text: Next years publishing schedule will start to be revealed to us in the coming months. Tell us what you'd like it be filled with. Remember to keep it vague, no story ideas, just series and descriptions. I know there have already been a few books announced, but since they would have been on my wish list anyway, I'll include them in mine: FEB: Enterprise: Rise of the Federation- Tower of Babel MAR: Deep Space Nine: Ascendants, Book 1 APR: Deep Space Nine: Ascendants, Book 2 MAY: Voyager: Full Circle Fleet, Book 5 JUN: The Original Series- Five Year Mission, Book 249 JUL: Titan, Book 13 AUG: Tales of the Typhon Pact SEP: Excelsior: The Fate of Sulu OCT: Litverse Crossover, Book 1: Enterprise-E NOV: Litverse Crossover, Book 2: Aventine DEC: Litverse Crossover, Book 3: Deep Space Nine JAN: The Original Series: "Ex Machina" continuity continuation I know people want more classic TOS books, and while I'm tired of them, I've come to realize I'm ok with them as long as they have some link to the Lit-verse like DRGIII's recent novel did. I'm sure some of my wishes will really come out, and I'm sure others most certainly won't, but that's my list. What would be your schedule for the next year?


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How did you pick your screen name?
I wanted my screename to be similar to my real name and i decided to shorten it a bit
How did you come to read Twilight and which book is your favorite?
I first heard about it on Henry Cavill IMDB board , and i though "This book must be interesting", then i bought the book (with the UK cover, i'd rather get the one with the hands and the apple) and once i got it and started reading i couldn't leave it.
Who do you like best: Edward, Bella, or Jacob?
Hm, it's difficult to say but i'd choose between Edward and Jacob
Who is your favorite minor character?
Jessica, is like those girls you had on high school who would make your life miserable
What are your hobbies?
Reading, watching movies, internet, cooking, cross stitch, hiking
Where are you from (general area like Montana, not exact town!)
I'm from a small town in Northen Spain
How old are you? (In general, like teen, 20's, 30's, 40's etc)
I'm 26 and getting older
Anything else you would like to share.
I'm here to help in anything i can

subset: commoncrawl


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Horse Conformation Conundrums
- Oct 1, 2010
- Topics:
Since horses' domestication, humans have been scrutinizing equine legs in an attempt to judge which horse will perform best in a given situation. Be it for racing, reining, or riding, a horse needs to be put together properly; but does a horse need to be put together perfectly? Given that some poorly conformed horses surprise even the most emphatic proponents of perfect conformation and go on to be champions begs the question: Is conformation really all that important?
What is Conformation?
According to Mike W. Ross, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, a professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania's school of veterinary medicine and co-editor of Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse along with Sue Dyson, MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, FRCVS, head of clinical orthopaedics at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, England, "Conformation simply refers to the physical appearance or 'outline' of a horse."
Conformation is more or less defined by the horse's bones, muscles, associated soft tissues, and how they all fit together. If all horses were created equal and used for the same purpose, then judging conformation would be easy. Alas, this is not the case. Every classification of horse (i.e., draft, light, or pony) has a different "normal" conformation and its own set of conformation traits defined by the breed and type of work the horse is intended to do. For example, sport, stock, hunter, pleasure, race, and show horses are all types of light horses, and each has its own accepted standard of conformation.
Conformation assessment involves a fine eye, patience, and a bit of luck. The horse is usually examined with four key functional components in mind: the head and neck; the forelimbs; the trunk (barrel); and the hind limbs. Ideally, the forelimbs are evaluated from the front and sides.
Part I: Forelimb Conformation
A horse's forelimbs should match and bear weight equally. Both toes are expected to point forward, and when the horse stands square the feet should stand as wide as the limbs are at their origin (i.e., the chest). If a straight line is drawn from the point of the shoulder, it should course perfectly down the front of the limb to the middle of the foot. Similarly, a line drawn from the tuber spinae (the prominent bony protuberance on the shoulder blade) should travel down the middle of the limb to the fetlock (ankle) then drop down to meet the bulbs of the heel when assessing the horse from the side.
Assess the bones and musculature from the shoulder all the way down to the hoof systematically. This includes the humerus, radius, and ulna, the angle of the elbow joint, the carpus (knee), cannon and pastern bones, and the angle of the pastern and foot. The hoof should be an appropriate size for the horse, well-shaped, symmetrical, and have a high-quality horn.
There are a large number of conformation faults that commonly occur in the forelimbs, some of which are described here. It is important to recognize that a horse can have none, one, or several of these faults and that the presence of a fault does not necessarily mean a horse will develop a problem.
Base-Narrow This describes horses whose feet are closer together at the ground than the origin of the limbs at the chest when examining the horse from the front. This is a common fault noted in large-chested horses such as Quarter Horses. This defect causes a horse to bear weight unevenly and can lead to the development of osteoarthritis.
Base-Wide These horses' feet stand wider at the ground than the limbs are where they originate from the chest. This fault places stress on the medial (inner) aspect of the legs and can cause lameness problems such as ringbone (osteoarthritis of the pastern or coffin joint).
Toeing-In (Pigeon-Toed) The horse's toes point inward toward each other. Affected horses bear more weight on the outside of their feet, which places abnormal stresses on all of the structures located on the medial aspect of the limbs from the foot to the shoulder. These horses tend to "paddle" when moving, or swing their legs to the outside during the flight phase of the stride, then return back to the middle with the toe in when bearing weight.
Toeing-Out (Splay-Footed) The toes point to the side, away from each other like a ballerina's. This fault is commonly seen in base-wide horses. Not quite as graceful as a dancer, these horses "wing" to the inside--swing the foot in toward the midline when they move. The problem with this conformation defect is that affected horses bear more weight on the medial aspect of the foot. Horses can be both toe-out and base-narrow and have an abnormal gait called "plaiting." This means the foot travels in an inward arc and lands in front of the opposite foot. This is a highly undesirable trait because these horses can stumble when the forefeet hit each other (i.e., interference).
Buck and Calf Knees Many horse owners call the buck-knee conformation fault "over at the knees." Affected horses appear to be standing with their carpi slightly bent. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the calf-kneed horse that has a backward deviation of the knees (i.e., hyperextended).
Knock Knees (Carpal Valgus) Horses with a carpal valgus have an outward deviation (away from midline) of the lower part of the limb stemming from the knee. Many foals are born with carpal valgus, and the conformation is often self-correcting.
Bowlegs (Carpal Varus) This condition is essentially the opposite of valgus. The outer aspect of the knee grows faster than the inner aspect, causing an outward deviation of the knee. Knock knees and bowlegs are both angular limb deformities that occur in foals and, if left uncorrected or if they don't resolve on their own, can place a great deal of stress on the ligaments and small bones of the carpus.
Short or Long Pasterns In some horses the pastern is short or "too upright." This conformation is often noted in concert with a base-narrow, toe-in conformation. Horses with short pasterns often also have short limbs, powerful bodies, and straight shoulders. These horses tend to be predisposed to traumatic arthritis of the fetlock and phalangeal (cannon bone, pastern bones, and coffin bone) joints and navicular syndrome due to the increased concussion on all of the bones and joints below the fetlock. On the other end of the spectrum is a long, sloping pastern that places increased stress on the structures located on the palmar (rear) surface of the limb, such as the flexor tendons, suspensory ligament, and sesamoid bones.
The Feet Not to be ignored, the forefeet are also common sites of conformation defects. Feet can be flat or contracted, bull-nosed (having a dubbed toe, where the front of the toe is ground/rasped off), or the horse could be coon- or club-footed. A club foot has a foot axis--the angle between the hoof and the pastern--of more than 60°, whereas a coon foot has a steeper foot axis as compared to the pastern angle with the ground (i.e., the opposite of a club foot). Like any of the conformation faults described above, foot abnormalities can occur in one or both feet. Usually, a unilateral defect is indicative of injury while a bilateral deficit indicates a genetic (heritable) or developmental problem.
Blemished or Unsound?
An owner or prospective owner should consider whether a certain forelimb conformation defect is important relative to the job the horse will perform. Is a scar over the carpus (knee) important? Is that divot on the point of the shoulder an issue?
Ross says, "Conformation is one piece of the complex puzzle of a lame horse. Although poor conformation does not necessarily condemn a horse to lameness, the relationship of conformation, especially of the distal extremities, and lameness is well-recognized."
Conformation faults such as base-wide or base-narrow, whether in the forelimbs or hind limbs, have less severe conse-quences. Weight bearing with these defects is simply not optimal; the feet wear unevenly, which could lead to undue and abnormal stress on the bones and supporting soft tissue structures. But what about the other faults?
Ross suggests, "Despite foot problems contributing to a large number of equine lamenesses, particularly in racehorses, con-formation faults involving the carpus appear to be most important in the forelimbs."
For example, a severe case of buck knees is problematic because it places stress on the extensor tendons on the front of the limb as well as the suspensory ligament. But calf knees are widely thought of as worse.
Kenneth E. Sullins, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, a professor of equine surgery at Virginia Tech's Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center, notes, "Being back at the knees (calf-kneed) is bad for athletes because it stresses the dorsal (forward) aspect of both the fetlocks and carpi. Horses with this conformation tend to suffer 'chip' fractures in the knees and ankles (fetlocks)."
As discussed by Eric Parente, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, in his chapter on angular limb deformities in Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse, many foals are born with a slight carpal valgus and a toed-out appearance. In fact, Parente suggested that many clinicians view this conformation as normal for a foal and that as the foal grows and the chest widens the limbs will progressively straighten on their own.
"In more severe cases of angular limb deformities, treatment is indicated," says Ross. "Leaving a foal with severe carpus valgus can lead to osteoarthritis of the carpal joints and lameness problems in the proximal metacarpal region (upper cannon bone). Often, toed-out conformation accompanies carpus valgus limb deformity, predisposing horses to lameness issues in the lower forelimb and to problems with interference (winging in)."
Treatment Options
As Confucius said, "The real fault is to have faults and not to amend them."
Most veterinary surgeons agree; conformation defects such as severe angular limb deformities will not correct themselves, and intervention is required.
"Many foals can be corrected right before your eyes with hoof balancing and dubbing the toe (making a bull-nosed foot)," ex-plains Sullins. "Surgery is generally indicated if the angulation is too much for hoof balancing and shoeing to work."
In foals with angular limb deformities, time is of the essence. Correcting the angulation requires some form of intervention, be it surgery or shoeing, before the affected growth plate closes. Growth plates (physes) are a specialized region of cartilage located near the ends of long bones. Once the periods of rapid growth are over, usually between the third and sixth month of life, the growth plates are considered "closed" and correction is essentially impossible. Closure occurs in the fetlock around 60 days of age and in the carpus around six months.
"Foals are like molding plastic," notes Parente. "Because the greatest impact on conformation is made during periods of rapid growth, early recognition and regular reevaluations are extremely important to achieve a positive outcome."
Sullins adds, "A very common error among horse owners is refusal to confine a foal to a stall with an angular limb deformity when treating with trimming and/or shoeing. Too much exercise in a foal with angular limb deformities will worsen the result."
In mature horses corrective trimming and shoeing can alter a horse's stance, stride, or breakover, as described in Adams' Lameness in Horses, 5th Edition. These methods can be used in horses with conformation defects to achieve a more normal limb movement. For example, balancing the hoof to avoid unequal shoe wear in horses that "interfere" is advocated when poor conformation is an underlying cause of the interference. However, keep in mind that once a horse is an adult, more damage can often be done by trying to "correct" faults than by managing them appropriately. See www.TheHorse.com/13622 for more information on cor-rective trimming and shoeing.
Part II: Hind Limb Conformation
Each hind limb carries only 20% of a horse's body weight, but that doesn't mean that limb's conformation is any less important than forelimb conformation. "Hind limb conformation can be more forgiving compared to the forelimbs, but it is not possible to directly compare the knees to the hocks or the front ankles to the back ankles," explains Sullins.
Just like with the forelimbs, you should assess specific and important conformation traits. "In addition, the importance of each conformation deficit must be considered relative to the type of work the horse will perform," adds Sullins.
The Standard
Like the front end, the hind end of the horse is evaluated from two directions: the side and from behind. From the side, if one were to drop a straight line from the point of the buttocks, the tuber ischii, it should course down to the hock, follow the con-tour of the back of the cannon bone (the plantar surface) to the level of the fetlock, then drop to the ground. Unlike the line to assess the forelimbs from the side, the line for the hind limb does not travel down the center of the limb to the heel bulbs. When assessing the horse from behind, it should be possible to imagine a straight line dropping from the point of the buttocks that bisects the limbs along the length of the leg, all the way to the bulbs of the heels where they meet the ground. Again, unlike the forelimbs, the hind limbs of a horse naturally point outward to some degree. Specifically, the stifles point outward in order to clear the abdomen while in motion. As a result, the points of the hocks are pointed slightly inward, and the toes are pointed slightly outward. The hind limbs should appear symmetrical (i.e., equally muscled, of equal length, and bearing equal weight).
The hind feet are usually more pointed at the toe than the forefeet, and the frog divides the foot into two equal halves. Both the medial and lateral walls should show the same level of wear. The sole is usually more concave in hind limbs than it is in the forelimbs. A normal hind limb pastern-foot axis is approximately 55��.
Where the Fault Lies
Hind limb conformation faults are numerous. Some of the most common are described here:
Base-Wide Horses with a base-wide conformation stand with the the center of their feet wider apart than the center of the thighs. A "perfectly" conformed horse would have a vertical line pass through the center of both the thigh muscles and feet before reaching the ground.
Base-Narrow Opposite to being base-wide, base-narrow horses have their hind feet closer together compared to the -center of the thighs when viewing the horse from behind. Many base-narrow horses also are bowlegged or have a tarsal varus. This occurs when the lateral aspect of the bones in the hock grow more quickly than the medial aspect. Both base-narrow and base-wide horses are prone to osteoarthritis due to the abnormal loading on their feet and lower legs.
Base-Narrow from the Fetlock Some horses can have desirable conformation through the upper and middle regions of the limb but then deviate from the level of the fetlock down. Similar to bowleggedness, base-narrow from the fetlock means the lateral (outer) aspect of the bones of the fetlock grew more quickly compared to those located on the medial (inner) aspect of the limb.
Sickle Hocks The angle of the hock is assessed based on the angle of the femur and the tibial bones when viewed from the side. The normal hock angle is approximately 50��; any hock angle less than 53�� is considered sickle. This defect tends to stress the structures at the back of the hock and cannon bone, particularly in horses that are in heavy training.
Straight Behind Unlike horses with sickle hocks, horses that are straight behind do not have enough of an angle between the femur and tibia. Horses that are straight behind generally are not as unsightly or perceived as negatively as horses with sickle hocks; however, this defect can still lead to osteoarthritis of the hock, problems with the patella within the stifle joint, and suspensory disease.
Cow Hocks This is a very common conformation flaw, particularly in Western performance horses. Cow-hocked horses are base-narrow at the point of the hocks, but base-wide from the hocks to the feet. The defect is also called a tarsal valgus and is a result of the medial part of the bones of the tarsus growing more quickly than the lateral part of the bones. Cow-hocked horses also can have sickle hocks, which highlights the importance of carefully and completely assessing a horse's conformation so as not to miss multiple faults at each anatomically distinct region.
The Feet Despite the hind feet having a slightly different appearance and angulation than the forefeet, conformation defects in the hind feet are essentially the same as the forefeet. As described in the forelimbs, the most common conformation defects of the hind limb feet are flat feet, contracted feet and heels, a bull-nosed, coon or club foot, and thin walls/soles.
Decisions, Decisions
Now is the time to ponder which of the above-described conformation faults are important and which aren't.
"In the forelimbs, deficits in the carpus tend to be the most important," says Sullins. "Similarly, (hind limb) conformation faults involving the hock are typically of most interest to owners and veterinarians."
According to Sullins, the most common hind limb issue in all breeds is an overly straight hind limb. "The angles of the hocks and stifles absorb compressive forces so horses with straight hind limbs have joints that routinely undergo more wear," he says. "Overly straight hind limbs tend to overstress the hock joint and surrounding soft tissues over time in athletic horses, particularly those that work at speed. Collapse of the third tarsal bone (part of the hock joint) due to dysmaturity at birth predisposes the horse to osteoarthritis and fracture. Radiographs are usually necessary to see this conformation."
Excessively straight limbs are also thought to predispose horses to bog spavin (see sidebar) and upward fixation of the patella. Nonetheless, some horse people believe horses that are straight behind have a good gait quality attributable to increased action in the hock joints.
According to Adams' Lameness in Horses, cow hocks are one of the worst possible hind limb defects.
"This is because the points of the hocks are too close together and there is excessive stress on the hocks," explains Sullins. "Affected horses are prone to bone spavin, which is an osteoarthritis or osteitis (inflammation of the bone) of the hock, particu-larly the lower hock joints. Bone spavin, also referred to as distal tarsal osteoarthritis, is one of the most common causes of tarsal lameness."
According to Sullins, "(Radiographic) changes in the distal tarsus, meaning the tarsometatarsal joint or proximal intertarsal joint, must always be viewed with a grain of salt."
When noted in the distal hock joints, these changes do not necessarily mean the horse is or will become lame. On the other hand, a horse with "clean" radiographs (X rays) of the hock is not always in the clear.
The changes that Sullins refers to include "bone spurs," or small bony growths commonly noted along the margins of the joints that might cause lameness and narrowing of the joint spaces due to loss of the cartilage that normally lines the bones in the joints.
"Diagnostic local anesthesia (a joint block) or scintigraphy (a bone scan) is advisable to confirm the significance of suspected hock lesions because the management of a horse with hock problems will be for the rest of the horse's life," says Sullins. "Rare-ly, we do see horses with no changes on X rays of the distal hock joints, but these horses may still have hock lameness."
Responsible Breeding
Conformation faults can be congenital (something a foal is born with) or developmental/acquired. According to Ross, "Certain conformation defects appear to be highly heritable and the dam seems to contribute more to faulty conformation than the sire." Examples of hind limb conformation faults believed to be genetic include:
- Toeing in and toeing out;
- Sickle hocks; and
- Straight behind.
Despite there being wide suspicion among practitioners that these faults have a genetic component, so far researchers haven't identified any specific genes responsible for any particular defect.
Take-Home Message
"Good conformation is not synonymous with success," cautions Ross. "In addition to conformation, natural athleticism, intelligence, aggression, 'will to win,' and other intangible factors are important considerations."
Breeding is also an important consideration with regards to conformation. Ross notes, "Many conformation faults are believed to be inherited, such as angular limb deformities. Based on my experience, a well-bred horse from a successful family can endure faulty conformation much better than a less well-bred horse."
The ability to recognize desirable conformation traits and to learn when to overlook one or more faults that are not likely to be clinically relevant is also an important part of evaluating horses, according to Ross. Albeit correct, some things are easier said than done, and there always seems to be an anomaly lurking in every sector of the equine industry to prove even the most veteran conformation expert wrong.
About the Author
Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc
Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she's worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.
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United pull away as crisis hits Chelsea
Manchester United moved three points clear at the Premier League summit after beating Reading 4-3 in a remarkable game on Saturday, a day of despair for Chelsea and Arsenal.
All the goals came before half-time at the Madejski Stadium, equalling the Premier League record for first-half goals, as United overcame their defensive frailties to draw away from Manchester City - held 1-1 by Everton - ahead of next weekend's Manchester derby.
Chelsea are now 10 points off the pace in third place after seeing their run without victory stretch to seven games in a 3-1 defeat at West Ham United, while Arsenal tumbled to 10th after a 2-0 loss at home to Swansea City.
A Wayne Rooney penalty put United 2-1 up in the 16th minute at Reading after Anderson had cancelled out Hal Robson-Kanu's eighth-minute opener for the hosts, only for headers from Adam Le Fondre and Sean Morrison to restore the home side's lead.
However, Rooney tucked away Patrice Evra's cross to equalise in the 30th minute before Robin van Persie put Alex Ferguson's men back in front moments later by finishing from Rooney's flick.
Van Persie had a goal ruled out before half-time despite the ball appearing to cross the line and then blazed wide of an open goal in the second half after an error from Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici, but 4-3 proved enough.
Chelsea's match at West Ham was another game of two halves.
The visitors led 1-0 at half-time, only for the hosts' rousing second-half fightback to condemn the European champions to their longest sequence of top-flight games without victory since 1995.
Juan Mata scored the first goal of the Rafael Benitez era to put Chelsea ahead at Upton Park but a revitalised West Ham roared back to prevail through goals from Carlton Cole and substitutes Mohamed Diame and Modibo Maiga.
"At this level, you have to take your chances, and we had many clear chances to finish the game," said interim coach Benitez, who has picked up two points from a possible nine since replacing the sacked Roberto Di Matteo.
Michu was Arsenal's scourge at the Emirates Stadium, the STG2 million ($A3.1 million) signing from Rayo Vallecano claiming a late brace for Swansea to leave Arsene Wenger's side five points below the top four.
"We were not good and Swansea deserved to win," said Wenger, whose side have made their worst start to a league season since he arrived in 1996.
Marouane Fellaini put Everton ahead in the 33rd minute at City, following in after Joe Hart parried his header, but the Belgian's foul on Edin Dzeko allowed Carlos Tevez to bring the champions level from the spot before half-time.
"It was a hard game," City manager Roberto Mancini told the BBC.
"We tried to break them down but this week we have played three games in six days so we are tired. We also have players injured."
A 75th-minute goal by Dean Whitehead gave Stoke City a 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion, and Tottenham Hotspur capitalised on the Baggies' setback to move into fourth place with a 3-0 win at Fulham.
Harry Redknapp's home debut as Queens Park Rangers manager ended in stalemate after the top flight's bottom club were held 1-1 by Aston Villa at Loftus Road.
Liverpool climbed one place to 11th after Daniel Agger's 43rd-minute header secured a 1-0 success at home to Southampton that gave Brendan Rodgers' side only their third home win of the campaign.
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COURSE: LL-430 Organizational Text and Discourse (3)
This course explores the connection between leadership and language. Students will focus on developing skills in reading and writing in the language of their organization, as well as developing their skills in leading organizational discourse. At the end of this course, students will develop a written development plan to enhance their skills in managing organizational text and discourse.


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Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher wrote his first story about a Little League baseball team while he was in elementary school.
"A teacher took it away from me because I worked on it during her class when I should have been listening," Fletcher says. "I thought I'd never see it again, but she gave it back to me at the end of class.
"I later started another story about a girl who lived about a mile away from me," he says. "She really was a 'girl next door' type and I had a secret crush on her."
The secret became public knowledge when Fletcher's brother found the beginning of the story. "I was so embarrassed and he seemed to taunt me about it for years," Fletcher says.
"He made it up to me later though by mentoring me on dramatic structure. He writes musicals, operas and screenplays now. All these years later, I'm still friends with that 'girl next door,' too."
At 9:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at the 15th annual Savannah Film Festival, Fletcher will be awarded the Savannah College of Art and Design Cinevation Award, given to a director for imagination, inspiration and innovation in cinema. His latest film, "Violet & Daisy," will be screened, with star James Gandolfini on hand.
'That was it for me'
At 14, Fletcher was given his first video camera.
"That was back when those cameras were bulky and expensive," he says.
"My parents always supported our interests, and I know that wasn't cheap. I used that camera endlessly. I wrote, directed, shot and edited so many short films."
Animation was Fletcher's first love. "One day my oldest brother, who was always good at science and math, was home from college and, while passing through the living room, saw me with the camera pointed at one of his old action figures," he says.
"He asked me to do something odd with the toy and the camera. I was skeptical but I did it.
"When I played the footage back, the toy started to move!" Fletcher says. "That was it for me."
Fletcher made several animated toy adventures in different genres. "The toys were a lot easier to schedule than the kids in the neighborhood," he says.
"My father taught me a lot about F-stops and other elements of photography," Fletcher says. "Eventually I went to film school."
First, Fletcher went to Harvard University, where he concentrated on psychology. "Studying psychology was an enormous help to my writing," he explains.
"I think that anything you study outside of your art form enriches it. I've used psychology in every film I've made — every scene probably.
"The 'escape/fantasy' sequences and many other things in 'Precious' came straight from those studies," Fletcher says. "Those sequences are grounded in a real psychological phenomenon."
After receiving a degree from Harvard, Fletcher earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. For his student film, he created "Magic Markers."
"While I was still in film school, John Singleton saw a 16-millimeter short film that I had written, directed, shot and edited and he wanted to produce it as a feature," Fletcher says. "It was an opportunity of a lifetime.
"I wasn't ready for the challenge at the time so it all fell apart. It was a great learning experience, though.
"In that respect, it was a huge help to my career," Fletcher says. "I think you learn the most when things don't work. Over a decade later, I finally got a movie made."
'Precious' memories
Fletcher worked in a variety of temporary jobs for years as he wrote and directed his own films. Eventually, he was appointed an adjunct professor at Tisch and also at Columbia University School of the Arts.
His life changed forever in 2006 when producer Lee Daniels asked Fletcher to adapt the book "Push" by Sapphire, which became the film "Precious."
Fletcher's' screenplay earned him Academy, Independent Spirit, NAACP Image, Satellite, AAFCA and Black Reel awards.
"Lee Daniels saw a short film that I directed and asked me to get involved with the project," Fletcher says. "I didn't believe him at first because, for over a decade before that, all I heard from the film industry was 'no.'
"I remember later staring at the first check I ever got for doing something that I completely loved," he says. "Having worked many different jobs, I knew what a rare privilege that was."
Winning the Academy Award left Fletcher speechless. "To this day, I'm still searching for the words, and that's the truth," he says.
"It may always be that way to some extent. Just before I found out I was nominated, I was trying to get the antenna on my TV to work. I finally gave up and found it on the Internet."
"Violet & Daisy" is about a teenager named Daisy who with her partner-in-crime Violet face a series of opponents, including one unusually mysterious man played by Gandolfini. Based on Fletcher's original script, it is the first major film he has directed.
When asked what the film is about, Fletcher responds, "It will be far more interesting to hear how audience members answer the question of what the film is about."
"I'll say this, however — no matter how unusual some of the moments may be in this film, they are working towards something, yet that something is ultimately up to each member of its audience," he says. "I'll add that it starts and ends in very different places."
While in Savannah, Fletcher hopes to work with Savannah College of Art and Design students.
"I would be thrilled to meet some of the students," he says.
"Filmmaking and teaching film are two of the things I love doing most. Teaching keeps me in touch with the fundamentals and young voices that remind me of the energy and curiosity I had so early on and hopefully have still.
"Teaching also kept me feeling connected to the art form that I love so dearly through the times she felt light years away."
What: Geoffrey Fletcher honored at Savannah Film Festival before screening of "Violet & Daisy"
When: 9:30 p.m. Oct. 28
Where: Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St.
Cost: $10 general public; $5 with SCAD ID; limited availability
Info: filmfest.scad.edu
Go to savannahnow.com/filmfest for extensive coverage of the 2012 Savannah Film Festival and a look back at past years.


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"This is a memoir both disconcertingly naked and immensely careful; Dubus refrains from bitterness the way a Buddhist monk renounces worldly possessions.... It's tempting to get angry on the author's behalf, but Townie patiently teaches its readers that rage is self-poisoning."Salon
"Townie is a better, harder book than anything the younger Mr. Dubus has yet written; it pays off on every bet that's been placed on him.... Mr. Dubus's prose is clear, supple, unshowy ... you'll agree with the boxing coach who said to Mr. Dubus as a teenager, 'I think you got the killer instinct, kid'."NYTimes


text:
Patrick Stump, Fall Out Boy frontman and at times a pop culture pariah himself, wants you to knock it off with the Nickelback jokes.
The one band that nearly everyone feels okay about bashing has inspired a defense from Stump on his blog, not necessarily based on musical quality but rather principle alone. (Seriously, Black Keys drummer, chill it with the Nickelback disses.) Stump's point is a timely one in the wake of awards season, when social media explodes with snap judgements and declarations of hate. Why are people more interested in defining themselves based on what they dislike about pop culture rather than what they like?
Hate culture is not a new thing, but it feels particularly out of control at this point in time. It's one thing to let what offends you offend you, whether it's sexism, racism, homophobia or just plain poor taste in culture. But what about when the thing you hate doesn't explicitly offend you? Stump raises a good point in regards to Nickelback, noting that "the misogynistic subtext of James Bond movies offend more of my sensibilities than anything Nickelback ever did."
Stump has certainly been on the receiving end of this phenomenon, particularly toward the end of Fall Out Boy's initial popularity and the accompanying re-emergence of "emo" in the mainstream. (For the record, classifying FOB as anything but pop-punk is just plain wrong.) "I hate Fall Out Boy" was not an uncommon thing to heard uttered by an adult music fan five years ago. Time heals some wounds, and because FOB didn't reach Nickelback's levels of being hated-on for little reason, their recent return from "indefinite hiatus" was met with quite a bit of excitement. (The band will release Save Rock and Roll May 7; lead single "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)" dropped last month seemingly out of nowhere.)
– Jillian Mapes, Radio.com


text:
Discussion in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' started by LeadHead, Feb 27, 2013.
LAL: Father.
DataL Yes, Lal. I am here.
PICARD: A malfunction. Emotional awareness.
Data: It appears to be a symptom of cascade failure. It would require initialization the base matrix without wiping out the higher functions.
HAFTEL: I agree. May I assist?
Data: Thank you, Admiral.
HAFTEL: If you'll excuse us, Commander Data and I have much to do.
(Data opens the top of Lal's head)
(Geordi, Troi and Wesley are waiting in the corridor, like relatives during a major operation)
HAFTEL: She won't survive much longer. There was nothing anyone could have done. We'd repolarise one pathway and another would collapse. And then another. His hands were moving faster than I could see, trying to stay ahead of each breakdown. He refused to give up. He was remarkable. It just wasn't meant to be.
Back in the lab, Data stands near Lal, who is not active.
Data: Lal?
Lal activates.
Data: I am unable to correct the system failure.
LAL: I know.
Data: We must say good-bye now.
LAL: I feel...
Data: What do you feel?
LAL: I love you, Father.
Data: I wish I could feel it with you.
LAL: I will feel it for both of us. Thank you for my life. Flirting. Laughter. Painting. Family. Female. Human.
On the bridge, Picard, Riker, Troi, La Forge, Worf, Crusher and Wesley are assembled. Data enters from the aft turbolift.
Data: Lal suffered complete neural system failure at 1300 hours. I have deactivated the unit.
PICARD: The crew is saddened by your loss, Mister Data.
Data: I thank you for your sympathy, but...
Data points to his own head.
Data: ... she is here. Her presence so enriched my life that I could not allow her to pass into oblivion. So I incorporated her programs back into my own. I have transferred her memories, to me.
PICARD: Mister Data, will you take your position? Mister Crusher? Lay in a course for the starbase on Otar Two.
Data walks down to his station.
Wesley: Course is set, Sir.
Separate names with a comma.


text:
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text:
Cerwin-Vega CVHD 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System
Cerwin-Vega was founded in 1954 by Gene Czerwinski, then a young aerospace engineer, with a design philosophy based on high performance, durability, and value. The company became a consumer favorite and also supplied now-legendary loudspeakers to manufacturers such as Fender, Acoustic, Sunn, and Vox. Its subwoofers were literally earthshaking in many movie theater systems, and C-V even picked up an Academy Award for Special Technical Achievement. In the pro market, C-V supplied equipment for The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Peter Frampton, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and others. Its entry into the car audio market was revolutionary, and bass on wheels was never the same again.
Now the company is re-energizing its brand in the home market with products such as the Cerwin-Vega CVHD 5.1 home theater speaker system, a contemporary 5.1 surround setup. At $1,100, this speaker system has a lot of competition. So, as I pulled the speakers from the box, I wondered: Can an old dog really learn new tricks? And can there still be life left in 53-year-old values?


text:
Sol 72 Update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: MRO is back18 October 2012
MRO is back--we received over 400 Mbits of data through the orbiter yesterday! The amount of data relayed through MRO will decrease once the orbiter's instruments are operating again (they were turned on this morning), but in the meantime we're enjoying the flood of data. Among the new data were 810 ChemCam laser shots acquired on Sol 71--a new record for a single sol. For Sol 72, we planned a raster of ChemCam laser shots of the bright particle "Schmutz2" in the second scoop trench. And the much-anticipated first mineralogical analysis by CheMin was planned to run into the early morning of Sol 73.
"Mars time" is rough for those of us on first shift these days: The daily "science discussion" started at 10 PM PDT, and I wasn't done with SOWG Chair duties until 7:30 this morning. It didn't seem fair that I got caught in morning rush hour traffic on my way home! But I've realized that this may be the last time I'll work on "Mars time" in my career--it looks like there will not be another NASA spacecraft landed on Mars this decade--so I'm trying to enjoy it. In fact, I'm getting used to being a Martian, even though sleeping during the day is difficult.


text:
Dear Members,
Kamanita And Vasitthi
[By KARL GJELLERUP]
DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG it was before I opened
my lips; but for a very long time, I believe, I sat there
without uttering a word, and let everything Angulimala
had said rise, point by point, before me; and the
more I reflected the more did my wonder grow.
For although I had heard many legends of olden
times where miracles were wrought by the gods, and
particularly of the wonderful deeds of Krishna when he
sojourned on this earth, yet they all appeared trivial when
I compared them with what had befallen Angulimala in
the forest this very day.
And I asked myself now whether that great man,
who had in a few hours transformed the most brutal of
murderers into the gentle being who had just spoken to
me �� that Master who had so easily and surely tamed the
most savage being to be found in the whole realm of
nature �� whether he might not also be able to quiet my
troubled and passion-tossed heart. Would he be able to
banish, by the light of his words, the night-cloud which
grief had caused to settle down upon me? Or was this
maybe more difficult �� a problem the solution of which
went beyond the powers of even the holiest of sages?
I half feared that the latter might be the case but yet
I asked where that great monk whom he called his Master
was to be found, and whether I would be able to visit him.
"The Blessed One abides at present in the same Simsapa wood
which you yourself mentioned. Go there tomorrow but not until
evening. The monks and nuns will then have finished
their silent meditation and will have assembled before the
old Krishna temple, and the Master will speak to them
there and to any others who are present. At that hour
many women and men go there from the town in order to
see the Blessed One and to listen to his illumined teach-
ings; and with each evening the crowd grows greater.
Often these meetings last until late into the night."
"Do not neglect then, noble lady, to go tomorrow
towards sundown to the old Krishna temple; it will long
be a source of happiness to you. I want to get back there
now as quickly as possible. It is not certain, of course,
whether I shall be in time to hear anything. Still, on such
beautiful moonlit nights the monks stay together long,
deep in spiritual discussion, and willingly permit others to
He bowed himself low before me and quickly
went away.
The next morning I sent a message to Medini,
who was, with her husband Somadatta, just as ready to
bear me company to the Krishna grove.
We drove at once to the markets where Somadatta,
who was attending to his business there, helped us in
seeking out such stuffs as were suitable for the clothing of
the nuns and monks. I also purchased a large quantity of
medicines. Reaching home again we plundered the store-
rooms. Vessels full of the finest ghee, boxes of honey and
sugar, jars with preserves of every kind were set aside for
our offerings. My own cupboards furnished the choicest of
all they contained in the way of perfumed water, sandal-
wood powder and incense; and then we went to the
garden, whose wealth of flowers we did not spare in the
excitement of our new found devotion.
When the longed for hour came all these things
were loaded onto a wagon, to which our oxen were
already harnessed. We ourselves took our seats under the
awning of another carriage and, drawn by the two silver
white, full blooded Sindh horses which every morning ate
some rice from my hand, we drove out of the city
gate. The sun was already nearing the cupolas and towers
of the town behind us; and its rays gilded the dust which
was stirred up along the way by the feet of the multitude
that, like ourselves, had come out to see and hear the Buddha.
We soon reached the entrance to the forest. Here
we stopped our carriage and we pursued our way on foot
like all the others, followed by our servants who bore the
collection of offerings we had brought with us.
Since that night when we two had taken leave of
one another there, I had not been into this wood. And
when I now entered its cool shade in the same company
as before, I was overcome by so piercing a breath of
memory that I froze in my tracks and remained standing
like one stupefied it was a fragrance that seemed to
have been stored up for me there until, with the lapse of
years, its concentrated sweetness had become a poison.
It seemed to me as if my feelings of love had
placed themselves in my way awakened to their full
strength and charging me with desertion and treachery.
For I had not come there, as I knew, to give them fresh
nourishment by inhaling the fragrance of memory but to
seek peace for my disappointed and tortured heart. And
could that not rightfully be called forgetting love, wilfully
renouncing it? Was that not the violation of my word and a
cowardly treachery?
I stood there in fearful uncertainty undecided
whether to go on or to turn back to the great disap-
pointment of Medini, who verily danced with impatience
as others overtook us in great numbers.
The look of the interior of the forest, however
softly illumined by the golden rays of the late afternoon
sun; the gentle admonitory rustle and whisper of the
leaves; the people who at once on entering grew silent
and looked around expectantly and almost timidly; here
and there at the foot of some great tree, a monk wrapped
in the folds of his golden robe, his legs crossed beneath
him, absorbed in meditation; at intervals, one or another
of these rising and without even a look round, moving
quietly away in the direction of the common though as yet
invisible goal �� all this wore an air of quiet mystical
serenity and seemed to bear witness to the fact that here
events were taking place of so unusual and sacred a
character that no power on earth might dare place itself
in opposition to them, aye, that Love itself, if it should
raise a hostile voice, would through that lose its every
divine right.
So I moved resolutely forward, and the words
addressed to Angulimala by the Master concerning the
many generations of people who live and pass away
without a Buddha's being in the world, and of the very
few even among the contemporaries of a Buddha to
whom it is given to hear and to see him �� these words
sounded in my ears like the ringing of a temple bell, and I
felt myself like a favoured one who goes to meet an
experience for which many coming generations would
envy her.
***********to be continued****************
Edited by yawares
Kamanita 13 : TO THE OLD KRISHNA TEMPLE
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Submit News
Blog: Science
It Cuts Both Ways: American Majority Deems Nanotechnology Immoral
Kristopher Kubicki
February 23, 2008 1:57 AM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
A one thousand-year-old history lesson awaits those who would deem the cutting edge wicked
Damascus steel was forged using a process of carbon doping iron in a smelting and quenching process. This steel became famous almost a thousand years ago; it was said a Damascus sword would cut through falling silk, a rock, and then another piece of silk while still keeping its razor sharp edge.
The ability to make the Damascus steel was lost with the ages. Blademasters would often take the secret of the forging process to the grave rather than reveal its mysteries. Many were persecuted as heretics, others heralded as deities.
A study by a University of Wisconsin-Madison revealed that
more than 70% of 1,015 surveyed Americans deem nanotechnology morally repulsive
. Professor Dietram Scheufele attributes this repugnance for technology to American reliance on religion.
It's easy to say that perhaps the 1,000 Americans surveyed are just not that bright. Scheufele disagrees, stating, "They are rejecting it based on religious beliefs. The issue isn't about informing these people. They are informed."
Scheufele believes that Americans who disprove of nanotechnology do not want humans "playing God." That is, man manipulating structures of one nanometer, one billionth of a meter, is akin to God manipulating the forces of the universe.
In 2006 German researcher Peter Paufler discovered (with the aid of a sub-nanotechnology, the electron microscope) that a four hundred-year-old Damascus steel sword
gained its incredible properties from carbon nanotube structures within the blade's edge
. Fifteen years earlier NEC created the world's first synthetic nanotube. One year later it was awarded the patent for one of the sharpest materials on earth,
a plasma polished carbon nanotube blade
Science has always bordered on the fence of terrifying and mysterious. Civilization lost the secrets of Damascus steel making when then modern thinkers deemed it a practice of
deus ex hominis.
Attempting to describe the morality of natural phenomena leads to an exercise in natural fallacy. Not once, in the history of mankind, has science ever been proven immoral -- and conversely -- nor has it ever been proven moral either.
Will society deitize nano-researchers as modern day Damascus blademasters, or will it learn to look beyond the meta-ethics of natural phenomena for a change?
"So far we have not seen a single Android device that does not infringe on our patents." -- Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith
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text:
So it would seem that a thread in the discussion forum dissolved into Tsunade versus Hiruzen.
Therefore I thought it best to quit playing around with the idea and address it adequately. Within the context of this fight, titles have no baring. (ex. Sannin, hokage, God of Shinobi, Professor, Slug Princess)
We cannot reason on prime Hiruzen. However, what we can do for age is to increase the stamina possessed by Hiruzen. (though I feel as though he shouldn't necessarily need a stamina power up as it would seem through Tsunade's use of Creation Rebirth she has aged to a point similar to that of Hiruzen.)
Therefore this fight will follow such rules
Location: Training field
Starting Distance: 40 meters
Info: What would have been known by both characters at the time of Hiruzen's death.
Handicaps: 2X stamina to Hiruzen
Feats and accolades acceptable: Direct manga feats, and inference you can make based on things observed, and inference made with things observed with things said.
Hype not allowed: Inferences made purely by word (ex. Tsunade's the reason Konoha won the Third Great Shinobi war, Hiruzen is the strongest of the 5 kages)
Restrictions: Shiki Fujin -no one wins with that.


text:
MEDIA CONTACT: Hilary Dickinson at firstname.lastname@example.com or 608-363-2849
A City Center Seminar focusing on "Nature in the City Center: The Milwaukee Urban Ecology Center" will take place on Friday, May 17 from noon – 1 p.m. at Vision Beloit, 500 Public Ave.
At the seminar, executive director Ken Leinbach and senior land steward Kim Forbeck of the Urban Ecology Center will conduct a presentation on the UEC, its mission and its Neighborhood Environmental Education Project.
For more information on the UEC, visit urbanecologycenter.org.
The City Center Seminars, which are sponsored by the Beloit College economics department and Vision Beloit, are free and open to the public.


text:
Category talk:Distro
From Openembedded.org
Confusing cat name
I would suggest to rename this cat to "Target distribution" to avoid misunderstandings. "Distro" could be also interpreted in the meaning of Linux (or other OS) distribution like mentioned in OEandYourDistro. Unfortunately it is not possible to rename categories in mediawiki, so i would create a new cat, move all categorized pages to the new one, and then an admin may delete the old one. Any objections? -- Sledz 07:40, 5 March 2009 (UTC)


text: I just realized, that, the same way that JJ Trek is a reimagining of TOS, the movie First Contact was a reimagining of TNG. It was no longer the TNG we all knew and loved. The Enterprise D (arguably the primary environment and foundation setting of TNG) was destroyed the most moronic way, and replaced by this hideous insect looking thing. Picard was only there by name (He was never an action hero, and he never had a horrible temper tantrum as shown in this movie. Also he was pretty much over the Borg incident) Riker was just Jonathan Frakes, as well as Diana was just Marina Sirtis. Zefram Cochrane was the most sad sorry ass scientist I've ever seen on screen. He looked (and acted) like one of those panhandlers I see on my daily drives around the city). And the whole concept of a Borg Queen to humanize the Borg as an enemy was just lame, along with her lame attempts to seduce Data sexually. It's only the best TNG movie because the other ones are literal turds. So yes, I would say FC was not a continuation, but rather a reimagining of TNG the series using the same actors.


text:
|October 8, 2012, 07:37 PM
Join Date: August 25, 2012
Location: East TN
Posts: 20
? on resizing .223
I am getting ready to adjust my sizing die to do some decapping /resizing. I am gonna use a Rock Chucker single stage press for this and I have an RCBS FL die set (11101). I have measured cartrige head space(fired cartriges from the AR I am loading for) with a Hornady Cartridge headspace gauge. The fired cartridges measure 1.4575 . I assume I want to set up the die to push the neck back .002 to .003 (this is what I read in the manuals). So this would be 1.4545? The reason I ask is that a new round measures 1.4505 in my cartridge headspace gauge. Would it be better to push the shoulder back to what a new cartrige is or just push it back a few thousands from what a fired cartridge measures? I will only use the ammo I reload in the one AR. I hope this is not too confusing. Im just getting started reloading and I'm taking baby steps
|October 8, 2012, 07:54 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 9, 2008
Location: Woooooshington
Posts: 1,797
There are lots of variables here. The fact that it's a AR... the chamber, the dies, lube, you and your abilities, condition and quality of the brass etc etc.
The problem is that if you bump the shoulder back, from a fired case dimension, only .002"~.003" it still might be overly snug in the case body diameter.
To be on the safe side, I'll say that if you want to avoid working the brass any more than necessary, you start by going up a few thousands from your unfired (1.4505") ammo... if that cycles reliably, then add a few more thousands from there. Once you see signs of cycling issues, back down .002" and call it good.
In other words, go up from minimum rather than down from max.
Shoulder Drive Nicholson Club
|October 8, 2012, 08:03 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 1, 2001
Posts: 3,947
First, the ammo you measured is sized for a 223 rem chamber. Your rifle is a 5.56 chamber, it seems. In general, 0.002 - 0.003 is good. In bolt guns, I shoot for 0 to -0.002. In my AR, I like to see 0.002 - 0.005 in an FL die.
So, you are in the ballpark, IME, but don't forget that there is quite a bit of variation in FL sizing. Most of your variation is controlled by consistency of lubrication. Get inside the neck too. I often measure the first 10 and then like 1 in 25 to be sure I'm being consistent enough.
|October 8, 2012, 08:49 PM
Join Date: August 25, 2012
Location: East TN
Posts: 20
Thanks for the replys. Good info..just what I was looking for. As for lubing inside the neck what is the best proccess for this? rubbing a small amount in there with a pipe cleaner or just spraying it good?..other?. I know i dont want so much that the powder will stick to it. I have RCBS case lube-2 (kinda thick n sticky) and I have Hornady one shot case lube. Thanks again for the advice!
|October 8, 2012, 08:56 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 24, 2008
Location: Loveland, CO
Posts: 1,476
It is very easy to determine if you have moved the shoulder back for your AR. After you size a few and get your die adjusted for the shoulder setback you want:
- wipe off the case lube from a sized case
- move the takedown pin to allow the upper to rotate open on your AR
- slide the BCG back
- slide the sized cartridge into the chamber
- the bolt should slide forward and lock with light to medium finger pressure on the back of the BCG
If it passes this test, it will chamber just fine during normal firing.
|October 8, 2012, 10:41 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 1, 2001
Posts: 3,947
I use a que tip in the necks. I tumble after case work to get the lube off.
|October 8, 2012, 11:35 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 8, 2012
Location: so cal
Posts: 246
Get some decent calipers if you don't already have them and use those to take measurements, I wouldn't rely on a headspace gauge alone for accuracy down to thousandths of inches.
|October 9, 2012, 05:10 AM
Join Date: August 25, 2012
Location: East TN
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in reply to Led farmer- yes the gauge that I have mounts in a caliper so that the headspace can be measured with it.
|October 9, 2012, 06:49 AM
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All good advice above.
Don't forget this very important step before you size them all and load em up.
|October 9, 2012, 07:29 AM
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You really don't need to worry about those measurements. Just follow the RCBS instruction sheet for setting up the sizing die and you're good. After sizing, check length, and if over 1.760" trim back to 1.750", chamfer and deburr. Otherwise leave alone.
One shot works great. Take 50 or so cases in a bowl or tupperware style container. Spray well. Shake, spray again. Enough gets in the necks to avoid sticking in the die. I squirt a shot up into the die to when I think of it. There's nothing magic about case lubing. If the case goes in and out of the sizing die without hanging up, relatively smoothly, it's good. Wipe the cases after sizing with an old undershirt.
If you want to shoot...shoot...don't talk! Tuco
USAF Munitions 1969-1992
|October 9, 2012, 08:45 AM
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Regarding lubing any inside part of the case, that lube needs to be removed before putting powder in the case. Otherwise, that lube will contaminate the powder it touches and change its burning characteristics. And different amounts of lube in the case mouth changes the bullet's release force needed increasing muzzle velocity and peak pressure spread. This increases vertical shot stringing on the target.
As for setting up one's die in the press, fired case shoulders need be set back enough so the bolt closes on them with zero force; no binding whatsoever. Otherwise, when the bolt binds (even the slightest amount) on the case head, it won't seat in battery exactly the same for each shot. And that degrades accuracy. If accuracy's not important, then go ahead and let the bolt bind any amount you want on your loaded rounds. Note the ejector pushes the loaded round forward perfectly centering its shoulder in the chamber shoulder where it stops even with several thousandths case head clearance to the bolt face.
Yes, set fired case shoulder back 2 to 3 thousandths; you'll get better accuracy and case life.
Last edited by Bart B.; October 9, 2012 at 11:38 AM.
|October 9, 2012, 03:17 PM
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|October 9, 2012, 03:26 PM
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I don't bother trimming until it measures past 1.755 just to make sure it has room to expand but since its semi it shouldn't be an issue. Dont make more work for yourself than is necessary. Trust me it gets old after a while, be safe... yes, but over diligence can burn you out too.
As far as accuracy, having different cases lengths isnt going to be a bother to accuracy as long as your are measuring per O-give anyway. Yes you'll have to adjust a bit on the seater die but that's necessary anyway if your working for accuracy.
|October 9, 2012, 03:37 PM
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Oneshot does not contaminate powder or primers. Don't worry about that. Yet another reason to use Oneshot. I've used it for quite a while and the rounds always go bang.
The 1.760" measurement for max case length is the standard found in all handbooks. When cases exceed that, you trim to 1.750". If the max length is not specified, it's usually listed as .01" longer than the "trim to" length.
If you want to shoot...shoot...don't talk! Tuco
USAF Munitions 1969-1992
|October 9, 2012, 03:38 PM
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Loaded bottleneck cases headspacing on their shoulder with the same head-to-ogive dimension will still have different amounts of bullet jump to the lands. That's 'cause the head-to-shoulder distance varies a few thousandths. Whatever that variance is will be the varience of bullet jump to the lands.
But as long as it's only a few thousandths, accuracy should not suffer.
|October 9, 2012, 06:01 PM
Join Date: August 25, 2012
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|October 9, 2012, 06:44 PM
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223/5.56 brass has a trim to length of 1.750 and a max length of 1.760. Anything in between is fine as far as proper fit goes. For ultimate accuracy all cases should be trimmed to the same length whatever that may be, as long as it's between 1.750-1.760.
|October 12, 2012, 01:05 AM
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I just read the SAAMI .223 Remington length was changed to 1.760-.030 in 2001. One can thus trim to 1.730.
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Fake Fake Fake
Look at the the first picture on the chinese website. The display isn't even square in the Bezel.
They should learn to use photshop correctly.
A raft of pictures purporting to show the iPad 2 have popped up on the web just hours before the updated tablet will to be unveiled. The snaps come from Chinese-language site DGtle, which undoubtedly has access to the nation's notoriously leaky electronics factories. As we've seen many times before - most recently with the …
Look at the the first picture on the chinese website. The display isn't even square in the Bezel.
They should learn to use photshop correctly.
At first you appear to be correct, but a second glance at the pic suggests the screen has one of those removable screen protectors you get on new kit and usually peel off. So maybe they turned it on with that still in place and it looks slightly crappy / distorted as a result of that.
yep, it's far from perfect :D
If some workers in China got ahold of it to photograph and post online, of course it isn't "retail ready". It would likely be defective (such as having a misaligned screen). I'm pretty sure Apple would notice if fully function retail ready models were disappearing off the assembly line.
is that the fake version of photoshop?
@"Look at the the first picture on the chinese website. The display isn't even square in the Bezel."
That's because if you look very closely, you'll see there's one more icon on that side and because of the weight of the extra pixels, its weighing it down on that side more!. ;)
On a more serious note, its most definitely not Photoshop. All companies produce prototypes including final pre-production prototypes. These photos are most likely of some nearly finished (and most likely fully functional) pre-production prototype. You can see from the image of the iPad laying down, its still got the same slant in the display even though its from another angle. In a hand assembled prototype there could easily be a bit of room to move the display around (or maybe it wasn't fixed into place enough, so it could have moved in the prototype during transport). When its the final production unit, which will be almost entirely machine manufactured, that won't happen.
Just looks like a mock up of the new iPad. The screen looks like a picture rather than an LCD screen so Im going to go out on a limb here and say this isnt the real thing. Less then 6 hours to go though till we find out for definite!
No one cares.
You may or may not care but I think you'll find the technology press and a lot of people that like apple care. Just to be a pedant about it...
'No one cares'
Are you quite sure about that? The fact that Apple sold millions of the previous model, the world and his/her dog are making a noise about this one and to top it all, you yourself are commenting on a post about it.
Still sure no one cares?
... to read this item which could *only* be about iPad2
as per...
I think a lot of people care: Fanboys and the Consumer.
Call me silly but I remember when the iPad came out the response even from the fans was something like, "It's just a big iPhone, without the phone part." And from most anyone else, "Why?" So fast forward a year or so and now it's another must have accessory because it's got a bigger screen than other tablets and it's Apple so you get to use all these fun apps. So now you're perpetually wiping your fingerprints off the screen and having to buy a case to protect it and finding out which app you really need to show you're both cool *and* productive.....meanwhile I just keep on with my laptop which has the same size screen, old school "programs" which is what apps are in the first place, and a keyboard to boot.
"[...] must have accessory [...]"
Uh, did I miss something? No, this certainly is not a must have accessory. Maybe a "hey I have tons of money laying around to blow on a toy accessory" but little else.
I was half convinced until the picture with the screen. As if apple would put a screen that bad in an ipad.
... is that it apparently has front and back cameras yet the home screen shows no camera apps. All that effort to fake an iPad 2 and they don't even try to make the screen convincing.
Despite the screen being out, it looks to me like the device has been damaged somewhat too (scratches). I reckon this screen issue is a result of a prototype model or something which has came off as faulty assembling from the production line.
Looks like the protective film most new devices have covering their shiny screens to stop them getting scratched / dusty etc. during production or distribution.
Skinny glory? Looks quite thick to me! Classing it as skinny because its narrow at the edges isn't a valid argument. Thats like saying i'm skinny because my fingers are a lot less narrow than my bulging waist.
If you want to see what the new one looks like, look at the old one and draw a circle on with a marker-pen.
My money is on an iPad 1 Prototype! yes you heard me...a design mockup from before they finalised the spec, without facetime and sd card.
time will tell..
I hope the iPad 2 is lighter than the iPad 1 - coz it's starting to look a little brittle.
shame about the lack of sd card slot....there's also another new software feature that nobody's mentioned yet...
That would be interesting
You will have all the details
< http://dantri.vcmedia.vn/Uploaded/2011/03/02/steve-jobs-ipad.jpg >
Perhaps The Reg can display it.
It is a fake as the FCC id shown on it in the pictures BCG-E2381A is that for the original IPAD.
So they have just copied that from the original IPAD.
Any one can look up the FCC ID. Just Google FCC ID and look up the links.
Apples Grantee code is BCG and they have over 500 devices listed.
This pic on their site:
Had a very clear FCC ID which leads to:
the original iPad
All that effort to fake it? Or maybe it's actually real. Looks real enough to me.
People saying it isn't thin need to take a closer look at the pictures. The total depth of it looks to be the same as the "slab" part of the original model, which then tapered outwards so was much thicker.
Even so, it's hardly groundbreaking and iOS is looking dated compared to WP7 with it's glorious UI and social networking integration.
I see a laptop, ajar, but with the screen on the outside. Does it open and twist ? Or separate and reassemble for use ?
its just a overpriced heep of junk in my opinion sorry but honestly i see no need for a tablet computer im perfectly happy with my desktop. i see no need for tablets


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I thought I would try out a trial version of Extreme version 10 to see if it would work on my computer (Windows 7 32-bit, SP1, up-to-date with updates). I used the full setup file (249 MB size) (which I got from the ZA release history page) and not the web-installer.
Installation went smoothly - double clicked on FireFox 3.6.17 and ta-da! No toolbar what-so-ever present in FireFox. When I mean "forcefield toolbar" I mean; no site status icon, no private browsing icon, no protection activity icon - nothing, except for a small spanner icon on the right hand side underneath the search bar. And when I click on that, nothing happens! It's also worth saying that I tried IE 8 - same thing happens as with FireFox 3.6.17.
I thought I'd try doing a clean install of FireFox 4.0.1 - same issue too! I then reinstalled Extreme version 10 clean thinking that might sort it out - no luck!
I have to use Extreme as I have 7 days left on my stand-alone version of ForceField (and since ZA have pulled the product, the only way to get ForceField is to use Extreme - hence trying it out before buying it.) Currently I have ZAISS version 9.3 installed.
I've contact Support about this, and they have reported it to the Development team, but when I asked if any other reports have surfaced similar to this, they said no. I queried about the time to sort this issue out - no ETA; they'll get around to it when they can (!).
I can't continue using FireFox 3.6.17 as Mozilla are pulling that due to security issues (i.e.; no more updates) and so I have to upgrade to FireFoex 4.0.1 - but I can't as Extreme version 10 won't work and Extreme version 9 is incompatible with FireFox 4.0.1.
I also tried the trial of Extreme version 10 on my Vista 32-bit, SP2 (and updated fully) laptop - same thing occurred! I also reported that to TechSupport as well.
If there are any suggestions, that would be greatly appreciated.


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Beyond PR
Mar 10, 2012
More Smart, Less Stupid: PR for Better Business #SXbetterbiz
Dealing with crises is the cornerstone of public relations. However, in many cases, problems are caused by underlying business issues, which are invariably the result of fundamental business decisions. The "More Smart, Less Stupid: PR for Better Business" panel discussion focused on making better business decisions, because let's face it, it's tough to message your way out of a morass.
The panelists were:
- Melissa Waggener Zorkin, founder of Waggoner-Edstrom
- Gary Stockman, CEO Porter Novelli
- Bob Pearson, chief technology & media officer , W20 Group
- Mark Stouse, VP & global communications, Honeywell Aerospace
Corporate reputation
Ultimately, PR rolls up into corporate reputation, which has real, tangible financial implications for an organization. It doesn't happen by accident – reputation is the byproduct of all the actions an organization takes.
In the case of the recent Susan G. Komen/Planned Parenthood PR debacle, the Komen Foundation's reputation suffered. Some on the panel wondered out loud whether or not the organization to recover. Fundamentally, the whole problem stemmed from Komen's decision to pull funding from Planned Parenthood. There were three key elements to the resulting problems.
- They didn't have alignment internally. Some groups within the organization were not on board with the decision, and they said so.
- They just blurted out the message, failing to test how it would play with their publics.
- They blindly adhered to a policy, not considering the values of their audience.
Simply put, elements of the decision that were removed from their community. Melisssa Waggener Zorkin summed up well, saying, "You have to have engagement of the people who love you and stand by you. "
Mark Stouse noted that the organization could have avoided the entire issue if they had been listening to their constituents, and developing understanding of the issues that were important to them, in addition to Komen's core focus on cancer. Data and analytics are readily available.
All people who run companies should be prepared for crises, noted Waggner Zorkin.
Stockman agreed, adding, "If people aren't heard, they will make themselves heard. There is an expectation on the part of constituents that corporations will listen."
Be human
"I've dealt with things like anthrax, mad cow and computers that had extra features like shooting fire out the side," said Pearson. "In the case where you just make a mistake, nothing wrong with apologizing."
But it's not enough to simply say that the company regrets the situation. When conveying an apology for an organization, you can't be scripted, you have to be human. "You need to speak like a human being and reach people in their communities," said Waggener Zorkin.
The rising role of comedy
In medieval times, the jesters were the truth-tellers. Today, that role is filled by the Jon Stewarts and Steven Colberts of the world.
Stouse recalled a spectacular instance of the use of comedy in developing a response from years ago, when his team wrote some jokes about a competitor in crises and sent them to Jay Leno, who used them on air.
The fact is, clips and jokes that make fun of a situation have a very high pass-along factor and are memorable. This content travels further than most company statements or responses. Planning communications from the Daily Show perspective belongs in crisis communications planning.
One example the panel lauded was American Airlines' handling of its chapter 11 bankruptcy announcement. The company took proactive stance in an attempt to temper the discussion.
The ensuing news coverage reflected the company's key messages – that they had plenty of cash on hand, operations were not going to be effected and customers would not be impacted.
In this case, the company did their groundwork years in advance. American had cultivated a culture of transparency and openness, that was reflected in the organization's increasing investment in real-time communications and social media. Associated customer communications were also very good. Frequent fliers received consistent and prompt messaging. Business decisions enabled the company to do a good job of deploying proactive messages that really stuck with the news media and public.
The cases illustrated how business decisions played a role in the eventual success the organizations' communications in their respective crises. This begged the question of the communications department's role in influencing decision that may not be part of the PR remit.
"Organizations that keep their "true north" in mind manage these situations better than those who are inconsistent," said Stockman. And when it comes to influencing business decisions, the panel agreed that the communications team has several opportunities for involvement:
- Set a roadmap. Outline the issues your company cares about and stick to them. If the company threatens to deviate, ask why. Help the company stay on task.
- As communicators, actively build internal alignment around key issues.
- The military has the concept of 'over watch." On the ground, in the trenches, your vision narrows. The military always has people doing over watch – keeping an eye on the big picture. Communicators can do this very effectively.
Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire's vice president of social media, and is the author of the free ebook Unlocking Social Media for PR.
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Reality shows: Archbishop on religious broadcasting
Tuesday 7th May 2013In this article for the Radio Times, Archbishop Justin writes that broadcast media can give viewers an opportunity to appreciate the rich and fascinating history of faith, and 'help us to see the people around us as they really are
Pilgrims on the annual Good Friday Northern Cross pilgrimage from Beal on the Northumberland mainland across to Lindisfarne, Holy Island. 29 March 2013. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian
Over the past decade, a little English word has become synonymous with broadcasting that puts ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances: 'reality'. In this context, reality can often mean people putting their lives on hold, flying off to a desert island, and taking part in bewildering challenges.
But there is another kind of reality broadcasting – one which I think delves far deeper into the questions of who we are, what we are, and why we are. This is the kind of radio and television rightly celebrated by the Sandford St Martins awards.
It can sometimes seem hard to remember these days, but we are more than just material beings: we are also spiritual beings. Religious broadcasting can, without embarrassment or spectacle, tackle the big stuff in life: death, love, fear, forgiveness, doubt, conviction, and how we relate to one another as human beings.
The life of Jesus involved all these things – it was intensely real. His life was about immersing Himself in the suffering and despair of others, and ultimately about taking that agony upon himself on our behalf.
Our lives, too, are intensely real. And they can become even more so when we accept the challenge of living religiously. While illustrating this in a short piece of media is a heroic task, it seems one that many broadcasters have proved themselves up to this year.
That much is clear in shows such as Sister Wendy Beckett's history of Christian art, which also becomes her own deeply personal and moving story of living with God.
Or the extraordinary BBC Radio Wales production 'Get me to Gethsemane', which tells the story of Gauri Taylor-Nayar living out her dying husband wishes for her by conducting her Methodist choir as a focus after his death. The programme's moving climax comes when she realises what Jesus' anguished prayers at Gethsemane had to teach about the Resurrection.
These are reality shows – because these are our realities.
While exploring the intimacy of our human experience, religious broadcasting – at its best – does something else equally important: it teaches us about each other.
Most people – in the UK and around the world – have some kind of religious belief, and certainly some form of cultural religious inheritance. In a multicultural society like ours, religious literacy is something whose importance only continues to grow.
For adults over a certain age, who have received little in the way of religious education at school – especially of an inter-faith variety – religious broadcasting is likely to be their best guide to the different faiths not just of the people they see on the evening news, but of the people they meet at the school gates, or queue next to at the post office.
Some people these days firmly believe that faith and religious life should be kept behind closed doors. But if broadcasters were also to adopt the view that religion is something separate and private, rather than stitched into our public life, then we could set off down a very dangerous road indeed. We would be cultivating ignorance where what we need is insight, and prejudice where we most badly need open minds. We live in an increasingly multicultural society. Knowing, understanding and celebrating the faiths of our neighbours will help us all to flourish.
For this reason, it's essential that we support broadcasting which teaches us about those around us. The marvellous portrait of Manchester's Jewish community in ITV's 'Strictly Kosher' is one example of how the media can help us to see the people around us as they really are. Likewise, Channel Four's 'Islam: The Untold Story' gave viewers an opportunity to appreciate the rich and fascinating history of the Muslim faith.
Telling stories about ourselves and others, in a way that celebrates the full scope of what it means to be human: that for me is what makes a reality show.
© Justin Welby
This article was first published in the Radio Times on 7 May 2013. Read the article on the Radio Times website


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Afghanistan's heart of marble
Over the last decade, NATO and the international community have strived to improve security and stability in Afghanistan. Better conditions have led to an increase in business opportunities for the Afghan people and the country's economy is growing. The export of marble is one of the new industries contributing to this growth. According to mining experts, 700 million dollars worth of marble stone lies untapped across Afghanistan.
Adam Doost has worked in Afghanistan's marble sector since 2006. He says in six years 32 factories have been opened in Herat province, creating almost 4000 jobs.
Most of the marble produced in Herat goes to the domestic market or to Pakistan, but samples shipped abroad are making their mark.
"Our customers are in Italy, India, China, Turkmenistan and Turkey," says Doost.
Afghan marble has often been compared to the first class Italian white marble of Carrara and that has attracted a lot of interest from Italian buyers in the past year.
As with much industry in Afghanistan, lack of security and poor transport infrastructure prevent Afghan companies from being competitive. So Afghans prefer to buy Iranian or Pakistani marble, which is much cheaper on the market.
Marble dealers say the Afghan government should support domestic products by providing facilities required by Afghan traders and also by reducing the royalty payments that marble quarries are forced to pay.
"In Afghanistan everything is more expensive: electricity; labour. Production is low and that's why the price of Afghan marble is more expensive compared to Pakistani marble," says Shafiq Ahmad, who owns a marble shop in Kabul's bazaar.
Afghan marble entrepreneurs remain confident foreign investment will soon transform marble production into one of the most lucrative industries in Afghanistan.
"Marble has a global market," says Ahmad. He adds, "We use only Afghan marble and its quality is the best in the world."


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Direct to drive social and behavioral gains
DMNews' DMA 2009 Crib Sheet
As marketers convene in San Diego during the week of October 18 for the Direct Marketing Association's 2009 annual show, several trends have emerged in the direct and digital marketing space, which have the industry awash with buzz.
In fact, social media has bubbled to the surface in marketing conversations as a highly effective means to reach customers, and direct marketers are currently exploring ways to both exploit the medium and quantify its effectiveness. They are also looking closely at the delicate balance between gaining enough information to target customers based on behavior and interests, while not bumping up against privacy concerns.
Like e-mail, social media marketing's appeal lies in its relatively low cost barrier, and in these tough economic times, that has only accelerated interest as marketers gravitate to measurable media.
"Everyone is talking about social media in the direct space, but there is a more aggressive hunt right now for ROI through social networks," says Mat Zucker, executive creative director at OgilvyOne New York, a direct marketing agency. "It is messier than e-mail or direct mail. Social media does not have e-mail addresses."
Many in the industry think direct marketing professionals enjoy a distinct advantage in solving the ROI question when it comes to social media and digital marketing.
A commanding strength
In fact, contrary to most, one executive went as far as saying, "Direct marketing is stronger than it has ever been in the history of our country." Rick Erwin, president of the data division at Experian Marketing Services, says he has never been more optimistic about direct marketing's future. He believes that direct marketers already take advantage of their ability to measure and now they can apply it across the marketing spectrum.
"We can use all these principles that served us in the past in terms of measuring direct marketing and apply those to the broad world of marketing," Erwin explains. "Direct marketing is not an industry; it's a process. The process of direct marketing equals marketing, whereas it used to be considered one small portion of the marketing industry. Now, every ad medium has adopted the principles of direct marketing to some extent."
The No. 1 challenge for marketers right now, Erwin notes, is attributing response to a particular ad impression.
"The solution to that problem lies in the longtime principles of direct marketing," he asserts.
Michael Darviche, CMO at Acxiom, suggested Web marketing requires a shift in thinking about database marketing.
"We don't just shoot out a multichannel offer and design a multichannel campaign," he says. "We ask, 'How do we use the Web to gather and distribute data, and how do we use the cloud and Web services to facilitate [that]? How do we use data and analytics?'"
Darviche attributes the complexity of these questions to the multitude of data and channels available to marketers today.
"Because there's so much data and so many channels, and so many competitors trying to influence the buyers, there's an enormous amount of sorting out how the economics work [in terms of] customers, segments, tests, and all the permutations and ways that things can be done, he says.
This is an opportunity for clients, he adds, but "it is very hard to sort it out."
Rick Erwin agrees that this is an opportunity for marketers.
"As partners in the marketing process, the goal is to accelerate the use of these direct marketing principles in various forms of advertising that haven't used them before," Erwin says. "As we start to see convergence of things like Internet and television, how can we be ahead of that by a couple of years and already be measuring consumer behavior simultaneously?
"My peers and I are talking about getting ahead of that," he continues. "We need to start preparing the information systems that measure customer behavior across those two media as though they are one."
Putting it all together
David Williams, president-CEO at Merkle, a database marketing agency, says that any integration needs to have the customer at its center.
"The customer is the only integration point that can exist," Williams says. "There's very little good integrated marketing going on, because people are not yet focused on a high enough central theme to integrate to. The customer is the only thing all the channels have in common.
"Most people talk about integration of advertising programs, not the customer experience that drives value over time," he adds. "There's a focus and attention on [direct marketers] saying, "how do I become integrated?' The conversation level has elevated, but it hasn't really shifted yet.
I think we're looking at another decade of the journey, and there isn't a marketer today that isn't trying to figure that out."
Zucker says that integration has quickly become imperative. Direct marketing, he notes, has long lived in a silo apart from above-the-line advertising — but that has to change.
Marketing "needs to add up to one story," he says. "You can't just do what is right for direct marketing. You have to reinforce and extend the brand more than ever. It is a product of customers seeing communications from a brand across the myriad channels now used for marketing, so now everything needs to be consistent. Creative needs to be more highly valued."
Given the amount of available data, targeting customers based on their behavior vs. their demographics has become a reality for many marketers. For example, Experian owns Hitwise, a company that collects intelligence on 10 million US Internet users. Those data inform Experian's strategy.