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There is an American tradition of voting not for the party, but "for the man." Unlike Europeans, who are more ideologically driven, Americans have prided themselves in assessing individuals of both parties, and then voting for the more personally impressive candidate. The European parliamentary system of government fosters ideological voting, whereas the American political system does to a much lesser degree. With only two parties competing in American elections, each party has had to encompass a much wider spectrum of ideologies.
This is no longer the case. For better or for worse, the notion of voting for the candidate rather than the party is now mostly naive idealism. The Democratic Party is now fully left-wing and is simply the American version of any European Social Democratic party. It is the party of ever-expanding government. (The Republican Party, in contrast, is – at long last – the party of small government.)
There are two reasons to vote Democrat: Either one is a leftist, or one has come to believe the Left's demonization of its opponents as SIXHIRB (Sexist, Intolerant, Xenophobic, Homophobic, Islamophobic, Racist, Bigoted).
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Oh, yes, there is a third reason to vote Democrat: More and more Americans are employed by the government, and more and more Americans receive significant material benefits from it. So one does not have to have left-wing values or believe in the demonization of conservatives to vote Democrat. All one has to do is vote according to where one's livelihood comes from.
Along with the minority groups that it has effectively convinced it alone protects, the Democratic Party has, therefore, created a built-in voting bloc that is formidable.
TRENDING: Diploma deficit
Why, then, will Republicans do well this year? Because the Democrats went too far left and the country has serious economic problems.
Of course, Republicans cannot and should not depend on economic recessions to win elections. They have to make the case as clearly as possible why America's success is the result of its most distinguishing trait: limited government. They have to show that the Democratic Party undermines the primary reason for America's success – limited government, America's most distinguishing trait. And Republicans need to make clear the connection between Democratic policies and America's economic problems.
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It is probably accurate to say that no country in the world has less government intervention in the lives of its citizens than America does. But Democrats do not like such American distinctiveness. They want America to be like other countries. The president, recall, does not believe in American exceptionalism.
For all these reasons, I admit that I am prepared to vote for a less personally impressive Republican over a more personally impressive Democrat. The Republican will vote for America's values (E Pluribus Unum, In God We Trust and liberty, which by definition means small government). The Democrat, no matter how personally charismatic, will not vote for these values.
This is my response to the liberal media, which have portrayed virtually every popular conservative in my lifetime as a mediocrity at best, a dummy at worst. In not one case – from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush to Sarah Palin – was the media's depiction accurate. To give but one example, George W. Bush can probably run rings around Vice President Joseph Biden in his understanding and knowledge of history and of the world.
But even if the media's depictions were accurate, it wouldn't matter to me. I will take common sense and values over intellect any day and in any election. Left-wing intellectuals have abysmal track records when it comes to confronting great evil in the world. Their unwillingness to fight tyrants and despots is one of consistent and abject moral failure.
Take the Left's favorite Republican to depict as a dummy, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
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This country would be in considerably better shape if Palin were either vice president or president. Palin would have confronted Iran rather than placed her faith in negotiations and the United Nations. She would not have sought to impose a peace on Israel (as if peace can ever be imposed by outsiders on any countries, let alone upon those in which one of the parties seeks to annihilate the other). She would not have bought into Keynesian economics and spent nearly a trillion dollars largely to keep overpaid and overcompensated government workers voting Democrat. She would not have expanded the number of government agencies and "czars" to the point that this country may well be governed for the next two years not by congressional laws but by unelected and unaccountable federal agencies. She would not have declared a date by which America will leave Afghanistan and thereby ensured that fewer and fewer Afghans fight alongside America. She would not have signed a 2,000-page bill about anything, let alone health care. She would have expanded oil drilling in America so that we can actually begin the long journey to energy independence, not the imaginary journey to windmills and solar panels. She would never have considered taxing energy, the engine of our economy, on the increasingly absurd claims that human carbon-dioxide emissions will bring the planet to ruin.
So, it is time for us Americans to realize that the old days of choosing the better candidate are gone. The Democrats have, at least in this way, achieved their goal of rendering us more European – we will have to vote by party.
That's the bad news. The good news is that in almost no case is the choice between a more impressive Democrat and a less impressive Republican. The quality of most Republican candidates this election is the highest in postwar American history, Republican or Democrat. But even if it weren't, a Republican mediocrity would get my vote. My first concern is America's greatness, not the candidate's.


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No Sugar Coco-Nut Balls
1 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
1/4 cup nondairy milk (I use almond milk)
1/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3 tablespoons nut butter (I use peanut butter)
1/2 banana, mashed
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1. To a small pot over medium heat, add the chocolate chips, milk, oats, nut butter, and banana; heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until mixture has melted.
2. Cover a large plate with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1/2 tablespoon portions and place on parchment paper (you will end up with 12 to 14 balls). Let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Fill a bowl with 1 cup shredded coconut.
4. Place the dough portions, one by one, into the coconut (they should still be fairly soft). Roll into a ball and repeat until the ball seems pretty solid. Place back on the plate to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Pretty easy huh?!?
Source of recipe: Made this up- and it's seriously easy. Please visit my blog for more recipe ideas: http://runningonveg.blogspot.com/ Just getting started. Thanks!
Be the first to add a comment.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bob has been interested in the stars as far back as he can recall. His parents placed his crib next to the window as he enjoyed seeing the moon and stars. He began telescopic observing back in the early 60's with a 2″ refractor on a flimsy six inch tripod. He had to stack the patio chairs three high to see anything high in the sky. His first experience with meteors was a biggie, the 1966 Leonid shower. He knew when Leo would rise and woke shortly after. Unfortunately this was before the peak of the display and the few meteors he did see were nothing like the possible storm mentioned on the news broadcast the previous evening. Only when he came across the February 1967 issue of Sky & Telescope did he realize what he missed. For the next decade and an half he faithfully followed the major showers each year reporting his results to Sky & Telescope. He began dark sky meteor observing in 1974, viewing the impressive Perseid and Orionid displays from that year.
In 1980, a major awaking occurred. He received a sample copy of Meteor News. He was amazed to learn there was a group actually devoted strictly to meteor observing! He joined the group also started to view some of the minor showers list among the pages of Meteor News. 1988 saw the creation of the IMO and he was proud to become one of the founding members. This was a great opportunity to correspond with meteor observers worldwide. Also in 1988, David Levy resigned as Recorder of the ALPO Meteors section and Bob eagerly filled that position.
In 1999 Bob joined the IMO expedition to Spain to view the Leonid storm. He was also part of the ground team that observed the 2001 Leonids from Mt. Lemon. That November morning produced the most impressive meteor display he has witnessed with rates peaking at 35 Leonids per minute. The following year Bob joined Dr. Peter Jenniskens on the Multi-Instrument Airborne Campaign and witnessed both Leonid peaks that year through intensified goggles as the jet flew from Spain to North America.
Currently Bob spends his free time trying to keep up with the demands of three meteor groups. The AMS takes up most of his time as fireball reports and video data arrives on a daily basis. He has recently set up an intensified video camera to record the activity on all clear nights. Since he works for the local newspaper from 2-10am this allows him to still monitor the skies while at work.
He still likes to monitor the skies telescopically using a 6″ refractor, a 9.25 SCT, and a 16″ reflector. He especially likes to photograph the planets using video frames and stacking software. He tries to get out to dark skies at least once a month to view the fainter objects not well seen from home.
Lastly, he was contracted by Springer Publishing in 2007 to write a book on observing meteors. The book is now finished and selling well. It is available from all sources worldwide and hopefully will be a useful guide to all interested in the enjoyable field of meteor observing.


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Critical Legal Conference 2009
"Genealogies: Excavating Legal Modernity"
September 11-13, 2009
Leicester, UK
Keynote Speaker: Marcela Iacub (EHESS/CNRS).
Plenary Panellists: Peter Fitzpatrick (Birkbeck), Colin Gordon (Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust) and Véronique Voruz (Leicester).
Final Call for Papers
The Critical Legal Conference 2009 will be held in Leicester, UK. The main theme of the conference, "Genealogies: Excavating Legal Modernity", seeks to assess and review the significance of the work of Michel Foucault for the study of law, especially in light of the ongoing publication of his lectures at the Collège de France.
Proposed papers may address (1) the main theme of the conference, (2) an individual stream theme (see below), or (3) a theme otherwise significant in relation to critical legal scholarship. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL DEADLINES FOR PAPER PROPOSALS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, 28 AUGUST 2009.
(1) Proposals for papers addressing the main theme of the conference "Genealogies: Excavating Legal Modernity" should be sent by email directly to the conference organisers (firstname.lastname@example.com) no later than Friday, 28 August 2009. Potential presenters are invited to interpret the main theme in the broadest possible sense.
(2) Individual paper proposals for streams should be sent directly to stream coordinators no later than Friday, 28 August 2009. The streams are:
* Revolutions in Natural Law
* Critical Property Theory: The Powers of Property
* Labour, Work and Equality
* Tragic Jurisprudence
* Laws of Empire
* Virtual Worlds, Virtual Law?
* Mapping the Terrain of WTO Law
* Genealogy of Human Rights from a Third-World Perspective
* Subject and Law between Immanence and Transcendence
(3) Proposals addressing a theme otherwise significant in relation to critical legal scholarship should be sent by email directly to the conference organisers (email@example.com) no later than Friday, 28 August 2009.
The organisers are also pleased to offer five bursaries/fee waivers to research students presenting papers at the conference offered on a competitive basis and made available with the generous sponsorship of Social & Legal Studies: An International Journal.
Further information on the themes, how to submit proposals including abstracts, how to register, research student bursaries, travel and accommodation is available on the conference website. Please also note that an additional late registration fee of £45 applies to registrations completed after 1 August 2009.


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Unfortunately, your access has now expired. But there's good news—by subscribing today, you will receive 22 issues of Booklist magazine, 4 issues of Book Links, and single-login access to Booklist Online and over 200,000 reviews.
Your access to Booklist Online has expired. If you still subscribe to the print magazine, please proceed to your profile page and check your subscriber number against a current magazine mailing label. (If your print subscription has lapsed, you will need to renew.)
Free Trial, activate profile, or subscribe
September 2023
Find more Top 10 Crafts & Gardening Books
That crafts and gardening books belong in the same spotlight will become evident as readers pick up and enjoy the following crafts and gardening titles, all reviewed in Booklist between December 15, 2012, and December 1, 2013. What is evident is that crafts and gardening are all part of the world of working with your hands to create something both beautiful and meaningful.
The Complete Photo Guide to Making Metal Jewelry. By John Sartin. 2013. Quayside/Creative, paper, $24.99 (9781589237360).
If any crafter has reservations about learning to make metal jewelry, Sartin knocks those reservations out of the water in a very savvy approach to the subject.
Connect the Shapes Crochet Motifs: Creative Techniques for Joining Motifs of All Shapes. By Edie Eckman. 2012. Storey, $19.95 (9781603429733).
This is smart publishing: a spiral-bound pattern and instructional book that actually lies flat, so that avid needleworkers can practice while reading instructions.
Journal Your Way: Designing and Using Handmade Books. By Gwen Diehn. 2013. Sterling/Lark, paper, $17.95 (9781454704119).
Diehn teaches readers how to create the blank book most suited to one's needs through a series of questions and selections from eight different personal journals.
Kiss My Aster: A Graphic Guide to Creating a Fantastic Yard Totally Tailored to You. By Amanda Thomsen. 2013. Storey, paper, $16.95 (9781603429863).
Thomsen's entertaining and vibrant approach to landscaping as a form of self-expression provides solid horticultural information and lots of creative ideas via delightful color drawings and witty commentary.
Paper Blooms: 25 Extraordinary Flowers to Make for Weddings, Celebrations and More. By Jeffrey Rudell. 2013. Sterling/Lark, paper, $17.95 (9781454703501).
The author's latest book hands us the how-to's for creating 25 fanciful blooms for any occasion.
Paradise Lot: Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre, and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City. By Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates. 2013. Chelsea Green, paper, $19.95 (9781603583992).
Toensmeier and Bates recount their creation of a hardy, self-sustaining fruit and vegetable garden on their postage-stamp lot in a small New England city.
Planting: A New Perspective. By Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury. 2013. Timber, $39.95 (9781604693706).
Top garden designers Oudolf and Kingsbury consider twenty-first-century gardening trends and challenges in this essential, informative, and inspiring guide.
Sewing Solutions: Tips and Techniques for the Savvy Sewist. By Nicole Vasbinder. 2012. Interweave, paper, $19.95 (9781596685987).
Vasbinder knows exactly how to set novices at ease while also providing near professionals with a handy reference.
The Speedy Vegetable Garden. By Mark Diacono and Lia Leendertz. 2013. Timber, $18.95 (9781604693263).
Diacono and Leendertz showcase 50 fast-growing and delectable vegetables and herbs in this guide to a convenient kitchen garden.
Touch a Butterfly: Wildlife Gardening with Kids. By April Pulley Sayre. 2013. Shambhala/Roost, $19.95 (9781590309179).
Children's author Sayre offers instructions for attracting wildlife great and small to backyards of various sizes and locations along with creative activities to help children enjoy and appreciate nature's bounty.
Free Trial, activate profile, or subscribe


text:
What Would Jesus Do: Discerning Which Biblical Laws Matter, and Which Don't
- Julie Ferwerda Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- 2008 27 Mar
See what I mean? Confusing. How can I know which rules and principles God wants me to live by, and which ones to throw out? And then there are the gray areas… all those situations in life that just don't fall under any category exactly because of the unique circumstances. What do we do with those? For instance:
Living with an abusive spouse. Jesus only said that if an unbelieving spouse agrees to stay married, then stay with them (1 Corinthians 7:13), but that doesn't cover abuse. Some people say that 1 Peter commends suffering for the sake of Christ and they consider being abused at home part of that suffering. Where is the glory for God in that kind of suffering as women are stripped of identity and purpose, and their children live with lifetime physical and emotional scars? Did God mean that we should willingly suffer persecution in our own households?
What about the mandates for husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church and for wives to submit to their husbands out of reverence for Christ? Are abusers somehow exempt? Can one side get off the hook and treat their spouse abusively while the other gives up everything—sometimes even their lives—to appease them?
Living with an addicted spouse. The rules are different in this kind of home. Many prominent "help" books advise the typically mistreated spouse to follow certain principles: love your mate unconditionally and selflessly in order to win them over, don't pressure or nag them to change but focus on changing yourself, don't place any expectations on them, give them space and they'll come back to you. Well, that might work for your average love-grown-cold spouse, but when dealing with a substance abuser, none of those work. You can drive yourself crazy trying to apply all the methods, read all the books, and go through all the counseling, but in the end, everything you try has the same result: Nothing.
Should you stay in that kind of a household, accepting the addiction and all the behaviors that go along with it such as lying, overspending, abuse, sexual misconduct, neglect, blatant disrespect, and even sometimes financial ruin while watching your whole family become sick at at heart?
Lifestyle Choices. Tattoos, body piercing, social drinking, music and movie choices—all are areas that we try to make an unified determination of God's will in the matter, never coming to an agreement and often times enforcing legalism. So how does one figure out for sure which ones to keep and which ones to chuck?
"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-40)."
When dealing with gray areas, here is the very, very simple solution. In everything you do, ask yourself, "Is my decision in keeping with the greatest commandment? If I do this, am I able to love God with all my heart, or does it compromise or diminish my relationship with Him in any way?" And secondly, "Am I upholding my love for others?"
Love God. When well-meaning people give you advice, weigh it against this principle. "Is this thing other people want me to do (such as my church or Christian friends) overkill or irrelevant to my love relationship with God?" Or on the flip side, "Is this person influencing me away from my pure devotion to God or encouraging me to compromise my obedience?"
Consider abusive or addicted spouses. They can actually prevent you from following this command. Your mental and emotional state can become so preoccupied with surviving your home life that you're not honoring or growing in Christ. As soon another person is allowed to dominate our focus and devotion, even with negative energy, that person has become an idol or spiritual adultery.
Love People. Will this decision hurt anyone? Will it pull them down in their faith or will it draw them to God? This can be tricky when holding it up to closely related addicts or abusers, because on the surface you might feel (and they might tell you) that if you set a boundary with them, you're going to shatter their faith. Or you might feel if you enforce a consequence, they'll feel unloved and won't want to change. Often times, the truth is the opposite. By staying, you are making it easy for them to remain unchanged. Their lives are in a comfortable pattern, their addictions and behaviors have no consequences, and you're sending the message that the world revolves around them. Why would they need God when you are fixing all their problems? So actually, maybe your choices have not truly loved that person the way they need to be loved.
Having said that, each situation is unique and should be handled accordingly. One person living with an addict may be thriving and still able to grow in their love relationship with God while another may be so mistreated, controlled, and beaten down; they can only think "survival."
Motives. When you've held your decisions up to the two criteria, and you're still not sure, a great gauge is to question your motives. For instance, say you want to get a tattoo, but you just can't decide if it's okay with God. The next question to ask then is, "Why do I want this tattoo?" Is it to draw attention to yourself? Is it to fit in with a certain youth ministry God has given you? No one but you can answer these kinds of questions, because only you truly know what is in your heart.
And now, as you begin to embrace the "law of love" and ditch the "love of law," you'll always carry around a simple standard to help you discern and understand just what Jesus would do in your situation.
Julie Ferwerda is the author of The Perfect Fit: Piecing Together True Love, and has written for publications such as Marriage Partnership, Focus on the Family, and Discipleship Journal. Find out more: www.JulieFerwerda.com.


text:
Story highlights
Kurdish photographer Warzer Jaff spends week documenting Yazidi Kurds
ISIS has hounded Yazidis from their ancient homeland in northern Iraq
Tens of thousands of families have sought shelter in Iraqi Kurdistan
Each refugee shares horrifying stories of abduction and murder
They are the faces of an entire community on the run.
Singled out, threatened, chased at gunpoint from their homes.
Pursued purely because they are members of an ethnic and religious minority.
Iraq's Yazidi Kurds are no strangers to persecution. Their faith teaches them that throughout history, they have been subjected to 72 genocides. Many world leaders fear they are on the brink of a 73rd massacre, this time at the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which calls itself the Islamic State.
Kurdish photographer Warzer Jaff spent a week documenting the exodus of the Yazidis from their ancient homeland. What is immediately striking in his portraits are their piercing eyes.
"I am fascinated with the deep sadness in their eyes," Jaff says. "You don't see one single happy face."
There is little room for joy when one has been made instantly homeless.
In the weeks since ISIS militants overran cities and towns in northern Iraq, the Yazidis joined a modern-day exodus of hundreds of thousands of other Iraqis. Most of those fleeing come from the many other ethnic and religious minorities that make up the mosaic of the region, including Chaldeans, Assyrians, Turcomen, Shi'ites, Shabbak, Kurds.
Instantly made homeless, tens of thousands of these families have sought shelter in Iraqi Kurdistan. Driving through this region, one can see families squatting under bridges, camping in derelict buildings, unfinished construction sites, churches, youth centers, open fields.
Each refugee shares horrifying stories of abduction and murder. Even more disturbing, the frequent refrain that "our neighbors did this to us."
Their claims that Arab tribesmen joined in the looting and kidnapping of these defenseless minorities suggests there is little hope these communities will one day live side by side together again in peace. As one senior Kurdish official put it, "the social fabric has been torn."
"I don't want to live with Arabs anymore, they take our land, they kidnap our women, and they kill us, why should I live with them?" asked Ali Khalid, 75, a Yazidi.
He wandered amid the tents of a brand new refugee camp leaning on a cane; his long white mustache, a proud symbol for Yazidi men, drooping over his mouth. Like nearly every other displaced Iraqi we met over the last week, Khalid urged Western governments to grant his people asylum in Europe or North America.
Not far away, a grieving mother showed a laminated identity card. It belonged to her 20-year old daughter, Baran. She was fatally wounded by shrapnel two weeks ago, Khokhe Namir said, while racing out into the backyard to pull a child back to safety.
"I buried her with my own hands," Namir said, scraping at the dirt with her fingers, as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Amid the grief and despair, there are still moments of childlike innocence. In a refugee camp for Iraqis that sprouted up in a Kurdish-controlled enclave in Syria, a red-haired girl picked through a pile of second-hand clothes donated by local Kurds.
"I like the bright colors and the flowers," she said, after eyeing a long dress decorated with pink flowers.
Last Friday, Jaff wandered up from a tent in a refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan visibly shaken. "There's a newborn baby who was born on the mountain, I'm afraid she's going to die," he said.
In the tent, the parents of the 6-day-old girl had bound their infant in a sheet and laid her on the dirt, atop a pile of blankets and cushions. They didn't have a cradle for the child.
The girl was born on Sinjar Mountain. Tens of thousands of Yazidis sought refuge on its heights as they fled ISIS fighters, only to find themselves trapped and surrounded by the militants.
Jaff took the little girl's parents into town and bought them a cradle and extra food for their baby. Across the Kurdish regions of Iraq and Syria, there have been many similar acts of kindness and generosity from locals toward their less fortunate cousins from farther south.
The baby's parents told me despite the heat, she was eating normally. The girl appeared healthy. Her mother said she was thinking of naming her child Hajar. Loosely translated, that means migrant or as the family interpreted it, "Exile."
READ: After the rescue: A Yazidi family's harrowing flight to escape ISIS


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Probably the simplest cipher is the xor cipher with a single integer. One can extend this to use more than one integer by several means. I'm wondering if there is any benefit to doing more than this:
Let $x_n$ be the $n$th data byte to encrypt and $p_k$ be the data stream (password or whatever) to encrypt with and $p_k$ is cylical.
Then the "standard" way of doing the encryption is
$$\large y_n = x_n \small\oplus\large\; p_k$$
But for certain functions $f,g,h$
$$\large y_n = x_{h(n)} \small\oplus\large\; f(p_{g(k,n)},n)$$
is invertible.
My question is:
Without knowing what formula and functions are used, would such a method make it much more difficult to "crack" an encryption? (Basically is there any real benefit to using a more complex formula. Ofcourse, if anyone has any theoretical insight in how these modifications "enhance" the encryption then by all means ;) My guess is that it is too difficult, mathematically, to understand in general. For example, if invertibility exists and f,g, and h have certain properties, do we end up with a more secure encryption than the standard xor cipher(which is easily attacked using frequency analysis)?)
Assume $f,g$ and $h$ are the best possible functions in whatever way is needed.
What I have noticed is that such complex formula seem to increase the "randomness" of the output over the standard method.
It would seem that if $f,g$ and $h$ are completely known to the cracker then it is equivalent to simply using a different $p_k$ and $x_n$ and equivalent to the standard method.


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iCal Birthday Shifter makes events for the birthdays of people in your Address Book. The source code is included with the archive. What's New
Version 1.2 fixes the following:
- New events will now be "all-day" events. Requires iCal 1.0.2 or later
- Added toolbar with items to launch iCal and Address Book, for convenience.
- Got rid of coloured-checkboxes graphics. We now show swatches instead.
- Added several localisations Requirements
PPC, Mac OS X 10.2 or later, Apple iCal.


text:
MONSIEUR MARCEL ALL PURPOSE SEASONING - SALT FREE 2oz
All purpose seasoning is your best friend in the kitchen when you are in a rush. This combination is perfect for preparing Italian or North American inspired dishes. Use this for flavoring meat, fish or poultry dishes, to give your salad dressing a boost or to take your pasta sauce to the next level.


text:
While Arata is dealing with the consequences of his actions, Shinobu threatens withdrawal. Meanwhile, Chihaya struggles against her opponent.
A new school year has started, and 20 students have applied to be part of the karuta club! Chihaya must face a decision on where the team is headed.
Almost all of the previous 20 applicants have left the club. Only Akihiro Tskukuba remains, while Sumire returns after getting tired of her new friends.
Arata states his intentions of competing in the national high school championships. The team enters the new members into a tournament round.
The regional tournament is underway, and Taichi is feeling the pressure. Sumire realizes that Chihaya watches Taichi as much as he does.
Komano and Kanade do well in their matches. Chihaya struggles during her round as she tries to decide between speed or accuracy.
Chihaya catches up to Amakasu and is now down to the final cards. Meanwhile, the other team members are in their own intense battle.
Chihaya fights for the clubroom and compromises with the concert band. Chihaya's passion for karuta inspires Chitose to keep acting.
Their next opponent is Chiba International High School of Information Sciences, and they find out some interesting things about their opponent.
Shinobu looks down on Arata for his long absence from karuta. Meanwhile, Arata is trying to find the right moment to approach Chihaya and Taichi.
While Arata is dealing with the consequences of his actions, Shinobu threatens withdrawal. Meanwhile, Chihaya struggles against her opponent.
Komano agrees to sit out the next round. Arata is barred from watching his friends during the Tokyo team tournament.
The semi-final round has arrived, and Chihaya must go up against the queen challenger opponent, Megumu.
Chihaya continues to struggle against Megumu, who doesn't care to be queen. Chihaya starts to focus on accuracy.
Hokuo loses to Fujisaki and now the Mizusawa team is down to their final match against Akashi. It all boils down to Komano's match.
Mizusawa makes it to the final round against Fujisaki. Meanwhile, Arata closely watches the match from afar.
A recap episode on the current tournament with omake segments in-between, showcasing some characters not often seen.
Fujisaki takes a lead on Mizusawa, and Chihaya injures her index fingers. Chihaya is more determined than ever to fight through the pain!
Komano loses his match while Chihaya struggles through the pain. Arata realizes the importance of a team in kurata.
It has come down to Taichi's and Nishida's matches. The clock is clicking as Fujisaki and Mizusawa fight to win.
After Mizusawa's win, Chihaya goes to the clinic to get her injury checked. Meanwhile, the team decides to compete in the individual tournament.
Arata and Shinobu effortlessly win their rounds. Meanwhile, Chihaya finds out that playing with her left hand is a lot harder than she thought.
Shinobu goes against Chihaya and takes jab at Chihaya's team shirt. Even though Chihaya is injured, she doesn't go easy on her.
Taichi and Komano are in the finals for Class B and Class C, respectively. Meanwhile, Arata and Shinobu are in the finals for Class A.
The Class A final is all that is left. Arata and Shinobu are neck to neck, and they get closer to the finish line. Who will win?
Chihaya finds out that she has enchondromatosis in her index finger and decides to undergo the operation.


text:
real-time LAKE OF THE OZARKS
WHAT you need, WHEN you need it, WHEREVER you are!
Happy Hour
Event Details
Date: June 24, 2021
Time: 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Location: Redhead Lakeside Grill
Address: 1700 Yacht Club Dr, Osage Beach, MO
Mile Marker: 21
Half price house wine, draft beer and well cocktails.
Half price select apps.


text:
Email: email@example.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Join us on main campus on Saturday, October 28 from 9am – 3:30pm to explore programs, chat with instructors, get hands-on demonstrations and more!
Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll help narrow your search.
What are you into? Choose a variety of interests to find programs that we think you'd enjoy!
The type of certification (degree, diploma, certificate) you will earn after completing your program.
Open Studies allows you to explore credit courses without applying to a program.
It is an opportunity to get a feel for school and what program you want to be in.
Open studies is only an option if you are currently in Edmonton and have a valid, post-secondary study permit.
Please visit the Student Service Centre for information.
Program availability may be limited for international applicants. Contact your student advisor for more information.
Learn the proper techniques to engage in conflict resolution and create a plan of action for effective solutions.
Learn the 4-step mediation process and develop specialized communication and mediation techniques to help mediate workplace conflict.
Learn the principles of negotiation and how to strategically engage in advanced conflict resolution.
Discover and develop your own personal communication style and ability to manage your reaction to criticism.
This certificate will help you prepare for a leadership role in site-based construction trades professions.
NAIT's Crisis Communications courses have been designed to ensure that crisis management professionals are prepared to execute a successful communications response when disaster strikes.
NAIT's Crisis Management Essentials Certificate provides you with the leadership skills needed before, during and after a crisis to effectively address the needs of a complex organization.
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Fear Factory's Dino Cazares Gets Heavy Tone while Traveling Light with Line 6
Since releasing The Industrialist in June, influential industrial metal band Fear Factory has been everywhere from San Francisco to Sweden. As they embark on the second leg of The World Industrialist Tour, Cazares shares his secret for getting heavy tone while traveling light—the Line 6® POD® HD Pro multi-effects and Relay® G90 digital wireless system. With POD HD Pro, Cazares can plug directly into the PA system—no cabinets required.
You've been working with Line 6 for many years. How'd you first make the connection?
Back in 1998, Fear Factory was on a U.S. tour. We had a big old U-Haul truck full of our lights and gear and all this stuff, and we parked it in front of our hotel in New Jersey. We went to sleep, and woke up to a phone call letting us know that the truck was stolen with all our gear. Everything was gone—$1 million worth of stuff. Good thing we had insurance!
After we were done crying about all our gear being stolen, I went to Guitar Center to try out a bunch of amps. Nothing was really turning me on until I tried the Line 6 Flextone head. I started playing it, and was like, "Holy shit." It was amazing. I've been playing it ever since.
I've gotten everything that's come out from Line 6 every year or every couple of years: The Flextone, the Flextone II, the POD Pro, the POD xt, the POD X3 and now the POD HD.
So obviously you're a huge POD fan—what do you like best about it?
We take zillions of flights and travel everywhere, and you want to take your sound with you. Depending on the location, when you rent gear, you can't be sure what you're going to get. You might get there and the amp is just beat to hell.
With POD HD, your tone is with you wherever you go. It's consistent everywhere. Nine times out of ten, I'm using a POD direct to a PA system, direct to the monitor system, and that's about it.
For traveling, it's so convenient. I just put POD HD Pro in a four-space rack with a Relay G90 wireless. So everything I'm recording with, everything that I use to travel around the world, is in compact enough to just carry onto a plane.
Another great thing about POD HD and G90 is that they're 220/240 ready as well. All you do is change the plug. I don't really need converters or anything else.
Do you also use POD in the studio?
When I started working in the studio on the latest album, I made a few tweaks to the POD presets I'd been using live. Then when the mixer mixed the album, he tweaked the sound a bit, so I went back and tweaked my POD to match. Now I can take the exact same sounds from the album on the road with me.
When you perform live, how do you get your tone?
My favorite feature of the POD HD Pro is that you can run two heads at once. I usually have two heads, the Cali Tread, or I have the ANGLE F-Ball [editor's note: Cali Tread is based on* 2001 Mesa/Boogie® Dual Rectifier® Solo; ANGLE F-Ball 100 is based on* ENGL Fireball 100]. I usually have those EQ'd slightly differently. The F-Ball has a little bit more low-end so it pumps more air.
I do all my processing within the POD HD—I run it through a compressor, then a gate—not hard gate, but just a little bit of a noise gate. Then I got a Screamer cranked, and that gives it some of that midrange tone that I need [editor's note: Screamer is based on* Ibanez® Tube Screamer®].
Then I run it through another gate, and then I usually run it through a studio EQ, so I can get more of the curve that I need, and then usually another EQ—all in the POD. That's it. I mix it like 25 percent left and 25 percent right. I just crank it and it sounds amazing. I use the 412 Tread V-30 cab on both with the Shure 57 off-axis microphone model in the POD [editor's note: 412 Tread V-30 is based on* a Mesa/Boogie® cabinet, 4x12 inch Celestion® Vintage 30 speakers]. It sounds amazing.
You can go to any YouTube Fear Factory video from 2012 and see and hear what I'm talking about. My sound man loves it because it's so easy. He's basically just turning it up. Maybe he adds a couple of things, nothing really major. Usually the monitor guys just tell me, "Make it flat." And that's it. 99 percent of the time, I don't do any tweaking on the POD live.
Can you describe how you set up your presets for a gig?
For a standard set list, I'll use four different presets, each based off a different amp. For more experimental stuff, I'll use eight.
My main preset is my main guitar tone, rhythm tone. Then I have the lead tone. Then I have this filtered effect that I use on a lot of songs, using the Bomber Uber [editor's note: Bomber Uber is based on* 2002 Bogner® Uberschall].
I do this weird tone where it scoops out all the low end and gives it a low-fi vibe, kind of like you're hearing something off an old-school AM radio. I also have it set to where I can add more delay, or certain modulations. I'll add some reverb and other weird stuff. I have that on my Line 6 FBV Shortboard so I can click whatever I need to do.
I also have this really cool clean tone that I use on a few songs, using the Blackface [editor's note: Blackface 'Lux is based on* 1964 Fender® Deluxe Reverb®]. That has a lot of delays and a lot of compression to give it a certain sound, a lot of chorus.
How do you think POD stacks up against other high-end guitar processing systems?
There's a lot of hype around the Axe-Fx by Fractal Audio. It's a great system, but you're not going to hear any difference between it and POD HD as far as tone. But the Axe-Fx takes you longer to dial in. It took me two weeks to dial in something—and it took me 10 minutes to dial in something on the POD.
For me, POD is a lot more user friendly. It's very direct. Axe-Fx is a whole different language and it has other parameters that are unnecessary. It takes you a lot longer just to find something you like.
I've had both Axe-Fx and POD HD—one cost $2,000 and I know a lot of the nerds like it because maybe somebody like Dweezil Zappa said it was cool. But with the POD HD, obviously you're going to get a lot more for your money.
As soon as the POD HD came out, I got one, plugged it in, and compared it to the Axe-Fx. Then I got rid of the Axe-Fx and put my money in my pocket.
You also a long-time user of Line 6 digital wireless—how'd you get into it?
On Fear Factory's first tours in 1992, I wanted the freedom to run around the stage, so we had some cheap analog wireless system that just squished the heck out of my tone. Then in 1995 or '96, I met this guy with a company called X-Wire, and we agreed to be the guinea pigs for their systems. It was great because it didn't mess with the tone. We worked with the stuff for years, and then when Line 6 bought X-Wire I was just so happy.
When Relay came out, I got the first G30, then the G50. Now I use G90. We really put it to the test while traveling through Europe. We were playing these gigantic, gigantic stages. I don't know if you can imagine how big they are. With Relay, you can still walk all the way out to the sides to where the big screens are. We were doing that and we had no dropouts.
And with a 100,000-person festival, there were so many potential problems. They got their cell towers out there for the festival. They got their own internet—internet everywhere. But we didn't have any interference.
How does the Relay tone compare to a wired guitar system?
The first time I heard Relay, I was blown away how it didn't take away from my killer tone. All the wireless systems I used in the past changed my guitar tone. I always had to compensate by trying to push more out of my amp or by boosting more EQs. With Relay, it was liked I was plugged in with a cable—but better. It's also easy to set up—you just turn it on and choose any channel.
Check out Dino and Fear Factory on the World Industrialist Tour—see upcoming tour dates.*All product names are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Line 6. The product names and images are provided for the sole purpose of identifying the specific products that were studied during Line 6's sound model development.


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Goooooal! How data stewards score with data visualization
Data stewards and soccer referees have more in common than you'd think
By Analise Polsky, Best Practices, SAS
Every time I watch a soccer game, especially the international games, I always look forward to the celebratory yell of the announcer, "goooooal!"
One night after watching a rather intense match, I sat down to peruse a few data publications. I found myself shouting "daaaaataaaaa!" (to no one in particular) with the same tenacity and energy of the "futbol" announcers. I needed a little injection of humor after reading a few too many data management articles. It started as my own private joke, but then it hit me. How enterprises govern and manage their data is not so different from some aspects of soccer.
Take data stewardship. Stewards are much like referees, ensuring that players adhere to the rules. While keeping the integrity of the data a priority, stewards negotiate territorial and procedural struggles between teams, like sales and marketing or business and IT. Governance councils and leadership task stewards with the responsibility of identifying data-related problems, and give them the authority to fix these problems. Stewards rely on technology to help track and monitor the data. This is when the flags and red/yellow cards come flying onto the field.
For instance, data rules help stewards maintain the data within specific parameters. For example, in retail all SKU codes are alphanumeric and less than 10 characters — yellow card! Dashboards and alerts tell stewards the type of rule violated, the frequency of the violation and when it occurred — flag! They can see a history of any triggered alerts and rule violations to pinpoint potential triggers, presented in the form of a data visualization (graphs, charts, gauges, etc.).
Data visualizations help stewards process and understand what is happening in the data. They represent a mental snapshot of what violation occurred that resulted in the referee (steward) making the call. The power of data visualization in the hands of a steward isn't limited to dashboards. Much of data analysis relies on visualization, including data profiling, searching for anomalies in new data sources, or seeing if there are missing values in an important field, like "SSN." Data visualization works because the brain can only process so much data in a tabular format. Technology enables stewardship, therefore intuitive tools will be needed to get the job done – preferably those that support how the human brain processes data.
Thinking of stewards as akin to referees gives me a new appreciation for the work they do. Both can be tough and often thankless jobs, but they are critical components of business and futbol. Who will your data referee be for your next match?
Check out our infographic to learn more about how stewards fair in the "Data World Cup." Or make sure you train the best referees possible by participating in our interactive workshop, Data Stewardship Planning.
Analise Polsky is a thought leader on the SAS Best Practices team. The focus of her work is developing and delivering data quality, data stewardship, culture and change management, and data visualization best practices. She has also created training materials for database and application products, which she has presented to a wide variety of clients in multiple languages.
Read More
- Learn how stewardship teams are organized by downloading the white paper 5 Models for Data Stewardship.
- More data management insights.


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WASHINGTON—Following two Supreme Court rulings today that allowed homosexuals in California to wed, extended federal benefits to same-sex married couples, but stopped short of calling gay marriage constitutional, the nation celebrated what is, technically speaking, progress, sources confirmed.
"Today this country took, well, you know, certainly not a bold step forward, or anything even close to a leap, but, if we're really looking at particulars, a step nonetheless," said Virginia resident Aaron Yelenick, who celebrated the nation's admittedly somewhat underwhelming but inarguably forward-facing move outside the Supreme Court Building. "You certainly couldn't call this a step backward. So, there you go. That's something."
"Anyway," he added, "hooray."
With shouts of "Land of the free, certainly more so than it was yesterday, at least!" and "We did it—if you look at the details here and ignore that it's still disappointing that a high number of gay men and women still don't have the same rights as straight citizens!" millions of Americans took to the streets to celebrate what is, in the end, a victory.
According to jubilant citizens across the country, no one can argue that the Supreme Court's decision doesn't fit into the very strict, dictionary definition of the word "progress," insomuch as homosexuals were previously treated unfairly and, if one looks at it purely from an objective standpoint, will now be treated slightly less unfairly.
The U.S. populace went on to confirm that the country is, technically speaking, making advances in gay rights.
"Today, we as a nation got closer to something, so that is, by reasonable deduction, progress," California resident and homosexual Lisa Gerard said. "I can now marry my girlfriend Erica, and Erica will be seen as my legal spouse under federal law. That improves my life greatly, so that totally counts as progress. Now, can my friend Peter who lives in Mississippi marry his longtime partner, David? No. Does the federal government recognize their union? No. Did nine people who are essentially supposed to be the most educated people in the United States basically say Peter and David are unequal to Erica and myself? They did."
"Anyway," she added, "let's party!"
According to a CBS News/New York Times poll taken after the Supreme Court ruling, 34 percent of respondents said that increased rights for gay Americans couldn't be called a non-victory; 42 percent noted that America is now a beacon of human rights, but not an extremely bright beacon, per se; and 10 percent said the ruling is a "very big deal," if one is willing to scale back their idealism and expectations fivefold.
Nearly 95 percent of respondents said that, after looking at all the specifics, reading the judges' majority opinions, thinking 10 to 15 years down the line, taking into consideration the overall trajectory of the country, understanding that everything takes time, and remembering that it is politically opportunistic for a majority of Congressmen to at least be seen as fair, what happened today moved the country forward.
"It certainly would have been great today to have found out that I now live in a country that isn't so goddamn hypocritical and ass-fucking-backward when it comes to equality," said homosexual Evan Benzio, causing those celebrating around him to momentarily stop cheering. "But whatever. Fuck it. I'll take it."


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Let's drop the names "Hamas" and "Israel" and make a list of the characteristics of two imaginary warring entities. We'll call them Entity A and Entity B.
Entity A:
–Declares that its raison d'etre is to annihilate Entity B.
–Sends missiles to explode in the most populated parts of Entity B in order to kill as many civilians as possible.
–Uses families and individual civilians as human shields to protect its own leaders from attack.
–Tortures and kills domestic political opponents.
–Has no political or religious freedom and has no freedom of speech, press, or assembly, and no independent judiciary.
–Is a theocracy.
–Violently oppresses gays.
–Saturates its education and airwaves with a demonic hatred of Entity B.
–Rated a "6" by Freedom House in its 2013 report on freedom in the world. Seven is the worst possible rating. Entity A ranks 6 in freedom, 6 in civil liberties and 6 political rights.
Entity B:
–Recognizes the right of Entity A to an independent existence.
–Has never begun a war with Entity A.
–Has never targeted civilians in Entity A. In fact, it has sacrificed soldiers in order to avoid killing Entity A civilians.
–Domestic political opponents — including even supporters of Entity A — not only have freedom of assembly, press and expression; they have political parties with representatives in Entity B's parliament.
–Has freedom of the press, assembly, religion, and a completely independent judiciary.
–Allows gays full civil rights.
–Has innumerable human rights groups dedicated to the welfare of people belonging to Entity A.
–Has no education or broadcasts comparable to the daily hate in Entity A.
–Freedom House rating for 2014 is 1.5 in freedom ("1" is best possible); 2 in civil liberties; 1 in political liberties.
So, then, with which entity does nearly every government in the world side? Entity A.
And what is the primary concern of the United Nations, nearly all the world's media, and nearly all the world's intellectuals? That Entity B, while hundreds of missiles are launched at its most populated cities, not kill any of the civilians among whom Entity A's leaders hide.
The moral gulf between Israel, our Entity B, and Hamas, our Entity A, is as clear and as great as the one that existed between the Allies and Nazi Germany. It is one of the few instances in today's world when the Nazi analogy is accurate.
It is clear that while free and democratic countries such as those in Western Europe value the freedoms of speech, assembly, and press for themselves, the absence of these freedoms among Israel's enemies means nothing to the Europeans in morally assessing the Middle East conflict.
The news media, too, have no moral focus. They are preoccupied with Gazans who have died, and with the disparity between the number of Gazans killed and the number of Israelis killed — as if that is morally dispositive. Imagine that during World War II, the Western press had converged on German hospitals and apartment buildings and repeatedly announced the huge disparity between German civilian deaths and British civilian deaths. More than 10 times the number of German civilians were killed as were British — but did that have anything at all to do with the morality of the British war against Germany?
The big question, then, is why? Why is decent, free, democratic Israel not fully supported by decent countries against the genocidal Islamist regime of Gaza?
Is there any other example in history of a free state and a police state at war in which the free state was deemed morally equivalent to the police state, or, even more implausibly, deemed the aggressor? Last week, a New York Times editorial put the equivalence this way: "an atmosphere in which each side dehumanizes the other."
Here, then, are some reasons:
1. The West has lost its way. Europe gave up on its values after World War I. And the American left, which dominates the media, gave up on America's distinctive values after the Vietnam War.
2. Unlike during World War II, there is a United Nations today, and it is dominated by over 50 Islamic countries, their dozens of allies, and a Security Council on which sit Russia and China as permanent members.
3. The current American president is a product of the postwar leftist morality. Wherever the left is in power, Israel is unpopular at best and loathed at worst. Thus, Israel's best friend today is the conservative government of Canada.
4. The world's news media relentlessly show images of wounded and dead Gazans. Israel, on the other hand, though the target of mass-killing missiles, has thus far been able to avoid such casualties.
5. Israel is Jewish.
If there are more valid reasons for why the world equates Israel and its morally primitive enemies — or actually deems Israel the villain — I have yet to hear them.
Dennis Prager's latest book, "Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph," was published April 24, 2013 by HarperCollins. He is a nationally syndicated radio show host and creator of PragerUniversity.com.
Also see,
Why America Is In Jeopardy


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From Halo
Welcome to the Halo franchise ARG community Wiki
(latest news listed at the bottom of this page)
|Fan-made Halo ARGs and projects
|Halo 5 promotional/community goodies
Hunt the Truth: UNSC/ONI conspiracy radio drama
|Halo 4 promotional/community goodies
Forward Unto Dawn: Live action miniseries
FUD Analysis - a deeper look at FUD content
Section 3 - Ongoing Halo community experience, AIs, puzzles, operative, and unlockables, and miscellaneous promotional material
Halo 4 Forerunner Sequences - Codes to be entered into HaloWaypoint.com's Classified terminal for additional content and in-game assets
Halo 4 SecOp Dialogue - Community interaction with various Section 3 and Seciton 0 operatives and AIs
|Halo: Reach promotional events and story content
Halo Reach in-game mysteries and story content
Remember Reach campaign, and RememberReach.com
|Halo 3: ODST story elements and ARGish components
This section is a work in progress. Feel free to edit and contribute information!
ODST - in-game mysteries and story content
Sadie's Story - the story within the game
We Are ODST - live actions shorts
|Iris (Halo 3)
Read the single page overview of Iris
Read through the 'epilogue' in Halo 3
AKQA's Post-game overview of Iris
Outline: The story's timeline of events
Of Interest: The hive mind at work
Web Reference: Resources, Websites, Communities
Characters: Who? What?
Frequently Asked Questions
Under construction:
|Believe Campaign (Halo 3)
|Live action Shorts from Neil Blomkamp (Halo 3)
|Misc Halo-related story arcs and events
|I Love Bees (Halo 2)
Main website: http://www.ilovebees.com
Dana's blog: http://ilovebees.blogspot.com
Reference sites
|Cortana Letters (Halo)
Primary outline: http://marathon.bungie.org/story/cortana.html
Reference sites
Latest News
Updates shortly to ensure completed information on newer wiki pages (like Halsey's Journal and other Reach content)
(-- Read more in the outline --)
To Do
- Document Halsey's Journal
- Review recent wiki section additions


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Activision Gives Sledgehammer Its Own Call Of Duty Game, Studios In Three Year Rotation
Activision has reported its financials for the quarter ending December 31, 2013. As part of that news, the publisher has announced that it is giving Infinity Ward and Treyarch longer development cycles to work on their Call of Duty games.
Sledgehammer, which worked with Infinity Ward on Modern Warfare 3, will be taking the reins of its own Call of Duty title. The studio was founded by Michael Condrey and Glen Schofield, who previously worked with Visceral on the Dead Space series. Sledgehammer is leading this year's Call of Duty game.
During the call, Activision listed three branches of the Call of Duty franchise: Modern Warfare, Black Ops, and Ghosts. With Black Ops at Treyarch and Ghosts at Infinity Ward, it seems logical to suspect Sledgehammer's entry will be a Modern Warfare title.
Our Take
Giving the Call of Duty teams an extended development cycle is great news for the franchise. That much time will allow additional experimentation and creativity that will help create greater distinction from year to year. Treyarch has the zombies game types. Infinity Ward has tinkered with Spec Ops and Extinction. I'm interested to see what Sledgehammer comes up with.


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Dystopic… but not in a fun way.
HIGH I finally got to see what one of those T-600s with the rubber faces looks like.
LOW It's two hours long. And most of that is spent ducking behind cars waiting for AI to do its job.
WTF This is a Terminator future-war game. Where are the lasers?
It's generally too simplistic to judge a game based on the length of time it takes to beat. There are dozens of different aspects that make up a positive experience with a video game, and for the most part its length only ever becomes an issue in two cases—great games are always over too soon and terrible ones seem to drag on forever. There is one place where a game's running time is instructive, and that's when considering whether a game is worth purchasing or merely renting. The old cost over length equation that lets people know how much their leisure time is costing them. And at 30 dollars an hour, this game is a startlingly bad investment.
That's right. Terminator Salvation, a 3rd-person shooter in the kill.switch mold, is just two hours long, with no replay value of any kind. That's not entirely fair—I played through the game twice. On the hard difficulty I died constantly and the game lasted four hours, on the regular difficulty I didn't die once and it lasted two. It's made up of nine extremely short levels, which include four separate rail shooter sequences. Now, there's nothing I like better than a good rail shooter; heck, the last Terminator game had an all-rail shooting bonus co-op game that added significant value to an already wonderful title. Here they don't accomplish anything other than to put sharp focus on just how little game there is to play.
The game's story acts as a prequel to the movie, rather than an adaptation of it. So rather than the heartwarming story of an incurious cyborg who learns to love, the player is s treated to a tale about the time John Connor shot a bunch of terminators for nebulous reasons to no great effect—although it does serve to introduce a number of the characters who are present for literally seconds in the film and had no impact on the plot whatsoever. So there's that. Also, in a sight all too common to licensed games, the lead actor did not lend his likeness or voice to the production. As an upside though, all of those aforementioned extraneous characters who don't do anything look and sound exactly like they did in the film.
There is one way all those additional characters can come in handy now though, that's when playing in co-op mode. Yes, to its minor success and crippling detriment, this game is specifically designed to be played, like Army of Two, co-op at all times. There is never a point a game in which John Connor is not accompanied by at least one of his resistance sidekicks. The upside of this is that when played with two people at once the game is at least a competent third-person shooter. The downside is that when attempting to play single player the experience is basically broken. The flaw is built right into the game's rather basic gameplay design. Every gunfight follows the same simple pattern, which will no doubt be familiar to anyone who's played a shooter in the past few years. Duck behind cover—shoot enemy from behind that cover—move to next cover—repeat. This simple formula is made even easier by the way the enemies, either out of politeness or bad programming, refuse to ever rush around or destroy the low concrete walls that scatter every level. They have one good thing going for them though, which is where the problem starts. All of the enemies the player will encounter during the game are completely bulletproof when shot from the front.
This isn't a problem in co-op mode, where the player who isn't being shot at can simply fire off a few rounds into the robots' entirely unprotected power supplies (note to self: when I design killer robots make sure they have more armor on the side they can't shoot from—actually you know what? Make robots that can shoot both forwards and backwards at the same time. Problem solved.) In single player mode however, the way the game's AI "works" conspires to destroy any possibility of enjoyment one might have.
It seems that the robots are blessed with the ability to know which of the humans shooting at them is being controlled by a real person and is therefore actually killable. As a result, they will almost always point directly at the player's cover, firing endless rounds of ammunition. At the same time the player's AI partners are—perhaps to compensate for their complete invulnerability mentioned above—totally unable to hit anything ever. I would roughly estimate that 60% of my combat time in the game was spent huddling behind cover, pinned down by enemy gunfire, frustratedly waiting for my AI to get in a lucky shot and either kill the things or get in enough glancing blows it would turn around and face them, finally giving me the chance to put it out of its misery.
It doesn't say much for a game about shooting robots that the only time I actually enjoyed shooting those robots was was right at the end when I had access so many grenades and rocket launchers that I was able to completely bypass the very cover mechanics that the game was built around. Well, that and the rail shooter sequences, but since rail shooting is basically impossible to get wrong it's hard to give them any credit for that.
Terminator Salvation is abject in its failures. I almost wish there was something I could give it credit for, but as it's impossibly short and incompetently made, there's just no reason to ever play Terminator Salvation. Heck, when looked at from an economic standpoint it doesn't even make sense as a rental. Five dollars an hour is just too much to pay for a borderline unplayable mess, although, come to think of it, I'm having a hard time thinking of a price at which a game is bad as Terminator Salvation would seem like a good deal.
Disclosures: This game was obtained via rental and reviewed on the Xbox 360. Approximately 6 hours of play was devoted to single-player modes (completed 2 times) and 2 hours of play to multiplayer modes.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game contains violence. Luckily, all of that violence is directed squarely at robots bent on destroying humanity, so on the scale of violence from firing waterguns at trees to beating puppies to death with a hammer, the needle is buried squarely on the innocuous side.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing: There are subtitles for all of the dialogue, although, since there's not much of a plot, that's not a huge accomplishment. The camera also does a great job of staying oriented on enemies and reminding the player where they are, so there aren't any problems with needing to hear gunfire to know that you're under attack.
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229 S 10th St, Mount Vernon, IL 62864
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- 229 S 10th St, Mount Vernon, IL 62864
White Fuchsia BouquetIntercat-16217
Bouquet of white lilies and roses, fuchsia gerberas and more.
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With an emphasis on destination diversity and expanding West Coast markets, the Big Ten and Pac-12 are strengthening their traditional ties with a pair of matchups in California bowl games.
The Holiday Bowl in San Diego and the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in the San Francisco Bay Area announced six-year agreements Monday for teams from each conference to play each other starting in 2014.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said the new configuration will also help avoid repeat matchups and teams returning to the same region frequently.
While the Pac-12 has a slotted selection order, Scott said the conference has "mechanisms" in place to allow for flexibility. Delany said the Big Ten is not locking in a selection order with its bowl partners but will have three tiers of bowl games where teams can be placed depending on their regular-season records.
"We're working with the bowls to create what I would describe as a process for selection and approval by each bowl subject to a series of parameters," Delany said. "We're going to really want different teams in different bowls."
The agreements shuffle the postseason landscape for both conferences.
The Big Ten replaces the Big 12 in the Holiday Bowl, where the Pac-12 already had an affiliation. The Fight Hunger Bowl will have the Pac-12's fourth selection after the College Football Playoff, which the Rose Bowl is a part of, the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, and the Holiday Bowl.
The Fight Hunger Bowl, which is moving from the San Francisco Giants' home at AT&T Park to the 49ers' future stadium in Santa Clara in 2014, had been sixth in the Pac-12's rotation. The Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, was previously fourth and will be moving down.
Delany and other Big Ten officials had talked openly about playing more postseason games in California, a major recruiting ground and television market. The Big 12 also plans to give its bowl lineup a more southern flavor by adding games in Florida and Tennessee in the coming weeks.
Scott said his focus in negotiations with bowls was about building markets that appeal to Pac-12 fans, many of whom live in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area. He also wanted to build upon established relationships with bowls and conferences.
"We felt that we had great bowl arrangements, great partnerships in the right markets for our teams, for our fans," Scott said. "So we looked at this process as one of optimizing our bowl arrangements going forward. In each the Holiday Bowl and Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, we feel like we've done that."
The Fight Hunger Bowl has had tie-ins with the Atlantic Coast Conference, the service academies and BYU over the years. If BYU is eligible this season, the Cougars will play a Pac-12 team in the final Fight Hunger Bowl played at AT&T Park, one of baseball's best venues but also one that has odd sightlines and atmospheres for football. If BYU is not eligible, an ACC team is next in line.
The conference commissioners said the bowl's pending relocation some 40 miles south to Levi's Stadium, the 68,500-seat future home of the 49ers that already has been awarded the 2016 Super Bowl, was a major factor in elevating the game's status — something bowl officials had in mind when they decided to make the move.
"Moving up was critical to us," Fight Hunger Bowl executive director Gary Cavalli said. "We've had years where we were sweating every night wondering whether we were going to get a team. When we started this game 12 years ago, I had a lot of brown hair. And now I have a little gray hair."
The new agreements solidify the Holiday Bowl's place in the upper tier of each conference's selection process.
Bruce Binkowski, executive director of the Holiday Bowl, said the deal will have a strong economic impact on the San Diego area and help answer any questions potential sponsors had about the event's stability. He said Bridgepoint Education chose not to renew its sponsorship rights on the event a few weeks ago and bowl officials are searching for a new partner.


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KHSU To Remain Above Average – June 21, 2011
June 21, 2011
Prairie Home Companion will remain on KHSU
An 11th-hour phone call to KHSU from the network that produces "A Prairie Home Companion" has allowed the station to keep the show on the air.
The Saturday variety program was one of three shows slated for cancellation on July 1 in an effort to trim costs for the radio station.
"I received a call from American Public Media asking if there was room for us to reconsider," says general manager Ed Subkis. He added that internet clipping services, like Google Alerts, may have played a part in the network reaching out, when news reports and public comments about the cancellation came to the attention of the show's producers.
After discussion with American Public Media about the station's finances and the amount of member support the program received, KHSU was able to negotiate a fee within its budget.
"Prairie Home" will continue on at its traditional time, broadcasting live from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
The show, hosted and co-written by humorist Garrison Keillor, has aired on KHSU off-and-on since 1985.
Because of the return of "Prairie Home," some of the station's previously announced new schedule will shuffle. "The Thistle and Shamrock" will move to Thursday afternoons at 2 p.m. before the local world music program "Ethnic Excursions." "Beale Street Caravan," which was to air at 3 p.m. Saturday will go on hiatus and may re-enter the late night line-up.
Other changes announced to KHSU's program schedule will remain in place. "Mountain Stage" on Saturday afternoon and "The BBC World Service" on early weekday mornings will both be cancelled.
The music show, "American Routes," will air at 1 p.m. on Saturdays. An earlier airing of NPR's "Morning Edition" and a variety of talk and music shows will replace the BBC.
Other program shifts will affect weekend times. Complete details of all the changes can be found on KHSU's website at khsu.org/program_changes.
KHSU broadcasts at 90.5 FM in the Humboldt Bay area and on repeaters in communities around Humboldt, Del Norte and Curry counties. KHSU is licensed to Humboldt State University.


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While the city of Stockholm is burning bunnies to power its homes, the human cremation process could soon provide an alternative energy of its own. A UK crematorium is looking into a new technology to recapture energy from human cremation.
Hastings Borough Council in East Sussex has announced that it is investing in technology to reclaim some of the energy lost in the cremation process. Although the technology is still in its proving stages, the crematorium hopes to have new generators that will capture and reuse the excess heat created by the cremation process to heat and eventually power the facility.
The spokespeople say it's still several steps away from actually using human bodies as fuel; the energy will come from the machines themselves rather than the bodies. But given how much fuel crematoria consume, it seems plausible that bodies could someday help fuel their own cremation process.
Crematorium to use burning bodies to generate electricity [Telegraph via Xenophilia]


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By Michael LaFaive, Special for USDR.
The city of Detroit announced it has filed for bankruptcy. Gov. Snyder must still approve of the move. If he does, it is a sad day in the long decline of a once powerful city.
It did not need to come to this.
Warning signs were everywhere and only increased in intensity in recent years. As early as 2000 this author published an entire issue of the Mackinac Center's flagship publication Michigan Privatization Report dedicated to Detroit's fiscal problems and related solutions.
I warned city leaders that "If Detroit's future expenditures were relatively stable, this financial snapshot still would be cause for concern. But the city is looking at two new outlays of monstrous proportions: funding the pension obligations of current and future city employees, which could cost up to $3 billion, and fulfilling requirements under several federal environmental acts, which will cost billions more."
In other words, the Center gave Detroit officials a 13-year heads up on the cost of their future pension obligations and the difficulty the city may have in funding them. Today those obligations probably contributed to the decision to seek federal bankruptcy status.
The handful of ideas presented for reform in 2000 would have saved Detroit $207 million annually, generated a windfall of at least $2.4 billion from the sale of assets and netted an additional $15 million annually from the sale of just two properties. The Michigan Privatization Report issue recommended selling both Belle Isle ($370 million) and Cobo Arena ($50 million). Both of those are conservative figures.
In 2005, I wrote an op-ed in The Detroit News titled, "Detroit Can't Postpone Reforms: Here are five ways the city can restore prosperity and avoid state receivership."
Instead of aggressively facing their problems and fixing the city's mismanagement issues, city officials continued to ignore and delay reforms until a consent agreement, an emergency manager and a bankruptcy filing were needed.
Michael LaFaive is director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, where he has worked for more than 15 years. Learn more about him and the Center, here.


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Five Towns Wine & Liquor
Smooth Ambler Contradiction Bourbon
A bourbon of two sides from Smooth Ambler. Their Contradiction Bourbon is made with a blends of two whiskeys - one is a rather young wheated bourbon distilled by Smooth Ambler themselves, the other is an old, rye-rich bourbon that the distillers have sourced (as they do for the Old Scout range). An intriguing release for those interested in the art of distilling, and for those who just simply love a tasty bourbon too.
Product Size Chart
- Size: 750ml
- Country: United States
- State: West Virginia


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The Southern Baptists are electing a new president to succeed the Rev. Fred Luter Jr., who became the denomination's first African-American president in 2012.
Contenders include the Rev. Dennis Kim, pastor of a Korean church in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the Rev. Ronnie Floyd, pastor of Cross Church, with several locations in northwest Arkansas. Members meeting in Baltimore will vote for the new president Tuesday.
The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation's largest Protestant denomination, with 15.7 million members, but leaders are concerned about recent membership declines. One of the bright spots in the effort to reverse that trend has been an increase in churches that are predominantly African-American, Hispanic and Asian, according to SBC statistics. The ratio of member churches that are not predominantly white moved from 1-in-20 in 1990 to 1-in-5 in 2010.
"One of the untold stories of evangelicals, Southern Baptists included, is their incredible ethnic diversity," said Ed Stetzer, executive director of Lifeway Research, publishing arm of the SBC. But that diversity is not well reflected in the SBC's leadership, he said.
The president of the SBC's Executive Committee is white, as are the heads of the seminaries, the mission boards and the other large entities that carry out the day-to-day work of the convention.
Still, some members — including some of Kim's supporters — are uncomfortable with the idea of making a conscious effort to diversify the leadership. Supporters of both candidates downplay the significance of race and agree the next president should be someone who can help halt the denomination's decline in membership.
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President, the Rev. Albert Mohler, who announced plans to nominate Floyd months before Kim became a candidate, said he is pleased to be part of a denomination that has many qualified leaders. But he said he thinks Floyd has the right qualifications to lead the SBC now.
"I don't think it sends any big signal about diversity in leadership," he said. "The SBC is becoming diverse in leadership at every conceivable level."
Texas pastor Dwight McKissic, who will nominate Kim at the annual meeting, said he thinks Kim is the best man for the job.
"Everything about him represents what the Southern Baptists need to impact the nations of the world with the gospel of the kingdom," he said.
The convention does not announce in advance what resolutions it will consider at its annual meeting, but recent controversies include the admission of a Muslim student to a Southern Baptist seminary and the decision of one Southern Baptist church to stop preaching that homosexuality is immoral.
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The Universidad de las Américas (University of the Americas) Puebla (UDLAP) was established as Mexico City College in the nation's capital, Mexico City, in 1940. Considered one of the most prestigious universities in Latin America, UDLAP was ranked the best private and single campus university in Puebla. It is one of only seven universities accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Today, UDLAP runs 53 undergraduate programs, more than a dozen master's degree programs, and four PhD programs. UDLAP's IT department supports approximately 10,000 users, including student and faculty.
Maintaining security for its 10,000 students and faculty members presents a huge challenge for UDLAP. The university estimates that each user has approximately 3.8 devices that they use to connect to the UDLAP network.
"Thousands of student and faculty devices are connected to the UDLAP Wi-Fi network, and each device is a potential threat to the university's security," said Fernando Thompson de la Rosa, Chief Information Officer (CIO), at UDLAP.
One of the biggest challenges for Thompson de la Rosa and his IT team is protecting the integrity of the university's brand. For example, the university can be exposed when students use the school network to send emails to friends and family globally. "The university's IP address carries a great deal of prestige and can be used by malware threats in ways that can damage our reputation. We do everything we can to keep our IP address protected," said Thompson de la Rosa.
Phishing attacks also present a serious problem for Thompson de la Rosa and his team. In many cases these attacks use email, instant messaging or Skype and focus on identity theft of the students. "As a university, these services are valuable and easily accessible to teachers and students. We can't simply close them down, but we can make them safe," said Thompson de la Rosa.
Piracy offers a challenge that is particularly prevalent in Mexico and Latin America. "As many as 90% of users buy pirated music CDs, DVDs, and software. At the same time, cartels place malware in pirated products, and users are unaware that their devices are compromised," said Thompson de la Rosa. "As a result of these security challenges, we received more than 200,000 attacks one summer."
"Trend Micro Deep Discovery provides the visibility we need to see the scope of these attacks, and how attackers are trying to exploit our network. Without this visibility, it would be very difficult to keep our IT environment and intellectual property protected."
Fernando Thompson de la Rosa,
Chief Information Officer, UDLAP
To keep its systems and users protected, UDLAP needed more visibility into all of its assets and activity on the network. They also needed the ability to categorize and secure them, independent of the operating system. "Ten years ago, I had full control of our network, and all of the computers belonged to the university," said Thompson de la Rosa. "Today, 90% of the devices that connect to our network belong to students and faculty members. Applying security controls to all the devices can be a real headache."
As the CIO of a high-profile university with a very diverse student base, Thompson de la Rosa has many priorities, ranging from business intelligence and cloud computing to virtualization projects. "Out of all my priorities, security has always been my top priority," said Thompson de la Rosa. When the search began for a security solution, UDLAP contacted OCM-IT Management Solutions, a hardware, software and technology services provider based in Mexico.
OCM-IT is a Trend Micro Platinum Partner specializing in security for virtualized environments, and they recommended the Trend Micro™ Deep Discovery™ solution. "When we started looking for a solution we wanted to choose the very best security provider. Along with OCM-IT, Trend Micro offered the best solution," said Thompson de la Rosa.
"When we started looking for a solution we wanted to choose the very best security provider. Along with OCM-IT, Trend Micro definitely offered the best solution."
Fernando Thompson de la Rosa,
Chief Information Officer, UDLAP
The results of a Trend Micro Deep Discovery proof of concept (PoC) of the UDLAP community's security sealed the deal. The test included not only computers and devices, but also how threats on these devices could impact the school's networks. "When I saw the results of the PoC, it was like an earthquake. With Deep Discovery we found many endpoints, assets and network segments that were being compromised. I was sold," said Thompson de la Rosa.
The Trend Micro Deep Discovery solution helped to immediately identify and categorize high risk and compromised assets. "Deep Discovery was able to rapidly find and catalog all of our network assets, which would have been very time-consuming and difficult for our team to accomplish," said Thompson de la Rosa.
Trend Micro Deep Discovery offers unique threat detection technologies that discovers attacks on the university's network. With 360-degree network wide detection, Deep Discovery identifies targeted attacks and advanced threats on all network traffic and ports through over 100 protocols— including devices owned by students and faculty.
Once these attacks were discovered, the solution's dedicated protection blocked threats that cyber criminals used to initiate targeted attacks. "Trend Micro Deep Discovery provides the visibility we need to see the scope of these attacks, and how attackers are trying to exploit our network," said Thompson de la Rosa. "Without this visibility, it would be very difficult to keep our IT environment and intellectual property protected".
Trend Micro Deep Discovery's purpose-built detection technologies also helped UDLAP address the music, video, and software piracy issue by identifying malware, command and control communication, and other activities signaling an attempted attack. To identify these threats, the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ infrastructure, which supports the Deep Discovery solution, collects global threat intelligence sensors to continually update email, web, and file reputation databases in the cloud. Using information from the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network, Deep Discovery identified and blocked threats in real time before they reached the school's network.
With Deep Discovery, UDLAP has realized significant benefits. "In addition to detecting previously unknown attacks, we are able to categorize the attack in terms of risk of assets throughout the network. Deep Discovery helps us regain control of our IT environment and provided the university with a foundation for a powerful security framework," said Thompson de la Rosa.
The solution significantly reduced targeted attacks and the potential for identity theft. "I receive proactive security reports every 15 days and we've experienced a 60% reduction in targeted attack incidences since deploying Deep Discovery," said Thompson de la Rosa. "If attackers can't get into our network, they can't steal information or identities."
With Trend Micro Deep Discovery protecting their IT environment, UDLAP has gained full visibility into their network. "We now we have a solution that offers the visibility into our network" said Thompson de la Rosa.
UDLAP realizes there is no shortage of security challenges for institutions of higher education, so they value Trend Micro as an ongoing partner and a member of the strategy team. "We have taken the next step in protecting our users with Deep Discovery. The threat landscape continues to change and we expect our relationship with Trend Micro to evolve with us," said Thompson de la Rosa.
Universidad de las Américas Pueblawww.udlap.mx
RegionLatin America, Mexico
ProductsDeep Discovery