text:
Spong: Interviews// Inside Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain, the upcoming PS3-exclusive... we'll call it an 'interactive thriller', has a lot of people scratching their heads. On the one hand, footage makes it look moody, starkly beautiful and very intense.
On the other hand, a lot of people are looking at it and asking, 'How much control will I actually have? Will it just be a series of quick time events?'
I sat down with Guillaume de Fondaumière, co-CEO of the game's developer, Quantic Dream, to discuss how deep the player's control of the game really goes, what his team has done to make sure you're not just passively watching a story unfold in front of you and why it made no sense for him to slap me.
SPOnG: David Cage has talked about not giving Heavy Rain an open world because he said it would limit Quantic Dream's ability to control the flow of the story. To what extent is a player able to create their own narrative and to what extent are you as developer controlling their progression through the game?
Guillaume de Fondaumière: As I've said, Heavy Rain is a game in which story is core to the experience and we really want to give players the possibility to see the consequences of their actions and how it impacts the story. So, a number of actions will have consequences on a particular scene, some will have consequences in a few scenes ahead and some will have dramatic consequences on the story.
I guess, from what we've shown so far, the most dramatic aspect being for instance losing one of the characters. So, it's really a game about choices and consequences. There's nothing right or wrong that you can do in the game, but there are choices – sometimes moral choices – that you will have to make, always contextual. You'll always understand what the motivations of your character are, and by triggering certain actions or deciding to go into a direction or another, deciding to engage in a relationship or not, to say certain things at certain moments and not others, you'll be able to shape your own story.
But, of course, we are always in control of the story. As David said, it's not an open world game, it's story-driven and what's very important for us is that the story is consistent and meaningful from the beginning to the end. This is something you (simply) can't achieve today with an open world and a sandbox game.
SPOnG: You mentioned moral choices – a phrase that makes a lot of people groan because it's used so often. A lot of the time, however, the choices are fairly meaningless. Do you think anyone has successfully worked moral choices into a game so far?
Guillaume de Fondaumière: Not really. I think Peter Molyneux's attempts in Fable 2 are interesting, but we're trying to do something rather different with Heavy Rain. We're not interested in clearly presenting to the player 'do you want to be a good guy or a bad guy and see how the story unfolds from beginning to end if you're a good guy or a bad guy?' What interests us is how players react to certain circumstances and how – it's a bit like in real life – we're faced with certain choices in our lives and we're not necessarily all good or all bad. I think we're all in shades of grey, to a certain degree, and this is far more interesting to us.
I think to a certain degree this is far more interesting, because again, it's far more realistic.
SPOnG: We've all been playing infamous in the office and everyone has opted to play through on good in their first attempt, which is interesting. It's pretty meaningless knocking down a virtual pedestrian in a game but still people will swing away from it. You've said that the decisions aren't as straight forward as 'good' and 'bad' in Heavy Rain, but presumably there are choices where you can be more or less selfish. Has anything from your testing so far surprised you in that respect?
Guillaume de Fondaumière: Not really. First of all because we didn't really enter into user tests on the whole game.
The second thing is, we're not in this route and I think everything is contextual and it's really a sum of choices and sum of actions that lead you to a different story. We have a number of different endings – I don't believe we counted them, but there are a great many. I think that the most important thing to us is that people bear the consequences of their actions and the fact that whatever they do, whatever they choose to do, they have a meaningful story that unfolds. I think the stakes are going to be very clear for the player.
The player will know what his ultimate goal is throughout the game, but there are many ways of how to get to a… I wouldn't even say a successful ending. David (Cage) was asked a question at E3 by one of the journalists, asking 'what if you lose all four characters?' Well, this is possible. There is no game-over in the game. So you can actually lose all four characters. What happens then is, you still have an ending to the story. It's a very sad ending but, as David says, it's his favourite ending.
I guess that that was the philosophy behind it, really. It's to make sure that whatever the choices, the story unfolds in a meaningful way and in a way that is satisfying to the audience.
Maybe some will want to play it again and see how the story ends if they choose differently.
SPOnG: So you think people will want to play through again, having seen the story before? Is there enough difference in the different paths you take that people will be compelled to come back?
Guillaume de Fondaumière: For us the most important element in the game is to give players the possibility to live and choose their own story. Whether players will either come back each time and try the different possibilities, it really depends on the gamer.
We give these possibilities, the game is saving all the time, so you always have the possibility to go back and choose a different path or do something different, or talk differently to a person, or engage or not into a relationship.
So, there is this possibility, but we'd like very much for
players to bear the responsibility for their actions, play the game through. And if at one point they believe that it will be worth exploring other possibilities, maybe play through to the end and come back to that particular point and play differently, I think this would be more interesting.
We give the possibility to players to really choose how they want to play.
SPOnG: Will there be a trophy, then, for playing through without going back to any of your saves?
Guillaume de Fondaumière: We haven't figured out, as of yet, how the trophy system is going to work. It's not necessarily a game that is conceptually in line with what trophies should do. Again, it's not about succeeding or failing. It's not about doing the right thing or doing the wrong thing. It's about the journey. The journey is the most important thing.
So, to a certain degree, I would say we're not rewarding the players in a conventional way. The reward is the emotional experience, is how good the story is from the player's perspective. I guess it should be the other way around. It should be gamers giving us trophies (grins) rather than us giving players trophies!
But we'll of course support trophies and we're trying to find the right way to integrate trophies into the game.
SPOnG: OK. So, you've got four main characters, all of which are playable and, if you die, you move onto another character. Is there a risk that, with players switching characters, they'll become 'de-immersed' from the game?
Guillaume de Fondaumière: I don't think so. I think it's not an experiment, we see it in a lot of movies. They follow different characters, and the fact that you're following these different characters is only a way to give you different perspectives on the story. I think it only adds to the experience, and I don't think that you're going to lose the immersion because of that.
I think what is very important in the story and in the characterisation is to present the characters in such a way that you get acquainted (with) them, that you understand their motivations, and if we're successful in that, I think that players will find it interesting to be able to play the story from different angles, and to see it from different perspectives.
SPOnG: The difference between a film and a game, of course, is that in a movie you're sat passively watching, while in a game you're in control. When I sit down to play Heavy Rain, will I need to turn off the part of my brain that tells me I'm about to play a game? Will I have to shift my expectations about what's about to happen, compared to another game?
Guillaume de Fondaumière: I don't think so, I think that our objective was clearly to make a videogame, an interactive experience that is… Heavy Rain is certainly a new form of game, and we've created new gameplay mechanics to make sure that the player is always in control. You're in real time 3D all the time, you're all the time in control of your character's actions.
I think people are going to be quite surprised by the diversity of characters, by the diversity of the sets, and by the diversity of the interaction. By how interactive this game actually is.
So, I don't think you should set your expectations differently than other games in that respect. I guess you'd probably expect a little bit more from an emotional perspective and from a narrative perspective.
SPOnG: Harold Ramis, the writer of the Ghostbusters films and game, has recently spoken about the difficulty of writing games compared to film, because in a film you've got one narrative line with maybe two hours of content, where in a game you have to write for multiple paths sometimes. In Heavy Rain you're obviously looking at multiple routes that are very heavy on narrative. How easy or difficult was it to develop or write for?
Guillaume de Fondaumière: It is very difficult, because as you said, you need to write all the different threads, and you need to make sure each thread is of equal quality, so it demands a certain ability to make sure, first of all, there are strong contexts within the story. To give players real choices, and to define what possibilities there are within this context of developing other story branches that are meaningful, always, to the story. You don't want to lead players into either dead ends, or into narrative paths that are not of the same quality in terms of story.
You also have to be careful, because it is an interactive experience, so you have to make sure that whatever the player does, he's always in control. He shouldn't feel that the game is just a linear sequence of non-interactive cinematics, for instance. This is really not what we're trying to do.
Taking the example here of the QTEs (Quick Time Events). A lot of people – and this is one of the difficulties we have in presenting the game, when you watch it, or you watch a video of a play through, people don't understand how interactive it actually is. When we give the controller to either journalists or users for user tests, the first feedback (is) 'whoa, I didn't realise how interactive it is, and I didn't realise that I was really in control'. Now, of course, each interaction is contextual. You can't do anything (you want). But it's a bit like in real life, you know? It would be senseless for me now, for example, to stand up and slap you. It simply has no sense! However, there are a number of things that I can say, that I can do, decisions that I can make that have impact on the story.
So, our job as developers is to make sure that we give enough choices and to make sure that, whatever the choice, the story is meaningful.
SPOnG: Do you have a rough number on how many endings there are?
Guillaume de Fondaumière: 20 plus. But, I guess, what's more important for us are the different journeys and I really don't have a clue how many journeys there are to come to those endings. But it's also in a particular scene. A particular scene may end the same way, however, the information – the experience – can be very different, depending on your choices.
SPOnG: Thanks for your time!
Autor: Mark Johnson
Source: Spong
Language: English
Labels: Guillaume de Fondaumiere, Heavy Rain the Origami Killer, interview
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Play NFL Two Minute Super Bowl Trivia Game
Think you know your Super Bowl Trivia? If so, you can challenge yourself by playing 2 Minute Trivia Super Bowl Edition at SuperBowl.com.
You gain yardage by correctly answering questions before the "play clock" expires. You can choose the difficulty of your questions and you'll gain more yardage by answering harder questions.
The idea is to gain enough yardage to score as many TDs and points as possible in 2 minutes.
If you get a question wrong, you'll lose yardage, but you can use a challenge flag to make a second guess at an answer and redeem yourself.
The game itself is pretty fun if you are a trivia fan. If you play more than a few times you may start to see questions repeated.
When you are finished, you get a rank based on how well you performed. You can copy and paste html code on your site or blog to show your results. My score got me the rank of 2nd year captain, whatever that means…
Rank: Second-Year Captain
Points: 34
Yards: 449
Think you can do better? Test your football knowledge with NFL 2-Minute Trivia.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Music History for
March 26
1827 - Composer
Ludwig van Beethoven
1828 - In Vienna, Austrian composer Franz Schubert gave his only public concert.
1941 - Jimmie Lunceford and his orchestra recorded the tune "Battle Axe."
1957 -
Ricky Nelson
recorded his first songs.
1964 - "Funny Girl" opened on Broadway starring
Barbra Streisand
1964 - Pete Best (
) appeared live on the TV show "I've Got a Secret."
Today in Beatles History
1965 - It was announced that
Jeff Beck
would take
Eric Clapton
's place in the
1969 -
John Lennon and Yoko Ono
began their "bed-in" for peace in Amsterdam.
Today in Beatles History
1970 - Peter Yarrow (
Peter, Paul & Mary
) pled guilty to "taking immoral liberties" with a 14 year old girl in Washington,
1975 - The film "Tommy" premiered in London. The movie was based on the rock opera by
The Who
1977 - The first single by
Elvis Costello, "Less Than Zero"
, was released.
1980 - Jon Paulus (
) died of a drug overdose at the age of 32.
1986 -
Guns N' Roses
was signed to Geffen Records.
1995 - Rapper
died of AIDS at the age of 31.
1995 - An opera based on the life of tennis player Martina Navratilova premiered at New York's Carnegie Hall.
1998 - Chuck Negron filed a suit against his former
Three Dog Night
band mates. He alleged that they had breached a 1990 settlement agreement and interfered with his career.
2013 - The single "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams was released.


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Tuesday, July 27, 2010
A Crafty Guest!
Today we welcome CHRISTINE VERSTRAETE. Chris is an award-winning journalist and author whose stories have been featured in several anthologies including Dragons Composed, The Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror, and in DAW Books anthologies, Timeshares and Steampunk'd.
I had a few questions for Chris and she obliged.
Me: Lucky you -- you landed in "How would you murder someone on the Internet?" Week! So let's start out with that.
Chris: First, thanks for letting me stop by Killer Hobbies! On the murder question, do you mean little old harmless me or my young characters? (double gasp!) Wow. Sam, the young sleuth in my mystery, Searching for a Starry Night, is in trouble enough for snooping... B-but murder??
Well... maybe the best alternate definition for murder is character assassination. How about instead "killing" someone or their character (double play of words on that) in a book or story. Satisfying, but far less bloody. All you have to worry about is slander, of course, so better be creative in disguising who they really are.
Me: That wasn't as bloody as I thought. Thanks! You've mastered so many forms of writing, from journalism to fiction for both adults and kids. Is there anything you haven't tried yet that's on your list for the future?
Chris: Do you mean like 'Jill of all trades and master of none?' (Ha. Couldn't resist!) Well, to share an old cliché, variety is the spice of life. You have to keep trying new things or your writing gets stale.
Actually, I am trying something new. I've been writing more horror it seems, with several in ebook form (including The Killer Valentine Ball, coming in October.) So, I've started a new project writing a YA zombie story in first person. It's a fun project with more humor and "light" gore...
{Here I shrink back a little. But if anyone can do zombies, it's Chris.}
Me: How do you begin a book? Do you start with character? plot? setting?
Chris: Most times I begin with an idea. If it's going to work, I dream on it, then it seems to gel better for me. From there, I develop my character and since I'm an outliner, I try to do an outline so I know where the story is going.
{Outline? Now I'm impressed.}
The idea for "Searching for a Starry Night" began with my love of miniatures. What better way to incorporate miniatures, I thought, than make the book center on the hunt for a missing miniature replica of Van Gogh's "Starry Night?"
[Miniatures. No wonder I love Chris!]
Me: How about research? Do you avoid it? Love it?
Chris: I do some research, but try not to overdo it. I like learning new things, but when you uncover new facts it can be too easy to overwhelm the reader with too much info. So I try to use it sparingly. No one wants to feel like they're in school, right? Otherwise, they'd be reading nonfiction.
Me: Is there any special message or agenda you have in your writing? Any social agenda? Or do you write for entertainment? education?
Chris: I admire authors who can incorporate social causes into their writing, as long as it's subtle and the research doesn't become an annoying red flag every few paragraphs. My stories and books just haven't lent themselves to that—yet. I think I give subtle views of certain behaviors and actions, letting the reader form their own opinions, but I don't make it into a cause. Maybe something will develop in the future. But I think people want to read for enjoyment and can get annoyed by too much "extra" stuff.
Me: Which comes first with you—crafting or writing about it?
Chris: Is this like the chicken or the egg? I heard scientists recently decided it was the chicken first... makes sense, right? After all, how can you have an egg...? Never mind.
I enjoy making things so I'd love for that to come first but... writing about it hopefully leads to money which I need so, you see where this is leading? Ha! If I were independently wealthy, crafting would always be first.
{Here I'm stunned that someone actually makes money writing!}
I am also trying to do both as I hope to attend a dollhouse show this fall and have some new miniatures items I want to try out. So I'm alternating between writing and crafting at the moment. As long as I get the writing done, of course.
Thanks for letting me meet your blog visitors!
More on Chris:
Her children's novel, Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery, is available for Kindle, and is coming in other eBook formats and a new print version.
Her book on miniatures, is coming out in spring 2011 with profiles, photos, and over 40 how-to projects
Chris is offering a chance to win a prize to anyone who comments on a blog stop on her tour:
• One person will win a free Kindle copy of "Searching for a Starry Night."
• One person will win a miniaturized dollhouse collector's edition of the first chapter from the first print edition, made by miniaturist LeeAnn Borgia
• To celebrate the revised "Searching for a Starry Night," one person will win a copy of the new print version when it is available.
Blog Tour Schedule:
Wed., 7/28: http://marianallen.wordpress.com/- Talking about Writing
Thurs. 7/29: http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com>Helen Ginger, Straight from Hel, Getting Kindleized
Fri. 7/30: http://www.jetaylor75.blogspot.com>J.E. Taylor's blog – Writer's Quiz and Other Stuff
Mon., 8/2: http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com>Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers-- craft how to with Anastasia Pollack – Writing and Crafts: Make Easy Miniature Cloth Decorations
Tues., 8/3: http://www.spunkonastick.net>L. Diane Wolfe, "Spunk on a Stick" – Making the Switch from Nonfiction to Fiction
12 comments:
- Chris V. said...
Hi Camille and everyone, thanks for letting me hang out at the blog today!
- July 27, 2010 at 8:10 AM
- Helen Ginger said...
Christine, which is more fun for you as a writer: writing sweet children's books or scary zombie books?
- July 27, 2010 at 9:08 AM
- Linda O. Johnston said...
Welcome, Chris! I love to hear about other authors whose writing minds work in multiple directions.
- July 27, 2010 at 9:48 AM
- Camille Minichino said...
Helen, that's such a good question. And Linda we could ask which of your many directions you find most fun!
- July 27, 2010 at 10:29 AM
- Chris Verstraete said...
Hi Helen, what a choice! Do I prefer being nice or nasty? haaa! I love writing fun stories but I have to admit, zombies are a riot!!
Hi Linda, you mean multiple personalities? haaa!
Camille thanks again for hosting me!
- July 27, 2010 at 10:49 AM
- Linda O. Johnston said...
Whatever I'm working on at the moment is the most fun when you ask, Camille--especially if it contains animals.
I suspect you're right about multiple personalities, Chris--but I wouldn't change any of them!
- July 27, 2010 at 2:08 PM
- Bob Sanchez said...
Stunned that someone would make money writing? I made forty bucks on a short story once. Never did it again, of course...
- July 27, 2010 at 2:44 PM
- Camille Minichino said...
That's the key word, Bob -- once!
I should have said stunned that someone might make a living.
- July 27, 2010 at 4:58 PM
- Camille Minichino said...
I'm "in the moment," too, Linda; whatever I'm writing is my favorite!
- July 27, 2010 at 4:59 PM
- chris v said...
Who's making a living? Sorry to burst your bubble...it ain't me. haa!
- July 27, 2010 at 7:00 PM
- Chris V. said...
Oops, looks like my last post got lost. ha! Stunned is right; who's making a living? haa!
I will say I was lucky enough to have a story in two DAW anthologies most I ever made on a short story...
- July 27, 2010 at 8:12 PM
- Camille Minichino said...
Thanks for visiting today, Chris!
I hope the rest of your blog tour goes well and is lots of fun for you.
We'll be checking out your progress as you keep growing your talent!
- July 28, 2010 at 12:07 AM


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Concerns about children's vaccinations rise in U.S.
In result of a recent outbreak of measles in the United States, the importance and safety of children's vaccinations has become a much debated issue.
In order to attend school, children must have all their current vaccinations, including MMR, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Because of the actions taken to eliminate these deadly diseases, the U.S. has obtained the highest immunization rate at 77 percent of all school-age children having been vaccinated.
The CDC (Center for Disease Control), a prominent proponent for children's vaccinations, reports that since the distribution of the measles vaccine, annual morbidity from the measles has dropped from 530, 271 to 61. Approximately 99 percent of the disease has been eradicated.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services encourages the use of vaccinations because, "It's true that vaccination has enabled us to reduce most vaccine-preventable diseases to very low levels in the United States. However, some of them are still quite prevalent -- even epidemic -- in other parts of the world. Travelers can unknowingly bring these diseases into the United States, and if we were not protected by vaccinations these diseases could quickly spread throughout the population, causing epidemics here."
Concerns have been raised, though, about the vaccinations having a possible link to autism.
Recent estimates from the CDC state that one in 88 children have ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders). This number has risen dramatically from 2000, when it was one in 150 children.
The opposition to the vaccination movement has claimed that the rising number of autistic children in America is due to the number of vaccines the children must endure in order to attend school, especially vaccines containing the chemical "thimerosal."
The IOM (Institute of Medicine) responded to this speculation by stating, "the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal--containing vaccines and autism."
The CDC supports the IOM conclusion that thimerosal and autism are not related.


text:
iWork '09: The Missing Manual
The Missing Manual
With iWork '09, Apple's productivity applications have come of age. Unfortunately, their user guides are stuck in infancy. That's where iWork '09: The Missing Manual comes in. This book quickly guides you through everything you need to know about the Pages word-processor, the Numbers spreadsheet, and the Keynote presentation program that Al Gore and Steve Jobs made famous.
Friendly and entertaining, iWork '09: The Missing Manual gives you crystal-clear and jargon-free explanations of iWork's capabilities, its advantages over similar programs -- and its limitations. You'll see these programs through an objective lens that shows you which features work well and which don't. With this book, you will:
- Produce stunning documents and cinema-quality digital presentations
- Take advantage of Mac OS X's advanced typography and graphics capabilities
- Learn how to use the collection of themes and templates included with iWork
- Get undocumented tips, tricks, and secrets for each program
- Integrate with other iLife programs to use photos, audio, and video clips
Learn why iWork is the topic most requested by Missing Manual fans. One of the few sources available on Apple's incredible suite of programs, iWork '09: The Missing Manual will help you get the best performance out of Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and more in no time.
896 pages; ISBN 9780596555733
Read online, or download in DRM-free EPUB or DRM-free PDF format
Title: iWork '09: The Missing Manual
Author: Josh Clark
More Computers
Managing and Using Information Systems 2016 US$ 43.20 339 pages
Designing Data-Intensive Applications 2017 US$ 38.99 614 pages
Fluent Python 2015 US$ 42.99 792 pages
HTML and CSS 2011 US$ 26.50 515 pages
- Academic > Computer Science > Computer software > Operating systems (Computers); Periodicals
- Academic > Mathematics > General > Mathematics
- Academic > Computer Science > Computer science
- Academic > Computer Science > Electronic data processing
- Academic > Computer Science > Programming languages
- Academic > Mathematics > Instruments and machines
- Academic > Mathematics > Geometry. Trigonometry.Topology
- Computers > Operating Systems > Macintosh
- Computers > Interactive Media
- Computers > Spreadsheets
- Computers > Word Processing


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kshuller on Family Tree Circles
sort: Date Alphabetical
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Journals and Posts
Paul Peterson, Pictou Nova Scotia
Paul married Catherine Turnbull. He immigrated from Norway. He relocated to Rutland Vermont about 1855 and died there. I can't find his marriage record or his children's birth records. All were born nearn Pictou Nova Scotia and all immigrated to New England about the same time. How do I find this information? Nova Scotia records are very poor for non-Catholics and neither Paul nor Catherine were Catholic.
- Displaying 1-1 of 1 Journals
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text:
The importance of energy management has continued to grow over the past two decades. We now have central energy plants that provide thermal utilities to most of our buildings. We have progressed to generating electricity along with our steam and are on our way to managing all of our electrical sub-stations. We have employed advanced energy purchasing strategies. Utility distribution systems are far more robust and dependable. All of these efforts have substantially improved our overall efficiency. This enterprise has advanced to require even more focused attention.
Energy Systems includes Building Maintenance & Operations, Utilities & Engineering, and the University Sustainability Office.
Our Employees
Organization Chart
Department Directory
This page is under construction.


text:
Ellie Johnston has just been dumped by her boyfriend Mark. Being dumped by the man she calls The Weasel has dented her ego, and not only is she sulking, but as a plus-sized blogger she's feeling like a fraud because her confidence in her curvaceousness has been seriously dented.
While she's still feeling raw, she comes across some evil comments on a newspaper website, which fire her up with a desire to show the world that you don't have to conform to a skinny stereotype to be happy, healthy, successful and beautiful. Shes passionate about helping other women escape the tyranny of constant dieting and body hatred, after being caught up in it herself.
She enlists the help of her two plus-sized and gorgeous girlfriends, Zoe and Lauren, to come up with a plan, and seeks solace in Jamie, a gorgeous younger man with commitment issues. The Viva Voluptuous campaign takes the girls on a hilarious journey through PR disasters, dating sites and flash mobs but will it make a difference? And will Ellie get her curvy-girl mojo back again?
Published 26 April 2014
Gorgeously Full fat: Live like you love yourself!
Back in 1987, when Margaret Thatcher was still in charge, the Pet Shop Boys were number one, and I was just 16, I went on my very first diet. This is the story of how I got sucked into the diet trap, and how long it took me to escape its clutches.
With the help of some other diet escapees, Gorgeously Full Fat looks at how the media, fashion magazines and just wanting to fit in keep people like me trapped in diets that don't work, and then, what it's like dating as a thirty-something chubby girl.
There's also some wise and rather fabulous advice from people who've been there, done that and got the T-shirt in more than one size on life after dieting.
Live like you love yourself!
Beyond Tempted!
I'm currently reading 'Beyond Temptation' by Sophie Boss and Audrey Boss. The strapline is "Say Goodbye to comfort eating, treating yourself, bingeing and cravings'
To be honest, I started it a few weeks ago and only got a little way in before Christmas hit and all attempts at food management flew out of the window, taking what was left of my waistline with them. But I'm re-reading it again and I'll report back on the book as soon as I've devoured its delicious contents.
I loved the original 'Beyond Chocolate' and I do have a slight worry after reading the reviews that it might be mostly the ideas from that book repackaged but I'll let you know.
Meanwhile, if you want to check it out for yourself:
December 29 2012


text:
Resources > Industry Links
Industry Links
Degrémont Technologies is a supporting member of the following associations and organizations:
American Water Works Association
AWWA serves as the voice of the drinking water community. AWWA builds bridges with regulators, legislators, special interest groups, and the general public in its stead as a vital resource to its members, the water profession, and the public.
The Awwa Research Foundation (AwwaRF) is a member-supported, international, nonprofit organization that sponsors research to enable water utilities, public health agencies, and other professionals to provide safe and affordable drinking water to consumers.
International Ozone Association
The IOA is the central, worldwide gathering and disseminating point on ozone information, bringing together scientists, engineers, systems designers, technologists, equipment manufacturers, and end users to share their experiences and research data on ozone and other related oxygen compounds.
International Ultraviolet Association
Advancing the sciences, engineering & applications of ultraviolet technologies to enhance the quality of human life & protect the environment.
National Association of Clean Water Agencies
NACWA represents the interests of over 300 public agencies and organizations that have made the pursuit of scientifically based, technically sound and cost effective laws and regulations their objective.
Formed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 32,000 individual members and 80 affiliated Member Associations representing an additional 50,000 water quality professionals throughout the world. WEF and its member associations proudly work to achieve our mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment.
Water Environment Research Foundation
The Water Environment Research Foundation is dedicated to advancing science and technology addressing water quality issues as they impact water resources, the atmosphere, the lands, and quality of life.
Water For People helps people in developing countries improve their quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and health and hygiene education programs.
The Water Quality Association (WQA) is a not-for-profit international trade association representing the residential, commercial, industrial, and small community water treatment industry.
Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturer's Association
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Another area that I imagine will become cheaper is travel. Now I have to deal with booking vacations when it's convenient for my work schedule and minimize the use of vacation days. (like traveling during a holiday week to use less vacation days) I often see spur of the moment travel deals, deals that require flying from Tuesday to Tuesday or requires a 3 week stay that are cheap but I can't use because they are vacation-day-inefficient.As yet, I've only had occasion to take advantage of a couple cheap flights this way, but am looking forward to more such travel and, like intercst, do a bunch by car. There's a certain tranquility that's part of a leisurely driving trip - taking in the scenery and people along the way - that's missing when you're one of the herd at the airport. What FIRE means is the whole frenetic lifestyle you've become accustomed to for decades falls away as you begin to live again at a pace that's enjoyable at all levels. I don't remember such total, guilt-free control over my time since my teen years before I got a job. I can schedule routine chores when the roads and stores aren't crowded; take that daytime woodworking class I always wanted that would never before fit in with my work; do those little home / yard / car projects that I could never afford the time for while working. Gonna do a consulting job in the big city? Now I pick the day and time, take a relaxing train ride up and back, plan for breakfast / lunch with friends. I no longer need to accomplish more than that in one day. Or, if it interferes with something else I want to do, pass on the whole deal. And if I'm feeling overwhelmed with all my planned projects, I can lay down and take a nap 'til the feeling goes away.
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I commend top business schools for refocusing their curriculums, as recently reported, and I suggest two additional topics for them to include. My recommendations come from my experience as a worker in the private sector and as a doctoral student at Cornell University, minoring in business. I chose a business minor because I want to develop social programs which involve the public and private sectors. Because I am not studying at the business school exclusively to learn to maximize profits, I sometimes feel like the ''spy from human services.''
Two areas which need more attention in business school are the responsibility and accountability of decisionmakers to society and particularly to women in the economy. These are not ''skills'' areas like computers or people management, which make them difficult to include. These areas represent values and philosophies that guide decisions and policy, and which I believe must be addressed if we are to seriously examine national productivity for the long run.
Microeconomics is about the world of markets: supply, demand, and marginality. It is a required course for all business students. If we look at a supply and a demand curve for employees in a given sector, the intersection of the supply curve with the demand curve will simultaneously determine the number of workers hired in that sector and the wages they must be paid.
This model, allegedly neutral, does not expect all workers to gain employment. The model merely predicts how many will be hired at a given wage.
Currently, business students are not encouraged to be concerned about what happens to workers not hired. While government regulations and government programs are routinely criticized for interfering with the ''operation of the market,'' the question of what to do when the market doesn't work for some people is not considered a legitimate topic for microeconomic students. It should not be surprising that when a corporation decides to pull out of a community and leaves a lot of unemployed people, the managers of that corporation calmly walk away, knowing that the supply and demand curves for labor at a lower wage look better elsewhere.
I believe that the consequences of business decisions become public policy problems. Many business school faculty members do not agree that social consequences should concern managers making profit-maximizing decisions. The main lesson to be learned is that in a competitive industry a manager's job is to operate at the minimum average cost point, where marginal costs equal average costs in the long run.
Business students, trained with an anti-government-intervention bias, become government administrators and advisers having few creative skills to deal with the increasing economic complexity of our post-industrial, interdependent society; one where arbitrating between competing demands is the role of government.
As for women, their continuous increase in the labor force has been called the ''subtle revolution.'' The ''subtle'' appears lost on most business faculty.
More than 52 percent of all women are in the labor force. They are segregated into approximately 10 job categories, earning an average of 59 percent of what men earn. Only 2 percent of women workers earn more than $25,000.
Although more than one-third of current MBA (Master of Business Administration) candidates nationally are women, they represent only 5 percent of executives in the top 50 American companies. I am convinced that these statistics are not known by most business students, let alone faculty. Yet these same students will be managers making company decisions on job classifications, starting salaries, promotions, and other work components for female employees.
If assumptions and prejudices about women workers are not explored as part of business education, the ''people-management'' skills suggested by Everett Keech, vice-dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Economics, become nothing more than people-manipulation skills to maintain the status quo.
As two-earner, two-parent families become accepted as the norm for families with children, business and government will be forced to examine their policies. Current policies are based on the previously accepted norm of father as earner and mother at home with two children. According to US Department of Labor statistics, this family type represents 7 percent of all families.
In 57 percent of families with children, both parents are also workers. Stress on dual-role workers is great, as they juggle working and parenting activities. Some suggestions to assist dual-role workers, though not given adequate attention, include day care, flexible time, and parental leave. Unfortunately, current management must contain a disproportionate number of men from the 7 percent category who do not appreciate the significance of the work-family conflict faced by most dual-role workers.
Across the US salary comparisons between men and women with comparable qualifications indicate that women are paid less than men for their work. The National Academy of Sciences reports, ''Not only do women do different work than men, but also the work they do is paid less, and the more an occupation is dominated by women, the less it pays.'' The Center for Philosophy and Public Policy asks an important question: '' . . . if the crucial importance of women's jobs in our society (e.g. nurses) suggests that these jobs are undervalued only because they are held by women, why should women be asked to change their choices, rather than asking society to change how it rewards those choices?''
Equal pay for work of comparable worth would be an important part of decreasing the wage gap between men and women. Its implementation would help to minimize inequities and make affordable a wider range of occupational choices for all wage earners.
Responsible business managers and business faculty must accept their role in public policy formation with regard to social issues (e.g. family concerns) and include it in their overall financial assessment for more realistic economic forecasts. Otherwise, economic and social concerns which shape public policies will continue to be fought over in the courts at great expense to both the public and private sectors.


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2013 Summer Camp Programs for Volusia County - Daytona Beach, Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach
Looking for a summer camp program? No problem, there are plenty to choose from! Most of these
camps are broken up into age groups, with just the span they allow being listed. Here is an ongonig list of some of the summer camp programs that are available:
Smart Start Tutoring
Located in Port Orange, they offer a variety of weekly summer day camps. Their camps are fun and educational. They offer both a morning and afternoon sessions.
The Little Gym of Port Orange
Contact them for their summer camp opportunities.
Orbit Performing Arts Summer Music Theatre Camp
Stone Edge Skatepark Summer Camp
Academy of Martial Arts
Located in Ormond Beach, they will be offering a martial arts camp.
Art is Creation - New Smyrna Beach
They are offering summer art programs ages kindergarten through 12th grade.
Arthaus - Port Orange
Camp Gan Israel
This camp is held at the Esformes Jewish Community Center and is for ages 2-15.
The Casements
Located in Ormond Beach, they are offering camps focused on art and the environment. (see the bottom of their page for details)
Central Florida Zoo
They will be offering summer camps for kids ages 6-12.
Children's Music Theater Workshop
They are offering both theater and dance camps. They are located in Ormond Beach.
City of New Smyrna Beach
They offer day camps and athletic camps.
City of Ormond Beach
The parks and recreation department offers a variety of summer camps, including those focused on art and sports themes. They are offering a summer camp expo, where you can get info about all their camps on April 5th.
City of Port Orange
They parks and recreation department offers summer camps for kids that include field trip options (field trips cost extra). They have an elementary program for kids ages 6-12, as well as a teen program for those ages 12-14. The dates for the 8-week program are June 10-August 2, 2013. The fee for the elementary program is $400 for the 8 weeks, $500 for the teen program (resident rates - non-resident rates are higher). Contact them for more information by calling 386-506-5937.
Clay Pigeons - DeLand
Clown Camp (click on link, scroll down page for info)
Cracker Creek - Port Orange
CorMeth Computer and Reading Camp
Daytona Beach Drive In Christian Church
Embry-Riddle - Girls Executive Training Camp (ages 14-17)
Embry-Riddle - Girls Exploring Math & Science Camp (ages 7-12)
Embry-Riddle - Residential Flight Camps
Embry-Riddle - Science, Technology, & Math Camp (ages 7-14)
Gateway Center for the Arts
Located in DeBary, they are offering summer art camps for kids. Themes include crayon, food art, pottery, games, sculptures, and paper masterpieces. Camps are for ages 6-16. They are also offering summer theater camps for kids, focusing on such themes as making music and Alice in Wonderland.
Gretchen Neal Summer Art Camp
This camp is held each summer and is located at the St. James Episcopal Church in Ormond Beach. Camp costs $125 per week, which includes all supplies.
Junior Lifeguards (click on link, scroll down page)
Lyonia Environmental Center
They offer nature themed summer camps for children. Camps are $65 per week and focus on such topics as Earth appreciation, birds, reptiles, mammals, and insects. These are for children ages 6 to 13. Call them for more info.
Mad Science
They are offering summer camps that focus on space, crime lab, spy, chemistry, and nature.
Marcody Ranch (contact for 2013 camp info)
Marine Discovery Center
They offer a variety of outdoor marine summer camps for school aged children. You can find their schedule of camps and all the pricing information here.
Marine Science Center
They are offering camps for children ages 6-16. Camps include a lot of outdoor activities and nature exploration.
Montessori School of Palm Coast
They are offering a "Camp Lady Bug," which is a hands-on natured based summer camp. These camps are for preschoolers. They will focus on nature exploration, gardening, games, water play, and art. There are two sessions available.
Odyssey Adventure Camps (contact to verify 2013 info, they still have 2012 listed)
Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens
The Sewing Garret- 949 Beville Rd Daytona Beach FL 32119
Sewing Camp 2013 is June 10th thru August 15th. Camp is Monday - Thursday in either the morning or afternoon. Camp will run nine continuous weeks ranging in ability and project level to build skills to successfully take home projects. Cost will be $130 including tax per week. The cost includes use of machines, snacks and supplies. Remember sewing is a lifetime skill. Call 386-767-3545 for more info.
Skate Camp in New Smyrna Beach
University - Destination Science
Held at Stetson University, this camp is for kids ages 6-12. They will focus on science, astronaut adventures, and more.
Stan Lee's United Martial Arts
Stan Lee's United Martial Arts has opened registrations for Summer Martial Arts Camp. Call 386-677-9966 or visit the site.
Southeast Museum of Photography Day Camps
Temple Beth-El School
They are offering summer camp and they are located in Ormond Beach. Open to students K-5.
UCF Summer Reading Programs (Daytona Beach)
They are offering reading skills programs for children ages 4 through the 11th grade. Programs focus on phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, study skills, and speed reading. For more information call 800-978-9596.
Volusia County Parks & Recreation Summer Camps
Whim Wham Art Studio (contact for summer schedule)
Contact your local YMCA, as they do offer summer camp options. They have summer day camp available that offers the kids art, field trips, games, and sports. They also offer Camp Winona, which is an overnight camping option.
Orlando Area Summer Camps:
Orange County Regional History Center


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Bus and Transportation | Kimberly
Busing and Transporting to Parties/Activities
As you may know, Kimberly School District is growing every year and along with this growth comes more bus riders. Our buses are at full capacity. Therefore, students will not be able to have additional students ride on the bus with them for parties or any other activities. If your child is having a party or activity please make arrangements, other than the school bus, to have them transported to the party or activity. Thank you for your help and consideration regarding this matter.
For the safety of our students, KES will not allow students to change their normal transportation plans whether they ride the bus, walk home, or get picked up without a written note or phone call to the teacher or the office. The note must be signed by a parent or legal guardian specifically explaining the change. Notes given to the bus driver will no longer be accepted.


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maria Warren 12/6/2006 7:33:29 PMvery nice shot great closeup!!!!! #568367
Jill Lenkowski 12/6/2006 8:32:55 PMThis is hilarious! Before I opened it up I couldn't decide if it was a real dog or not. Great shot! #3675633
Jessica Jenney 12/6/2006 9:06:22 PMHow cute! She's smiling! :-D #3675747
Jenny Bosmans 12/7/2006 1:06:47 AMSuperb capture of beautiful Lola, Piotr! I just love this! :) #3676067
Joyce Baldassarre 12/7/2006 4:18:46 AMI LOVE BULLTERRIERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! GREAT SHOT! #3676739
Shawn Jennings 1/24/2007 3:54:06 PMGreat capture Piotr! Congratulations on your finalist! #3861820
Lee Ann Sahagun - Poling 1/24/2007 4:32:19 PMLove her smile! You can't help but smile back - congrats! #3862387
Megan p 1/24/2007 6:26:58 PMI love what Lee Ann said, I totally agree. Wonderful Finalist!! #3863709
Piotr M. Organa 1/24/2007 6:43:27 PMLola is the sweetest puppy ever. I'm so glad that the photo turned out OK. Thanks for congrats!! #3863901
Su Sana E. P 1/25/2007 4:48:09 AMHow very cute!! Congratulations again, Piotr!! #3866259
Kay E. Mahoney 1/25/2007 6:50:53 AMCongratulations on your finalist. Adorable dog. Good luck in the next round. #3867320
Sheila K. Floyd 1/25/2007 7:59:21 AMLola is beautiful! Congrats on a well deserved finalist.. This is one of my picks for winner! #3867957
Cyn Valentine 1/25/2007 8:01:30 AMCongratulations Piotr!! #3867970
The Judges at BetterPhoto.com 1/25/2007 12:48:01 PMFun expression and nice background. #3869898
Su Sana E. P 1/25/2007 5:36:57 PMPiotr, Huge Congratulations on this Awesome Winner!! #3871671
Piotr M. Organa 1/25/2007 6:21:17 PMAwesome! I am big fan of this photo, myself! :)
S P Mukherji 1/25/2007 6:29:29 PMMe too Piotr! Congratulations!! #3872054
Jill Flynn 1/25/2007 7:11:03 PMNow that's a great face and great capture Piotr! Congratulations on your WIN! #3872362
Deborah Sandidge 1/25/2007 7:40:38 PMAn expressive portrait of this winning pooch, Piotr, congratulations! #3872568
Kay E. Mahoney 1/25/2007 7:55:49 PMCongratulations on your second place winner. #3872653
Cathy Stancil 1/25/2007 9:07:08 PMCongratulations on a superb portrait deserving the gold, Piotr !! #3872940
Sylvia Rossler 1/25/2007 9:55:42 PMA priceless shot Piotr !! Made me smile at first sight :O) Big congrats on your win :o) #3873028
Charlene Taylor 1/26/2007 6:20:44 AMCongratulations on 2nd place with this excellent shot Piotr!! #3874507
Janine Russell 1/26/2007 9:50:13 AMPiotr, congratulations on your Second Place Win. #3875236
Karen Bacon 1/26/2007 10:06:32 AMA big congratulations Piotr on this great winning photo! #3875341
Jenny Bosmans 1/27/2007 7:07:56 AMCongratulations on this fantastic Winner, Piotr! :) #3878427
Sharon Day 1/27/2007 7:57:04 AMBig congratulations, Piotr!!! #3878613
Piotr M. Organa 1/27/2007 9:09:21 AMI like Bull Terriers a lot and tried this shot many times before with disappointing results - until I met Lola.
Cassie L. Woodlee 1/28/2007 5:51:36 AMCongratulations Piotr!!!!! #3882111
Skyy McKendry 1/30/2007 11:11:25 AMCongratulations, Piotr! This photo just went right to my heart. #3892053
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 1/31/2007 5:48:36 PMLola is beautiful. Congratulations on your win! Great work! #3897832
PiperAnne L. Worcester 2/24/2007 7:48:46 AMPiotr,
Kathleen K. Parker 2/27/2007 12:03:59 PMPitor, you are front of the line in doggy photography. Congratulations on your wins. I am so happy for you! I love your work!
paul parent 5/14/2011 2:55:39 PMWhat a great dog, and an outstanding shot ! #9404832
Bullterrier, 16 weeks
Uploaded on 12/6/2006 7:32:21 PM
Camera: Nikon D70S Digital SLR Camera
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Piotr M. Organa. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Log in to follow or message this photographer or report this photo.


text: Hello, I purchased 10 dedicated proxies for NHSEO. Now, i am unable to figure out its proxy changing strategy. Will 2 searching threads will be enough to prevent the proxies from burning out? I don't think posting threads matter however, i am running it at 40. Yeah, two profiles are in action. Thank you


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If you are using Firefox on a tablet, you may want to switch it to run in Desktop mode by default so websites will always load the desktop version.
Latest Articles tagged with user-agent
How to View Your Website Mobile Theme On Your Desktop Browser
With tons of plugins and turnkey solutions out there, any webmaster can easily flip the switch and activate the mobile theme for their website. The problem is, how can the webmaster check out how his/her site look like on a mobile device, if he/she does not own a smartphone? Fret not, with a little trickery, […]


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FORT LAUDERDALE — Five seats are open on the City Commission, and the four incumbents seeking re-election have established strong campaigns to try to ensure that voters on Tuesday keep them in office.
If the incumbents win new terms, that leaves one seat up for grabs. Six challengers want it.
``I feel I`m the most qualified person to take Virginia Young`s place,`` said candidate Jim Naugle.
``I have the time to do the job,`` counters candidate Leola McCoy. ``This is a commitment with me.``
In addition to Naugle and McCoy, four other challengers -- Rick Bruns, Beau Cummings, Mike Curran and Larry Gore -- are vying for a seat on the commission.
Mayor Robert Dressler, Vice Mayor Robert Cox and commissioners Dick Mills and John Rodstrom Jr. are seeking re-election. Virginia Young, a member of the commission for 14 years, announced in January that she would retire from office.
The seat she is vacating has produced some active campaigning. Under the city`s at-large ballot system, the top five vote-getters are elected, and the candidate with the most votes becomes mayor.
The four incumbents seeking re-election and the six challengers survived a primary challenge in February, when 19 candidates were on the ballot.
Although it`s possible that an upset on Tuesday could knock one of the incumbents out of office, the challengers seem to be focusing on the open seat.
Naugle, 31, a businessman, is trying to bolster his existing support in the southwest and southeast sections of the city. McCoy and Cummings, who benefited in the primary from bullet voting in predominantly black precincts, are working to build their support in other neighborhoods.


text: Home > Lifestyle Why partners cheat -- and what to do about it ABS-CBN News Posted at Feb 15 2011 12:45 PM | Updated as of Feb 16 2011 02:21 AM Share Save Facebook Twitter GPlus LinkedIn MANILA, Philippines - "Mike," 25, has 3 girlfriends -- but they don't know that they're being cheated on. He initially found it cool, saying that it helped him get accepted into his group of cheating male friends. But now that he has a baby with one of his girlfriends, Mike said he's starting to regret his life of infidelity and deception. "Sa barkada, 'pag marami ang babae mo, astig kang tignan. Pero sa ngayon pong may baby na ako, mali na po," he said in an interview on ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda last week. He continued, "May plano namang mag-seryoso, lalo na kasama ko ang baby kong lumalaki." Mike said he wants to start a new life, but he doesn't know where to start. For one, he admitted that he's not yet ready to come clean to his girlfriends and face the consequences of getting caught. "Ngayong lumalaki na ang baby ko, natatakot na rin ako sa epekto sa kanya," he said. Mike, indeed, has a reason to be afraid as children are likely to follow the cheating ways of their parents, according to relationship expert Maribel Dionisio. Most children look up to their parents as their role models. If not properly guided, they may end up having an affair as well, she explained. "May predisposition. 'Pag nagtaksil ang magulang mo, ang mga anak maaaring magtaksil. Parang modelo mo na kasi ang magulang mo. Kaya dapat masusing preparation 'yan para maiwasan," Dionisio said. Causes of infidelity Aside from peer pressure and cheating parents, there are many other reasons why people cheat. Dionisio said infidelity -- whether in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship or in a marriage -- may be caused by insecurity, trust issues, lack of communication, and addiction to sex, among many others. Sometimes, cheating may even be inevitable in a relationship if the "foundation is weak already to start with," she said. "Minsan sa simula pa lang, mali na ang pagsasama ng boyfriend/girlfriend. At kapag pumapasok na agad ang pagtatalik sa simula ng relationship, minsan ang friendship hindi maganda," Dionisio explained. She continued, "Tapos minsan kapag ang courtship less than 3 years, mga one year or 6 months, whirlwind ang courtship so wala talagang connection or compatibility ang couple. Dapat kasi kilala mo na talaga." How can you tell if your partner is cheating? Here are some common signs, as shared by Dionisio: When he or she no longer talks to you, or if he or she only talks about your obligations in the house, such as the children When you no longer have the usual once-a-week dates When you're no longer happy in the relationship When he or she stops being caring and affectionate When he or she shows no interest in your relationship's future When his or her behavior changes to the point that your friends are starting to notice When he or she starts to hide things from you When things seem wrong, talk to your partner about it, Dionisio said. This applies even if the partner is not yet caught cheating. "The first thing is to resume the weekly date. Mag-usap kayo about how you feel," she suggested. It's all about knowing what the other person feels. When the erring partner or spouse has repented and has sincerely promised to stay true to you, Dionisio said there should be room for forgiveness. If he or she does not have any plans of letting go of the affair, it's best to end the relationship to avoid further damage, she said. "Dapat makapili siya. Magulo din ang buhay na 'yan eh," Dionisio ended. Share Save Facebook Share on Twitter GPlus LinkedIn Read More: infidelity love relationships cheating


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Warehouse Staff Required
Job Specification
Dolphin Music's fast expansion requires us to increase our warehouse staff to keep up with the high volume of sales. Our warehouse requires people to pick and pack our orders to the high customer service standards that we always maintain here at Dolphin.
- Warehouse experience
- An interest in music always helps!
- £5.76 per hour
- 40 hours per week + possible over time
- Some weekend work
To apply for this position please download & fill out our Job Application Form & email it with your CV to firstname.lastname@example.com


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Jessica Biel's Streep love
Jessica Biel says Meryl Streep is her screen idol.
The 'A-Team' star is in awe of the Oscar-winning actress and hopes she can go on to emulate her incredible career which has spanned four decades and included such films as 'Sophie's Choice', 'The Deer Hunter' and 'The Devil Wears Prada'.
Jessica, 28, said: "Meryl Streep can do 'Mamma Mia, 'Doubt' and then 'Julie and Julia' and nobody questions it. I would hope that for my future, that I can be challenged by different genres and characters, but at the same time I'll never look back and think, 'Oh I've made it now, you can relax,' because I don't think successful women ever feel that way."
The 'Elizabethtown' star admits there are other actresses she admires for their versatility including 61-year-old Meryl.
She told Stylist magazine: "There are lots of people I look up to, like Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet as well as Meryl. Those are the women that can do anything."


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Is Apple building a Google Maps killer? A new report claims Apple most likely added Canadian mapping service Poly9 to its portfolio, the second mapping-related acquisition for Apple over the past twelve months. The news came via Cyberpresse.ca which reported Wednesday that Apple snapped up the Québec-based web mapping company.
Although neither Apple nor Poly9's president and co-founder Denis Laprise would confirm the deal, Cyberpresse discovered that all but two employees have already moved their desks to Apple's Cupertino offices. The official Poly9 website is no longer operational.
Poly9's clients include Apple and a bunch of tech players like Microsoft, Yahoo, MSNBC, and NORAD for which they developed the public "NORAD Tracks Santa" service. Their technology is said to be based partially on Google Earth, Google Maps, MapQuest, and Urban Mapping services. AppleInsider profiled Poly9 as a "web-based mapping company that creates interactive 3D software for use in a browser," speculating Apple might be interested in Poly9 Globe, their cross-platform 3D globe web app that works inside any browser:
The interactive software allows users to spin a three-dimensional rendering of the Earth, while providing real-time statistics on the user's virtual location, including altitude. The total application, which includes high-resolution imagery for U.S. metropolitan areas, is just 303kb.
Read more at Cyberpresse.ca (original in French, Google translation)
Christian's Opinion
With Google stepping all over Apple's toes with Android, the Chrome browser, and the upcoming Chrome operating system for desktops, it's no wonder Apple is now entering the search giant's turf. They acquired mapping startup PlaceBase a year ago and then snapped up search assistant Siri that, according to Jobs, is really in the AI business. Those acquisitions in no way signal Apple's direct confrontation with Google, at least for the time being. Instead, Apple is seeking ways to reduce its dependency on Google's services in iOS. Apple teamed up with Google when the original iPhone debuted, but that partnership has become a double-edged sword.
Google's Street View debuted on mobile as an Android exclusive on the G1 handset and hit the iPhone months later. Google Maps Navigation is still nowhere to be found on iOS even though it landed a year ago on the Droid. I think Apple is building a compelling mapping service (apparently named iGuide) for iOS – it's actually been confirmed in a job post.
If PlaceBase, Poly9, and Siri acqusitions are any indication, a mapping service from Apple should sport rich layers and an intelligent solution finder (something like Bing's decision engine). I'm also convinced Apple will eventually roll out such a product on the web, either as a free service or integrated with the $99 a year MobileMe suite.


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I don't know about everyone else, but I am guilty of on more than one occasion wanting a pet for all the wrong reasons. Pets are a great addition to the family, but they require responsibility, care, and time. Right now, as a mom of two (soon to be three) children, I just can't add to my juggling act… but that doesn't stop me from having that spur of the moment, "Oh, I think I want a puppy," thought. Here are five reasons I have seen people give as to why they want a pet, but I think they (or I) maybe should think a little longer on it.
- On a whim – you see that little puppy in the window and figure, "Why not?" One of the biggest things we don't think about is the cost of a pet. Maybe it's something else – like an exotic fish – many of them have very strict water parameters and need a lot of time and effort. Not every fish is meant for all aquatic enthusiasts.
- Your child is super interested… right now – my son is pretty adamant about birds. He's 2, so he gets excited about a lot, but he really seems to be the most passionate about birds. I have had the thought of getting a bird for the house, but know that I am not ready to learn about a bird, which is a must before bringing one home.
- To teach responsibility – having a pet is something the whole family needs to be ready for, and using a pet to teach a child responsibility doesn't mean they can actually do it. A parent should always be the one that is ultimately responsible, not expecting a child to take on all the duties that come with a pet.
- Someone you know is getting rid of it – sometimes people get in a bind, and have no other option than to find a new furr-ever home for their beloved pet. Wanting to take in a pet to offer them a solution where they can still see the pet, and being able to responsibly take care of the new pet are two different things. You need to make sure you can afford the pet, and that you will be able to afford the time the pet will require.
- As a gift – planning for a pet is a must. Unless you are planning the gift in advance with the person receiving it, you can't be sure that they are able to manage the pet. When my daughter was 2 weeks old she was given a Betta fish. I know, super easy to take care of – and I did – but it wasn't what I wanted to have to deal with after just having my first child. "Mac Dadder" lived until my daughter was almost three, and then had a few replacements.
Learn about the cost of the following pets on PetEducation.com:
Average Cost of Owning a Dog
Average Cost of Owning a Cat
Average Cost of Owning a Ferret
Average Cost of Owning a Pet Bird
Choosing a Rabbit as a Pet


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For several weeks, cable news networks have been bombarding viewers with coverage of America's alleged slow march toward a fiscal cliff. The networks even, at times, have mentioned the $500 billion in cuts to planned Pentagon spending that is a part of the wonkish cocktail that would create a cliff dive.
But this Intercepts scribe would argue cable news segments alone failed to take the fiscal cliff debate into mainstream status. That changed Saturday night, when SNL offered late-night viewers its take on the ongoing drama in Washington.
Spoiler alert: The fictional President Obama describes the fictional Speaker Boehner as an "orange man" and declares he agreed to a fictional fiscal deal because "I felt sorry for this man."
John T. Bennett
Bennett is the Editor of Defense News' CongressWatch channel. He has a Masters degree in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
Latest posts by John T. Bennett (see all)
- Twitter Does It Again: Behold @cromnibus - December 10, 2014
- The Ironies of Chuck Hagel's Pentagon Dismissal - November 25, 2014
- Review: 'Madam Secretary' Is A Thrill Ride of Missed Opportunities - October 17, 2014


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The pitter-patter of toe shoes
A workshop by Young Post and Hong Kong Ballet gave young dance fans a chance to learn new tricks and shine
Compiled by Barry C Chung
The one-hour session taught them about teamwork and creativity - and, best of all, was a great way to spend an afternoon. They worked in groups to choreograph and perform a short dance routine. Here the participants share their experiences.
Kelly Wong Yuen-ling, 15, (left) & Cherry Wong Nok-yiu, 13
I was very excited about this workshop. I had never learned dance before, so I was a little nervous, too. When I tried to do the steps, I wasn't confident enough to do them properly, and I was a bit stiff. But I knew I could overcome that challenge.
I was also surprised to learn how different ballet warm-up exercises are from what we do in PE.
After the warm-up, we watched the video of The Sleeping Beauty. The teachers asked us some questions about ballet and the show we had just seen. Although we could not answer all the questions, I learned more about the art of ballet.
The most unforgettable part was the group performance at the end. During the seven minutes of discussion, our group had failed to decide what we wanted to do, so our first performance was a bit weak. With the help of the two instructors, we improved the second time.
The workshop taught me a lot about ballet and the importance of co-operation.
Natalie Lam Pik-ki, 18, (left) and Yvonne Leung Yin-fong, 15
In ballet, there is no narrator and no dialogue. Dancers tell stories and express emotions through body movements. Our instructors demonstrated how to do it by showing us photos and videos from a performance of Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet.
Based on what we learned, we created our own steps. My group reinterpreted Little Red Riding Hood. In our version, Red meets not one, but three, wolves. But instead of scaring her, they all play together.
I've wanted to watch The Sleeping Beauty for a long time. I am lucky to have taken part in the workshop. Not only did I gain more insight into ballet as an art form, I also discovered my own potential.
I realised co-operation was important if we wanted to move in time with each other. I learned to appreciate the challenges of being a dancer.
Emily Do Ka-yui, 14, (left) and Melody Yip Chung-yin, 14
The workshop was great. Instructors from Hong Kong Ballet asked us to introduce ourselves by performing a dance move!
They played a segment from the famous ballet The Sleeping Beauty by Russian composer Tchaikovsky. We then formed groups and choreographed a dance. We could choose either fast or slow music. We chose the slow-tempo solo of the Lilac Fairy from the ballet.
We all made new friends and learned to work together. The workshop was a meaningful and wonderful experience.
Tse Tsoi-an, 14, (left) and Jenny Kwong, 14
We entered a huge dancing room to meet the two instructors. They greeted us with big smiles, then we all introduced ourselves.
We gathered into a circle and the magical music started to play. We ran around, rolled on the floor and crawled like monkeys.
Then we watched a video clip of the opening of The Sleeping Beauty. The dancers were so elegant. We couldn't take our eyes off the screen.
Working in groups, we then had to choose between two different styles of music from the ballet. I chose the faster version and worked with my group mates to create a dance sequence of our own. This was the best part.
When we left, we had smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts.
Frances Ip Chi-shun, 15, (left) and Sharon Tse Sin-lan, 14
Before the workshop, I wondered if the tutors would be strict. But I soon found out that they were nice and easy-going. I also made some new friends, and we laughed together as we planned our dance steps. It was a very meaningful day. The warm-up was a lot of fun. They gave me new ideas for my own dance lessons.
After we watched the overture of The Sleeping Beauty, Hong Kong Ballet instructors explained the story and showed us some photos of ballet movements. We all tried to imitate their movements. Then we worked in groups to work out steps based on the ballet music.
The best part: we got free tickets to the Hong Kong Ballet performance!
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Many have heard about the new street name honoring firefighters lost on 9/11 named "Seven In Heaven Way". The atheist community has come out denouncing this sign, saying it violates separation of church and state because essentially the city is recognizing the existence of heaven which is a Christian creation.
9/11 is an incredibly touchy subject and tensions on all sides when it comes to this day are understandably razor thin to begin with.
So my question is this; Is this a good fight for the atheist community? Is this a good stand to take? Should we be more concerned with laws that affect our day to day lives or changes in texts books and the like? When we are trying to make our movement heard, trying to show the public we are a people of reason, is this the type of press we want? Is this a fight worth fighting or is it only adding to the negative stereotypes already out there that atheists can be just as fanaticle as the faithful?
The full article from the Washington Post is as follows:
Heaven ignites atheist uproar
By Jordan Sekulow
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 05: U.S. President Barack Obama (C) carries a wreath with New York Police Department officer Stephanie Moses (4th L), New York FIre Department firefighter Joseph Lapointe (5th R) and Port Authority Police Department officer John Adorno (4th R) during a wreath laying ceremony at Ground Zero on May 5, 2011 in New York City. (Mario Tama - GETTY IMAGES)
New York City has chosen to honor the memory of seven fallen heroes – firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11 – by naming the street that their fire station is on "Seven in Heaven Way." Should this be a constitutional crisis?
As this street sign honoring the fire fighters' sacrifice made its way through the approval process, no one complained. But now, after the sign's unveiling, a group called New York City Atheists has threatened to file a lawsuit if it is not removed.
The group's president declared, "We've concluded as atheists there is no heaven." Another atheist leader added, incorrectly, that, "Heaven is a specifically Christian place."
Because he has "concluded" that there is no heaven, the rest of us cannot recognize the ultimate sacrifice these brave first responders gave for our liberty with an honorary street sign that mentions the word "heaven" without handling a lawsuit?
Thankfully, the atheists have little chance of succeeding in court. As the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals recently stated, reaffirming Supreme Court precedent, mere "hurt feelings" do not give one standing to sue. America is replete with religious references in the naming of our cities, parks, and streets.
The president of American Atheists, David Silverman, chimed in by repeating the same tired arguments against the mention of anything with religious meaning by the government. Silverman said, "The attacks on 9/11 were an attack on America. They were an attack on our Constitution and breaking that Constitution to honor these firefighters is the wrong thing to do." I challenge Silverman to cite any Supreme Court precedent to backup his claim that using "heaven" on a city sign violates our Constitution.
In America, heaven has come to symbolize the memory of those we love, our family members, and those who have made great sacrifices. Memorializing these heroic individuals in this way is not an act of religious divisiveness, but patriotic honor.
Publically attacking this tribute to seven American heroes, only to make a point that you do not believe in heaven, is insulting and outrageous.
By Jordan Sekulow | 10:45 AM ET, 06/23/2011
Views: 175
I'm all for the fight. If the firefighters truly believed in sacrificing themselves for the country they live in , we would rightfully be honoring them by fighting this battle , which is obviously breaking the constitution.
But , I suppose if there was unequivocal proof all seven of the firefighters accepted Jesus Christ into the hearts and repented for their sins sometime soon before they died , then I would be happy to have the road named as such.
But we all know Christians like to lie for JC.
Put me in the camp that thinks this is not the fight to enter. Great positions offered by most but my instincts tell me don't rock this particular boat. It is far too emotional an issue for those involved. Confronting with the intention of disrupting an organized event is not what atheists should be doing behind enemy lines. More importantly, it does not project a fair, impartial, unemotional, independent thinking culture.
Better to show up and say that the atheist community is in solidarity and grieves with the victim's families and that it is intolerance and religious extremism that caused the tragedy and that we should all have the freedom to express that grief in whatever way we choose in a world where we can believe what we want.
If the fallen firefighters and their families believe(d) in the fairy tales, who the hell are we to say the street can't be named that? Honestly, it's not "God's Merciful Judgement on the Fallen Heroes Except Those That Were Atheist Way". Let's pick our battles more carefully.


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Hot Neptune Drone Extreme (Red) Get Rabate
Neptune Drone Extreme (Red) is a great product. However, knowing which quadcopter to buy if you are a beginner or just getting started in this hobby is not easy because out of all the options that exist on the market. Features And Specifications App for Apple or Android devices. Includes Micro SD card, optional smartphone … Read more


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We're happy to take a chance on three outsiders in their Capital One Cup first round matches
The Capital One Cup has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance in recent years, with the top teams taking the competition relatively seriously – even if Manchester United were humbled 4-0 by MK Dons last term.
We've got a host of games taking place this week as teams bid to make it through to the next stage and the prospect of facing a Premier League side who aren't playing their trade in Europe next season such as Everton, Crystal Palace and Swansea City.
There is little point lumping on favourites as there are bound to be some shocks in store and here are our picks.
CAMBRIDGE UNITED to win at Rotherham @ 17/5 with 888sport
A nice big price about a U's team who cruised to a 3-0 win over Newport County on Saturday, with Cambridge expected to be among the leading teams in League Two this season.
Richard Money has recruited well in the summer including the acquisition of Barry Corr and the former Southend striker scored twice for his new club last weekend.
Rotherham got off to a bad start when losing 4-1 at home to new boys MK Dons, with Steve Evans likely to change the team for this encounter although they could be facing Cambridge in a league match twelve months down the line.
BURY to win at Wigan @ 10/3 with bet365
A solid start for the Shakers when drawing at Doncaster and they will have plenty of fans supporting them in this Lancashire derby against a Wigan side who lost 2-0 at Coventry on Saturday.
Gary Caldwell was left scratching his head after the defeat and it might take a while for his Latics team to gel together on the pitch, while Bury are more settled having earned promotion from League Two last season.
Tom Pope and Leon Clarke are a good strikeforce at League One level and we might see something special from the visitors as Wigan continue to search for answers.
BURTON to win at Bolton @ 4/1 with bet365
A nice meaty price about the League One new boys who continue to enjoy an upward trajectory under the tutelage of Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink.
The Brewers enjoyed a winning start against a fancied Scunthorpe team on Saturday and will relish testing themselves against Championship opposition, with Neil Lennon having engineered some bright cup performances as Bolton manager last term.
A goalless draw against Derby represented a solid start although the lively Stuart Beavon could help bring about a surprise result here for Burton who are in confident spirits after winning the League Two title last season.
All odds were correct at time of posting.


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ChunSoft Developing 999 Successor for PlayStation Vita and 3DS
2011-08-24 - Kotaro Uchikoshi and Kinu Nishimura team up for new title. Read More »
Tales of Graces Tops 100,000 in First Day Sales
2009-12-11 - Plus, which version of Call of Duty comes out on top? Read More »
2009-11-15 - I'll take Akina Minami over turkey any day! Read More »


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Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Greg Laswell Not GLEE-ful About Unexpected Cover
It's been a while since I've mentioned Glee around these parts. Ever since I made my Season 3 wishlist, I've decided to sit back and see what the writers have in store for New Directions and company without second-guessing or prematurely judging (I know, how unlike me). But when two of my favorite things collide, I can't help but bringing it up. Especially when it's something like this.
Glee versus Greg Laswell? How could I resist?
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Address is Approximate: A Google StreetView Journey
There isn't too much to say about this short film except that it is a wonderful example of taking objects from our everyday lives to create a compelling story. Who knew Google StreetView could be so compelling and beautiful?
Take a look at Address is Approximate after the jump...
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The NBC and ABC Mid-Season Schedules Are Sad
Remember that time I really wanted to avoid talking about the upcoming mid-season sadness over at ABC and NBC so I just put up a bunch of GIFs? Well, there's no use in putting it off any longer.
So let's rip off the proverbial Band-Aid and discuss the fates of Community and Cougar Town and the rest of the mid-season lineup...
Monday, November 21, 2011
Magical Monday Moments: Siri Argument
If Battlestar Galactica taught us anything, it's that technology is not to be trusted. And, yet, we are now one step closer to full-blown Cylon technology with Apple's latest smartphone: the iPhone 4S. Along with the phone comes Siri, essentially a voice-commanded personal assistant. Siri can send text messages, schedule appointments, find directions and set reminders.
But what if Siri were used for other purposes? Take a look at one of CollegeHumor's most recent videos, "Siri Argument." Warning: contains language that is NSFW.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Community and Cougar Town Absent from Mid-Season Schedules
There's been a lot of crazy news coming from the networks this week regarding mid-season schedules. And, unfortunately, it has involved amazing shows like Community and Cougar Town.
I'll be back next week to talk more about what is happening and what it means for the Study Group and the Cul-De-Sac Crew. But instead of starting off the weekend all sad and mopey, here are some animated GIFs that should brighten up your day....
Happy Family Jules: Transport to Relaxistan
Phil massaging a nude Jay, Max making out with Alex, Cam driving a truck and Jane getting in trouble for sexual harassment at work. Some very eventful episodes of Modern Family and Happy Endings this week, so let's get to it before I make uncomfortable references about a three-hole punch...
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Please Welcome Your Judges Turns 2 Today!
Yes, it's hard to believe, but Please Welcome Your Judges has now officially been in existence for two years!
Let's take a little walk down memory lane, shall we?
Monday, November 14, 2011
New Trailer for 'The Hunger Games'
A little over two months after releasing a teaser, Lionsgate has unveiled a full-blown trailer for The Hunger Games.
In case you aren't a raving fanboy like myself or haven't read the amazing book series by Suzanne Collins, here's a little background: The film, which will hit theaters in March 2012, stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, a teenage girl chosen to participate in an annual tradition that pits 24 young people from around the nation against each other in a battle to the death broadcasted live on TV.
Now... onto the trailer!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Mad Fashion is Refreshingly Fun
When Bravo announced it would be airing a show starring former Project Runway designer Chris March, I couldn't help but be excited. Chris is by far one of the most memorable contestants Runway has ever had—who can forget that infamous collection using human hair and that contagious laugh?—and has made quite a name for himself in his post-Runway career, designing for stars like Beyoncé, Madonna and [cue gay gasp] Meryl Streep. His fun-loving personality and outrageous designs seemed like the perfect combination for a television show.
Mad Fashion is now six episodes into its first season, and I'm happy to report that it's not your average reality show. Thank goodness.
Happy Family Jules: Wham Bam, Thank You, Cam!
A little tardy to the party? Perhaps. But what better way to cope with the lack of new episodes of Modern Family and Happy Endings tonight than remembering last week's best moments? [Side Note: damn you, CMAs!]
So before I have palpable chemistry with Julia Roberts, let's rundown last week's episodes...
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Make an Arm Chair from a Log (9 days)
We have experimented with running the 7 & 9 day courses together which has proved a great success. As you can see below there were a great variety of chairs completed on the most recent course with two of the participants being first time green woodworkers
Next Courses May 12-20, June 23-1st & July 14-22 2018
A longer course to give students time to complete a demanding project such as a chair with arms or a rocking chair. This course covers most chair making techniques including advanced lathe work, complex steam-bending and chair assembly.
A little experience would be an advantage but many first timers have completed this course with beautiful chairs to show for it - take a look in the chairs gallery
You will make either a post and rail chair with an Elm bark woven seat or one with a solid wooden seat in solid Elm known as a slab and stick seat.
Students who do not wish to make a chair are welcome to join this 9 day workshop and work on any other greenwood project they have an interest in. Ring Tim to discuss 07921 361484.
For example John Parr made this dining table last year.
Please note there is an additional charge for some materials: Elm chair seat £60, woven bark seat £35
* Selection of timber
* Green woodwork tools and safety
* Cleaving using froe and axe
* Side axe
* Draw knife / shave-horse
* Pole-lathe
* Adze
* Travisher / inshave / spoke shave
* Advanced steam-bending
* Bark preparation and weaving
* Knife work
* Finishing technique
* Sharpening
Additional skills:
* Cooking over an open fire
* Using an earth oven
* Chair with arms
* Finishing technique
The course costs £595 which includes:-
9 days tuition starting at 10.00 on Saturday and 9.00 for the rest of the week
All materials to complete your chair except seats.
Additional wood if you would like to try other skills.
Free Camping on site with hot shower.
(Log cabin available, £20 per night, book early as they go very fast.)
Each lunchtime there will be fabulous vegetarian lunches, home-made pizza party on Saturday night, a help yourself breakfast, tea's, coffee's and home made cake every afternoon.
Evening meals will be 'group self help' with basic ingredients supplied. One evening we may retire to the Catherine Wheel pub together and perhaps another have fish and chips collected with a B-B-Q being another option for later in the week.
Any luxuries such as booze, bacon or bonbons you will need to bring yourself - perhaps to share!


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Hyundai is driving full speed ahead; 2011 was the South Korean auto maker's best year ever in Canada, recording annual sales of 129,240 vehicles. And it shows no signs of letting up. February sales jumped 6.5 per cent over February of last year. With 38 straight months of sales growth and a fleet of award-winning cars like the Elantra it's leaving the competition in the dust.
But Hyundai isn't resting on its laurels. It's delivering new-and- improved vehicles to the market like the 2013 Genesis coupe, which gets a mid-life cycle revamp to keep it fresh amid the competition.
"We've gone from Ponys 26 years ago to world-class cars and high-performance sports cars like the Genesis coupe," boasts John Vernile, vice-president of marketing at Hyundai Canada.
Originally launched as a 2010 model, the rear-wheel-drive Genesis coupe gets more than a nip and tuck for 2013. It gets a power boost, improved transmissions and tweaks inside and outside. Available in four trims, my favourite is the tuner-ready Genesis 2.0T R-Spec. It skips all the fancy stuff and sticks to the racing features a driving enthusiast would love.
"The R-Spec is a base car with all the go-fast parts on it. It is meant for younger people who are not forced to pay a premium for some luxury features they don't want or can't afford, more importantly. So when you get in the R-Spec it has 19-inch wheels, low-profile summer tires, Brembo brakes, firmer suspension. It's a really nice tuner ready package," says Vernile.
There's no better place to test the R-Spec than at the track at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, about a 45-minute drive from Las Vegas. Under the hood is a 2.0-litre turbo inline-four with 274 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque – up 64 hp and 52 lb-ft of torque compared to the last model. The power boost is thanks to a new twin-scroll turbocharger and larger intercooler with a 53 per cent increase in capacity.
Mated to the engine is a six-speed manual transmission, the only one offered on this trim. The throws are nice and short; the clutch take-up is progressive. Nail the throttle and you're thrown back into your seat. The R-Spec excels on the track, remaining sure-footed in sharp corners and, when necessary, you can hit the Brembo brakes and it stops on a dime.
A cool feature is a new three-stage electronic stability control system. In Stage 1, everything (ESC & TCS) is on. In Stage 2, ESC and TCS engine power is turned off, but the braking intervention is still active. And Stage 3 is for thrill-seekers who love to spin out and do doughnuts in empty parking lots at night. It's a full-off mode – the TCS and ESC engine power and braking intervention is all turned off. ABS does remain active at all times.
While this coupe is stellar on the track, it also makes for a pleasant daily driver. The suspension isn't too rough – it won't shake your molars loose.
The price is another bonus for sports car enthusiasts who can't afford a pricier Nissan 370Z. The 2.0T R-Spec trim costs only $28,799, a few thousand more than the base 2.0T trim.
With a six-speed manual, the 2.0T starts at $26,499, about $1,800 more than the outgoing model. But it comes with extra standard features including remote keyless entry, a tilt-and-telescopic leather-wrapped steering wheel, fog lamps, power windows, power door locks and air conditioning.
The most expensive trim is the Genesis 3.8 GT at $36,999. It's luxurious and well-appointed, but it's a bit too pricey at $38,799, especially if you add the new eight-speed automatic transmission with shiftronic manual mode and paddle shifters. But it does have a new, more powerful 3.8-litre, direct-injection V-6 engine with 348 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque – that's up 42 hp and 29 lb-ft of torque.
On my tester, the eight-speed automatic is smooth and precise as we drive along the Nevada desert. It gets better fuel economy than last year's model and you can fill up with premium or regular fuel; you'll get the best fuel economy numbers with premium fuel; using regular, the numbers drop slightly.
The coupe's sharp sheet metal stands out on the road. It has a more aggressive and sporty design with a bolder front grille. From its profile, it's sleek, resembling the lines of an Elantra along its body. The rear has revised rear combination lamps with LED lighting and new 18-inch and 19-inch wheel designs.
The interior is more refined with a premium look and feel, too. There's a new centre stack with higher-quality materials, a revised leather shifter and a new multi-gauge analog cluster, which displays the oil pressure, fuel economy and turbo boost/torque pressure depending on the model.
A seven-inch touch screen navigation system is intuitive and easy to use. While there's a cool push-button start, the location to insert the key fob is awkward; it's hidden in the armrest. I fear I'd forget the fob inside and lock the car accidently although I'm sure there are preventative measures to stop that.
The coupe seats four, but the two rear seats are useless for adults. Even at 5-foot-5, I have little head- and legroom. But the front bucket seats are comfortable and supportive – holding you tightly in place when taking corners quickly.
With more power, new transmissions and stunning good looks, the 2013 Hyundai Genesis coupe is on the right track, poised to continue its sales streak. It hits dealerships in April.
Tech specs
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Type: Two-door sports coupe
Price: $26,499-$38,799
Engine: 2.0-litre, DOHC, turbocharged inline-four or 3.8-litre DOHC V-6
Horsepower/torque: 274 hp/275 lb.-ft. or 348 hp/295 lb-ft of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual
Drive: Rear-wheel
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 10.0 city/6.6 highway (2.0T with 6MT), 11.5 city/7.3 highway (3.8 GT with 6MT), 10.4 city/6.4 highway (2.0T with eight-speed automatic), 11.3 city/7.0 highway (3.8 GT with eight-speed auto); premium or regular gas
Alternatives: Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Honda Civic Si, Nissan Altima coupe, Nissan 370Z, Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZReport Typo/Error


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奈緒 (Nao) is an amateur female singer on niconico. She is not very well-known, and her best-received work was a cover of 古川P (FurukawaP)'s ピアノ・レッスン (Piano Lesson), at 5,200+ views and 267 Mylists. She is able to sing in both Japanese and English, and has also uploaded videos of herself playing pretty difficult songs on the piano.
Nao's voice is extremely versatile, and changes her voice according to the requirements of the song. Examples of her versatility include singing in a slightly cute voice with enough maturity to not change the mood of a song, singing all of a choir's parts by herself, imitating both Kagamine Len's and Kagamine Rin's voices almost to perfection with Vocaloid-like articulation, and singing in a mature, deeper voice suitable for jazz, amongst many others. Nao is great at hitting all the notes with no glaring mistakes, although that may be due to (slight) editing and auto-tuning that she does herself. A slightly more definable trait in her songs is that she sings with a bit of legato in everything. As well, she is very good setting up a gentle, relaxing, and easy-to-listen mood in all her songs. Although Nao sings with slightly accented English, I find that her pronounciation is extremely good and is very unlike the usual "Japanese English". Even her short English comments on her videos have completely correct grammar.
Essential Works:
1. ピアノ・レッスン (Piano Lesson) (niconico link) **Highly Recommended for use as background music**
2. Hail Holy Queen (niconico link) *Solo Choir*
3. 雨を連れゆく (niconico link) *Kagamine Len Imitation*


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Vice President Cheney has delivered an address on Iraq in which he responds to those who claim that President Bush misled them into voting for the war resolution. Here is my favorite part:
Some of the most irresponsible comments have come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein. These are elected officials who had access to the intelligence materials. They are known to have a high opinion of their own analytical capabilities. (Laughter.) And they were free to reach their own judgments based upon the evidence. They concluded, as the President and I had concluded, and as the previous administration had concluded, that Saddam Hussein was a threat. Available intelligence indicated that the dictator of Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and this judgment was shared by the intelligence agencies of many other nations, according to the bipartisan Silberman-Robb Commission. All of us understood, as well, that for more than a decade, the U.N. Security Council had demanded that Saddam Hussein make a full accounting of his weapons programs. The burden of proof was entirely on the dictator of Iraq — not on the U.N. or the United States or anyone else. And he repeatedly refused to comply throughout the course of the decade.


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Jacob Lief had a sudden realization. He was raising a lot of money for his nonprofit, and he was speaking at major events, such as the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos. However, he just wasn't helping people enough. They were not changing people's lives. Jacob Lief is the founder and CEO of Ubuntu Education Fund. Ubuntu Education Fund helps children who are vulnerable who live in the Port Elizabeth Township area in South Africa. The problem was the donors were giving money and then setting forth restrictions on how the money should be spent. It seems like those donors may have had some interests which caused them to donate. In any case, it certainly hindered the efforts of Jacob Lief to provide a true relief for these children. It prevented him from giving them what they truly needed. So what did he do? Simple. The board, headed by Andrew Rolfe, decided to start saying no to donors who wanted to give money with all sorts of cumbersome restrictions and rules. Instead, he started to focus his time on figuring out how they can best help the children who need help.
Now the organization has a smaller budget, but Andrew Rolfe and his board are able to accomplish much, much more. They go for higher profile donors who donate more money at once and who realize that all these restrictive donations just aren't worth the time of the Ubuntu fund. You see, donors used to have restrictions, such as that they had to serve on the board and help shape the charity's strategy or that the money be used for specific projects. It helps for these donors' personal goals, but it does not help the children the way they need to be helped. So Ubuntu stopped. Now they employ the Ubuntu model. This means that they work closely with each family and child to figure out a way to give them the health, education and stability that they need.
One of the driving factors behind Ubuntu's success is Andrew Rolfe. Andrew Rolfe is chairman of the board of Ubuntu Education Fund. He helps make sure that each child gets what they need and that the fund is working smoothly.


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This is the christmascake I made for me and my family. I'm into the music, so no wonder I came up with an angelchoir for christmas. I had a lot of struggle making the music bar, but in the end I succeeded.
Dark chocolate biscuit cake, filled with rasperry-jelly and white chocolate-mint mousse. Covered with marzipan. The figures are made of marzipan as well, except for the wings (sugarpaste and gumpaste). The music bar is made with royal icing. I hope you enjoy it…………
Roos Simbula, Maarssen, The Netherlands
5 Comments
It's beautiful!!
Well done!
Thank you Goreti and Michal for the compliments. You just made my day!
Thank you for your beautiful comment Ana. I hope you have a nice christmas.