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Josh Brent's blood alcohol level more than double legal limit during crash
Dallas Cowboys lineman Joshua Brent had a blood alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit when he crashed his 2007 Mercedes early Saturday, killing his best friend and teammate, Jerry Brown Jr., a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said Wednesday.
Brent, 25, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and is free on $500,000 bond. The third-year nose tackle has been placed on the reserve/non-football illness list.
A spokesman for the Irving Police Department said Wednesday that investigators may present the evidence they have in the case to the Dallas County district attorney's office as soon as Thursday.
Irving police, who are not commenting on the case, have previously said that the 321-pound Brent failed field sobriety tests immediately after the deadly crash. He refused a breathalyzer test but because his wreck resulted in a death, authorities could draw his blood against his will. Brent's blood alcohol level was reportedly 0.18.
According to one online blood alcohol content calculator, a person Brent's size would have to drink about 20 shots over a four-hour period to reach that blood alcohol level.
"That's just a lot of alcohol," said Richard Alpert, a veteran prosecutor with the Tarrant County district attorney's office and the leading national authority on drunken driving prosecution. "The real story now is where he was drinking. So we'd be following his credit card trail, we'd be checking social media to see where or if anyone was posting about his drinking."
The maximum sentence for his charge is 20 years.
Debbie Denmon, a spokesman for the Dallas County district attorney's office, confirmed prosecutors are awaiting the file from Irving before proceeding with the case. She also voiced annoyance at the very public way Brent's high-profile attorney, George Milner, has discussed the case.
"It appears this case is being tried in the media," Denmon said. "They're trying to paint him [Brent] as a victim and as tragic as this case is for so many people, the bottom line is that there is only one victim here and he's dead."
The defense attorney
Milner, who has said he did not know Brent before being hired, picked the player up at the Irving Jail on Sunday as TV cameras rolled and spoke to the media briefly then. On Tuesday evening, he called a hasty news conference in which he read a two-page statement bashing a post-crash witness who had been critical of his client.
Milner said he's not concerned about looking good for the media, just fairness for his client.
"All I'm trying to do is present the truth," Milner said late Wednesday. "I simply want him to be judged by the true facts. Not by people saying things that are not true and not by people with ulterior motives. He really is a good guy."
In February, Milner's actions in his representation of County Court Judge Julia Hayes drew the scrutiny of the district attorney's office. Hayes held an assistant Dallas County prosecutor in contempt of court, and when the office opened a grand jury investigation into the matter, prosecutors say Milner went on TV and showed a grand jury subpoena. By law, all actions involving the workings of a grand jury are secret.
"The office has focused on maintaining integrity in grand jury proceedings and raised questions about whether his appearance on television speaking about grand jury matters violated the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure," said Russell Wilson, who oversees the appellate and conviction integrity units of the district attorney's office.
"Generally, lawyers who we believe violated the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure when it comes to grand jury proceedings are not allowed to appear with their client before a grand jury in future proceedings," he said.
That stance could be significant if Brent or Milner wanted to appear before a grand jury in support of the player's case. Because the Brent case is pending, however, Wilson would not say whether the district attorney's office would block Milner or any other defense lawyer from appearing before the grand jury.
Milner flatly denied showing the subpoena. "I have seen the subpoena, I've read the subpoena. I am certain at some point I had it in my hands, but the bottom line is I never showed it to anyone in the media or anyone else," he said.
'He's up against it'
Alpert said the strong evidence against Brent is likely why Milner is trying to soften the image of his client by "grandstanding" with all of his public moves.
"He knows he's up against it, and it looks like to me he's playing this public relations game," said Alpert, who said he's tried cases against Milner before. "You've got a mandatory blood draw . . . no doubt about him driving; it's going to be a very hard case for him to win."
Alpert said that instead of helping Brent, Milner's tactics could serve as motivation for the prosecution.
"It's the equivalent of like in the Super Bowl, the quarterback of one team going on TV and saying, 'We're going to win by 7,'" he said. "What does that do? Fire up the other team, right?"
"If I was trying this case," Alpert said, "I'd already have my partner picked, I'd have an investigator working on it, I'd have been to the scene already. We'd be high-speed on this because the bottom line is we want to make him eat every word he said."
Milner hinted that he'd be ready for a courtroom battle if it comes to that. He said that he was not aware of the results of the blood alcohol tests, but offered a different perspective on what they might say.
"If it was 0.18, then the question would be what was it at the time he was operating the motor vehicle?" Milner said. "Alcohol in your stomach doesn't impair you in any way. But it takes time to absorb into the blood stream. So if you have someone who just left a club and recently had a drink, their blood alcohol level will continue to rise over a period of some hours later."
Also Wednesday, WFAA-TV obtained a police affidavit from a third witness who arrived at the scene shortly after Brent's car flipped over and caught fire on a State Highway 114 service road near the old Texas Stadium site.
Bill Gray told police he was driving home on the main highway when he saw the car "sliding on its roof as it was coming to a stop." He pulled over and called 911, but could not reach the wreck because two chain-link fences and two railroad tracks stood in the way.
Gray said he saw a disoriented Brent get out of the car and begin yelling for help. Brent pulled the passenger out of the car by his feet "just prior to the police arriving," he said.
Milner said Wednesday, "The injuries to his head would suggest he was not alive, or could not possibly have called for help," but added that he'd been told the first officer on the scene found that Brown had "a very light pulse."
Two other witnesses previously told The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV that they heard Brown make sounds from inside the burning car. One witness said she begged Brent to save Brown. But Gray told police, "The only voices coming from the accident site was Mr. Brent," according to the affidavit.
In an interview with The News Wednesday, Gray said he could hear the car fire popping and crackling. "It's possible there were moans and groans, but from 40 feet away I couldn't hear them."
Staff writer Melissa Repko contributed to this report.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Cover Story
A conversation with a former neo-Nazi who's learned that there's life after hate.
How could I remain in a church that made no space for my brutalized past?
Early Christians didn't just advocate for prison reform—they questioned the entire logic of retributive violence.
"We are a homesick people."
In Mexico, rural farmers resist emigration by building local economies.
Single-issue advocacy leads to inconsistency on life issues.
There's no justice in "recommended" sentencing guidelines.
Online attacks create a challenge for Christian ethicists.
If your world doesn't feel like it is turning upside-down, maybe you aren't watching carefully enough.
A challenge is to build urban areas in ways that people of all type can enjoy their pleasures.
Funny business by Ed Spivey Jr.
Trump chose to isolate the U.S. on an issue on which there is nearly unprecedented global consensus.
Flyover America will go dark.
Culture Watch
Welcome to the world of director Laura Dunn.
Two new books wrestle with death and beauty
Always with Us? What Jesus Really Said about the Poor, by Liz Theoharis. Eerdmans
The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class—and What We Can Do About It, by Richard Florida. Basic Books
Holy Spokes: The Search for Urban Spirituality on Two Wheels, by Laura Everett. Eerdmans
Sinclair Broadcast Group, a chain of local TV stations that skews to the right of Fox, is emerging as a national media voice.
Four August cultural recommendations from our editors.
Guardians Vol. 2 proves to be a complicated sequel.
The Feminist Movement
Why we published a cover story about a former white supremacist.
Letters to the editor from Sojourners readers
A poem.


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Now just because July is almost over that doesn't mean I can't cause some major damage with my credit card this month. So I have 4 days to make my most wanted list into my already-got-it list. Anyway, my July Most Wanted list is all about summer items I'd love to add to my closet. Some motor cycle boots to wear with a casual summer dress, a neon fringe bikini for the Vegas pool parties, a shift dress to wear to a Sunday brunch, a tshirt for the gym so I can happily wear the aforementioned bathing suit & a maxi dress to wear to a summer wedding! Update: I ended up purchasing the neon fringe bikini before I finished writing this post (see I told you I could fulfill this list before July ends!) What's on your wish list for the month?
1. France Strapped Boot || 2. Wreckless Cross Tank || 3. L*Space Fringe Halter Bikini || 4. Sia Shift Dress || 5. Drip Hlater Bow Gown
To keep up with our ever growing shopping wish lists follow us on twitter or like us on facebook


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|By Ardamir. (Help; more articles)
Annúminas was the city of the Kings of Arnor, on the shores of Nenuial. The city was founded by Elendil himself, on the shores of the northern lake Nenuial, near the sources of the Baranduin. It was the chief city of the Kings of Arnor for several centuries, and home to one of the three palantíri of the North-Kingdom.
The available evidence suggests that the city survived for nearly a thousand years. In the early days of Arnor, it must have been one of the glories of Middle-earth. Soon after its founding, though, the numbers of the Dúnedain of the North began to dwindle. The population of Annúminas seems to have fallen throughout its history, until eventually it was deserted, and the Kings removed to Fornost to the east.
It seems likely that the people of Annúminas were dependent on the River Baranduin for their contact with the outside world. While the Hills of Evendim surrounded the city to the west and south, the city's people could reach the other cities of the Dúnedain that lay along the river by boat.
After the city's desertion, it fell into decay, but two relics of its greatness survived: its palantír and the Sceptre of Annúminas. The palantír remained in Middle-earth for more than a millennium after the loss of its city, but was ultimately drowned with Arvedui in the cold northern seas.
The silver Sceptre of Annúminas was the symbol of Kingship in the North-kingdom. A very ancient thing, it was originally the rod of office of the Númenórean Lords of Andúnië. Though it would have been removed to Fornost by the Kings, and eventually came to be kept by Elrond in Rivendell, it retained the name of its ancient home of Annúminas.
At the time of the coronation of Aragorn at the end of the Third Age, Annúminas had lain in ruins for more than two thousand years. There are hints in The History of Middle-earth though, that Aragorn refounded the city and may even have made it his capital. No definite statement on this matter appears in the canonical works, though, so this must be considered speculation.


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Graphic Design & Adobe Essentials
In the Graphic Design Certificate program, students learn the skills and theory needed to thrive as graphic designers through hands-on application. No matter your skill level, explore different visual and creative perspectives and prepare for a successful career in the design industry.
Why Enroll?
Graphic design is the core of business branding. It brings a company's identity to life. Websites, flyers, brochures and logos all require the use of color, imagery and design that Graphic designers specialize in. If you have a passion for drawing and creating images, you will find this field to be very rewarding. This certificate teaches you how to best present your unique identity and learn how to put together a memorable portfolio that you can add to your resume. If you're interested in expressing your creativity while still earning a great living, the Certificate In Graphic Design at Hunter's Continuing Education prepares you for a career as a:
- Graphic Artist
- Multimedia Designer
- Web Designer
- Creative/Art Director
- Photo Editor
- Layout Artist
Registration and Tuition
This certificate consists of 13 required courses. Tuition for the Certificate In Graphic Design is $5,300 plus a one-time $35 registration fee, or you can register for each course individually plus the registration fee per semester. This certificate cannot be completed in one semester. Payment plan options are available.
To register for courses online, visit our online registration portal listed below. You may browse courses and register as a new or returning student. Certificate students, please visit or contact the registration office to select your course schedule per semester. There is a particular order in which to take the courses ̶ please see the program module.
Course Materials & Software: Students registered for this certificate must have access to the latest Creative Suite Premium. Using your Hunter ID (received 2 business days after registration), you may subscribe for monthly student access to Adobe icloud. Academic superstore.
View or download the Graphic Design course schedule and program module below, and check out 'General Information' to learn more about the benefits of registering for Continuing Education certificate programs.
|General Info
|Payment Plan
Adobe Essentials Design Certificate
If you like to create but don't have the computer skills to illustrate your ideas, the Adobe Essentials Design Certificate will provide students with hands-on learning in the applications needed to succeed in today's modern design field. This certificate will cover Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Producing Video for Digital Publications.
|General Info
|Payment Plan


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Intense excerpt from the "Pech River Boys" documentary.
Cobra Attack + Marines = Dead Taliban
08 Nov 2011 | By vlogger
Cobra Attack helicopters and Marines destroy a Taliban ambush.
CategoriesVideo > Taliban > Afghanistan > Marine Corps > Firefights > Shock and Awe > Combat >
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M142 HIMARS strike on high-level Taliban command and control node in Helmand, Afghanistan.
U.S. MQ-9 Reaper performed a historic multirole mission in the deliberate air campaign against Taliban revenue sources, releasing four.
A U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt II conducts a strike on a Taliban narcotics production facility in Helmand province on January.
A U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt II conducts a strike on a Taliban vehicle fleeing the scene of an attack in.
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Take a ride in the cockpit with Capt. Andrew "Dojo" Olson.
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An 1,800-ton warship launches anti-ship missile at an old vessel somewhere in the Baltic Sea.


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One of my favourite 50's illustrators is the lesser known though very worthy James R. Bingham.
Bingham had many long, successful series illustration projects, especially with The Saturday Evening Post, and worked most often in a fully painted style. But every now and then he'd blow the doors off by doing a piece in one of his more experimental graphic styles. Here he uses an entirely un-painterly approach (you could almost say it has a paint-by-numbers-kit quality to it) to interpret water.
As startling as this piece is, I was even more astonished when I turned the page and discovered these two b/w with spot colour pieces, looking all the world like they'd been done by legendary comic artist and Sin City creator, Frank Miller - though from fifty years earlier!


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Creatine Metabolism in Rett Syndrome
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01198015
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : September 9, 2010
Last Update Posted : February 17, 2011
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Rett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked severe neurodevelopmental disorder. Despite their good appetite, many females with RTT meet the criteria for moderate to severe malnutrition. The pathological mechanism is barely understood. Although feeding difficulties may play a role in this, other constitutional factors as altered metabolic processes are suspected. Preliminary research showed elevated plasma creatine concentrations and increased urinary creatine/creatinine ratios in half of the RTT girls.
The aim of this study is to confirm previous findings and examine the functionality of the creatine transporter in RTT girls.
The investigators assume that previous findings will be confirmed, and are due to an altered functionality of the creatine transporter.
|Condition or disease
|Rett Syndrome
|Study Type :
|Estimated Enrollment :
|13 participants
|Time Perspective:
|Official Title:
|Metabolic Evaluation of Nutrition in Rett Syndrome: Creatine Metabolism
|Study Start Date :
|August 2010
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|January 2011
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|January 2011
Rett syndrome girls
The study population (identical to the population in the preliminary research project) consists of a well-defined group of thirteen Dutch RTT girls with complete clinical, molecular, neurophysiological and metabolic work-up.
- Confirm previous findings and examine the functionality of the creatine transporter in RTT girls [ Time Frame: One hour ]Blood as well as urine samples will be collected to confirm previous findings concerning plasma and urine creatine concentrations. Furthermore, blood samples will be used to perform mutation analysis of the SCL6A8 gene. Secondary, a skin biopsy will be collected for functional studies regarding the creatine transporter in RTT girls. By comparing intracellular and extracellular creatine concentrations, one can assess the functionality of the creatine transporter.
Biospecimen Retention: Samples With DNA
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|3 Years to 20 Years (Child, Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Non-Probability Sample
Inclusion Criteria:
- Clinical diagnosis of RTT (meeting consensus diagnostic criteria (Hagberg et al, 2002));
- MECP2-mutation;
- Complete neurophysiological work-up;
- Participant preliminary research (research protocol NL25356.068.08).
Exclusion Criteria:
- Male gender
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01198015
|Maastricht University Medical Center
|Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands, 6202 AZ
|Study Director:
|Leopold MG Curfs, Professor
|Maastricht University Medical Center
|Study Director:
|Eric EJ Smeets, MD
|Maastricht University Medical Center
|Responsible Party:
|Prof. dr. L.M.G. Curfs, Maastricht University Medical Center
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01198015 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
MEC-10-2-038 ( Other Identifier: Medical Ethical Committee University Hospital Maastricht )
|First Posted:
|September 9, 2010 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|February 17, 2011
|Last Verified:
|February 2011
Keywords provided by Maastricht University Medical Center:
Rett syndrome
Nutritional status
Creatine metabolism
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Rett Syndrome
Pathologic Processes
Mental Retardation, X-Linked
Intellectual Disability
Neurobehavioral Manifestations
Neurologic Manifestations
Nervous System Diseases
Genetic Diseases, X-Linked
Genetic Diseases, Inborn
Heredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous System


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Two weeks ago Union Pacific brought their E units and the 150th Anniversary train to Portland for display. Thanks to a family Disneyland vacation my only opportunity to see the train was Friday the 13th, one of the two days it was on display. The other days it spent in the Northwest I was either in sunny California or was just too warn out from the trip to consider much of a chase.
The fun thing about visiting on Friday was we had the train to ourselves! Only 50 or so folks wandered around while we took our tour. This allowed me an opportunity to photograph some details around the train and the locomotives that I wouldn't normally get. I also had a chance to meet Ken Fitzgerald, who travelled with the train as the photographer. He was busy taking photos of VIPs on the rear platform but I did have a chance to chat with him a bit.
I do have to say I was a bit disappointed with the condition of the train. From a distance everything looked great. When I walked along the platform next to the train I noticed how dirty it was. I was shocked to see a light haze of mud on the windows and the sides. At the front I found the nose of the 951 peppered with bugs. Had the UP not washed the train? UP is a class outfit so I'm really surprised they hadn't hit it with a pressure washer before putting it on public display. That minor gripe aside (damn, I'm picky) the train really did look good.
Happy Birthday Union Pacific, here's to another 150!


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Black Law Students / Re: Black Law Student Discussion Board« on: August 06, 2009, 08:56:28 AM »
Totally naive questions:
1. Is it possible to contact the firm's recruiter and find out what it prefers?
2. Would it be the worst thing in the world to do both?
I'm obviously not an OCI person as I have been on a particular public interest track throughout LS. Nonetheless, I did once work at an organization that did job fairs for (competitive) summer internship positions, and I think we would have been happy to give a little advice like this prior to an interview.
I'm going through this same issue right now. I got a grip of interviews from the Chicago Diversity Fair, but I didn't get my interview schedule until after our bids were due for OCI. There's a good chance that I may have 7 double interviews. I don't know what to do.
For the other poster going through the same situation, I can give you one anecdote. My friend said he got callbacks from tons of firms at a job fair that had rejected him at OCI.
I'm really considering just doing them at both.
Thanks for chiming in, t L.
Can you clarify bolded for me? By "rejected", do you mean he was not selected for interviews from the firms after the bidding process, or do you mean that he received ding letters from them after interviewing at OCI?


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Not necessarily a slugabed, I nevertheless never get up at 4 in the morning on a Saturday. Five to go fishing. Six to go surfing. Four? Doesn't happen.
Unless, apparently, there arises the opportunity to play migrant farmworker and strip four trees of organic stone fruit under the broiling Fresno sun.
This was the proposal my friend Brad made last week, in any case, and I immediately told him he was nuts.
"I'll bring you a cup of coffee and a cookie," he texted.
Oh, well. OK, I'm in. I'd actually been hearing for years from Brad, his wife, Cynthia, his sister Jeanne and his brother-in-law Martin about the extraordinary peaches and nectarines grown by Mas Masumoto and his family in the Central Valley. I'd had tarts and jams made from them. I'd even had beer — that fancy saison variety that Martin brews — made from them. But I had never been entirely clear on how this picking thing works.
I did know that Masumoto, a gregarious and fascinating man, ain't your average aw-shucks farmer. A graduate of UC Berkeley with a master's in community development from Davis, he's a third-generation Central Valley fruit grower with deep roots in the California land and the organic movement. His famous book "Epitaph for a Peach" won the 1995 Julia Child Cookbook Award in the Literary Food Writing category.
Why did a peach need an epitaph? Because in our homogenized world, wholesalers care more about how fruits and vegetables ship than what they taste like. But Masumoto grows the heirloom Elberta peach and the Le Grand, which Masumoto calls the "granddaddy of nectarines" with its "sexy" flavor "that blends both high acid and high sugar in a luscious combination of flavors. The flavor screams out joy." The mass market was elsewhere.
So Masumoto could either plow under his 80 acres or figure another way to sell his product. His ingenious solution: If it's hard to get the fruit to market, he'll bring the market to the fruit instead.
A decade ago, he began his Adopt-A-Tree program. I'm not sure it would work for a farmer who wasn't already revered in the food world. But when you're Mas, it turns out that it is such an honor to be invited onto his farm that there is an annual clamor in the Los Angeles and San Francisco culinary clans to be good enough to have a tree. You have to apply, as well as show your "love and appreciation for organic heirloom stone fruit." Far more folks ask than receive in the fight to buy a tree for $600 and get to pick its 300 pounds of delicious.
Jeanne, an Eagle Rock cookbook author and former editor at Bon Appetit, has been hooked up with her friend Staci, a Beachwood Canyon food photographer, for years now, and they actually adopt four trees. The weekend before, when they picked some of the fruit, Mas had advised that it would be riper and far bigger given more time on the tree.
So Brad and I pulled in around 8 that Saturday, met up with Staci and her gang, heard an inspiring talk by Mas, his wife Marcy and kids Nikiko and Korio, and got to picking. My God, talk about your low-hanging fruit. We did have access to some long ladders, but you hardly needed them; the trees are rather squat. These peaches were practically like what Nikiko calls "the jumpers" — ones that are still good but have already fallen to the ground. You just give a quarter-twist and they're in your hand, big as a boulder. We divided up the picking and the sorting and made quick work of two trees. Then we moved up to the Le Grands. In the heat and dust, you appreciate more than ever the work of those who grow and harvest our food. Over an Ortega chili casserole at tables in the orchard and a 10:30 a.m. grapefruit saison, you thank heaven once again to be a Californian.
Larry Wilson is a member of the Los Angeles News Group editorial board. firstname.lastname@example.com


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I like mixing things up a bit, and today's recipes are an example of the irreverential cooking I so love to practice in my experimental kitchen.
In Gujarat, on India's west coast, khichdi with kadhi is a popular comfort meal. The khichdi is a blend of rice and lentils, cooked together to mushy velvetiness, while the kadhi is a sour, spice-spiked, yogurt- or buttermilk-based preparation.
This past weekend, hit with a craving for something really simple yet delicious, I decided to make this offbeat version of both. Vegan, of course.
I used soy yogurt instead of regular yogurt or buttermilk. While I am not a huge fan of eating soy yogurt by itself, I absolutely love it in cooked dishes. It tastes just the same when added to dishes like biryanis or spicy curries, and even has the same effect as regular yogurt when substituted in baked goods and pancakes.
But first, a bit about the khichdi. I used chickpeas instead of lentls to give my khichdi some nutty heft, and it was a decision I lived to gloat over. The simple combination of chickpeas and rice flavored with nothing but some cumin and salt was amazing.
My kadhi was, well, much thicker than a kadhi usually is. I added to it some colocasia roots and methi leaves. It tasted incredible with the chickpea khichdi and my tastebuds couldn't have been happier.
If you're an Indian, you probably already cook with colocasia roots, also called arbi, but if you don't know what they look like, I've included a picture here. I remembered to ask Desi to take the picture only after I had already dunked them into the water to wash them, therefore the bedraggled look. But gnarly though they look, they do taste fabulous. You do have to peel the skins off and within is deliciously starchy flesh that's not unlike a potato's, but sweeter, and more complex as well as thicker. I usually find them at the Asian grocery store and sometimes even at my local supermarket.
So here are the recipes for my twist on khichdi and kadhi. Enjoy, everyone!
Arbi and Methi Kadhi
5 colocasia roots, boiled in their skins. To test for doneness, pierce one of the roots with a fork in the center. If it goes in fairly easily, it's done. Set aside to cool a bit before you peel these. Then, cut into 1/2-inch chunks.
1 bunch of methi (fenugreek) leaves, stems discarded and leaves chopped (if you cannot find methi, you could substitute another leafy like watercress or even spinach. Only add them toward the end of the cooking instead of early because they take much less time to cook).
1 cup soy yogurt
1 tsp canola or vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 heaping tsp of tava masala (Available in Indian stores. I used it on a whim but it tasted great in this dish)
1/2 – 1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds.
When they sputter, add the onions and stir-fry until translucent and soft.
Add the ginger and garlic and stir for another minute.
Add the methi leaves. Stir for a few minutes until they begin to wilt.
Add the tava masala, turmeric and chilli powder. Stir in.
Add about 1/2 cup of water, cover and let cook for a few minutes until the methi leaves are almost tender. This will take around 10-15 minutes.
Add the soy yogurt and the colocasia pieces. Stir well. If the kadhi is too thick, you can add some water.
Check salt to taste.
Serve with khichdi (recipe follows)
Chickpea Khichdi
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight and then cooked until tender (can substitute with 1 1/2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
1 cup long-grain rice, like basmati
1 tsp canola or vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 cups water
Salt to taste
Heat the oil in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
Add the cumin speeds. When they sputter, add the rice and stir until it begins to turn opaque.
Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium.
When most of the water is absorbed, add the chickpeas, cover, and cook the rice over low heat for another 15 minutes.
Don't open the saucepan for another 10 minutes at least. To serve, fluff the khichdi with a fork and serve alongside the kadhi.
You can find a wonderful, more traditional version of Khichdi and Kadhi here.


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by Tyler Peck, sports information graduate
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - The No. 22 Georgia College & State University women's tennis team (7-9, 4-5 PBC) was beaten earlier today (April 6) by No. 13 NAIA opponent, Brenau University (13-4) 8-1.
Sophomore Bertille Lion (Lyon, France) was the only victor for the Bobcats as she defeated Jolene Wong 6-3, 6-3 at third singles. The sophomore southpaw evens her singles record at 8-8.
The Bobcats took the Golden Bears into a tiebreaker in first doubles. The twosome of Marjorie Ceppo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Gabby Acuna (Peachtree City, Ga.) lost the close knit match 9-7 to Hannah Thompson and Lyn See Choo.
At second doubles, Diane Danna (Paris, France) and Lion fell 8-6 to the duo of Paula Ghilardotti and Wong. The freshman pair of Adriana Acuna (Peachtree City, Ga.) and Angy Cuellar (Bogota, Colombia) lost to the team of Liubov Orlova and Natalia Aranguren 8-4.
In singles action, No. 47 Ceppo lost to Ghilardotti 7-5, 6-2 at first singles. Danna fell 6-3, 7-6 to Choo at second singles.
Georgia College's Gabby Acuna lost 6-0, 6-4 to Brenau's Thompson. The Bobcats' Cuellar was also defeated in straight 6-1 sets to the Golden Bears' Orlova.
The singles match between Adriana Acuna and Nelli Martirosyan had to go into an extra set. Martirosyan came out on top 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.
GCSU is back in action Thursday, April 9 at the Centennial Center Tennis Facility at 1 p.m. as they host Clark Atlanta University. The Bobcats will honor their two seniors, Gabby Acuna and Marjorie Ceppo, prior to Thursday's action.
Visit www.GCSUBobcats.com to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame. The GCSU Department of Athletics sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, GCSU prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at Twitter.com username GCSUSID for up-to-the-minute reports.


text:
Dear Students,
Congratulations on your decision to accept the challenge of taking a college course(s) while in high school. This opportunity is not for every student - your academic performance and willingness to go "above and beyond" has prepared you for this next step in your academic career. You will experience the pace, rigor and personal responsibility that are crucial to success in college.
After completing your CAPP course(s), you will be better prepared for full-time college study than that of your fellow students who did not challenge themselves.
As are all University of Wisconsin students, you are responsible for knowing University policies and procedures. This website outlines this information and directs you to other important resources. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to discuss them with your teacher, guidance counselor or CAPP staff. We are here to support you and our desire is to see you succeed.
CAPP is the premier concurrent enrollment program in the state. I believe you will find your CAPP experience a satisfying and enjoyable one!
Catherine Bryan, Ph.D.
Academic Director, Cooperative Academic Partnership Program
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Take 275 people, put them into the Ag Center, play some country music, feed them some barbecue, serve them sweet tea or lemonade, and what have you got?
Take 275 people, put them into the Ag Center, play some country music, feed them some barbecue, serve them sweet tea or lemonade, and what have you got?
A Good Ole Country Hoedown, of course. And a $12,000 fundraiser for Stirrups 'n Strides Therapeutic Riding Center to boot.
The Citra-based nonprofit horseback-riding center hosted its second annual Good Ole Country Hoedown & Auction on Dec. 1 at the Agricultural Center Auditorium in Ocala's Southeastern Livestock Pavilion.
Stirrups 'n Strides Therapeutic Riding Center provides therapeutic horseback riding for clients with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Betty Gray, director of the facility, said the hoedown was "by far, the best fundraiser we have had."
"We've got great support in this community," she said, noting that local businesses and individuals donated enough items to fill more than 100 themed baskets to be raffled and auctioned off during the hoedown. Basket themes ranged from jewelry, golf, games, car care, hunting and hair care. One of the most popular baskets, noted Gray, was filled with stuffed toy horses. A basket filled with chocolates also was a big hit, she said.
"We had a lot of laughs and smiles as one person tried to outbid another," Gray said.
That's not to mention the "wonderful barbecue chicken dinner with all the trimmings" that was donated, cooked and served by Elgin Carelock, owner of Diversified Event Productions, and the evening's entertainment lineup. Food and entertainment — including music by Patsy Cline's cousin, Deby Kelly — were included in the $25 ticket cost.
"It's amazing how much she sounds like Patsy Cline. She was just great," Gray said. One of Gray's riding instructors, Catherine Sears, who also is a country singer-songwriter, had taken charge of organizing this year's entertainment; it included Sears herself, Darien Rhodes, Gail Carson, Ainsley Wyatt and Atila Dudash.
Each performed separately, but at the end of the evening, they came together for a collaboration.
"They were all so good, and we had a lot of dancing," noted Gray.
"I had such a good time performing at the event last year, I decided to bring in some of my singer-songwriter friends," Sears said. "We ended up having just a great crowd, and it was all for a wonderful cause." She said plans are already in the works for the third annual hoedown, scheduled for Dec. 7.
Carelock said he, too, was impressed by the turnout.
"The entire mood of the evening was delightful. And I'm very happy Betty was able to hit her target with fundraising because what she and her group does is vital to the community," he said, adding that he plans to support the event again this year.
The $12,000 raised, said Gray, will go a long way toward helping the facility provide therapeutic horseback riding and carriage driving to children and adults. The funds helped purchase a truck for transporting horses, supplies and feed, she said.
For more information about Stirrups 'n Strides Therapeutic Riding Center, visit www.stirrupsnstrides.com.


text: Two big blockbuster releases are opening on big-screens nationwide today. The first is the new biographical drama by director Oliver Stone (Platoon, Any Given Sunday) called Snowden, obviously about NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) stars in the role as Snowden, with Shailene Woodley (Divergent, The Descendants), Melissa Leo (The Fighter, Prisoners), Zachary Quinto (Margin Call, Star Trek Beyond), and Tom Wilkinson (The Patriot, Michael Clayton) appearing in the supporting cast. The film was adapted by Stone from two books: The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena. Stone has a habit of putting his own theory in his historical films, but he is definitely a worthy director, and Levitt a solid actor, so this one will probably be worth your time, especially if the rain persists! Continue reading


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Earlier I made an article about how I imported this car now that i've owned it for over a month i'll give some of my ownership experience. Car, since the picture above, has been registered and received plates.
Update: added a couple of pictures at the end.
Mini Revew
Before I get to any sporty driving regular driving this car is a delight. There is some lag that i'm not used to especially considering my other car is a V8. I used to have a Subaru WRX and off boost it had decent enough torque with this Skyline if you are not in boost you have almost no torque at all. Fortunately it is really short geared so this doesn't turn out to be too annoying. The downside is 80mph on the highway (75mph speed limit) you are at around 3800RPM, stock exhaust is so quiet it's ridiculous and can hardly hear it at WOT. I have a Tomei+Kakimoto turbo back setup I bought from Japan that will be going in when I can get a tune but for now it will remain stock. The stock ~220hp, if it remains as such, is impressive. It feels faster than that number, is it the gearing? Possibly. Transmission feel is exactly how I want it to feel. Rear diff feels like it's working as it should.
Ride quality is a bit firm due to the aftermarket suspension but not oppressively so like it was in my 350Z that I bought used. The seats would be small for fat people or anyone larger than me as even my slender frame is held in tight. Fortunately the steering wheel is fully adjustable so aside from the seats I can imagine most people of any sizes could drive this car.
As far as the electrical my car doesn't have ABS or cruise control however it has digital climate control. The climate control works strange too, it's based on outside temperature so here in Vegas it's always full blast except early in the morning, so it's pretty much useless. In my Subaru it was based on cabin temperature so i dont know how common this is. The radio also doesn't work in the US. Other than that what electricals and gauges are in the car have been solid as expected from 90s/80s Japanese cars that i've owned. Boost gauge is neither in PSI nor BAR but in x100 mm mercury. Only turbo cars i've owned have all been in PSI.
Ive been driving this car to work (30-35 miles 75mph speed limit highway run) about once a week, my intent in buying a 2nd car was in part to keep the miles down on my daily. I only work 4 days a week now due to the weekend schedule so where I put almost 60k miles on a WRX in 2 years that hopefully will not happen with my Mustang.
The Events
I work weekends, it sucks aside from the pay. All local car events are on Friday night or Saturday. Friday you have drag racing and import meets. Saturday you have Cars and Coffee and autocross. I decided to take a day off and have some fun and try and attend as much as I could.
Knowing I was going to do this I bought some tires from Tire Rack. I had some 350Z wheels from when I used to own one of those last 3 years ago and they had the right offset. I bought some Kumho Ecsta XS tires for them per recommendation from Grassroots Motorsports (235/45/17 front 255/40/17 rear).
First thing I did during the week was do a drive up in Mt Charleston. It was a kind of a canyon carving run but not too fast as some people take it. My goal was mostly to see if the car is good to handle long term sporting driving despite it's age before I really bashed it hard at autcross. I was worried about the coolant since when it was flushed there was a lot of corrosion, thermostat may not be in good shape. It did well without any issues, midway through the road was wet from rain and the tires were still surprisingly sticky for a high performance tire. The car is very agile handles probably the best of any car i've owned, previous owner replaced suspension components so it's not riding on 25 year old shocks and this was evident.
Next up was going to Cars and Coffee. Since I learned about it i've been on weekend shifts which has been a few years. It was a neat event with all kinds of cars here, i'm more used to car shows mostly having classic American cars.
Saw one car i've never seen before there next to a Ferrari F12, I believe.
Shelby Daytona, i'm sure it's a replica kit but still cool.
Skyline got a decent amount of attention there and people asking me how I got it, other people there were currently working on importing cars. Most people who wanted to even buy the car from me didn't know they were even legal yet so spread the word. Being that this is a city with 2 nearby Airforce bases there were quite a few military car enthusiast there that had cars overseas waiting on legal date. I am former military myself but never had the chance to be overseas in a country I actually wanted to be in. One guy worked near where I worked and owns two imported classic Minis, one was there which was neat to see don't see too many of those where i'm from.
That evening I went to autocross. Registration started at 5:30PM and ended around 6:30 so it was a LATE event. Despite it being late it was still low 100s high 90s and I had first work crew, forgot to bring water... this was a mistake. Skyline put me in modified due to it's not being sold in the US status.
Shared driving with a friend of mine who is a much better driver than me, some people there wanted rides in the car but only one person had the opportunity he was an out of towner from Philly too. My friend posted times similar to what ST* BRZ/FRS cars were getting, mine were a couple of seconds slower. We haven't autocrossed in like 3 years or more so it's been a while, I would like to see what we could do if we went reguarly. I wanted a car like this, lighter RWD, GTS-T because I figured it could be like a more easily modded for power FRS on a used 2nd car budget and it appears I am right. We had fun but the heat was taking its toll, the radiator temp gauge at our final run was near topping out fortunately some helpful people there has a water sprayer to help cool the car down in order to complete the last run. It was still in the low 90s by the point we were running but i'm sure I just need to replace some bits in the cooling system to make sure this doesn't happen again. Car went through about 8 runs total in short order and handled it well aside from that last bit, impressed with the quality of what I got. Handling at its limits were great, better than anything i've owned previously which may not be saying much (350z, WRX, Mustang GT in terms of non appliances) and I can see where this car would be great for drifters but please don't destroy them :).
Autocross at night was hard. My eyes suck so I couldn't see shit but it made for an interesting event, I would recommend it. Despite my lack of vision I hit zero cones but I gave them space because I couldn't see.
Next thing i'll post will probably be what i've done on the car so far, when I put the exhaust on and get the car tuned, as well as fixing the cooling issue. Still waiting on my Power FC controller and Greddy Profec OLED boost controller to arrive from Nengun.
If you have any questions or comments please post them below. This is only my second blog post ever so let me know how I can improve if you want.
Update: Someone said I should have some more pictures. I'm at work when I wrote this so I didn't have many on me.


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NAT'ing firewall
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Installation
- 3 Remote administration - OpenSSH
- 4 Custom kernel
- 5 NIC config
- 6 ADSL connection - rp-pppoe
- 7 DNS & DHCP for the LAN - dnsmasq
- 8 Sharing the connection
- 9 Intrusion detection & prevention - Snort
- 10 Finishing touches
- 11 Advanced features
This document will (try to) explain how to turn a spare computer into an internet gateway using NAT, allowing you to share a single broadband connection with an entire LAN.
NOTE: This document's purpose is to set up a box exclusively as a gateway/router, this means that it's not suited (although it could be adapted or used partially) to set up a shared connection between 2 (two) 'desktop' PCs using cross-over cables, as the PC where this document applies will be turned into a 'server', not having the desktop applications necesary for normal use, and should be conected to a hub/switch.
Basic features
Not only will the gateway route, it will also feature:
- dial-up support: if you have an xDSL-connection, you'll be able to share it
- remote administration: the gateway will probably a headless machine sitting in a dark spot of your house where it won't disturb anyone. An SSHd will allow us to connect remotely to the machine and execute commands as if we had physical access to it.
- DHCP server: allowing dynamic IP configuration of connected machines
- caching DNS server: useful when your ISP's DNS server is temporarily down
- a stateful firewall: the gateway won't just let any incoming packet through. By using iptables (combined with Shorewall if you want), you can set up your own rules adding security to your LAN.
- intrusion detection and prevention (to do): Snort will inspect the incoming and outgoing packages on the firewall, detecting suspicious (viral/spyware/adware/...) behaviour and take appropriate countermeasures.
Advanced features
These features require extra packages and configuration but will enhance the functionality of the gateway greatly:
- transparent caching web proxy: the Arch box can be set up to act as a proxy server, increasing download speeds on frequently used websites and reducing your internet traffic: the files are cached on the Arch box. Because it's transparent, computers on the LAN will automagically use it for HTTP traffic.
- ad blocking: the web proxy can be configured to block (static and dynamic) ads from a list of known spam hosts. This will not block pop ups, but pop ups will be empty. :D The ads won't even be downloaded at all, again improving your internet speed and traffic and generally making surfing the web a nice experience again. This doesn't require any configuration on the LAN computers either!
- traffic shaping / QoS: when you're sharing an internet connection, chances are at least one person will use it to leech the internet. To prevent other users from getting suicidal (or worse, homicidal!) by slow connections, packet loss and enormous latency we'll do some traffic shaping. This way, a few .torrents shouldn't prevent the rest from online gaming.
- NTPd: the gateway will run a time server, allowing computers on the LAN to sync their system clock.
I've split up the wiki into this basic guide, and an advanced guide. Mainly because MediaWiki started complaining about the length of the document and possible browser incompatibilities. ^_^
Since the gateway is connected directly to the internet, security is a big issue. It shouldn't run any services available from the outside world. Towards the LAN, it should only run gateway specific services. So no HTTPd, no FTPd, Samba, NFSd, ... those belong on a server on the LAN or DMZ (if you want to make these services available to the outside world) as they can introduce security flaws.
I am fully aware of specific gateway distributions such as IPCop, Smoothwall and FreeSCO to name a few. I have even been using IPCop for years and it's never failed me. Making my own gateway just seems like a useful experience to gain some Linux networking experience. Since Arch is so easy to configure and to maintain, it makes it a great choice for the gateway I'm going to build!
- a fully i686 compatible computer: as you (should) know, Arch is i686 optimized, meaning it will not run on anything slower / older than a Pentium Pro or Pentium II.
- some RAM: routing shouldn't be an intensive job, 64MB of RAM should suffice unless you start loading your gateway up with tons of features. If you're going to implement the advanced features, more is better of course.
- some hard disk: for now, make sure you have at least a GB of diskspace available. Maybe in the future, if I don't have anything better to do, I might make a custom gateway repo full of tiny packages with only the essential stuff compiled in. Until then, we'll use regular Arch packages. The base install will take up around 500MB of space and if you want to use a caching web proxy, you will need to reserve space for the cache as well.
- at least two network interfaces: a gateway connects two networks with each other. You will need to be able to connect those networks to the same box. The most common combination is two simple ethernet cards. You can also use an ADSL-modem and a ethernet card, or an ADSL-modem and a wireless card, ... whatever floats your boat. As long as you at least have two! ;)
- a hub, switch or straight UTP cable: what's the use in having a shiny gateway if you can't connect other computers to it. :P
- (Arch) Linux experience: if "compile your own kernel" scares you, you're better off with one of the aforementioned gateway distributions: you'll save yourself a lot of time, effort and frustration.
My hardware
This is the hardware I'm going to use as a gateway. I'll be installing most of the features described in this Wiki. I'll update this page with performance information.
- Intel Celeron 466 (66MHz FSB)
- 256MB SDRam
- WD Caviar 13GB (IDE, 5400rpm)
- 3com 3c905B 10/100MBit FD PCI
- similar DEC NIC
- Thomson Speedtouch 510v4 ADSL Ethernet modem (in bridged mode)
- 4MBit / 256KBit ADSL connection
- simple 8 port switch
I'm currently sharing the same connection with a Pentium 200 with 80MB of RAM and ~ 1.5GB HD space. It works quite well, so if you have a box with the minimal specs to run Arch, it should be fine. Booting and installing packages will just take a little longer, your connection shouldn't suffer though.
- eth0 will be the network card connected to the LAN. It will have a static IP.
- eth1 will be the network card connected to the network (or WAN). Depending on your situation it will have a static IP or obtain one through DHCP.
Base ArchLinux
First off, you need to install ArchLinux. If you don't know how, use the ArchLinux install guide. Once you've installed Arch, boot it and upgrade all the packages to their latest version:
pacman -Syu
Add a normal user so you don't have to be logged in as root constantly: I don't know why, but I get nervous logging in as root. Also, we'll set up OpenSSH to not allow root logins, so a normal user has to be added or you won't be able to login remotely.
Trimming down Arch
Now that you have the latest and greatest of every base package, it's time to ... remove as many packages as possible! We're making a gateway, so keeping unneeded packages only "bloats" the system: the packages take up space and they will be updated every once in a while aswell. Even worse: the more stuff you have on your computer, the bigger the chance is one or more packages have security exploits in them. So have pacman print a list of orphaned packages (packages without dependencies, i.e. packages that can safely be removed without breaking other packageS):
pacman -Qe | less
Obviously, make sure you only remove packages you won't need: if you're going to hook up your gateway to an ADSL-modem, you'd better not removed rp-pppoe or ppp. If you're not sure what a package does, simply read its description:
pacman -Qi rp-pppoe
Here's a list of packages suitable for removal. Review every package to see if you can safely remove or not!
- hwd: I know what hardware I have
- lshwd: a dependency of hwd
- usbutils: although my box has USB-ports, I won't be using them. If you're going to use a USB modem (good luck with that! :')) you better keep this.
- libusb: dependency of usbutils
- kernel26: the Arch-kernel is configured to support as many desktops and servers as possible. So there's a lot of functionality in it we don't need, and it's missing a lot of necessary routing stuff! For the time being, a custom kernel is in order.
- devfsd: we will be using udev, devfsd is deprecated anyway.
- mkinitrd: unless you are going to use a ramdisk with your kernel, there's no need for this.
- pcmciautils: only useful if you're using PCMCIA/CardBus hardware.
- grub / lilo: you can only use one, so remove the other one.
- nano / vim: I never use vim (shame on me, I know), so why would I keep it? Install your favorite editor and get rid of the rest.
- raidtools: only useful if you're running RAID.
- e2fsprogs / jfsutils / reiserfsprogs / xfsprogs: you only need the package for the filesystem you are using.
- wireless_tools: only useful if you're going to build a wireless gateway
Completely remove the packages you don't need:
pacman -Rn package1 package2 package3
Remote administration - OpenSSH
Wouldn't it be a lot easier doing the rest of this Wiki remotely so you can put your gateway out of your sight and remove its monitor and keyboard? Make sure you leave in the power cord and network cable tho. ;)
Install and run OpenSSH!
pacman -S openssh && /etc/rc.d/sshd start
You'll get a connection refused if you try to ssh into your box though. You have to edit your /etc/hosts.allow and add a line telling your box it's OK to recieve ssh connections.
echo "sshd sshd1 sshd2 : ALL : allow" >> /etc/hosts.allow
This will allow every IP-address (cf. ALL) to try and log into your box. In the next part, we'll configure the SSHd to only accept connections from the LAN, but it certainly won't harm if you specify your LAN's subnet in /etc/hosts.allow. If you don't know which one you're going to use, or even worse, don't know what a subnet is, I'll come back to this later.
The SSH daemon provides a secure remote shell, meaning that (when using default settings) anyone who has a valid user account on the computer running the SSHd, can remotely log into the computer. It should be clear that this service should be well secured.
Fire up your favorite edtior and open /etc/ssh/sshd_config. Put the following "code lines" in it.
ListenAddress 10.0.0.1:2367 # Changing the port and address the daemon listens on: SSH's default port is 22. # For a little added security, change it to a different (much higher) number. # We also don't want the daemon listening for connections on the WAN side, the internet is an evil place nowadays. # Replace 10.0.0.1 by the IP your gateway will be using, 2367 by the portnumber of your choice. AllowUsers foobar firstname.lastname@example.com # Setting users allowed to log in: this is a very simple yet powerful option. #As you know, root is always the superuser on a Linux box. So if you want to gain access to a box, #you can start "cracking" the root password by brute force. If you don't allow root to log in with SSHd, # the cracker has to find out a valid user first which will take him more time. You can also add a host from which #the user must login ... added security!!! ^_^ DenyUsers root # I don't know the difference between "DenyUsers root" and PermitRootLogin no # "PermitRootLogin no" but better to be safe than sorry. Protocol 2 # Only allow ssh2 connections, safer than ssh1 connections.
Read the Using SSHD and SSH wiki if you don't know how.
Custom kernel
The sources
Since we're going to compile a kernel for a gateway, it doesn't have to be packed with patches. I went with a simple vanilla 2.6.16 kernel, because I figured it would be the most stable. You can choose whatever kernel with whatever patchset you like, but this wiki is based on a recent 2.6 kernel so if things don't turn out the way you'd hoped you're on your own. Be sure to read up on udev.
Kernel configuration
To keep my kernel lean and mean, I only compiled in the utmost important parts. Everything I don't need to be able to boot is compiled as a module. It's up to you to decide whether you want a modular, a monolithic or a somewhere in between kernel. Just remember to add the modules you want to load at boot time to the MODULES=() in /etc/rc.conf. I'm totally ripping off the next part: it's my first gateway kernel so I had no idea what to put in and what not. Fortunately, I found Mike Frysinger's Gentoo Wiki page and he's made a nice list of stuff you
- really need (marked x)
- need if you are going to share ADSL (marked a)
- need if you want traffic shaping (marked s)
Networking ---> [*] Networking support Networking options ---> <M> Packet socket <*> Unix domain sockets [*] TCP/IP networking [*] IP: multicasting [*] IP: advanced router [*] IP: policy routing [*] IP: use netfilter MARK value as routing key <M> IP: tunneling <M> IP: GRE tunnels over IP [*] IP: broadcast GRE over IP [*] IP: multicast routing [*] IP: PIM-SM version 1 support [*] IP: PIM-SM version 2 support [ ] IP: ARP daemon support (EXPERIMENTAL) [*] IP: TCP syncookie support (disabled per default) <M> IP: AH transformation <M> IP: ESP transformation <M> IP: IPComp transformation <M> IP: tunnel transformation <M> INET: socket monitoring interface <M> The IPv6 protocol [*] IPv6: Privacy Extensions (RFC 3041) support <M> IPv6: AH transformation <M> IPv6: ESP transformation <M> IPv6: IPComp transformation <M> IPv6: IPv6-in-IPv6 tunnel [*] Network packet filtering (replaces ipchains) ---> Core Netfilter Configuration ---> <M> Netfilter Xtables support (required for ip_tables) <M> "CLASSIFY" target support <M> "CONNMARK" target support <M> "MARK" target support <M> "NFQUEUE" target Support <M> "NOTRACK" target support <M> "comment" match support <M> "connbytes" per-connection counter match support <M> "connmark" connection mark match support <M> "conntrack" connection tracking match support <M> "DCCP" protocol match support <M> "helper" match support <M> "length" match support <M> "limit" match support <M> "mac" address match support <M> "mark" match support <M> "pkttype" packet type match support <M> "realm" match support <M> "sctp" protocol match support <M> "state" match support <M> "string" match support <M> "tcpmss" match support IP: Netfilter Configuration ---> mark everything you need <M> IPv6: Netfilter Configuration (EXPERIMENTAL) ---> mark everything you need <M> QoS and/or fair queueing ---> [s] QoS and/or fair queueing mark everything you need <M> Device Drivers ---> Network device support ---> [*] Network device support <a> PPP (point-to-point protocol) support [a] PPP filtering <a> PPP support for async serial ports <a> PPP support for sync tty ports <a> PPP Deflate compression <a> PPP BSD-Compress compression <a> PPP over Ethernet (EXPERIMENTAL)
You'll notice I have enabled quite a lot in the kernel. This is because of my inexperience. I made modules of everything I thought had something to do with this project, so if I don't use some functions all they cost me was a little extra compile time. :) The above kernel options are just meant for the routing part of the kernel. Don't forget to select the regular stuff for a working kernel and support for all your hardware!
Compile and install the kernel
make bzImage && make modules && make modules_install
I still use these commands to build everything, they still work fine. Don't forget to copy the kernel to /boot and update your bootloader. It's possible (and recommended) to build the kernel on another machine. Just do the exact same things. Once it's done compiling, do the following
scp /usr/src/<routerkerneldir/arch/i386/boot/bzImage
NIC config
Setting the aliases
When you let udev handle loading the modules, you'll notice your NIC's switch names: one boot your LAN NIC is eth0, the other boot it's eth1. The easiest fix for this is to load the modules "manually". Edit /etc/rc.conf and make put in these lines:
MOD_AUTOLOAD="no" MODULES=(3c59x tulip)
Those are the modules for my NIC's. Change them to the ones you need. 3c59x is loaded first, so my 3com NIC will be eth0, and my DEC NIC will be eth1. I don't know how long this quick and easy fix will work, if you want to do it the udev way, check out this Wiki page.
IP configuration
Open /etc/rc.conf once more and scroll down to the network config section. Here's where you define how your network cards should obtain their IP. The LAN card will have a static IP, I'm going with 10.0.0.1 because it's easy to type. :D I'm building a gateway for a small student home with 4 rooms so I'm keeping the subnet fairly small: 4 bits allow 16 IP's. 16 - 3 IP's:
- one for the network address: 10.0.0.0
- the gateway: 10.0.0.1
- and the broadcast address: 10.0.0.15
leaves 13 IP's for computers on the LAN. This translates into
lo="lo 127.0.0.1" eth0="eth0 10.0.0.1 netmask 255.255.255.240 broadcast 10.0.0.16" eth1="dhcp"
ADSL connection - rp-pppoe
Using rp-pppoe, we can connect an ADSL modem to the eth1 of the firewall and have Arch manage the connection. Make sure you put the modem in bridged mode though, otherwise the modem will act as a router too.
pacman -S rp-pppoe
It's in Arch's base installation, so you probably already have it.
The questions are all documented. You can select "no firewall" because we'll let Shorewall / iptables handle that part.
There's a bug in the package, so we need to manually create a symbolic link:
ln -s /usr/sbin/pppd /sbin/pppd
Everything should be in place.
/etc/rc.d/adsl start
DNS & DHCP for the LAN - dnsmasq
We'll use dnsmasq, a DNS and DHCP daemon for the LAN. It was specifically designed for small sites. As an alternative, you could also use dhcpcd and bind, but you're on your own.
pacman -S dnsmasq
Edit /etc/dnsmasq.conf and add the following lines
interface=eth0 # make dnsmasq listen for requests only on eth0 (our LAN) expand-hosts # add a domain to simple hostnames in /etc/hosts domain=foo.bar # allow fully qualified domain names for DHCP hosts (needed when "expand-hosts" is used) dhcp-range=10.0.0.2,10.0.0.14,255.255.255.240,1h # defines a DHCP-range for the LAN: from 10.0.0.2 to .14 with # a subnet mask of 255.255.255.240 and a DHCP lease of 1 hour (change to your own preferences)
Somewhere below, you'll notice you can also add "static" DHCP leases, i.e. assign an IP-address to the MAC-address of a computer on the LAN. This way, whenever the computer requests a new lease, it'll get the same IP. That's very useful for network servers with a DNS record. You can also deny certain MAC's from getting an IP. Evil!! ^_^ Now start dnsmasq
/etc/rc.d/dnsmasq start
and add the daemon to the DAEMONS list in /etc/rc.conf. I initially had trouble getting dnsmasq to start. If you get an "could not create leases: no such file or directory" error or something similar, create a few directories (they're mentioned in dnsmasq's man page)
mkdir -p /var/db mkdir -p /var/lib/misc
and try starting dnsmasq again. It should work nicely from now on.
Sharing the connection
Time to tie the two network interfaces to each other!
pacman -S iptables
iptables is a very powerful firewall. So powerful that I haven't bothered reading up on all the types of rules it can use to filter network traffic. However, this HOWTO describes an iptables setup that you can use if you don't want to use shorewall.
Instead, I opted for an equally powerful frontend, Shorewall. It's in AUR, so grab it from there or use aurbuild to build it. When the package is built, install it with
pacman -A shorewall-3.0.6-2.pkg.tar.gz
Replace the filename with the correct one.
Time to configure Shorewall! Open its config file in /etc/shorewall/shorewall.conf and start editing. The file is very well documented.
SUBSYSLOCK=/var/run IP_FORWARDING=On : it's a gateway, remember! ;) STARTUP_ENABLED=Yes # when you're done editing
After installing shorewall, run
pacman -Ql shorewall | grep Sample
to see where the sample files are. cd into the directory "two-interfaces" and copy the contents to the /etc/shorewall/ directory. Now use Shorewall's guide to set up the files correctly.
Read the document carefully. Take special care to change eth0 and eth1 where appropriate in your config files as the Shorewall guide uses different names for the interfaces. When you've followed it thoroughly, make the following changes:
- /etc/shorewall/interfaces : add "dhcp" to the loc line to allow computers on the LAN to make use of our DHCP server
- /etc/shorewall/rules : add
ACCEPT loc $FW TCP 2367
but change 2367 into whatever port you have your SSH server listening on.
Finally, run
/etc/rc.d/shorewall start
From here on, the Arch box is operational! Connect a hub or switch to eth0 and a computer to the LAN to test it.
--Add a script to open up ports on the firewall to run pacman.--
Port forwarding (DNAT)
- /etc/shorewall/rules : here's an example for a webserver on our LAN with IP 10.0.0.85. You can reach it on port 5000 of our "external" IP.
DNAT net loc:10.0.0.85:80 tcp 5000
Intrusion detection & prevention - Snort
According to the site's homepage title, Snort is "the de facto standard for intrusion detection/prevention". Sounds good. Let's use this one!
You guessed it:
pacman -S snort
The main configuration file is /etc/snort/snort.conf
nano /etc/snort/snort.conf
Read it carefully, as usual it's very well documented.
var HOME_NET 10.0.0.0/28 # change to the subnet of your LAN var EXTERNAL_NET !$HOME_NET var DNS_SERVERS $HOME_NET var SMTP_SERVERS $HOME_NET # comment these if you're not running any servers on the LAN var HTTP_SERVERS $HOME_NET var SQL_SERVERS $HOME_NET var TELNET_SERVERS $HOME_NET var HTTP_PORTS 80 var SHELLCODE_PORTS !80 var ORACLE_PORTS 1521 var AIM_SERVERS [126.96.36.199/24,220.127.116.11/24,188.8.131.52/24,220.127.116.11/24, 220.127.116.11/24,126.96.36.199/24,18.104.22.168/24,220.127.116.11/24,126.96.36.199/24] var RULE_PATH /etc/snort/rules var HTTP_PORTS 80:5000 # for HTTPd's running on port 80 and 5000. Change appropriately to the #ports you are using on your LAN config detection: search-method lowmem # if you're using a machine "with very limited resources"
At the bottom of the file, there's a list of includes. These define which rules you want to enforce. (Un)comment as you please.
groupadd snort mkdir -p /var/log/snort useradd -g snort -d /var/log/snort snort chown -R snort:snort /var/log/snort
Under review
nano /etc/conf.d/snort
SNORT_ARGS="-d -A fast -u snort -g snort -l /var/log/snort -K ascii -c /etc/snort -D"
Now Snort will run as user snort in group snort. Should improve security. The other options make it log to /var/log/snort in ASCII mode. Run snort -h to see other available options.
Update the rules - Oinkmaster
If you want to be able to download Snort's latest rules, you'll need a subscription. This costs money. If you're happy enough with 5 days old rules, you just need to register for free. If you don't, the only updates you'll get are the new rules distributed with a new Snort release. Go ahead and register at Snort. If you really don't want to register, you can use the rules from BleedingSnort.com. They're bleeding edge, meaning they haven't been tested thoroughly.
I've created a PKGBUILD for oinkmaster, grab it, build it and install it with pacman -A ...
nano /etc/oinkmaster.conf
Look for the URL section and uncomment the 2.4 line. Make sure to replace <oinkcode> by the Oink code you generated after logging into your Snort account. For Bleeding Snort rules, uncomment the appropriate line.
When you log into your new account, create an "Oink code". Another thing to change is
use_external_bins = 1 # 1 uses wget, tar, gzip instead of Perl modules
The rest of the config file is fine.
oinkmaster.pl -o /etc/snort/rules
Create an executable script with the exact command and place it in /etc/cron.daily to update the rules daily automatically.
Finishing touches
Edit DAEMONS list
Here's a list of daemons you need to add to /etc/rc.conf to make sure every service you've installed is started at boottime:
- network : ehm ... duh!
- iptables : only if you're not using shorewall
- shorewall : to configure iptables, traffic shaping, ... Don't add iptables AND shorewall to the list
- dnsmasq
- adsl : if you're sharing an ADSL connection
- sshd
- snort
This will result in the following line:
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng crond network sshd shorewall snort adsl dnsmasq)
"Lock" config files
It's important to add every config file edited in the process to the NoUpgrade list of pacman.conf. This will prevent pacman from overwriting them when there's a new version of the package available.
nano /etc/pacman.conf # OpenSSH NoUpgrade etc/hosts.allow etc/ssh/sshd_config # rp-pppoe NoUpgrade etc/ppp/pap-secrets etc/ppp/pppoe.conf # dnsmasq NoUpgrade etc/dnsmasq.conf # iptables NoUpgrade etc/conf.d/iptables # Snort NoUpgrade etc/snort/snort.conf etc/conf.d/snort # Shorewall NoUpgrade etc/shorewall/interface etc/shorewall/masq etc/shorewall/policy NoUpgrade etc/shorewall/outestopped etc/shorewall/rules etc/shorewall/shorewall.conf NoUpgrade etc/shorewall/zones
Final clean up
Review the list of packages without dependencies and decide which ones can be removed.
pacman -Qe
Advanced features
Read NAT'ing firewall - Adding advanced features if you feel like it. It's completely optional, though.


text:
Baked Ziti, Bean Soup, Broccoli Alfredo, Cheesy Potato Soup, Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs, Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice, Deep-Dish Cheeseburger Pizza, Easy Meals, Edamame, family, favorite, food, grilled bruschetta chicken, lasagna, Lasagna Soup, list, mac and cheese, Mac N' Cheese, meal planning, meatloaf, mom, month of meals, Parmesan Knots, Pesto Stuffed Shells, random, real, Real Simple, recipe, recipes, relevant, sloppy joes, slow-cooker, Stuffed Green Peppers, Stuffed Shells, Taco Stuffed Shells, Tortellini, women
First, let me start by saying it is HARD to keep the meal planning updated here! But, I figure if I'm cooking that's better than blogging about cooking, right? And the cooking is going well. We're really enjoying the variety in meals and the experience of shopping weekly and eating as a family at the table nightly.
To catch us up, here are the lists from Weeks 1 & 2 along with new lists from Weeks 3 & 4. Remember the Team Schoegler rating system is out of a possible four thumbs up since there are four members of our Team. 🙂
Week 1
- Grilled Bruschetta Chicken – Score: 4+ of 4 (Easily our favorite of the week. Bruschetta + Pasta + Chicken equals an easy win in our house.)
- Bacon-Gruyere Meatloaf with Roasted Carrots and Onions – Score: 3 of 4
- Not-So-Sloppy Joes – Score: 4 of 4 – This has become a family favorite!
- Black Bean Soup Unfortunately, these ingredients still sit in the pantry unused.
- Slow-Cooker Beef Stew – Score: 1 of 4 – WAY too much work for the lack of flavor it produces.
Week 2
- Slow-Cooker Baked Apples – we went apple picking so I'm hoping to use these in this recipe. – I had a heck of time trying to find an apple corer. (Not the kind that slices it into nice little wedges AND cores it, but just one that cores it.) I finally found one at Bed, Bath & Beyond so this is still on the list. But with new apples.
- Slow-Cooker Shredded Beef and "Chipotle" Cilantro Lime Rice – Score: 4 of 4 – It tastes exactly like Chipotle rice!
- Crock-Pot Mac N' Cheese – Score: 1 of 4 – Cheese factor needs improved and less Oregano
- Cannellini Bean Soup – more unused ingredients
- Slow-Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup – Score: 3 of 4
- Lasagna Soup – Score: 4 of 4
Week 3
- Pesto Stuffed Shells – Score: 3 out of 4 – Pretty average pasta dish. But, the recipe goes so far as to tell you the cost to prepare the meal!
- Stuffed Green Peppers with Parmesan Knots – Score: 3 out of 4
- Lasagna Style Baked Ziti – Score 4+ out of 4 – Who would think of spinach in lasagna? Not me! And my kids loved it!
- Grilled Bruschetta Chicken – Score: see week 1. We loved it so much, we repeated!
- Not-So-Sloppy Joes – Score: see week 1. Another repeat!
Weeks 4 and 5 (We ate out more during Week 4 so here are more than enough recipes for one week or those silly months with a Week 5)
- Taco Stuffed Shells – Score: 4 out of 4 – We were all surprised at how much we liked this! And, the leftovers were still good the next day.
- Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs with Edamame
- Deep-Dish Cheeseburger Pizza
- Beef with Parmesan Potatoes
- Tortellini with Bacon and Greens
- Broccoli Alfredo
With this list and your own family favorites, you now have a full MONTH of family-friendly recipes. And so do I! How cool is that?
Have you been doing any meal planning? Have a great recipe to share?
I'm working on a post about a few of the tools I've discovered that make finding recipes, writing grocery lists, cutting coupons and keeping it all organized just a bit easier. Stay tuned!


text: Power Hour: Corn Leads Grain Plunge on Ample Stocks March 28, 2013 09:30 AM Tweet TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Bloomberg Email March 28 (Bloomberg) -- The Standard & Poor's GSCI gauge of 24 commodities declined 0.8 percent to 652.64 by 5:05 p.m. in London. The UBS Bloomberg CMCI index of 26 raw materials fell 1.1 percent to 1,533.202. GRAINS, OILSEEDS Corn plunged the most in nine months, sparking a slump in soybeans and wheat, after the U.S. government said domestic inventories were bigger than analysts forecast and that farmers will plant the most since 1936. Inventories of corn on March 1 fell to a nine-year low of 5.399 billion bushels in the U.S., the world's biggest grower and exporter, mostly because last year's drought cut output, the Department of Agriculture said today. While that's down 10 percent from a year earlier, analysts in a Bloomberg survey were expecting a drop to 4.995 billion. Farmers will sow 97.282 million acres, up from 97.155 million in 2012, the USDA said. Corn futures for May delivery plunged by the exchange's 40- cent limit, or 5.4 percent, to $6.9525 a bushel in Chicago, heading for the biggest decline since June 12 and the lowest price since March 7. Trading was 171 percent larger than the average of the past 100 days. Soybean futures for May delivery tumbled 3.1 percent to $14.09 a bushel on the CBOT, heading for the biggest drop since Nov. 12. March 1 wheat inventories totaled 1.234 billion bushels, up 2.9 percent from 1.199 billion a year earlier, according to the government. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expected 1.165 billion, on average. Demand for the grain in livestock rations may total 375 million bushels in the 12 months through May 31, more than double the amount a year earlier, according to the USDA. Wheat futures for May delivery tumbled 6.9 percent to $6.875 a bushel on the CBOT, heading for the biggest decline since September 2011. Grains markets: NI GRMKTS CRUDE OIL West Texas Intermediate oil fluctuated near a five-week high as the U.S. economy grew at a faster pace than previously estimated in the fourth quarter and more Americans than projected filed applications for unemployment benefits. WTI for May delivery increased 22 cents to $96.80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract advanced yesterday to $96.58, the highest settlement since Feb. 19. The volume of all futures traded was 43 percent below the 100-day average. Prices are up 3.3 percent this week, heading for a fourth consecutive gain. They are 5.2 percent higher this month. The market will be closed tomorrow for Good Friday. Brent for May settlement fell 33 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $109.36 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The volume of all contracts traded was 20 percent below the 100-day average. Prices are up 1.6 percent this week. They are down 1.8 percent in March and 1.6 percent in the quarter. Oil markets: NI OILMARKET SOFT COMMODITIES Cotton futures rose to a one-week high as demand increased for exports from the U.S., the world's biggest shipper. Cocoa gained, coffee was little changed, while sugar and orange juice dropped. Cotton for delivery in May advanced 0.7 percent to 89.17 cents a pound on ICE U.S. Futures in New York. Earlier, the price reached 90.27 cents, the highest for a most-active contract since March 20. Cocoa futures for May delivery advanced 1.4 percent to $2,180 a metric ton on ICE. Arabica-coffee futures for May delivery was little changed at $1.3665 a pound. Raw-sugar futures for May delivery fell 0.8 percent to 17.70 cents a pound. Orange-juice futures for May delivery dropped 0.9 percent to $1.358 a pound. Soft commodities markets: NI SOMKTS BASE METALS Copper headed for a second straight weekly loss after U.S. jobless claims rose and China tightened rules on wealth- management products, spurring concern that demand in the two biggest global metals users will slow. Copper futures for delivery in May slid 1.1 percent to $3.407 a pound on the Comex in New York. The metal dropped 0.6 percent this week through yesterday. 2005, exchange figures show. On the LME, copper for delivery in three months fell 0.8 percent to $7,545 a metric ton. Aluminum, zinc, lead and nickel were also lower in London, while tin rose. The LME and Comex floor trading will be shut tomorrow for Good Friday. The LME also will be closed April 1 for Easter Monday. Base metals markets: NI BMMKTS LIVESTOCK Cattle rallied to a two-week high on signs of increasing demand for U.S. beef. Hog prices were little changed. Cattle futures for June delivery climbed 0.6 percent to $1.23675 a pound on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, after touching $1.2425, the highest for a most-active contract since March 13. Feeder-cattle futures for May settlement rose 1.1 percent to $1.437 a pound on the CME. Hog futures for June settlement were little changed, down less than 0.1 percent at 90.65 cents a pound on the CME. Livestock markets: NI LVMKTS PRECIOUS METALS Gold futures headed for the longest run of quarterly declines in 12 years as banks in Cyprus reopened, easing concern that Europe's debt crisis will worsen and curbing demand for haven assets. Gold futures for June delivery slipped 0.6 percent to $1,595.60 an ounce on the Comex in New York. Prices are heading for the second straight quarterly drop. Silver futures for May delivery fell 0.6 percent to $28.435 an ounce on the Comex, extending this week's drop to 0.9 percent. Precious metal markets: NI PCMKTS OIL PRODUCTS April gasoline fell, heading for the smallest first-quarter gain in five years, as prices dropped below technical support levels. Gasoline for April delivery declined 1.3 percent, to $3.0752 a gallon on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Heating oil for April delivery declined 0.2 percent, to $2.9204 a gallon on the Nymex. Oil Products Europe: NI OPEMKT Gasoline: NI GASOLINE Heating oil: NI HEATOIL NATURAL GAS Natural gas futures fluctuated in New York after a government report showed that U.S. stockpiles fell more than forecast last week. Natural gas for May delivery rose 0.1 cent to $4.069 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gas traded at $4.055 before the storage number was released at 10:30 a.m. in Washington. U.K. natural gas: NI NUKMKT Gas market: NI GASMARKET Americas natural gas: NI AGASMARKET European natural gas: NI EGASMARKET --Editors: Sharon Lindores, Dan Weeks To contact the reporter on this story: Sharon Lindores in London at email@example.com March 28 Prospective Plantings, Grain Stocks Reports See all of the report data, coverage and analysis of USDA's March 28 Prospective Plantings and Grain Stocks reports. Back to news


text:
Imagine, for a moment, that you've just woken up on a beach, and have no memory of who you are. Imagine, also, that the beach is adjacent to a city called Eastport, and Eastport appears to be deserted ... and in ruins. That's the situation in Dead Rush, and it's up to you, as a man named Jake (don't ask how he remembers that) to figure out how he ended up there and what happened in the city.
Oh, right. I guess we should also mention that hundreds of undead abominations are walking the streets, and they're attracted to warm meat. Just, you know, FYI.
We could classify Dead Rush as a survival horror game, but that wouldn't be doing it justice. For one, the controls don't suck. More importantly, a solid 75% of your game will be spent behind the wheel of one of many wheeled vehicles, and the undead body count is almost high enough to give DOOM some competition. In short, Dead Rush is Grand Theft Auto meets Resident Evil, with all of the old, creaky survival horror conventions stripped out for good measure. This is an action game, and, it so happens, also has an interesting story to tell.
Dead Rush's plot is revealed through player action, not long cutscenes. At the beginning of the game you'll be as lost as Jake is, and will only begin to piece together what happened through exploring the forsaken city, triggering flashbacks, and surviving long enough to reach this hellhole's far shore. While the city is large, the game streams it in on the fly, so there are absolutely no loading times ... even when entering buildings. This results in a very believable, immersive environment that helps maintain the mood of constant horror.
Like most real cities, Eastport is partitioned into districts, each with their own style and purpose. For various reasons, access to most of the city will be blocked when you first start, and a lot of your missions will involved opening up new areas to explore. In the interim you'll want to get around by using one of the many cars, trucks, and perhaps other vehicles that residents left scattered throughout the streets.
In Dead Rush, cars aren't just a means of locomotion -- they're your greatest weapon. The vehicles are governed by realistic physics, which also means that they're great for rapidly transferring large amounts of kinetic energy into squishy, organic targets. In other words, they're your number-one zombie killer. They also serve as your armor. Monstrosities need to get through your car to get to you, so a car's doors, windshield and even roof will prove to be extremely valuable as you cruise around in the worst neighborhoods outside of LA.
Of course, your wheels can only take so much damage, so the game has a helpful salvage system that lets you scavenge still-useful parts off of wrecked cars. Need a door? Find one and install it. Simple as that. You can also find special modifications like nitro and blowers, but these can only be installed by a NPC mechanic that you meet early in the game.
She's not the only survivor. One of the coolest things about Dead Rush is the lengths it goes to make the city feel alive. After you pass certain points, events will occur that affect the city at large, and you can choose to follow up on them ... or not. For example, at one point a particularly large aftershock strikes, and starts a fire in a building where the last survivors have barricaded themselves. The undead use this opportunity to start a siege, and it's up to you whether you go and help repel them or just keep going about your own business. Of course, there'll be consequences either way. If you don't help, you might later find that most or all of these potentially helpful allies are dead, and dead men don't offer help. In fact, they tend to come back to life and bite you.
Sound cool? I'd say so. The only real flaw I can see so far is that Dead Rush's graphics are relatively mundane, with a fair amount of fogging. However, this does allow the game to put many creatures onscreen at once, as evidenced by the siege sequence. Dozens upon dozens of zombies were visible, with little effect on the framerate. So, the proprietary engine will probably have its ups and downs, but it's also worth noting that the game's only been in full production for three months. Considering that, it's phenomenal that the game looks as feature-complete as it does. If Dead Rush follows through on its substantial promise, we have a lot to look forward to.


text:
Carroll Catholic students celebrate Mardi Gras
on photos below to enlarge.]
[February 13, 2013]
Send a link to a friend
was Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Lent and Abe Lincoln's Birthday at
Carroll Catholic School.
Librarian Vanessa Tibbs was
the coordinator for the day's events. She said they celebrate Mardi
Gras when Valentine's Day
and the beginning of Lent fall in the same week; which made this
only the third time
they have had this type of party.
Each class made masks, brought
or made snacks, and talked about what they were going to give up for
Lent or what good deed they were going to do for someone else.
Several from Mrs. Davison's
class were going to give up things like pop, candy, bacon, chicken
nuggets and TV. Some of the things that were mentioned as "good
deeds" were to not pick on their siblings, do chores with a kinder
spirit and try to obey the rules better.
After the parties in the
classrooms, everyone met in the gym for a parade of masks and the
beating of the piñatas. A lot of fun was had by all, and everyone
enjoyed the sweet treats!
Pictures and text by Karen Hargis
Ms. Glisson's kindergarten class decorated
Bingo! Sweets treats were enjoyed by all.
Spellbound by a Tootsie Roll and sweet
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text:
The office staffs the New Jersey State Planning Commission and the New Jersey Brownfields Redevelopment Task Force. Through the State Development and Redevelopment Plan, the office works to improve the efficiency and reduce the costs of land development and infrastructure in New Jersey by expanding areas of coordination and cooperation among State and local agencies.
Formed as the Office of State Planning in 1986 to staff the State Planning Commission in developing and implementing the State Development and Redevelopment Plan, the office also pursues other activities to improve intergovernmental coordination and cooperation as defined by the State Planning Act.


text:
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Denver - 4/6/2011 - Quark announced today the availability of the 30-day Test Drive of QuarkXPress® 9, the next major version of the page-layout and graphic design software that puts designers in control of publishing to print, Web, interactive Flash® (SWF), and now digital media. With the evaluation software users can experience the new features of QuarkXPress 9 including tools for advanced design automation as well as the ability to create content that can be delivered directly to digital devices. For a full overview of QuarkXPress 9 visit www.quark.com/products/quarkxpress.
To download the QuarkXPress 9 30-day Test Drive, visit: www.quark.com/products/quarkxpress/test_drive.aspx.
Digital Publishing
With QuarkXPress 9, designers and creative professionals have a variety of options for publishing to digital devices, including all devices pre-installed with the Blio eReader, including millions of Windows computers from Toshiba, HP, and Dell, and soon, devices that run the iOS, Android, and Silverlight platforms. Designers can also easily convert QuarkXPress print files into reflowable e-books using the ePUB format to publish to Apple's iBooks, the Barnes & Noble NOOK, Sony Reader, Amazon Kindle and more.
Coming soon: Within 90 days of the availability of QuarkXPress 9, App Studio for QuarkXPress 9 will also be available as a free update to all QuarkXPress 9 users. With App Studio for QuarkXPress, designers will have a dedicated design environment within QuarkXPress 9 for creating content for the iPad.
Design-Driven Automation
QuarkXPress 9 includes new features that help automate the design process by eliminating many manual and time-consuming design tasks. The features include the ability to set powerful automated styling rules; bullets and numbering features compatible with Microsoft Word; and advanced callout and linking functionality. With QuarkXPress 9 it is also easier than ever to edit text, clone design elements, create image grids, and duplicate objects or entire pages, and more.
A full overview of QuarkXPress 9 is available here: www.quark.com/products/quarkxpress.
Test Drive
The QuarkXPress 9 30-day Test Drive can be accessed here: www.quark.com/products/quarkxpress/test_drive.aspx. The Test Drive version is fully-functional for 30 days including the ability to print and save documents as well as open QuarkXPress documents as far back as version 3. After the 30 days is complete, users can then convert their Test Drive version into a full retail copy simply by purchasing QuarkXPress 9 and entering their validation code. Any projects created in the Test Drive version will be fully compatible with the retail version of QuarkXPress 9. QuarkXPress 9 will be available to purchase from the Quark Store and authorised retailers starting 26th April 2011.
About Quark
Quark Inc. (www.quark.com) is a leading provider of publishing software for professional designers, small and mid-sized businesses, and large organisations in more than 160 countries. Two decades ago, our flagship product — QuarkXPress — changed the course of traditional publishing. For more than 25 years, Quark has built on its knowledge and experience in design and publishing to provide software solutions that support collaborative workflows and automated publishing across multiple channels. Today, Quark is revolutionising publishing again by setting new standards in XML-based publishing across print, the Web, and digital media, as well as by helping owners and employees of small and mid-sized businesses promote their products and services easily, professionally, and affordably. Denver-based Quark Inc. is privately held.
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Quark, the Quark logo, and QuarkXPress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Quark, Inc. and its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Contact: Valentina Moressa, email@example.com, 0044 (0) 7506 000 817
Online press centre: http://bit.ly/QuarkPRESS


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Severe Weather Outlook for Today [UPDATE 1:30 p.m.]
Update 1:30 p.m.
The National Weather Service says the threat for large hail and tornadoes is now less than it looked yesterday, but is still not gone completely. It appears now the greatest threat is going to be from winds in excess of 70 mph.
Update 9 a.m.
A dry line is located near Dallas/Ft. Worth at this time. It will continue to move east today and will be the focal point that we are watching for severe weather to develop. As the atmosphere heats up and the line gets closer to East Texas, a line of possibly severe weather will develop. The main threat right now seems to be from strong winds. Hail, lightning, and heavy rainfall will be associated with these storms also, but the main concern will be from winds. Additionally, any storms that form ahead of the dry line will have to be watched closely for the development of tornadoes.
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