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Hitting the Road for Education
Take more than 1,000 veterinarians and veterinary students from around the globe, some armed with presentations representing thousands of hours worth of equine research, and add to it some tartan, bagpipes, and Scottish fare. Drop it all into a festival city known for its striking castle and Georgian architecture. What's the outcome? A memorable equine research meeting offering some of the latest in veterinary advancements from the best and brightest minds in equine veterinary medicine, all against a pretty fantastic backdrop.
The Horse attended three days of the 46th British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress held in Edinburgh, Scotland, last September. Following are some research highlights presented at the meeting. Their application is far-reaching--some findings are already making a difference in how we care for our horses, while others might lead to better preventive medicine or treatments for them.
The Practitioner's Crucial Role
The conference had a royal beginning with a presentation from HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, president of the
Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI, the international governing body of equestrian sport), an international equestrian athlete, and a recently elected member of the International Olympic Committee. She spoke to the audience in a recorded presentation in which she praised the endurance of broodmares--as her own pregnancy kept her from attending BEVA at the last minute--and she thanked the veterinarians for their pursuit for advancing horse health.
"At any level of riding, the relationship with your veterinarian is one of the most important cogs in the wheel," she said. She noted how the FEI and BEVA share a common goal: the welfare of the horse.
Josh Slater, BVSc, BVM&S, PhD, Dipl. ECEIM, MRCVS, president of BEVA, and professor of equine clinical studies at the Royal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom, pointed out the £4-billion (more than $8 billion U.S.) impact horses have on the European economy, and he stressed how vital the practitioner's role is in caring for horses. He described a scenario that pointed out just how far equine veterinary medicine has come: "Two athletes limped into two different clinics. One is seen, radiographed, and undergoes arthroscopy the next day. The second waits a week to eight weeks for diagnostic images, 10 days for a report, and receives arthroscopy three months later. The first is a Thoroughbred. The second? A 25-year-old amateur footballer."
A Gene at a Time
Part of the reason horses are becoming so well-understood and are receiving such specialized care is scientists' growing understanding of the horse's physiological makeup. Douglas F. Antczak, VMD, PhD, director of the James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University, gave the John Hickman Memorial Lecture, entitled "The Genetics Revolution," a look back at the progress of the Equine Genome Group and its recent acquisition of the full equine genome sequence.
"This has been an unprecedented collaboration that has extended over the past 10 years from 22 laboratories in 12 countries," said Antczak. But the work hasn't ended, and the impact of having the entire sequence available could be staggering. "In 10 years there will be available tests for more genetic defects (several tests have emerged already), and there are more (studies on gene characteristics) being published every three months. Scientists are examining complex genetic traits that can have both inherited and environmental factors--such as recurrent airway obstruction (heaves) and skin tumors--and traits such as conformation and lameness.
The completed genome "will change the way in which we think about modifying our feed, training, and care techniques," he said. "I see a very murky, but exciting future for us, and I look forward to working with you on it." (See article #11042 at TheHorse.com for the full story.)
State-of-the-Art Orthopedic Topics
Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, PhD, FRCVS, DSc, DrMedVet (hc), Dipl. ACVS, Barbara Cox Anthony Chair and
Director of Orthopaedic Research at Colorado State University, and Michael Schramme,
DrMedVet, CertEO, PhD, Dipl. ECVS, associate professor of equine surgery and director of the Equine Orthopedic Research Laboratory at North Carolina State University, were panelists in this session, which highlighted recent research on topics relating to equine joints. Some of the points they highlighted follow.
Intra-articular joint treatment McIlwraith reviewed a study that showed weekly intra-articular (IA) use of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (Adequan) in coffin joint lameness responded very favorably. Veterinarians have balked at this method over the years due to work showing there was a risk of joint infection. However, if a trained veterinarian administers the medication according to a specific protocol, it can be safe and useful. "I've always considered it a better product used intra-articularly," said Schramme, who added he hoped this was the rumblings of an "Adequan revival."
Collateral desmitis of the coffin joint McIlwraith said until recently this has been "considered the second most common tissue injury in the foot," but researchers have suspected that it is being overdiagnosed on MRI. He said several studies in 2007 had confirmed this, including one out of the University of Pennsylvania that showed if the horse's foot was placed at a particular angle in the center of a closed magnet MRI, structures can line up so that there appears to be an asymmetric signal. Such a signal can denote an injury. Scientists were able to mimic this "magic angle artifact" phenomenon. Another group of researchers was able to show the same situation with an open, standing MRI. "They concluded that every effort should be made to position the horse standing squarely on all four limbs prior to commencing MRI, and to minimize leaning during image acquisition," said McIlwraith. This will help prevent misdiagnosis of the condition.
Shock wave therapy and healthy tissue Schramme described a study that examined the biomechanical composition and metabolic activity of tenocytes (tendon cells) in normal tendons exposed to extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT). Results showed that the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans, which form an important component to connective tissue, was increased within three hours of applying ESWT, but it was decreased after six weeks. The same thing was found with tissue degradation. "The application of ESWT damages collagen and stimulates metabolism in normal tendons, and it would be better to avoid exposing healthy tissue to ESWT," said Schramme. "Focused shock waves were potentially more damaging to tissue." (See article #11043 at TheHorse.com for the full story.)
State-of-the-Art Gastrointestinal Tract Topics
Debra C. Sellon, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, a professor of equine medicine at Washington State University, and Bill Bernard, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of Equine Internal Medicine in Lexington, Ky., presented the latest gastrointestinal tract studies to hit the veterinary journals. Here are some of the items they discussed:
- Intravenous lidocaine, commonly used in colic cases, did not enhance the intestinal motility of normal horses, but researchers suggest this might prove different in horses with clinical disease.
- The yeast Saccharomyces boulardii could help decrease the severity and duration of clinical signs in horses with acute enterocolitis.
- A retrospective study showed 27% of horses (in a group of 25 horses, 24 of which were less than a year old) didn't survive long term following acute small intestinal obstruction due to ascarid obstruction, and 72% of the study group had anthelmintic treatment within 24 hours of the onset. This is likely due to increased ascarid burdens due to ivermectin resistance.
Clinical Research Sessions
Nearly 90 abstracts were presented by graduate students, postdoctoral candidates, and seasoned veterinarians. Slater said there was intense competition to present at the Congress. Prizes were presented to two of the student authors.
Cartilage injury One prize went to Ceri Sherlock, BVetMed (Hon), MRCVS, a large animal resident in the University of Georgia Department of Large Animal Medicine. Sherlock and her colleagues completed research that showed low-field MRI (the lower-cost, portable version) can be useful in diagnosing cartilage injury of the fetlock that doesn't show up on radiographs.
Osteochondral disease A prize also went to Elizabeth Barr, BVMS, CertES(Orth), DipECVS, a PhD student in veterinary clinical sciences at the University of Liverpool in the U.K., for her research involving post-mortem examinations of fetlock joints for palmar/plantar osteochondral disease (POD, or "traumatic osteochondrosis") in 64 Thoroughbreds. She found evidence in post-morten findings of dorsal (from the top) impact injuries and other signs of joint arthritis that palmar/plantar osteochondral disease is likely a manifestation of traumatic overload on the joint. Barr and her co-authors hope that ongoing research into this condition will help alleviate a common cause of fetlock pain in racehorses. (See article #11045 at TheHorse.com for the full story.)
Sarcoids Jeremy Kemp-Symonds, MRCVS, a PhD student at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, has possibly linked common face flies to the spread of sarcoids, one of the most commonly encountered equine neoplasias (tumors). It is conceivable that the risk of spreading sarcoids could be minimized through fly management techniques. The research also further supports that bovine papillomaviruses (BPV) are involved in causing equine sarcoids in horses. (See article #11046 at TheHorse.com for the full story.)
Another veterinarian presented a study in which he and his colleagues discovered new gene expression pathways in equine sarcoids. Zhengqiang Yuan, PhD, a research scientist in veterinary pathological sciences at the University of Glasgow's veterinary school, hopes this will help identify new targets for treating the tumors. "We hope to follow up to find their (the pathways') role in disease," said Yuan. The research group demonstrated that BPV intensifies the expression of a destructive enzyme known to be a product of extracellular matrix degeneration. This could be one of many inflammatory targets the group could pursue when developing treatment options. (See article #11047 at TheHorse.com for the full story.)
Take-Home Message
At any given moment, somewhere in the world there's a scientist conducting studies that will ultimately advance veterinary medicine and how you care for your horses. Three very full days of presentations are a lot to fit into one story, and The Horse knows you'll want to read more about the advances veterinarians covered at this meeting. Visit article #11048 at TheHorse.com to read more research results presented at the BEVA meeting.
About the Author
Stephanie L. Church, Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie L. Church, Editor-in-Chief, received a B.A. in Journalism and Equestrian Studies from Averett College in Danville, Virginia. A Pony Club and 4-H graduate, her background is in eventing, and she is schooling her recently retired Thoroughbred racehorse, Happy, toward a career in that discipline. She also enjoys traveling, photography, cycling, and cooking in her free time.
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2012 International Conference on Equine Infectious Disease
Diagnosing Equine Neck Conditions
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Local Anesthesia's Effect on MRIs of Horse Feet (AAEP 2011)
Supportive Care for Foals with Pharyngeal Dysfunction
MRI for Localized Fetlock Lameness Diagnosis
Suture Techniques for Intestines Compared (AAEP 2011)


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"Geohot" reveals untethered hack for iPhone, cites method will "probably" work for iPad
Date: Friday, March 26th, 2010, 07:46
Category: News
Over in the hacking domain, George Hotzhas demonstrated a new method to permanently "jailbreak" the iPhone 3GS, and he said the hack will "probably" work on the iPad, which goes on sale next week.
Per AppleInsider, Hotz, known online as "Geohot," posted a recent blog entry including video which demoed a jailbroken iPhone 3GS being rebooted. The handset had been hacked via the first untethered method to date.
"The jailbreak is all software based, and is as simple to use as blackra1in," Hotz said, referencing his previous iPhone 3GS crack that employed a method known as a tethered jailbreak. "It is completely untethered, works on all current tethered models (ipt2, 3gs, ipt3), and will probably work on iPad too."
Late last year, Apple quietly updated the BootROM in the iPhone 3GS to thwart potential hackers. The change marked the first time ever that the handset maker had modified its hardware in the middle of a product line, without a new model released.
The new BootROM, known as iBoot-359.32, has proven challenging for hackers, who have only been able to implement the tethered jailbreak, which requires users to connect their iPhone to a computer via USB every time they reboot the device. Hotz claims his latest hack will not require a USB connection.
While iPhone users can rely on jailbreaking to unlock their handset for use with unauthorized carriers, the 3G-capable version of the iPad, scheduled to arrive in late April, ships unlocked by default. However, its 3G frequencies are only compatible with AT&T in the U.S.
Apple and the jailbreaking community, led by Hotz and a separate group of hackers known as the iPhone Dev Team, have gone back and forth for some time, as the Cupertino, Calif., company has looked to close avenues used by hackers. One of the main concerns about jailbreaking is piracy, as the procedure can allow users to steal software from the App Store.

subset: commoncrawl


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Red 5, developers of Firefall, recently revealed their new eSports toolkit for the aforementioned game – one that's really quite innovative. Observer and Broadcast, the two new modes being previewed at Gamescom during the Firefall beta tournament hosted by ESL, have the potential to really help Firefall take off once the game launches.
"At Red 5 we feel that it's crucially important to eSports and pro players that developers make their games fun to watch and easy to follow", said Mark Kern, CEO of Red 5 Studios. "This new eSports Toolkit provides an unprecedented set of tools that will help shoutcasters produce the best possible broadcasts of Firefall's elite competitive gameplay, thus improving the spectator's overall experience".
In Observer mode, anyone can choose to watch matches through an assortment of cameras at their disposal including the Action cam, a dynamic top down view of the map that automatically zooms in on action so players can more easily keep track of the action. This is something that has plagued shooter eSports specifically for a very long time. There are also the more static cameras that are placed in key areas around the arena allowing for easily accessible viewpoints and the standard player cams present in other games.
Broadcast mode is where this game will really shine, adding in a number of key features, including on the fly instant replay controls, a multicamera preview for advanced shoutcasters that use two monitors, allowing you to jump from cam to cam quickly duing a broadcast and player cards, a system that uses in game stat tracking to generate professional level stat cards to be displayed during broadcast, much like traditional sports.
I'm looking forward to seeing how well this game does in the coming months. The gameplay certainly seems solid enough, and if there's this level of support for shoutcasters going in, a community following them is sure to follow. Observe what happened with StarCraft II and casters such as Husky and Day[9]. Starcraft would not have had the same following that it did without engaging personalities such as these. Like I said, color me interested.
Dustin Steiner is GameZone's eSports Correspondent! Follow him on Twitter @VGHC_Deitis and check out Video Gaming Hard Corps, where he is a local tournament organizer for the S. FL. Fighting Game Community.


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The library hosts a number of discussion groups that meet on a regular basis and are facilitated by a librarian on our staff. We discuss books (fiction & non-fiction), movies, current events and more. Be sure to check this page regularly for up to date meeting times and information.
About our Discussion Groups:
- Our conference room will comfortably hold ten people.
- Many book groups find that 8-10 people is just about the right size.
- There is no charge to participate, and there is no need to register.
We can also supply information on facilitating book group discussions, deciding what kinds of books lead to rewarding discussions, etc. If you have any questions, give us a call. Happy reading, watching and discussing!
|Kiira Taylor, Adult Services Librarian
Lake Oswego Public Library
503-534-4227, firstname.lastname@example.com
|Jane Carr, Library Manager
Lake Oswego Public Library
503-534-5665, email@example.com


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" Brand: Domestos / Type: Bleach / Category: Laundry "
* Prices may differ from that shown
People that know me would tell you I am a bit OCD when it comes to cleaning. My Nan was the same and I guess as I used to be around her a lot it rubbed off!
Domestos - Pink Power Bleach:
'24 Hour protection from flying toilet rim germs and is a powerful weapon against gems in the home'
- www.asda.com
My Findings:
One of the main rooms in house I like to keep clean is the down stairs toilet and the bathroom upstairs. Nothing worse than a dirty toilet! I buy all different brands of bleach I can't say I am overly loyal to any of them. Normally will purchase when on offer or go for supermarkets own brand.
I must admit I do rather like this version, it is thicker than a few others I have used in the past, clear in colour and the scent isn't overpowering. I find with bleach the scent can be way to strong, personally makes me feel a little nauseated.
The angle of the bottle top works perfectly fine for me and it is easy to squeeze around the rim of the toilet. You can see the bleach cling to the toilet, I then leave it for a couple of minutes then use the toilet brush to rub the inside of the toilet.
Domestos makes my toilets look squeaky clean and they always seem to have a nice fresh shine to them. I also use this in the bath and around the sides of the bath, I fill the bath so it can just about cover my hand then I get to work with the sponge around the bath.
I've also used this on the tiles and the flooring in the bathroom all of which have come up perfectly clean. It smells wonderfully clean but the fumes don't knock me flying. I always use gloves when handling this product as it does state it can cause irritation.
Bleach can be a very dangerous chemical so it is important we use it correctly and safely! Once the bottle is empty it can be recycled. I the toilet I use it neat, but obviously when I use it for cleaning I dilute it first 120ml of domestos will cater for 5 litres of water.
Down side the safety top isn't the best and very easy to open, however all my cleaning products are out of children's reach.
Price and Availability:
The 750ml is normally around the £1.00 and at the moment you are getting 33% extra free so one litre for £1 great value for money.
I personally think this is one of the better bleaches I have used; I have purchased this a few times now and will certainly purchase it again. Fully recommended, works incredibly well without that over powering scent!
Four out of five stars from me.
Thank you for reading.
(c) Copyright VampirePrincess
I'm sure we are all familiar with bleach being a powerful cleaning agent that kills germs and is versatile to use to clean a variety of different things around the house. Personally I just use it in my loo as I find the smell of bleach a bit overpowering. I can be used to clean baths, sinks, floors and drains but I use other products for those areas. I'm not overly loyal to any brand of cleaning products including toilet cleaners. I sometime pick up a loo cleaner which has a more pleasant fragrance whilst sometimes I also just feel the need for a reassuring clinical cleaner for the loo such as bleach and Domestos is a brand of bleach I normally go for.
The bottle has 750ml of bleach and the bottle is made of plastic with the standard curved bottle top for reaching around the loo easily. There is also the standard child safety cap. The bottle generally costs about pound which cheaper than most loo cleaners like Duck or Harpic but more expensive than supermarket own brand bleaches. Domestos bleach comes in a variety of difference 'fragrances' and different coloured bottles athough to me all the fragrances just smell the same. Of bleach basically. This particular one is the pink one which i normally select for no other reason than i like the colour pink. The front label has the Domestos logo with the words 'Extended Germ Kill' below and mentions that it 'Kills all known germs'. The back of the bottle has a list of instructions for use on different bits around the house and also a list of precautions to consider.
When it comes to cleaning the loo I squirt the bleach all around and under the rim and get straight to work with the toilet brush in particular under the rim and down the u-bend, then flush, and then finish off with another squirt around with the bleach which is then left till the next flush just so it has long enough to soak in and kill all the germs. The liquid is thick and clings to the sides which is useful and is a slight tinge of yellow so you can make out if any bits of the loo bowl have been missed. The fragrance is as I said very bleachy but I just open the window when I put this down so it doesn't stink the bathroom out. I always find that once cleaned the loo looks shiney and white and smelling hygienically clean so it does its job very well.
All in all this is a great cleaning product. It does its just job of cleaning very well and is a trusted product.
One thing I always have in my home is bleach. I was brought up in a home where my mother swore by the stuff, swilling it about all over the place so I have basically continued with her method of cleaning lol.
At the moment the one I am just about to finish using is this Domestos 'Extended Pink Power Bleach. I paid about a pound for the bottle I have in front of me now as I write this review and I got it on a recent shopping trip from Asda.
The Packaging:
Well this bleach comes in a bright pink plastic bottle which has an angled nozzle to the top of it and it has a push and twist lid/cap over that and then on the front of it we are clearly told that it is Domestos Extended-Germ Kill Pink Power Bleach 'With CTAC' and we are also told 'Nothing protects as long' and then on the back of the bottle other information given includes being shown diagrams for ideas on where we can use it, directions for use and warnings are very clearly stated, the ingredients are given and the size is stated which in my case is 1L as at the time I bought it you got 250ml free and contact details for the manufacturer are given. Nice enough bottle this is and I love the fact that its in a pink bottle to go with my bright pink bathroom!
Using It:
Although the bottle is pink all you get in it is run of the mill, slightly yellowy and runny but with a bit of body to it bleach. It has a simple bleach fragrance to it and isn't floral or fruity or anything like that its just a very fresh, strong and rather pungent fragrance.
Basically its up to you and your common sense as to how you use this. I squirt some daily under the rim of my toilet, I clean my sinks out with it, over my tiles and I dilute some to use on my kitchen worktops. At night I pop some water in tea and coffee stained mugs and I bleach my kitchen cloths and sponges in a drop of this and some water regularly to keep things not only looking clean but feeling that stuff is clean too. I rinse my bins out with this and also dilute a small amount in water in my mop bucket to wipe over my linos once a week as well just so Im sure that those areas are really germ free.
I think this is a brilliant quality bleach. It makes things look clean with minimal effort for me whihc is fab! I have a tendency to eat curry and stain my worktops and even my kitchen lino and a drop of this on a cloth neat deals with that mega fast. The rim of my toilet was getting a bit black but after using this a couple of times that disappeared. You can use this in washing though don't get it on the clothes you are wearing cos it will take the colour out of fabrics almost instantly. The scent of this lingers for ages after you have used it and all in all not only is my home left looking clean after using this I really do believe it is as clean as it can be so when I finish using the contents of this bottle I'm certainly off to buy the same thing again. The bottle is ideal for a girly girl like me and it fulfills its promises too!
Widely available in all good supermarkets.
This review is also posted on Ciao under this same username.
Cleaning the toilet is not the most pleasant of chores, but it is something that just has to be done on a regular basis - especially in a household of five. (Even my two year old has managed a couple of 'number twos' down the toilet!) My attitude towards toilet cleaning products tends to fluctuate widely. I go through periods of only using eco-friendly products (such as Ecover or Method) and then have spells when I feel the need to blast the two toilets in the house with something stronger. I use Domestos products from time to time as I find it to be a reliable brand and is frequently on offer at most supermarkets or Wilkinsons.
This Domestos 'Pink Power' bleach caught my eye mainly due to its distinctive bright pink colouring, contrasted with the familiar reassuring Domestos logo. I was also drawn in by the promotional price of £1 per 750ml bottle, although the full RRP is only slightly higher (around £1.15) which I don't feel is overly expensive for a branded cleaning product.
The bottle, aside from its zany bright pink colour, has been designed with practicality in mind. The bottle is quite slim, so comfortable to hold and pour even when full. I also like that the plastic used is quite flexible so it is easy to tip the bottle over the toilet and give it a gentle squeeze to release the bleach. The dispensing tip is cleverly angled to make it simple to position the bleach directly under the rim and get at all the germs lurking under there. I find that the bleach comes out evenly and is easy to control, without any potentially dangerous drips or spillages. Safety is obviously a key concern - especially given the bold colouring which could easily attract the attention of curious toddlers. To counter that, the bottle features a plastic safety cap, requiring squeezing and twisting to open although, obviously, the bleach should be stored well out of the reach of children anyway.
When I first used the Pink Power I was surprised to discover that the bleach wasn't actually pink in colour! Given the prominence of the pink packaging and the choice of name, I had anticipated a thick pink substance to come squirting out. The bleach is actually, well, just like bleach - being a transparent liquid, although much thicker than many cheaper (and inferior) brands of bleach. I have used many other types of toilet cleaner that have been brightly coloured (Harpic Power Plus, for example) and I find it quite useful as it is much easier to see at a glance that the entire toilet bowl has been consistently covered, helping to maximise germ control. The lack of colouring is not a major concern in the grand scheme of things, however, as I'd much rather have a clear product than the risk of my toilet bowl being stained pink!
The other surprise was the odour of 'Pink Power.' Again I had anticipated that the pink branding would have some significance for the fragrance and expected that Domestos had tried to mask the strong odour of bleach with something pleasantly floral or fruity. Unfortunately, there has been no attempt at masking the odour - this is unmistakeably bleach and very strong bleach at that. I find that the smell of bleach quickly takes over the entire bathroom and can even be smelt at the bottom of the stairs. There is no chance of having a discreet last minute clean around before guests arrive if using this stuff!
In terms of effective cleaning performance, I have no issues at all with this product. It claims to kill all known germs dead - none of this 99% nonsense here, leaving you to worry about that surviving 1%! The 'extended germ kill' capacity offers extra reassurance, with the knowledge that this can carry on working for up to 24 hours. Leaving the stuff in overnight also helps to eliminate any unpleasant stains, particularly if I haven't kept on top of the cleaning. I find that this is effective and thick enough to remove most stains and marks around the inside of the toilet bowl, meaning I don't need to spend time scrubbing away. I tend to squirt this around last thing at night and leave to soak but, even if only left for 15 minutes during the day, the toilet bowl is still left visibly sparkling clean with a gleaming and reassuring whiteness.
Domestos can be used for other purposes around the home but I find the smell too unpleasant to use elsewhere in the home and prefer to use specialist (scented) products for cleaning the kitchen floor or work surfaces. I have used this diluted to clean the kitchen floor in desperation and found it to be effective and easy to use but it wouldn't be my first choice simply because of the distinctive bleach smell which I find takes ages to disappear.
In all, I find this product to be thoroughly deserving of the Domestos brand with its well-established reputation for quality, ease of use and germ killing cleaning performance. It doesn't, however, offer anything to really distinguish it from other quality bleach products and I was a little disappointed that the whole 'pink power' phenomenon is nothing more than a clever marketing gimmick to catch people's attention on the supermarket aisle.
Cleaning the toilet. One of those chores that no one really likes to do, but yet it is a necessary chore. Being a Mother to a young girl who now takes themself to the toilet, and also being Nurse, i am a little bit ocd with germs and bacteria. When it comes to toilet cleaners i'm not overly loyal any brand. I normally pick up some sort of thick bleach or a loo cleaner such as Toilet Duck or Harpic that is on offer in the supermarket at the time or anything that reassures me that it kills germs really. This weekend in Sainburys they had Domestos thick bleach on offer for £1 a bottle. Normally Domestos is priced around £1.20 which is not bad really compared to Harpic which i noticed this weekend was £1.99. Obviously shop own brand bleaches are a bit cheaper than the likes of Domestos, but i generally find these to be a bit too thin for my liking.
Domestos comes in a variety if coloured bottles. I think they are supposed to be associated with a particular fragrance but to be honest i find bleach just smells of bleach really. Obviously it may not be everyone's cup of tea. My Sister for one hates the smell of bleach but i quite like it. I suppose i associate it a bit with hygiene with working in the hopsital. Anyway this time i picked up a pink bottle and a light blue bottle - this means i can leave a separate bottle next to each loo rather than be carrying a bottle up and down the stairs from one to the other when i do my cleaning. The bottle is the standard bleach type bottle, made from plastic with a curved bit at the top for cleaning under the toilet rim. The bottle has a child safety cap, but i generally keep these sort of bottles out of reach of little hands. There is a list of instructions on the back of the bottle for using thie bleach on toilets, sinks, drains and floors. Personally i don't use bleach for anything other than the toilets so i can't vouch how it works for the other areas. On the front of the bottle is written 'extended germ kill' and that it 'kills all known germs dead' and that it continues to kill germs after the flush.
Using this bleach to clean the loo is fairly basic really. It works just like any other bleach or loo cleaner. The lid comes off the bottle fairly easily - another reason to keep this out of reach of little hands! Then just aim the bottle under the rim of the loo and squirt the bleach around the bowl. The bleach is definitely thick and can be difficult to judge sometimes how much to use to make sure the whole bowl is covered in the bleach. The liquid does have a slight yellowy tinge to it to help you see where has been covered although i have got into the knack to squeeze the bottle around the loo fairly slowly to make sure of complete coverage. The instructions suggest that it take around 15 minutes to do the job of killing any germs. I tend to leave it to work for between 30 minutes and and hour before i go back and finish cleaning down the loo. Then its just a matter of a quick sweep with a toilet brush and flush the loo and you're done. When flushed the loo is left with a layer of foam in the water, and the bowl is left looking super clean and smelling fresh.
Overall i do like using Domestos. Although i'm not overly loyal to buying it, i will always pick it up over other toilet cleaners and bleaches on the shelf when i see it on offer. I tend to find that the bottle will last me for roughly 6 or 7 separate toilet cleans, which is no more or less than other bleaches and toilet cleaners i have used before really. What i like about it is that the bleach seems to be a lot thicker than other cleaners, meaning that it clings up under the rim of the loo especially as this is where a lot of the germs gather so its good to know that it stays in contact with the sides rather than just sliding off like some other cleaners i have used before. Secondly what i like about Domestos is that it kills all germs and continues to do so after you have flushed it away, which is reassuring to know especially with a young daughter taking herself to the loo now.
I normally just pick up my bleach to clean my student halls bathroom from Poundland as it is convenient and cheap. When doing a huge weekly shop recently, I decided that I might as well pick up some bleach while I was doing this instead. I previously thought that most bleach would be about double the price from supermarkets, but I was thrilled to see that there was quite a good range for reasonable prices, therefore I opted for Domestos as I knew it was a favoured brand in households.
This particular one which is the Pink Power bleach was only £1.00 from ASDA, and it tends to be priced around the same in most other supermarkets if you purchase in this size (750ml) and it is widely stocked in places. The same bleach is available in the original blue, aqua blast, sunfresh and citrus fresh. I presume these are the different scents within them, and I only had the choice between this or the original, and with pink being my favourite colour, I decided this would be the reason I buy it! Since this was priced really well, I was hoping it would be of a good quality considering the brand name.
To use this is simple, and to get the lid of is really easy unlike many other bleaches which I have to fiddle around with hours for. You just squeeze the two sides together and this pops off easily, making it easy for you and also safe so that children can not get in to it. There are many ways you can use Domestos bleach, however my two primary uses are for cleaning the toilet and cleaning the sink. In addition to this you can use it for kitchen and bathroom drains, floors and work surfaces, to bleach whites and to soak cloths and sponges. I have not tried this product for any of those reasons, therefore I will be reviewing how I use it.
Firstly, the primary use of this bleach is to clean my toilet, leaving it stain free, smelling fresh and killing germs. The first thing I noticed on this bleach is that it states in big bold writing on the front 'Extended Germ Kill', therefore I knew it would be effective for that reason. To be honest, before use I realised that the scent was quite strange. I was hoping that it would have a nice little scent to it as it was branded 'pink power' but unfortunately it does have the same old clinical, bleach smell. I have to admit that it is not as strong as others, therefore I was pleased with this. (May have to try the citrus version next time)! To clean your toilet you simply have to apply around the toilet bowl, as well as under the rim and leave overnight to kill germs effectively. For just a simple bleach you can leave it 15-30 minutes and flush to clean out the toilet. The liquid flows out quickly and easily making it a quick job for you and it is very convenient. The liquid itself is clear in colour, which does sometimes make it difficult to see where you have applied it to the bowl, but you generally get the gist of how much to use. I have to admit that the results are good, my toilet looks sparkling clean and everything just looks and feels a lot fresher. It does the job brilliantly and removes stains as well as removing unwanted germs, so I am really happy to use this for toilets.
The second reason I use this is to clean out my sink. At University, I have encountered numerous problems with my sink, and this includes blockages and a funny odour coming from the drain in it, therefore I try to clean it on a regular basis, and I have found that bleach is one of the best preventative measures of this smell. I squirt this directly down the plug hole making sure a generous amount gets down. I then leave it around ten minutes before thoroughly rinsing to make sure it is cleaned out. The smell disappears and leaves my sink with no germs which is excellent.
These are the only two uses I find the need to use this product for, but obviously the list is endless when it comes to bleach. For £1.00 this is a very effective bleach which I would be happy to repurchase again. However there was only one slight problem which I found with this. Obviously, as a university student I try to budget when and where I can. The only thing I was not pleased about with this bleach was that it seems to run out extremely quickly. I use bleach as and when I need it, but for some reasons I just felt like you do not get much use out of this Domestos bleach, whereas some of the others I have used have lasted me a good few weeks. This disappointed me a little and has made me think twice about buying again if it does go so quickly again.
Four stars will be awarded to this bleach and this is because it is an extremely, effective bleach which does kill off germs as well as leaving your toilets and sinks sparkling clean. It is multi use and can be used in kitchen and bathroom, however the bleach just gets used up incredibly quickly which is a big let down for me. Well recommended but beware of the life-span of this bleach! Thanks for reading.


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Since I doubt the web engineers at Ars have enough to keep them busy, I'd like to request a more robust system to remember the "last read" status in the new comment threads. Whatever system the fora use is great; the "last read" status of any thread you've clicked on moves with you from computer to computer (tied to your login?). The front page comment threads, however, only remember your status in the same browser you last used, and even that's not very reliable. Give as the new comment system has replaced the old News forum (which is fine), it would be really nice to be able to read new additions to the comment threads without the extra frustration of being taken to a completely random point in the thread every time.
(Otherwise, things are stellar, you guys rock, etc.)
We'd like to make that more robust for sure. Right now there's a workaround, if you go to the My Stories nav and click on any of the 5 comment threads you've participated in on the right those will jump to last read position. There's just a reason why we have it working there and not other spots yet, totally hear you on having it more universal.
I have noticed a bug with the "My Stories" implementation (which is a perfect "workaround" for me as I don't comment very often and hardly ever outside of actual comment threads) - if enough comments elapse after your visit such that a new page is formed then your "last read" position will move to the top of the next page instead of where your actual position was. This is only a minor pain, not sure if you're aware of it or not.
Hmm, I haven't seen that one, I'll look out for it, thanks.


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There's a great free
util from 'Resplendence Software' for helping to diagnose BSOD issues. No techy knowledge or debugging skill is required, but you do need to make sure that crash dumps are enabled on your computer (default setting for most people). The program examines any crash dumps that are present (usually in C:\Windows\Minidump) and generates a report which is brief - but to the point - revealing the drivers responsible for crashing your computer.
I was a tad reluctant to install WhoCrashed at first. Although it's only a 700 kb download, the program does make reliance upon the Windows Debugging Package (WinDbg) from Microsoft. Most people will probably not the have MS package installed, but WhoCrashed will download and extract it automatically if necessary (I opted instead to manually download the correct package for my system from Microsoft - which was a 16.9 MB installer).
I'm still a dial-up user, and I've been hampered by ZA related BSOD problems ever since the 8.0 Branch of Zone Alarm software. WhoCrashed informs me that it's actually my modem driver itself, which is causing problems with Zone Alarm. An example report:
On Wed 03/06/2009 15:07:23 your computer crashed
This was likely caused by the following module: smserial.sys
Bugcheck code: 0x1000000A (0x16, 0x2, 0x0, 0x804DBDA3)
Error: Unknown
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\smserial.sys
product: Motorola SM56 Modem
company: Motorola Inc.
description: Motorola SM56 Modem WDM Driver
Although WhoCrashed does qualify it's reporting by saying that it's not always possible to state with certainty whether a reported driver is really responsible for crashing your system or that the root cause is in another module....I had suspected myself that the modem driver was
likely culprit (a conclusion I'd arrived at earlier, after many wasted hours
trying unsuccessfully to ID the source, by selectively disabling most of the other drivers on my system). I
wish I knew about WhoCrashed then!
a happy aside, WhoCrashed has accelerated my putting the wheels in motion for a long-overdue upgrade to broadband
- AT LAST! Although I'm using the 'latest' version of my modem drivers,
I have to acknowledge that it's rapidly becoming outdated technology. For me, the simple report above has justified
installing WhoCrashed on my system, along with
the Windows Debugging Package. I most likely will never use the MS package as a standalone (which does require some techy awareness), and hopefully I won't need to know WhoCrashed on my system again for a while. But I'm reassured in the knowledge that next time I encounter problems, some helpful diagnostics are now one click away!


text:
Palo Alto Networks Acquires Morta Security to Fight Sophisticated Cyber Threats
Palo Alto Networks Inc. has acquired a stealthy startup, Morta Security Inc., to help customers fight advanced cyberattacks that can come from foreign hackers and nation states.
The deal positions publicly held Palo Alto Networks against FireEye Inc., which said Thursday that it would pay nearly $1 billion for Mandiant Corp., a company that includes a "cyber SWAT team" known for outing Chinese hackers.
"One of the next big steps is further automating the process of finding bad things on the network and remediating it. Today that process is very manual—you call Mandiant or one of their competitors—but we believe it has to be automated," said Palo Alto Networks Founder and Chief Technology Officer Nir Zuk.
Morta has kept its technology secret and had raised just a single round of funding, from Greylock Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Data Collective and individual investors, according to VentureWire records. Terms of the acquisition are undisclosed.
Morta was launched in 2012 by a team of people who had worked at the NSA and the U.S. Air Force on protecting critical national infrastructure, said Morta Chief Executive Raj Shah.
Greylock Partner and Palo Alto Networks Director Asheem Chandna, an investor in both companies, introduced them, Mr. Zuk said.
Mr. Zuk called the acquisition of Morta one step in a plan by Palo Alto Networks to automatically detect and remediate attacks that are so sophisticated, they have been specifically designed to bypass current corporate protections such as sandboxes that isolate malicious code.
Despite the Morta acquisition, there are still many security holes that have to be filled, Mr. Zuk said. He called for better integration between corporate networks and corporate endpoints—including systems like printers and routers that have now become targets for malware—and better protection at the core of the data center, where companies keep what Mr. Shah called "the crown jewels."
"They're sitting in a database that's not as secure, and there's a misguided belief that [thieves] can't get in there because there are too many layers," Mr. Shah said.
Mr. Zuk declined to disclose how much money Morta had raised or how many people it employs, but said all Morta technology and employees will become part of Palo Alto Networks, which plans to release new security products this year.
Write to Deborah Gage at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter at @deborahgage


text:
Anti-tax groups dispute idea of 'new N.Y.' economy
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Anti-tax groups are criticizing Albany's tax and business climate as Gov. Andrew Cuomo proclaims in statewide tours and a national TV ad campaign that a "new New York" is once again "open for business."
The libertarian Cato Institute in its annual Fiscal Report Card gave Cuomo a "D" on Tuesday for tax and spending policies over the past two years. Meanwhile, the national Tax Foundation ranked New York 49th in its business tax climate index, and projected New York would have the worst business tax climate in 2013.
"The findings of The Tax Foundation's latest business tax climate report clearly show that we have a long way to go before we can say that we're 'open for business,"' said Brian Sampson, executive director of Unshackle Upstate.
But Cuomo spokesman Matthew Wing said the administration has made great strides against historically high taxes.
"When he took office, Governor Cuomo recognized that taxes on New York's residents and businesses were far too high, which is why he enacted the state's first-ever property tax cap, established the lowest tax rate for the middle class in 58 years, and brought state spending under control," Wing said.
The Tax Foundation ranking for New York considered comparisons of corporate taxes, individual income taxes, sales taxes, unemployment insurance taxes and property taxes for homes and businesses. New Jersey was ranked 50th, while Connecticut was 40th. The foundation declared May 1 "tax freedom day" in New York, the day of the year a New Yorker must work to just to pay off all of his or her taxes.
Cato's report card, issued every two years, is based on per capita spending as well as personal and corporate income tax rates, the state sales tax and the cigarette tax, which in New York is the highest in the nation.
"In his January 2011 State of the State address, Governor Cuomo said that New York must 'hold the line on taxes now and reduce taxes in the future.' Unfortunately, the governor has not lived up to that pledge," the Cato report stated.
It cites the December special session in which Cuomo and the Senate's Republican majority reversed their 2010 campaign promises to block a millionaire's tax as a job killer. In mid-December, Cuomo and the Legislature increased the income tax for the wealthiest New Yorkers to raise $1.9 billion.
Part of it provided modest but rare cuts for middle-class families of $200 to about $400. The tax replaced a higher, emergency millionaire tax, which was to expire Dec. 31.
Cuomo and the Senate GOP refer to the tax increase as a tax cut, which lowered middle-class tax rates to the lowest level in 58 years. They also have said the 2012-13 state budget was adopted without tax increases because the tax increase that balanced the budget was done separately.
"Cuomo's tax plan included some tax breaks, but the overall net tax increase was more than $1.5 billion a year," Cato stated. "These tax hikes won't help the New York economy."
Wing said the 2 percent cap on the growth of local government and school property taxes will save a typical homeowner $2,300 a year and other tax breaks include the curbing of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax. He also said the December tax rate changes make the middle-class tax rate is the lowest since 1953.
E.J. McMahon of the fiscally conservative Manhattan Institute wrote last month that the statement is "very strictly speaking ... accurate," but because of changes in the tax code since the 1950s "that comparison is also essentially meaningless, if not downright misleading."
But several groups expressed support Tuesday for Cuomo.
"The property tax cap adopted last year, and this year's pension reform, will produce benefits over time," said state Business Council CEO Heather Briccetti.
The Partnership for New York City's Katherine Wylde also issued a statement in support of the governor. Of the tax climate, she said: "No one has done more to change that than Governor Andrew Cuomo."
Wylde and Briccetti are part of the lobbying group, the Committee to Save New York, that participates in the TV ad campaign.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


text:
I've told myself no more fabric buying until I use up a major portion of what I have . . . . so I have a small number of quilts in mind to make. I'm still a major beginner in this, having made only 4 quilts and some small pillows - all of which used squares, rectangles and a very small number of triangles.
The next quilt I want to make is labeled beginner but requires the use of two templates to make approximately 700 pieces. I've never used a template before so this is all new to me and I'm not even sure what questions I need to ask you about this. So I'll ask what I think I need to know, answer what you can and add anything else.
My first and main question is what do I need to buy at the shop to be able to make a template? I'm headed there later today and don't want to go in feeling totally stupid. My pattern requires the use ot two different templates, one being the major one and covering about 95% of the pattern. This one is a triange shape. Will I be cutting out 680 individual pieces or will it be similar to cutting squares where I cut one long strip and then triangles from that? (and if it's just a triangle to I really need a template?)
Please share with me what you can about templates, since I've never used them I'm not sure what I'm getting into.
Thanks, Ellie
hi ellie, can we have more specifics on your templates and what kind of triangles you are making? how big they are, etc.
gini in north idaho
To make triangles you do not need a template. IF they are equilateral (the same size on each side), just cut a strip, then cut the angle. You don't say what the other shape. Look at it really hard, then get out your rulers and look at the shape with your rulers. Ask yourself this, can I cut this shape with my ruler? If yes, do so, if not, then you will probably need template plastic. It is heaver plastic material usually found at craft stores or quilting shops or even at WalMart (that's where I get mine). It is cut with scissors or an exacto knife ( I use an exacto knife on a piece of wood so as to not cut my table). Keep in mind that cutting template plastic is like cutting very hard, very stiff paper. Please share the pattern with us so we can see what you are doing. And good luck with your project.
Have a wonderful New Year, from the Piney Woods of East Texas
In The Piney Woods of Deep East Texas
I also am pretty new to quilting, about 3 years now, slowly getting more done. I started with just a few rulers that I felt could use for lots of projects. I use the strip method, where I measure the size of the triangle, then cut a long strip of material that size, then line up the ruler to cut only one side of triangle. Does that make sense? It makes for more even triangles. I also have my husband that loves to make wood pieces for me that I like to use. He will cut a triangle or square out for me the size that I need and I can use that for very specific triangles. It would be like those templates out of plastic, but the wood is easier for me to handle. They do take up more room, but I have a small box they go into.
from southern Texas
I'd tried doing a copy and paste but can't so I'll describe. The triangle is an isoceles - 2 sides a little longer than the third size (approximately 3" as best as I can estimate). The second template would be half the size of this, to use around the outside edges of the pattern. And the corners are squared off, after the 1/4" seam allowance is added in.
I think what is going through my mind is that I am going to have to trace 700 individual triangles and then cut each one individually - and that does not sound like fun!! Is this how it works or is there an easy way?
LearningDayByDay:I'd tried doing a copy and paste but can't so I'll describe.
Hi Ellie. I'm pretty new to quilting also, so I can't really help you there. If you take a picture of the pattern or save on your hard drive. Then you can upload the picture or file on this forum.
Georgetown CA I'd Rather Be Quilting
you should be able to cut a strip and cut the triangles out from the strips, depending on the shape of the triangle. if the triangles are symmetric, you can draw them on fabric or just use the angles on your rotary rulers to cut them.
can you give us a name of the pattern, a link to it or an e-address so we can go look at it?
Ellie, you will not be cutting each piece individually -- unless for some reason you are using scissors. With a rotary cutter you can successfully cut four blocks at a time. With luck, and a sharp blade, perhaps even six at a time. Just stack your strips carefully on top of each other, lay your template (wood block, or whatever you are using) on the strilp layer and cut.
gini:can you give us a name of the pattern, a link to it or an e-address so we can go look at it?
That would be very helpful, and as you can see there are a lot of very helpful people here. Hang in there and you will get it figured out.
Life is like a quilt...bits & pieces, joy & sorrow, stitched with love
I just make my templates out of the lt cardboard that comes out of the soda boxes ,I trace the pattern then cut it to size. saves me form haivng to buy the rules. I'm cheap LOL . Never ever give up buying fabric .this is coming form a full fleged fabricholic ....there are always sales.LOL Barbara
Hi Denise, it is nice to meet you!
I use cheap plastic place mats for template. I agree with Gini, it would help to see a pic.
[Ava, Missouri
Thank you for your responses!! It's good to have such knowledgeable people that know the answers to my "hard" questions.
I found the name of my quilt pattern - it's a thousand pyramids quilt. Row after row of several trianges. I'm going to do a little fooling around with my rulers and such to see what I need to do. I think this pattern can be made with equilateral triangles also, in which case I really don't need a template, right?
I think this pattern can be made with equilateral triangles also, in which case I really don't need a template, right?
Here is a link to another board where the ? was asked and answered. One of the ladies also showed the difference between triangles. You do not have to log into the board to read the thread.
Thousands Pyramids Quilt


text:
Madonna is speaking out against allegations made by Malawi's President Joyce Banda over the validity of the her charity work.
On April 10, Banda wrote a press release that was published on the Malawian news website, the NYASA Times, questioning the real intentions of Madonna's charity, Raising Malawi.
"Among the many things that Madonna needs to learn as a matter of urgency is the decency of telling the truth," the statement reads. "For her to tell the whole world that she is building schools in Malawi when she has actually only contributed to the construction of classrooms is not compatible with manners of someone who thinks she deserves to be revered with state grandeur."
Banda also accused Madonna of demanding special treatment while visiting the country writing, "It is worth making [Madonna] aware that Malawi has hosted many international stars, including Chuck Norris, Bono, David James, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville who have never demanded state attention or decorum despite their equally dazzling stature."
"I'm saddened that Malawi's President Joyce [Banda] has chosen to release lies about what we've accomplished, my intentions, how I personally conducted myself while visiting Malawi and other untruths," Madonna said in a statement released on April 11. "I have no intentions of being distracted by these ridiculous allegations."
Madonna goes on to explain that she originally intended to build an academy in the struggling nation, but "realized that a more sustainable model would be to build smaller schools in villages around the country."
Billboard points out that Banda's outrage towards the pop star might have something to do with her sister, Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo, who was fired by Raising Malawi due to what Madonna said was "organizational problems."


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This is a view west from Pinnacle Butte NE, and you are seeing the wall above Jules Bowl that connects Pinnacle Butee NW to the main summit. The two pinancles in view have seen few or no climbers. They are Class 5 climbs with tremendous exposure, and a look from any angle will confirm that, but even if the rock is reliable, and that is a big if here, just the approaches would be exceedingly difficult; the other side of the wall looks pretty much like this one.
But the key factor is the rotten rock out here. It is usually too brittle for climbers to protect their climbs, and it might actually be safer to free solo these pinnacles, if you have the nerve for that.
Absaroka Range, WY-- July 2009
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text:
Hey guys,
Many years ago I converted all our home videos from VHS to DVD. We made about 6 copies for various groups of family members, and they're spread over 7 or so DVD Videos (with menus/chapters, etc). The original transfers were far too huge at the time to keep, but I kept the Nero "NRG" image files.. until the other day, when I accidentally wiped the hard-disk they were stored on.
Since then I've been trying to get the data off the disks - I have 2 copies of each disk with me.
- I tried 2 Mac's, one running Mac OS X and another running Windows, but they kept tripping over during file transfers, and I had to restart and hold the click button to eject the CD.
- So I'm now trying my blu ray drive at home. It seems as though in both copies of each disk I have, the SAME files or parts of files are corrupt. But if I cancel the transfer at the point in which it can't read from the disk anymore, I can still open the corrupt file and watch some of the footage.
- I used ISOBuster to try and recover the data. It quickly found corrupt sectors and I opted to 'skip' all the corrupt sectors - however it still reaches a point where the entire system halts and goes *extremely* slowly, with ISOBuster appearing to not respond and stuck on the same percentage.
- The weird thing is, I found that if I let the computer eventually put itself to sleep, then wake it up again, it kicks ISOBuster back into action and it manages to copy a significant portion of the file before tripping over again. Overall however, it's a tediously slow process.
I'm just wondering if anybody has had a similar experience and can shed any light on what might be happening, how I might be able to recover the data, and why the same parts of 2 copies of a disk are corrupt..


text:
CarMax is finally getting a neighbor.
An Augusta real estate development firm has started preparing the site for a high-end, 240-unit apartment complex on Mason McKnight Jr. Parkway in west Augusta.
The community will be called Gateway Crossing Luxury Apartments, and infrastructure work is under way, said Peter Caye III, the managing partner of The Giddings Group LLC. Caye said there will be a groundbreaking with city leaders Oct. 17.
Giddings Group is putting the apartments on 13.5 acres. The first building is expected to be finished in the spring, Caye said, with the construction completed in 12 months.
"We hope to turn our first building by April, and then we'll get a building probably every 30 days thereafter," he said.
Gateway Crossing will begin leasing in January, offering one- to three-bedroom apartments ranging from 650 to 1,400 square feet. The buildings will be three stories tall. Amenities will include a resort-style pool with cabana, health club/quality fitness center and business center.
Caye said Giddings Group has been an equity partnership firm for years. The Augusta community will be its first.
"Looking to do three to four deals a year all over the Southeast, as far north as Virginia," Caye said. "It is pretty neat that we can do this in our own town."
The properties will be managed by Provence Real Estate, a national management firm based in Atlanta.
The general contractor is Hathaway Construction Services, also of Atlanta.
"We have many years of experience in this market and are looking forward to a successful lease-up of this property," said Art Lieb, the managing partner of Provence.
CarMax has been open since 2010, and there have been rumors since of other developments in that area, such as sporting goods chain Gander Mountain.


text:
Monarch Butterflies need Endangered Species Act protection
As monarch butterflies are beginning their epic migration from Canada and the U.S. to Mexico for the winter, concerns about the drastic rate at which they're disappearing from the landscape have led environmental and health organizations to petition the government for federal protection.
This week, the Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, Xerces Society and monarch scientist Dr. Lincoln Brower filed a legal petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking protection for monarchs under the Endangered Species Act.
"Monarchs are in a deadly free fall and the threats they face are now so large in scale that Endangered Species Act protection is needed sooner rather than later, while there is still time to reverse the severe decline in the heart of their range," Brower, who has been studying the species since 1954, said in a statement.
According to the petitioners, monarchs have declined by a shocking 90 percent in less than 20 years and "may have lost more than 165 million acres of habitat - an area about the size of Texas - including nearly a third of their summer breeding grounds." Last winter, the numbers of these iconic butterflies reached a record low, raising worries about their future survival.
According to the Xerces Society, in the 1990s, an estimated one billion monarchs made their way from the north to the oyamel fir forests where they spend their winters sheltered by the trees, while another million were believed to spend the winter at sites in California. Now, scientists believe there are only 33 million left.
Monarch butterfly and a Monarch caterpillar on milkweed plant image via Shutterstock.
Read more at ENN Affiliate, Care2.


text:
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text:
10 Fascinating Facts About Kissing
Right in the dead of winter comes the super-mushy holiday all single women dread: Valentine's Day. Even the happily married among us may cringe at the prospect of battling for a table at an overbooked and garishly decorated restaurant. So why not skirt tradition and throw a girls' night party for your closest pals? We've gathered everything you need for a fun evening with the women you love.
Get the word out with a free, pink-and-red "Girls' Night" evite. The title says it all, but just in case, let your friends know not to bring a date.
The 10 Habits that Keep Marriages Strong


text: Students are invited to the annual Etiquette Dinner and Fashion Show to learn how to navigate a four-course meal, what to wear what not to wear. Door prizes will be available, and dinner, but limited spaces available. Presentation by Marty Apodaca, Career Development facilitator at UNM. Registration required -- either in person at Fidel 262 or online at http://www.nmt.edu/career-services.


text:
Atlas Muscle Cars is very proud to offer for sale this very nice Black 1978 Trans Am Bandit car, equipped with the 6.6 liter big block (X7 code 220 hp), 4 barrel carburetor, headers, dual side exhaust, power steering, power drum brakes, Turbo 350 transmission and a 10 bolt posi trac rear end. Body is super solid rust free with a killer black base coat clear coat paint job, decals are brand new Phoenix Graphics brand graphics. Interior is bucket seat, center console, tach, tilt wheel, power windows, new seat covers and dash cap. This car runs and drives great. $17,900.00
Back to Top
Atlas Muscle Cars
7101 county road 1037
Blue Ridge, TX. 75424
40 miles north of Dallas, TX.
972-542-5679 office
469-525-0271 cell
972-562-7965 after hours
972-562-5180 fax
matt @ atlasmusclecars . com


text:
Neymar helps FC Barcelona end Asia tour with win over Malaysia XI
With World Player of the Year Lionel Messi on the bench over injury concerns, Brazilian wonderkid Neymar was the star of a tight first half, showcasing his talents to make one goal and score another for FC Barcelona.
Spanish giants Barcelona wrapped up their Asian tour with another comprehensive victory Saturday, beating a Malaysian XI 3-1 at the Shah Alam Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
With World Player of the Year Lionel Messi on the bench over injury concerns, Brazilian wonderkid Neymar was the star of a tight first half, showcasing his talents to make one goal and score another.
First, the 21-year-old wriggled free on the left before sending a pinpoint cross for Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas to head home.
It was a tame header and Malaysian goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat should have done better, but he may have been distracted by a firecracker that was set off by a fan.
Malaysia, who had gone closest to opening the scoring, equalised in the 40th minute when the ball fell to Amri Yahyah, and the striker curled in from the edge of the box.
The home fans' joy was short-lived as two minutes later, Neymar -- who was this week reportedly diagnosed with anaemia -- broke free and beat two defenders before shooting home.
Neymar joined Barcelona after a summer move from Santos and opened his account for the club in the 7-1 win over the Thai national team on Wednesday, on the first leg of a tour designed to promote Barca's brand in the region.
The second half was a drab affair with the teams making multiple changes to their lineups, which disrupted the flow.
There were few attacks, and the fans showed their displeasure by whistling at the players.
Many will have already been disgruntled after the match venue was moved from Bukit Jalil National Stadium because of an uneven pitch, which Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin described as an "embarrassment" for the country.
Barcelona, however, managed to add a third after 74 minutes through Gerard Pique, who rammed the ball past substitute goalkeeper Farizal Marlias.
The tour comes three years after Barcelona's last visit to the football-mad continent, before the start of the La Liga season later this month.
Barcelona vice president Jordi Moix Latas said a survey by the club showed it had more fans in Asia than Europe and the Americas combined.
More than 40,000 tickets were sold for the friendly in Malaysia.
"We realise not all our fans can afford to fly to Spain to watch us, and we want to reward them by coming here and spreading our brand," he said.
"In fact, our number one Facebook fans are from Indonesia. As such, we intend to travel to this region for more pre-season matches in the coming years."


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— Mohd Nazim Ganti Shaari
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 08, 2012
DEC 8 — Myth No.1: "Malays are guaranteed to receive all kinds of benefits, advantages and special treatment from the government (using taxpayers' money) simply on the basis of their membership to the Malay tribe."
It should be clear to anyone who has actually read Article 153 of the Federal Constitution that that particular view remains a myth. In fact, Article 153 focuses on both "special position of the Malays/natives of Sabah and Sarawak" together with "legitimate interests of other communities". Anyone reading further than the constitution itself could and would discover that the framers of the constitution back in 1957 did not have any intention to enshrine it into permanency.
Furthermore, it was Umno who proposed for Article 153 to be reviewed after some time, the same opinion that was also shared by the Conference of Rulers. When one goes back to the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1948, which gave birth to our present Article 153, one would similarly discover that the focus was both on the "special position of the Malays" AND (this writer's emphasis) "legitimate interests of other communities".
Closer to this century, one could similarly open the government's White Paper entitled "Towards National Harmony". The aim of this White Paper that was prepared and published in 1971 was to inform and educate Malaysian citizens regarding the intention of the ruling political party to amend Article 153 in enlarging the powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong therein.
It is very interesting to note that in this White Paper, that was prepared and published by the government of the father of our current prime minister in 1971, the Tun Abdul Razak government emphasised that the purpose of Article 153 was simply to address the economic imbalances among the different races back then, as opposed to the supposed manifestation of the supremacy of the Malays.
In fact, the Razak government disagreed giving scholarships to all Malay university students on the basis that it would be an unjust enrichment to the rich Malays, thereby supporting the idea under social theory that one must always guard against giving benefits to the wealthy especially so when giving special treatment to any marginalised community.
Myth No.2: "We (the Malays/public servants) must be loyal to the government."
In a country that practices democracy, the government is formed by the ruling political party, who is voted to be in power by the citizens. As much as the citizens have the right to elect whomever to be in the government is as much as the citizens have the right to disagree with the government, or even to vote for a different political party to be in power. A Malaysian citizen owes his/her loyalty to the Federation of Malaysia, not to the government, and certainly not to any political party, ruling or otherwise. In Lim Lian Geok vs Minister of the Interior, Federation of Malaya [1962] MLJ 159: per Thomson CJ:
"What we are concerned with here is disloyalty or disaffection which would justify depriving a citizen of his citizenship and on that it is I think clear that at least one essential element in such disloyalty or disaffection must be something more than mere disapproval of existing constitutional arrangements or of the policy of those who for the time being are in control of the Government. After all the Constitution is not something that has been brought down from the heights of Pisgah nor do the persons who for the time being constitute its Government and lay down its policy enjoy political immortality any more than they enjoy personal immortality. The Constitution itself contains in gremio the means by which it may itself be changed and the means by which what is popularly called the Government can be changed easily and without any fundamental damage being done, if such be the will of the citizens. Clearly, then, if a citizen merely dislikes and wishes to change any of the provisions of the Constitution or dislikes and wishes to change the Government of the day in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution designed to facilitate such a change or dislikes and wishes to have changed any part of the policy of Government and if he states his views publicly with a view to persuading his fellow citizens to operate the machinery of the Constitution in such a way as to bring about the changes he would wish to see them, to my mind, there can be no question of disloyalty or disaffection.
"If, however, he acts and speaks in such a way as to excite his fellow citizens to disobey the laws rather than to change them; if he behaves in such a way as to endanger the domestic peace and tranquillity or the enjoyment of law and order which the Federation must assure to its citizens if it is to continue to exist; if it is the natural and probable consequences of what he says and does that some citizens may be moved to effect changes in the persons making up or in the machinery of Government otherwise than in the way provided for by the Constitution itself; then and in any one of such cases it would, to my mind, be open as a matter of law to say that that individual's conduct showed disloyalty or disaffection."
Further, public servants are required to be neutral. A long time ago, an infamous vice-chancellor of a certain university tried to pontificate that his university staff must be loyal to Umno/Barisan Nasional since Umno/Barisan Nasional formed the government, and that the same rationale applies if PAS/DAP/PKR were to form the government. This opinion is devoid of substance since loyalty to the ruling political party which is cloaked with the veil/label of "government" takes away the neutrality of the public servants.
This neutrality/impartiality is the bedrock of good governance in which the doctrine of separation of powers demands that public servants are not agents/servants to the politicians. Even if the government were to pass any legislation demanding public servants to be loyal to the "government" (ruling political party), such a law would be unconstitutional and thereby null and void, and surely in the year 2012 everyone would know by now that there is no "parliamentary supremacy" or even "governmental supremacy" in Malaysia in which the government cannot rule the country according to its whims and fancies since Article 4 of the Federal Constitution declares that it is the constitution that is supreme in Malaysia.
Therefore it is strange to hear complaints from some public servants that they had been found guilty of "anti-government" activities just by attending a ceramah by DAP/PAS/PKR. It is even stranger to hear complaints from some university students that they had been asked by the student affairs department to spy on their fellow students and lecturers for any "anti-government" sentiments/activities.
With all of these myths exposed bare, why do the majority of mainstream politicians, a certain number of public servants, a certain number of lecturers and professors and politicians-masquerading-as-academicians still regurgitate these same myths? Are they ignorant? Could it be that the ones who still spout such nonsense are shameless sycophants?
I pray for the former, since I could make an attempt to educate them. If they were sycophants who only care to protect their own personal interests and the interests of their political masters, contempt does not even begin to describe how I feel towards them since these are the real traitors to the Federation of Malaysia.


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Kentucky has 268 new NBCTs! The NBCT's, their guests, KY House and Senate legislators, and other education dignitaries gathered for a ceremony honoring their new Board Certified status today at the Governor's Mansion. KEA members who were recently awarded certification for their accomplished teaching were commended in a KEA sponsored pre-ceremony which brought acclaim and congratulations from Speaker of the House, Greg Stumbo, KY Teacher of the Year, Kristal Doolin from Corbin, Dr. Ron Thorpe, President and CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Executive Assistant to the Governor, Colmon Elridge and KEA President Sharron Oxendine. Mary Ann Blankenship, KEA Executive Director served as Mistress of Ceremonies.
Ms. Doolin, a language arts teacher at Corbin Middle School, spoke of "enduring" this intense process that requires much analysis of the candidate's practice. She challenged the new NBCTs to "carry the torch, continue your growth and model for other teachers what National Board Certification can do for them." Dr. Thorpe urged the group to raise the percentage of NBC teachers here in Kentucky—already over 6% (one of the highest percentages in the nation), so that every child, every student –especially our preschool and early elementary students—has the opportunity to learn from an accomplished teacher.
Speaker Stumbo, while bringing greetings from the Legislature, reminded us of the courage it takes to bring about education reform in Kentucky, and that courage will be needed to continue making progress and growth in poor economic times. He shared how a teacher made a difference in his life and impacted his life's journey. Perhaps the most personal story about his relationship with teachers and education that altered his life's path, was Executive Assistant Elridge. "You make the difference for the boys and girls without opportunity. You give hope and guidance to those of us that have few if any paths to follow. Keep on, keep on."
This is the fourth NBCT Reception KEA has held prior to the official "Hill Day Celebration" sponsored by the KY Education Profession Standards Board in the Capitol Rotunda.


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Hi, I'm trying to make a program to run in the background on my computer that times how long the computer has been running for. I can set it as a scheduled task to run on startup, but I don't know if its possible to detect when windows is shutting down so that it can save the result to a file or something. I've tried doing some research, but all i can find is stuff about WM_QueryEndSession, but not anything relevant to C programming.
Can anyone help?


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Naren Chandrashekar, MD
Following His Destiny
While he doesn't recall a specific event that made him want to become a doctor, Eisenhower Nephrologist Naren Chandrashekar, MD cannot remember wanting to do anything else. "I've always known I wanted to be a doctor. I think the fact that I came from a family of doctors — my father is a doctor and so is my uncle — may have been the reason. It seemed natural."
With a career path clear in his mind, Naren headed to the University of California, Los Angeles for his under-graduate work, and then it was off to Tufts University in Boston for medical school. He completed a three-year residency in internal medicine followed by a fellowship in nephrology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. "I was drawn to nephrology because of the complexities of the kidney," Chandrashekar says. "I was also very fortunate to have some excellent mentors at medical school and during residency who were nephrologists that I really admired."
In 2002, Dr. Chandrashekar came to Eisenhower to join his father, who has been practicing in the desert since 1979. Chandrashekar treats primarily adult patients for everything from kidney failure to difficult to control high blood pressure and evaluation for kidney stones. "The kidney requires a lot of thought and calculation to treat it effectively," Dr. Chandrashekar explains. "I am drawn to its physiology…and find it to be one of the most interesting organs in the body."
Dr. Chandrashekar has been with Eisenhower Medical Center for seven years, four of which have been spent as Section Chief of Nephrology. "The caliber of the medical staff and their commitment to patient care makes it a pleasure to practice here. The number of highly talented physicians at Eisenhower allows me to provide my patients with the absolute best treatment options. You sometimes are concerned when you go to a smaller hospital that there may not be many high level physicians. This is not the case at Eisenhower. It is a unique place for a small town. If I need help with any patient, whether they have a heart problem or other medical problem, there is someone who is well versed in that field. Eisenhower is a wonderful place to provide care for the whole patient.""There are an increasing number of people with some degree of chronic kidney disease and with kidney failure who will need dialysis. People with kidney failure on dialysis still have a very high mortality rate of around 20 percent per year. I am looking forward to research that will help us understand how to curb kidney failure and decrease this mortality rate once a patient is on dialysis."—-Naren Chandrashekar, MD
When he is not practicing medicine, you can find Dr. Chandrashekar enjoying time with his family, cooking or exercising — "the latter made necessary by the former," he chuckles. His two children Chaya, age eight, and Ardan, age three, and wife Aloka enjoy going on family vacations to the beach and mountains. A favorite recent trip was to Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia, Canada. "Ardan got on skis last year. That was a quite an accomplishment!"
The doctor and his wife can frequently be found in the kitchen making anything from entrées to soufflés. "It is something we like doing together. It's an enjoyable release." Dr. Chandrashekar is also quite adept at grilling. "We did a lot of grilling and barbecuing when I was a resident in Texas."
Content with his work and home life, Dr. Chandrashekar is excited about the potential for future research in nephrology. "There are an increasing number of people with some degree of chronic kidney disease and with kidney failure who will need dialysis. People with kidney failure on dialysis still have a very high mortality rate of around 20 percent per year. I am looking forward to research that will help us understand how to curb kidney failure and decrease this mortality rate once a patient is on dialysis."


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It's the new year and we are well on our way in building our GS Giant adventure riding community. Our mission in life is to support adventure riders by helping out with as many events as we can, and we're glad you're a part of it.
You and your friends can expect countless opportunities for new adventures. The club's setup is making great progress and below is an update on where we are and where we are going.
Some of our accomplishments:
• The community has been going strong on Facebook with continued contributions to the group. Please remember to visit and post. Get your friends to like the Giant. This is our best way to get the word out.
• We established ourselves as an official BMW MOA chartered club and incorporated as a not for profit organization making it more practical to setup riding events.
• We now have a way to collect and manage funds to support these events.
• We are about to launch our initial website with an event calendar and forum. It'll be a great place to hang out, get news about this year's GS Giant and other events, and where you can register for everything being planned.
• Several Giants have ridden in recent dual-sport events, and more are planning to ride additional events in the months surrounding the MOA rally.
• We established an initial set of events that will get even more rides and events started.
Your help is needed to continue making progress.
We haven't set up a formalized dues structure to fund club administrative activities like charter fees, insurance, legal support, website hosting, signage, etc. We need some funding to complete these necessary activities. Please help us accomplish our goals with a donation to the GS Giants. Click here: Pay Pal - GS Giants or visit The GS Giant Facebook page for information on how to donate.
With adequate funding, here is where we are going:
• Organize the annual March Moto Madness event, March 29-31 in east Tennessee.
• Set up a GS event in Utah coinciding with the MotoGP and Superbike races.
• Support the next GS Giant event at the Missouri MOA rally with volunteers.
• Establish the first annual GS Octoberfest rally.
• Continue to organize local rides and events as well as promote new membership.
• Work with local dual sport ride organizers to include big bike friendly rides.
• Become an AMA chartered club with the ability to officially organize, insure, and promote events.
• Grow the website and forums with expanded relevant content.
We need to act quickly and get the word out. The riding season will be in full swing before long. Please be sure to post often in the GS Giant Facebook page, follow @TheGSGiant on Twitter and like, retweet and comment as much as you can.
The time is now. Almost every manufacturer now has an "adventure bike" in their lineup, which is a great sign that our sport is definitely growing. Stats show that more riders are choosing the adventure bikes, so that's our opportunity to grow our community by welcoming new riders and helping out at events. Help us grow the club so we have a place for new riders to find like-minded individuals to share in new adventures.


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Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies: Kelvin Universe' started by Noddy, Sep 30, 2013.
[Music FX: Killer space guitar solo]
"Now Norman if you'd be a cool cat and... coordinate!"
More embarressing than dangerous
Yeah. Nero may not have been in the Romulan version of Mensa, but he set the bar damn high for future villains when he created a brand new timeline and then destroyed Vulcan in it, to boot.
We reach.
Speaking of hijackings, Spock's hijacking the Enterprise was flawless. Other hijackers should learn from him. The only one to do it better was Data. Barely. Integrity and morality aside, I'd rather have my chances against Khan than against Spock.
Had, in TWOK, Kirk ordered to raise the shields as Saavik/regulations suggested, the Reliant wouldn't have been a problem for the Enterprise. Because Kirk + Spock + fully functional ship >>>> Khan + fully functional ship. They would have come up with the prefix code idea as well, but with full power.
So Khan's surprise attack could also count as pretty embarrassing.
It's kind of a wasted opportunity that in The Search for Spock Kirk did not have to answer for that.
With the exception of TMP and maybe TVH, the TOS movies seem predicated on the TOS crew and Starfleet being bumbling idiots. TWOK was the worse of the lot for this.
Fine Enterprise is the only ship in the sector--why the Enterprise is hanging around on a training cruise in a sector that has both a top secret research lab and Kirk's old girlfriend, who knows, but it is. Starfleet should have figured out something was up and sent out an extra ship or two to back up the Enterprise. "Could be nothing, garbled communications"...from your top secret research lab that's building a super torpedo that reformats planets. I think that's worth sending a cruiser or two to back up the outdated training ship full of cadets.
Kirk defies all common sense, even after a junior officer tells him they should raise shields; to top it off Spock calls her down on it. The Enterprise crippled, a lot of the TRAINEE crew wounded, power failing, Kirk decides to continue on to Regula instead--oh I don't know--hauling ass to a starbase or getting out of jamming range and getting a squadron chasing down Khan.
As long as it's been brought up, if we were going to make a list of the worst blunders ever by a Trek captain, Kirk not raising the ship's shields in TWOK would be in my top three. Everything that happens in the story after that, including Spock's death, unfolds because of that moment of conceit or hubris. Even when I watch TWOK today, I still keep thinking maybe this time Kirk's better judgement will kick in an he'll raise shields. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
Actually, Regula-1 was a civilian laboratory, and there was nothing "top secret" about it. The work they were doing there was a secret, but only because Carol Marcus didn't tell anyone but Starfleet what they were up to (in a request for funding) and Starfleet didn't go blabbing it to everyone willy-nilly.
It would be like getting an angry phone from call an antarctic research base about somebody messing around with their polywell experiment; the commander who gets the job of investigating it winds up using a google search to figure out what a "polywell" actually is.
That's his style, dude. He did the same thing against Nero. And it worked -- both times.
Regula - Again, makes no sense. Starfleet knows what they're building, know what it could do, send a trainee ship with no back up. It's more akin to the someone at the Manhattan Project calling Washington DC with a garbled call about someone demanding they hand over their research and Washington shrugging it off as a bad phone line.
Fine Enterprise is the only ship in the sector, but you send another cruiser or two to back up and make sure your plantary WMD is safe. (be fair, the only ship in the sector this is a running issue in Trek)
And we're still have no reason for Kirk to be cruising around Carol's neighborhood.
1) TWOK Kirk is supposedly an older, wiser, Admiral. Spock should have backed Saavik up, instead of calling her down for it. Hell, even McCoy didn't call Kirk out for being an idiot. Much less Scotty who had more of a right than anyone to rip Kirk a new one.
2) In Nu-Kirk's case, we actually have a reason:
(1) Nero is blowing the hell out of everything in his path and his hauling for Earth. He's already destroyed a fleet and one planet, and his packed to the teeth with weapons and is fucking nuts.
(2) We know the fleet is out of range cause they're on the other side of the Federation at the time this all goes down. They're kind of caught there by circumstances.
(3) Inexperience and ego..
Actually, it's more like the lead researcher at CERN leaving an angry/garbled message on his ex-wife's answering machine and the Navy deciding to send somebody to see if he's okay.
Remember, Genesis was INTENDED for peaceful purposes and technically it isn't even Starfleet property.
You're right, they should have contacted the next nearest ship in the sector and sent it over to help Enterprise in case the situation got out of hand.
What WAS the next nearest starship, by the way?
I thought they were cruising around the Sol system and Regula just happened to be relatively close to Earth.
So, his 'style' is to get lucky contrary to common sense, simply because the writers said do.
Talk about a badly written character.
So, Jim Kirk throughout the course of Trek lore in a nutshell?
Yeah, the last chance move that depends on luck is a Trek staple. Even Spock pulled that one in Galileo Seven. (And it was kind of the theme of the episode)
The filmmakers treating Khan like he was some great Joker-tier antagonist really did feel out of place. The closest Trek ever had a recurring nemesis was with Gul Dukat, and that was for DS9. It sort of the same thing with Darth Vader starting off as a really cool henchman with only one movie where he was really in charge (Empire), but for after awhile the perception of him being the biggest baddest thing in the galaxy exploded, with the prequels going by that sentiment rather than having Anakin's story be something of a tragic subplot.
The public at large wouldn't know Gul Dukat from a seagull.
Unlike Vader, Khan was never a henchman. He was the bad guy in two previous Trek installments.
Harry Mudd appeared in three Treks. Q in several episodes over three different series.
You missed my point. I only brought up Dukat because he was the closest thing there was to a true recurring nemesis, which has nothing to do with how popular he is. My point about Vader is that he became over emphasized among fandom as the baddest villain, something that STID has done with Khan's importance.
It was done long before STID. The fandom amped up Khan's rep over the years purely based on TWOK.
I am with Kirk on this one, I am laughing at the superior intellect!
Someone will say: "But he - yada yada yada." No. Kirk simply "got caught with his britches down." Had Kirk been on his game from the start Khan would have been ashes far earlier than he did.[/nerd]
Dukat's only seems "truer" because of the serial nature of DS9. The ones I mentioned are true recurring nemesis as well. Species like the Klingon, Borg and Romulans count too, even though they aren't individual characters.
Boba Fett is a better candidate of a character taking off in popularity, who really does nothing. He's pretty much the poster child for that. Vader's popularity might be why he becomes Luke's father in Empire and tries to take over in Jedi. He's a cool visual, which is why he's bigger than the Death Star on the posters. He's also the guy who captures Leia and kills Ben. So I think he's a little bit more than a henchman. He's probably as important as Tarkin to the film's villainy.
STID calls Khan the "baddest villain" because he's the villain in STID. They aren't going to have Spock say, "Yeah, he's bad news. But there's this other guy who's worse. Lucky you're not facing him."
Separate names with a comma.