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|View Poll Results: Who were your favourite S2 Nanoha characters? Multiple choice allowed!
|Nanoha Takamachi
|Yuuno Scrya
|Fate Testarossa
|Lindy Haraoun
|Chrono Haraoun
|Amy Limietta
|Arisa Bannings
|Suzuka Tsukimura
|Hayate Yagami
|Aria Liese
|Lotte Liese
|Gil Graham
|Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 277. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2010-11-24, 20:24
|Link #61
Goat Herder
Join Date: Jun 2008
Age: 30
|2010-11-24, 20:30
|Link #63
Goat Herder
Join Date: Jun 2008
Age: 30
|2010-11-24, 20:41
|Link #64
I don't see what the issue is. I certainly didn't mistake them for Clyde, and anyone who would have known about the masked people interfering, would have known Clyde was dead. Not once did the characters comment on it.
For once, I actually thought it was a good disguise for a character in a show. They changed into a tall male, which totally hid their identity. Usually, the most we get when someone disguises themselves, is a mask and a different outfit. Or Shamal's trenchcoat, heh.
|2010-11-24, 20:51
|Link #65
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Canada, Sault Ste. Marie
Well, logically speaking, dressing up as a guy who died the last time a deadly artifact appeared probably isn't the perfect disguise for getting involved the next time it does so. There's coincidences, and then there's that.
Besides, there's no specific reason why they couldn't have just come up with a disguise that didn't look like anyone. Did they have to dress up as Clyde?
But I digress, this is getting derailed.
|2010-11-24, 21:27
|Link #66
The Flame Crussader
Join Date: Aug 2009
Well, all of my favourites of S1 have their moments on A's and before showing my new favourites i'm gonna talk on them:
Nanoha Takamachi - Has matured a bit since S1, now a responsible and dedicated girl who trains her magical abilities constantly, i like her evolution on this series, she's welcomed with the beating of her life at the hands of Vita but from that point onwards Nanoha finally came to temrs with reality and understands that some opponents are not willing to talk that easily and that she need to put herself togheter and do her best to make them listen and help them, also her cheerful energy comes a lot stronger than S1.
Yuuno Scrya - I like his developement here, his shipping with Nanoha gets dowplayed but i think is for the better, that manner Yuuno proves his worth as a valuable ally by saving Nanoha's(and potentially everyone) a couple of times, showing more of his unique skills and bringing valuable help on the case of the book of darkness, it's a shame such a good character get downgraded so much because of the fanrage, it would be nice if his ship with Nanoha was sanked and finally let the guy doing things on his own.
Chrno Harllown - I'll think he receive more developement here than in S1, he's directly related to the current case, most of the new characters and secrets from the TSAB revolves around him and also have critical interventions during battles, apparently he's outclassed by the Wolkenritter but is showed that maybe he can hold his own against them(as he's mostly stopped by the masked guy rather than the knights themselves), he shows more his onii-chan side towards Fate and helps the plot to move along.
Arisa Bannings - Sadly, her role is greatly reduced for this season but with all the asskicking and cool enemies appearing from all sides there's few time left for friends and family so it's more or less understandable, still her few scenes are fun as always and is pretty interesting to see her little shades of jealousy towards Fate(more accentuated in the A's manga) for being perfect and more close to Nanoha than her, but at the end shows once more her kind side by making peace with things and accepting Fate into the group even being firendly and helping Fate by herself, at the end she discovers the truth and even if suspicious(as Arisa is no fool and always like to think on details) she brings her support not only to Nanoah and fate, but also towards all the new friends, all with her noisy attitude, and that's why i like her so much.
NOTE: On a curious note Arisa and Vita actually meet before the final battle on an onsen during one of the sound stages and end being good friends with one another xD
Now finally moving onto my favourite characters added to the list during A's:
Fate Tesstarossa - While she was cool on S1 it also was too generic for my taste(looking more like someone for Nanoha to save) so i didn't included her on my list. Now in A's it's another matter entirely. Fate is an awesome and more complete character now, her introduction saving Nanoha is made of pure WIN!, specially since she promised her at the end of S1 that she will save her when she's in trouble wich she does. Her battle with Vita is pretty cool, in the past Fate's potential is somewhat crippled by her emotions towards her cruel mother, but now she shows what a determinated and focused Fate is capable off. She takes on Signum, the leader of the oppossing team(of all people), and proves to be a worthy match for the mighty knight pushing her to not take Fate lightly, also she's the one among the heroes who understands Signum and the Wolkenritter's motivations the most, because she experienced it first hand, for me, this season is when Fate's characterization is finally defined as she comes as a gentle but serious and courageous warrior(to note, i don't like her that much on StrikerS, they toned down her warrior-like atributes and focused on her "nice" side a bit too much).
Signum - Well, here we go. It's(or was, i'm not sure anymore, only time tells) my favourite character of the entire franchise(with Arisa as my 2nd favourite). the first impression i get from her was, ironically, a negative one. After Fate's amazing introduction the heroic blonde takes on Vita and with mere skill nearly defeats her(quite impressive taking in consideration Vita's superior power) ...until that pesky pink-haired Mary Sue came out of nowhere and pummels her to the ground in an instant, then she tanks Photon Lancer without breaking a sweat and talks, and that's when i'm start to pay attention, sure she talks of how much Fate is screwed against a Belkan Knight but not before praising the young mage's skill. then it gets a few scenes with Hayate and then came out the 2nd confrontation with Fate and that's the defining moment when i'm start to like her, the mentioned image of a "vain mary sue" crumbles to give pace to one of the most Badass knight-like amazons i have the privilege of meet. everytime she talks, everytime she fights, the deveotion to her duty and her misstress combined with her unique traits(as someone says, never anyone dressed in Pink have looked so badass before) made any moment she appears an awesome one. her chemistry with other characters is disproportionate, she's mostly focused on Fate as she recognizes not only Fate's skills but also her gentle and courageous heart, even finding herself enjoying fighting her(somthing that apparently Signum hasn't finded in ages), her other relationships are exclusively with her family, with her serious and collected behavior there's not much to develop really besides her defrosting coldness towards Hayate(Vita is the one who covers that part), she's a simple and incredibly cool character and i love her for that(until some incident but that dosen't go here).
Shamal - The mother-like Knight of the Lake, there's not much to say really. I like her because is the warm and kind character who complements the other ones(Signum's stoicness, Vita's rudeness and Zafira's quietness) its also the type of character whose flaws make her more likeable(yes, like Arisa). She's the one who cares for the well being of the group and reasures Hayate that everyone loves her and are grateful for being her family. also proves to be able to cross great lenghts in order to protect her loved ones(yeah she has almost no fightng skills and her methods are sneaky but i can never forget her assault on Nanoha, just can't, Shamal really can be scary when she put her mind into it).
Vita - I inderstand why vita is the favourite among the Wolkenritter to much of the audience and i agree with the reasons, it's simply Signum had much more impact on me, that's all. Besides, Vita is a very accurate addition to the cast, accumulating various elemnts and blending it into one little but very interesting character. She's rude but caring, she can be childish but also can beat you to a pulp, it's a lonely girl stranged from everyone, even from her knight partners until she meets Hayate who shows her how being loved feels like Vita welcomes that feeling but being unexperinced she also hold it as the most precious thing in the world and is ready to protect it at all costs that's why i think her personality is so volatile, her beloved master is in danger, the first person she actually cares for needs her help and she will do all in her power to save her(at first i want her head on a silver plate after watch what she did to Nanoha but after watching her crying and pleading to Shamal to save Hayate my fury completely dissapears and my heart melts T-T). Like Signum, she's a total Badass n combat an when i choose "Honor" as the word to define Signum, Vita's defining trait is definetly "Bravery".
Aaaaand that's my opinion on my favourite A's characters, in fact i really like this season and i think everyone have their fair share of likeness but i'm forced to choose so here they are xD. Seeya, i'll watch you on the StrikerS Poll.
|2010-11-25, 16:15
|Link #67
Beta by Accident
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Maine
Age: 45
On the other hand, I despise the Liezes with such an unrelenting, unreasonable hatred that I have no problem assuming that they're deliberately choosing Clyde's appearance in a (failed) attempt to hurt Chrono and Lindy as much as possible just because they're bad people who take pleasure in causing as much suffering to everyone around them. But then, I also think that Lotte really intended to eat Yuuno, so my opinions on the Liezes are not particularly rational.
|2011-05-05, 05:17
|Link #69
Nanoha and Fate goes without saying, since there's no show without them. I also threw Vita a vote just because of the huge impression she made in the beginning. Unfortunately, she didn't get to do much later on.
Too bad Bardiche and his sexy voice isn't an option.
I like Hayate, this was really her moment to shine regardless of how brief it was. Her breakdown near the end was memorable.
I considered throwing poor Yuuno a pity vote since this is the last time anyone gives a damn about him and he did some cool stuff but overlooked it when voting because I'm as cruel to him as the writers are. >.>
P.S. Damn I miss some of these characters...
|Thread Tools

subset: commoncrawl


text:
He was 50 last month. Age ain't nothing but a number, apparently, because Yardism Vol 1—a paean to the influence of reggae and the cult of the soundsystem on British dance music—should go down as one of Beedle's career highlights. "Run the Track" opens up with spiky, cut-up "Crystal Woman"-style keys before in sways an elastic, stomping bassline, accompanied by '80s synth drum attacks, cowbells, string stabs and acidic hints. Despite the multitude of ingredients, it's perfectly balanced party house.
The rootsy inspiration is most marked on the rolling "Only You" with its sub-dancehall skippity riddim, dubby signatures and echo-drenched rim shots. "Your Acid Life," as the title hints, dials back to Beedle's early days in dance music with a Speak & Spell vocal riding over a pogoing synth and a steady drone, while on the locked-in groove of "Inner Burning," wobbling, molar-rattling bass and itchy hi-hats are peppered with rudeboy vocal drops and more acid doodlings.
Published /
Mon / 3 Dec 2012
Words /
Stephen Worthy
Tracklist /
01. Run the Track
02. Only You
03. Inner Burning
04. Your Acid Life


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I was just reading a blog that reported the typical pre-retiree had $42,000 in a 401(k) account as of 2010. Yet, I happen to know the actual figure is more like $100,000. These two numbers reveal how much confusion can arise over a simple statistic—how much people have saved in their 401(k)s.
What's the discrepancy? In 2010, 60% of pre-retiree households (age 55–64) owned a tax-deferred retirement account, that had a median value of $100,000.* The figure includes money in any of the alphabet soup of retirement accounts—401(k), 403(b), 457, profit-sharing, money purchase, etc. The money may be in a current or prior employer plan; it may also include funds rolled over (or contributed to) an IRA.
What about the other 40% of pre-retiree households? They have no retirement accounts—the value is zero. That's where the $42,000 figure comes from. $42,000 is the retirement account balance of all pre-retiree households—the 60% with a median value of $100,000 and the 40% with zero. As we say in the research world, the $100,000 value "excludes the zeros." The $42,000 value "includes the zeros."**
For the six in ten older households who have retirement accounts, a median balance of $100,000 will be a useful supplement to Social Security (and any other income sources such as pensions). It might generate $4,000-5,000 per year if used as a regular income source. That's hardly generous, but these balances are expected to continue to grow in the future and become an even larger source of retirement income.
But why do four out of ten older households not have a retirement account at all? There are two main reasons.
First, many smaller companies don't offer a retirement plan. This is sometimes called the "coverage" problem—as in, which workers are "covered" (or not) by a plan at work. The second reason is that these households once had an account—but cashed it out earlier in life. This is the so-called "leakage" problem—as in money "leaking" out of a retirement account and being used for other purposes.
U.S. 401(k)s are distinctive in that plan participants gain access to 100% of their account balance upon job change or loss. To discourage use of the funds, the tax code imposes income taxes plus a 10% penalty tax on any amount withdrawn. And indeed, many dollars saved are preserved for retirement. Account owners also have access to funds while they are working, through loans or various types of hardship and other withdrawals, although these are a much smaller source of "leakage."
However, some research suggests that, in a given year, one dollar leaks out of the system for every seven dollars contributed to retirement accounts (through leakage in all its forms).*** That's a high level of friction. It's probably worse in tough economic times, when some who have lost their jobs use retirement accounts as a form of private unemployment insurance.
As we think about maximizing retirement savings, it seems like there are two distinct issues. One is figuring out ways to expand tax-deferred savings to more companies. There are a variety of proposals floating around in Washington, too complex to itemize here, that attempt to do that. And the other question is whether to impose further restrictions on the flexible access that account holders enjoy today.
Meanwhile, these facts highlight the strategy for individuals seeking to help maximize balances in a tax-deferred retirement account. Work for an employer who offers a plan. Save regularly in it. And avoid the temptation to tap savings, particularly when changing jobs.
* Bricker, Jesse, Arthur B. Kennickell, Kevin B. Moore and John Sabelhaus, "Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2007 to 2010: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances," Federal Reserve Bulletin, 98 (2), June 2012, Table 6.
** Proving that even such a simple comparison isn't so simple – technically the $42,000 comes from sorting all pre-retiree households by aggregate net worth, looking at the middle 20% of households, and then arriving at the median holding in that group. It's not exactly the same calculation I describe, but it's close enough.
*** Bryant, Victoria L., Sarah Holden and John Sabelhaus, "Qualified Retirement Plans: Analysis of Distribution and Rollover Activity," Wharton Pension Research Council Working Paper 2011-01, Figure 1.
Note: All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of principal.


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How about that catch tonight? I know he's just a rookie, but I think he's one of the best baseball players I've ever seen.
How about that catch tonight? I know he's just a rookie, but I think he's one of the best baseball players I've ever seen.
i just checked his stat line on ESPN. batting .349, 19 home runs (on pace for 29), and 33 steals while only being caught 3 times (on pace for 50/5)
the guy's got a serious chance of winning both ROTY and MVP
There are 3 guarantees in life; death, taxes, and the leadoff walk coming around to score.
He's the easy choice for MVP at this point. I don't think there are many other players even close. Cano? Hamilton's been so cold. Trout is putting together a historic season. We may literally be seeing the best rookie year of all-time.
I definitely see a 40/40 season in his future.
He should be the unanimous AL MVP.
So the question is, who would you rather have going forward. Trout or Harper.
I'd go Trout. Dude is a beast.
to me its not even close. i go with trout b/c i now know what he's capable of. harper could end up being better but the safer choice seems to be trout.
Why didn't the Angels have him on the team on opening day?
The gap between what Harper and Trout have done to this point in their careers is massive. Sure both have potential through the roof, but given they're both still really young I think it's the easiest choice ever bc Trout has been ridiculously more productive. OPSing over 1000, stealing 30+ bases at a >90% success rate, and arguably the best defensive center fielder in the game. 6.8 fWAR in 85 games. That is absurd.
I'd be curious what Trout would command if he was a free agent right now. I wouldn't hesitate to give him 13/325
Joey Votto does not care about RBI.
As for the Trout/Harper thought....it's Trout by 10 miles right now (Harper on fumes a bit right now)....but Trout struggled in his opportunities as a 19 year old in the bigs last year.
But right now....he's 20....he didn't start until May and if he keeps this up you have a LEADOFF hitter with an OPS over 1.000 (.410 OB%, 600 Slug%)...29 HR, 32 2B, 8 3B, 142 runs, 90 RBI (bats leadoff and missed April, mind you)......200 hits, 58 stolen bases....gold glove defense and when he came up the Angels were 6-14 and are IMO the World Series favorites right now.
His skill set is a young Mickey Mantle....with young Joe DiMaggio stats, but add in the top base stealer in baseball.
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


text:
Barbara Walters Describes Being Caught Between Two Penises
It's no surprise that Marina Abramović's exhibit at MoMA ended up as a hot topic on The View. It's filled with naked people! Watch as Barbara Walters tries to describe her visit to the show as delicately as possible.
In one particular part of the exhibit-a retrospective of Abramović's career-musuem guests are confronted on either side of a small doorway by two naked people you must walk thru to get into the next room. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, don't worry. There are other empty doorways to use. We're just glad that Barbara—ballsy broad that she is—decided to take the plunge.


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Oz: The Complete Fifth Season DVD
8 episodes on 3 DVDs. "Visitation," "Laws of Gravity," "Next Stop: Valhalla," "Good Intentions," and "Impotence"-are collected in a three-disc set. 8 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital stereo, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; audio commentary on one episode; deleted scenes.
Audio Commentary: Audio Commentary: Episode 8 "Impotence" with Tom Fontana and Dean Winters
Other: Season 1 - 4 recaps
Read MoreLess
More Details
- Format: DVD
- Rating: Not Rated
- Number of Discs: 3
- Run Time: 480 Minutes
- Region: 1
- Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen
- Language: English
- Studio: HBO Home Video
- DVD Release Date: June 21, 2005
- Packaging: Digi-Pack
- Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo [CC]
SPANISH: Dolby Digital Mono
- Genre: TV Series
- Color: Color
Over 20 Minutes of Deleted Scenes
Commentary on Episode 8 "Impotence" Featuring Series Creator Tom Fontana and Dean Winters (Ryan O'Reily)
- Release Date: 2001
Availability: Backordered
Email me when item is available
In stock items are ready to ship in 5-7 Business Days
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March 31, 2010
Ooooh, New Eclipse Stills! Good Hair or Bad Hair?
32 comments:
Wow, Jackson Rathbones' hair is really bad!! I might change my mind when watching the film, because i thought that his hair was bad when new moon pics were released, then i got used to it. I hope i get used to this new hair, because i really don't like it at the moment.ReplyDelete
Uh, is it just me, or does Jasper's hair look more like "soft caramel waves" than Esme's...?ReplyDelete
@ norevoli - LMAO, i was kinda thinking the same thing.ReplyDelete
Bella's wig doesn't look to bad in these shots it's not distracting or anything. Nikki Reed looks gorgeous!
Wtf happened to Jaspers hair?!ReplyDelete
Gahhh. I can't even..ugh whatever.
why does it seem that jacob has gotten smaller? he looks as is he has less muscle definition then in new moon. am i crazy?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 12:01 PM
Jasper's hair is atrocious! Someone get a hair stylist on the set to try and fix the catastrophe that is the hair piece on this guy!ReplyDelete
Really, REALLY bad. I'm beyond disappointed. His hair looked best in Twilight, from that point on it just went downhill.
Bella's wig can breathe a sigh of relief as it is no longer the absolute worst wig in Eclipse.
Rosalie on the other hand looks great! Best out of all the Cullens.
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 12:08 PM
You know it's bad when Kristen's wig is actually the best one...ReplyDelete
@Plaid Guru: I thought the same thing! And he was supposed to have put on more muscle for Eclipse... perhaps we have just been spoiled and are used to lots of nommy muscles now?ReplyDelete
I agree with everyone about Bella's wig - if it looks like that the whole time it's not going to be a problem. Jasper, however, is going to have a hard time looking bad-ass with that Esme perm! Scariest Cullen of all, my ass!
I'm really starting to get beyond grumpy at the hair department for these movies!!!! Edward had red hair people!!!!! Did you miss all the bronze, copper refrences in the books?!?! Rob is not Edward-----Rob has brown hair, not Edward!!!!ReplyDelete
Let's not even discuss the issue of Jasper's hair. What a cluster that is. Sheesh!
Wow you guys are picky! I want to see a good movie just as much as you do but I don't think hair is going to ruin it! Kristen's wig isn't bad at all, tose graduation shots I think it was falling off. But Jasper...well not my fave but as long as everyone is good at acting I'm game!ReplyDelete
very exciting to see it all coming together, couple of issues that bother me however are jaspers hair, what the HALE is going on the ;), also im either going crazy or jacob looks smaller than usual? his muscles look less defined.ReplyDelete
however i do love bellas hair its looks great youd never know it was a wig if we didnt twi-stalk her online.
but rememebr these are all taken by the crews stills photographer so this is without all the special effects and add-ons well see on the end result when we see the movie :)
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 3:13 PM
why do they keep messing with jasper's hair?!?!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 3:31 PM
why do people constantly have to complain about SOMETHING??? we should just be happy that we get to see this movie being made. Please all this negativity is ridiculous!!ReplyDelete
The movie looks like its going to be beautiful, I love the colors.
Oh my Taycob! I love it! He looks awesome.ReplyDelete
Bella's hair = eeek!
Jasper's hair = yikes!
Edward and Jacob's hair looks awesome.
I am pleased. I think Bella's wig turned out ok.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 4:38 PM
jasper and bella's hair = total crapReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 4:59 PM
Bella's wig is looking a bit wiggy (in these shots) and I agree about Rosalie, Nikki is looking great, would love to have her hair.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 5:13 PM
Is anyone else bothered by Edward's sideburns??ReplyDelete
They're. So. Distracting.
Clearly, I totally agree with kat. Seems that the styling department people have completely forgotten the actors are supposed to RESEMBLE their characters. I mean, Hello? The movie you're making is based on a book! Show some respect. Why the heck is it so difficult to dye Rob's hair (and shave his sideburns) and get poor Jasper a wig that isn't totally cringe-worthy? It's not like they don't have the money or anything. It just baffles me :S
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 5:19 PM
@Anon 10:31 : You're forgetting that the styling is an important part of the movie-making process. Can you, for instance, imagine "Alice in Wonderland" without the superb costumes and make-up? It would make a whole lot of difference. And with the popularity and media attention Twiligh franchise is garnering I feel it is their responsibility to really do their best on every level and try to make a solid picture. If they're not willing, then why even bother? Half-assing a movie that has SO MUCH potential to be really good is a total waste of money and time. This lack of effort is really improper.ReplyDelete
- Marie
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 5:21 PM
Jaspers hair is soooo bad and why does Esme have dark hair? :D:DReplyDelete
Oh man!!! I love the one with the Cullens! Where'd Emmett get to? Bellas wig looks horrible, and Edward looks lickable, per usual. ;)ReplyDelete
After looking closer at the Cullen picture, I have to agree with Anonymous. Jaspers hair looks totally distracting. He reminds me of a girl on a shampoo commercial. LOL. If he could shake his hair out in slow motion we could all get a good laugh.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 5:56 PM
I think Kristen's wig is pretty good, but yeah, Jasper's hair is terrible. He seems to keep getting the ratty wigs. His hair hasn't been good since the first movie.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 5:57 PM
jeeeesus, kristens wig is so bad in pic #1! it's not so bad in the fireside one, then again it is half in darkness.ReplyDelete
rob looks uhmazing in pic #1 *humps computer screen* and taylor looks like he's lost weight.
i'm loving the cullen double denim effect look, and jaspers new hair do is very severus snape -esque. fail!
even taking all thee things into account, it still looks like eclipse is gonna be miles better than new moon. not that that's hard... stupid chris weitz.
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2010 at 9:48 PM
Rob (Eclipse) sideburns look just like the ones in the Bel Ami shots!!ReplyDelete
I don't think they're hair is that bad but poor Jasper...they need to leave his hair alone LoL. He still looks hot though ;) Everyone else's looks good ^.^ Rosalie's is way better :)ReplyDelete
As for everyone saying Jacob looks smaller, who cares, he still looks great ;) I think I like him this way better, he looks natural :)
agreed on most accounts....I'm definitely not feeling Jasper's wig AT ALL. His hair has never looked right to me, though (New Moon was the most realistic looking, in my opinion). Bella's hair in the first shot does look a big fake, but the shot by the campfire obviously looks realistic because she's in the dark. Overall, I'm sure the action and plot of the story will occupy viewers of the film more than the wigs....hopefully.ReplyDelete
oh poor jackson... he looks like a woman with that hair. >.<ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 1, 2010 at 7:16 PM
hmmmm....no one's known quite what to do with jackson's hair, huh?ReplyDelete
Without Edward's cool Twilight hair, he just looks like a normal person, to me... He doesn't look like anything special. Especially not a vampire. He looks like your average teenage boy - or man with those side burns!! He's supposed to have red/copper hair. Like he did in Twilight. I don't know... Something about the styling of Edward in this film just doesn't agree with me... I don't like it. He looks so BLAND!!ReplyDelete
Jasper's hair looks disgusting!! Looked best in Twilight, again.
Alice's hair annoys me, because she's supposed to have 'spiky' hair. Why does she now have a normal choppy bob? Where's the funkiness???
Esme's hair should be 'caramel' not dark brown.
Why are they making all these changes to the characters?? They were pretty much PERFECT in Twilight!! Why didn't they just keep the styling????? Vampires never sleep, so their hair should never get messed up - or change. They're 'dead' so their hair will never grow... Why has Jaspers grown so much??
Carlisle, Rosalie, Bella and Jacob look pretty much the same as they did in Twilight... Why couldn't that be the case for the rest of the cast???? =[
- SavannahJune 4, 2010 at 7:59 AM
Awesome!!! Fire side one is awesome!ReplyDelete
but wait...I think Jasper's hair got worse. And what is it that looks different about Rosalie? I can't put my finger on it.
- AnonymousJuly 7, 2010 at 7:18 AM
I hope the creaters of the films are reading all this feed back on edwards side burns and jaspers weid long hair. Because i do not want to sit through breaking dawn being totally distracting by HAIR!!ReplyDelete


text:
A Devotion to Innovation
|Rollformed fuel-tank brackets
make their through American Trim's integrated e-coat and
powder-coat line.
If not, then your company might become, if it has already not, one that stands in the of progress, rather than one that clears the . One manufacturer that knows how to get up front with technology development and stay ahead of its customers, to stay prepared for impending market challenges, is American Trim, LLC, headquartered in Lima, OH, where its research and development center also resides. The company supplies formed metal parts—stampings and rollformed components—to the transportation and appliance industries. But it does much more than make parts and welded assemblies.
"Our basic business strategy centers on three core competencies: form, decorate and coat," says John Swigard, American Trim's director of marketing, "supported by design and engineering. We're a one-stop shop for our transportation—heavy truck and automotive—and appliance customers. In addition, we're more than a supplier—we work with our customers as research and development partners. There are numerous opportunities to perform research and development in metalforming, finishing and coating technologies, but by working with our customers we can ensure that the projects we invest in produce tangible, useable results.
"Innovation has been a part of our culture since the beginning of this company," Swigard continues. "And, thanks to thevision of the State of Ohio and the City of Lima, and partnerships with local educational institutions such as Rhodes State College and The Ohio State University, we've been able to marry academics with manufacturing. We're committed to applying the grants that we receive, and focusing our own research and development investments in time and money, to advancing technology in a practical , so that we create jobs. That's our responsibility, and we intend to live up to it."
A Transportation and Decorated-Products Hub
American Trim began as a tool and die company in 1951, then migrated into stamping for primarily the appliance industry. The family-owned company now operates eight manufacturing
American Trim is working with The Ohio State University Department of Materials Science and Engineering and General Motors to apply high-velocity metalforming (HVMF) for the low-cost manufacture of fuel-cell plates (shown here) for use in hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
We recently visited the company's largest facility, a 500,000-sq.-ft. plant in Sidney, OH, the firm's hub for its transportation- and decorated-products business units. In one area of the plant, a line-die operation stamps high-volume appliance control panels. Roll-coating and screen-printing operations occupy a second portion of the plant, which also houses the firm's new integrated e-coat and powder-coat line. A third area of the facility houses equipment and operations dedicated to transportation products—forming, welding and assembly of truck bumpers, automotive cross members, fuel-tank brackets, and other weldments and modular assemblies. Stamping-press capacity peaks at 1600 tons; a robotic-tended four-press tandem line stamps heavy-truck bumpers.
"Within the last five years, we've shifted considerably to providing more value-added content," says Chris Highfield, the firm's director of North American sales and new markets. "We're working more to apply our extensive expertise in the heavy-truck market to the automotive market—heavy-gauge welding and assembly, for example. And we're working to help our customers consolidate parts through creative forming."
In one case, Highfield says, stamping and assembling a large radiator support, the firm developed an in-die tapping station to eliminate a weld nut and also redesigned the assembly to eliminate an L-shaped bracket and a secondary welding operation, carving 12 percent from the cost of every assembly.
Short-Run Low-Cost Tooling
Also for its stamping customers, American Trim has developed a concept for manufacturing short-term low-volume polymeric tooling that allows it to build tools in a fraction of the time typically required. "We call these bridge tools, to help our customers introduce new products to the market very quickly," says Highfield, "often in less than a month. We can stamp as many as 30,000 pieces with the tools, and in some cases, on very light-gauge materials, we've realized 100,000 stampings. The concept spurs our ability to be an agile manufacturer and offer one-piece flow."
Polymeric tooling, according to American Trim officials, uses a mold of composite material. The tooling has proven ideal for making parts for limited-production runs and to help customers quickly develop new, unique and market-specific trim components from material 0.080 in. and thinner. This allows American Trim's OEM partners to move quickly from concept to customer while minimizing investment in new tooling. In one case, for an appliance-industry customer, the firm moved from design consulting to production kickoff in just 8 weeks, compared to a traditional timeframe of 26 weeks.
Another potential application for polymeric tooling: short-run limited production of automotive parts. This concept was exemplified by the highly publicized interior lauded on the Lincoln MKS Moda concept vehicle. American Trim created a gold-patterned metallic instrument-panel accent trim for the vehicle, which Lincoln introduced at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show last November in Las Vegas. "For this project, we moved from design to prototype production and then to parts delivery for installation on the concept vehicle in just six weeks," says Highfield. "And moving to full production with polymeric tooling would add only a few additional weeks—we could go from concept to customer feasibility in less than 20 weeks."
One-of-a-Kind Integrated Coating Line
The real traffic-stopper at the Sidney plant, though, is the centrally located ntegrated electrocoating and powder-paint line. While plenty of metalformers and finishing companies offer separate lines for performing each process, few anywhere in the world can apply both coatings on one line.
"We installed the line in 2005 and it paid for itself in one year," says Highfield, "by eliminating queue time for parts—bumpers primarily—that require both coatings."
Beyond its integrated finishing line, American Trim devotes some of its research and development energy to further refining its coating capabilities, "to, again, carry us forward with our current customer base, and customers in other markets as well," says Swigard. One example is development of a very large physical-vapor-deposition (PVD) coating line, sized to handle truck bumpers.
|PMA Technical Conference
Hear American Trim's director of research and development Steve Hatkevich speak about the firm's commitment to research and development, and the progress it's making with commercializing the high-velocity metalforming process, at the PMA Technical Conference April 26-28 in Cleveland, OH. For more information, contact Deanna Nwosu at firstname.lastname@example.com; 216/901-8800.
"While most PVD coating lines may be 24-in. square or smaller, to coat small parts like reflectors and other bright components, our line is large enough to accommodate parts the size of a bumper," says Highfield, "parts as large as 2 by 2 by 10 ft." The company took delivery of its large PVD-coating chamber late in 2007 at its Advanced Material Commercialization Center in Lima.
American Trim developed large-part PVD coating capability to offer an alternative to environmentally unfriendly traditional metal-plating technologies such as hexavalent chrome plating. The project resulted from a partnership with Rhodes State College, funded by $1.38 million provided by Ohio's Third Frontier Wright Project, which supports innovative research and development efforts. The PVD process proves quicker and potentially equal to or less costly than chrome plating, and potentially is a truly green process—no discharge to the atmosphere or water. American Trim expects the process to soon be commercialized for production of automotive and heavy-truck components such as brush guards, bumpers, fuel tanks, grilles and interior trim components. In fact, the 2008 SEMA show also marked the firm's debut of a full-sized, PVD-coated heavy truck bumper.
"The end goal for PVD is for it to be substrate-neutral," says Highfield. "The next step is to advance the technology over plastic, and to introduce a variety of colors into the process."
Gaining a Foothold in the Alternative-Energy Market
American Trim also has secured funding from Ohio's Third Frontier Project to gain a front-row seat on the alternative-energy bandwagon. It is working with The Ohio State University department of Materials Science and Engineering and General Motors to apply high-velocity metalforming (HVMF) for the low-cost manufacture of fuel-cell plates for use in hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The fuel-cell project is one of 13 projects to receivefunding from $9 million in grants distributed by the Ohio Department of Development. American Trim's director of research and development Steve Hatkevich describes the firm's HVMF project:
"About 60 percent of the cost of a hydrogen fuel cell is the cost of the bipolar plate assembly. And it's going to take 500 to 1000 plates to make one fuel-cell vehicle… Currently, production of one plate takes 15 min. because the process is not automated. To make the required number of plates per year, we're building a line capable of making a plate every 6 sec."
The firm plans to expand the process into a production environment within an existing facility in the near future. HVMF, which allows materials to form in their hyperplastic state and promotes uniform strain distribution, promises to suppress wrinkling compared to traditional deep drawing, allowing deeper draws; the ability to design vehicle components with lower-cost materials due to improved formability with the process; reduced tooling costs; less reliance on lubricants; and improved control of springback.
"HVMF and large-component PVD are potential game changers," says Swigard, adding that HVMF can be applied to conventional automotive components as well. "We've demonstrated high-velocity forming of a sill plate that reduced the number of operations for forming and decorating from 26 to just six. Rather than using conventional transfer dies, we can form the part in one hit." MF
See also: American Trim
Related Enterprise Zones: Materials/Coatings, Tool & Die
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By Radio.com Staff
Britney Spears has released a new single titled "Clumsy."
Related: Britney Spears Premieres 'Make Me' Music Video
The track was co-written by Talay Riley whose credits include tracks for Chris Brown, Usher, Nick Jonas Ellie Goulding and many more.
The beat-poppin' track features abundant hooks and a chorus with the lyrics "Call me a fool/ Call me insane/ But don't call it a thing/ Closer to you/ Closer to pain/ It's better than far away." In the chorus Spears repeatedly chants the word "Clumsy."
Spears has already released two singles from her forthcoming ninth studio album Glory, "Private Show," and "Make Me," which features G-Eazy.
Glory arrives on August 26th.
A new track just hit @AppleMusic… Get #Clumsy now when you pre-order #Glory!! britney.lk/glory—
Britney Spears (@britneyspears) August 11, 2016


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Editor's note: This article erroneously reported the status of Chuck Jones' ability to practice law in South Carolina. Jones' license has been in suspension until a disciplinary hearing is held.
Jamie Trey Robinson had been out of prison just 42 days, binging on methamphetamine, when an armed robbery at Augusta Mall led to a carjacking and a series of crashes as he tried to flee an officer.
"Every one of those people could have been killed," Judge Michael N. Annis said of Robinson's victims on April 15, 2011.
Robinson, 37, pleaded guilty in Richmond County Superior Court to most of the 21 criminal charges he faced, including armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, criminal damage to property, and weapon and traffic offenses.
The judge imposed a 35-year prison sentence, joining some sentences and stacking others to ensure that Robinson serves 20 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
Robinson had a history of stealing and was sentenced to prison for a South Carolina strong-arm robbery in 2008, Assistant District Attorney John Markwalter told the judge.
The 2011 incident began about lunchtime at Augusta Mall. Robinson walked up and pulled a gun on James Wells, taking his cash and cellphone, the prosecutor said Wednesday. Sheriff's deputies had already been dispatched to the mall when Robinson crossed paths with Robert Ford. Robinson snatched Ford from his work van and took off, fleeing a sheriff's deputy in a marked car as ladders and other materials broke free from the van and crashed on the street, Markwalter said. Robinson collided with three other vehicles between the mall and the intersection of Wrightsboro Road and Capps Street, where he could no longer run.
He had been released from prison less than two months earlier and immediately fell in with a group that cooked methamphetamine and stayed high every day, defense attorney Travers Chance said. Robinson and Tyler Jones committed robberies to support their habit.
After the crime spree, what happened next led to more chaos, Chance said. Jones' father, lawyer Sidney "Chuck" Jones, offered to represent Robinson for free and smuggled tobacco and marijuana inside the Richmond County jail in hopes Robinson would take the fall for the Aiken robberies his son committed.
Robinson cooperated with Richmond County detectives, and Jones' father was arrested.
Chuck Jones pleaded guilty to 11 misdemeanor counts and received probation; his license in South Carolina has been under suspension until a disciplinary hearing is held.
Tyler Jones was convicted of robbery in South Carolina and sentenced to 22 years in prison.


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This experimental methodology, applicable at different scales, indicates that healthy areas of green infrastructure cover approximately a quarter of Europe's land. In many cases, these areas are also home to Europe's large wild animals, including the brown bear, wolf, reindeer and lynx. This underscores the need for effective conservation and restoration, the report says.
Roads, towns and other developments continue to fragment habitats, splitting wildlife populations into smaller groups, reducing the gene pool and making species more vulnerable to pressures such as climate change. The report authors map several corridors where the environment could be restored in order to reconnect habitat fragments.
There is some uncertainty in this analysis, the report notes. However, it provides a useful starting point for identifying priority areas for conservation and potential restoration.
The multiple benefits of green infrastructure were highlighted in EU Green Infrastructure Strategy, published last year. For example, in cities trees and green areas can prevent flooding, reduce air pollution and reduce noise levels. In addition, using natural systems in this way can often be cheaper and more robust than the typical 'grey' infrastructure such as concrete flood barriers. Many more examples are explained in a recent publication from the European Commission.]]>
World leaders increasingly recognise the scale of the problem, and at the 2012 Rio Earth Summit they committed to "a significant reduction in marine litter by 2025". The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which aims for seas to reach 'good environmental status' by 2020, recognises marine litter as one of the main threats to the marine environment alongside fisheries, pollution, invasive alien species and noise.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) will consider marine litter in its forthcoming assessment of the state of the marine environment, to be published in autumn 2014.
Fish, birds and other sea creatures also swallow pieces of litter which can eventually kill them – globally at least 43 % of cetacean species, all species of marine turtles, approximately 36 % of the world's seabird species and many species of fish have been reported to ingest marine litter. Animals can also become trapped in discarded nets or other rubbish. Around 10 % of the litter in the world's oceans is discarded fishing gear, which continues to catch fish – a phenomenon known as 'ghost fishing'.
Most of the litter in the sea is plastic, for example plastic bags, bottles, bottle caps and Styrofoam, mainly as a result of our current consumer habits where plastic packaging has increased dramatically. Part of the problem arises from the fact that these materials never biodegrade but are instead only partially degraded by sunlight. Together with the movement of the waves, this breaks the plastic into ever smaller pieces.
An emerging problem is caused by the way these 'microplastics' can accumulate harmful chemicals such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from the sea. When these are concentrated on a tiny piece of plastic, swallowing it can be deadly for some marine organisms. These small plastic particles also become part of the beach. For example, some studies have found many types of plastic to be commonplace in the sediment on the British coastline.
And it's not just wildlife that is affected by marine litter. It can eventually enter the human food chain, when microplastics are ingested by fish or shellfish which may subsequently be eaten by people. Researchers are currently looking into this emerging potential health risk.
There are also economic costs of this pollution, from beach cleaning to ruined fishing gear, from reduced tourism to fouled ship propellers. Such costs are set to grow as litter concentrations continue to increase in some areas.
Poor waste management and careless littering on land are two of the main causes of the problem, as waste is discharged into the sea via rivers or sewerage pipes, or washed into the sea by the wind and rain. Waste from cargo ships, cruise liners and fishing boats also often ends up in the ocean.
Because a large part of marine litter is consumer waste, educating people on its effects could significantly reduce the waste going into the sea, according to several studies. Shops should also take on some of the responsibility, for example making it easier for customers to return bottles or phasing out single-use plastic bags. The waste management industry also has a part to play in more effectively collecting and processing litter which would otherwise end up in the sea.
Next year the EEA will launch 'Marine LitterWatch', a new mobile phone app for conservation groups and other 'citizen scientists' to log and report the amount of litter they find on the beach. This information will help the EEA understand this growing problem and also provide data to support better policy implementation.
Litter is not the only problem affecting Europe's beaches. Untreated sewage and animal manure from farms also finds its way into the sea, which can be a risk to human health. To assess this problem, the EEA collates data on bacteria levels from more than 22 000 beaches across Europe. In 2012 the bathing water quality was generally very good, with approximately 94 % meeting the minimum standard. You can find out more about the water quality at your local beach by zooming into this map.]]>
Seventeen butterfly species are examined in 'The European Grassland Butterfly Indicator: 1990–2011', comprising seven widespread and 10 specialist species. Of the 17 species, eight have declined in Europe, two have remained stable and one increased. For six species the trend is uncertain.
Butterflies examined in the report include the Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), which has declined significantly, the Orangetip (Anthocharis cardamines), which seems to be stable since 1990, and the Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon), which shows an uncertain trend over the last two decades.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director, said: "This dramatic decline in grassland butterflies should ring alarm bells – in general Europe's grassland habitats are shrinking. If we fail to maintain these habitats we could lose many of these species forever. We must recognise the importance of butterflies and other insects – the pollination they carry out is essential for both natural ecosystems and agriculture."
Intensifying agriculture and abandoned land are the two main trends affecting the populations of grassland butterflies. Agriculture has intensified where the land is relatively flat and easy to cultivate, and, on the other hand,large areas of grasslands have been abandoned in mountainous and wet regions, mainly in eastern and southern Europe. Both intensification and abandonment result in the loss and degradation of habitat for grassland butterflies.
Agricultural intensification leads to uniform grasslands which are almost sterile for biodiversity. In addition, butterflies are also vulnerable to pesticides, often used in intensively managed farming systems.
Farmland is often abandoned for socio-economic reasons. When farming on low-productivity land brings only a small amount of income, and there is little or no support from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), farmers give up their enterprises and the land is left unmanaged. The grassland becomes overgrown and is soon replaced by scrub and woodland.
In some regions of north-western Europe, grassland butterflies are now almost restricted to road verges, railway sidings, rocky or wet places, urban areas and nature reserves. Areas using traditional low-input farming systems, known as High Nature Value Farmland, are also important habitats.
The report is based on the European Grassland Butterfly Indicator, compiled by De Vlinderstichting (Dutch Butterfly Conservation), Butterfly Conservation Europe and Statistics Netherlands, using data from 1990 to 2011. The indicator brings together information from national butterfly monitoring schemes in 19 countries across Europe, most of them European Union Member States. Thousands of trained professional and volunteer recorders count butterflies on approximately 3 500 transects scattered widely across Europe. This volunteer fieldwork is essential for understanding the state and trends of Europe's butterflies.
While the report is based on data from 1990 to 2011, it should be noted that in many areas of Europe the current changes in land use began before 1990. The report therefore suggests that the recent halving of butterfly numbers may be the most recent development in a much bigger long-term decline.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy recognises the poor conservation status of grasslands. Grasslands should be properly managed, the report states, both within Natura 2000 protected areas and on HNV farmland. A new system of payments under the Common Agricultural Policy could help support better management, the report says.
The European Grassland Butterfly Indicator could be used as a measure of success of agriculture policies. Sustainable funding of butterfly indicators would help validate and reform a range of policies and help achieve the goal of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2020.
The pictures below are available for reuse, with the condition that they are credited to Chris van Swaay, Dutch Butterfly Conservation.
Roads, buildings and other artificial surfaces are spreading in Europe, and almost half of this spread was on to farmland between 2000 and 2006. To a lesser extent, these
areas also encroached on forests, semi-natural and natural areas. Almost half of these surfaces were new residential areas, services and recreation facilities.
However, urban sprawl seemed to be slowing according to the data. Artificial land cover, such as roads and buildings, increased 2.3 % per year between 1990 and 2000, but this rate fell to 1.5 % between 2000 and 2006.
While only 4 % of Europe's land is covered by artificial surfaces, according to the data, this seems to be the only type of land cover which is increasing significantly in Europe. Forested areas cover 34 % of Europe. Grassland and other semi-natural vegetation makes up just 8 % of Europe's surface, while bare soils and wetlands cover 6 % and 2 % respectively.
Approximately 43 % of land is covered by agricultural areas, of which the most common types are non-irrigated arable land (50 %) and pasture (16 %). Both these types increased since 1990, according to the most recent data.
The fastest land use change happened in Portugal, Ireland, Hungary, Finland and Sweden. In contrast, the most stable landscape structure is found in mountainous areas such as the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Romanian part of the Carpathians and in the Scandinavian mountains (Norway). Most conversions to forest occurred in Finland and Norway, while most agricultural land conversions took place in Spain.
"Our high-consumption lifestyles are putting more pressure on the land," EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx said. "But beyond the proportion of land we are covering with concrete, there is another important effect – roads and other infrastructure are carving valuable habitats into increasingly smaller fragments, with serious consequences for some of Europe's most endangered species."
Alongside the analysis, the EEA presents more information on land use changes in different European countries in its land take indicator.
A new Corine Land Cover dataset is expected to be available in 2014. It will provide information on land cover change in the period 2006-2012.]]>
A story on Romania describes efforts to maintain populations of the red-footed falcon (Falco verpertinus), which is classified as 'near threatened' on the IUCN Red List. Numbers of the birds, which live interdependently with rooks, have fallen since the 1990s when agriculture intensified in Romania.
The Turkish story focuses on Lake Tuz in the middle of the Anatolian plain. The salt lake is the source of most of Turkey's salt, and is also renowned as a unique ecosystem with its rare and endangered halophytic (salt-loving) plants and insects, some of which are found only in this area.
The three stories published today follow others including a story on organic apple production in Switzerland, webcap mushrooms in Finland and Poland's Białowieża Forest, the last refuge of the European bison.
Taken as a whole, the ONE stories illustrate the biodiversity of Europe and its varied ecosystems, showing the threats and pressures they face, including habitat fragmentation and destruction, invasive alien species, pollution, over-harvesting and climate change.]]>
Protected areas are important havens for biodiversity and vital to preserving some of Europe's most threatened species, according to 'Protected areas in Europe – an overview', which looks at the status of national parks, nature reserves, biosphere reserves and other protected areas, including the EU's Natura 2000 network. These areas can place very different limits on human activity. For example, some allow building, fishing and industry, while others are closed to most human intervention.
"Europe has a far-reaching network of protected areas which can provide refuge to some of the most threatened species," EEA Executive Director Jacqueline McGlade said. "However, despite a huge growth in protected areas in recent years, many of Europe's species still face an uncertain future. Europe as a whole has seen more habitat fragmentation than any other continent. So we need to work harder to conserve species in the wider countryside."
The EU has a target for 10 % of its seas to be designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), although this aim has not yet been achieved. Habitats further out at sea are particularly under-represented in Europe's protected areas, the report notes.
Protected areas in Europe cover a huge variety of natural environments, across eleven distinct biogeographic regions, from the Arctic polar deserts and the boreal forests in the North to the arid or dense mattoral shrubland in the south. Vast tracts of steppe in Eastern Europe contrast with extensive heathlands in the West.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and also the Habitats Directive. The Habitats Directive led to the Natura 2000 network of protected areas, which has been a major driver in creating and maintaining key areas for biodiversity.
The EU aims to halt the loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and also work to slow biodiversity loss at the global level. Protected areas are important for meeting this target because they can provide a better environment for wildlife, which is increasingly under pressure in many parts of Europe.
The European landscape is increasingly fragmented by roads, railways and towns, blocking migration and dividing species into unsustainably small populations. Between 1990 and 2006, the area of Europe covered by artificial surfaces increased by around 8 %. Most dams prevent migratory fish species from reaching many inland river basins.
Agriculture has also intensified in many parts of Europe, leading to increased pollution from nitrates and other substances in some regions. This affects many species of plants and animals which are dependent on low-intensity farming.
Other environmental changes come from climate change, invasive alien species, overfishing and pollution. All these pressures can have a cumulative effect, in the worst cases pushing species and ecosystems into irreversible decline.
The earliest motives for protecting an area were probably to safeguard its spiritual significance or its importance as a hunting ground. What were once viewed as islands of wilderness are now increasingly perceived as parts of wider networks, involving and benefiting local communities. However, the intrinsic value of preserving nature is still a major motivating factor for setting up protected areas.
There are many other benefits of protected areas alongside protecting biodiversity. The report cites many positive side-effects, including economic benefits – for example, Natura 2000 sites receive between 1.2 and 2.2 billion visitor days every year, generating additional income of €50-85 billion.
Protected areas can also provide health benefits, education opportunities, clean water and air, and tourism. Marine Protected Areas can also increase the yields of nearby fisheries. A recent study by the European Commission estimated that the benefits of the Natura 2000 network to be 3-7 times the cost of setting it up.]]>
The report, 'Streamlining European biodiversity indicators 2020: Building a future on lessons learnt from the SEBI 2010 process' summarises achievements to date and is intended to help form the next stage of improving indicators for new biodiversity targets for 2020.
The SEBI process started in 2005 as a partnership with a pan-European dimension. Almost 150 experts helped to build a set of 26 indicators which show among other things genetic diversity of domesticated animals, trends in species populations and the extent of selected ecosystems and habitats, including protected areas. Other indicators look at threats to biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources, funding to protect biodiversity and public awareness of biodiversity issues.
The success of the SEBI initiative was largely due to the comprehensive way it brought together existing data and expertise from across Europe, developing a rigorous process for identifying indicators which are most relevant for policy. Moreover, the process inspired development of national biodiversity indicator sets in several European countries and other regions of the world.
The report argues that the SEBI process is an excellent template for further improvements to biodiversity indicators, allowing us to gain a more detailed and complex understanding of how nature is affected by our heavy footprint. It is only with enhanced information that we can properly direct policy and raise awareness, in order to halt the loss of biodiversity and restore the ecosystems that sustain us.
Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency (EEA), said: "Landscapes change constantly but in recent decades humans have often shaped them with little thought to the cumulative impacts and at a pace that is unprecedented."
"For the first time, this report presents the extent of landscape fragmentation across an entire continent using a scientifically sound method. It reveals the most relevant driving forces behind fragmentation, demonstrating that varying factors are relevant in different parts of Europe. The picture it paints is worrying."
The brown hare in Switzerland is an example of a species which has been pushed to the brink of extinction by landscape fragmentation in combination with other human impacts such as intensive agriculture. The animals' movement has been blocked by roads, so they find it more difficult to escape bad weather, and they are often killed by vehicles.
Extinction of the Swiss brown hare may be impossible to avoid as the 'point of no-return' may have been crossed. Indeed, animal populations often react slowly to changes in their habitat, so the current decline may be due to changes that occurred several decades ago, with further decline in animal populations across Europe to come as a result of more recent increases in landscape fragmentation.
However, it is not all bad news - the report also presents some positive stories. For example, badgers in the Netherlands were in decline for many years, until a 'defragmentation policy' was established in 1984, encouraging developers to build 'badger pipes' to allow easier and safer movement of these shy animals. The Dutch badger population has since increased slightly.
Although the situation is critical, there are several proactive policies for more effective protection of remaining unfragmented areas, and wildlife corridors which could successfully reverse the trend of growing fragmentation. Developers should build more tunnels, passages and bridges to allow animals to move more freely, the report says. In addition, planners should aim to upgrade old roads instead of building new roads, and 'bundle' new infrastructure, for example by building bypasses close to settlements or constructing road and rail routes next to each other.
Where the volume of traffic has fallen, roads should be reduced in size or dismantled completely. Most importantly, cumulative effects need to be considered more effectively in the future, based on the precautionary principle, to avoid repeating mistakes of the past. The problem of landscape fragmentation is also considered by the recently-adopted European Union Strategy on Biodiversity and Ecosystems, where green infrastructure features prominently.


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Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
An evocative and witty style distinguishes Broadbent's first novel, set in austere 1947 London (or "the Smoke," per the glossary of underworld slang that precedes the main text). Chapter One opens with the marvelous sentence: "So there I was lying on the roof, seeing through my ears and taking in the sounds of the night, my face pressed against the damp soot-covered tiles, yellowy-grey wisps of fog folding about me like cast-off mortuary shrouds." An initially slow, overly familiar plot and a rushed climax, however, show that this talented author is not yet master of his craft, while some readers may wish an editor had pruned some of the verbal extravagance. Where Broadbent excels is character, starting with his picaresque and charming rogue of a narrator, Jethro, whose spellbinding exploits as a "creeper" or cat burglar occupy much of the story. After breaking into the Russian embassy and stealing jewels belonging to the ambassador's wife, Jethro finds himself at odds with several gangs of dangerous people, including MI5, who want his services in retrieving a code book from the Soviets. He escapes harm by the intervention of one deus ex machina after another. Almost as engaging as Jethro are those out to give him trouble, especially Robert Browno of Scotland Yard's Flying Squad, an ogre of a DCI; the gangster Messima, aka the "Emperor of Soho"; and Chalkie White, Messima's weasel-like henchman. This strong debut marks Broadbent as definitely an author to watch. Agent, Jill Grosjean. (Sept. 16) Forecast: A fittingly gray, "smoky" jacket with plug from Michael Connelly prominently displayed should catch the eye of the casual browser. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
"The Smoke," according to Broadbent's "Glossary of London Underworld Slang," is London. This knockout first novel carries the reader deep into the labyrinthine streets of London immediately after World War II, a time of continued rationing, chaotic railways and roadways, and a populace in which just about everyone, from long habit, is constantly figuring how to bend the rules just a bit, or a great deal, to get ahead. Broadbent's hero, cat burglar Jethro, fits perfectly into this post-Blitz zeitgeist. A witty and jaunty opportunist, Jethro serves as combination narrator and tour guide through his own adventures and craft. The first four chapters (arguably one of the most exquisitely suspenseful openings in crime fiction) offer Jethro's take on a "creep" (slang for a cat burglary) he conducts in the Soviet Embassy. Jethro just barely gets away with the jewels and his life, but he doesn'st escape completely. His Majesty's Secret Service learns of the successful heist and coerces Jethro into going back one more time, to lift a ledger that contains a highly sensitive code. Unfortunately for Jethro, others, including London criminals and Soviet secret agents, have thrilled to his expertise as well and watch his every move in order to snare him and the codebook. An anguishing game of cat-and-mouse plays out over the bulk of the book, heightening tension with each move. Remarkable history-mystery, with fascinating background. --Connie Fletcher


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parliamentarians have joined forces in supporting the
14.04.2011 - The Network of
Contact Parliamentarians to stop sexual violence against
children met for the second time in Strasbourg, on
Wednesday 13 April 2011. The subject of the meeting was
fighting "child pornography" on the Internet.
The national parliaments once again demonstrated their
commitment to the campaign. New contact parliamentarians
have been appointed since January 2011 and there are now
37 members. The meeting, which was chaired by Ms Liliane
Maury Pasquier, began with an address by Mr Agustín
Conde Bajén (EPP/CD, Spain) on the preparation of his
report on "Combating child pornography as part of the
campaign to stop sexual violence against children",
followed by a presentation by Mr John Carr, Senior
expert adviser to the International Telecommunication
Union, Child Online Protection Initiative (United
The two statements gave rise to a debate with contact
parliamentarians on the most effective ways of putting a
stop to "child pornography" on the Internet.


text: Blog Nasher Wedding Studio Posted March 2nd, 2015 By Kathy Wright Thanks to all who participated in the Nasher Wedding Studio event this past weekend. The afte… MORE Duke vs UNC – #ArtBattle Posted February 19th, 2015 by Nasher Museum, Ackland Art Museum and the Twittersphere On February 18th, 2015, the Ackland Art Museum initiated a strike against the Nasher Museum. Th… MORE AREA 919: JEFF BELL Posted February 11th, 2015 By Wendy Hower Jeff Bell's 2014 sculpture Nautilus came about when he decided to take apart an old piano… MORE Area 919: Damian Stamer Posted February 9th, 2015 By Wendy Hower When we approach the 2014 painting Requiem by Damian Stamer, at first we might think it is entire… MORE What do you want to do with that? Posted February 6th, 2015 By Rosie Williams When people asked me, "so, you're studying art…What do you want to do with that?" I used… MORE Power of the Ballot Posted February 6th, 2015 by Jenna Poczik A few weeks ago, the Nasher Museum student interns were told that we would be participating in on… MORE Area 919 opening event and Supergraphic after party Posted January 26th, 2015 Thank you for the outpouring of community support for the opening event to celebrate Area 919… MORE Interacting with Area 919 Posted January 22nd, 2015 By Jenna Poczik Exhibition Opening Event: Saturday, January 24, 6-8 PM. As the opening night approaches, I can… MORE Area 919 Posted January 20th, 2015 We hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at the ongoing installation of Area 919: Artis… MORE «← Previous6789101112Next →»


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Norwich's Culture Works East director Elli nominated for Everywoman award
PUBLISHED: 09:29 08 November 2012
A city entrepreneur who overcome a tough upbringing to create a successful youth organisation supporting hard-to-reach young people has been nominated for a national award.
Elli Chapman, director of Norwich-based Culture Works East, has been named as a finalist in the 2012 NatWest Everywoman Awards.
The programme champions women who have made their mark in the world. Miss Chapman, 34, is on the shortlist for the Demeter category of the awards for woman aged 26 to 34.
A spokesman for the Everywoman Awards said: "Despite the difficulties of her upbringing and a confining disability, young mother Elli Chapman was determined that she would succeed with her dream to set up Culture Works East, specialising in high-quality creative arts to inspire young people to reach their full potential."
Miss Chapman, who has hypermobility syndrome, was once one of the hard-to-reach youngsters her organisation now seeks to help.
Having left school at 14 without any qualifications, she was pregnant at the age of 16. She said: "I am very proud to be a finalist, particularly of an award that promotes female entrepreneurs.
"I set up my own business, not despite of my experiences as a young person and my disability, but because of it. I believe that every young person can be successful and achieve their goals with hard work, aspiration, and the right support."
Culture Works East, based at the Open youth venue, uses a variety of creative and media-related activities to engage young people and provide education, training, and support to people aged 13 to 25.


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AVmail: October 8, 2012
Letter of the Week: Going Clubbing
Regarding the "Question of the Week": I am a firm believer in flying clubs. I started flying in the early '70s [and] belonged to an active flying club in South Africa, and it was a marvelous and supportive experience aviation related. I emigrated. The club scene there continues to flourish, but here in the States there is little if any such involvement, and I think it is a great pity. Flying overseas is far more expensive than in U.S.A., but there is more enthusiasm and activity [abroad], and that proves the point.
Dr. Peter Foox
I participate in these questions almost every time they come up. And this is a good question, no doubt. Being a member of a flying club can have its benefits, but it is not necessarily going to help very much as the costs are getting out of control. At my airport, for example, they charge $100 per hour for a Cessna 150. If you are a club member, you get that same airplane for $90 per hour. Fuel costs are around $30 per hour.
General maintenance of aircraft has not gone up as much as the basic operating cost of fuel and oil. A mere eight years ago, aviation fuel cost about $1.60 per gallon. At my airport in Southern California, it has topped $6. Sometime soon, if these costs are not brought to a manageable level, we will lose general aviation, and flying clubs will be a thing of the past.
Paul Bern
Yes, flying clubs would be great. At most airports in my area, there are no airplanes to rent after one gets his or her private pilot certificate. That deters many from making the initial investment in flight training. Flying needs to be happening at all airports, not just the bigger ones with controlled airspace. Flying clubs would help more people take lessons and fly without having to buy an airplane as sole owner.
Sam Parker
A Tragedy in All Ways
Regarding the crash of the de Havilland Dragon: I observed this aircraft on several occasions during its rebuild and attended its unveiling. It was beyond a restoration. It was a truly magnificent work of art. Never have I seen such a truly beautiful restoration in over 40 years in aviation.
The owners were lovely people dedicated to preserving a historic plane. It's a tragic loss of six people and the destruction of a masterpiece of workmanship.
It would have had pride of place in any aircraft museum in the world on the quality of the workmanship. Two brothers spent several years painstakingly restoring it to what anyone would consider as close to perfection as any plane has ever been. The fact that six friends died in it made it a truly tragic loss.
Name withheld
AVweb has agreed to withhold the letter writer's name for personal reasons.
Read AVmail from other weeks here, and submit your own Letter to the Editor with this form.


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Jamie Moyer is once again denied his 250th career win as the Phillies lose to the fish, 5-3.
Once again, Jamie Moyer is denied his 250th career win as he loses to the Marlin for only the second time in his career, as the Phils lose to the fish, 5-3.
The Phils took a quick 2-0 lead in the first, as, with a man on base, and two men out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run home run, his eleventh home run of the year, scoring Raul Ibanez, who had earlier walked. The Marlins took the lead in the fourth, as, with two men on base via walks, and nobody out, Wes Helms hits a three-run home run, his first home run of the year, scoring both Hanley Ramirez and Jorge Cantu, making it 3-2 Marlins. In the sixth, with two men on, and two men out, Ronny Paulino hits an RBI single, scoring Helms, who had earlier singled and had gone to second on Cody Ross' single, making it a 4-2 Marlins' lead, as he beats the throw to home plate, while sending Ross to third, while Paulino would move on to second on the throw to the plate. In the Phils' half of the sixth, they would get a run back, as Howard hits a lead-off home run, his twelfth home run of the season, and his second in the game, cutting the Marlins' lead to 4-3. In the seventh, the Marlins got an insurance run as, with two men on, and two men out, Helms hits an RBI single, scoring Jeremy Hermida, who had earlier singled, making it a 5-3 Marlins' lead, while sending Cantu, who had earlier walked, over to third. That would be the final score as the Phils' threat in the ninth fizzle out after Shane Victorino is throw out at second base, caught stealing.
Jamie Moyer took the lost, as he pitched six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks, while he struck out five. His record is now 3-5 with a 7.42 ERA. Chan Ho Park pitched three innings of relief, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, while he also struck out five. Chris Volstad got the win, as he pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out six. His record is now 4-3 with a 3.69 ERA. Dan Meyer pitched a third of an inning, getting his eight hold of the season as he retired the only man he would face. Leo Nunez pitched a scoreless inning as he also recorded his eighth hold of the year, striking out a batter. Matt Lindstrom got the save, his ninth of the season, as he pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up a walk, while striking out one.
The Phillies had only six hits in the game, with Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz leading the way with two hits apiece, with Howard's two hits being a pair of home runs, accounting for all three of the Phils' runs. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino would account for the other two Phils' hits. The lost leave Jamie Moyer still looking for career win number 250, as folks begin to wonder how much longer this can go on.
The Phillies (24-19, 1st) continues their three-games home stand with the pesky Marlins (21-25, 4th). The game will be played tonight at Citizens Bank Park and will begin at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (2-3, 7.11), who is coming off a win against the Reds on May 21, as he pitched only five innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out four, in the Phils' 12-5 win. He will be looking to even his record while improving on his last start. The Marlins' starter will be Andrew Miller (1-1, 4.94), who is coming off a no-decision against the Diamondbacks on May 21, as he went seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks, as he struck out nine, in the Marlins' 4-3 lost. He will be trying for his second win of the season. The Phillies will regroup and try to defeat the pesky Marlins tonight, so that they can go out and win the series tomorrow night. Their lead in the National League East is presently a half-game over the Mets.


text: Masters 1000's You could even throw in Laver as well (having more Masters 1000's than Sampras). Laver won 14 Masters 1000 equivalents, AFTER THE AGE OF 30. For whatever reason Sampras didn't focus on Masters 1000's. It was only when I put together the Open Era rankings thread that I noticed this gap in his Resume. http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=445573 Having said that I still think he is top 5 of all time.


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Sean Johnson won't take part in the last week of postseason training this week. That's because the 23-year-old Fire goalkeeper has been re-called by U.S. Men's National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann for the side's 2012 finale against Russia this week.
Johnson is one of three MLS players that have joined the mostly European contingent in Klinsmann's 20-man roster for Wednesday's friendly in the southwestern Russian city of Krasnador (LIVE 9am CT on ESPN2). The Fire netminder joins Real Salt Lake's Nick Rimando and Everton's Tim Howard as one of three goalkeepers on the roster.
"There was obvious disappointed that we didn't make it further in the playoffs but I'm looking forward now," Johnson told Chicago-Fire.com. "It's a positive thing to be in with this group again and I think its an important thing for us. I'm excited to be back with the guys again and looking forward to the game against Russia."
Along with representing the United States at U-20 and U-23 level, Johnson has earned two full international caps, making his debut in a 1-1 draw with Chile on January 22, 2011.
The call-up marks the Fire goalkeeper's fourth of 2012, having previously been summoned for Klinsmann's January camp (where he earned his second cap), the August 15 friendly victory at Mexico and the team's World Cup qualifying defeat at Jamaica on September 7.
The U.S. Men's National Team is 0-2-2 all-time in four matchesagainst Russia with the last encounter coming with a 2-0 friendly defeat in Moscow on April 26, 2000. All 14 players that took part in for the U.S. have since retired.


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When it comes to communicating in the enterprise, desktop IM clients are a great way to go about business. Gone are the days of walking back and forth between offices and desks. Business users are starting to realize that while e-mail is incredibly useful when asking clients questions, it's woefully inept when information is required instantly, or informally among colleagues.
And that's where instant messaging comes in. Services like Microsoft's MSN Web Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), and others provide users with an outstanding way to communicate quickly and efficiently without all the lag time that's experienced when communicating via e-mail.
That's why we've decided to take a look at six prominent desktop IM clients to determine what kind of benefits they offer and find out which is the best for businesses and their clients and suppliers who want to have instant communication.
AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)aim.com
AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) is the most popular instant messaging platform in the United States, but it's also one of the least useful to businesses. Unfortunately, while the client seems ideally suited for consumers, it lacks much of the appeal a business user would expect.
Overall, AIM is designed well (we looked at version 6.8). It features an easy to use buddy list and adding friends to that list is as simple as inputting their names into an "add" feature or messaging them and clicking an "Add Buddy to Buddy List" button.
That said, the absence of practical business features AIM provides is disappointing. Sure, it allows you to engage in video chatting, and you can communicate with co-workers/friends/clients (buddies!) via mobile phone thanks to its text messaging integration, but the program's focus is on personalization and making it more about you than any real business functionality. It wasn't designed to be a business tool and it shows.
Do employees really need another piece of software to tempt them with games and music when they should be working?
AIM is a fine service for people who want to chat, but don't care about business-friendly features like encryption and additional security layers that ensure the chat isn't being read by a third party. And although it's simple to use and chatting with friends is easy, AIMis for play, not for work.


text: FSE's checked and updated coarse and fine focussing systems and zeroed out the system reference state. Exposed a hotspot test wafer which is very sensitive to out of focus contitions. The hotspot wafer looked very good. System is up and ready to use. If you can, Please shoot a test wafer before exposing all of your wafers and inspect carefully. Please report any problems the you encounter in coral. Thanks.


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Leo Igwe has an op-ed on an African problem.
Some months ago, the aviation authorities in Swaziland issued a statement which surprised many people around the globe. They warned that high-flying witches would be penalised. High-flying witches? Be penalised?
Swaziland Corporate Affairs Director Sabelo Dlamini actually said, "A witch on a broomstick should not fly above the [150-metre] limit." Wow!
Of course, on hearing this directive one may think it was something made up by someone bent on discrediting Africa's last absolute monarchy. Far from it, it was a policy statement from the aviation authorities in Swaziland to regulate 'witch-flights' in this 21st century.
He concludes by setting a goal for Africans.
We must break the spell of ignorance that hangs over Africa. Fearful ignorant minds wasting precious resources fighting imaginary witches in winnowing baskets must be replaced with educated, honest people administering the forward progress of an emerging continent with real needs.
Are the authorities in Swaziland and Zimbabwe listening to the future calling?
I hesitated to post this, because it's all too easy to turn this into a vindication of racist bigotry. But let me remind you that here in mighty America, we have white people claiming to have fought demons, legislators denying global climate change because a god promised not to ever flood us again, and of course, the perennial insistence that we must swear an oath to an invisible boogey man to take public office.
So I have to revise Igwe's suggestion a little bit: We must break the spell of ignorance that hangs over humanity.


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6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps Race Report
Circuit:Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (4.35-mile road course) Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium
Weather:Overcast, scattered showers early, cool, 51 degrees F
Top 10 Race Results:
|Engine Chassis
|Romain Dumas/Loic Duval/Marc Gene
|Audi Team Joest
|Audi R18 TDi Ultra
|160 laps
|Marcel Fassler/Andre Lotterer/Benoit Treluyer
|Audi Team Joest
|Audi R18 e-tron quattro
|Marco Bonanomi/Oliver Jarvis
|Audi Team Joest
|Audi R18 e-tron quattro
|Dindo Capello/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish
|Audi Team Joest
|Audi R18 TDi Ultra
|Nick Heidfeld/Neel Jani/Nicholas Prost
|Rebellion Racing
|Lola B12/60 Toyota
|Andrea Belicchi/Haral Primat
|Rebellion Racing
|Lola B12/60 Toyota
|Jonny Kane/Nick Leventis/Danny Watts
|Strakka Racing
|HPD ARX-03a
|Simon Dolan/Sam Hancock
|Jota Racing
|Zytek Z11SN Nissan
|Tor Graves/Robbie Kerr/John Martin
|ADR-Delta Racing
|Oreca 03 Nissan
|Jody Firth/Brendon Hartley/Warren Hughes
|Murphy Prototypes
|Oreca 03 Nissan
|David Brabham/K. Chandhok/P. Dumbreck
|HPD ARX-03a
|150 Running
|Ryan Dalziel/E. Potolicchio/S. Sarrazin
|HPD ARX-03b
|123 Running
Strakka Trio Leads HPD Effort at Spa
Strakka Racing continues to impress in its first year of LMP1 competition with Honda Performance Development, as the driving trio of Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts finished seventh Saturday to lead the HPD effort at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, second round in the 2012 World Endurance Championship.
After qualifying sixth, starting driver Kane moved up to fifth overall — and first in the "privateer" order for non-manufacturer works entries — as Strakka's HPD ARX-03a ran in a high-downforce configuration that paid dividends during the wet opening hours of the contest.
But when the forecast afternoon showers failed to materialize and the circuit dried mid-race, the Strakka trio lost its setup advantage. Kane, Watts and Leventis continued to battle for privateer honors with the Pescarolo Racing Dome Judd, and a pair of Lolas run by Rebellion Racing throughout the contest. At the finish, Strakka cross the line seventh overall, and third in the privateer category.
JRM Racing, fielding a second HPD ARX-03a, overcame a spin and contact with the crash barrier on the formation lap to finish 12th overall and fourth in the privateer category.
After the glancing contact, starting driver Karun Chandhok was able to pilot his HPD back to the JRM pits, where repairs were quickly completed. But series regulations required the team to take the start from pit lane, one lap down. An hour into the contest, contact with a slower GT car in the "bus stop" chicane resulted in another unscheduled stop for repairs, dropping the JRM squad to 21st overall.
As the 4.35-mile long Spa circuit began to dry, co-drivers David Brabham and Peter Dumbreck combined to claw back some of the ground lost as a result of the early incidents. Brabham had the HPD up to 15th overall at the three-hour mark, with Dumbreck making up additional ground in the final hours to finish eighth in LMP1.
In LMP2, it was a difficult race for the Sebring-winning, US-based Starworks team. Starting driver Enzo Potolicchio lost time with an off-course excursion — the result of possible contact from an LMP1 Audi prototype — in the opening hour. Additional repairs, to replace the engine drive belts, cost the Starworks HPD ARX-03b more than 20 laps, leaving co-drivers Ryan Dalziel and Stephane Sarrazin unable to make up much ground. The trio took the checkers 12th in the large LMP2 field.
The World Endurance Championship continues with next month's signature event: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where all three HPD-equipped WEC teams, plus the American Le Mans Series LMP2 effort of Level 5 Motorsports, are scheduled to compete. The North American-based American Le Mans Series resumes next weekend with the May 13 race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Jonny Kane (#21 Strakka Racing HPD ARX-03a) Started 6th, Finished 7th: "The start was tricky, really wet with a lot of spray. It was difficult to see until it all began to settle down after a couple of laps. The car felt good in the wet and I overtook a Rebellion [Lola-Toyota] and was able to run behind the Audis quite comfortably. We were putting in some good lap times, despite having to look after the wet tires from very early on. We were very competitive with all the other `petrol' cars and finished third privateer, so it was a pretty good day's work, really."
Roger Griffiths (Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on this weekend's 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps: "It was a race of mixed fortunes for HPD. Well-deserved congratulations to the Strakka team for a solid seventh place; the team didn't put a wheel wrong all race. They were particularly unfortunate during the caution periods, losing ground to the Audis due to the timing of the yellows. Despite this, they maintain a strong position in the privateer teams' championship. JRM was extremely unlucky coming the grid, the slippery conditions caught out Karun [Chandhok] and — just as at Sebring in March — they had to start from the pit lane.
"We were hoping for a repeat of the Sebring victory in P2, but unfortunately an early race spin put the team out of contention. Stephane [Sarazzin] was able to display the potential of the HPD car, running very competitive lap times during his stint. In just a month's time we will be back in Europe, this time for Le Mans, a race that HPD has achieved significant success in the past. Our Le Mans development is very encouraging for both cars and we are optimistic of success there."


text: Alot of my program is dialog based. I have multiple property pages and 3 different wizrds. I was watching the memory usage via Task Manager and noticed that while my program only uses about 2000K on startup as I start opening and closeing the dialog boxes the memory usage almost doubles to about 3850K. I am figuring it is keeping the dialogs in memory but I can not find any way to delete the dialog boxes from memory. I search google and MSDN nothing came up except for some stuff on Java(the program is written in C++). Thanks for your help.