text:
Release Date: 2006 |
and stupid fucking formatting
Album Rating: 4.0review rules.
need to check this out, i do
Bravo, bravo! Encore!
need to check this out, i do
think i want to thrust my penis in you review is that good
without the blonde hair blue eyes and mask of faggotry yes i do
it's not a mask so no
i embrace all faggotry & homoerotic behavior
u hav to be true to yourself
kane does not discriminate
hey do u need a defibrillator
picture rules. been meaning to check this out, ill grab it off the blog.
Album Rating: 4.0So I'm gunna get this. Better be good or I'm telling BloodIronBeer.
Just read his review.......lol.
review rules. I'm for sure getting this.
Album Rating: 4.0Bitches can't handle this.
How come when I type "Cock" in a review it gets automatically censored?
because you are below the law
greatest lyrics ever
Wow, pos' for spite rasputin. I know for a fact that this band would make me shit my pants. Awesome.
haven't been in much of a metal mood lately, but i'll listen to this eventually.
pretty good review. still waiting on that collapse review ;)
Surprisingly I don't care too much for this band.
not that surprising considering
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


text:
Money Quick Tips: Work at home opportunities
USA TODAY contributor Regina Lewis shares ways to successfully work from home and make money.
While there are a lot of work-from home schemes, there are also some viable options available that can help you make money.
In this Money Quick Tips, we show you how to find the legitimate work-at-home jobs and what it takes to score one.
Here are a few legitimate options:
• At vipdesk.com you can become a virtual concierge or customer service representative helping people plan travel, find home improvement contractors or deal with retail returns.
The job can be done from home and you can generally make $10-$12 an hour. Being bilingual can get you a leg up on getting one of the jobs since half of their brand ambassadors are bilingual.
Other options: alpineaccess.com, arise.com, workingsolutions.com and teleworkrecruiting.com.
• Freelance work can be found at elance.com. There are thousands of jobs posted and you submit a proposal for the work, IF chosen you agree to terms and deliverables with your new client.
• If you are an educator there are credible players in the growing field of virtual education: Tutor.com and K12.com.
In all cases, make sure you feel comfortable with the required technology before embarking on a work-from-home career.
For more information about potential scams:
Work-at-home job scams thrive on economic trouble
Regina Lewis is a national television contributor and host of USA Today's new daily "Money Quick Tips." Follow her on Twitter: @ReginaLewis.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Texture2D Class
Represents a 2D grid of texels.
Namespace: Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics
Assembly: Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics (in microsoft.xna.framework.graphics.dll)
public class Texture2D : Texture
A texel represents the smallest unit of a texture that can be read from or written to by the GPU. A texel is composed of 1 to 4 components. Specifically, a texel may be any one of the available texture formats represented in the SurfaceFormat enumeration.
A Texture2D resource contains a 2D grid of texels. Each texel is addressable by a u, v vector. Since it is a texture resource, it may contain mipmap levels. Figure 1 shows a fully populated 2D texture resource.
Figure 1. Texture2D Resource Architecture
This texture resource contains a 5 x 3 texture with three mipmap levels.
See Also
Texture2D Members
Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics Namespace
Xbox 360, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP


text:
Beis Rochel Girls' School Manchester, Lancashire
Beis Rochel Girls' School
Independent School
1-7 Seymour Road
Telephone: 0161 795 1830
Fax: 0161 792 3446
1-7 Seymour Road
Telephone: 0161 795 1830
Fax: 0161 792 3446
* marker is placed on the street of the school
Education News
- Glasgow University's 'bold' move to pay back slave trade profits
- GCSE results: Pass rates and top grades edge upwards
- Shipping containers used to house homeless children
- Texas school district sued for colouring in teen's hair
- T-level study to be worth three A-levels
- First day at school: Mum's before-and-after photos of daughter go viral
- GCSEs not gone to plan? Our experts offer advice
- GCSEs 2019: Where are we at with new grades 9-1?
- 10 charts on what happens after GCSEs
- What is it like to live in a converted shipping container?
- 'It's good to have rules, children know where they stand'
- Back-to-school uniform swap-shop is Dorset mum's mission
- Twin festival in northwest France reaches 25th year
- Bournemouth cookery class for young asylum seekers
- A-levels: Students celebrate results
Sport News
- Ashes 2019: England 'in with real shout' of third Test victory - Joe Denly
- Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal: Mohamed Salah scores twice for Reds
- Man Utd 1-2 Crystal Palace: Patrick van Aanholt scores winner
- Sergey Kovalev stops Anthony Yarde to retain WBO world light-heavyweight title
- Australia end United States' 78-game basketball winning streak
- Tour Championship: Fans injured by lightning strike at PGA Tour finale
- Parma 0-1 Juventus: Cristiano Ronaldo goal ruled out for offside as Giorgio Chiellini scores winner
- England 57-15 Ireland: Eddie Jones plays down Rugby World Cup chances
- Andy Ruiz Jr wants to 'end' Anthony Joshua's career in Saudia Arabia rematch
- Bolton could face league expulsion after being given Tuesday deadline by EFL
- US Open 2019: Johanna Konta says exchange with journalist gained her more recognition
- Christian Coleman: American sprinter charged under anti-doping rules
- Vuelta a Espana: Miguel Angel Lopez leads Astana to time trial victory
- Man Utd 1-2 Crystal Palace: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rues poor defending
- Man Utd 1-2 Crystal Palace: Roy Hodgson praises 'incredible' team as Eagles win at Old Trafford


text:
Western's NEASC re-accreditation process
University community embarks on comprehensive self-study to identify strengths and set goals for further improvement
The day-to-day bustle of academic, administrative and extracurricular activities at Western Connecticut State University often leaves too little time to focus on the necessary tasks of self-examination and self-improvement in fulfillment of our educational mission. So it is especially important that Western has embarked on a university-wide journey of institutional reflection and renewal to achieve re-accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
For nearly six decades, Western's success in providing generations of students with a well-rounded college education built on the foundations of an outstanding faculty, committed staff and solid infrastructure has received validation from NEASC, whose Commission on Institutions of Higher Education serves as the regional accreditation agency for colleges and universities in the New England region. WCSU received its most recent reaccreditation in 2003, and last year initiated a comprehensive and inclusive self-study in preparation for the next NEASC evaluation team visit to campus in fall 2013.
As a public university, WCSU must certify every 10 years that it meets the prevailing professional standards for excellence in education at the university level. The NEASC reaccreditation process affords an invaluable opportunity for members of the university community to measure Western's accomplishments and shortcomings against the 11 basic standards established by the association to evaluate higher education institutions across the region.
One of the most significant developments in NEASC priorities for self-study in recent years has been the heightened emphasis on student outcomes and institutional effectiveness in all areas of evaluation. Rather than judging the quality of academic instruction solely by curriculum offerings, or a college library's usefulness solely by quantity of volumes, NEASC evaluation teams are challenging universities to apply assessment tools to determine how well students have mastered core knowledge and skills in their field, and how effectively the library's information resources have been used to enrich the learning experience. Similar measurements of outcomes will be applied to evaluate performance in diverse areas ranging from faculty development and student life to university governance and planning.
Over the past decade, Western has made significant strides toward establishing a continuing process of self-evaluation and strategic planning to guide every aspect of the university's development. The Values and Visions Strategic Planning Initiative from 2004 to 2007 brought together stakeholders from all areas of the university community to participate in a wide-ranging process of self-assessment and long-range planning. The groundwork laid in that initiative has provided a powerful impetus for introduction of ongoing assessment tools in academic and administrative departments across the university to evaluate progress in implementing the goals set in the strategic plan.
The example set in the Strategic Planning Initiative for inclusive participation has offered a useful model for structuring the self-study process now under way to prepare Western's report to the NEASC reaccreditation team. President James W. Schmotter last year appointed a 12-member steering committee drawn from the university administration and faculty to plan and manage the reaccreditation process.
Committees formed in fall 2011 have taken up the important tasks of gathering statistical and survey data, conducting analyses, and drafting reports evaluating the university's performance measured by each of the 11 standards established by the NEASC. Membership of the standards committees includes faculty from the university's four academic schools as well as Western students and administrators, underscoring the emphasis on inclusiveness in the self-study process. Committee members participated in a NEASC workshop in October to familiarize themselves with current accreditation standards, and have met on a regular basis during the spring semester as they work to meet the June 15 deadline for submission of standards report drafts to the steering committee. The committees also have received valuable input from followup reviews conducted at President Schmotter's request by participants in the Values and Vision process to evaluate progress in fulfilling Strategic Plan objectives.
This first stage in the university's self-study process has benefited from the leadership of these standards committee chairs:
- Dr. Karen Koza, associate professor of marketing — chair of the Mission and Purpose (Standard 1), Planning and Evaluation (Standard 2) and Organization and Governance (Standard 3) committees.
- Dr. Shane Murphy, professor of psychology — chair of the Academic Program (Standard 4) Committee.
- Dr. William Petkanas, professor of communication — chair of the Faculty (Standard 5) Committee.
- Dr. Walter Cramer, dean of student affairs — chair of the Students (Standard 6) Committee.
- Dr. Linda Forbes, associate professor of management, and Dr. Kit Hinga, assistant professor of social work — co-chairs of the Library and Other Information Resources (Standard 7) Committee.
- Veronica Kenausis, university librarian, and Dr. Mitch Wagener, professor of biological and environmental sciences — co-chairs of the Physical and Technological Resources (Standard 8) Committee.
- Dr. Frederick Maidment, professor of management — chair of the Financial Resources (Standard 9) Committee.
- Carolyn Lanier, chief diversity officer — chair of the Public Disclosure (Standard 10) and Integrity (Standard 11) committees.
Following submission of the initial standards reports, each draft will be reviewed this summer by the steering committee and by Professor of Writing, Linguistics and Creative Process Dr. Oscar De Los Santos, the committee member who will serve as chief editor of the NEASC Self-Study report. Standards committee chairs will receive feedback from the steering committee and editor by Aug. 15, and will be asked to submit revised drafts to the steering committee by Nov. 1. De Los Santos will then work in collaboration with the steering committee to bring together the 11 standards reports into a single document that will serve as the university's unified report to NEASC.
The entire university community will have the opportunity to review and comment on the NEASC Self-Study report when the editor's draft of the unified document is posted on the WCSU website, currently scheduled for February 2013. Public feedback will be invited online, and the NEASC steering committee will hold forums on the Midtown and Westside campuses to present a summary of the report and receive suggestions and comments. The editor will complete revisions and the university will submit the final report to NEASC in May 2013.
Submission of the NEASC Self-Study report will complete the first stage in the reaccreditation process, providing the preparatory material for a team of higher education administrators and faculty selected by NEASC to conduct an on-site visit to WCSU in fall 2013. The chair of the visiting NEASC reaccreditation team will coordinate with Western in advance to schedule an intensive round of meetings designed to gather further information and insights into diverse areas of university programs and activities.
The NEASC reaccreditation process provides an invaluable opportunity for every member of the Western community to pause from our everyday tasks to ask how well the university fulfills its educational mission. We will continue to share periodic updates as work on NEASC reaccreditation moves forward, and we are committed to ensuring a transparent and inclusive self-study effort that provides guidance on how Western can achieve its objectives even more effectively in the future.
Submitted by NEASC Self-Study Steering Committee Co-chairs:
Dr. Jane McBride Gates, provost and vice president for academic affairs
Dr. Walter Bernstein, vice president for student affairs
Other members of the steering committee:
Dr. Carol Hawkes, dean emerita of the School of Visual and Performing Arts and senior advisor to the committee
Dr. Oscar De Los Santos, professor and chair of the department of writing, linguistics and creative process
Paul Reis, vice president for finance and administration
Dr. Jerome Wilcox, director of institutional research and assessment
Dr. Marcia Delcourt. professor of education and educational psychology
Dr. Josie Hamer, professor of mathematics
Dr. Kathryn Wiss, professor and chair of the department of communication
Dr. Daniel Goble, dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts
Charles Mullaney, professor and chair of the department of justice and law administration
Elizabeth McDonough, presidential assistant
For additional background on the NEASC reaccreditation process, visit www.wcsu.edu/neasc and www.neasc.org.


text:
New name doesn't thwart investigators
A company under investigation for defrauding hundreds of Southeast Texans has changed its name, but it hasn't kept investigators from targeting the cross-country enterprise. Initially operating under the umbrella of Syam Investments, the company and its officers are alleged to have used promises of a false "Social Security stimulus" to lure the elderly and disabled into turning over sensitive information such as bank account, Social Security and identification numbers. Once secured, the agents of Syam then filed fraudulent tax returns in the names of the elderly and disabled victims, pocketing roughly half of the ill-gotten proceeds from the IRS.
After an August 2012 investigation by The Examiner revealed Syam's scheme to the public at large, federal and state agencies began targeting the company in an attempt to keep more vulnerable citizens from being taken advantage of and defrauded. In January of this year, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a civil suit against Syam and two of its officers – Shannon Mays and Marshrief Shead – officially charging the group with multiple violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Texas Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act. In response to the state's enforcement action, Judge Michael Gomez of the 129th District Court of Harris County froze Syam's assets and entered a temporary restraining order against all named defendants.
"Targeting senior centers and churches, Syam Tax Services launched an apparently well-orchestrated scheme to defraud the elderly – and even worse, those who rely on federal benefits for their well-being," Abbott said. "My office is working to put a stop to this despicable fraud, and thanks to the court order we obtained, Syam is prohibited from continuing to violate the law."
But criminal courts are taking note as well. Federal agents have been looking into Syam employees in Southeast Texas and the Dallas area and were seen confiscating multiple boxes of evidence from a Port Arthur household belonging to Diana Broussard, a local purveyor of the Syam tax scheme. Multiple victims allege they have been duped by Broussard under the Syam name and are now hoping for a reprieve from the straits imposed by the identity theft/tax fraud. Although Broussard is not named in the state's case, she is identified by Theodore Victor of Port Arthur, who has filed charges against the proclaimed "stimulus" agent for identity fraud through the Port Arthur Police Department and the IRS. Still, barring official intervention at the state and national level, Victor and hundreds of victims like him face repaying both the money deposited in their accounts and the account of Syam reps who filed fraudulent tax returns in their names without the victims' knowledge or consent.
"The IRS said I had to prove I didn't know (Broussard) was filing these false tax returns for me or else I'm responsible for everything," the 61-year-old Victor said. "I can maybe make payments or something, but I'm very worried. There's no telling what they can do with your identity. This could be just the beginning."
Victor' fears were given credence by the Texas Attorney General: "Based on the results of the investigation thus far, state investigators believe that Syam has filed hundreds of fraudulent tax returns, and may even attempt to use the same taxpayer information to file more fraudulent returns in future years."
Name game
With the Texas Attorney General's temporary injunction and asset freeze preventing Syam from continuing to violate state law at the beginning of this year, the officers were barred from utilizing any funds garnered from proceeds attributed to IRS filings which were approximated at more than $1 million. According to the Harris County judge issuing the injunction, "The court finds there is good cause to believe irreparable loss or injury would occur …" if not for the court's immediate action. It was further ordered that Syam Investments, its "officers, agents, employees, attorneys and persons in active concert or participation with them, are hereby commanded to cease and desist and refrain from … preparing or filing federal income tax returns for consumers and third party individuals; … soliciting or obtaining any personal identifying information or sensitive information from any consumer or third party individual; … (and) advertising, offering, or promoting, directly or through others, income tax return preparation services or tax refund services to consumers or third party individuals without further consent of this court."
All the aforementioned cease and desist orders have failed to stop Syam's business, however, as an investigation has revealed the company is still in operation – only now going under the name "Baby Momma Tax Service," wherein the proprietor promises "guaranteed" income tax returns for anyone with a child. The number listed on the advertisements – which can be seen all over the greater Houston and Dallas areas – is the same numbers given to this newspaper as contact information for Syam Investments and its principal officer, Shannon Mays.
Recently, a Baby Momma's Tax Service office in the Dallas area was raided by authorities from the federal government. Although no information could be gleaned from the investigating agency, neighbors of the raided tax company told The Examiner that approximately 40 boxes of "stuff" were removed from the Baby Momma office and the office was subsequently closed.
Lauren Bean of the Texas Attorney General's Office said the state agency is also looking into Baby Momma Tax Service as being an offshoot of Syam.
"You are correct, they are one and the same," she said. "We are looking into them as well."
Aside from Texas, Baby Momma Tax Service has known offices in Tennessee and Louisiana, with suspected offices in Illinois, California and Georgia. A trial date for the alleged Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Texas Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act violations is set for July 22. Attorneys for Syam and its officers have filed an answer with court stating that the company and any of its officers had consent from the elderly and disabled persons using their services to file the claims as submitted. Chief officer Shannon Mays, the answer further contends, is a savvy businessman and is ready to put this miscarriage of justice behind him and continue with business as usual.
"Mr. Mays is a businessman and has to conduct business," Mays' attorney, Jeffrey Grass asserts. "Irrespective of his good intentions, Mr. Mays is not wedded to the tax business and wants to resolve these issues."
Jennifer Johnson can be reached at (409) 832-1400, ext. 231, or by e-mail at jennifer [at] theexaminer [dot] com.


text:
Moderate Dems coy on immigration
While much of the attention for the success or failure of bipartisan immigration reform is centered on the reaction of Senate and House conservatives, quite a few Senate Democrats are content to play the waiting game even as President Barack Obama barnstorms for legislation.
There are nine Democratic members of the upper chamber who voted against the last immigration package: a 2007 bill pushed by the Bush administration and supported by the majority of the Democratic Caucus.
Story Continued Below
( PHOTOS: At a glance: The Senate immigration deal)
Several, like labor supporters Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Tom Harkin of Iowa, ended up opposing the bill — in part because of provisions in the guest worker program and what they saw as a lack of protections for low-wage earners. Others, like Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Max Baucus of Montana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas, hail from states where support for a pathway to citizenship might not sit well with voters. Sens. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan also opposed the bill.
Complicating matters: Landrieu, Baucus and Pryor all are up for reelection in 2014.
"I want to see the legislation; there is no legislation yet," Baucus said earlier this week.
But McCaskill said she may be able to support a bill — when there is finally one to read — because of the group's emphasis on border security, workplace enforcement and financial penalties for those who illegally immigrated before they can gain citizenship.
( PHOTOS: Pols react to immigration deal)
"I still stand for the proposition that there has to be a penalty for breaking the law," she said. "How that is drafted and what status they are given, and when, and how they go to the back of the line — the practical impact of that is something I'm going to look at before I say yea or nay."
McCaskill also cited improvements in enforcement of current law as reasons she could potentially support whatever package is eventually agreed to.
"Border security is better than what it was six years ago," she said. "Deportations and a primary emphasis on undocumented workers who have committed crimes are at record levels. We are finally going after employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants in an effective and aggressive way, which did not happen in the Bush administration."
Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), who is up for reelection in 2014, said his initial impressions were positive. But, like the rest of his colleagues running for office, his concerns were local.
"Anytime you can get a bipartisan approach of something of that magnitude, especially with that complex of an issue, I think it's a good sign," he said. "For me, we're going to look at it very carefully, especially around J-1 visa issues which impact fishing industry in a negative way, so we have to resolve that."


text:
CNET: You Can't Trust Our Reviews, But You Can Trust Our News! Honestly!
from the uh,-yeah deptThe fallout from CBS's ridiculously short-sighted interference with CNET's editorial process, concerning staffers awarding Dish's new DVR "best of show" at CES, continues to cause problems. Whle one of CNET's best reporters quit in protest, and Dish has turned the whole thing into a marketing opportunity, now any news article about any company that CBS is in a legal fight with has become suspect.
Note this recent article about the updated Aereo app. While it kicks off by saying that Aereo "just became a much more potent alternative to traditional cable TV" stuck right smack in the middle of the article is a big "disclosure":
Disclosure: CBS, the parent corporation of CNET, is currently in active litigation with Aereo as to the legality of its service. As a result of that conflict of interest, CNET cannot review that service going forward.In other words, "HEY EVERY BODY, YOU CAN'T TRUST US TO REPORT FAIRLY ON THIS BECAUSE OUR CORPORATE OVERLORDS INTERFERE WITH EDITORIAL!" The whole thing is a joke. As Rob Pegoraro correctly noted, CNET's claims that "news" reporting won't be impacted because these bans just apply to "reviews" is simply wrong, wrong, wrong.
Indeed. All that disclaimer does is remind people that CNET's coverage of any such topic is not to be trusted at all.
To say that there's "actual news" and then reviews devoid of news value shows a basic misunderstanding of how journalism works.
Hard-news stories (like search-engine results!) are never entirely objective; people made value judgments in assigning them, choosing sources to quote, and giving those pieces their spot on the page or in the paper. Reviews are never entirely subjective and ought to cite objective defects such as slow performance, poor battery life, privacy risks or missing features.
And in the evolving and sometimes fumbling tech industry, assessing the hardware, software and services it serves up is an especially important part of the work of journalism. We need to suffer through these products ourselves–unless you'd prefer that we waited to see you find their problems, then reported the controversy.
Readers, in turn, don't view news and reviews as distinct entities. If they start seeing one part of a site's work subject to a corporate overlord's remote control, they will read everything there skeptically. If they stick around at all.
Update: And... things are apparently going downhill. According to reports and internal notes, reporters at CNET are pissed off and morale is falling. There was a meeting where some believed CBS was going to go back on its position, but the company did not. Reporters have been pushing back, but to no avail. The Romenesko link here includes an email from CNET reporter Declan McCullagh ticking off example after example of publications associated with other companies suing Aereo giving perfectly normal reviews of the product:
This has the makings of quite the business school and journalism school case study...
The Wall Street Journal's Katie Boehret (who reviews products along with Walt Mossberg, as I'm sure you know) reviewed Aereo three months after the litigation began. Boehret concluded: "It has a thoughtful, clean user interface that works well on the iPad, where I tested it most.. If you're a fan of TV and want a better way to watch it on the go, Aereo is a pleasure." The WSJ is owned by News Corp., which is in active litigation with Aereo.
ABCNews.com published a review of Aereo this month. It said: "I've been trying out Aereo since September to record and watch all sorts of programs on Aereo — both highbrow shows such as 'Downton Abbey' and guilty-pleasure ones such as 'Revenge…' It makes cutting cable service tempting." ABC News is owned by Walt Disney, which is in active litigation with Aereo.
The Chicago Tribune published a syndicated review of streaming services including Aereo, which said "the most exciting development might be a scrappy start-up called Aereo that lets you watch TV on any Web-connected device with a screen via a network of miniaturized antennas." The newspaper is owned by the Tribune Company, which is in active litigation with Aereo.
It's true that CBS has the right to set the editorial policies that CNET journalists must abide by. And it's also true that this policy is prominently disclosed to our readers. But I'm not aware of other media companies that have enacted a similar policy.
Filed Under: cnet, editorial integrity, reviews
Companies: aereo, cbs, cnet, dish


text:
One of the hot topics amongst this week's IGHR participants is certification. This comes up even in casual conversation, and because most of the genealogists here have a certain level of osity toward the subject, I doubt many realize how frequently it's mentioned.
Tuesday night, Dr. Thomas W. Jones and Elissa Scalise Powell moderated a discussion about certification through the Board for Certification of Genealogists. This particular session deviated a little from the usual more formal format in that certified genealogists who were in the audience were invited to share their reasons for seeking certification. This was followed by a short conversation by Michael Hait and Harold Henderson on how not to submit an application for certification.


text:
PORTLAND, Maine — More than 700 people are attending events at Startup and Create Week from Monday to Friday to do just what organizer Jess Knox and others envisioned: network and talk about Maine's early-stage businesses.
"It's like having the thing that you really hoped would happen actually happen," Knox said after a Monday afternoon panel of four entrepreneurs who shared lessons about starting businesses in Boston. "It's exceeded every expectation on every metric that we thought of, and we're only halfway through day one."
The backdrop for the talk Monday was, in part, not new news: Portland, Bangor and Lewiston-Auburn should not consider themselves to be Maine versions of Boston. Boston, in turn, is not Silicon Valley.
Panelists Monday said cities shouldn't seek to replicate other places but should take account of their own assets and how entrepreneurs in other areas might help. That is happening across much of the East Coast, according to Devin Cole, a former Boston economic development official and director of expansions for startup incubator Workbar, but much of the development has spanned only up to Bean Town.
"There's this concept that from Washington, D.C., to Boston is one urban area," Cole said. "If we're going to band together and beat California, we might as well start in Washington, going through Philly and [up to] Portland."
That exchange is a goal Knox has for the entire week and something panelists Monday said is the foundation of a city or region that can support a healthy churn of startup activity.
"My dream is to work not only with folks like you guys but Burlington and Montreal and Reykjavik, [Iceland]," Knox said, addressing the panelists Monday. "That type of capacity can be game-changing."
Throughout sessions Monday, speakers said building those connections — even within Maine, according to Knox — is a matter of culture more than anything else.
"There are great things in Bangor that people don't know about, or in the midcoast, and we've got to facilitate some of those exchanges," said Knox, who works as the state director for Blackstone Accelerates Growth's $3 million initiative to support entrepreneurship in the state.
It's something the entrepreneurs in Boston said they too experience in seeking out collaborations with entrepreneurs in New York City.
"The sports rivalry alone makes that virtually impossible," said John Harthorne, director of an annual $1 million startup competition. "You run into this superiority complex about Boston and people that think we're [a] backwater."
Knox said entrepreneurs in Maine have floated ideas for a travel rental network, similar to that run by the website Airbnb, or carpooling arrangements. Those remain just ideas, but they're part of the process of assessing what would help Maine entrepreneurs make connections within the state and elsewhere.
Abby Fichtner, the hacker-in-residence at the Harvard Innovation Lab, said those types of connections are what her two-year-old lab hopes to make across disciplines at the campus, which would be new for the university and is something she sees as necessary to helping entrepreneurs get started.
"You want different disciplines coming together," Fichtner said.
In addition to free workshops and co-working space, the program has opened a 12-week startup incubator program to which students can apply. Fichtner said the program has generated more than 50 applications in its most recent round.
"Which is mind blowing, because we're just one university," she said.
At the city and regional level, panelists shared what they think contributes to startup activity. Harthorne, a co-founder of the international annual entrepreneurship competition called MassChallenge, said support for his competition and an environment that helps startups depends on six factors: government, research and development resources, entrepreneurs, corporations, investors and a combination of media and the public.
"You can overcome a few weak players out of the six," he said, but helping startups requires a lot of support primarily because most startups fail. But while they operate, Harthorne said startups necessarily give more than they get.
"At the very beginning, you're giving mostly everything away, and you have to build a fanatic following and have integrated it into their life and worldview," he said. "And then you've earned the right to take value from that. And you can hopefully leave more value in the pie than you take out."
Cole, with Workbar, said a successful startup community should also engage in public policy issues, citing a tax hike on business services that caught some startups by surprise.
"The tech community was really flat-footed," Cole said.
In general, he said, local and state governments should serve as a "convenor" for the startup community.
"There's a huge role for government to play as a convener, and they know everyone and they can help open doors that are hard to open," Cole said.


text:
Transparency Market Research is Published new Market Report "Teleradiology Market (X-ray, Ultrasound, CT, MRI and Nuclear Imaging) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019," The global teleradiology market was valued at USD 0.92 billion in 2012 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.3% from 2013 to 2019, to reach an estimated value of USD 3.78billion in 2019.
Teleradiology encompasses the electronic transmission of radiography images from a remote location to an urban healthcare set up via internet technology. Teleradiology tends to bridge the gap between the imbalanced demand and supply of radiologists and diagnostic services across the globe. Efficient image transfer demands three major components namely image capture and sending station followed by telecommunication channels (such as internet) and lastly, image receiving station. Initially, the image transfer process was undoubtedly tedious and time consuming coupled with no assurance of image clarity and quality.Presently, teleradiology industry is witnessing the rapid evolution of image processing and transmission tools and technologies.
Presence of avant-garde radiology equipment coupled with hi-tech transmission channels and new age software's have rendered speed and accuracy to the process. Also, with the increased implementation of PACS, Radiology Information System (RIS), etc. has further favored the production of immediate yet accurate reports to the concerned physician/clinician/surgeon. The burgeoning demand for qualified radiologists, constant technological innovations followed by improved healthcare awareness are some of the major factors that encourage the growth and acceptance of global teleradiology technologies and services. Also, increasing sophistication in medical imaging platforms along with increasing rate of imaging utilization will further drive the development and evolution of teleradiology trends spread across geographies.
Global teleradiology market can be analyzed by four major geographical locations namely, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). These geographical locations are further evaluated on the basis of the type of imaging modalities being used such as x-ray, ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) and nuclear imaging.Of these modalities, evolution of x-ray teleradiology has been commendable as compared to other imaging modalities majorly due to low cost, less turnaround time and high level of healthcare awareness.The other lucrative modalities constitute CT, Ultrasound and MRI teleradiology during the forecast period from 2013 to 2019. Consistent technologica upgradations of medical imaging equipment followed by improved healthcare informatics enhances the acceptance level of teleradiology technologies and services.
Browse the full report with complete TOC at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/teleradiology-technology-Market.html
At a regional level, North America was the largest market in 2012 for teleradiology, followed by the European region. This is attributed to rapid technological innovations, large consumer base and high disposable income. Also, presence of well-equipped healthcare institutions along with ready acceptance of novel approaches in medicine will lead to rapid growth and development of teleradiology practices in the above mentioned markets. Asia-Pacific and RoW regions are anticipated to exhibit commendable growth by 2019 due to exhaustive teleradiology service offerings, geographical location advantage and increasing healthcare expenditure in these regions.
Teleradiology market is witnessing constant market consolidation owing to increasing demand for radiologists worldwide coupled with introduction of advanced internet technologies and healthcare informatics. Some of the players of the market include Virtual Radiologic, LLC, Teleradiology Technologies, Stat Rad, Sectra ABand Radisphere National Radiology Group, Inc. are some of the teleradiology service providers.
The global teleradiologymarket is segmented as follows:
Global Teleradiology Market, by Modalities
- X-ray
- Ultrasound
- Computed Tomography (CT)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Nuclear Imaging
Global Teleradiology Market, by Geography
- North America
- Europe
- Asia-Pacific
- Rest of the World (RoW)
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|MLBPA Press Release
What: The Players Trust's City Clinics program is a grass-roots campaign developed by -- and features the active participation of -- current Major Leaguers to promote the game of baseball to underprivileged children, ages 6-16, in select cities across the U.S. and Latin America.
When: Thursday, August 19, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. PT
Dodgers scheduled to arrive at 11:45 a.m. [Please note: The event is not open to the general public.]
Where: MLB Urban Youth Academy, 901 E. Artesia Blvd., Compton, CA 90221
The Players Trust enjoys the support of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association's Legends for Youth program in hosting its City Clinics. Children participating in these free clinics receive hands-on instruction from current and former big leaguers in areas such as base-running, pitching, hitting, throwing and fielding. During each session, City Clinics' attendees also participate in a question-and-answer session with the players, and receive free T-shirts, autographs and refreshments.
The Major League Baseball Players Trust is a charitable foundation created by the players to help those in need. Through the Players Trust, active Major Leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important issues affecting those in need and to help encourage others to get involved in their own communities.
The City Clinics program is underwritten by Majestic Athletic, a division of VF Imagewear, Inc.
For additional information about the Players Trust, please visit www.MLBPLAYERS.com. Also, visit the Players Trust channel on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/MLBPlayersTrust
About the MLBPAA and its Legends for Youth Program
Celebrating its 28th year in existence, the Alumni Association is a non-profit organization that was formed to promote the game of baseball, raise money for charity, inspire and educate youth through positive sport images.


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The Second Sexism: Discrimination Against Men and Boys
The Second Sexism: Discrimination Against Men and Boys
ISBN: 978-0-470-67451-2 May 2012 Wiley-Blackwell 304 Pages
This book draws attention to the "second sexism," where it exists, how it works and what it looks like, and responds to those who would deny that it exists. Challenging conventional ways of thinking, it examines controversial issues such as sex-based affirmative action, gender roles, and charges of anti-feminism. The book offers an academically rigorous argument in an accessible style, including the careful use of empirical data, and includes examples and engages in a discussion of how sex discrimination against men and boys also undermines the cause for female equality.
Table of contents
1 Introduction 1
What Is the Second Sexism? 1
Disadvantage 2
Discrimination 3
Wrongful discrimination 3
Sexism 5
The First Sexism 12
Two Kinds of Denialist 13
Forestalling Some Fallacies 16
Structure and Method of the Book 18
2 Male Disadvantage 25
Conscription and Combat 26
Violence 30
Corporal Punishment 33
Sexual Assault 36
Circumcision 41
Education 46
Family and Other Relationships 50
Custody 50
Paternity 51
Paternity leave 53
Homosexuals 54
Bodily Privacy 54
Life Expectancy 57
Imprisonment and Capital Punishment 59
Conclusion 61
3 Explaining Male Disadvantage and Thinking about Sex Differences 77
Beliefs about Males 77
Questions about the Beliefs 84
To what extent, if at all, are the beliefs true? 85
What makes the beliefs true? 89
What, if any, implications are there? 93
Conclusion 96
4 From Disadvantage to Wrongful Discrimination 101
Conscription and Combat 102
Kingsley Browne's basic argument 103
"Slippage" 104
Military effectiveness 106
Dangers of conservatism 109
Statistical differences 113
Final thoughts on combat and conscription 121
Violence 122
"The perpetrators are men" 123
"Men are better able to defend themselves" 124
"Men pose a greater threat" 125
Two kinds of discrimination 127
Corporal Punishment 128
"Males are more badly behaved" 128
"Corporal punishment is not as damaging to males" 129
Sexual Assault 132
Circumcision 134
Education 135
Family and Other Relationships 137
Bodily Privacy 142
"Women have a greater interest in bodily privacy than do men" 143
"The conditions are different" 145
Equal employment opportunity 148
Life Expectancy 152
Imprisonment and Capital Punishment 155
Conclusion 163
5 Responding to Objections 173
The Inversion Argument 174
Conscription and combat 175
Violence 179
Circumcision 182
Education 183
Sexual assault 185
Bodily privacy 186
Custody 188
Life expectancy 189
Imprisonment 193
The Costs-of-Dominance Argument 194
The Distraction Argument 199
Defining Discrimination 202
6 Affirmative Action 212
Rectifying Injustice 215
The past discrimination argument 216
The present discrimination argument 218
Lessons from "Summers School" 225
Consequentialist Arguments 228
The viewpoint diversity argument 228
The role-model argument 229
The legitimate-sex-preference argument 231
The ideal argument 232
Conclusion 233
7 Conclusion 239
Does Feminism Discriminate against Men? 239
Are Men Worse off than Women? 246
Taking the Second Sexism Seriously 254
Conclusion 259
Bibliography 266
Index 285
"I recommend The Second Sexism to scholars who investigate gender relations, and I urge academic feminists to take Benatar's thesis seriously and to respond to it with respect rather than with disbelief or derision." (American Philosophical Association's Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy, 1 May 2013)
"This book simply must be read . . . . Highly, highly recommended." (Mens News Daily, 4 January 2013)
"The Second Sexismis well researched, with voluminous references. As such, it serves the useful function of raising consciousness about an important social issue. Benatar's research makes a strong case for an in-depth examination of the injustices and discriminations that men suffer in this and other societies in the 21st century." (PsycINFO/PsycCRITIQUES, 21 November 2012)"The Second Sexism is a strong and early step on the way to the awareness, amelioration, and treatment of a widespread and unaddressed problem that affects a not insignificant portion of the human population." (New Male Studies Review 3, Jonathan Badiali's, 26 September 2012)
"Benatar's analysis brings much needed clarity to contemporary debates in gender studies, whose discourse runs the risk of becoming stagnant and dogmatic against a constantly changing social backdrop. Benatar does well to remind us that it is not only females who are constrained and disadvantaged by the roles that they have been socially encouraged to take up." (New Male Studies, J.P. Messina's Review 2, 26 September 2012)
"And now, thanks to Professor Benatar, we have an incisive, comprehensive discussion of the phenomenon that feminism has unwittingly brought to the forefront . . . The writing is jargon-free. As a philosopher, Professor Benatar is attentive to conceptual nuance and clear, precise usage." (New Male Studies Review 1, Miles Groth's, 26 September 2012)
"This is a very well-argued book that presents an unorthodox thesis and defends it ably. It would be a useful text in both undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy and gender studies, where it is certain to arouse a lot of discussion, much of it excited. Since it is very clearly written, and would be interesting and accessible also to the educated layperson. Most importantly, however, it is likely to change our understanding of gender relations." (Metapsychology, 21 August 2012)


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Stockton's foreclosures and vacant homes are a city within a city, a Wild West ghost town that causes Stockton some very strange problems.
Stockton's foreclosures and vacant homes are a city within a city, a Wild West ghost town that causes Stockton some very strange problems.
Though foreclosures are down, there are still approximately 2,000 vacant homes in the city. These houses, often poorly locked up, host all sorts of shenanigans.
You've heard about the dead lawns. That's nothing. The city for years has been spraying a dye used on golf courses to color brown lawns green.
Weird but effective.
City code enforcers pick up garbage, board broken windows and button up homes as best they can.
They do, that is, with the 540 active vacant property cases they are working. The challenge is to police all vacant homes with a code enforcement decimated by staff cuts, insufficient citizen reporting and, possibly, the hindrance of lax laws.
The problems range from nuisances such as weeds to remarkably brazen scams.
Graffiti artists bomb houses. "Urban miners" steal HVAC condensers out of yards for the copper. Burglars steal valuable belongings left inside.
"They go in and find a vacant house and burglarize all the homes around it," said Pete Lemos, the code enforcement field manager of the Stockton Police Department's Neighborhood Services division. "And use the house to store the stolen stuff until night, when they can come and get it with a car."
Prostitutes sneak johns in and turn tricks. Junkies use rooms for shooting shacks. Squatters sometimes accidentally set the house afire.
"Some (do it to) warm their bottoms," and accidentally touch off a house fire, Lemos said. "Some just decide to light the place on fire."
Other squatters move in lock, stock and barrel, brandishing forged rental contracts.
"We have people who have fake contracts and say they paid people, and we have no way to say they didn't," Lemos said.
Gangs take over vacancies for clubhouses. They graffiti interiors, kick holes in the wall and hold wild, all-hours parties.
Marijuana growers modify vacant homes into grow houses, often pirating electricity.
Vandals destroy everything: windows, cabinets, walls, heaters, toilets, floors, ceilings.
The more colorful crimes involve fraud.
Pretending to be owners, squatters move into vacant Stockton homes. The imposters contact banks and demand "cash for keys" - a bank payment to hasten their "eviction."
They demand to be paid money to leave a home they don't own in the first place! I would lock up such people with a mixture of sternness and admiration for their brass.
Other con artists, researching property records, advertise vacant homes for rent. When tenants bite, they forge the real owners' names on rental contracts.
They accept "first and last" payments and monthly "rent" in cash, all unbeknownst to the real owner, which is often a clueless bank.
These problems are a handful for police and code enforcers.
Many neighbors simply don't report suspicious activity. And the absence of homeowners often confounds police.
An example occurred this week in a house near Alpine Avenue and Commerce Street.
The home is not a foreclosure, but the owner recently moved out. He kept ownership and left his belongings. A neighbor spotted a transient sneaking into the backyard. She called police.
Police arrived to find the man taking a bicycle. They handcuffed him; but, after questioning him, they let him go. All they could do was force him to return the bike.
Why? They were not sure the man committed a crime. A thief in that situation can claim he is a friend of the owner acting with permission. Who's to contradict him?
The city has been compiling a property owner registry. Owners sign a affidavit saying nobody belongs on their property but them. The document goes into a city database.
That way, officers responding to calls can punch up the address and see who belongs there.
Los Angeles just enacted a stringent regulation requiring banks to register in this manner when they send out a notice of default. They must also commence monthly property inspections.
Stockton may need to tighten its laws along these lines.
"There's some people out in Weston Ranch we've chased from two or three properties," Lemos said. "I've had them arrested. They just pop up into new properties."
Contact columnist Michael Fitzgerald at (209) 546-8270 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/fitzgeraldblog.


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President Obama's goal at the NATO summit this week is looking increasingly clear: wrap up U.S. troops' combat role over the coming year, and get the allies to pay more money to enable the Afghan military to fill the gap.
All signs are that NATO will agree to the first of those two goals Monday in Chicago.
That will permit NATO to withdraw most – perhaps the overwhelming majority — of the 130,000 troops still fighting in Afghanistan. The pullout will come more than a decade after the U.S. led a post-9/11 invasion of the country that gave sanctuary to Osama bin Laden. The U.S. currently has 90,000 troops in Afghanistan, a number slated to fall to 68,000 by this fall.
Washington also is seeking allied help in paying the estimated $4.1 billion bill to support the Afghan military beyond 2013. It is seeking $1.3 billion in annual pledges, but that is going to prove difficult amid Europe's economic woes.
Pentagon officials pushed back against a story in Sunday's New York Times reporting that "the generals were cut out entirely" from the planning of the U.S. handoff of combat responsibility to Afghan forces by mid-2013. The U.S. military endorsed the surge of 30,000 U.S. troops into Afghanistan announced by Obama in late 2009, but most opposed his two-year limit on their deployment.
Given the nation's war-weariness – the war has cost 1,976 U.S. lives so far, and an estimated $642 billion through next year – Obama wants to be able to declare this fall that the U.S.-led Afghan war is finished. "The Afghan war as we understand it is over," Obama told reporters Sunday, when U.S. combat forces leave at the end of 2014.
He was plainly rehearsing a line you can expect to hear repeatedly prior to his bid for a second term in November. In contrast, likely GOP candidate Mitt Romney and the Republicans have charged that Obama is rushing to the Afghan exits and not doing enough to ensure the Taliban can not retake power after the U.S. leaves.
But make no mistake: the U.S. is on its way out of Afghanistan. Obama refused to meet with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at the summit because Pakistan has so far refused to re-open supply routes it shut down after an errant U.S. attack killed 24 Pakistani troops last year. While there are other ways out of Afghanistan – on the ground through Uzbekistan, and via air – shipping war materiel back to the U.S. through Karachi would be far faster and cheaper.
"We need to work to get the Pakistani lines back open, back up so that we can get equipment out," says Marine Major General John A. Toolan Jr., just back from a year in Afghanistan. "You know if they want us out of there by 2014, Pakistan's going to have to open up their lines or we just can't get out of there by then."


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Awesome work guys
Maxum's Cheering the difference.
Meanwhile, West CWLand will host opponents Denmark - provisionally set for Stedingham on an indoor clay surface (the site of their play-off loss to East CWLand). The Danes won their first round match in the Europe/Africa Zone I with a 3-2 win over South Africa. Key player Rasmus Olesen dropped just one set in his two victories, while South Africa won the doubles and the dead rubber match.Venues set for World Group quarterfinals
The venues for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarter finals have been finalised by the IFT set to be played Jul. 9-11. Among those, CWLand DR have surprisingly abandoned the clay that served them well in the play-off and first round match by choosing to stage their tie with Austria in Fitzworthingham on an indoor hard surface. This might have been influenced by the expected absence of Randy Smeltz due to an unknown illness. [...]
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas - Quarterfinals
Serbia[1] vs. Sweden[8] @ Belgrade, Serbia (indoor hard)
Switzerland vs. United States[4] @ Geneva, Switzerland (indoor carpet)
CWLand DR vs. Austria[3] @ Fitzworthingham, East CWLand (indoor hard)
Croatia[7] vs. Russia[2] @ Zagreb, Croatia (indoor hard)
Bloody clay surface. Keep me away from the singles ties, gents.
Fascist Dictator of the Heath Davis Appreciation Society
Supporting Petone's Finest since the very start - Iain O'Brien
Also Supporting the All Time #1 Batsman of All Time Ever - Jacques Kallis and the much maligned Peter Siddle.
Vimes tells it how it is:
For the record, I made a bit of scheduling bungle this week as the 2nd Round clashes in the Euro/Africa Zone should have taken place including West CWLand vs. Denmark. I'll do these post-Wimbledon instead along with the main quarter finals, and fit in the elimination stuff later on.
World Group nominations announced
The ITF has announced the team nominations for the upcoming Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group quarterfinals, taking place on 8-10 July.
Serbia vs. Sweden
Venue: Belgrade Arena
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Surface: Indoor hard
SerbiaSwitzerland vs. United States
Radivoj Daneu
Danijel Micic
Srdjan Ivic
Dusko Milosevic
Bjorn Donaldson
Henrikk Henrikkson
Patrik Boman
Erik Viksten
Venue: SEG Geneva Arena
Location: Geneva, Switerland
Surface: Indoor carpet
SwitzerlandEast CWLand vs. Austria
Almen Benaglio
Pascal Schmidt
Victor Helbling
Benjamin Hartmann
United States
Jason Hall
Dwayne Murdoch
Hugh James
Ralph Robinson
Venue: Discussion Arena
Location: Fitzworthingham, CWLand DR
Surface: Indoor hard
East CWLandCroatia vs. Russia
Jefferson Drake
Jarkko Maxum
Spas Delev
Roy Daniels
Martin Reiter
Heinz Hainisch
Zbiginiew Boniek
Jurgen Boniek
Venue: Dom Sportova
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Surface: Indoor hard
Miroslav Brdar
Ivan Cesljar
Nilikar Midid
Adem Tadic
Dmitry Orlov
Boris Denisov
Alexey Yarkin
Vladimir Gryzlov
West CWLand vs. Denmark
Venue: Stedingham Clay Complex
Location: Stedingham, FR CWLand
Surface: Indoor clay
West CWLand
Sven Oxenstierna
Jojo Mustard
Heath Davis
Brett Read
Rasmus Olesen
Kasper Buur
Jesper Overgaard
Uffe Jensen
Indoor Clay? Yuck.
Yeah, surprised we went with clay given that we chose where to play. Ox is probably the 2nd or 3rd best clay-courter in the world, and I'm pretty gun on clay, but Davis is a hack on clay (), and Mustard prefers grass IIRC.
RIP Craig Walsh (Craig) 1985-2012
RIP Hughesy 1988-2014. 63* for eternity.
Other Zonal Qualifiers (Winner advances to play-offs):
Brazil vs. Peru @ Costa do Sauipe
Canada vs. Colombia @ Montreal
Thailand vs. Australia @ Nonthaburi
China vs. Uzbekistan @ Beijing
FR CWLand vs. Denmark @ Stedingham
Ukraine vs. Germany @ Kiev
France vs. Hungary @ Paris
Italy vs. The Netherlands @ Genoa
Not expecting Maxum to see much action in this tie on the hard stuff.
East edge towards semis
East CWLand have started their Davis Cup quarter final in Fitzworthingham with a victory as Jarkko Maxum took an impressive five-set win over Martin Reiter of Austria. The World No. 34 expected a big victory, and looked destined for just that as he dominated the opening set 6-2 with attacking tennis.
The Austrian No. 1 responded strongly, though, and in the second set worked that little bit harder as he looked to push Maxum behind the baseline. With two service breaks, he managed to take the set 6-3 and seemed to have a renewed chance. In an intriguing contest, Maxum responded in turn as Reiter seemed to return to his shell with less assertive tennis. Taking the set 6-2, Maxum shot ahead to 3-0 in the fourth and looked set to take the first point for East CWLand.
But there was another twist as Reiter broke back and managed to steal the fourth set 6-4 after taking six of the last seven games. But that was his last charge as he fell down a break in the fifth, and Maxum this time held onto the slender lead as he secured the 1-0 lead for the East 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Jarkko MAXUM def. Martin REITER, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Wimbledon champion Jefferson Drake had to cut his partying short for this Davis Cup tie as he made his first appearance against World No. 82 Heinz Hainisch. The new World No. 4 was given a raucous ovation in his first appearance on home soil in nearly six months, and seemed to thrive on that as he played flawless tennis in the first set to take it 6-2.
Hainisch, though, fought back strongly as the left-hander began to cause Drake more troubles as he came to the net often and showed some fantastic hands to snatch a break early in the second. Drake, however, stayed camped on the baseline and began to find his range again to break back immediately and then again late in the set to take it 7-5.
Down two-sets to love, Hainisch decided to throw all he had at Drake but couldn't steal the break of serve he needed. Cool under pressure, Drake completed a well-deserved and hard-fought straight sets win to set up a 2-0 lead for the home side.
Jefferson DRAKE def. Heinz HAINISCH, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5.
SERBIA vs. SWEDEN 1-1
Björn DONALDSON (SWE) def. Danijel MICIC (SRB), 1-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
Radivoj DANEU (SRB) def. Henrikk HENRIKKSON (SWE), 6-0, 6-4, 6-0
UNITED STATES lead SWITZERLAND 2-0
Jason HALL (USA) def. Pascal SCHMIDT (SUI), 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
Dwayne MURDOCH (USA) def. Almen BENAGLIO (SUI), 7-5, 6-2, 7-5
CROATIA vs. RUSSIA 1-1
Dmitry ORLOV (RUS) def. Nilikar MIDID (CRO), 6-3, 6-0, 6-4
Miroslav BRDAR (CRO) def. Boris DENISOV (RUS), 6-7(4), 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(2), 7-5
Play underway in West CWLand
Needing a good start, Denmark's No. 2 Kasper Buur had the big task of trying to topple World No. 5 Sven Oxenstierna on clay in West CWLand. Ranked No. 51 in the world, it was clear that Buur was up against it right from the start as the French Open finalist took an early break of serve. The Dane struggled to match Oxenstierna in the power stakes as The Ox, who had looked so sharp in practice all week, returned strongly to take the first set 6-2.
Buur needed to change things up, but just could not find enough avenues to attack the top five player. His serve is never dangerous at the best of times, and this wasn't the best of times as he sent down five double faults in the second set. Oxenstierna is well-known as one of the best returners in tennis, and soon took that set 6-3 and then led 5-0 in the third. Buur started to really play his shots then and lucked his way into a break, but by then it was too late as Oxenstierna secured the 1-0 lead for West CWLand in straight sets.
Sven Oxenstierna def. Kasper Buur, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.
Leading 1-0, the pressure was on Jojo Mustard to consolidate the lead for the home team but the World No. 15 found himself up against World No. 7 Rasmus Olesen. In a high-ranked match for a zonal tie, Mustard looked good early and managed to break the lanky Dane for a 5-3 lead. Unfortunately he could not serve out the set as Olesen took it to a tiebreaker, and drew first blood with a 7-3 breaker for a set-to-love lead.
Then the former French Open quarter finalist kicked it up a notch as he played inspired tennis. After looked anything but inspired in his fourth round loss at Wimbledon, he cracked three times as many winners as Olesen in the second and third sets to completely take the Dane's staying power out of the match. The fourth set was much closer, but at 5-5 Mustard got the decisive break to move ahead 6-5. This time he didn't falter; serving out the match on his third match point in four sets to give the West a 2-0 lead.
Jojo Mustard def. Rasmus Olesen, 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-3, 7-5.
Brilliant stuff Mustard! What a great win from a set down.
Good starts for both sides of the fence
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Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mark Jeffries made several comments in a 2006 article for Salon that are coming back to haunt him -- in the form of protests and even viral videos advocating for "brand readjustment."
Actress Kirstie Alley, who starred in the 2005 Showtime series "Fat Actress," denounced Jeffries comments in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, saying that her children are not allowed to shop there.
"He said Abercrombie clothes are for people who are cool and look a certain way and are beautiful and are thin' and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," Alley said. "That would make me never buy anything from Abercrombie."
"I've got two kids in that bracket," Alley said of her sons William True Stevenson, 20, and Lillie Price Stevenson, 18. "But they will never walk in those doors because of his view of people -- forget women, his view of just people."
Alley also addressed the controversy on her Twitter feed:
"I don't care if A&F sells above size 10," she wrote. "The point is their CEO took a stand against the "coolness" of "above size 10 kids" #standdownCEO"
In the interview, Jeffries claimed that his company only wanted "good-looking" "cool and popular kids" shopping at Abercrombie and Fitch stores.
Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don't alienate anybody, but you don't excite anybody, either."


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We received dozens of nominations for our True Meaning of Christmas gifts since Thanksgiving. All of the nominations were made in the spirit of giving to people or organizations that deserve recognition and help, but we didn't want to spread our gifts too thinly. A panel reviewed the nominations and selected three recipients, the Families and Communities Together Inc. Family Assistance Fund, the Wade and Carrie Smith family, and the Tim and Michelle Kersten family.
Including those gifts, this year Hoch Publishing Co. has donated more than $8,700 in cash and services to Marion County charities and families in need. In a very real sense, we operate Hoch Publishing as a community trust. The owners have never received a cent in dividends or directors' fees, and the company has absolutely no debt. Every cent of profit is returned to the communities we serve in the form of donations, product improvements, and local salaries and benefits.
That's true not only in Marion, where our main office is located, but also in Hillsboro and especially in Peabody, where we operate the Gazette-Bulletin at a loss to ensure that the community retains one of its oldest and most important businesses.
Communities and their newspapers are inexorably tied. Good newspapers make communities better. Good communities make newspapers better. If one is weak, the other suffers. It's in that spirit that we sponsored this year's True Meaning of Christmas event. And it's in that spirit that we encourage other businesses in all of the communities we serve to think about how they can help as well.


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Unlike standard LEDs, these Philips bulbs offer a dimmable warm glow effect that lets you go from functional lighting, to inviting, to cozy. You can customize your room for every moment and always have the right light. See all benefits
Just by flipping the switch, your room is at full brightness. No slow starting or waiting.
With a dimmable warm glow effect, the difference is clear. The gradual dimming feature enables lights to dim to warm tones similar to traditional bulbs.
With a lifetime of up to 25,000 hours, you can reduce the hassle of frequently replacing your light bulbs. Philips LED bulbs enable the perfect lighting solution for 22+ years.*
Enjoy the energy-savings of LEDs without sacrificing light quality
Ideal for any room in your home.


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My first soft-serve ice cream of the season (I always get chocolate with rainbow sprinkles. Always).
Attempting to dress myself. When the warm days are few and far between, I get anxious that I am potentially wasting the chance to wear something awesome. I think, if I remember correctly, I didn't end up in any of these items.
This is one of my favorite items we make at the bakery where I work--a Savarina.
Pictorial evidence of a habit. In office supply stores I like to write this message on the pen-tester pads. I also type it in empty word documents on the computers.
Flowers, which are now dried on my windowsill.
Easter friends, little demented looking chicks.
Two twin cat friends on my walk home from work.
An inside page of the Marilyn Monroe book, I quite liked this one, but the whole thing had really lovely and strange pages and pages of pictures of paper like this one.
My tote and packaging from fieldguided!
Shorter, darker hair, rummaging through the Easter merchandise in Target.
A favorite movie, awkwardly vignetted.
Today, short hair.
Today's diet.
And so there goes April.
(for those interested, I do use an app for these--it's 'pudding' and I can't read any of it, but I like that it hides my skin flaws and makes life look dreamy.)


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Craig Garrett
I just received my Monarch A-2, and it's top of the line. Unreal quality and style. I already own a B-3 from ELC. You can't beat the quality this company puts into its products. I look forward to my next purchase. Authentic gear. Authentic quality.
Christian Drew
Brown Ostmann jacket arrived today,thanks to Gary and the team for another quality product,worth every penny.
Mike Maycock
Received my B3 Seal Brown, i must say its totally amazing. Very very happy with it, awesome great quality and fits perfect. Really is worth the money paid. Received great customer care. Will definitely be buying again. Thanks to all the team at Eastmans
Joey Messak
I received my B3 in seal brown and it is awesome! Size 42 fits perfectly. Quality is outstanding. Very nice. Many thanks to Rob and the team!
I received my B6 and wanted to let you know that it is stunning and I am very pleased. I had no doubt that the quality would be first rate as I have also purchased and Irvin from you in 2015. The B6 is ideal for days where it is too cold for my A2 and too
Henry Wang
Special thanks to Rob and the whole team;)
Just received the RAF 1944 jacket and it is perfect in every detail.
Many thanks and with best wishes
Thierry LONEY
Dear Gary,
Yesterday morning I received the B3 .50 cal flight jacket.
Thank you so much for this quick shipment.
The jacket is beautiful and the size 44 is perfect.
I will recommend your jackets to my friends because they are really in line with those
Nahua Kang
Just received my B-15 from ELC. What a beautiful jacket! Great service and the best quality in the world. Thank you ELC and wish y'all a great start in 2018!
Happy New Year... I live in Chicago Il USA... the last few days have be close to or below 0 Fahrenheit with wind..with my Eastman Irvin .... I did not feel a thing.. everyone around me waiting for the train was shivering but I was nice and warm.. it is qu
Werner Fromm
Thx to Rob.
Received my B-15A.
Best best best...5 star product and service.
Happy New Year to all ELC and all readers
Christian Drew
The D1 Mechanic's jacket arrived yesterday...what a lovely jacket it is...just a nice weight fleece for everyday use,driving etcetera...having viewed other D1's from other manufacturers the Eastman one is the one...others seemed too fluffy...wore it today
mark hillman
Ive just received an M-422A from ELC . Once again brilliant service from Gary and Rob , superbly made by the craftspeople at eastman . Fits like a glove . Thankyou.


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- Health
Patient Care
I Want To...
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School of Medicine
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Or find a doctor at another Johns Hopkins Medicine Member Hospital:
Christopher Jordan Gamper, M.D., Ph.D.
Expertise: Bone Marrow Transplant, Medical Oncology, Pediatric Oncology, Pediatrics
Research Interests: Regulation of T cell effector function in the setting of cancer immunotherapy and graft versus host disease ...read more
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The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Main Entrance)
1800 Orleans St. The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children's Center Building, 11th Floor Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-8751 | Fax: 410-955-1002
When it comes to discussing the realities of current cancer therapies, Christopher Gamper, M.D., PhD., doesn't mince words. "Conventional therapy knocks down the immune response. In a way, what we do to treat patients directly subverts what we're trying to accomplish," he says matter-of-factly, referring to the immune-suppressing effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
It's a grim reality that Dr. Gamper refuses to accept lightly. In fact, he's chosen to dedicate his research in pediatric oncology to finding alternate, less toxic methods of treating cancer. Subsequently, he's honing in on immunotherapy—a method of treatment that focuses on triggering the body's immune system to recognize and respond to cancerous cells.
Though it sounds like a fairly straightforward concept, Dr. Gamper cautions that immunology, as well as patients' response to it, is an extremely complex matter. "We take the immune system for granted, but the actual sophistication behind this seemingly mundane thing is incredibly complicated," Dr. Gamper says.
Applying immunology to patients with cancer is particularly daunting, Dr. Gamper explains, because their systems are already immune-suppressed. "The trick," he says, "is how to uncover chinks in the armor, so to speak, so we can turn off the defense mechanism of tumors."
While researching new ways to treat cancer, Dr. Gamper also focuses on improving how existing therapies are administered. "We want to do what we can to spare toxicity [inherent in chemotherapy treatment]—not just to have patients survive cancer," he says.
This pursuit involves analyzing genetic differences that may explain why not all patients respond similarly to chemotherapy. "Some patients exhibit an excellent response rate to treatment. Others may have a genetic factor that predisposes them to a high rate of relapse. We're looking at changes in therapy based on these differences," Dr. Gamper says.
As he soldiers on to find treatments that are less toxic and ultimately more effective for children with cancer, Dr. Gamper is buoyed by the strength of the families he encounters. "They say to us, 'I want to help other people in the world learn more.'" He believes that it's this spirit of generosity, whereby parents enroll their children in clinical trials knowing they personally may not reap the benefits, that has hastened the progress of pediatric oncology.
"Scientific progress has exploded: our understanding of genetic underpinnings, the potential for treatments to turn off genetic switches. We're just beginning to incorporate these new strategies that hold out the most hope," Dr. Gamper says.
Departments / Divisions
- MD PhD, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (2001)
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine / Pediatrics (2004)
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine / Pediatric Oncology (2008)
Board Certifications
- American Board of Pediatrics / Pediatric Hematology-Oncology (2009)
- American Board of Pediatrics / Pediatrics (2004)
Research & Publications
Clinical Trials
Hematopoietic stem cell transplant and cancer immunotherapy.
Selected Publications
Thomas RM†, Gamper CJ†, Ladle BH, Powell JD, Wells AD. De novo DNA methylation is required to restrict T helper lineage plasticity. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2012; 287(27):22900-9. PMC3391093 †These authors contributed equally to these studies.
Thomas RM†, Gamper CJ†, Ladle BH, Powell JD, Wells AD. De novo DNA methylation is required to restrict T helper lineage plasticity. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2012; 287(27):22900-9. PMC3391093 †These authors contributed equally to these studies.
Klein OR, Chen AR, Gamper C, Loeb D, Zambidis E, Llosa N, Huo J, Dezern AE, Steppan D, Robey N, Jo Holuba M, Cooke KR, Symons HJ. Alternative-Donor Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation with Post-Transplantation Cyclophosphamide for Nonmalignant Disorders. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplant. 2016 May;22(5):895-901. PMCID pending.
Jacoby E, Chen A, Loeb DM, Gamper CJ, Zambidis E, Llosa NJ, Huo J, Cooke KR, Jones R, Fuchs E, Luznik L, Symons HJ, Single agent post-transplantation cyclophosphamide as GVHD prophylaxis after HLA-matched related BMT for pediatric and young adult patients with hematologic malignancies. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplant. 2016 Jan;22(1):112-8. PMC4706497
Bolaños-Meade J, Fuchs EJ, Luznik L, Lanzkron SM, Gamper CJ, Jones RJ, Brodsky RA. HLA-haploidentical bone marrow transplantation with post-transplant cyclophosphamide expands the donor pool for patients with sickle cell disease. Blood. 2012 Nov 22;120(22):4285-91. PMC3507140
Academic Affiliations & Courses
Courses and Syllabi
Classroom Instruction 10/06 – present Small group leader, Immunology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Clinical Instruction 7/07 – 6/08 Morbidity & Mortality Coordinator, Pediatric Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Helped choose cases and supervise fellows presentations at Pediatric and Medical Oncology monthly M&M presentations
3/11 – present Small group leader, Genes to Society, Leukemia, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
CME Instruction 8/09 – 6/14 Organizer, Pediatric Oncology Case Conference, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Weekly multi-disciplinary conference held with Radiations Oncology, Pediatric Surgery, Radiology, and Pathology to review diagnostic studies and treatment planning for all active patients in the division; Didactic presentations by the fellows on service
Activities & Honors
- Hyundai Scholar, 2008
- 2008 – 2009 Hyundai Scholar, $40,000 award for support of Pediatric Oncology research, Hyundai Motor Corporation
- 2009 – 2011 Cash Scholar, $36,000 per year, award for support of Pediatric Oncology research, Jonas Cash Foundation
- 2010 – 2011 Hyundai Scholar, $60,000 award for support of Pediatric Oncology research, Hyundai Motor Corporation
- 2012 SKCCC Director's Teaching Award in Clinical Science
- 2013 – 2014 Hyundai Scholar, $75,000 award for support of Pediatric Oncology research, Hyundai Motor Corporation
- American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 2010
Patient Ratings & Comments
The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to physician related questions on the national CG-CAHPS Medical Practice patient experience survey through Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. Comments are also gathered from our CG-CAHPS Medical Practice Survey through Press Ganey and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.
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Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro Bread Knife, 8"
Using Zwilling's exclusive Sigmaforge® process, knives are precision-forged from a single piece of Friodur® ice-hardened high-carbon German stainless steel, laser-cut for optimal blade angles and finally polished by hand. This results in a sharper blade with a 57 Rockwell hardness for excellent edge retention and superior resilience.
Beautiful, all-new design features an angled bolster that allows the entire length of the blade to be used for chopping, slicing, dicing and more. This unique feature also permits the entire length of the blade to be sharpened from bolster to tip.
Dynamic handles feature rounded edges and ultra-ergonomic design to reduce fatigue with extended use. The classic triple-rivet handle has a full tang for impeccable geometry and perfect balance. Exclusive special -ormula steel and sturdy polymer handles ensure a lifetime of use.
This authentic German bread knife is indispensable for slicing. Use it for slicing sandwiches, bagels, baguettes and other breads. It's also great for tomatoes, lemons, sausage, and peeling pineapples and melons. Lifetime warranty. Made in Germany.
Features Hide
- Angled bolster for improved cutting precision, safety and comfort
- Allows for use of the whole length of the blade
- Blade can be sharpened from bolster to tip
- Bolster supports both Western- and Eastern-style cuts
- Optimized blade shape reduces stress on the hand to improve cutting technique
- Special-formula steel and polymer handles ensure a lifetime of use
- Sigmaforge knife is made from a single piece of high-carbon stainless steel with a 57 Rockwell hardness for excellent edge retention
- Friodur ice-hardened blade stays sharper longer with superior resilience
- Precise lasers ensure optimal blade angles for outstanding sharpness
- Blade is polished by hand
- Ergonimc, triple-riveted handles with a full tang for exceptional balance
- Designed by renowned Italian architect Matteo Thun
- Made in Solingen, Germany
Specifications Show
- Manufacturer: Zwilling J.A. Henckels
- Dimensions: 8" blade
- Material: High-carbon stainless steel blade and polymer handle
- Warranty: Lifetime
Care & Usage Show
- Hand wash
Customer Reviews
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over 2 years ago
- Was this review helpful? Yes (2) No (4)
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Questions & Answers


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Junkers Ju 52
The great old lady
Nearly 5000 aircraft of the Ju 52/3m series were built between 1932 and 1952. The first one to come off the production line was bought by the former Deutsche Luft Hansa AG. The airline subsequently took delivery of another 185 of these aircraft. Nicknamed "Aunty Ju," it became the airline's workhorse, famed for its incredibly high reliability. It was able to overfly not only the Alps, but also the Andes, and could accommodate up to 16 passengers. Although used mainly in Europe and South America, it was also to be seen on the airways of Africa and Asia. The foundation Deutsche Lufthansa Stiftung Berlin is still using a Ju 52/3 for special flights, which annually attract some 10,000 passengers seeking to experience flying as it was in the early days.
* September 2013; ** with max. number of bookings


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As one of the leading theological departments in the UK we enjoy an international reputation for excellence in research and teaching.
We offer a range of stimulating courses reflecting academic expertise in areas including philosophy of religion and ethics, Christian theology and culture, biblical studies, religious history, Islam, and Judaism.
Alison Milbank, Head of Department
The Theology department is fantastic, friendly and so much fun to be a part of. Everybody, from the three undergraduate years to the postgraduate students and staff, cares for and gets to know one another - we are a family!
Ellena Hill, BA Theology and Religious Studies
University of NottinghamUniversity Park Nottingham, NG7 2RD
Contact details
Connect with the University of Nottingham through social media and our blogs.
Campus maps | More contact information | Jobs
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How to Use the Images Photo 1
Photo 1
Drawing 1: Ten inclined planes on
the Allegheny Portage Railroad.
The railroad portage over the Allegheny Mountains was crucial to the Pennsylvania Main Line. It joined the system's two great canals into an efficient artery between eastern and western Pennsylvania. Passengers leaving Philadelphia in 1840 could reach Pittsburgh in 4 days instead of 23.
The engineering was simple in principle. In the canal basin at Hollidaysburg, the packet boat sections in which passengers had travelled from Philadelphia were floated onto railroad cars for the portage. They were hauled from the water by stationary engines, then pulled by locomotives at about 15 mph over the long grade to the first incline. In a small shed at the foot of the incline, workers hitched three cars at a time, each averaging 7,000 pounds, to the continuous cable that moved over rollers between the rails. This cable was pulled at about 4 mph by a stationary steam engine beneath a large shed at the top of the incline. When possible, the operators used cars descending on the other track to counterbalance those assending, lessening the strain on the engines. On the near-level grades between inclines, the cars were drawn by horses or locomotives. The process was reversed on the other side of the summit.Questions for Drawing 1
1. Locate Johnstown and Hollidaysburg on both Drawing 1 and on Map 1. Which visual shows more detail?
2. Using the information in Reading 1, trace the route of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. Which part of the route seemed more treacherous?
3. Using Drawing 1 and the Reading 1, describe the topography: a) between Johnstown and inclined plane no. 2; b) between inclined plane no. 2 and the summit; and c) between the summit and Hollidaysburg.
* The drawing on the screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Drawing 1, but be aware that the file will take as much as two minutes to load with a 28.8K modem.


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WHAT is going on here?
While we heart Beyoncé hard, the costume she opened her world tour, The Mrs. Carter Show, with might be the weirdest one she's ever worn.
Is the new Madonna cone bra now a sequin-encrusted leotard complete with Barbie-like boobs and mutant nipples?
Yikes, we hope not.
Photo: Kauffman / GoldenEye


text:
This question already has an answer here:
Why do all of the planets in our solar system move is (more or less) the same plane? It would seem that the planets should all have very different orbital planes, each at a different angel to each other. The fact that all of their orbits are so closely parallel suggests that a force is pulling and/or maintaining the orbits of the planets in a flat plane. What is that force? A similar force also seems to be working at a galactic level too.


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Dear all,
I had to do something for Jonah so I've written some words for him and narrated them on the link below. I hope this message reaches those in Turkey who denied this sweet dog a second chance. Feel free to share with friends of animals.
Love from Maria xx
Karam Jonah
In memory of a small stray dog from Turkey who had broken legs and who was callously dragged into a garbage truck and disposed of. Jonah survived his injuries on the street, he even survived being crushed in a garbarge truck. The thing that killed him was the apathy, ignorance and cruelty of human beings.
Jonah was prevented from leaving his country despite many offers of financial help and many offers of rehoming from abroad. Jonah needed specialist medical treatment but it was denied him.
Rest in peace dear boy
to read more click here: http://ehdkd.blogspot.com/
Maria Daines
A short tragic life lived in pain
Not pain that leads to something better
To recovery, or a quiet peaceful home
Safe with those you know
Where you are wanted for your happy presence
Treasured for your soft ears
And trusting eyes
Welcomed for your gentle spirit
Called upon when you stray too far
Missed when you are out of sight
Or a little too far from loving arms
Arms that would have cradled you
As you slept, dreaming of love...
Now, dear Jonah, you slumber safe
In the eternal shelter of a million caring hearts
For not all human beings are cruel
The ones who let you down
The callous brutes who could not see
How much you mattered
Those that trespassed through your right to life
Those that dragged barriers across your final hope
Drawing curtains of ignorance around your sorrow
So your suffering might be alone
They, and only they, each and every one that stole your escape
Keeping you far from rescue
They may waken each morning
With the knowledge that they matter least.
For their aging broken souls carry boulders of emptiness
Their shallow agenda will weaken and be rendered useless
Their eyes shall dim with cowardice
And their hollow, worthless shame
Shall become a prison for their lack of dignity.
Yet you, dear creature of another world
Resting soundly now, your body healed of ache and pain
Renewed and repaired, you are at one with the Rainbow
Aloof from this planet where a species of savages roams
You shall be remembered always, far from this dumb world
You will shine brightly as a butterfly in moonlight
You are amongst the friends who gathered you to their hearts
Friends who tried to pull you closer through an unfathomable distance
Friends who wished you an almighty strength
To fight an interminable struggle of indifference
They will never know the power, Jonah
Or the pleasure of man's beautiful best friend
A friend who would be devoted to their very being
Loyal and enchanting, a comrade in compassionate war
The antidote to human angst and a miracle beyond all reason
Each heart encased in fur shall live amongst the brave forever more.
Those who let you down
And those who were not content with living their own wretched life
Those who blocked your path to recovery simply because they could
Those so ignorant that they possess nothing of any value
Their empathy is shipwrecked somewhere in a shrunken sea
They are already forgotten...
Whilst you remain a rock of hope and a beacon of our need
A symbol of all that we may overcome
You were not ruined, they could not break you
For you are what they can never be.
You live inside those that care for life
You belong to everyone that ever cared.
And through your suffering this night shall never end
For wherever the voiceless guardians unite
Wherever they stand tall and turn against the cruelty
Wherever a plea is heard
There will be no silence. No apathy
No challenge worthy if not borne of love
Your life and death will never be over.
Your brief moment in this bleak space and time
Will not be in vain.
You are our memory
We promise.
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Send questions or comments about this web site to Ann Berlin, [email protected]


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Today we got the news that patch 5.2 will be dropping in the last week of February. Usually, I'm not too critical of decisions made by Blizzard. In fact, I usually am on the verge of being a Blizzard apologist. This game has kept me interested and entertained for 7 years, there's not much else I can say that about. But I have to say, sometimes their timing just sucks.
I think Tier 15 being released after less than 5 months is too soon. Much too soon. I would like some more time to work on T14 heroics, I feel like my raid can progress more before we run into a brick wall and are itching for the new tier to come out. And I don't think we're alone.
WoWProgress has tracked the progress of ~39,000 guilds. Of those, 29.5% have completed all normal modes and 1% have completed all heroic modes. This isn't a lot. I think many guilds out there would benefit from a little more time in the current tier.
I had this exchange on Twitter once I learned about 5.2's release date:
Releasing a new raid tier every 5 months is an admirable goal, but all raid tiers are not created equal. The quantity and quality of the content available need to be taken into consideration when deciding when to push out the next tier.
Let's take Tiers 8 & 9 as an example. They were current content for roughly the same amount of time, but they shouldn't have been. Ulduar was a beautifully designed, lore-rich raid instance with great boss fights and clever ways of accessing heroic modes. TotC was a single room with no trash mobs and only 5 unique fights. Three and a half months in Ulduar did not feel nearly long enough. Four months in TotC was enough to make me never want to step foot in that raid again.
Having only 5 months in the particular case of Tier 14 is problematic for three main reasons:
- The tier is HUGE! 16 normal + 16 heroic encounters is a lot of bosses to work through, the most bosses we've ever had at one time. Five months isn't enough.
- Aside from the raids, players have had a ton of content to work on since the launch of Mists – gearing, rep grinds, dailies, lesser charms, dungeons, scenarios, challenge modes, new BGs, arenas, brawler's guild, pet battles. Of course I can't speak for everyone, but I feel like it's only recently that I've had time to take a breath and spend more time doing non-raid related things or working on alts. There's still a lot I'd like to do before jumping into the gear/valor grind to prepare myself for a new tier of content.
- It means we're going to be subjected to front-loaded raid content for the 3rd expansion in a row.
There has been a very obvious pattern for the release of raid content over the last 3 expansions:
- The first tier of the expansion features a large number of unique raid bosses, spread out through multiple raid instances.
- The middle tier(s) feature less raid bosses in less raid instances and are current for a shorter amount of time.
- The last tier is a single raid instance and is current for a very long time before the next expansion is released.
Unless some major changes in priorities and allocation of resources has taken place in Mists, I'm anticipating these trends will continue and we'll again be in the final tier for much longer than anybody wants to be.
When thinking about the ideal amount of time to spend in one raid tier before the next is introduced, we really need to consider how many encounters are in that tier. Let's take a look at the amount of time each tier lasted and compare the length of time to the number of encounters available:
Tier 7 (5 months, 18 encounters – 3.6 encounters/month)
Tier 8 (3.5 months, 23 encounters 6.6 encounters/month)
Tier 9 (4 months, 11 encounters – 2.75 encounters/month)
Tier 10 (1 year, 26 encounters – 2.2 encounters/month)
Tier 11 (6.5 months, 25 encounters – 3.8 encounters/month)
Tier 12 (5 months, 14 encounters – 2.8 encounters/month)
Tier 13 (10 months, 16 encounters – 1.6 encounters/month)
Tier 14 (4.75 months, 32 encounters – 6.7 encounters/month)
*I'm counting heroic versions of bosses as their own encounters, and have not included world bosses or the bosses in VoA/TB*
I think that everyone can agree that 1 year in ICC and 10 months in Dragon Soul was way too long. By comparison, Ulduar and Tier 14 were current for far too short a time. I think a good ratio for boss fights to months spent in a tier is around 4:1. That's about 1 encounter per week. The raid tiers that are around this ratio (Tiers 7 and 11) are the ones that made me feel neither rushed, nor like I was sitting around waiting for new content for an inordinate amount of time.
Raid tier release timing could be much better. Just because PTR testing is complete, doesn't mean you need to release the next raid content patch immediately. You can hold something back. Slow down the release of the first couple tiers (but keep working on the next!) so we don't have to spend a year in the last one. Just imagine how much more enjoyable raiding in Wrath could have been if the release schedule had been just a little bit different. Spending 6 months in Naxx, 6 months in Ulduar and only 9 months in ICC certainly would have made my raid time in Wrath more fulfilling and resulted in much less burnout at the end.
Putting an end to Tier 14 so soon is a bad idea.