text:
Reports from Journey to the Homeland: Germany
and Ukraine, May 2008
Updated: 6/12/08
Hello from Odessa, Ukraine
24 May 2008
Internet Cafe
Odessa, Ukraine
Just a short note to let you know that our tour group arrived safely in Odessa, Ukraine on 22 May and all is well. We stayed at a hotel near the Frankfurt, Germany Airport for 21-22 May and then flew Frankfurt – Prague - Odessa on 22 May.
On 23 May, some tour members traveled to the Glueckstal villages in Moldova for an overnight stay returning to Odessa on 24 May. Other tour members went to visit villages in Bessarabia, Kutschurgan District, Beresan District and near Odessa.
We are waiting for tour members to return to Odessa from the Glueckstal District villages in the Trans Dnjestr Republic of Moldova. While returning from Glueckstal, they stopped in Neu Glueckstal and Kassel.
Ruth Tietz DeNault, San Clemente, CA, a native of New Leipzig, ND, returned with wonderful memories of her overnight stay in Leipzig, Bessarabia, at the home of her ancestors. She also visited Tarutino and Peterstal in Bessarabia.
Edward Hust of Medicine Hat, Alberta, visited the village of Rohrach, Beresan District. He was born and left the nearby village of Wiesental at the age of 9 in 1944.
Isabelle Roth Allen of British Columbia and her sister, Dorothy Roth Rapson of Alberta, traveled today to visit Speier, Beresan District, where their mother was born, and to Rastatt.
Other tour members and myself visited Elsass, Kandel and Selz of the Kutschurgan District villages. We went to the Elsass school to see the room for their museum. Elsass will celebrate their 200th Anniversary as a community and former German colony on 20 September 2008. Selz will celebrate its 200th anniversary for all of the six Kutschurgan District mother colonies with programs on 21 September 2008. Both of these September days will be important to the community of Germans from Russia with Kutschurgan ancestry in Germany, Canada and USA.
We will share memories from tour members when they have returned from the villages with another email message on Sunday, 25 May.
With best regards from Odessa,
Michael M. Miller
St. Michael's Church, Kandel
Photograph taken by Michael M. Miller
Miller writes from Odessa, Ukraine
25 May 2008
Internet Cafe
Odessa, Ukraine
Just a short note to let you know that all is well with the tour members. Some tour members have gone to Odessa Opera House for the 6 pm performance of Madame Butterfly this Sunday evening.
This Sunday morning some of the tour members attended the church services at the St. Paul's German Lutheran Church. There were two visiting pastors from Bavaria. The services were in German and Russian languages. We had an impressive tour of the parish offices and the restoration project of the church. The Bavarian House will have a new building by the church ready in 2009. This church was built in 1827 by the Germans living in Odessa and was heavily damaged until the re-construction began in recent years.
Melvin Bender of Alberta and Suzanne Haman Wanner of Illinois visited Kassel and two daughter colonies today. The Frahms of Florida traveled to Rohrbach in the Beresan District. James Hardt visited Gueldendorf near Odessa.
With the busy schedule and long days visiting the villages, tour members have not been able to prepare text of their personal memories of visiting former German villages, so we can send with an email message. It may be that we will send these memories via email from Stuttgart, Germany or when back in the USA.
On Monday, 26 May, we fly from Odessa to Prague, Czech Republic to Stuttgart, Germany staying there until 30 May. We will be visiting the Germans from Russia societies in Stuttgart on 27 May [Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland and the Bessarabiendeutschen Verein e.V.].
On 28 May, we will have a one-day bus tour of Alsace, France, where we will visit communities where tour members' ancestors once lived before immigrating to South Russia [Ukraine and Moldova today].
With best wishes from Odessa,
Michael M. Miller
Hello from Stuttgart, Germany
27 May 2008
Internet Cafe
Stuttgart, Germany
We arrived safely in Stuttgart from Odessa, Ukraine, evening of 26 May.
Today we visited the headquarters of the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland and the Bessarabiendeutschen Verein. Ingo Isert, head of the Bessarabian German society visited with the tour group about the history and culture. The Bessarabiendeutschen Verein is preparing for their Bundestreffen or National Gathering for Sunday, 1 June where Horst Koehler, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, will speak. I am looking forward to attending this important event on Sunday.
Tour members will take a day trip to Alsace, France on 28 May and then they return to USA and Canada on 30 May.
Here are some memories from tour members of their visits to their ancestral German villages near Odessa, Ukraine between 23-25 May 2008:
Ruth Tietz DeNault, San Clemente, California, with roots to New Leipzig, North Dakota
"Yes, the trip home went well as did the entire tour. I thank you deeply for this rich and meaningful experience in the former homeland of my grandparents and great grandparents.
I more fully understand their contributions to make this beautiful and productive land of farms, vineyards, and trees from the formerly open steppes. Leaving this homeland for an uncertain future and hardship in a new land calls for profound admiration for their courage and faith.
The traditional German one story homes are easily identified by two windows on the street side and the entrances facing the L or U shaped series of out buildings.
The lovely church at Tarutino where my ancestors were married became a Nazi hospital during the occupation in World War II, and it was blown up when the Nazis retreated. Today an administrative center is built on the foundation.
The driver, interpreter and I arrived in the village of Leipzig, home of my father's family John and Emilie Treichel Tietz and his parents, in a rain and hail storm. The driver took refuge under a tree next to the school and a statue of Lenin. I learned later that the community center across the street was partly built on the foundation of the former church.
The only German couple in Leipzig, Vladimir (Waldemar) and Lylya Reman, had returned from Germany to live in his mother's home. It was immaculate. We left our shoes at the door and wore slippers. Their hospitality was warm and generous.
Nothing remained of the cemetery in Leipzig. Today it is a field of grass and flowers. A horse was tethered there.
Along the road we saw people cutting grass for hay and men loading hay into a wagon drawn by a donkey. Everyone had large gardens.
Vladimir accompanied us north to Peterstal, now Petrovsk, the next morning to see the village where my grandmother was sent to work at age 12 when her father and grandfather died in a blizzard. She was a baby sitter and shepherdess. The countryside was more hilly and there were larger flocks of
The villages have few young people, as they leave for the cities. Vladimir said he works part time as a stone mason in Moldova because the young people are not being trained in the trades.
The opportunity to see and experience these villages is a great blessing. Thank you for making this a possibility, Michael!"
Esther Opp Mertz, Napoleon, North Dakota, with roots to southeast of Dawson, North Dakota
"One of the highlights of this trip was definitely the search for the Neu Glueckstal village. The place where the former Glueckstal church stood was replaced by a school house.
Then it was a search for the cemetery where the Mertz ancestors had been buried. We searched where there was a big grove of lilac trees or tall bushes. There was a stone of cement in the form of a tree trunk as some later marker. Lilac bushes on grave sites was so common of early German settlers. After walking around, we found one tall monument in the grass, but could not read the writing on it. Also in the thick bushes were several more grave stone markers but could not be read them. This was the highlight of my trip and I am convinced it is where my great grandparents and roots of my ancestors on the Mertz´s are buried in Neu Glueckstal, today in Ukraine."
Sylvia Feiock Frahm, Palm City, Florida, with roots to Towner, North Dakota
"This trip was a dream come true visiting and walking on the soil of my grandparents was a remarkable experience. We stayed overnight in Glueckstal with a wonderful family who were so gracious with fresh fruit and vegetables from their garden as well as eggs from their chickens. Leaving the village of Hoffnungsburg, I met an old woman who told me all about the cemetery of my ancestors."
Emil Eberhardt, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with roots to Eureka, South Dakota
"I was impressed by the church buildings at the center of the villages. I was saddened by the disrepair of most churches. I was stunned how some of those churches were used for storage of grain. Some churches have been used for more respectful uses such as schools and community centers. As I looked at the church buildings in severe disrepair, I kept remembering, the church is not a building, the church is a people who call themselves followers of Jesus. That church will continue to exist and repair well in the future."
Allean Mertz Boschee, Crookston, Minnesota, with roots to southeast of Dawson, North Dakota
"It was an experience of a lifetime to walk and visit where my ancestors came from. I better understand that many were hesitant to talk about their lives before coming to America. I can see many resemblances to the Dakotas such as beautiful valleys. But I felt a sadness that many of the churches were gone and so much destruction.
It was a joy to share this tour with family members and to make new friendships."
Penny Kramer Eberhardt, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with roots to Ashley, North Dakota
"I better understand why our ancestors missed some parts of their life in Russia. The fertile soil, the large fields of wheat, the vineyards and fruit trees, where greatly missed when compared with the hilly rocky soil, no trees and endless wind in the Dakotas.
When I consider all the hardships our ancestors endured, first in Germany, then the long trip to Russia, the hard difficult years in Russia, the long ship ride to America, and finally the settling of the Dakota prairies, disease, childbirth complications, so forth - it is miracle that any one of us was born. I am grateful for each and everyone of my ancestral family."
Julie Opp Burgum, Casselton, North Dakota, with roots to Napoleon, North Dakota
"Arriving at our ancestral village of Glueckstal was a highlight for me. A feast served in a private home consisted of potatoes, coleslaw, tomatoes, cucumbers and a Moldovian sausage. Added to that was a wonderful champagne and homemade wine. Tatana served a seven layer desert that was amazing! My mother, Esther Mertz Opp, sister, Pam, and myself had the proviledge of staying in the home of Marta Kamerer. She is the only German speaking person left in the village of Glueckstal. Marta's son, daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, and one great grandson live with Marta. She is 83 years old and reminded me of my grandmother - kerchief on head and apron around the waist. Even though there was not hot running water or bathroom in their home, there were so gracious to our group of three.
The next morning the family was getting ready for a special event - the last bell, last day of school for the year. The 16 year old grandson was dressed up and they had a beautiful spray of flowers for him. There was a shoe box on the table with tape around it. All of a sudden we heard a noise coming from the box and asked about it. It was some live doves to release during the school event. Marta sent us off with a bag full of fried kolaches, chocolate cookies and a bouquet of peoney flowers freshly cut from her garden. The whole experience was like stepping back in a bygone era."
Karen Boschee Horge, Grand Forks, North Dakota, with roots to Crookston, Minnesota and Napoleon, North Dakota
"Our trip to the villages was very interesting. The people were very kind and curious about us. The land is green and beautiful. We know why it was hard for our ancestors to leave. The people living there are Russian. The German people are long gone along with their homes and most of the churches are in bad shape or gone.
The people there are hard working and live very rustically. We saw many goats, cows, ducks, geese, chickens and horses. There are also large gardens of grapes, fruit trees, vegetables and flowers."
There isn't much left but I feel I understand much more and I'm so happy I came.
Beatrice Haman Tolle, Arvada, Colorado with roots to Towner, North Dakota
"Our trip to the Kutschurgan District villages started the day after our arrival in Odessa. A nice van awaited us and our first stop was Mannheim. Enroute the scenery was green with rolling hills much like areas in North Dakota. The areas were flat with luscious tall grains and grapes. Everyone had gardens with the women hoeing and the men culling hay with scythes, many years behind the farming equipment in North Dakota. The villages were small and people came out to their front gates to see who these strangers were walking their streets.
The most profound experience was walking around the ruins of the church in Kandel knowing that my father, Peter Haman, was baptized and made his first communion there. I gave thanks they had to leave this country. The war and Communism still is apparent with the poverty and the lack of employment in the small villages."
Pamela Opp Galegher, Thompson, North Dakota, with roots to Napoleon, North Dakota
"I enjoyed the old cemetery in Neu Glueckstal. It is on a hill separate from the village. It was very quiet and serene. A stork built a nest atop a tower near the cemetery. The tombstones were unreadable and the lilac bushes overgrown, but very peaceful."
Lori Gauper Kishel, Lita, Florida, with roots to Fargo and Napoleon, North Dakota
"From beginning to end this trip was organized perfectly. I had no idea how difficult it would be to get into the villages, but thanks to your wonderful guise, planning and experience, it went beautifully. I was also surprised by the warm reception we received from the village people. I know I will be exchanging emails and Christmas cards with my host family for years to come. Thank you so much for all you do for the Germans from Russia. It was such a blessing to be able to take a trip like this and even better that it was taken with family and so many new friends."
Isabelle Roth Allen, Kamloops, British Columbia, with roots to Bow Island, Alberta
"This was an unforgettable trip and brought my sister, Dorothy Roth Rapson, and me back to our roots. I especially enjoyed the trips to the village of our parents (and ancestors for that matter) and being where they live their lives. I have also come to appreciate the courage and tenacity these Germans from Russia carried with them and passed on to us.
This journey to the Homeland has been an awesome experience. After researching my families' history for over 30 years and then actually walking where they walked, was a moving experience. I could envision them working in the fields, cooking, tending their animals and going to church. Locating the Speier church, which our mother and her parents and brothers had very likely attended, was definitely the highlight of the trip. She and her mother had fled the village after the Bolschevik Revolution. The church was in good condition, having been refurbished by the local Ukrainian people. The Orthodox priest had set up a monument next to the church dedicated to the German Russians who had lived in Speier so many years ago.
We felt honored and inspired by their tribute. We performed our own tribute by sprinkling some southern Alberta soil near the monument in remembrance of our Hertz ancestors. In turn, we gathered a small amount of soil from the plot and will repeat our ceremony back home in southern Alberta where our parents are buried. We had also performed the ceremony in Kendal, the home our Roth ancestors."
Dorothy Roth Rapson, Bow Island, Alberta
"I have been reading all your emails from the precious trips to the Homeland, and always wished that I could be there too. So actually going with you on this trip was so awesome. The first day going to the Kutschurgan villages was so thrilling, and of course Kandel was our father's village. Being in the ruins of the church and then the cemetery where they would have walked was very heart warming.
The highlight of the trip of course was at Speier, where our mother was born and lived until she was 26 years old. The good part was that the church was still there and the cemetery. My sister, Isabelle, and I sprinkled our Alberta dirt there and at the Kandel cemetery. I was moved to tears there at Kandel and Speier, as I was always close to my parents. Thank you for this great experience."
Eduard Hust, Medicine Hat, Alberta, with roots to billages in Beresan District, Ukraine
"I enjoyed my trip to the Homeland. I thought that time would stay still for 64 years. But as a song goes, you can go home but you can't go back. I am happy I walked on the ground that my grandfather and grandmother walked and where I was born."
Melvin Bender, Medicine Hat, Alberta, with roots to Hilda, Alberta
"Grossliebental - Thanks to Alexander, the Deputy head of the Municipal Council, who took the guide and me around to the Germans from Russia public buildings and homes having great knowledge about the village history. The church has been renovated into an Orothodox Church.
Hoffnungstal - Thanks to the majority who took time from her Saturday day off to show us Germans from Russia resources at her office and to point out special homes. The church is now a disco theatre. We visited a root cellar.
Kassel - We had a great guide with Sergey. I had seen the ruins of church before from pictures. In addition, we located Woinitoschi and Freidorf, birthplaces of my grandparents, Bender and Eslinger."
Joanne Mertz Gauper, Fargo, North Dakota, with roots to Napoleon, North Dakota
"This has been an eye opening experience. Seeing the villages of our ancestors, and the burial sites was a highlight for me. Our hosts at the Glueckstal village were so gracious and cooked a wonderful meal. We partied into the night and left as friends. Sergey was such a help translating for us from Russian to English, staying the same home in Glueckstal. I will never forget this well planned and interesting trip. It was so educational."
William Hardt, Ashland, Oregon, with roots to St. Francis, Kansas
"The trip was unique in many ways and very interesting. I was most impressed by the church centered communities that were founded and built up to a thriving agricultural economy in less than 100 years. Then in the next 100 years, this was almost totally destroyed under state planning, Communism, and wars.
Even in Odessa, the people still suffer from repression and distrust. We can be thankful for our forefathers who had insight to leave for a free market system."
Kathleen Kuntz Wellmann, Hanska, Minnesota, with roots to Devils Lake, North Dakota
"I have dreamed of doing this trip for many years. Thank you for doing this tour. I will always remember being in the villages where my forefathers lived."
Suzanne Haman Wanner, Dahila, Illinois, with roots to Towner, North Dakota
"We visited Mannheim of my Schiele ancestors, Strassburg, Selz and Kandel of my Haman ancestors. We walked the streets in Mannheim village and soaked up the local flavor. Then we stopped at the home of an Armenian family who was making a flat bread that looks like lefsa but a different taste. They were making the Armenian bread to sell at the outdoor market in Odessa. They also treated us to homemade cheese and wine, which was phenomenal.
In Selz, we stopped at the home of Louisa Riesling. She showed us her house and the root cellar. The cellar was two huge rooms. Louisa was so hospitable and treated us to pickles from her cellar. She accompanied us to the church which is somewhat in ruins, but still reflects a beautiful architecture. We went to the cemetery, but just stones left.
In Kandel we saw the cemetery, but again not a lot there. The church was beautiful, but has suffered a fire and deterioration. However, just to know my Haman ancestors worshipped there, overwhelmed me with feelings unable to describe.
The next day we visited Elsass, where we went to the school to see the museum room. I presented the museum with a small wall quilt which they were excited to receive. The mayor joined us and had a nice discussion.
I also visited Kassel of the Glueckstal District villages of my Wanner family. We saw the church and visited four houses of Wanners. I saw the cemetery but was overgrown with lilac bushes. There is a memorial cross at the cemetery.
"Yes, the trip home went well as did the entire tour. I thank you deeply for this rich and meaningful experience in the former homeland of my grandparents and great grandparents.
I more fully understand their contributions to make this beautiful and productive land of farms, vineyards, and trees from the formerly open steppes. Leaving this homeland for an uncertain future and hardship in a new land calls for profound admiration for their courage and faith.
The traditional German one story homes are easily identified by two windows on the street side and the entrances facing the L or U shaped series of out buildings.
The lovely church at Tarutino where my ancestors were married became a Nazi hospital during the occupation in World War II, and it was blown up when the Nazis retreated. Today an administrative center is built on the foundation.
The driver, interpreter and I arrived in the village of Leipzig, home of my father's family John and Emilie Treichel Tietz and his parents, in a rain and hail storm. The driver took refuge under a tree next to the school and a statue of Lenin. I learned later that the community center across the street was partly built on the foundation of the former church.
The only German couple in Leipzig, Vladimir (Waldemar) and Lylya Reman, had returned from Germany to live in his mother's home. It was immaculate. We left our shoes at the door and wore slippers. Their hospitality was warm and generous.
Nothing remained of the cemetery in Leipzig. Today it is a field of grass and flowers. A horse was tethered there.
Along the road we saw people cutting grass for hay and men loading hay into a wagon drawn by a donkey. Everyone had large gardens.
Vladimir accompanied us north to Peterstal, now Petrovsk, the next morning to see the village where my grandmother was sent to work at age 12 when her father and grandfather died in a blizzard. She was a baby sitter and shepherdess. The countryside was more hilly and there were larger flocks of
The villages have few young people, as they leave for the cities. Vladimir said he works part time as a stone mason in Moldova because the young people are not being trained in the trades.
The opportunity to see and experience these villages is a great blessing. Thank you for making this a possibility, Michael!"
With best regards from Odessa,
Michael M. Miller
Hello from Hotel Astoria, Stuttgart
Hotel Astoria
City Center Stuttgart, Germany
30 May 2008
Just a note to let you that many of the Journey to the Homeland tour members leave from the Stuttgart Airport this morning to Amsterdam, Holland and on to destinations in the USA. Four tour members and I are staying additional days in Germany. I return to Fargo on 10 June.
On Thursday evening, 29 May, we had a memorable experience at the Haus der Heimat in Stuttgart with the Heimat Choir of Stuttgart, who are primarily Germans from Russia coming to Germany from the former Soviet Union in recent years. The choir was rehearsing for a performance on 1 June at Pforzheim, Germany for a festival of Germans from Russia choirs.
The tour members introduced themselves and their ancestral villages. Then the choir members each spoke in German telling where they were born, ancestral villages and when they came to Germany. They were from Siberia, Volga, Caucasus, Crimea, St. Petersburg, Black Sea and Kazakhstan. For many, they immigrated to Germany since 1991. One lady told how her father was taken from the family in the 1940s and sent to the Trud Army in Siberia never to be seen again. Her mother had to raise the family alone with great difficulties moving from Siberia to Kazakhstan and then to Kirgizen before coming to Germany 12 years ago. This family had to leave three homes during their life story only with their suitcases for Germany.
Choir members shared how grateful they are living in Germany and that their extended families are the other choir members.
This choir from Stuttgart was in North Dakota in July 1997 to perform at the GRHS Convention in Jamestown. Then they made a concert tour in North Dakota - Streeter, Napoleon, Strasburg, Assumption Abbey at Richardton, Dickinson and Bismarck. Three years ago they traveled to Argentina for concerts in Volga German communities.
On Sunday, 1 June, I am looking forward to attending the Bessarabian Bundestreffen in Ludwigsburg close to Stuttgart to meet many of our Bessarabian Germans.
With best wishes from Stuttgart,
Hello from Augsburg, Germany
Friday, 6 June 2008
Augsburg, Germany
Warmest regards from Augsburg on my way this afternoon to Munich, Germany.
On Sunday, 1 June at Ludwigsburg, Germany, I had the wonderful experience of attending the Bessarabian Bundestreffen at Ludwigsburg, north of Stuttgart. Horst Koehler, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, gave an emotional and historic presentation about what his family told him of leaving Bessarabia in 1940 for Poland with the German military. He shared how proud he is to be of Bessarabian German ancestry. Attendees wore name tags identifying their ancestral Bessarabian village of birth. The audience at this event was largely older, who were born in Bessarabia.
After visiting Munich, I look forward to returning to Stuttgart on 9 June to be at the home of Ruth and Stefan Kloetzel. Ruth worked for many years at the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland. She worked closely with Dr. Karl Stumpp with his research. Stefan was born in Mannheim, Kutschurgan District, near Odessa, Ukraine today. At age 19, he was drafted into the German military. Stefan has vivid memories of growing up in Mannheim. He has shared that from 1930 to 1941, his family and the Mannheim villagers never had enough food.
I look forward to returning to Fargo, North Dakota on 10 June from Stuttgart.
With best regards to all,


text:
So I've been trying to create a cluster of boxen for a while now, and I've got most of the important bits down and production ready. The thing I'm not certain on is fencing. As I understand it, fencing allows computers connected to the power device (be it a PDU or UPS or what have you) to tell the power device to kill another machine on the device. How am I doing so far?
I've been trying to search for devices that do fencing, however I can't find a single one that advertises it. At least not as fencing. Perhaps they're using a different term? At this point I'm looking for:
1. Information on what I should be searching for so that I can purchase PDU or UPS that's capable of fencing
2. Recommendations on (relatively) inexpensive devices capable of fencing. Looking at 2 or 3 processing boxes and a storage box. Small potatoes.
I've seen plug strips with individually switchable sockets. But almost always through a web interface.
In this "fencing" system, how do the devices communicate with the power device?
That's kinda what I'm wondering. Someone recommended one device to me. My friend picked it up. It's an old APC PDU where each plug has a serial port. I assume that in that scenario the machines would communicate via serial cable. But I've never been able to get anything out of it. The machines in question will be running Linux, if that matters at all.
You can use any PDU that allows toggling individual sockets via some sort of management interface (usually web, but there are also PDUs controllable via snmp), but you'll also need a fence agent that supports the interface in question. APC PDUs are supported by both Pacemaker and CMAN (see fence_apc and fence_apc_snmp), for other brands you might need to write your own agent.
Switched PDU is the term you are missing, I've never heard it called fencing.
APC makes a lot of them. http://www.apc.com/products/resource/in ... sku=AP7900
That one can be had on ebay for ~$150-200
Why power fencing? Why not network fencing?
Also, using a network PDU is complete overkill. Why don't you just have the machines power themselves off when not in use, and have another machine use Wake-On-LAN to power them back up?
Network Attached Switched PDU's have been a lifesaver for me in the past.
Several times I've had to remote power-cycle a servers PDU ports because the box was hung and the IPMI card was unresponsive. Great when it saves a drive into the office, fantastic when it saves the wait (and cost) for remote hands to show up at a distant datacenter.
Network or system based controls are obviously cheaper and easier to use, but sometimes you just need to yank the power.
Arbelac wrote:
Why power fencing? Why not network fencing?
I've seen places that are extremely hostile to the idea of a server being able to automatically log into switches and shutdown ports; exponentiate both the incidence and vehemence of the reluctance in case network-based fencing turns out to mean SAN-based fencing.
I'm not saying that all their objections are unfounded -- The fencing agent needs to be very small, simple and implement the absolute minimum to perform fencing and any error handling that it might need just for that, not some 1000+ lines thing with a coffee maker. Especially when it was written inhouse -- but some of them strike me as unfounded paranoia.
sryan2k1 wrote:
Also, using a network PDU is complete overkill. Why don't you just have the machines power themselves off when not in use, and have another machine use Wake-On-LAN to power them back up?
That is a different use-case. Its about moving a cluster member that is in an unknown-but-presumed-inoperable state into one where service takeover by the survivor is safe and the chances of a split-brain occurring small. In case of distributed locking there also needs to be a method to forcibly release all locks held by the victim. Services that announce host-routes for service-IPs into your network need to have their routing demon reliably stopped.
Fencing is about allevating those concerns, and cutting the power to the box will fit the bill, though there are also other methods as Arbelac mentioned.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
* Prices may differ from that shown
The main feature of My Pal Scout is that you can personalise him, there is a unit in his tummy which you access via a Velcro pouch on his back, this plugs directly into the headphone jack of your phone, tablet or laptop. The then go to the leapfrog my pal scout website and input your child's name, favourite colour, favourite food and favourite animal. I was really excited about this as I thought it would be really cool that he would say Vincent's name. Unfortunately that is not the case, I tried Vinnie first as that is what we call him, but my Pal Scout didn't know Vinnie, so I tried Vincent but no luck, I even tried Vin and Vince and again My Pal Scout didn't know any of them. I was really disappointed. Luckily you have the option to choose a nickname instead so we chose 'Little Monster' as I often call him that too, and My Pal Scout sings a song where he spells out Vincent which is something. We Chose, Green, Pears and Bumble Bee for Vinnie's favourite things. He is only 6 months old so I don't really know what his favourite colour and Animal are but he has a bee teddy he really likes so we went for Bee.
Scout has three main buttons , one on each paw and an on/off button on the other paw (well it's a stop button really).
The Tennis Ball Button -
The one button is a picture of a purple bouncing tennis ball, this is the best button it is full of little songs and different things that Scout sings to Vinnie, most of them include his nickname which would be really good if it was his name. There is a little song where Scout sings about wanting a pet Bumble bee who is green and eats pears and how he will name him Little Monster, which all makes no sense but is sweet. Scout also often refers to his favourite things being the same as Vinnie's. He also pretends to be different animals which teaches the animal sounds.
The Music Note Button -
The Music Note Button plays music surprisingly. It has a good variety of songs and they are not all your typical baby toy songs there are actually some pretty funky tunes on there.
Moon and Stars Button
This Button plays 5 minutes of bed time music which is a nice feature but as Vinnie has never had music for bed we have never used it for this feature, the volume can be turned up and down as well so this might be helpful for some babies.
In Use
This is a great toy and has a lot of good features , it is nice that you can personalise it but we were really disappointed that Vinnie's name wasn't in it.
Had to cut out half this review to fit the rules :/
I sent my boyfriend out shopping for a Christmas present for a friend's baby who is nearly 10 months old and he came back with this. I was very impressed as it seemed like a lovely toy, so when he saw it on Amazon's lightening deals for just £8.99 we just had to get one for our nearly 7 month old - and what a bargain it was!
The biggest difficultly was getting the cuddly green dog out of the box, but when my boyfriend had done this, he connected it to the computer where we got to choose our baby's name, favourite colour, animal (from a list, no moose unfortunately), and food (since he only really has milk we chose bananas). Then after doing this the wires and batteries go back inside the dog and velcro up.
My Pal Scout as he is called is a nice looking dog. I'm not a dog fan, so I'll just have to put up with this. His four paws activate different things. One turns on, and makes him say "Hi Cameron", or stops music from playing etc (to switch off properly you have to open it up). One paw plays an assortment of music, some just music, some songs. There is a personalised one where the dog wants a blue cat who eats bananas and is called Cameron - I love this. There are others like the Wheels on the Bus and Incy Wincy Spider. If a song comes on you don't like just press the button again. One paw makes the dog talk, asking for hugs, saying his favourite colour and things like that. The final paw plays a selection of soothing bedtime music - either 5, 10 or 15 minutes of it. The dog also barks a few seconds after the song/whatever has been said.
cameron already shows quite an interest in his dog, and think that as he gets older will be amazed that the dog knows his name. Initially we thought the dog saying Cameron sounded quite strange, but have got used to it now. The voice is childlike and quite cute. I think it probably will get annoying if Cameron is still playing with this up to the recommended 3 years (it is suitable from 6 months - but I don't see why it can't be given to a younger baby, even a newborn), but if Cameron loves it then I will be happy. It will hpefully be useful in helping us to teach him various things like colours.
This is a lovely toy, and for the price we paid (we did pay more when we bought it as a gift for our friend) I think amazing value for money.
5 out of 5 stars from us.
The LeapFrog My Pal Scout puppy is a soft toy which you can personalise with songs and your child's favourite things by plugging this bear into your computer. This toy is available from many shops at around £18 but I have recently seen this on Amazon reduced to only £10. This toy is for children aged 6 month and over. My son was given this toy at around 6 months old and he loves it as it can say his name when pressed. There is also another version of this toy in purple and the puppy is called Violet.
About Scout
Scout is a green soft puppy which comes with a lead which can be plugged into scout and then the other end into a usb port in a computer. You can then use the software which comes with this toy and personalise scout. You can choose what songs and lullabies scout will play when he is pressed. You also choose your child's favourite food, colour and animal for scout to know. You can also choose your child's name and save this on to scout so Scout will say your child's name. You can change these things at any time by using the software. Scout also plays learning games, which is mostly aimed for the older children as the younger ones wouldn't understand this part. Batteries are required which it need 3x AA and these are not included when you buy Scout. There are 5 different areas of Scout that you can press to get him to play songs and games etc. These are all four of his paws and also his tummy.
Does Scout help your child to learn?
Scout is very good for helping with your child's learning. He can help with learning colours, counting, words and also feelings. Scout will help with your child's social development as Scout will talk to your child, encouraging your child to respond back to Scout and also encourage for them to sing along to the songs. This toy will also help with fine motor skills with your child pressing different parts of scout, and will also help promote sensory development as your child will have lots of different things to listen to, touch and discover with Scout.
Final Thoughts
Overall I think that the LeapFrog My Pal Scout Puppy is a fabulous toy for children. It's fun but also helps a lot with learning. My son loves this toy as it's personalised to him and talks about the things he likes. He also seemed amazed that this toy knew his name and I think that is what mainly got his attention. This toy isn't that expensive either which is great as many Leapfrog toys can usually cost a bit, but I think this is great in price. I would say it is definitely worth the money and would definitely recommend for other to buy for their children.
Ah Scout, the supposedly cute little puppy chum for your baby - beloved by baby, creeps the bejesus out of me!
***What is it?***
Scout is a puppy toy (doesn't look much like a puppy to me!) made by vtech for babies up to around toddler age. His selling point is that he is programmable so that among other things he can 'learn' to say baby's name.
***Why is that so creepy?***
It's just the way he says baby's name that is totally creepy. There is always a slight pause as the computer brain puts the name into the conversation, eg 'I love you... FRASER' 'would you like to sing a song... FRASER'. It gives me the shivers. Sadly I must confess that baby loves hearing the toy say his name so I can't really get rid of it. I can also see that as baby gets older the song where scout spells his name would also help him to learn it.
Ok, this is one area that I really cannot fault the creepy critter on. Scout's rrp is 19.99 but can easily be found for half that on Amazon and other retailers. For the money you get a toy that is programmable, well made, lights up, sings etc. Really, it's pretty incredible. It does use up batteries fairly quickly, but I find this is because we forget to turn it off at the back.
***What else do you get for the money? ***
The best (but most creepy!) thing about the toy is that it plugs into the computer with a usb cord (supplied) where you can programme it with baby's name along with things likechis favourite colour, food etc. I do think that you really need a computer to get the most out of the toy, but very few people don't have one now anyway. A nice element of being able to programme scout is that you can select which songs he sings so you can change them when you get bored of them.
Scout seems pretty well made and is still in one piece despite being walloped and chucked about by the wee man. He is pretty simple so there are no small parts to get damaged. I don't really like the felt stuff that he is covered with but it is pretty easy to care for which is handy with a messy baby.
My verdict - great value for money, just find the constant appeals for love and use of baby's name incredibly sinister. Perhaps I just yearn for the days when baby toys were a little more simple, not to mention quieter!
Baby's verdict - love scout love him love him love him. Food now please.
My Pal Scout is a cuddly green puppy with buttons on his paws to make him talk, sing or play music. He is suitable from six months up and is a great toy to take around with you. I found my eldest son didn't start to grow out of this until he was around 2 years old.
He comes with a USB lead so you can hook him up to your computer and programme him with your child's name and his or her favourite things. I'm in no way way technically minded but it was simple to personalise Scout using the computer as the instructions are easy to follow. Once you've done this Scout incorporates the child's name into some of his sayings and songs. Young kids love hearing their toy say their name so this is a really fun feature. There is space inside the toy to store the lead so it doesn't get lost. You can also change the personalisation as often as you want so if your child changes his mind about what his favourite animal or food is you can easily update it. It also means you can hand it down to younger siblings as your older children grow out of it.
Scout's blue name tag lights up and flashes as he talks and sings. Pressing one of the paws makes Scout say things, another paw sings songs such as 'If You're Happy and You Know It' and a third paw plays gentle music to soothe children off to sleep at bed or nap time. The fourth paw switches him on and off. This is the only drawback to me as my son often switched Scout off while trying to get him to do stuff.
My Pal Scout comes from the manufacturers Leapfrog. I have always been a huge fan of Leapfrog toys and own a vast majority of them so My Pal Scout was an obvious purchase for my 1 year olds birthday. He is suitable from the age of 6 months and is a nice size for cuddling. He normally retails at £19.99 but often goes down in price frequently to £9.99 on Amazon and high street stores. He requires 3AA batteries.
Scout is a cuddly green puppy who wants to be your best friend and know everything about you! When you first get him home you will be required to hook him up to your computer with the provided USB lead to load your baby's details. Scout wants to know their name and spelling, lots of names are included in this list, my children have unusual names and I have not yet come across one name that cannot be found, you can also type in the way it is spelt if it is unusual, ready for scout to spell it out to your baby. He also wants to know your favourite food, colour and animal.
There are lots of different activities and scout uses your customised preferences in his songs and phrases. My babies favourite is when scout sings his name and spells it out, loves it every time. Scout also comes with a bedtime lullaby feature which you can set at 2 minutes, 5 minutes or 10 minutes of bedtime music to be played.
Each of his paws produce a different activity, music, lullabies and counting. He can also be turned off and on via his foot.
Scout is a loveable character and this is a very well loved toy, so much so that my boys now have one each.
Highly recommended.
We got Scout for my son's first birthday and although he was ignored at first he quickly became my son't much loved toy. My son enjoys the music most and plays his favourite songs again and again, he also loves to take him to bed for a cuddle.
One of the things many people worry about before buying a My Pal Scout or Violet toy is whether their child's name will be included particularly as it is no longer the possible to find lists online of available names. A quick tip to those who would prefer to check before buying, if you have an iPhone or other Apple device that takes apps download one of the Scout apps like Scout 123 carnival. It will invite you to make a profile and choose your child's name so Scout can say it in the game. The name options it gives are the same as those on the Scout cuddly toy so it is a quick was to check before you buy.
If your child's name is on the list but spelled a different way than you use, like Jane/Jayne or Jaiden/Jayden it is possible to put one name for the sound and change the spelling so when Scout spells your child's name out to them the version you use is spelled out even if you had to select a different spelling of the name when you set it up.
If your child's name isn't included there is the option to use something like 'buddy' so all children can enjoy Scout even if they have an unusual name
The best things about Scout is the personalisation, the range of linked in products so if your child gets attached to Scout you can get a range of Scout things and the fact that it is really cute.
The major downside I have found is it is really hard to clean, when my son is ill he wants to cuddle his much loved toy and I am terrified he will be sick on him as it will be a nightmare to clean. Also Scout toys occasionally develop loose connections meaning the sound is a bit off. There are instructions online on how you can remedy that at home or if you would prefer not to Leapfrog are generally helpful with concerns.
I would definitely recommend Scout, the only thing I would say is I think six months and up isn't a sensible age range. Babies cannot press the buttons and it is too large for them. I would think one year and up is a far more sensible age range. That is why another My Pal Scout is hiding in the cupboard waiting for my younger son's first birthday.
My Grandparents brought this as a gift for your daughter when she was 10 months old and it is a toy she has really grown into.
The best thing about Scout is he grows with your child, not literally (of course) but you can download new material to suite different age groups. Our daughter is still at stage one, she is now 19 months old but I think we will soon download the next lot of activities.
It was easy to set scout up and took myself and my Husband about 20 minutes in total.
You connect him to your pc or laptop and download the right age category for your child.
One problem we did have was that our daughters name Thea and one of the nice things about this toy is that it can be personalised by selecting your child's name so that it can be incorporated into songs etc. unfortunately Thea was not in the list of names as it is not very common we requested it to be added but the pronunciation was completely different to her name more like Tia, not wanting to confuse her we chose to select her middle name instead as we call her Thea Bella or sometimes just Bella so she is familiar with that being her name also.
This means that Scout will say things like 'I love you Bella' and 'lets sing a song about...' he will go on to spell out her name.
He also plays bedtime music and you can choose how long this is played for before automatically switching off so it's nice if you want your little one to have something to take to bed.
He has a little collar which lights up when he is being used and when they are older he has more interactive games.
This is a lovely toy and will gets lots and lots of use as our little one grows up so I would definatly recommend him.
For some reason our daughter recently named hers Puggy, no actual idea where she got this name from but that is the one that stuck and she did not want to call him Scout, this was a name she gave him after having him for a year as it was bought for her first birthday present but it is still a toy that she plays with a decent amount even if it now is used slightly differently as part of the role playing she seems to do a bit more of these days. It is aimed at the 6 month to 36 month old age. I have no idea how much it cost at the time as it was a present however looking online it can be bought on Amazon for £17.29, do be aware that it needs 3AA batteries , these are included but it annoys me when they need an odd number as when you replace them you are always left with an odd battery unless you buy in bulk. Looking at Amazon there is also a female version called Violet which is a different colour, you can guess from the name what she looks like. In terms of size Puggy is 26.7 x 24.1 x 16.5 cm.
The toy itself can be connected to your PC to download additional songs and to add your childs name so that it is used in the songs that the dog produces, this is a really nice touch I think and gives the toy a sense of ownership. It is very easy to upload the information througfh the website and there is a decent amount of options, there are five songs already loaded so it is pretty much ready to go straight away but it is well worth personalising it and to help keep the toy fresh and something your child wants to play with.
The toy is very easy to operate as all of the sensors are in the paws, by pressing these you get a range of songs or lullabies. The play mode is currently my daughters favourite as Puggy communicates with her, asking for cuddles and other such things, this is where personalising it with your childs name comes in helpful as it enhances the role play. When she was younger she was more into hearing the different songs but now the talking and interacting are far more of interest to her.
Build wise it is a soft play toy, the inner workings such as the battery pack are very well padded and the long ears seem to be one method my daughter uses to move Puggy around. The one downside is that he is starting to look a bit grubby as with the components in him you cannot really give him a wash. The paws are pretty easy to press although it took a while for my daughter to totally master these so befew months at least. aware if buying for a six month old as you will be doing it for them for the first
This is a good and affordable toy which has generated a lot of play. The batteries have lasted the year and there has been no deterioration in the quality of the voice which is an English accent by the way and not one of those awful mid Atlantic ones you sometimes get with such toys. I would certainly recommend this as a good purchase and an entertaining toy for your childs enjoyment and development.
We purchased this toy for my sons first Christmas when he was six months old and it has been well loved ever since.
**The toy **
Scout was a lot bigger than I expected he is big enough for little one to cuddle to hold although he looked very large next to my six month old son when he received him for Christmas but this seemed to be half of the appeal. The teddy himself is extremely soft meaning little one can cuddle them without any trouble and he has a cute face that is soft and playful great for younger children. The activities of this toy are on his paws on his hands and feet and are very easy to press by themselves as the markings for the activities are large there is no trouble for little one to find how to operate scout.
You can personalise scout using the usb connecter and then going to the leapfrog site and you can choose which songs you would like to upload which include a happy birthday tune, Christmas songs and many other choices of lullaby's and popular children's songs meaning you can choose the songs you think your child would like best. You can also program your child's name into the program so it is used in the songs that scout plays along with a number of other options including favourite colour which I thought was fantastic as it means it really can be personalised to your child's taste. We found the personalisation of the toy very easy to do and it can be changed when you like meaning that if a child becomes bored with the options you have chosen you can shake things up a little by personalising it again.
The soft fur of scout can only be wiped down which means he is becoming a little grubby and looking a little tired but other than that he is in full working order and after 18 months we still have the batteries that came with scout in the toy and there is no slowing of voice or any deterioration.
**In play**
At the back of the toy is a compartment which is where the batteries go and there is also a volume button so you can choose between different noise levels although my children like to have it on the highest setting and I do not find this too loud except at bed time.
Each of the paws activates different play modes so little one can choose which they wish to play.
Play- This mode is one of my children's favourites when you press the button scout will talk to little one about different things it will ask the child to cuddle them and different questions using the child's name so they know it is directed at them. This is the most interactive part of this toy and it is very entertaining to watch the child laugh and scout gets the hiccups or squeeze the toy when he asks for a cuddle.
Day time songs- In pushing this paw little one is rewarded with different upbeat songs that have been uploaded. There are around five songs in total and they play on a loop and it is great to see little one moving around enjoying the music about their favourite things while introducing them to words.
Night time songs- These are the slower lullabies which you have loaded on to scout and is said to be perfect for bed time but to be honest as little one has to interact with the toy to receive two minutes of songs I tend to let them use it downstairs before they go up to their room otherwise they would never sleep and would continue to play with the toy rather than drift of too sleep.
On/off - The final button is the on/off button so little one can interact with the toy when they wish although there is a switch at the back of the toy to turn it off completely.
This toy is recommended from six months plus and this is when we purchased it for our son for Christmas. The teddy is massive compared to a child of that age and so I did think it was a little large and although it was used it was mainly by my two older children who would press the button for Logan. As soon as my son was walking he began dragging scout around with him it was not until he was around a year old he started to use the interactive buttons and really start to get some use out of scout and for that reason I do think the age range needs to be a little higher. Other than the interactive modes scout is perfect for cuddles his cute face draws little one in and the long ears were loved by all three of my children. It is extremely soft and cuddly and even with the battery pack at the back of the toy the soft outer fabric hides this and allows little ones to really enjoy cuddles with the character.
The range of songs is great and the fact it can be personalised anytime means you can choose which songs you wish to have on there and keep things interesting for little one without it becoming boring. My youngest son loves scout and although now he is two he has begun playing with it a lot less he still does use scout often meaning he has had a lot of use.
The buttons are a little hard to press for younger children but after a few days of really playing with scout when he was around a year old my son figured out where he needed to press and now he can play independently which is great as he is at the age he wants to do everything for himself.
All three of my children love scout but he does receive a lot more play from my daughter who is three and my son now two, I thought they may become a little bored with this toy as it is simple and repetitive but actually they still love it even after all this time.
**Downsides **
My daughter has a usual name and as she loved playing with her brother's scout so much we were going to be the violet version for her birthday but I thought I would check that her name was available first. The system has a huge amount of names with different spellings but unfortunately Kiana was not one of them and this stopped me from purchasing the toy for her as I know she would be upset that her little brothers spoke his name and hers could not. Scout does not have to be personalised and will work with the songs already preloaded for demonstration mode but as she had seen that my sons would say his name I thought she would be a little disappointed.
This toy is recommended from six months to three years old but I think personally that the lower end of the age range is a little low as the teddy was nearly as big as my son at this age and there was not much he could do with it other than look at it. I think it is great it can be personalised to suit your child and this is more exciting than other musical toys we own.
This teddy has lasted 18 months so far and has been well loved by my children and I love it too. The teddy is really cute and just begging to be played with and at around £20 to purchase I think it is great value. There is a girl's version of scout called violet but personally I think scout is suitable for both boys and girls. You can purchase scout/Violet from all children's toys shops and online stores such as Amazon.
We bought this toy for my eldest daughter. She was six months old and absolutely adored this toy. She loves it that much that she takes it to bed with her everynight even now (although it does get annoying when she moves round in her sleep and we can hear it playing on the baby monitor!!).
We purchased this for £19.99, although I have seen it at half the price since. It can be bought from various places including Sainsburys and Boots.
Basically you plug the teddy into your computer and follow the instructions to program it in. My daughter loves the fact that it says her name and teaches her how to spell it....it makes her feel extra special, and you can even program it to say what her favourite food, colour, animal etc are. It barks and plays a variety of tunes.
This isn't the first My Pal Scout we have had...the first one actually swore! I was round at my in-laws house reading a copy of the sun newspaper, when I read an article about someones child learning how to swear because of it. I went home and told my husband, who assured me that it didn't swear. Checking for myself, my husband and I were shocked that it did infact swear-but when we contacted Leapfrog they apologised, sent out a letter apologising, with a free adress we could send the teddy back to. We received a replacement two days later, which was a revised one that no longer swore.
Although I wasn't impressed with my daughters new teddy that swore, luckily we noticed before she did, so no harm was done. The new one is fantastic, and she can play for hours with it. We've even bought My Pal Violet for our other daughter as they kept trying to snatch it off each other.
My Pal Scout is a 12" tall plush puppy in green and white, it can also be purchases in purple and white called My Pal Violet. Scout is made form lovely soft huggable fabric and even thought it has the battery compartment, USB port, and power / volume switch securely hidden inside and kept in place by a Velcro fastening it is still an ideal toy for a little one to take to bed.
One of the biggest attractions for me was the fact that Scout can be personalised with your child's name, favourite food, colour and animal and you can choose five songs for Scout to sing from up to 30 online, these can be changed at a later date as your child grows. To customise you do need internet connection, I found personalising Scout fairly easy as the instructions that are supplied are easy to follow and it took me about 15 minutes. If you did not have internet connection you can use the pre loaded songs and phrases which are great to.
To interact with Scout you press his paws which all have a different symbol on them which coincide with that particular paws function
* Lower bottom paw - a red circle with a vertical line, is the on off button.
* Upper left paw - a green musical note plays songs / rhymes.
* Lower right paw - a blue moon and stars plays 2 minutes of bedtime music / lullabies.
* Upper right paw - a purple tennis ball says numerous phrases like "I'm happy show me your biggest smile".
The only downside of the personalisation is that you have to put in your child's favourite colour, animal and food and as my son was only six months old when he received this I had to make these up but as stated previously these can easily be changed at a later date, another problem with this is the choices of names available on the website, my son has a fairly common name so we were ok with this but if your child has a unusual name this could be a problem, although there are suggestions for nicknames on the website.
My Pal Scout / Violet have won numerous awards
2011 Mother and Baby, Silver Award.
2011 Top Toy Awards, Gold Award.
2011 Rainbow Awards, My Pal Scout Best Soft Toy.
2011 Practical-Pre School Awards, Toys & Games 0-3, Gold Award.
2011 Toy Talk Awards, Best Cuddly Toy.
2011 Practical Parenting Award, Best Baby Toy under £20, Gold Award.
2011 Loved by Parents Best Interactive Toy, Gold Award.
2010 Mother and Baby Magazine, Mother and Baby Silver Award.
2010 Right Start Toy Awards, Best Toy, Bronze Award.
2009 Toy Talk Awards, Musical Toy Winner.
2009 Practical Pre-School Award, Winner Silver Award.
Scout is recommended from 6 months to 3 years, which is why my mum purchased him for my 7 month old son for Christmas. Although it is recommended from 6 months I feel my son will get more benefit from this product as an educational toy when he is a bit older at the moment he just likes to listen to the music and watch scouts name tag light up blue in time with music.
This product requires 3 AAA batteries which have to be replaced by using a screwdriver. The batteries that came with the product are still going strong in the Scout we received a Christmas which has had moderate use.
My Pal Scout can be purchased from most toy stockists but can be purchased on Amazon for £19.40.
Overall I think this was a fantastic purchase although my son will get more benefit from the educational side of this toy when he is older as at the moment he is too young to play Scouts "Guess what I am" games and "If your happy and you know it clap your paws", but he does like to laugh at me singing along to the songs and doing all the actions.
The only down side is the fact it isn't machine washable.
My Pal Scout is by far the best toy I have bought for my son and for a bargain price! I actually purchased mine from Boots in their 3 for 2 mix and match Christmas offers. Leapfrog toys are excellent learning aides for children and I already have a list of toys from the range ready to buy when my son reaches the appropriate ages. My Pal Scout (or Violet for the girls) is a stuffed dog that you can connect to your computer and you can enter information such as your child's name, favourite food, favourite animal and favourite colour which all get incorporated into songs and phrases. The look on my 6 month old son's face when Scout says his name is priceless! On the box, it says that you can choose from over 30 songs to download onto the toy but don't be fooled . I assumed that there would be a choice of nursery rhymes to pick from but they are just tunes and not many were familiar which I was disappointed with. You get to choose 5 bedtime songs and 5 nursery rhymes but the choice wasn't great, they even consisted of Christmas songs which isn't great for an 'all year' toy!! The songs that include your 'favourites' are lovely though and my son has hours of fun playing with Scout! Definitely a good buy!
I am a new mum and I am constantly on the look-out for good toys for little boy - he is 6 months old. I have heard a lot of good things about Leapfrog toys - not only are they entertaining but they are also educational, which is very appealing to me. I had seen and heard a little about My Pal Scout but didn't know a great deal about this toy. I saw it on the shelf in my local Boots store and decided to have a little look at it and find out what it is all about. It is aimed at 6-36 month old children so perfect for my young son.
First Impressions
Scout is a large green and white dog (it also comes as My Pal Violet - violet and white), and is perfect for both boys and girls. The face is happy and appealing to children and as soon as my son saw it he wanted to hold it! Each of Scouts four paws has an embroidered design - On/Off Paw, Lullabies Paw, Activities Paw and Daytime Songs Paw. Pressing on any of these paws brings Scout to life (unless turning him off). Whilst in the display box, in demonstration mode, Scout has a limited number of songs and phrases that can be heard. While Scout is talking or playing music his name tag also flashes. My little boy was really impressed with this - he loves anything that plays music or has lights, I decided to buy this for him as it looks like something that will develop with him. When I bought this in Boots it was around £15 but it is around £20 in most stores.
Getting Scout Home
Before you can customise Scout you have to download the LEAPFROG Connect Application from the Leapfrog website. By doing this you can customise Scout to say your child's name, favourite food, favourite colour and favourite animal, it also allows you to chose songs for Scout to play. In the box with Scout there is a USB cable to allow you to connect Scout to the PC or Mac. The LEAPFROG Connect Application also allows you to create a Learning Path on-line, this can be set to email you with the skills that your child is exploring and gives you further learning ideas to help your child. Clearly my son is a little young for this at the moment but it was interesting to see this and I'm looking forward to the day that we can fully use these tools.
Scout has an opening in his back, held closed with Velcro in which his battery pack and USB port can be found. This pack also allows Scout to be turned off and there is a volume control - I find this useful at bedtime. Once connected to the PC or Mac Scout can then be personalised; first you type in your child's name - they have a huge database of names so will be able to say most names. Next you select favourite animal colour and food this involves clicking a checkbox, again there is a huge range of each to choose from (this is useful as it can be changed in future and therefore constantly change Scouts messages). Then you can choose up to 5 daytime and 5 lullaby melodies from a selection of over 30 tunes - some are well known (including some Christmas ones) but there are also some that you won't know - but you will in future! Again this can be changed as often as you want so you never get bored of hearing the same tunes every day. There is an option to listen to the tunes before selecting the ones you want too - useful for an older child to select their own melodies. There is also an option to print a Puppy Adoption Certificate, lyrics and colouring pages. Once connected you also have the option of joining the learning path for your child where you can track their progress in learning with Scout. After this is all complete Scout is ready to go.
Playing with Scout
Daytime Songs Paw - pressing this paw makes Scout play the melodies selected when personalising Scout. In addition there are some 'learning songs' - at the moment we are singing about wanting a dog, who is blue and likes to eat bananas (our favourite things)! My little boy loves this tune and my husband and I can't help but sing along too! Scout also sings about the child spelling out their name, which I think is a great way of learning, getting them singing and spelling, it is so catchy you really can't help but join in. My little boy loves it when we sing to him and also loves musical toys, so I think at the moment this is his favourite paw.
Activities Paw - pressing this paw will prompt Scout to speak about the favourite things, he also makes animal sounds and talks about feelings - I think it is really sweet when he tells the child that he loves them.
Lullabies Paw - pressing this paw makes Scout say goodnight or snuggle up to the child before playing either 2, 5 or 10 minutes of your preselected lullabies. We use this every night when going to bed, my son is already beginning to associate this with bedtime, it is at this point I ensure that the volume is turned down low.
On/Off Paw - pressing this will turn Scout off or on, pressing any paw will bring Scout back to life though.
Our Thoughts on Scout
I think Scout is great, my son loves playing with him and although he really is too young to appreciate what Scout is saying he loves cuddling him (and biting his nose!) and is quickly learning how to make Scout sing or talk to him. I can see how this toy can really help children develop as they get older and I can see my son being very attached to him too. I like the fact that parents can log onto the website to see how exactly Scout is helping your child to develop. Scout manages to combine learning with being a very inviting cuddly toy, he has a happy smiley face and is a good size for small hands to hold onto and cuddle. In addition to helping children learn about numbers and words, I think the fast that he speaks about feelings is something that is often overlooked in other educational toys but is still an important life skill that children should be learning from a young age. My purchase has also drawn me to other Leapfrog products that will benefit my child as he grows. I can't recommend Scout highly enough and I look forward to watching my son develop with his help.
Catw0man 2011
I will start by saving in all honesty, I think my baby (currently 7 months old) would be perfectly happy with only one toy: Scout! We got it for him for Christmas (2010) using some Tesco Exchange vouchers, so essentially for free, but it is worth every single penny (and more) of the £19.99 or so it generally retails for.
I was immediately drawn to Scout by the bright green colour, the friendly looking face and the fact you can easily personalise him with your baby/child's name and favourite food, colour and animal. Scout is designed to learn as your child does.
Scout is interactive, and provides literally hours of fun. It can double up as a sleep aid too, with the options for up to 10 minutes of soothing bedtime music. If I'm going out for the day/staying overnight somewhere, the one toy I would pack without hesitation (after my son's 'soother') is Scout, he's so multi-purpose and just a fabulous distraction from crying/refusal to eat etc!
For the price I think Scout is exceptional value for money, and provides hours of fun for your child, no matter their age. I really think he is my 7 month olds best friend, he can always make him smile, no matter what!
The only one, teeny tiny thing I dislike about Scout is that you can't remove/replace all of the songs. There is one which I think sounds rude: If You're Happy And You Know It 'Bark With Me', which I think sounds more like 'F**k With Me'...just sayin'!
Word of warning though, you WILL get the songs stuck in your head. FACT!


text:
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text:
Heather Hamm
July 24, 2013
Location: Washington, D.C.
Village Capital Partner: Impact Accelerator
A native of Maryland, who now resides in Virginia, Heather is a professional accountant who longs to see more of the world. She imagines it's her mother's British roots that have led her to explore from trekking in Nepal to travels around North and Central America and Europe. Her academic background focuses on business with degrees from a Canadian university and two from Cornell University.
Learn more about Frontier Market Scouts


text:
Cyclone Oswald threatens Queensland coast
Queensland's cyclone season has produced its first named storm, with Cyclone Oswald threatening the state's gulf coast.
Oswald, currently in the Gulf of Carpentaria's southeast, developed into a category one cyclone shortly before 5pm.
At 7pm (AEST), Oswald was about 75 kilometres west southwest of Kowanyama and 115 kilometres south southwest of Pormpuraaw, moving east at about 9 km/h.
It is expected to continue moving northeast and remain a category one cyclone until it crosses the coast between Aurukun and Kowanyama on Monday night, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
"Gales with gusts to 90 km/h are occurring on the coast around Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw, and are expected to extend northward towards Aurukun as the cyclone approaches," the bureau reported.
"Heavy rainfall that may lead to flooding is likely in areas between Karumba and Torres Strait, including Mornington Island, today and will persist into Tuesday."
A storm tide is expected in coastal areas between about Kowanyama and Weipa.
"People living in areas that may possibly be affected by this flooding should take measures to protect their property as much as possible and be prepared to help their neighbours," the bureau said.
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text:
April 20, 2004
What Are Fatal Exception Errors (Q150314)
This article was previously published under Q150314
If this article does not describe the error message that you are receiving, view the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to view more articles that describe error messages:
315854 Windows 98 and Windows Me Error Message Resource CenterTo view a list of articles applicable to Fatal Exception 0E errors in Windows 98, click to view the following link:
Click here to view a list of Fatal Exception 0E articlesTo view a list of articles applicable to Fatal Exception 0E errors in Windows Me, click to view the following link:
SUMMARYWhen you attempt to shut down your computer, start Windows, or start a program in Windows, you may encounter error messages that are similar to:
A fatal exception XY has occurred at xxxx:xxxxxxxxFatal exception errors are codes that are returned by a program in the following cases:
In the sample error message that is listed above, XY represents the actual processor exception from 00 to 0F. (Note that the "h" that is listed after the 0E, 0F, and so on, in the explanations below is frequently omitted from the error message.) The xxxx:xxxxxxxx value represents the enhanced instruction pointer to the code segment; the 32-bit address is the actual address where the exception occurred.
Windows does not cause these errors, but has the exception-handling routine for that particular processor exception, which displays the error message.
NOTE: This article is primarily for informational use. Click the following link to go to the "Troubleshooting Fatal Exception Errors" section of this article:
Processor Exceptions and Their Definitions
00: Divide FaultThe processor returns this exception when it encounters a divide fault. A divide fault occurs if division by zero is attempted or if the result of the operation does not fit in the destination operand.
02: NMI InterruptInterrupt 2 is reserved for the hardware Non-Maskable-Interrupt condition. No exceptions trap through interrupt 2.
04: Overflow TrapThe overflow trap occurs after an INTO instruction has executed and the 0F bit is set to 1.
05: Bounds Check FaultThe BOUND instruction compares the array index with an upper and lower bound. If the index is out of range, then the processor traps to interrupt 05.
06: Invalid Opcode FaultThis error is returned if any one of the following conditions exists:
07: Coprocessor Not Available FaultThis error occurs if the computer does not have a math coprocessor and the EM bit of register CR0 is set indicating that Numeric Data Processor emulation is being used. Each time a floating point operation is executed, an interrupt 07 occurs.
This error also occurs when a math coprocessor is used and a task switch is executed. Interrupt 07 tells the processor that the current state of the coprocessor needs to be saved so that it can be used by another task.
08: Double FaultProcessing an exception sometimes triggers a second exception. In the event that this occurs, the processor will issue a interrupt 08 for a double fault.
09: Coprocessor Segment OverrunThis error occurs when a floating point instruction causes a memory access that runs beyond the end of the segment. If the starting address of the floating point operand is outside the segment, then a General Protection Fault occurs (interrupt 0D).
10 (0Ah): Invalid Task State Segment FaultBecause the Task State Segment contains a number of descriptors, any number of conditions can cause exception 0A. Typically, the processor can gather enough information from the Task State Segment to issue another fault pointing to the actual problem. See Microsoft's Programming the 80386/80486 Guide for more information.
11 (0Bh): Not Present FaultThe Not present interrupt allows the operating system to implement virtual memory through the segmentation mechanism. When a segment is marked as "not present," the segment is swapped out to disk. The interrupt 0B fault is triggered when an application needs access to the segment.
12 (0Ch): Stack FaultA Stack Fault occurs with error code 0 if an instruction refers to memory beyond the limit of the stack segment. If the operating system supports expand-down segments, increasing the size of the stack should alleviate the problem. Loading the Stack Segment with invalid descriptors will result in a general protection fault.
13 (0Dh): General Protection FaultAny condition that is not covered by any of the other processor exceptions will result in a general protection fault. The exception indicates that this program has been corrupted in memory, usually resulting in immediate termination of the program.
14 (0Eh): Page FaultThe Page Fault interrupt allows the operating system to implement virtual memory on a demand-paged basis. An interrupt 14 usually is issued when an access to a page directory entry or page table with the present bit set to 0 (Not present) occurs. The operating system makes the page present (usually retrieves the page from virtual memory) and re-issues the faulting instruction, which then can access the segment. A page fault also occurs when a paging protection rule is violated (when the retrieve fails, or data retrieved is invalid, or the code that issued the fault broke the protection rule for the processor). In these cases the operating system takes over for the appropriate action.
16 (10h): Coprocessor Error FaultThis interrupt occurs when an unmasked floating-point exception has signaled a previous instruction. (Because the 80386 does not have access to the Floating Point unit, it checks the ERROR\ pin to test for this condition.) This is also triggered by a WAIT instruction if the Emulate Math Coprocessor bit at CR0 is set.
17 (11h): Alignment Check FaultThis interrupt is only used on the 80486 CPUs. An interrupt 17 is issued when code executing at ring privilege 3 attempts to access a word operand that is not on an even-address boundary, a double-word operand that is not divisible by four, or a long real or temp real whose address is not divisible by eight. Alignment checking is disabled when the CPU is first powered up and is only enabled in protected mode.
Troubleshooting Fatal Exception Errors
Clean Boot Your ComputerBecause there are many conditions that can cause a fatal exception error, the first step in resolving the issue is to narrow the focus. To narrow the focus, try a "clean boot" of your computer.
Clean-boot troubleshooting refers to methods of reducing problems that may occur because of your computer's environment. Many problems occur because of conflicting drivers, terminate-and-stay-resident programs (TSRs), and other settings that are loaded when your computer starts. For additional information about how to clean-boot your computer, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
192926 How to Perform Clean-Boot Troubleshooting for Windows 98
243039 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 95
Query the Microsoft Knowledge BaseTo determine if the error message that you are receiving is documented in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, search the Microsoft Knowledge Base at:
242450 How to Query the Microsoft Knowledge Base Using Keywords
Articles About Fatal Exception Error MessagesFor additional information about fatal exception error messages, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
133440 Error Message: This Program Has Caused a Fatal Exception 0D at 00457:000040B1 and Will Be Terminated
192803 Fatal Exception 0D Using ATI All-in-Wonder Pro Video Adapter
175211 Fatal Exception Error When Opening or Closing Control Panel
171195 Fatal Exception Error Suspending and Resuming with MSDLC32
187214 Err Msg: A Fatal Exception 0E Has Occurred at 0028:C02A0201...
190123 Error Message: A Fatal Exception 06 Has Occurred at...
252523 Fatal Exception Error Message When Attempting to Connect to the Internet
189655 Err Msg: A Fatal Exception 0E Has Occurred at 0028:<XXXXXXXX>NOTE: This list of articles is not comprehensive. If one of these articles does not address your issue, use the steps in the "Query the Microsoft Knowledge Base" section of this article to find more information.
If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to contact me by Email or by phone.
Davis M McCarn
© Davis M McCarn 2004 All Rights Reserved


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Pages: 1
Just curious as to what 4.8 was developed on as xfconf won't build on Mandriva-2010.2
This is the error produced when trying to build xfconf-4.8.1
top_builddir=".." /usr/bin/perl5 Makefile.PL PREFIX="/usr"
Loaded 3 xs files from xs_files
WARNING: Setting ABSTRACT via file 'Xfconf.pm' failed
at /usr/lib/perl5/5.10.1/ExtUtils/MakeMaker.pm line 583
Unrecognized argument in LIBS ignored: '-pthread'
Writing Makefile.perl for Xfce4::Xfconf
make -f Makefile.perl
make[4]: Entering directory `/userFiles/UserDownloads/mikem/Installed/xfce4-src/xfconf-4.8.1/xfconf-perl'
cp build/IFiles.pm blib/arch/Xfce4/Xfconf/Install/Files.pm
cp /userFiles/UserDownloads/mikem/Installed/xfce4-src/xfconf-4.8.1/xfconf-perl/build/xfconfperl.typemap blib/arch/Xfce4/Xfconf/Install/xfconfperl.typemap
cp xfconfperl.h blib/arch/Xfce4/Xfconf/Install/xfconfperl.h
cp Xfconf.pm blib/lib/Xfce4/Xfconf.pm
cp build/xfconfperl-autogen.h blib/arch/Xfce4/Xfconf/Install/xfconfperl-autogen.h
[ XS xs/Xfconf.xs ]
make[4]: *** No rule to make target `/usr/lib/perl5/5.10.1/i386-linux-thread-multi/CORE/INTERN.h', needed by `xs/Xfconf.o'. Stop.
Well that is more like a problem in your distro, but xfconf works fine without perl bindings, so run configure with --disable-perl-bindings.
Thanks, Nick. xfconf compiles okay now.
Now, thunar-tpa aborts with what looks like maybe a typo in my source or a compiler issue.
I'm using gcc v4.4.3
thunar-tpa.c:55: error: expected ')' before '*' token
thunar-tpa.c:102: error: expected specifier-qualifier-list before 'XfcePanelPluginClass'
thunar-tpa.c:107: error: field '__parent__' has incomplete type
thunar-tpa.c:135: error: expected declaration specifiers or '...' before 'thunar_tpa'
thunar-tpa.c: In function 'XFCE_PANEL_DEFINE_PLUGIN':
thunar-tpa.c:141: error: expected '=', ',', ';', 'asm' or '__attribute__' before '{' token
[above repeated 17-times]
thunar-tpa.c:135: error: parameter name omitted
thunar-tpa.c:564: error: expected %<{%> at end of input
At this point, Thundar, mentioned above, xfce4-settings, here:
xfce-keyboard-settings.c: In function '_xfce_keyboard_settings_load_shortcut':
xfce-keyboard-settings.c:502: error: 'XfceShortcut' has no member named 'snotify'
xfce-keyboard-settings.c: In function 'xfce_keyboard_settings_edit_shortcut':
xfce-keyboard-settings.c:572: error: too many arguments to function 'xfce_shortcuts_provider_set_shortcut'
xfce-keyboard-settings.c: In function 'xfce_keyboard_settings_edit_command':
xfce-keyboard-settings.c:634: error: too many arguments to function 'xfce_shortcuts_provider_set_shortcut'
xfce-keyboard-settings.c: In function 'xfce_keyboard_settings_shortcut_added':
xfce-keyboard-settings.c:775: error: 'XfceShortcut' has no member named 'snotify'
xfce-keyboard-settings.c: In function 'xfce_keyboard_settings_add_button_clicked':
xfce-keyboard-settings.c:883: error: too many arguments to function 'xfce_shortcuts_provider_set_shortcut'
and xfwm4, here:
xfwm4-settings.c: In function 'xfwm_settings_shortcut_row_activated':
xfwm4-settings.c:2014: error: too many arguments to function 'xfce_shortcuts_provider_set_shortcut'
abort compilation.
The desktop "runs" in spite of these problems, but there's no panel.
I suspect these are all related.
[edit 2]
Ref. thunar above, by disabling the trash panel applet, --disable-tpa-plugin, compilation succeeded.
The remaining issues still exist.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Last edited by wa7qzr (2012-03-28 18:57:29)
It looks like you have old versions of libraries on your system.
That was the problem and rather than try and upgrade them individually, with fear and trepidation in my heart, and with shaking hands, I downloaded and installed the on-line upgrade program for Mageia-1, and ran it. I purports to take one from Mandrivia-2010.2 to Mageia-1.
It works. It took 12-hours to complete, but it worked. The only Linux upgrade I've ever tried that didn't eventually, because of trashing everything, become a fresh install.
Mageia-1 includes Xfce4-4.8, so my issue is solved.
Thanks for reading, everyone, and to Nick for his advice. Oh, it still look the same, too.
Pages: 1


text:
RUSSIAN investigators have opened a murder case after two fishermen were rescued following three months lost in a remote far east forest amid fears the pair could have eaten a companion to stay alive, officials say.
Four men disappeared in August on a river-fishing expedition to the vast Yakutia region in the Russian Far East, one of the most remote and inhospitable places in the world.
Rescuers finally found two of the men this month by the Sutam River some 250 kilometres from the nearest town of Neryungri in the south of Yakutia, but without two companions.
The men claimed their group had split up and said the others were likely still alive, as they were used to living in the open.
But a murder probe was opened after a team of top investigators from the regional capital Yakutsk found fragments of a human corpse close to the place where the pair was found.
"Investigators carried out an examination of two areas. Fragments of a human corpse with signs of a violent death were discovered and removed," the Yakutia branch of Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement.
"A criminal case into suspected murder has been opened."
According to a report on the lifenews.ru website, the men have fled the hospital where they were being treated for severe frostbite and were now on the run.
Russia has no article in the criminal code for cannibalism but the state RIA Novosti news agency said that the initial theory was that the two men had eaten one companion. It was not clear what happened to the fourth man.
"What we found were chopped human bones, fragments of a skull and a bloodstained chunk of ice," an investigator, who was not named, told the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid daily.
"It's clear that this person did not die of his own accord," said the investigator.
Meanwhile local news site Sakhapress.ru said that their expedition had been aimed at gold prospecting and not fishing as claimed.
Two of the four are local inhabitants of the Russian Far East and the others are from the region of Saratov in central Russia who were visiting the area.
The human remains have yet to be identified.
The wife of one of the men who remains missing, named as Andrei Kurochkin from Saratov, said she had not yet given up hope for her husband.
"The police said that they had found human remains. But I believe that Andrei is alive. I am hoping other hunters have found him and he is not alone," Olga Kurochkina told the newspaper.
The rescued pair, reportedly aged 37 and 35, have denied any wrongdoing and said they had managed to survive as the winter set in a wooden hut by foraging for wild foods.
Originally published as Cannibal mystery as Russians found in wild


text:
Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise HD Remaster spotted, out in March in Japan – report
Burnout Paradise is getting a PS4 version, and it's going to be released in Japan on March 16.
Burnout Paradise videos
Burnout Paradise headlines
Burnout Paradise, Rayman Legends and Pure added to Xbox One Backwards Compatible titles
Three more old games to play on your new console.
Xbox Live December Games with Gold: Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition, Outlast, more
Microsoft has announced games on offer for Xbox Live Gold members for December.
Stay tuned for a backwards compatibility release date for Burnout Paradise, says dev
Criterion Games is indeed close to telling everyone when to expect Burnout Paradise on Xbox One.
Xbox One backwards compatibility for Burnout Paradise might be a thing
Criterion Games are discussing the possibility of bringing Burnout Paradise to Xbox One through the new backwards compatibility feature.
Burnout Paradise Legendary Car Collection pack is free today
The Burnout Paradise Legendary Car Collection DLC pack is free today on Xbox 360. Criterion has made the pack free in honor of writer director, actor and all around funny guy Harold Ramis, who died this week. The Legendary Car Collection includes the Hunter Manhattan Spirit which resembles the Ecto 1 in Ghostbusters, one of […]
Humble EA Bundle has raised over $3 million so far
There's a new Humble Bundle in town, and it is sponsored by EA. But this is no THQ-esque cash grab; EA will be receiving not even a penny of the proceeds, opting instead to make this a charity drive of sorts.
EU PS store update, February 18 - Yakuza 3, ACII, Burnout Paradise
So what can you expect from this week's PS store update? The big headliner for that will be the Yakuza 3 demo.
Burnout Paradise Complete Edition coming to Europe "soon"
Criterion has tweeted that the Burnout Paradise Complete Edition already out in the US, will be heading to the European PSN soon.
Criterion says "there will be no more" Burnout Paradise DLC
Criterion Games has revealed through Twitter that it's no longer going to release DLC for Burnout Paradise.
Un-developed Burnout Paradise DLC included moon-driving
Criterion's posted details of Burnout Paradise DLC that never made the cut, including driving on the moon, helicopters, time travel and planes. The fact this is being posted probably means the developer's "year of Burnout" was well-named: and over. Need for Speed next. Hit the link for the full thing.
TGS 09: Microsoft demos Natal for Japanese news station
Microsoft packed Natal up and brought it to TGS 09 to show it off. Past the break, there is a video of Microsoft director Kudo Tsunoda demoing Ricochet and Burnout Paradise for a local news show. GameSetWatch, who posted the video, says for you to make sure to at least watch the bit at 03:35 […]
Watch Bramwell and McDonald batter balls and race cars in Natal video
You've seen Minkley destroy a PS3 demo pod as well as make off with a PS3 Slim, but to cap it off, there's this. Watch Eurogamer editor, Tom Bramwell and VG247's GC livetext supergirl, Keza McDonald, play both Ricochet and Burnout Paradise with Project Natal alongside creative director, Kudo Tsunoda. Through here and you'll find your […]
Watch Burnout Paradise controlled by Project Natal
Cnet's put live a video of a recent visit to Microsoft to go hands-on – or whatever – with Project Natal and it's all after the jump. You see Burnout Paradise in the video as well as Ricochet in there. Kudo Tsunoda, the creative director for the motion camera, talks you through it as well. […]
Suda51 has played Burnout Paradise for over 700 hours
Criterion's Alex Ward just tweeted that Grasshopper legend Suda51 is a Burnout Paradise mentalist. "Suda51 came here for the day a few weeks ago," said the dev boss. "He's a hardcore Burnout fan. I checked the servers – over 700hrs play." That's a lot of hours. Just goes to show.
Be a Burnout expert, get a diamond-branded P12
If you're really good at Burnout Paradise – and by "really good" we mean you're able to complete the 500 online freeburn challenges that includes everything from the original game, and the ones in the in the Cagney update, the Bikes Pack and all the challenges on Big Surf Island – you'll be reward with […]
Get Burnout Paradise Legendary cars from Big Surf Island - here's how
If you were undecided on whether or not to shell out for Burnout Paradise's Legendary car DLC a way back, you'll be pleased to know you can unlock Toy versions from Big Surf Island. You just have to do stuff. Like hit all 45 island billboards. Stuff like that. Full details on Joystiq.
Xbox Live update June 11 - CoD, Burnout, Sega Classics
Xbox Live Marketplace's update is pretty massive today. Some you may already know about, some you may not. Here it is anyway. Sega Genesis classics: Altered Beast, Comix Zone, Gunstar Heroes, Phantasy Star II, Shinobi, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 – 400 MS Points each ($5.00) Call of Duty: World at War: Map Pack 2 – […]
Big Surf Island vid shows new cars, things to do
Criterion's posted a long video of Burnout Paradise's Big Surf Island, showing the nine new cars from the expansion as well as a good look at the island itself. You get an island-specific license, don't you know. Hit the link. Mind you don't trip over the "wows". The large piece of DLC hits the game […]
Burnout Paradise Big Surf Island trailer confirms June 11 release
Criterion just released a trailer for Burnout Paradise DLC Big Surf Island – get it here. It's out on June 11, so it says, and includes the game's biggest ever jumps. As with everything else Burnout Paradise, it looks pretty much awesome. See for yourself.
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Burnout Paradise latest
Burnout Paradise HD Remaster spotted, out in March in Japan – report
Burnout Paradise, Rayman Legends and Pure added to Xbox One Backwards Compatible titles
Xbox Live December Games with Gold: Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition, Outlast, more
Stay tuned for a backwards compatibility release date for Burnout Paradise, says dev
Xbox One backwards compatibility for Burnout Paradise might be a thing
Burnout Paradise Legendary Car Collection pack is free today
EU PS store update, February 18 – Yakuza 3, ACII, Burnout Paradise
Watch Bramwell and McDonald batter balls and race cars in Natal video
Get Burnout Paradise Legendary cars from Big Surf Island – here's how
Burnout Paradise Big Surf Island trailer confirms June 11 release
Trophies listed for Burnout Paradise's premium DLC Big Surf Island
Criterion "would be a great team to work with" on Need for Speed
Watch Criterion play Cops and Robbers dressed like silly persons
Save game analysis tool launched for Burnout Paradise PS3 [Update]


text:
The following is a message from Bob McCann, Vice Chairman and President of Global Wealth Management, on the global financial crisis and how to prepare for the road ahead.
As volatility continues to buffet the financial markets, I wanted to reach out to you to share a few thoughts about the current environment and what we at Merrill Lynch can do to help you and your family prepare for the road ahead.
During my 25 years in financial services, I have experienced my share of bull markets and bear markets, and a few recessions as well. Still, I have never seen markets under as much stress as today.
Investing in such an uncertain environment is a very personal decision, and at Merrill Lynch we understand that. Yet despite current challenges, we should not let fear or emotions drive our investment decisions. Troubling as the markets appear to be at present, this is in fact a good time to step back and put events in a broader perspective. Volatility is always unsettling. However, it is our view that clients and investors can and should be searching in the market's current chaos for new opportunities.
Over the last 50 years, every period of financial market volatility has provided a signal that leadership and growth stories within the financial markets are changing. In my discussions with our research analysts and strategists, they indicate that investors should not expect the credit-driven stories of the past five to 10 years, such as emerging economies, to resume their leadership. They believe the new leaders are likely to come from defensive, relatively cash-flow-stable sectors, as well as developed markets.
The U.S. government is also taking exceptional measures to address the problems and restore confidence in global financial institutions. All of these efforts will take some time to have the desired effect as market volatility and the threat of recession remain. Yet financial history has demonstrated that investors who see opportunity in volatility are likeliest to prosper over the long term.
Today, I encourage you to reach out to your financial advisor to share your thoughts and long-term investment objectives. At Merrill Lynch, we are committed to helping you navigate this period of uncertainty and, we believe, long-term growth opportunity.
(A Merrill Lynch Senior Financial Advisor. She can be reached at 410-213-8520.)


text:
August 9 to 14, 2010 at the Mother House of the Zen Peacemakers in Montague, MA
The Zen Peacemakers are hosting a 6-day Symposium for Western Socially Engaged Buddhism from August 9 to August 14, 2010.
We are gathering leading Western activist practitioners, academics and sponsors of Socially Engaged Buddhism.
The daily schedule includes: meditation, a key note address, 2 plenary panels, discussion groups, brain storming groups and evening entertainment.
Panels include: Asian Pioneers of Socially Engaged Buddhism, Alternative Communities, Social Entrepreneurship, Politics, Challenges for Socially Engaged Buddhism, Mental Health, Compassionate Care, Environment, and Zen Houses.
Discussion Groups include: Arts for Social Change, Big Mind, Compassionate Care, Conflict Resolution, Trauma, Prison Ministry, Street Ministry and Community Development.
The Symposium is being organized to:
*promote the practice of Socially Engaged Buddhism,
*inspire and encourage members of the Western Buddhist community to join this worldwide movement,
*bring together the leading practitioners and theorists in this movement,
*explore the breadth of activity being undertaken by socially engaged Buddhists,
*honor Robert Aitken (click here to read his 93rd Birthday Talk) and some of the pioneers of this movement,
*open opportunities for people to get involved by volunteering, joining training programs, and finding internships and jobs in Socially Engaged Buddhism.
Pioneers of Western Socially Engaged Buddhism will be honored at a Banquet on Saturday night (the images are of those Pioneers attending the Symposium.)