending litigation."
Facebook has been in the news most recently with its partial sale in October of 2007 to software giant Microsoft who purchased a minority stake in Facebook for $240 million USD. Earlier this month Facebook was in hot water with users over its Beacon adware program designed to monitor shopping of Facebook users on advertisers websites.


text: "Mona" is hard to resist once she levels that come-hither look your way. It is rare to find an orange cat that isn't a boy, and this marmalade-colored little gal is a find indeed. A spayed female, Mona was transported here from an Albuquerque animal shelter in hopes of improving her chances of finding her perfect human. She is about a year old, has already been microchipped and has had her vaccinations. In addition to her beautiful orange color and amber eyes, she possesses a great personality - she is gentle, sweet and affectionate. Mona loves to play but also knows a good lap when she sees one. The shelter also has some other cats very eager for a chance to be loved, including a gorgeous tawny colored tabby-tortoiseshell and a very playful and energetic black female, plus several dogs, including two small breeds; all share a quest for a forever home. The shelter is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on alternate Fridays; they will be open this Friday. The fee for adoption includes spaying or neutering, and vaccination. The shelter can always use non-clumping cat litter and cleaning supplies such as paper towels, dish soap and unscented bleach. For more information, call the shelter at 565-4910. To view more animals, visit www.petfinder.com or www.petango. com (enter 81321 zip code for each) or www.cityofcortez. com/government/animal_shelter.


text:
An aid worker's diary: Earthquake in the Philippines
Maryann Zamora, a field communications specialist with World Vision in the Philippines, describes her firsthand experience of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the Philippines on October 15 -- and why she continues to do the work she does, despite her fears.
* * *
It was a Tuesday morning. I was in the middle of my sleep when a little voice called my name.
"Mai, wake up."
I thought it was just a dream, but I suddenly heard a thunderous noise. Everybody in the neighborhood was shouting. People were in a panic.
While heading downstairs, the room was vibrating and the walls were swinging. Everything around me was plunging down -- TV sets, books, cabinets -- but I tried to compose myself to go down safely. My housemates all looked scared. Others were shaking. Most of us were still in our pajamas.
I'm renting a small apartment in Cebu. It's an old wooden house built more than a decade ago. I felt the strong shaking inside the house and it took me a while to realize that it was an earthquake. The strongest tremor lasted for more than a minute. It sounded like a bulldozer demolishing houses. Unfortunately, we felt strong aftershocks almost every minute. I got so scared. I thought about my family, who are far from me. I thought it was the end of the world.
After a few minutes, fire trucks and ambulances were passing by. Debris was falling from the tall buildings. Many structures were cracked, and aftershocks seemed unstoppable. I started to feel dizzy. A lot of people standing in an open space were in a panic, looking up at 10-15 story buildings. Some of them were crying, others were holding their family members or friends, and some were just going in circles probably thinking, "Is this real?"
Since it's not safe to stay at our apartment anymore, my colleagues and I decided to evacuate to a safe place in Cebu. We stayed at the house of a colleague overnight. However, I didn't sleep. I wish I had a button to switch off the aftershocks. It was very scary.
I was monitoring the news on social media. I learned that the epicenter of the quake was in Bohol. The damage there was horrible. Pictures of devastation were feeding into Facebook. I have traveled to Bohol many times, since World Vision implements programs in the province. The loss and devastation broke my heart. I saw the need to help.
I was thankful to survive the quake. After five years supporting World Vision relief responses, I can still say that this one was distressing. I have been sharing resources on social media while responding to interviews, but honestly, I was trembling -- literally and figuratively. I have been feeling scary aftershocks.
The day after the quake, a World Vision response team in Visayas was deployed to conduct an assessment. We're all scared, yet our fears haven't stopped us from being humanitarian workers. We recognized the risks but knew we should keep going. We can't leave the families to suffer more. It's a leap of faith.
While roaming around, we witnessed different forms of devastation -- collapsed buildings, churches, houses, retrieved bodies, scared and anxious families. It was emotionally tough.
The night of the quake, families were temporarily seeking safe spaces on the streets. They were lining up, setting up temporary tents on a cold, dark night.
Families and children live in the rice fields while others are at evacuation centers. A mother shared, "I thanked God for my second life. My children need me."
I feel so sorry for those who lost loved ones. I feel pity for children facing the challenges of living at evacuation centers. I feel worry for the families who have nothing to eat. And I feel for those survivors who are anxious of their safety due to persistent aftershocks.
Despite the challenges, the survivors do not want to lose hope. They were patient falling in line to have clean drinking water, even if water is a scarcity. I witnessed how they help each other, too.
I wish I can put away everything I've witnessed and felt during these dire times, but it seems like there's just too much. However, the plight of each survivor encourages me to help. I feel scared of the aftershocks but I don't want to quit. I'll stay with my team. I won't stop until I see the smiles of the children again.
* * *
World Vision relief teams in Bohol scaled up their emergency response and provided assistance to more than 50,000 people affected by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake. Truckloads of World Vision relief supplies included food, water, hygiene kits, and tents. World Vision has project areas in the quake-hit areas in Bohol, assisting nearly 12,000 children.
Ongoing relief and rehabilitation will last for six months and will include a shelter project for thousands of displaced families who lost their homes. World Vision seeks to provide psychosocial assistance to around 2,000 children through its Child-friendly Spaces, helping prepare them to return to school.
World Vision has been working with the people of the Philippines since 1954, and we are often one of the first responders when disaster strikes. Our global pre-positioning resource network ensures that we can provide emergency relief supplies including food, hygiene kits, and temporary shelter, and Child-Friendly Spaces to provide children with safe environments.
Your one-time donation to the Philippines Disaster Response Fund will help provide vital relief to children and families impacted by disasters in the Philippines.


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text:
On Monday I wrote a piece with Wells Thompson reflecting on his experience of getting heckled by Fire fans at the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. Perhaps more importantly, we also talked about the experience and what it meant for him to get drafted.
Wells is a talker and gave some good answers to a few other questions I couldn't fit in the story. Those are below…
What advice would you give to the players that will be selected in Thursday's SuperDraft?
"What's so encouraging is when you look in the league and look at a lot of guys that have succeeded and done well – Jeff Larentowicz comes to mind because I played with him for so long in New England and Colorado. Chris Wondolowski is another name. They both came through the Supplemental Draft and have had fantastic careers. There are a lot of big names that have succeeded and done well in the league after being picked at that stage.
"When I look at my situation, I was very fortunate to be selected by New England. At the time they needed an outside midfielder and the coaches were keen on the type of player and person I was. To a certain extent, it doesn't matter where you get selected in the draft. When you go into training camp, everyone's pretty much starting in the same place. Everyone has a clean slate and it's up to you to prove your worth.
"The wisdom I could give kids is no matter where you're drafted, go in and work hard because there are so many success stories of guys that were taken very low or not taken at all that have gone on to do big things in MLS."
To go from a college player with few if any accolades to the fifth overall selection in the SuperDraft, you must have raised your stock at the MLS Combine. What are your thoughts on that event?
"Yeah I did okay but the combine is such a different thing. Guys are getting together for just a weekend without practice. It's not the fairest assessment of a player's talents in my opinion. Your college career is probably the best judgment still on how a player would do in the league.
"What you can take a lot from those combines is seeing guys that don't shy away from the big stage and wanting to continue to prove to coaches and other players that they do belong in the league. For me it was a confidence thing -- I went down to the combine and realized I was as good, if not better than a lot of these players and I think that confidence showed throughout that weekend."


text: The age is calculated based on the person's date of birth. The calculation is done at page load, which means that as soon as the person has a birthday, the site will increase the age by one and continuing showing correct data for you. Can you guess the age of the celebrity? Click on the names below to see how old they are.


text:
A quarterly report on the trends and ideas that advisers who serve retirement plan sponsors and participants care about.
Find out which firms offer the highest payouts, have the most reps in the field and generate the most revenue - or create your own custom rankings.
Before you change firms, make a new hire or explore an acquisition, visit the new Mopedia Adviser Center.
Track the latest teams of advisers and brokers changing firms and view recruiting activity at wirehouses, regional brokerages, RIAs and IBDs.
This interactive, customizable tool allows you to view detailed data on compensation, staffing and financial performance practices from across the industry.
A comprehensive study highlighting the best technology practices of both your peers and top-performing advisory firms.
Benchmark your business, and compensation levels, against the industry's best practices with the 2017 Mopedia Adviser Compensation & Staffing Study.
Visit the Mopedia Data Store to purchase adviser tools, studies and data spreadsheets.
Nov. 9, 2017 San Francisco | For sophisticated female advisers who want to take their personal and professional self to the next level.
October 17, 2017 l Boston. The 2017 Best Practices exclusive workshop and awards program for the industry�s truly elite firms will highlight content from the 2017 Adviser Technology Study as well as the 2017 Compensation and Staffing Study�
April 30th & May 1st 2018 | Chicago. At the 12th annual Summit, learn the latest strategies to create a sustainable retirement for your clients.
Check out the latest webcasts available covering the most important topics in the industry. Many qualify for CE credits.
Mopedia is honoring female financial advisers and industry executives who are distinguished leaders at their firms.
Recognizing financial advisory firms that empower employees to provide clients with the best possible investment and financial planning advice.
Introducing 40 young leaders in financial advice. Learn how their passions are driving their success and fueling the future of the industry at large.
Meet 20 visionaries � two icons and 18 innovators � who have transformed the financial advice profession.
To download the full contents of this week's issue, click here.
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