text: Hi. I am 18 years 10 months old right now and i have been playing tennis for 9 months now. I have played 10-12 hours a week so far(if i could, i would play 15-20 hours). My NTRP ranking is 3.0(i am almost 3.5). I really regret because i didn't start playing it when i was so young. I know i have the disadvantage of being late and so i try hard and have a discipline. I have a so great desire that i would play 10 hours a day if my body let me do it. I really am never bored of playing tennis. I will change my location and play a lot more of tennis everyday after next month. What would you recommend me to do? What do you think? What is the highest level i can reach by playing 2-3 hours a day? Am i too late? Can you encourage me a little bit please?:-| Thank you.


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Our wireless 4G Internet On-the-Go service is powered by a tiny but powerful EarthLink 4G Internet Hotspot that you carry with you to stay fully connected.
The mobile 4G hotspot fits in the palm of your hand (or a jacket pocket or purse) and weighs just 2 oz., but it can provide high-speed Internet for up to 8 Wi-Fi enabled devices (smartphone, tablet, computer, etc.). It's also very easy to set up and use.
Charging Your 4G Internet Hotspot
When you first get your EarthLink 4G Internet Hotspot it should be partially charged. We recommend that you fully charge the hotspot before you begin. The power light indicates the hotspot's battery strength: green indicates a full charge; amber is medium; and red means the battery is low. When it's fully charged, your hotspot should have about a 6-hour battery life.
Connecting by Wi-Fi to Your Hotspot
- Press and hold the red power button until you see the lights come on.
- When the 4G light stops flashing, your EarthLink 4G Hotspot is ready to connect any Wi-Fi-enabled device to the Internet.
- Open the Wi-Fi/Wireless network settings area on your computer or other device you're using to connect to the Internet.
- Select your Hotspot's Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and enter the Wi-Fi password when prompted (you'll find the SSID and a default password on the back of the hotspot).
- Open up your browser, email or other apps and enjoy your high-speed wireless EarthLink 4G Internet On-the-Go.
To learn more, see the 4G Wireless Internet pages on our website . We offer both the mobile 4G Internet service described above and a DSL and Cable alternative for high-speed wireless Internet access at home.
And please use the comment box below if you have any questions about 4G hotspot setup or any other aspect of our 4G Internet services.

subset: commoncrawl


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William L. Maloney, CPA
Bill Maloney, CPA, CVA President Bill is a consultant specializing in special situations and distressed company restructuring and bankruptcy. During the past 10 years he has served as CEO, CFO, CRO, and Director of several distressed companies serving a wide variety of industries. He has taken several companies through bankruptcy. He is a court approved Chapter 11 & 7 Trustee in the Middle District of Florida. Previously Maloney served in senior financial and operating positions of public and private portfolio companies of high profile private equity firms and prior to that, senior financial positions at Chiquita Brands and Gulf and Western Industries. Maloney was previously a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is a Certified Valuation Analyst, a Certified Turnaround Professional and a past member of the Board of Governors of the FICPA. He is a licensed CPA in Florida and New York


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BSU Catalog Home | Graduate Psychology Program | All-University Courses and Descriptions
College-Program Codes: 17-17
5301 INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS AND RESEARCH (4 credits) An introduction to inferential and descriptive statistics (including the use of SPSS), basic research methodology, and use of the research literature.
5302 ADVANCED STATISTICS (4 credits) Inferential and advanced statistics, including t-tests, correlation, multiple regression, factorial analysis of variance, and factor analysis using SPSS. Focus on correct applications and inferences. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
5312 ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS (3 credits) Applications of the scientific method in psychology. Emphases include specific laboratory procedures, research design, statistical applications, and report writing. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
5328 BEHAVIORAL AND COGNITIVE INTERVENTION (3 credits) Behavioral theory and the method of applied behavior analysis are explored. Application of behavioral and cognitive/behavioral principles to human problems in various settings is emphasized. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
5331 BASIC COUNSELING AND CRISIS TECHNIQUES (4 credits) A practical introduction to the development of interpersonal awareness, crisis management, crisis intervention, and basic counseling techniques. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
5337 GROUP PROCESSES (3 credits) The examination and practical application of principles and dynamics underlying group behavior from a psychological perspective. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
5347 PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT (3 credits) This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of psychometric theory and methods of psychological test construction, and to effect familiarity with established measures of personality, interests, intelligence, and academic achievement. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
5357 INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY (3 credits) Presentation and analysis of theoretical, technical, and applied aspects of psychology in work settings. Topics include: human resources activities (selection, training, and evaluation of personnel), work motivation, job satisfaction, leadership, organizational structure, group/team communication, working conditions. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
5377 TYPICAL AND ATYPICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESCHOOL CHILD (2 credits) The study of the theories and research pertaining to the typical and atypical development of the preschool child in the intellectual, emotional, social, cultural, and physical areas.
5408 HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM MANAGEMENT (3 credits) Theories and techniques of managing human service agencies including planning, administration, evaluation, and grant writing.
5432 ADVANCED COUNSELING TECHNIQUES (4 credits) The second in a skills sequence, this course continues the development of practical counseling techniques, including problem identification, behavioral goal setting, role playing, and social history interviews. A skill-technique laboratory is included in which students practice while being video taped. Includes individual supervision. Prerequisite: Graduate status.
5467 PERSONALITY THEORIES (3 credits) Introduction to major theories of personality and related research.
5469 FAMILY SYSTEMS (3 credits) An introduction to family systems theory and accompanying therapy. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
5487 HISTORY AND SYSTEMS OF PSYCHOLOGY (3 credits) Contemporary issues and theories in psychology and their historical developments. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
6002 COUNSELING RESEARCH METHODS (3 credits) The basic principles of designing, conducting, and reporting on psychological investigations concerning counseling issues. Prerequisite: PSY 5302 or SOC 5001.
6118 THEORIES OF COUNSELING AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (3 credits) Survey of major concepts and practices of the contemporary therapeutic systems. Addresses ethical and professional issues in counseling practice, major psychopathological diagnoses, and appropriate and effective psychotherapeutic interventions. Students write a case analysis with appropriate diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Encourages the expansion of self-knowledge via exercises from the various theories.
6229 ASSESSMENT AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT (2 credits) Overview of theories of career development, career choice, and decision making, emphasizing assessment (abilities, personality, and vocational interests), vocational guidance strategies, and sources of occupational information. Prerequisite: Undergraduate measurement course.
6331 PRACTICUM IN COUNSELING AND SUPERVISION (3 credits) This laboratory course prepares students in advanced counseling skills prior to their field work. Students engage in videotaped simulated counseling sessions and receive supervision to ensure competencies before meeting actual clients. Students are also introduced to clinical supervision by co-supervising one student during the course. Prerequisite: One undergraduate basic helping skills course.
6332 ADVANCED PRACTICUM (3 credits) Students engage in supervised individual counseling sessions conducted in community settings. These sessions are audio/videotaped. Students also meet individually and in a group with the faculty supervisor. This course is for students intending to become licensed professional counselors. Prerequisites: PSY 6331 and consent of advisor.
6407 STUDENT AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION (3 credits) Introduction to the administration of student affairs in higher education, focusing on the history, philosophical foundations, professional ethics, and standards of the college student development profession. Also studies the functional areas of student affairs and special issues related to those.
6408 ISSUES IN COLLEGE STUDENT DEVELOPMENT (3 credits) Examination of theoretical frameworks and perspectives for understanding college student development. Also explores how to apply theory to practice in working with college students, and contemporary college student issues.
6777 PROFESSIONAL ETHICS: THEORY AND PRACTICE OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT IN A DIVERSE SOCIETY (2 credits) Introduction to theories of ethics, the application of ethical principles in the professional practice of counseling, and specific areas of ethical concern in practicing with diverse populations. Addresses relevant theory, research, and legal decisions regarding specific areas of professional conduct, such as informed consent, confidentiality, duty to warn and protect, dual relationships, value differences between counselor and client, and oppression of minority groups. Students utilize this information by researching an institutional implementation of a professional code of ethics.
6778 COUNSELING IN A DIVERSE SOCIETY (2 credits) Introduction to issues of human diversity relevant to counseling professionals. Explores the impact of differences in communication, values, social structures, and sense of personal identity; issues of discrimination, stereotyping, and lack of awareness of differences; research and theory relevant to multicultural practices; institutionalized practices that discriminate based on ethnic, cultural, gender, and physical differences; and institutionalized practices that attempt to decrease such discrimination. Students will apply this information to their own counseling experiences.
6870 RESEARCH PROPOSAL SEMINAR (1 credit) This course helps students develop an advisor-approved topic, problem statement, and research proposal based on the problem statement. Students also conduct a relevant literature review. Prerequisite: PSY 6002.
6888 PERSONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT (1 credit) Examination of the clinical implications of developmental processes, theories of development, and life transitions that pertain to students' growth as individuals and as counselors within the critical contexts of gender, culture, family relationships, and prior experiences.
6970 INTERNSHIP IN COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY (9 credits) A planned program of supervised professional experience in a school, college, or community agency setting designed to develop competency in the counseling field. The nature and placement of the internship is determined by the student's career goals and program of study. Because of the diversity of career goals, student characteristics, and learning experiences of each student, the internship must be individually developed by each student in cooperation with the advisor. Prerequisites: Completion of coursework and program faculty approval.


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SEPTA said the trains will run on weekends on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines, beginning on June 15, a Sunday, at 12:01 a.m. The pilot program will run through Labor Day weekend; SEPTA will offer 20-minute headways on each line between midnight and 5:00 a.m.
SEPTA said cashiers will be on duty high-ridership stations to assist passengers.
At unstaffed stations, riders will pay train operators before boarding. Riders will need exact cash, a token or a pass, as the operators will not give out change. The operators will sell transfers, SEPTA said.
Few U.S. rail transit systems operate on a 24-hour schedule at any time, let alone on weekends. SEPTA itself is one such system in part, operating a 24-hour schedule for its Route 10, 13, 15, and 36 light rail lines, dubbed "NiteOwl"routes.
Last March MBTA extended rail transit service in Boston by 90 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights, ending at roughly 2:30 a.m. (depending on location).
MTA New York City Transit subway service, along with PATH bistate rail service, operate on a round-the-clock basis. MTA Long Island Rail Road is one regional passenger carrier that offers service at all hours.


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Farmer left 350 animals to starve to death on his land over five months
John Ferguson left animals to starve to death on his 700-acre farm in Perthshire.
A wealthy landowner who left more than 350 sheep and cows to starve to death on his farm has been banned from keeping animals for life.
John Ferguson, who owns a string of garages, a nightclub and a multi-million pounds wind farm operation was ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.
Ferguson left the animals to starve to death on the 700-acre farm and Scottish SPCA inspectors found a scene of unparalleled carnage on his land.
The catalogue of horror, which was discovered after an anonymous tip-off, included the skeletal remains of 340 sheep and 14 cows.
Perth Sheriff Court was told on Wednesday that two thirds of the surviving herd of cattle were "extremely emaciated".
One cow had died giving birth and had been left with her dead calf's leg protruding.
Fiscal depute Catherine Fraser said: "On February 23, 2012, the SSPCA received an anonymous letter of complaint in respect of the farm.
"The farm inspection went ahead on February 28 and 29, during which time the extent of mismanagement at the farm was discovered.
"The farm had over 1120 sheep and a herd of 150 cattle. Many were emaciated. In some of the fields there was no access for the animals to shelter from adverse conditions.
"There was little to no grazing across the farm. Across the farm, there were numerous animal carcasses in various states of decomposition. Those animals that had recently died were emaciated.
"Rings of wool were observed on fields where sheep carcasses had lain. In total, 340 sheep and 14 cow carcasses were removed to the knacker's yard.
"In a number of fields cattle in very poor condition were observed. The skeletons of the beasts were clearly visible. In Scotland a scoring system between one and five is used to assess the body condition of animals.
"Animals that score one are considered to be extremely emaciated. These cattle had a condition score between 0.5 and 1.5.
"The carcass of an emaciated cow was found on the hill. It was evident the cow had died in the course of childbirth.
"Since September 2011, the accused had been attempting to manage the farm single-handedly alongside his other business commitments.
"He admitted he had not seen some of the animals that were found in the worst condition for two weeks prior to the inspection."
The 50-year-old farmer and businessman left the dead animals on land at Welton of Creuchies farm in Alyth over a five-month spell last winter.
He admitted two charges relating to the unnecessary suffering of beasts on his farm estate.
The farmer, who has a herd of 1120 sheep, failed to provide a suitable environment for his livestock between October 1 last year and February 23 this year.
Counsel Mark Stewart QC, defending, said: "This has had a dramatic effect on his personal, family and social life and is something that will not be forgotten in the farming community.
"He does run other successful businesses and this has been a catastrophic event in his life. It was a catastrophic failure."
He told the court Ferguson had suffered a "minor breakdown".
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said Ferguson's guilty plea meant the maximum sentence of 12 months would immediately be cut by a quarter, but in practical terms would amount to little more than two months in prison.
He imposed the maximum 300 hours unpaid work as a direct alternative to a prison term and banned Ferguson for life from keeping or dealing with animals.


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I agree that the beliefs that lie behind the proselytism are ultimately the problem, which is what leads religions to try and spread their faith in the first place. But active proselytising requires a drive that would seem to me to be quite course and ego-driven. It simply isn't the case that all theists are ready to lie, blackmail and use violence to gain converts. It isn't just about hell, but about Christ. Ever read anything like "the fulfillment of all desire"? Depending on the sect of course proselytising can be more about sharing a way of life they believe is the most rewarding. Not only can there can be meaningful dialogue, but it can be used as an opportunity to practice metta and strengthen one's understanding of the dhamma.Kim O'Hara wrote:The trouble is that if your belief is the ONE TRUE FAITH and you know that unbelievers will be tormented in hell (or some equivalent of it) for eons, then the very best thing you can ever do for an unbeliever is convert them to your ONE TRUE FAITH. Asking them nicely is best, but bribing them and blackmailing them is still ultimately good, and so is standing over them with a cudgel whacking them until they say they believe.Coyote wrote: With regard to proselytism - Maybe we should debate them, talk to them. You never know, you might convince them that what they are doing is unwholesome and generally just annoys people.
And that is true whether your ONE TRUE FAITH is Christianity, Omnianism or Pastafarianism.
That is, any believer in the ONE TRUE FAITH who doesn't proselytise is being untrue to the faith, weak and half-hearted.
Logically, proselytism is not the error - the belief is.


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Tina Fey has opened up regarding her troubled former "Mean Girls" lead actress, Lindsay Lohan.
"Lindsay is in rehab now? Right? We think?" Tina asked host Andy Cohen during an appearance on Andy's Bravo show, "Watch What Happens Live," on Thursday. "I think that's good [that she's in rehab]. Yeah."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: '30 Rock' Stars
The hilarious "30 Rock" star/creator, who wrote and starred in 2004's hit high school clique comedy, "Mean Girls," casting Lindsay in the lead role of Cady Heron, said she hasn't seen the actress "in a long time," but is hoping for the best.
"[Lindsay's] so great, and such a beautiful girl," the "Saturday Night Live" alum said. "I hope she gets well."
As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Lindsay was released from jail on 0,000 bail last Friday, and is allegedly in rehab at the Betty Ford Center in Southern California after failing court-mandated drug tests.
Copyright 2010 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Trials & Tribulations Of Lindsay Lohan
VIEW THE PHOTOS: '30 Rock' Big Boss Alec Baldwin
PLAY IT NOW: 2010 Emmys Red Carpet: Has Tina Fey Had Any Wardrobe Malfunctions At Award Shows?
PLAY IT NOW: Lindsay Lohan Out Of Jail… Now What? (September 27, 2010)
More from Access: [ Lindsay LohanTina FeySaturday Night Live ]


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Rochelle Alers eBooks
Rochelle Alers was born and raised in Manhattan, New York. After earning degrees in sociology and psychology, she taught pre-school for a time before entering the business world. Alers began writing her first novel in 1984, after a decade of reading romance novels. She finished her first manuscript, the novel Hideway, in 1985. After several rejections because her work did not fit the formula of a category romance novel, Alers perfected her style and was first published by Doubleday Books in 1988. She has since been published through St. Martin's Press, Ballantine Books, Odyssey, Arabesque, and Genesis Press, as well as through Silhoutte's Desire line. Almost two million copies of her novels are now in print, and they have regularly appeared on the Waldenbooks, Borders, and Essence bestseller lists. Alers has been awarded the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, the Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. Alers writes full time currently after retiring from her job as a Community Liaison Specialist for a state funded abuse program in Long Island. She lives in Freeport, New York with her beautiful pup name Oliver.


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HOUSTON - Celebrities around the country are turning to Twitter to share their shock and sadness over the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut.
joe jonas @joejonas - This is such sad news. Heart is broken for the children and their families.
Piers Morgan @piersmorgan - No more weasly words of 'comfort' Mr President. This is the latest, and worst, gun outrage on your watch. Time to act. #GunControl
Joan Rivers @Joan_Rivers - Hearing the news of the sad tragedy in CT. I'm horrified and heartbroken - my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.
Blake Shelton @blakeshelton - Stand strong and stand united everyone... We are Americans and we are better than this. What a sad sad disgusting day this is...
Steve Carell @SteveCarell - Hold your kids close today.
Larry King @kingsthings - This is a double horror story-the horror of the senseless deaths & that this continues 2happen in this country #Newtown
Katie Couric @katiecouric - Shocked & saddened to hear this morning's news... My heart goes out to the families of #SandyHook Elementary children, faculty, staff.
Giuliana Rancic @GiulianaRancic - This tragedy is beyond heartbreaking. Imagine how excited these little kids were for the holidays. Why? Why? Why? Tragic and senseless.
Sherri Shepherd @SherriEShepherd - So many residents of Newton gather together in church...feel so helpless...all they can do is cling to the Lord. Praying for them.
Vivica A. Fox @MsVivicaFox - Wow! It seems like we r gonna have to put metal detectors everywhere and armed guards! Seems like u can't b safe anywhere!! WTH?? :-(
Dianna Agron @DiannaAgron - Just hearing news of the Sandy Hook shooting. This is tragic & needs to stop. My heart goes out to all of those involved. #guncontrol
Mike Tyson @MikeTyson - My thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims at Sandy Hook elementary school.
solange knowles @solangeknowles - I am so deeply saddened, and angry at what has happened at Sandy Hook in Newtown. New gun laws MUST happen. This is devastating.
Jonas Brothers @JonasBrothers - Praying for the families of Sandy Hook!! #thinkingofyou
Taylor Lautner @OfficialTL - My prayers go out for the victims of the shooting at #SandyHook Elementary in Connecticut.
Piers Morgan @piersmorgan - Dear God.... > RT @hartfordcourant One entire classrom is unaccounted for outside the school, sources said.
Jessica Alba @jessicaalba - One child is confirmed dead in #Newtown shooting - this is just awful. My heart goes out 2 all affected... So sad.
Rick Perry @GovernorPerry - Horrible news out of Connecticut today. Thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this tragedy.
Joel Osteen @JoelOsteen - We are praying for all those affected by the devastating tragedy in CT. Our heart goes out to all those that are hurting right now.
Anderson Cooper @andersoncooper - All our words seem so small, so meaningless in the face of such horror.
Rosie O'Donnell @Rosie - turn off the horror - only light can defeat darkness - pray for healing - those children - the mentally ill - a culture of killing in the US
StevenChapman @StevenCurtis - No words, just unspeakable sadness, heavy heart, tears & prayers for families in Sandy Hook.
demetria lovato @ddlovato - My heart is absolutely broken after hearing about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school.. Wow.. So terrible.
Alyssa Milano @Alyssa_Milano - My heart and soul aches for the parents of those babies lost and for the babies that have to somehow heal & overcome... Hold each other.
Vivica A. Fox @MsVivicaFox - TTYL tweeps! Im gonna go pray for these families! God have mercy on all of us! This is just devastating and unbelievable to me!!
Britney Spears @britneyspears - My heart is with the children and families of Connecticut today... #PrayForNewton
Mandy Moore @TheMandyMoore - Absolutely devastating news this morning. There are no words.Thoughts, prayers and love to all in #Newtown.
mia farrow @MiaFarrow - "The majority of those who died today were children. Beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10." President Obama
Derek Hough @derekhough - My heart goes out to the families in Connecticut . A horrific tragedy . An unspeakable evil to such innocent human beings.
Nancy O'Dell @NancyODell - My heart and prayers go out to those in CT. My stomach has a pit in it watching the news right now.
Jodie Sweetin @JodieTweetin - I can't stop crying... This news of the tragedy in Connecticut is beyond words. I am sending prayers 2 families. My heart breaks for them.
Ron Howard @RealRonHoward - Prayers for the Victims and Families and please....Let's grow beyond these senseless acts - We're better than this.
Brooke Burke-Charvet @brookeburke - Unfathomable news in Connecticut. I have no words. Holiday spirit just got sucked out of me. I'm sick...
Nancy Grace @NancyGraceHLN - Praying for the victims of the CT elementary school shooting. xx


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Press Release
From Western Carolina University:
CULLOWHEE – The Western Carolina University Board of Trustees approved a schedule of tuition and fees for the 2014-15 academic year that includes no change in the cost of tuition for students from North Carolina and a 1.85 percent increase in mandatory fees.
The proposal, unanimously approved by the board at its regular quarterly meeting Friday (Dec. 6) contains a legislatively mandated 6 percent increase in tuition for out-of-state students. It also follows guidance from the University of North Carolina General Administration earlier this year that encouraged campuses of the UNC system not to raise the cost of tuition for in-state students.
The plan would mean a $52 annual increase in mandatory fees for undergraduate students. The proposed schedule of tuition and fees is subject to approval by the UNC Board of Governors and the General Assembly.
The WCU board approved increases of 6.47 percent (or $18 per year) in the health services fee and 7.92 percent (or $42 per year) in the student activity fee, with no increases in the athletics fee or the education and technology fee.
Ed Broadwell, chair of the trustees' finance and audit committee, presented the schedule of tuition and fees to the full board for approval following an afternoon of open discussion and committee meetings Thursday, Dec. 5.
"This proposed increase to the student activity fee will be used for the ongoing increases in personnel expenses, including salaries and benefits, for increased utility expenses at A.K. Hinds University Center and the Campus Recreation Center, and for increased operational budgets – Greek life, for example – and other programming expenses," said Broadwell, vice chair of the trustees.
The board approved a 5.61 percent increase ($12 a year) in the undergraduate book rental fee and endorsed a new student-initiated sustainability fee of $10 a year to fund environmental initiatives such as solar energy and recycling programs. In addition, an administrative computing fee of $52 a year was eliminated and the transportation fee was increased 22.92 percent ($22 a year) to fund campus transit efforts, including the installation of GPS tracking devices on university shuttle buses.
The board also approved increases in residence hall room rates ranging from 3 to 5.4 percent and an increase of about 5 percent in the cost of campus dining service meal plans. "The proposed rates for food service will cover increased food costs, personnel costs, enhanced hours at the food venues at the University Center and upgrades to the food court program," Broadwell said.
Eight information sessions held on campus during the fall semester and Thursday's committee meetings and discussions featured much debate focused on whether to increase food service rates after the N.C. General Assembly's recent repeal of a long-standing exemption on sales taxes charged on student meal plans. As part of a state tax reform bill, sales tax must now be collected on student meal plans, effective Jan. 1. Beginning with the spring 2014 semester, all meal plans will be taxed at a rate of 6.75 percent.
Because revenue from the newly added sales tax on meal plan purchases will go directly to state coffers and not to help meet rising campus food service expenses, the trustees' finance and audit committee concluded that a rate increase was necessary to maintain quality and meet student demands for longer hours of service and more choices, Broadwell said.
Board Chair Teresa Williams said that even with the increase in student fees for the coming year, WCU will remain among the least-expensive higher education institutions in the state and that the university will maintain its tradition of offering a high-quality education at a reasonable cost.
With the proposed changes approved by the board, WCU's average total cost of attendance in 2014-15, including standard residence hall accommodations and the most-popular meal plan, would be $13,335 per year (fall and spring semester) for a typical N.C. undergraduate student, a 3 percent increase over current year costs.
In addition to student tuition and fees, the board also endorsed a five-year approach to solving long-term campus parking issues. Beginning in fall 2014, employee parking permits will be sold in a tiered system based on salary level, with the lowest paid employees paying the least for permits and those employees who have the highest salaries and who have reserved parking spaces paying the most.
Student parking permits will be sold on the basis of earned academic credits, with freshmen paying the highest rates while seniors and graduate students pay lower rates.


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Mimer SQL 10.0.7, Windows (64-bit)
This is Mimer SQL Engine 10.0.7B for x64 or AMD64 running 64-bit versions of the Windows operating system.
The product includes
, the leading platform independent and cross database tool aimed to simplify database development and management for database administrators and developers.
The Mimer SQL distribution package contains both client and server software, documentation, release notes, various tools and wizards, etc.
Close Window


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The focus in Washington is centered squarely on tackling our federal debt and deficits. Continuing our current path is not sustainable and risks burdening our children and grandchildren with bills our government runs up today. But our progeny will look on us with disappointed eyes if America's long-term economic strength is sacrificed on the altar of short-sighted public policies.
To approach the fiscal challenge, Congress and the president must cut spending. Certainly savings can be found in virtually every federal program; however, deficit reduction should be driven by the nation's strategic priorities, not blind budget slashing, and not at the expense of smart investments in research and development, education and scientific initiatives that are the foundation for economic growth.
Research drives innovation, productivity and job creation. From the Internet to GPS to the human-genome map, America's ability to create next-generation technologies has produced vast economic opportunities. These successes relied on federal investments in long-term research. They spurred significant private investment in technology development. And they generated extraordinary opportunities for a dynamic workforce grounded in science and engineering education. Yet, some lawmakers have targeted these programs for drastic cuts. Nations like China and India are dedicating enormous resources toward research and education programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Cutting U.S. investments in these areas means relinquishing innovation leadership to our global competitors. Going down this path would result in tomorrow's game-changing innovation – and the jobs that go with it – more likely coming from Bangalore, India, instead of Boston or Austin or San Jose.
Similarly myopic is how lawmakers are searching for new revenues to cut the deficit – Washington-speak for higher taxes. Paying fair taxes is part of the responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. But for American businesses that face stiff global competition, the business tax structure we have today is far from fair. The U.S. has the world's highest corporate tax rate. If that weren't enough of an obstacle to U.S. job growth, our system also imposes a double tax on American companies when they bring foreign earnings home. First, the company pays taxes in the country where its products are sold, and then another tax to the IRS when the business attempts to reinvest those earnings domestically in new facilities or new jobs. The result: the U.S. tax system forces jobs and investments to other countries. That's wrong. It's time to bring those dollars home.
The year 1986 marked the tax code's last major overhaul. Then, the tax system was state-of-the-art, with a corporate rate among the world's lowest, attracting major new investments to the United States. In the years since, every developed country has lowered corporate tax rates, and almost all have modernized their systems to keep pace in the global economy. America has stood still while our global competition has moved ahead.
Responsibly lowering the business tax rate and eliminating the double tax on foreign earnings would be a major boost for the U.S. economy. A rate cut from the current 35 percent to 25 percent would create an estimated 581,000 U.S. jobs in each of the next 10 years. Shifting to a competitive, market-based system where companies' overseas earnings are taxed once – where they're earned – would be another major step forward. American companies with operations at home and abroad are responsible for 63 million U.S. jobs. Eliminating the U.S. double tax would build on their record of success and spark critical new investments and hiring.
In all of these decisions, something President Obama said last year can be a guide: "It's a lot easier to deal with deficits and debt if you're growing." Grow, and more businesses expand and more Americans work. People earn and spend more. Put together, more revenues are generated for the federal government. That kind of growth was central when President Clinton and a Republican Congress, nearly 20 years ago, balanced the budget in the face of a crisis of debt and deficits. The U.S. economy accelerated at fantastic levels, fueled by an explosion of technology innovation. It's a model for today.
Without question, our lawmakers face tough choices to address the deficit. The solutions aren't found in sacrifice, but in smart investments in innovation and technology; not through across-the-board tax hikes on American businesses, but through across-the-country economic growth and job creation.


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OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. -
About 40,000 vehicles each day travel Orchard Lake Road where it crosses 14 Mile Road. Northwestern Highway ends at Orchard Lake Road just a few hundred yards to the north, adding to the congestion.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Road Commission of Oakland County laid out the plans. By next year, the traffic will be handled by a roundabout, much like those already in place west of the intersection. Some drivers hate roundabouts.
"You're on the inside lane, they're right in front of you. I mean, it's scary," said Pat Cooney, of West Bloomfield Township.
The traffic circles do require a learning curve. Confused drivers often cause crashes while changing lanes in the roundabout. However, engineers say the design actually cuts deadly crashes by 90 percent.
Plan for roundabout at 14 Mile Road and Orchard Lake Road intersection
"They're essentially more of a sheet metal type crash and not the injury, sever injury type crashes that you see at a standard intersection," said Jeff O'Brien, Road Commission design engineer.
Oakland County already has 24 roundabouts, and more are coming.
Hope Steinberg, of West Bloomfield Township, said she avoids the roundabouts by taking detours through neighborhoods.
"I won't go down on Farmington (Road) I won't go on Maple (Road). It's terrible and a lot of people complain about it, especially my age group," Steinberg said.
However, other drivers say roundabouts save time and gas that would have been wasted while idling.
For information on how to safely navigate a roundabout go to www.nwconnector.com.
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|January 25, 2013, 11:59 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 9, 2010
Posts: 147
30-06 18.5" chrono data?
There is a new Rem. 7600 18.5" carbine I have my eye on. I would rather it came in .260, but no one listens to me. Anyway, I think I can put a Choate youth shotgun pistol-grip buttstock on this rifle and have a very handy carbine. I may or may not reduce my loads for it depending on the recoil.
So, owners of 7600 carbines in 30-06: what velocities are you getting?
Also, is there a faster 30-06 powder more suitable for 18.5"?
BTW I have already heard the rumors of "200 fps velocity loss" and pretty skeptical. I hunted with a 16.5" Mini 14 and the velocity loss had no effect whatsoever on the deer I shot, so it is merely for academic purposes that I want to know.
|January 25, 2013, 01:01 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 15, 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 8,738
I've never worked with anything shorter than 20". Expect an average of 25 fps loss for each inch shorter. Most factory ballistics are from 24" barrels, so 100-150 fps slower than advertised on factory loads.
It is impossible to say for sure because every load and barrel is going to be different. I load for 7 different 30-06 rifle, 2 have 20" barrels. Depending on the load the 20" guns are 50-75 fps slower than the 22" and 24" barrels. The fastest barrel is one with 22" barrel that shoots the same ammo faster than the one with a 24" barrel. There is a 135 fps difference between the fastest 22" barrel and the slowest 22"barrel.
|January 25, 2013, 01:46 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 22, 2009
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 167
I agree 260 in a 7600 would be a game winner. I used to have a 18" barrel 742 and the muzzle blast from that sucker was horrible to say the least. At this time I have a Rem 7615 with 16" barrel and in daylight I get a 12" fireball from all the unburned propellant igniting after it does any good.
Without having the noise signature evaluation equipment I had at Aberdeen PG it is a guess but from a perceived noise standpoint the 762 30.06 and the 7615 5.56 is pretty close.
They call it a Police Patrol Rifle and I ordered it with a Youth Stock as I like stocks shorter than 12" They were made short so the rifle could be fired by personnel with body armor. The 7615 has put four out of five rounds in a 2" dot at 300 yards on several occasions.
A loss of 200 fps from 22" down to 18" is about right based on the chronograph readings I have done. I have seen as much as a 400 fps increase in velocity on 357 Mag ammo from 3" to 16" barrel.
I think all things being considered I would tend to gravitate towards a 7600 in 308 and install a Aimtech mount which I have on my 7615 and rapid close in shots are much quicker based on my R U Ready Timer.
If I were going to a speed/accuracy match this is the combo I would take.
My 7615 also has a Burris Ballistic Plex Scope and is zeroed at 300 yards.
Such timers can give you lots of good tech info regarding time to engage a target from the go beep to the shot being fired. A good course of fire from Fr. Frog's pages uses 6" paper plates at 25 yards and you are timed for X number of 1 shot strings and then a count is made of the hits on the plate as the course is designed to determine speed and accuracy. Speed without accuracy gives misses, accuracy without speed may well get you tagged first.
They also do the same procedure on 6" plates at 50 yards.
As well short barreled rifles burning lots of propellant tend to erode the crown which will open your groups. Rifles exhibiting longer barrels have less muzzle pressure and the barrel should give you a longer useful life.j
As well the barrels from 7600s can be removed and the crown touched up several times many rounds down the road.
|January 25, 2013, 03:21 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 9, 2010
Posts: 147
Thanks guys.
The Patrol rifle in .308 is no longer being made as far as I can tell, or I'd just get that. No body armor here, but I do get padded up with warm clothes during deer season so the short stock is desired, as well as avoiding the stupid uncomfortable comb they put on the standard buttstock. Does anybody like that thing?
I have grown accustomed to the noise from my 16" .223's, so doubt the short barrel would bother me. My coping strategy is to put on ear protection before taking a shot on a deer, even with longer barreled guns.
|January 25, 2013, 03:22 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 9, 2010
Posts: 147
Also, fascinating info on timed courses of fire there.
|January 26, 2013, 10:51 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 22, 2009
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 167
Iforgot to add I took the 742 Carbine to a rifle match once and it was picking up trash three feet each slide of the muzzle while shooting prone and guys nearby said they were being rocked when it barked. Short barrels can be handy but you may lose your hearing much quicker.
I always shoot highpower with foam plug and muffs to protect hearing.
Was out walking with my dog about a month back and this big German Sheppard came up and started circling with head down and I maintained eye contact as it circled. I had a shorty AR and thought about giving a warning shot so I pulled the charging handle and chambered one and fortunately the Sheppard figured out the game was going to go South quick and backed off.
I was ready to fire and then realized I had no ear protection and was real glad when the sheppard left us alone.
Distinguished Rifleman High Power & Smallbore Prone
President's Hundred (Rifle) US Palma Teams(2)
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Talented point guard Josiah Turner, whose freshman year at Arizona was interrupted multiple times by disciplinary issues, has decided against resuming his college basketball career at SMU and instead will attempt to begin playing professionally.
Turner had been recruited as a transfer to SMU by new coach Larry Brown and his staff, but Turner instead will look for professional opportunities in the D-League or internationally.
"I had to step back and reevaluate what my main goal and my dream was," Turner told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday night. "My dream is to be a professional athlete in the NBA, and I think this is what's going to bring me closer to it. In college you get your degree and everything, but going pro is getting me closer to my dream and what I want to do in life."
A 6-3 point guard from Sacramento, Turner was a top-20 prospect entering his senior year in high school. He was dismissed from the team at Sacramento High partway through his final season, though, and transferred to a prep school in North Carolina to complete his high school career.
Early in his freshman season at Arizona, Turner was withheld from the starting lineup of a game against Duquesne, reportedly for arriving late to a practice, and was benched when the Wildcats played Ball State in December. After missing another practice, he was left home from the Wildcats' trip to Florida, where they lost in overtime.
Turner started 15 of the team's final 17 regular-season games and was averaging 6.8 points and 2.4 assists. Prior to the Pacific-12 Tournament, however, coach Sean Miller suspended Turner indefinitely—a punishment that quite possibly cost the Wildcats an NCAA Tournament bid. Turner remained suspended for the team's brief appearance in the NIT.
"I am disappointed in Josiah for his actions," Miller said in a statement issued at the time. "Unfortunately, this suspension comes at a time of great excitement and opportunity for our team. However, the standards of our program will not be compromised under any circumstances. Hopefully, Josiah will learn a valuable lesson from this experience."
When it became apparent he would not be welcomed back into the Arizona program, Turner announced he would seek transfer opportunities and eventually chose SMU. Subsequent to that announcement, Turner was arrested by University of Arizona campus police on suspicion of extreme DUI. Turner told Yahoo! that he had issues with both alcohol and marijuana while attending Arizona.
"My maturity level now is way higher than it was when I was in Arizona," Turner said. "I was young. I made mistakes. I just learned a lot from last year thinking about where I could be at right now and thinking about the things I did last year. It was all stupid."
Turner's departure from college basketball is being portrayed by some as a significant blow to Brown's efforts to resurrect the SMU program, but that seems to be something of an overreaction. It does not take into account what challenges Turner might have provided to his new coaches, nor the opportunity for the Mustangs to recruit another point guard prior to the 2013-14 season.
Given that Turner changed high schools five times, transferred after a single college season and failed to follow through on the commitment he made to Brown only a couple months back, it's hard to imagine SMU is not better off seeking someone else to lead its attack.


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FreakScore is a weighted average of all aggregated professional and user review scores. Read more
This product has a FreakScore of 4.5* out of 10 based on 2 scores.
*Score is uncertain and deviates toward category average due to low number of scores.
Power: 400 W. Inoxcut blades. Printproof INOX finish. 2 Read more


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- Fabulous Cheese Making Kits
- Mouth Watering Recipe Books
- Different Coloured Waxes
- Annatto Cheese Colouring
- Ash/Activated Charcoal
- Calcium Chloride
- Different Coloured Cheese Wrapping
- Mesophilic,Thermophilic, Blue and White Mould Cultures
- Cheese Cutting Wire
- Traditional and Disposable Cheesecloth/Muslin Bags
- Curd Cutter
- Citric Acid
- Eye Catching Labels
- Fresh Milk Filters Papers
- GM Free Vegetarian and Animal Rennet. Microbial Rennet tablets
- Handee Cheese Cutter
- Hard and Soft Cheese Moulds
- Large and Small Cheese Presses
- Measuring Syringe 5ml
- Plastic Drainage Matting
- Testing Iron
- Organic Cheese Salt
- Thermometer (Centigrade and Fahrenheit)
- pH Indicator Sticks
- Humidity Meter (Hygrometer)
Moorlands Special Large Cheese Making Press
Availability: In Stock
Originally designed by Moorlands over 50 years ago
For up 4 kilos hard cheese. No. L1 for M6 Moulds. OPERTATION: Place plastic mat on base plate, cover with mould lined with cheesecloth and filled with cheese on base plate. Slide top plate over rods then one spring on each rod, followed by a hand screw butterfly nut. Screw butterfly nuts until the required pressure is obtained. It is important that the mould and follower are placed centrally in the press and the springs are tightened by the same amount in stages to ensure that the cheese by approximately quarter of a turn and reapply the pressure. Do not over tighten the springs. As a guide, when the springs are fully compressed (with the coils almost touching), a pressure of approximately 60Kg will be applied and each spring will measure approximately 35mm. Unloaded, each spring will measure approximately 85mm. Some distortion of the plates may occur, but can be corrected by turning them over when next in use. CLEANING: The plastics used are of food quality and the press need only be washed in hot water; it will withstand normal cleaning fluids, detergents and disinfectants, but should not be boiled.
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Both George Bush and Dick Cheney resign from office on January 15, 2009. The office of president and vice-president now being open, the Constitution calls for the next person in the line of succession to become President of the United States. This is NANCI PELOSI.
She takes the oath of office and in doing so she must give up her office as congresswoman. Five days later John McCain is sworn in as the 44th President.
Result: No more Nancy Pelosi in congress!!


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Dear All,
I am pulling my hair out, my great grandmother left me her sewing machine. I have attached photos for you. The machine is in immaculate condition having being stored away in cloth for many many years. It is fully working and has all needles etc. all I know is that Domesco I think were German manufacturers for Singer. I have found nothing in the web and singer sites don't seem to go back enough for this model. I can't find any serial numbers anywhere.
Please can you help, I would be extremely grateful to have any information about the history of singer/domesco and its worth.
Kind regards
Helen Brooks
[email protected]


text:
Topic: Mail forwarding administration
==== Required information ====
- iRedMail version: 0.8.3
- Store mail accounts in which backend (LDAP/MySQL/PGSQL): MySQL
- Linux/BSD distribution name and version: FreeBSD Jail 9.1
- Related log if you're reporting an issue: N/A
how can normal user change the mail forwarding setting?
Real example: domain admin set the forwarding address for a user. How can this user change the forwarding address without contacting domain admin. Normal user is unable to login to iRedAdmin.
Thanks for hints. I really searched for it but with no success


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Why Disney's funding Chinese pirates
If Chinese viewers want to watch Disney's Hannah Montana — no accounting for global tastes — they can do so on 56.com, an online-video site akin to YouTube. The show is pirated. But does Disney really mind? Its startup-investment arm, Steamboat Ventures, put money into 56.com two years ago.Eric Garland, CEO of an online piracy research firm, told the Wall Street Journal Disney's investment in 56.com is "ironic" and "shocking." John Ball, Steamboat's managing director, says the company invested in part to help 56.com curb pirated videos. But 56.com is just one of six Chinese companies in Steamboat's portfolio, all of which aim to distribute movies and videogames online. And that's the dirty secret of Disney and other media companies. They don't ultimately care about shows like Hannah Montana. What matters is their channels of distribution, through which such evanescent fare courses — and 56.com promises to be another one. Viacom isn't suing YouTube for $1 billion because it's upset about piracy. It's upset about piracy happening on a channel it doesn't own.


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Budget Box
Asus M2NPV-VM
Value is one of the key concepts in the Budget Box, and AMD remains the leader in the Budget Box's price range. Intel fans have some good choices with cheaper Intel P965 chipset-based Core 2 Duo boards, although the lack of a cheap enough CPU limits choices. Feature sets seem to remain fairly well-developed, with dual gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, four SATA 3.0Gb/s ports with RAID capability, PCI-e x16 expansion, four DDR2 sockets, and decent overclocking abilities.
A few dollars might be saved by going to a board without onboard video, Firewire, dual Ethernet connections, and other fancy features, but the additional cost for these features is fairly minimal. In a rig such as the more spartan Ultimate Budget Box, finding something more simple (albeit with onboard video) to save those few dollars might be worth it. A slightly different vein would be the Asus M2N4-SLI, which is slightly cheaper, skips onboard video, and supports SLI, but lacks onboard Firewire.
Cost: $84 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Retail (Socket AM2)
The Budget Box gets a swift bump from the previous X2 3600+ as dual core prices continue to decrease.
The Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 is very good but not yet price-competitive; for overclockers, it should be a particularly good choice if the price goes down. The Athlon64 X2 3600+ gets the price down to a level that even the Budget Box can manage, and it offers a far better performance/power ratio than the current low-end Intel Pentium D chips. The Core 2 Duo E4400 and Athlon64 X2 4000+ are only a little more expensive than their lowest-end counterparts in their respective line-ups and are also good choices for those who can afford a little more.
We go with the retail box Athlon 64 X2 3800+ CPU because the cost of a bare CPU with an aftermarket heatsink/fan does not give a significant price advantage, plus you get a longer warranty with the retail-boxed CPU.
Cost: $79.99 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
RAM is important and inexpensive enough that 1GB is the bare minimum now, particularly with Windows Vista now available. 2GB of memory would be very nice for Vista, but squeezing that into the Budget Box is difficult. We use DDR2 memory to match our motherboard and chipset requirements.
Cost: $39.50 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
eVGA GeForce 7900GS
Budget DirectX 10 parts in the form of the nVidia Geforce 8500 and 8600-series have arrived to disappointing performance, much like their brethren from ATI. Until the release of more DX10-capable video games makes DX10-capable parts look good, sticking with DX9-capable parts looks to be the smarter move. The NVIDIA Geforce 7900GS is an excellent value at this price point, at least until DX10 titles show up, and ATI's Radeon X1950Pro is also very competitive.
Look closely when shopping for video cards, as core clock speeds and memory clock speeds may differ from model to model for the same chip, making a straight apples-to-apples comparison difficult. We're recommending the eVGA GeForce 7900GS, with 256MB of RAM, a 500 MHz GPU clock speed, and a 1380MHz effective RAM clock speed. With a power draw of less than +5A on the +12v line, power consumption is relatively modest, too.
Cost: $149.99 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Onboard sound is adequate for most purposes. If you pick a motherboard like this month's recommendation that has a digital-out and feed it to speakers that accept a digital signal, then you have even less to worry about.
Cost: n/a
The adoption of high-speed Internet access by today's enthusiasts means the modem recommendation can be removed from the Budget Box. We used to recommend the US Robotics 2976/2977 and 5610A/5610B, but we're not up to date on current products.
Cost: n/a
Network card—none (on-board)
The motherboard has integrated Ethernet on board, which is adequate for the Budget Box.
Cost: n/a
Hard drive
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB SATA
Hard drives are all very close in price in the lower-capacity ranges, and when sales and rebates are considered, buyers may find that drives as large as 500GB are affordable. The sweet spot for price/capacity seems to shift upwards every few months, from 250GB to 320GB to 400GB or 500GB now. While the value is nice, we stay with a slightly smaller drive in the Budget Box because we do not need the space. Considering "after rebate" prices in the System Guide is a bit too unpredictable for us, so do not expect them here—but be aware that they are an excellent way to save money and get a bigger drive in the process.
The fundamental goal is to buy what you need, but those seeking the lowest noise level should look at Samsung Spinpoint drives. Seagate drives have five-year warranties, which makes them our choice in the Budget Box when the price is equal.
The Western Digital Caviar SE16 is an excellent performer with a 16MB cache and a three-year warranty.
Cost: $66.50 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Optical drive
DVD-RW/CD-RW: Pioneer DVD-112D
The new Pioneer DVR-112D is our choice in the Budget Box, a welcome 18X refresh of the 16X DVR-111D. Other solid choices include the Lite-On LH-20A1S/LH-20A1P, as well as the Samsung SH-183L and the Lite-On SH-16A7S. Plextor also remains a favorite for a few dedicated fans.
Separate DVD-ROM and CD-RW drives, or separate DVD-ROM and DVD±RW drives, are preferred by many, but DVD-RW drives now are cheap enough that just buying two makes unless there's some specific need the most sense to us.
The Pioneer DVR-112D supports DVD reads and writes up to 18x, CD reads up to 40x, and a PATA interface. The SATA version, the DVR-212D, is a few bucks more for those who prefer the neatness of SATA cabling; performance is otherwise identical.
Cost: $35.99 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Antec SLK1650B
Finding previous Budget Box chassis favorites has grown difficult, so we continue with the well-known Antec SLK1650. A quality chassis with a very good power supply, the SLK1650B is an excellent chassis for the money. Previous suggestions such as the In-Win C720T are still very viable solutions to save a bit of money, although sourcing them is somewhat more difficult, and the power supply isn't quite as nice as the 350W Smartpower in the SLK1650/SLK1650B.
Those who choose to go the microATX route will find that case selection is somewhat more limited than standard ATX, although many home theater PCs use that form factor. The Antec NSK3300 is an excellent choice for those with a little more money to spend. For those who want the extra expansion of an ATX chassis, good choices include the Antec NSK4400 and its siblings, the Coolermaster Centurion 5, Lian-Li PC1000, and many more.
Cost: $60.99 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Logitech X-230
Speakers have been fairly boring for quite a while in the Budget Box. The Logitech X-230 and Logitech Z-3 are passable, albeit bland, choices in this category. In this price range, a good pair of headphones might make more sense.
Cambridge Soundworks, Altec Lansing, Swan, and others have suitable setups as well. If better speakers are desired, all of these companies have good choices, including the Logitech X-620 and Z-560.
Cost: $29 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Hanns-G JW-199DPB 19" LCD
LCDs have become cheap enough that even a 19" model fits in the Budget Box. It's a TN-film based panel so viewing angles are not the greatest, but for a low-cost LCD, it suits our needs very well. CRTs are being replaced by wide-gamut LCDs that match or better the color gamut that CRTs offer, but W-CCFL and LED backlights needed to do this currently command premium prices, pricing such LCDs far out of the range of the Budget Box.
Stepping down to a smaller 17" LCD such as the Acer AL1706AB saves a few bucks, while a cheap 20" LCD such as the Samsung 204B is a substantial bit more.
We choose the HannsG 19" in no small part due to its 300 cd/m2 brightness and its 5ms response time.
Cost: $169.99 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical
Optical mice are downright cheap. Buy what you like, be it Microsoft, Logitech, or anything else. If you crave more buttons, higher-end mice from most companies including Microsoft and Logitech are readily available for more money. Logitech's new MX1000 is one very nice, very expensive example of a high-end mouse.
Cost: $11.09 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Logitech Keyboard
If you find it comfortable, then buy it. Logitech, Microsoft, and other name-brand units are all pretty decent. Keep in mind the important nature of personal preference in this decision, and the fact that your keyboard is a critical piece of your interface to your computer.
Cost: $14.95 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Total price: $741.99, not including shipping and handling (6/10/2007, no OS)
Recommended operating systems
Vista is upon us, but we're not quite ready to recommend it. The biggest issue at this point is driver immaturity. As a result, we suggest you stick with Windows XP for the time being. If you want to live on the cutting edge, Vista will run very smoothly on this box; just be prepared for the possibility of minor issues with the drivers.
Windows XP Home
Windows 2000 with a lot more glitz and a few improvements. Gaming support is further improved over Windows 2000, and while some quirks due to the high level of feature integration remain, XP Home is a choice many want to make. When buying with new hardware, OEM versions should be affordable. Keep this in mind, particularly if Windows XP Professional isn't too much more.
Cost: $69.95 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Windows XP Media Center Edition
Windows MCE 2005 is another alternative for the Budget Box. The much-improved hardware support over MCE 2004, support for multiple tuners, and the familiar Windows interface greatly simplify setup for many. Easy rollout by OEMs has also furthered the spread of Windows MCE and the ubiquitous Windows interface.
Cost: $84.99 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
64-bit extensions arrive to Windows XP. Take advantage of performance improvements with programs that support 64-bit instructions enabled on the Athlon64, Opteron, Core 2 Duo, Xeon, and Pentium 4. When deciding between Windows XP in the (conventional) 32-bit and the newer x64 edition, keep in mind that hardware drivers for x64 edition are less mature and often slower as a result.
Cost: $133.89 (6/10/2007) [Comparison shop for this item]
Any computer enthusiast worth his salt boots more than one OS. Linux is a wonderful choice for the budget box: powerful, cool, and cheap. Take your pick of distributions and go nuts! Fedora Core, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, and Mandrake, try Linuxiso.org or Cheapbytes.com, or others.
Cost: Free


text:
Trip Report 4/13-4/17/2009
This trip was planned back in September of 2008 when Jennifer was going through the calendar to mark the days each of us was going to be off from school. This is when Jen realized that all 3 of us would be off the same week in April, plus Amandas 8th birthday was during the vacation too! I believe her words to me were something to the fact of she had come up with a really bad idea! She thought we should go to Disney World for Amandas birthday. That was all I needed to start the planning! We would find the money somehow! So it was booked. We decided to tell no one! That lasted about 3 weeks. We told Julie since we knew she would love to help us plan and then Kim a few weeks later, she was our plan for what we would be doing for Easter.
Finally April rolled around, after what seemed like about 17 years! Amanda still had no clue! On Saturday, April 11 I pretended to not feel well. Therefore I could not go to dinner with Jens parents. Only this was so I could take the time to pack the car without Amanda knowing. I went to bed at about 7 pm.
My alarm went off at 12:00 and I got up to see if the Easter bunny had come yet! He had, so we woke up Amanda to go around and get her basket and eggs, which seemed to take forever as well. Then Jen gave Amanda a birthday present. She opened the card and it was a picture of the Castle in the clouds with the Mickey balloons in the sky asking What will you celebrate? On the inside it said Amandas 8th birthday in Walt Disney World. She proceeded to toss the card to the floor and open her present. She got a Baby Pluto shirt and it said Amandas 8th birthday. I asked her to read her card again and see if she could tell what it meant.
She read it again and she said Didnt get it.
Jen asked What would you want to do on your birthday?
Amanda responded Go to Disney!
Jen then said So lets go!
Amanda asked, Really?
Yes, lets go! again from Jen.
Yes, lets get in the car! Jen said.
I am not sick; I packed the car while you were at dinner! I added.
That is about the time Amanda began to scream and jump up and down and gave us huge hugs. So we told her to get some stuffed animals and anything she might want to bring (most of it was in the car already!)
We left the house around 12:35 or so, but our first stop was Dunkin Donuts for a coffee. We set off for Palm Coast, Florida at 12:49 am.
We stopped for breakfast in North Carolina at Amandas favorite breakfast place on I95, Waffle House. It was at this time that Jen called Joy to say Happy Easter and mention that we were in NC on our way to WDW. It was fun for Amanda to tell Megan where we were going.
We drove all the way to Palm Coast, FL, a town just north of Daytona, to stay at a Holiday Inn Express. We arrived at about 4:30 and checked in. There was only 1 other car in the parking lot. The manager said they had many travelers in on Friday on their way to WDW. We quickly get our bathing suits on and went to the pool. Amanda played in the pool for about 30 minutes; I got in for about 10 and Jen sat by the side. This was the beginning of Jen and me realizing that we are cold too much! We went to the beach for dinner to a great bar/restaurant. Why was it great? They had Michelob Light!!!!!! So I had 3, and a burger. We took a walk on the beach after dinner and Amanda collected some shells and I froze. Here I was in Florida at the beach and I was shivering. We went back to the hotel and more or less went to sleep.
I had the alarm get us up at 4:00 am so we could be on the road by 4:30. That way we could check in at Pop Century at around 6:00 am to then catch the bus to the Magic Kingdom, it was going to open at 7:00 am!
The ride from Palm Coast to WDW was uneventful, other than Amanda having one of her rare awake appearances for when we pull on property and drive under the arch. That was very exciting as usual. We pulled up to the gate at Pop Century and checked with the security guard, he laughed when we told him we were there to check in. When we pulled into the parking lot it was 5:53 am. We quickly walked across the parking lot so we could go and check in. I walked up to the counter and laughed when I said I would like to check in. This is when I was told you can not check in until 7:00 am. I asked if there was anything that could be done since we wanted to get off to the Magic Kingdom for the Extra Magic Hours. He shook his head no, and then another CM said in a not so friendly voice, It will ruin your whole reservation if we try to check you in! So we had and hour to kill, how else do you do that? Off to Dunkin Donuts of course! We got back at about 6:40 and walked around the store, it had opened at 6:00. I got in line and began my check in process at about 6:55. By 7 oclock we were all set and our room was ready! We went back to the car and got what we needed for the day at MK. Of course the bus arrived as we crossed the street to get to our car, so we would need to wait for the next one. Just our luck the bus sat there for a few minutes and we were able to board it and we were off to MK! We arrived there at about 7:25 and the crowd level was very low. On the walk down Main Street I got a little teary eyed, we were finally home and the dream of Amandas surprise birthday trip was finally here! We headed strait for a ride on Peter Pans Flight. From there it was a ride on Cinderellas Golden Carousel, I even went on. We decided to walk over to Tomorrowland and Amanda and I went on the Astro Orbiter while Jen rode Buzz Lightyears Spaceranger Spin. Amanda got freaked out when she took us up real high and then brought our ship down low, Jen scored about 30,000 on Buzz. After that it was a ride on our favorite Tomorrowland attraction, the TTA! This was exciting since it would be going down for rehab at the end of the week. We then headed for the Haunted Mansion, but along the way we stopped at the Tea Cups, where we did not get dizzy!
From there it was off to Pin Heaven. as Amanda likes to call it, otherwise know as the Frontierland Pin Station. That is when we had a very thrilling moment. Amanda and I each bought a Hidden Mickey Fastpass pack of 2 pins. Amanda opened them both and we got all 4 pins! That was Amanda keeping up her lucky streak!
We then ventured over to The Pirates of the Caribbean where Amanda noticed the shovels in the sand by the dead pirates in the first cave scene. Our last attraction of the morning would be the Jungle Cruise. This was our Magical Moment of the day! Skipper Autumn had Amanda come to the front of our boat and she began to drive! She was given a special card to show that she was the skipper today! It was great! Amanda was hungry so we got her some corn dog nuggets at Caseys. It was the only time we sat in the bleachers since the place was still empty. We figured that would be a great time to go back and get into our room.
When we arrived there was a basket in the room for Amanda. It had a camera, a balloon and some other stuff to wish her a happy birthday. After getting our entire luggage to the room Jen and I had lunch at Everything Pop, I had a double cheeseburger and she a cheese steak wrap. That is when we notice the bar we spent a few hours at after the Marathon was gone.
We decided to go over to the Downtown Disney Marketplace to shop some. Our first stop was in the World of Disney where Amanda found a new Puffle and Club Penguin; she named him Sleepy, only I think his name is Carl. We walked through Tren-D and then over to the Pin Station. This is where I got my DVC bus pin. We then went over to Design-a-T and we all made a new t-shirt. I made mine a Christmas one with long sleeves. From there we went into the Disney Days of Christmas and bought some ornaments. One of them we had personalized for Amandas birthday and it was amazing. We wondered why we had never had this done before. We strolled over to Goofys Candy Co. and I got a Goofy Glacier, I had been waiting a long time for that! Amanda got a Rice Krispy Treat that was dipped in chocolate and covered in mini peanut butter chips, it tasted real good! Jen and Amanda headed to get our t-shirts and I went to Lego. I got no Legos and they made my t-shirt a short sleeve. They said they would fix it and we decided to pick it up after dinner. That is when we went back to Pop.
We were going to have dinner that night at 1900 Park Fare to meet with Cinderella and the Prince. We drove over to the Grand Floridian and Amanda tried out her skill at video taping by filming the man in the lobby playing a piano. That is when they paged us to go in. We had our picture taken and of course it was great so we bought it (not sure when we have not bought it in the past). We were sat in the corner which was nice and Amanda got a Happy Birthday placemat with signatures on it. Cinderella turned out to be very hot (she had been kind of nasty the past few times we have seen her) and the Prince was not! Dinner was great; Amanda met Cinderella, the Prince, Lady Tremain, Anastasia and Drisella. She crossed out the signature from the Prince since she did not like him. Toward the end of dinner Jen left to go to the bathroom. She was gone for 20 minutes! The bathroom by the restaurant was crowded and she went upstairs. Both Amanda and I were getting very nervous. Our waitress wanted to bring Amandas birthday cupcake but wanted to wait for Jen. After the 20 minutes Jen returned to tell her tale and we had a small birthday celebration.
We stopped at Downtown Disney to have Jen run in and get my corrected t-shirt and then headed back to Pop. We decided to go out Adventuring to see the resort. We passed the 70s buildings where we stayed for the 2008 Marathon and Amanda played Twister for a while and then again on the way back. We had an early evening since we had been up since about 4 am.
Tuesday began with the possibility of rain, but so what! Our plan was to go to the Magic Kingdom again. We went to the bus at about 6:40 and hopped on the next bus. When we arrived we were let through the turnstiles and had to wait about 2 minutes for the official opening. We headed right for Peter Pan, but it was having some difficulties, so we went on Its a Small World. Yep, IASM at 7:08 am! When we got off IASM, we were able to ride Peter Pan, so we were all very pleased. Then it was off to the best 3-D movie in all of WDW, Mickeys Philharmagic. From there it was on to Snow White.
Amanda was a little hungry so we got her a croissant and me a coffee. We sat in the hub at about 8:00 am. It was so nice to just sit and relax and there probably is no better place to do that than at the Hub! This may have been the most relaxing part of the whole trip!
We headed to the Haunted Mansion next and I noticed that the drapes in the dining room scene were blowing in the wind since the window was open. I had never noticed that! We headed to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; Amanda let us go on this ride, very kind of her. We then went off to meet Tinker Bell and her friends. We traveled to Pixie Hollow and met the gang. Tink was there with Iridessa and Rosetta too! I think I liked this more than Amanda. Rosetta asked if we had found the old Jersey when we told her we were from New Jersey. We then went to Goofys Barnstormer and had a fun ride, I videotaped the ride. We decided to take a ride on the Walt Disney Railroad and then hit some stores. As we attempted to board the train the conductors said the lightning was shutting down the train temporarily. That is about the time the skies opened up. We took some time and looked in the Judges Tent for stuff to buy with no success. When the rain got lighter, we headed over to the Pirates of the Caribbean for a quick ride. We finally decided it would be a good time to head over to the Contemporary for our brunch at Chef Mickeys. It would just happen that we were stuck in the furthest part of the Magic Kingdom from the exit, oh well. When we got to the exit Amanda fit through the turnstile without spinning it!
We got to Chef Mickeys and checked in. We knew that the picture would be different since they replaced the old spoon and fork Mickey with a new and 3-D Mickey. It would be our 1st picture with the spoon and fork after 7 pictures with it. We had some Mickey Waffles, breakfast lasagna and corned beef hash in corn bread. Ruth Ann was our server. She was a server about 3 years earlier and has been at WDW for 37 years, being one of only 10 cast members that have 30 or more years at WDW. We were able to meet the Fab Five.
When breakfast was over, it was still raining. Jen suggested we go over to the Polynesian to see if they had the t-shirt I wanted. So we hopped on the Black Monorail. We got off at the Poly and headed down to the shop. They had the shirt and we also found a David Doss print we liked, so we took one of those too! Amanda found a pink plaid dress she had seen before but they did not have her size. So we decided to try the Grand Floridian gift shop. Back to the Monorail and it was the Black again! We were very excited to find the dress in Amandas size!
When we got back to Pop Century Amanda and I headed to the arcade while Jen got some needed sleep in the form of a nap. We took a look at the prizes that could be won with tickets and Amanda saw the rubber ducks. That was going to be our goal. We began playing some game and then settled on a game that had a good payout. Before long we had enough to get the two ducks she wanted. She was so excited! We took a quick stroll through the shop and bought nothing, which was a surprise, but picked up the ornament we had personalized for Amandas birthday. It was beautiful!
The rain lasted to about 5:00-5:30, but that was fine since we arrived at the Magic Kingdom for dinner. We stopped at Caseys to get Amanda some corn dog nuggets and then headed to our favorite counter service at MK, Columbia Harbor House. I had some chicken breast nuggets and Jen had the tuna sandwich. From there we headed to the Haunted Mansion for our second ride of the day. After that we headed to Tomorrowland for a leisurely ride on the TTA. When we got back they let us stay on and ride it again without getting off! We then headed out to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. It was a great show but they did not use Amandas joke. Amanda said it was a good time to get a spot to watch Spectromagic. We found a spot on Main Street just past Caseys on the other side, near the hat cart. We met a very nice couple from Pittsburgh who were chaperones for the students in the marching band. They shared some of the funny stories from their trip. Their band was the last of the 3 to come down Main Street before the parade started. The parade was great as usual, we all loved it!
When we got on the bus to head back to Pop Century Pat the driver asked if we wanted to have some fun. On the road that passes the TTC and the Poly he sped up to go over the speed humps and the whole bus bumps up. There were 4 humps so we all had a blast with that. He then began to take us to Animal Kingdom. He said that is what happens when you do the AK route all day!
Wednesday brought us beautiful weather! I got up and had a coffee at 6:00, but managed to pour 4 Splenda into the trash, oops! We headed over to Animal Kingdom for extra Magic Hours. We headed right for Dinosaur! There was no wait and it was awesome! I bribed Amanda with a pin if she tried out Primeval Whirl. She was a little scared and did not like the drop, but she did enjoy the spinning part. Amanda then got her face painted again. It was off to Its Tough to be a Bug! Amanda did not let the hornets or cockroaches get her! We then headed to see what characters there were at Camp Minnie Mickey. We got in the line for Mickey and then Amanda and Jen met Chip and Dale. Dale did not know what to do with Amandas puffle!
Then we went off to Pizzafari for some quick breakfast for Amanda. She had biscuits and gravy, delicious! This was the first of 2 very relaxing parts to our day. The next stop was Island Mercantile to look at the pins. We got all 5 pet pins in the minimum tries! From there we headed to the buses to catch a ride to EPCOT for the Flower and Garden Festival. On the ride over I was shaking my calves and we all had a great laugh at how they whipped back and forth.
We arrived at ECPOT and went off to Test Track to get some fastpasses. It gave us enough time to check out some Flower and Garden Festival things as well as get some lunch. We went over to Pixie Hollow to check out the topiaries from the Tinker Bell stories and movies. Amanda colored a picture at Tinks Workshop and was given some seeds to plant when we got home. Then we went over to Minnies Butterfly Garden. We got some great pictures and Amanda did some amateur videoing. It was off to the Disney Earth tent where Jen and Amanda colored plastic flower pots. We had a chance to talk to two cast members about DVC while they worked. I also took some time to take some pictures of the flower beds, trying to time it with the monorail coming by. It was then off to Club Cool for some free Coke products. I had the Beverly again, it still sucked! Jen and I were hungry so we stopped by the Electric Umbrella for some lunch. I had chicken breast nuggets (big surprise), Amanda the kids nuggets and Jen the turkey sandwich.
After lunch it was time for a trip on Test Track. The standby line was 130 minutes, good thing we had fastpasses. Test Track was awesome! We then headed to France; Amanda wanted to get another parasol. We got a Fastpass for the Kim Possible Experience for 2:15 on the way. This is when we came across the Mickey Gnome. That would be a purchase for later in the day. Amanda picked a butterfly for her new parasol and we watched him paint it for a while. It was then we decided to put on sunscreen. Only it was broken, and we all got some sunburn as a result. On the way back Amanda got a chance to play on the playground by the rose garden, she loved the modern playground setup. When it was time, we headed to Norway to try out the Kim Possible Experience. Amanda had a good time using the Kimunicator to follow the clues so she could solve the riddles. I noticed that there were little trolls all over the Pavilion! When we finished Amanda did not want to do another adventure so we got Fastpasses for Maelstrom. In the time that we waited we went to Mexico to ride the Grand Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros. We love looking for Donald! We then headed back to Norway for the ride on Maelstrom, and we did not have to watch the film at the end. Amanda was thirsty and she wanted to try the tea slush in China. We should have remembered Len and the Eating Around the World because the tea sucked!
We began to head to Japan for our dinner. Along the way I got beers at Mexico, China (sucked) and Germany. We took a few minutes outside Germany to relax under a tree, the second very relaxing moment of the day. We talked to Jens mom to tell her to have a great time at Opening Day for the New Yankee Stadium. We walked by the American Pavilion and the Fife and Drum Corps. had just started, we took a few minutes to watch. The same man was leading this tribute to America. He invited all the children to come and help with the Pledge of Allegiance, and Amanda went up to participate.
We then went to Teppan Edo for a hibachi style dinner. We really wanted to go here since one of our favorite restaurants at home is just like this. We had the hibachi filet mignon and chicken and I had a Kiran Ichiban beer. The meal was nice but we all agreed that Mahzu was better.
Once dinner was finished we walked back toward the entrance, stopping in England and Canada for some beer. We figured that this would be a great time to head back to the hotel for some rest.
Thursday, April 16, was the whole reason for our trip! Today was Amandas 8th birthday! We started it with some breakfast at All Things Pop! Amanda had a Mickey waffle and Jen and I had a breakfast platter. From there it was off to EPCOT to ride Soarin. We arrived at EPCOT at about 8:30 and stopped at the ticket counter to get Amanda her Birthday Gift Card of $63. We then walked through the turnstiles and were in time to walk with the Soarin cast members to the ride. We ended up riding in the first row of Gate B, the best seats on the ride! We then headed over to Living with the Land. We were given the first row because we were Giants fans! We did not see any Mickey pumpkins! Amanda decided that she wanted to head to Downtown Disney to begin spending her gift card.
We arrived at Downtown Disney and went right to World of Disney. Amanda grabbed two Club Penguin stuffed animals and made her first Birthday purchase. Now it was off to the Pin Traders where she bought two Mickey Mouse pins. We decided to have lunch at Goofys Candy Company. I got pretzel sticks dipped in white chocolate then dipped in crushed Butterfingers, Amanda got the same. Jen got chocolate covered marshmallows! I had a Goofy Glacier as well (can't pass them up!). This was when Amanda and I decided we needed 30 inches of sugar! We had a great time filling our tubes, mine with mostly root beer flavor! Amandas mouth turned all blue from the bubble gum flavor!
It was time for some relaxing at the pool so we headed to Pop Century. We spent a good hour and fifteen minutes hanging in the pool, but it was time to get ourselves over to Disneys Hollywood Studios for Amandas birthday dinner. We were going to be eating at the 50s Prime Time Café. We had asked Amanda about 7 months earlier if she could pick the restaurant in WDW to have her birthday dinner at what would it be, and this was the choice! We arrived with some time so we looked at some pins and saw Muppetvision 3-D. We even stopped to get temporary tattoos. Amanda got baby Mickey, Jen got Dory and I ended up with Mike Wozowski. It was then off to dinner.
Cousin Laurie was our server and she did a great job handling Amandas birthday. She made everyone in our kitchen sing her happy birthday and even had them all sign a card for her, now she has a birthday card signed by complete strangers! Jen ate the fried chicken and I the meat loaf. Amanda had some chicken nuggets. Again there was a cake to celebrate!
After dinner we walked around a little to kill some time before Fantasmic. In one store the cast members behind the counter stopped Amanda. They said they had a phone call for her. It was Goofy calling to wish her a happy birthday. We all thought that was really cool! We then got great seats for Fantasmic. Unfortunately it was a touch cold and I forgot to bring a sweatshirt and refused to buy something that I had in the room, so I just sucked it up and dealt with it. When the show started I got a little teary at the beginning as well as during the scene with the boat. We noticed that the dragon was new and the Evil Queen had a funny hat on. After the show we took our time walking back to the car to head back to the room.
We woke up the next morning and it was our day to head home. But this would be like no other travel day. We started by going to Hollywood Studios to ride Toy Story Midway Mania. We arrived at about 7:40 for the Extra Magic Hours and were off to TSMM to get a Fastpass and then ride. The first ride I got 184,000, Amanda got 89,000 and Jen a 79,000. From there it was off to Starring Rolls for a quick bite to eat. We shared a croissant and a cinnamon roll and I had a French Vanilla coffee. It was the most relaxing part of our day. We then hit the Great Movie Ride and had the scene with the gangsters and we all spotted the hidden R2-D2 and C-3PO. It was then off to use the Fastpass at TSMM and Amanda got 118,900, her highest score ever!!!!! We then decided to head over to Voyage of the Little Mermaid, we had not been to this show in 3 years! As the time got closer to needing to head to the car and drive up I-95. Amanda wanted to go on Muppetvision 3-D one more time where we sat in the front row! Amanda decided to buy one more set of Pins, and she got the same 2 pins for at least the 4th time. We then began the walk to the car, but I had the idea to go over to Animal Kingdom to get Flame Tree BBQ! We all thought it was a great idea, plus it delayed our trip home.
We drove over to AK and took the tram to the entrance. We walked over to Flame Tree and saw something we had never seen before. There was a queue for it!!!! We got in line and it actually moved very fast. Before long we were sitting with our pulled pork and chicken drumsticks with fries! Lunch was just amazing!
As we walked out of the park, I stopped to get a bucket of popcorn for the drive home. I then had the crap scared out of me by a macaw that decided to speak as I walked by, of course I jumped and everyone got a good laugh. Just past security we came across a cast member that would trade with Amanda. He traded 5 alphabet pins with her, hard ones to come by. That prompted up to head to Downtown Disney to see if they could be traded for pins Amanda wanted. Again we would delay our departure for home! We headed across property and parked near T-Rex Café, where we will eat this summer. We headed over to the pin shop and got some pins as well as traded some. We even stopped at World of Disney to get Amanda a watch. Jen got a Mickey ice cream bar then I forced a stop at the Lego store to buy a new set so I could build it after my knee surgery.
That was the last stop before heading to the car to drive home to NJ. It ended an amazing trip to celebrate Amandas 8th birthday, plus it was a much needed break from our classrooms.
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Trip Report April 2009 - Insanely Long!!!
Posted 27 June 2009 - 05:04 PM
Posted 04 July 2009 - 08:17 AM
I just realized I can blame Tim Foster for this long report, I used his journal and that is why I "remembered" everything.
Posted 04 July 2009 - 07:20 PM
Very good detail John. Thanks for sharing!
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I'm 30 years old, married and an avid reader.
I love Fantasy books. Some of my favorite Authors include JKR, David Eddings, Tad Williams, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Elizabeth Hayden, and Robert Jordan.
I have a twin sister that betas for me. We have always been best friends and I hope we will stay that way.
I have found a great fondness for taking Hapkido. I'm currently a purple belt, and really having fun since I have gotten my twin, Step-sister, and husband to start coming to class with me. I also have a few other massage therapists from my office that come.
My favorite Animals are penguins. I also have a thing for cats, which led to me writing my first story, Switched.
My first Child was born in June. She is totally amazing, and I can't wait until she is old enough to share Harry with.
You belong in Gryffindor!
Not Your Average Harry Potter House Quiz
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Which HP Kid Are You?
Banners made by Kentuck
Banner made as a gift from Gmariam
Banner made as a SS from Dragon Mistique
Banner made as a SC by crazy_purple_hp_freak
Banner made as a gift from Gmariam


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I got this code from gametutorials.com, I had to modify it for my complier (its tutorial about file reading #2), sometimes windows will read it, but it will give invalid assignemnt errors most of the time.
GT.txt :Code:#include <iostream.h> #include <string.h> #include <fstream.h> int main() { ifstream file_in("GT.txt"); if(!file_in) return 1; char a_word[10]; while(!file_in.eof()) { file_in >> a_word; // Here we read in a "word" if (strcmp(a_word,"\n")==0) cout << "\n"; else cout << a_word; cout << " "; } file_in.close(); return 0; }
This tutorial was brought to by GameTutorials. \n
Testing line 2.


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Electric Paris
10:00am to 5:00pm Sat, Feb 16 - Sun, Apr 7, 2013
Venue: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
225 South Street, Williamstown, MA 01267Contact:
Sally Majewski
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Long before the widespread use of electricity, Paris had been known as "The City of Light" -- the name arose in the eighteenth century, when Enlightenment philosophers made Paris a center of ideas and metaphorical illumination. By the late nineteenth century, the term had come to be associated with "real" light in the artificially illuminated streets and boulevards of the French capital, and its showy spaces of public entertainment and leisure. While these locations are familiar from the works of such artists as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Pierre Bonnard, the different types of lighting that animate such outdoor spaces as well as commercial and private interiors at the time have never been considered in detail. This exhibition is the first to explore the ways in which artists depicted both older gas lighting and the newer electric illumination that began to supplant it around the turn of the twentieth century. Assembling images from both high art and popular culture, including paintings, prints, magazine illustrations, and photographs, the exhibition will demonstrate that lighting was a key aspect of the way in which Paris was defined as a modern city. Curated by S. Hollis Clayson, Professor of Art History and Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities at Northwestern University, Electric Paris draws primarily from the collection of the Clark and the Troob Family Foundation, with several key works lent by other institutions.
MA Spotlight on Carole Copeland Thomas
Enriching Multicultural Tourism in Massachusetts Carole Copeland Thomas is a thought leader and public speaker...
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Is that the White Hot auto patch of Lapierre that you're using as an avatar?
I'm interested in the Malone and Staal Gold Medallions and was wondering if you also had a few Habs double from the Fleer Ultra 07-08 serie? My son is an Habs fan and his regular doubles and mine would give you a much bigger pool to choose from to complete your set if you could add a double or two of the Habs to add to the Malone and Staal Gold.
Let me know
PLMK on the Ultra RC Tlusty,Little, I have someone inquiring about them


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So. What I am attempting to do is to get the program to spit out a random number somewhere between 1 and 10,000. It's not working quite the way I want, specifically, the numbers end up being low, for some reason.
Basically, I just ran a loop 10,000 times, where the program kept spitting out random numbers (1-10000) and every time made a note of whether or not the random number was above or below the middle number (5000 in this case.) The program consistently spits out numbers from 1-10000 that are only 5001 or above maybe 4500 times out of 10000. Which is just plain out bizarre. I ran the same program for numbers 1-6 and it came right down the middle, around 5000 of the 10000 numbers were 4+.
What am I doing wrong? (It is possible that this is actually a malfunction of the testing function, and not the generator itself, but that in and of itself would be interesting to know.)
Thanks for your patience, trying to learn C++ quickly to test some things out that can't be done in a spreadsheet.


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Biden, Romney Planes Cross Paths in Cleveland
CLEVELAND, Ohio–If there was any doubt that both candidates are working hard to win the Buckeye State, both Air Force Two carrying Vice President Joe Biden and the plane carrying GOP standard bearer Mitt Romney were at Cleveland's Hopkins International Airport at the same time.
Mr. Biden was leaving Cleveland for a short flight to Toledo, while Mr. Romney was arriving for his own campaign event on Sunday afternoon.
The campaigns have been fiercely fighting for votes in Ohio, viewed by both as a key to winning Tuesday's election.
An aide to Mr. Biden said the vice president and Mr. Romney didn't see each other at the airport.


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FRISCO, Texas - The second session of the NIKE EYBL got underway Friday night. One of the top performers over the course of the spring, Anthony Bennett, continues to impress.
Anthony Bennett (2012, CIA Bounce)- He is strong, bouncy and full of competitive energy. Playing as a cross between Paul Millsap and Draymond Green, Bennett is constantly producing winning plays. He is terrific in traffic, is an accurate finisher and is capable of playing above the rim.
Rodney Purvis (2012, CP3)- Love Purvis' physical scoring game and the way he is constantly attacking the body of his defender. The elite combo guard also had some impressive passes off his attacking drives.
James Robinson (2012, Team Takeover)- Robinson isn't an overwhelming athlete, but he combines his strength with his feel for the game to control the action. He goes both directions with ease, knows how to change pace and is always scanning the floor for a playmaking opportunity.
Beejay Anya (2013, Team Takeover)- Anya controls space with his wide body and can go get the basketball with his long arms. At a young age, he already has a grown man's game. Although not a high riser, he impressed with his quickness off the floor.
Jarnell Stokes (2012, Memphis YOMCA)- He might not be the most fluid athlete, but Stokes his a powerful athlete who constantly is making a positive impact on the game. Physically imposing, he typically has his way around the basket. Friday night he also has some terrific deep outlet passes.
Johnathan Williams III (2013, Memphis YOMCA)- Williams has impressive length and skill set for a combo forward. He sees the game and can make plays with either hand. When he begins to gain more strength, watch out.
Anthlon Bell (2012, Memphis YOMCA)- Bell made a strong impression during the first session of the Nike EYBL, and Friday night he was on target once again from deep.
Sam Craft (2013, Memphis YOMCA)- A stocky, strong point guard, Craft plays with great composure and confidence. A solid-looking prospect who exudes winning.
Brandon Ashley (2012, Oakland Soldiers)- Ashley is progressively expanding his game. Friday night he looked great attacking the basket off the dribble from the wing.
Dominic Artis (2012, Oakland Soldiers)- Similar to Craft, Artis played with composure and confidence at the point guard position. Constantly in command of his handle, he broke down the defense with regularity and found open teammates.
Anthony Barber (2013, Boo Williams)- I can't help but think of a right-handed Brandon Jennings when I watch Barber. He has the same type of slinky quickness and uses that quickness to overcome deficiencies in strength. Love his mid-range scoring game.
Archie Goodwin (2012, Arkansas Wings)- His shot needs refining, but his athletic slashing game is at the top of the charts.
Jalen Jackson (2012, Arkansas Wings)- The big producer for the Wings was Jackson, a 6-foot-6 wing. He made plays going to the basket and hit some shots from the perimeter. He was active all around on the court and is an intriguing prospect.
Ohio State and Connecticut are the latest schools to offer Brandon Ashley. Planning to formulate a list by mid-summer, Ashley also mentioned offers from all the Pac-10 schools, along with Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, Wake Forest and interest from North Carolina.
Class of 2013 wing prospect Brannen Greene has offers from Alabama, Marquette, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Providence. Duke, Ohio State and Georgetown are showing serious interest. Green plans to visit N.C. State and the new coaching staff in the near future.
James Robinson listed offers from Georgetown, Notre Dame, Virginia and West Virginia. He has visited all four of those schools. The new staffs at North Carolina State and Miami have started recruiting him and interest is coming in from UCLA.
Jerami Grant named Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Rutgers, Georgetown, Virginia and Clemson as the schools recruiting him the hardest.