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Style # 222050
Whether you opt for the floral or the leopard, this bebe jumpsuit is sure to lend your wardrobe a statement boho pop. A wide leg pant and plunging neckline make it perfect for anything from lunch dates to rooftop cocktails.
- 100% polyester
- Dry clean
- Imported
- Center back to waist: 14" (36 cm)
- Rise: 13" (33 cm), Inseam: 33" (84 cm), leg opening: 30" (76 cm)
- Model is 5'9" and is wearing a US size 6
Printed Wide Leg Jumpsuit is rated out of 5 by 2.
Rated 3 out of 5 by Italiangirl14 from Jumpsuits Loved the print but unfortunately the neckline is to plunging and I will need to wear a camisole with it. I am 5ft and the size 4 is so long that I will need to have I themed about 4 inches. I will be returning it as soon as. I can get to a bebe store.
Date published: 2014-01-01
Rated 5 out of 5 by Mylsterz from Fabulous Leopard Print I bought this as a gift for a friend, and she looked lovely in it trying it on (We are on separate coasts) She absolutely adored it, and I really think that the sale and the price I got it for was excellent. She loves the fit of it and was surprised she fit in a size 4. Her complexion looks marvelous with the outfit and it was a Must to buy it for her :)
Date published: 2013-12-15


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Well i have joined the elite. I bought a 2002 r 1100rt. This is my first BMW. I have been riding for over 20 years and i have had several different bikes. Now that i have my Beemer i have a few questions.
How can i get better performance out of the bike, better throttle response would be nice. Do any of these mapping chips work?
What are the best bar risers that will bring the bars out a little to relieve the pressure on my wrist. I have several other questions but i am a newbie here so i will read through the other threads to see what everyone has to say and suggest.
Thanks for for having a great site that a guy like me can learn on.
ride safe
jberlin5 :

subset: commoncrawl


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Lately I've been dealing with people who require advice as to how best to deal with an inherited IRA. Considerable value would be lost if you ignore the distribution rules specific to beneficiaries.
Lately I've been dealing with people who require advice as to how best to deal with an inherited IRA. Considerable value would be lost if you ignore the distribution rules specific to beneficiaries.
The rules are simple if you are the spouse of the account holder and they were under 70½ years old (rules are slightly different if over 70½) upon their death.
You can simply transfer the IRA to you as an IRA; open an inherited IRA where you must begin distribution no later than Dec. 31 of the year that the account holder would have reached 70½; open an IRA and defer distributions until Dec. 31 of the fifth year after the year in which the account holder died; or take a lump sum distribution where you will pay income tax on the distribution all at once.
It's fairly clean-cut except if you are a non-spouse beneficiary. What are your options? 1. You can transfer funds to an inherited IRA in your name using the five-year method. Which means that after five years, you must have all funds withdrawn, will not incur the 10 percent penalty, and you will pay all the tax due but you've had hypothetically five years of growth. 2. You can take a lump distribution and pay your income tax immediately. 3. You can open an inherited IRA using the life expectancy method. This method requires education and advice.
Distributions from inherited retirement accounts to nonspouse beneficiaries are not rollover eligible. If the intent is to allow inherited amounts to continue benefiting from the tax deferral, you must be sure that only the amounts that the beneficiary wants to (or should) distribute are withdrawn.
Unfortunately, beneficiaries often make the mistake of having inherited account balances distributed due to filing incorrect paperwork.
There is actually case law that supports the serious consequences that can result from getting improper advice.
Mrs. Smith (not her real name, but real case) inherited two IRAs from her aunt. Both IRAs were held with different banks. Mrs. Smith visited both banks and explained to the representatives that she wanted to transfer the amounts to her on a nontaxable basis.
Both banks issued checks for the accounts to Mrs. Smith. She deposited both checks into her regular bank accounts because she thought that the transfers were processed as a nontaxable transfer. She did not include the amounts on her tax return. The IRS determined a deficiency of $41,244 on her tax return. She took the IRS to court, lost, and as a result she owed the IRS $41,244 in income tax.
What went wrong? Mrs. Smith's intent was to preserve the tax-deferred status of the IRAs. She should have established an inherited IRA with her financial institution of choice and had the new financial institution submit transfer requests for the IRAs with instructions to pay the amounts directly to her IRA.
Any movement of assets between inherited retirement accounts must be done via trustee to trustee transfers accompanied by explicit delivery instructions.
With accumulation of wealth over the last three decades, and with uncles, aunts and siblings living longer, we are finding more and more of these mistakes being made. Be informed and be prepared as best as you can.


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If your appetite for Funk/Soul music is unquenchable, look no further. doby, an original Funk/Soul outfit hailing from Greensboro, NC may be just what you�re looking for.
With sensational vocalist Robin Stamps Easter from (Robin Doby and The Stovepipes) fronting the band with her grace and energetic personality, along with accomplished rhythm section consisting of Tommy Scifres - Guitar (Walrus, The Hall Monitors, & Hot Politics), Phil Clarke - Drums (Hot Politics & Walrus), Jeff Yetter - Keys (Thacker Dairy Road & None The Wiser), and Jeff Hindson � Bass (Chezz Rosterfield Trio & Hot Politics) - doby has the groove to captivate a live audience and keep them moving until the last note is played!!!
Join doby on their funky journey - we promise you won't be disappointed!
"With This Groove"


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One last thing, I have no doubt some chose to go to schools outside the T14 and have great intellect. The school is not always indicative. In my LSAT prep course, I had 2 Princeton University graduates. I was outscored them both on every test but the 1st (they scored higher by a point) For the official test in June, I scored 8 points higher than one. The other I no longer talk to. And I went to a lowly state school (and a county college for that matter). I believe though, as they say, I am the exception that proves the rule. In general, Princeton students will most likely score better than one who has gone to community college. But sometimes circumstances dictate otherwise.
Almost no one, however, believes that the LSAT has any correlation to success as a lawyer (assuming one can score high enough to get into law school).
A final example is that Michigan is better at football than Appalachian State despite that huge upset.
However, getting a job is easier from a pedigreed school and I do think top schools attract better faculty and students. You said you hate cold weather and did not attend Stanford, because of the cost. If you got a 180 on the LSAT and had a realistic shot I imagine your tune might have changed. I chose GGU for the scholarship money and would not change for anybody. "Sure" if Stanford came calling I would be there. Stanford is a better school than GGU. (PERIOD). (EXCLAMATION POINT).
Quote from: kenpostudent on October 05, 2010, 04:05:51 PMAlmost no one, however, believes that the LSAT has any correlation to success as a lawyer (assuming one can score high enough to get into law school). Depending on one's definition of "success," of course, this statement appears false almost by definition.If we assume these two premises:(1) a reasonably strong correlation between LSAT score and rank of law school attended(2) a reasonably strong correlation between rank of law school attended and "success"Then, unless math fails me, it necessarily follows that there is a non-negligible (and probably strong) correlation between LSAT score and "success."(I suspect there would be plenty of range interactions and other effects, but for any data set where (1) and (2) are true, the conclusion will follow.)Premise (1) is almost tautological, yes? Premise (2) is trickier, but certainly if we go by income, employment position, or other objective socioeconomic status measures, premise (2) has been shown to be pretty consistent (again, subject to range effects, etc.).Sorry. Didn't mean to derail a perfectly good school discussion.


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In theory, if an atheist asked God to do something horrible, it would be meaningless and not generate much anxiety. But a new study shows that in practice, atheists and religious people reacted the same when daring God to do terrible things.
In theory, if an atheist asked God to do something horrible, it would be meaningless to that person and not generate much anxiety.
But, in practice, atheists and religious people reacted the same when daring God to do terrible things, according to a study out of Finland.
The study, which is to be published in International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, asked 16 self-described atheists and 13 religious people how they felt about statements such as "I wish my parents would drown" and "I dare God to drown my parents."
Predictably, the religious folks said they felt more uncomfortable about invoking God to do horrible things than the atheists. But when researchers hooked all the subjects up skin conductance meters, they found something different.
"The skin test, which measures stress by sensing how much people sweat, revealed that the non-believers were just as bothered as the believers, even though an atheist ought to regard any statement calling on God to do something as meaningless," wrote Daniel Akst for the Wall Street Journal.
No one is saying the test proves the old adage that there are no atheists in foxholes.
But the "study does seem to suggest that the idea of God is extremely powerful, even in a relatively secular society like Finland," wrote Tom Bartlett in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
"I do think it's fair to say that tests like these could show that most atheists do not think God is a delusion, as Richard Dawkins argued in his famous 2005 book 'The God Delusion,' " wrote Trent Horn at Catholic Answers.
The researchers offer a few theories as to why atheists showed stress, including a past belief in deity that can't be shaken.
Both Bartlett and Horn wondered what the results would have been if they had asked the subjects the same questions using a clearly false diety such as the Flying Spaghetti Monster or the Golden Magic Squirrel.
"In an e-mail, one of the authors, Marjaana Lindeman, an adjunct professor of cognitive psychology and neuropsychology at the University of Helsinki, refrained from mocking the idea of the Golden Magic Squirrel," Bartlett wrote. " 'Unfortunately we did not include (the) statements you mentioned,' (Lindeman) wrote. 'This would indeed be an important question for future studies.' "%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A//beacon.deseretconnect.com/beacon.gif%3Fcid%3D67645%26pid%3D46%22%20/%3E


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Gibson Acoustic proudly has recreated of one of the most important acoustic guitars, from one of the most original artists to emerge from the punk and new wave scene of the late '70s and early '80s: The Elvis Costello Century of Progress acoustic — the first artist guitar in Gibson Acoustic's new Songwriter Series.
The new Elvis Costello Century of Progress acoustic is fashioned after Costello's beloved 1936 model, which was left in pieces following a bizarre flood at the Dublin storage facility where he kept his instruments. The new model is a painstaking recreation of Costello's favorite acoustic, used to record and perform many of the songs that made him the iconic musician that he is.
Culling information from photos of Costello's treasured instrument and the original blueprints from the 1930s, Gibson Acoustic's team of master luthiers were able to successfully reproduce every attribute of Costello's prized acoustic. The result is an amazing recreation of a legendary instrument, with flawless accuracy and immaculate attention to detail.
"It's a marvelous piece of work," Costello told Gibson. "The prototype was just remarkable. In every respect, the tone is exactly as I would expect it to be if I were to pick up my original Century of Progress."
No feature was overlooked in the creation of the Elvis Costello Century of Progress acoustic. From the figured Hard Rock Eastern maple used for the back and sides to the Adirondack spruce used for the top and bracing, including vintage-style glue used to put it all together. The new Elvis Costello Century of Progress acoustic also offers a distinct peghead veneer and pearloid fingerboard, adorned by diamond inlays within rosewood rectangle fingerboard markers. The neck is crafted from one solid piece of Honduras mahogany, and hand-sanded to form a pronounced "V" profile.
The new Elvis Costello Century of Progress from Gibson Acoustic will be released in a very limited run of only 300 instruments, numbered from 001 to 300, with an exclusive black hard-shell case adorned with a special Elvis Costello/Gibson stamped commemorative plaque and certificate of authenticity. Each guitar's label will also be personally autographed by Costello.


text: Hi all, The May London.PM social will be this Thursday May 3rd at The Bridge House by Tower Bridge, which serves foamy Adnams beers, crisp Aspall ciders and tasty foods. The Bridge House 218 Tower Bridge Road London SE1 2UP http://london.randomness.org.uk/wiki.cgi?Bridge_House,_SE1_2UP Standard blurb: Social meets are a chance for the various members of the group to meet up face to face and chat with each other about things - both Perl and (mostly) non-Perl - and newcomers are more than welcome. The monthly meets tend to be bigger than the other ad hoc meetings that take place at other times, and we make sure that they're in easy to get to locations and the pub serves food (meaning that people can eat in the bar if they want to). They normally start around 6.30pm (or whenever people get there after work) and a group tends to be left come closing time. If you're a newcomer or other first timer (even if you've been lurking on the mailing list or on IRC) then please seek our Glorious Leader Tom out - we have a tradition that the leader of this motley crew buys the new people a drink and introduces them to people. -- ilmari "A disappointingly low fraction of the human race is, at any given time, on fire." - Stig Sandbeck Mathisen


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Cause I don't have any Targets or TRUs in my area.
Sure you're not thinking of the Felucia pack?
Will we be able to order these online, or is that a no go since it's an exclusive?
Well said, DoctorPadawan. I couldn't of said it better. Personally, I would spend more on my hobby.......that is if I could find the toys half the time. There is money to be made with us collectors and yet.......you know the rest.As excited as I am about this battlepack, it looks like it's gonna be hit and miss with this one.
KAY-BEE STANDARD RESPONSE: "All we have is 1990's 'Robocop' toys."WHICH MEANS: "Holy ******* ****, please shoot m
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You don't want to miss this article. Reading it should help you realize the "big picture," and that the key terms, methods and techniques will fit into a whole just like puzzle pieces. The language of this part might be a bit more advanced but I'm trying to give you tons of real-world examples and instructions. Nonetheless, I'm sure that your level of experience and knowledge with Linux operating systems will be more than enough.
Before moving on, I'd advise checking your firewall settings (both software and hardware, if there are any), configure your router's SSH port forwarding, and make sure you have an SSH server up and running. If you don't, then head over to OpenSSH and grab it. Throughout this article I will assume that the reader has SSHd (daemon = server) and has no router and/or firewall related issues. The purpose of this article is to focus mainly on VNC.
Installing and Running TightVNC with SSH Tunneling
Every now and then installing a new application might become tricky, especially if we want to install a somewhat secure server. Throughout this section I'm going to lead you through the installation process of the TightVNC Server and then we're going to secure it via the famous SSH tunneling technique.
Considering that you're running Linux you should be already familiar with installing and configuring applications on this OS. Depending on your distribution some of the commands and paths might change; in that case, all you need to do is customize them as required. You'll get the drift.
Why TightVNC you might ask? It's simple. We already discussed in the first part that not all of the VNC clients have server-side. My personal favorite is TightVNC. It has a lot of advantages, performance optimizations and enhanced features compared to the standard VNC (i.e., efficient compression algorithms, configurable compression levels, optional JPEG compression, enhanced web browser access, flexible configuration options and automatic SSH tunneling on UNIX-that's what we need).
Visit this link and download the latest release of TightVNC for Linux. Currently, at the time of writing this article, the '1.2.9-1' version is the latest. For beginners I'd really suggest downloading the RPM package. In that case you should download "tightvnc-server-1.2.9-1.i386.rpm." Log in to 'root' or a specific 'VNC user' and get ready!
{mospagebreak title=Getting Started}
First we need to make sure that no previous VNC packages are installed. Running the command below uninstalls the specified package. Usually two packages are already installed, and these are vnc and vncserver. Try the command below for these two.
rpm -e name_of_the_package
Then go to the folder location where you've downloaded your new TightVNC RPM. Run the following command to install:
rpm -ivh exact_name_of_the_package_goes_here
If you are in a rush and don't like using the TAB auto-completion you might run the following command instead of the previous one:
rpm -ivh tightvnc*rpm
If the installation ends successfully you should see the following lines or something similar:
Preparing… ########################### [100%]
1:tightvnc-server ########################### [100%]
Next you need to actually run the server. Type the following command:
vncserver :1 -geometry 1024×768 -depth 16
When you run the command, it's going to ask for a password. Decide whether or not you want to use a separate view-only password. You should just type in the password you desire and then hit enter. Of course, running "vncserver :1" is enough but this way you have the ability to customize and add advanced options. Check out the way it starts up.
You will require a password to access your desktops.
Would you like to enter a view-only password (y/n)? n
New 'X' desktop is localhost:1
Creating default startup script /root/.vnc/xstartup
Starting applications specified in /root/.vnc/xstartup
Log file is /root/.vnc/localhost:1.log
- ":1" is the display ID. The number 1 is just an example. The ports that will be open and allocated by the VNC server are the following: 5801, 5901 and 6001 (that's if the # is 1, otherwise it's 5800+#, and so on);
- "-geometry" attributes the resolution;
- "-depth" stands for the color depth.
To back up my previous statement I've run "netstat -ta." Here is its output:
Active Internet connections (servers and established)
Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State
tcp 0 0 *:5801 *:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 *:5901 *:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 *:6001 *:* LISTEN
Obviously, you're going to have more connections. I've deleted the rest to reduce the size of the table that I've attached. Currently, those are the ones we care about.
That should be all you need to do on your server. Both SSHd and VNCserver should be running by now. Now, I'm going to lead you through the steps that you need to follow to be able to view your server from a remote computer (which also runs Linux).
{mospagebreak title=Setting up the Environment}
We now need to set up the $VNC_VIA_CMD environment variable. VNC Viewers have an option called "-via" that allows use of a gateway between the server and client. If there is a gateway located, the environment VNC_VIA_CMD variable must be configured prior to viewing. In our case that variable defines the SSH options so that we'll be able to connect to our VNC server remotely through a gateway (that is your SSHd).
Therefore, we need to run the following instruction to configure the variable:
export VNC_VIA_CMD='/usr/bin/ssh -2 -c aes128-cbc -x -p port_number -l user_name -f -L %L:%H:%R %G sleep 20′
- "-2" tells the system to use SSH2;
- "-c" manually sets up a specific encryption type — in our case it's going to be 'aes128-cbc' as that is one of the most preferable, because it is strong and fast;
- "-p" specifies the port number — this is optional, use it only if the port of your SSHd is not the default 22;
- "-l" specifies the username to connect on — this is optional again, use it only if your username on the server (remote) is different from the one that you currently have logged onto your client system; the rest of additional commands are must-haves, and explained in the vncviewer man-page.
Also, the previously mentioned VNC_VIA_CMD must be executed every time prior to using the 'vncviewer.' But you can add this command into your '.bash_profile' file. Use a text editor (e.g., nano, emacs, vim) and add two new lines containing the following:
VNC_VIA_CMD='/usr/bin/ssh -2 -c aes128-cbc -x -p port_number -l user_name -f -L %L:%H:%R %G sleep 20′
export VNC_VIA_CMD
Using the above technique makes sure that the VNC_VIA_CMD environment variable gets 'exported' on every boot (just as you'd type in manually).
If no errors occurred until now then everything should be up and running… of course, assuming that your firewall configurations are all right, and that you have SSHd configured. You could try locally to view your VNC server by executing the command:
vncviewer localhost:1
On the other hand, from another system (also running on Linux) you should be able to connect to your VNC server. Type in the following commands to do this:
vncviewer -encodings tight -via XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX localhost:1
- "XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX" is your server's IP address;
- ":1" is your display #ID;
- "-via" command forces the system to use the "$VNC_VIA_CMD" environment variable;
- "-encodings" command uses the specific encoding type (in our case it is called tight.) Using specific "-encodings" is optional but recommended on low speed connections. They are truly beneficial.
Additional commands: You might add "-quality 1" and "-depth 8" to reduce color depth for the viewer (faster response, better compression). Quality 1 is the second highest because the best is 0. Other color depth examples might be 16, 32.
That's all! You should be able to remotely view your server with ease — if your client computer is running Linux too. If not, then all you need is an SSH client for Windows (or Mac, depending what OS runs on your client). As I've already recommended in the first half of this series, PuTTY is one of the best freeware SSH clients. Download it from here. Run it, and at the 'Host Name' (IP address where to connect) type in the external IP address of your Linux Server.
Also, don't forget to add tunnel/'port forward' to the port 5901 (in our case). You can do this by setting it up as source port: "5901" and destination "127.0.0.1:5901". Keep in mind that if you're going to need more than one instance of VNC then you will forward more ports; each port must be tunneled separately. Add the display number to your ports; in the example above it was 5901=5900+1 (display number is #1, that's why). Check out the illustrative screen shot below.
Once PuTTY is successfully connected to your SSHd all you need to do is fire up VNC Viewer and connect to "127.0.0.1," because PuTTY will forward the specified connection. The aforementioned procedure is explained in detail in the first part of this series. Anyway, I'm reinforcing again the idea behind SSH tunneling, in a nutshell.
You are connecting from your remote client to your Linux server's SSH daemon, but after that you also need to connect to your VNC server that also runs on your Linux server, thus you need to tunnel the port 590x (x stands for the display number) to the same computer (assuming that SSHd is on same system as the VNC server) and port 590x. Your VNC Server can be contacted on port 590x but you're connecting to your SSH port, so you need to forward/tunnel to that port. That's how it gets in contact with your VNC Server. That's the main idea behind SSH tunneling and that's why we should not forget about adding a tunnel when connecting with PuTTY.
For reference and more information head over to the first half of this series on ASP Free, called "Secure Desktop Sharing with VNC on Windows." More exactly you'll want to check out the next to last page and examine the illustration diagram and the descriptions below it.
{mospagebreak title=More Useful VNC Commands}
One might ask how can we close and stop the vncserver service if it's running. You can kill it using the following command:
vncserver -kill :# //where # is the display no.
Also, another useful tip is that you can set up your vncserver to start automatically every time your Linux system boots up. One of the ways to do this is by adding a new line to your "/etc/rc.d/rc.local." This shouldn't surprise you if you're familiar with Linux. A quick example would be adding the following line:
su – user_name -c "cd /home/user_name && vncserver :1 -geometry 1024×768 -depth 16"
In the above command you need to replace "user_name" with the specific user on which you want to run your VNC Server. The command "su" basically runs the command in "" (quotation marks) at the specified username-when executing more than one command, you need to separate each of them with &&. In our case, it changes the current directory to /home/user_name and executes the "vncserver :1 -geometry 1024×768 -depth 16" command.
We shouldn't forget about the "vncpasswd" command that allows us to change the password for our VNC Server.
{mospagebreak title=Final Words}
We've come to the end of this article, therefore the end of the series too. I think that my two-part series should be useful and helpful. It should help you to realize many possibilities for securing connections. Encryption and SSH work wonders.
It might happen that some parts of this two part series were too hard and advanced but I certainly hope you could follow my instructions and understand what's happening behind the scenes. That way you can benefit from SSH tunneling for many other connections. Furthermore, you should be able to configure, optimize and secure all of your connections.
If you are facing some serious dilemmas or issues don't hesitate to contact us over at DevHardware Forums. It is definitely worth mentioning that we have a strong base of experienced members who are friendly and knowledgeable. Your question might be Linux or Windows related, SSH tunneling or even hardware, router or firewall configuration; you name it, we're there to help you.
Good luck and I really hope that my two-part series has boosted your level of understanding, shown you new ideas and opportunities.
Now that you know how to set up, configure, optimize and secure platform independent VNC connections, it should make you feel and act confidently like a real network and/or system administrator. You will be amazed at how many times you will find yourself benefiting from VNC connections, securing other users' connections, and feeling safe knowing that your connections can't be easily intercepted anymore.
Be safe!


text:
Antique Fishing Lure Prices
By Gabby Talkington
Have lures or reels you want to sell? Contact Gabby Talkington: Contact information
Lure and Lure Box Prices We Pay
Table of Contents | Search on this site | Home page
This website is copyrighted 1997- 2011. All rights reserved. No image or content from this website may be used on any other website without written permission. For any questions: Contact


text:
Watching "whatever's on" TV -- or shelling out for cable so you can see a particular show -- is so last decade. With an ever-expanding array of movies, TV shows and other video content available online, more and more TV watchers are opting to connect their TVs to the Internet, either to supplement their cable or satellite package -- or to replace it entirely.
According to market analysis firm Informa, the number of Internet-connected TV devices worldwide could grow more than fourfold in the next few years, from 375 million in 2011 to as many as 1.8 billion by 2016.
There are many different ways to connect your television to the Internet, including buying a new Smart TV that can directly connect with online entertainment. If you're not in the market for a new set, the possibilities include a PC, a connected Blu-ray player, a modern gaming console or a set-top box. It can cost anything from zero (if you happen to have an old PC hanging around) to several hundred dollars to "Webonize" your TV.
For many, the easiest and most cost-effective choice will be getting a streaming set-top box, often for $100 or less, and plugging it into an existing TV. Most of these boxes are small and easy to set up, but there's a bewildering array of options out there, each with its own pros and cons. Some connect to the Web only via Wi-Fi, while others have a wired Ethernet port as well. Some support 720p HD content and others support full 1080p HD.
All can stream online videos and music, but only some integrate live TV. Several of these streamers offer Web browsing and gaming, and they all let you watch certain shows and movies online when you want to, not when a cable or network broadcaster wants you to.
Besides the box that connects the TV to the Web, they all include an infrared remote control for selecting what to watch, pausing, rewinding and the like. Some add a mini-keyboard on the back of the remote or allow you to use your smartphone to take command of the TV.
All the major players deliver popular online entertainment sources (called apps or channels, depending on the streaming device) such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube or Pandora; the exact programming sources vary from device to device. Some add more offbeat choices such as Vudu or Dailymotion, services like MLB.tv that cater to specific sports, and even social media sources like Facebook.
(Cheapskates beware: Although there's a wide world of free programming out there, many online programming sources cost extra, and prices vary wildly. Online subscriptions to Netflix or Hulu Plus, for instance, cost a reasonable $8 a month each, but HBO Go, which allows you to watch anything the network broadcasts, can only be had with a traditional cable TV subscription.)
To help you decide which streamer is right for you, we've rounded up 13 current set-top boxes from seven vendors, highlighting the features, capabilities, extras and gotchas of each. Our table of features shows you at a glance how each device connects, what kind of storage it has, which online services it can receive and more.
One thing is certain: With one of these systems in your living room, there'll always be something to watch.
Apple TV
Price: $99
Apple's third-generation Apple TV integrates well with the iTunes entertainment ecosystem; you can watch a variety of movies and TV episodes at up to 1920 x 1080 resolution, listen to music or even look at your family photos.
The system is a simple, spare box with rounded corners. Less than an inch thick with a 3.9-x-3.9-in. footprint, it can easily be hidden near or behind the TV set.
The small silver and black remote control is similarly minimalist and has neither dedicated buttons for popular programming sources nor a keyboard. You can use an iOS app to turn your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch into a more sophisticated remote control.
How it connects: The system has 802.11n Wi-Fi as well as wired Ethernet networking. It connects to a TV through an HDMI port on the back, and there's an SPDIF optical audio port for use with a set of external speakers. (Neither cable is included, though.) On the downside, it lacks a composite video port for older televisions.
What you can watch: While it can't browse the Web, deliver local TV stations or integrate cable TV, Apple TV does offer a nice assortment of subscription-based online programming, from Netflix and Hulu Plus to live sports via MLB.tv, NBA.com and NHL GameCenter. Much of the content, however, needs to be purchased individually from the iTunes store at roughly $2 for a TV show or $4 for a movie. Unfortunately, there's no unlimited monthly or annual subscription plan.
Apple TV can also wirelessly stream photos, videos and music from a laptop or desktop computer (Mac or Windows) onto your TV, as well as access content you've stored on Apple's iCloud service. And the company's AirPlay feature lets you stream anything from an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to the Apple TV box and onto a television set.
(If you're into rumors, there are several circulating about Apple integrating the Apple TV interface and functionality into an actual television set for a one-stop digital entertainment center. But by most accounts, that's a long way off.)
Who it's best for: Apple TV is a smart pick if you already have an iDevice or own a lot of iTunes content. It's not, however, for anyone who has an older TV that requires composite video input -- or who hates buying shows one at a time.
Boxee TV and Boxee Box
Price: $99 for Boxee TV (plus $10/mo. for cloud DVR storage), about $180 for Boxee Box (TV tuner $50 extra)
The two streamers in D-Link's Boxee lineup do something many of the others can't: Pull in broadcast TV, from the 6 o'clock news to that late-night horror movie marathon. Having a TV tuner attached to the set-top box means you can watch digital TV broadcasts on a computer monitor or on a TV that doesn't have a digital tuner. And you don't have to switch out of the box's interface to watch live network TV.
Just released in November, the Boxee TV is typically sized for a set-top box at 6.7 x 3.8 x 1.6 in. The older Boxee Box is a larger 4.7-in. cube set at a rakish angle (see below); subtle it's not. Both can send 1920 x 1080 HD video to your TV.
The Boxee Box comes with a remote control that has a full QWERTY keyboard on the other side; the Boxee TV's remote lacks the keyboard but has a pair of dedicated buttons for popular online services. You can also connect an external keyboard to either box via USB.
Both devices can use the company's free iOS app that lets you control the device and type in passwords or the name of your favorite show. There's also a third-party Android app called Boxee Wifi Remote that works with the Boxee machines.
How they connect: Both Boxees use an HDMI connector (a cable is included with Boxee Box but not Boxee TV), and both offer the choice of using either 802.11n Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet to get online. Neither offers a composite video port for connecting to an old TV. The Boxee Box adds an audio-out optical connection for an external speaker set.
What you can watch: Both devices can display local TV stations and unencrypted cable TV, but they take different routes to do so. While the Boxee Box has an $50 add-on USB tuner, the Boxee TV has two tuners built in so you can watch a show on one channel and record another show at the same time.
Going a step further, Boxee TV lets you store recorded shows on Boxee's cloud servers for watching later from your TV, computer or mobile device. The optional service costs $10 a month (first three months free) and has no storage limitations; think of it as a bottomless DVR that never runs out of space. Note, however, that the service is currently available in only a handful of cities, and it works only with broadcast TV, not pay channels. You can sign up to be alerted when it rolls out to your neighborhood.
Either Boxee device can tap into online programming sources including Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Vimeo, Pandora and MLB.tv; most of these services are subscription- or fee-based.
Tired of watching online TV? Both models have a pair of USB ports so that you can attach a memory key or hard drive to play stored personal media. The Boxee Box adds an SD card slot for playing music, photos or that clip you just saved on your digital camcorder -- and it also includes a built-in Web browser.
While the Boxee TV system costs $99 wherever you buy it, it pays to shop around for the Boxee Box: It lists for $230 but can be found at many retailers for about $180.
Who they're best for: Like having local TV mixed with Web-based TV? The Boxee TV delivers both, and its ability to record and store an unlimited number of shows in the cloud is a big bonus -- if the service is available in your area. If you want local TV and Web surfing (but no DVR service), the Boxee Box with add-on TV tuner is a sound (albeit expensive) choice. (Note, however, that neither device works with older composite-input TVs.)
Netgear NeoTV / NeoTV Pro / NeoTV Max
Price: $50 for NeoTV, $60 for NeoTV Pro, $70 for NeoTV Max
With three inexpensive models to choose from, Netgear's NeoTV set-top boxes serve up 1920 x 1080 HD programming to your TV and provide freedom of choice for how you connect.
The NeoTV, NeoTV Pro and NeoTV Max all look the same and offer a range of features and services. At 3.6 x 3.6 x 1 in., they are among the smallest devices in this class.
The remote controls vary based on model. The NeoTV and NeoTV Pro systems include a basic infrared clicker that has six dedicated keys for popular programming. The high-end Max model has a more advanced remote that includes a full QWERTY keyboard with chiclet keys on the back, which makes entering passwords much easier than using an on-screen keyboard and arrows. You can also control all three NeoTVs from your smartphone or tablet via Android and iOS apps.
How they connect: All three connect to the Internet via 802.11n Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet, and they connect to your TV with an HDMI cable (not included). The Pro and Max models add an audio output port for driving external speakers, plus an AV-out port that can feed an older TV with composite audio and video signals.
What you can watch: While none of the NeoTV family integrates live cable or network TV, some of their online programming sources (some subscription- or fee-based, many free) include Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Pandora, Facebook and Cinema Now. The top-of-the-line NeoTV Max system also includes a microSD card slot and a USB port for playing back videos, photos and music from external devices.
Although the NeoTV software is based on the Opera browser, the systems don't include a browser for surfing to individual websites. The Pro and Max models do, however, have a trick up their sleeves: Using Intel's WiDi technology they can wirelessly mirror anything that's displayed on a WiDi-enabled laptop (including a browser) on a TV. It's easy to set up and transmits audio and video over the air for a range of about 30 feet.
Who they're best for: The NeoTV trio are for budget-minded users who crave online TV and movies, don't care about roaming around the Web from a TV, and don't mind switching interfaces to watch live TV. If you want to connect to an older TV or access content from a microSD card, USB drive or WiDi-enabled laptop, look to the top-of-the-line NeoTV Max model.
Roku LT / HD / 2 XD / 2 XS
Price: $50 for Roku LT, $60 for Roku HD, $80 for Roku 2 XD, $100 for Roku 2 XS
Roku's family of set-top boxes is the largest and most confusing of this roundup, ranging from the basic Roku LT and Roku HD models, which offer 1280-x-720-resolution video, through the Roku 2 XD and Roku 2 XS models, which can deliver full 1920 x 1080 resolution.
All four models have a compact 3.9-x-3.9-x-1-in. case. The LT model is purple and only sold online, while the black HD is widely available in brick-and-mortar stores as well; otherwise the two models are pretty much interchangeable. The 2 XD and 2XS add more features as the price goes up.
The LT, HD and 2 XD models come with the company's basic remote control that includes dedicated buttons for jumping to Netflix, Pandora and Crackle, while the 2 XS comes with Roku's motion-sensitive gaming remote. (The Bluetooth gaming remote is available as a separate purchase for $10, but only for the 2 XD model; the LT and HD don't support Bluetooth.)
All the boxes work with Roku's free Android or iOS app, which not only controls what you're watching on the TV, but lets you watch everything on the phone or tablet's display. It requires a Wi-Fi connection, though.
How they connect: Unfortunately, only the 2 XS model includes an Ethernet port; the others rely exclusively on 802.11n Wi-Fi to bring the Internet to the TV. All of the Roku boxes connect to TVs via either an HDMI port or a composite video connector for use with older TVs. (Cables are not included.)
What you can watch: None of the Roku systems provides a Web browser or integrates cable or local TV stations. But Roku's real strength is its vast array of online entertainment options, ranging from well-known sources like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Disney, HBO Go and MLB.tv to offbeat channels dedicated to independent films, comics, yoga, cooking videos, fishing, astrology and much, much more. While several of the big-name services are subscription- or fee-based, much of this decidedly mixed bag of content is available for free.
There are also numerous free and paid games to play, and the 2 XS model includes a copy of Angry Birds. The 2 XD and 2 XS also have two USB ports and a microSD card slot for accessing stored content.
Who they're best for: If you're looking for a basic set-top streamer that works with older TVs and offers few bells and whistles but a huge assortment of online entertainment possibilities, one of Roku's four set-top systems can deliver. To get full 1080p HD support and access stored content from a microSD card or USB drive, you'll want the 2 XD or 2 XS model, and for Ethernet connectivity you'll need the 2 XS.
Sony Internet Player with Google TV
Price: $150
Although its asking price has dropped from $200 to $150, Sony's Internet Player with Google TV (model NSZ-GS7) is still one of the most expensive streamers here, but it opens up a world of online content to your television.
Sony's second-generation online TV set-top box is based on the Google TV platform, which aims to roll up the entire universe of TV and online experiences into one ecosystem. Instead of connecting only to your TV, as most of the other set-top streamers do, the Sony Internet Player sits between your TV and one other device: your cable/satellite box, DVR or DVD player.
From a single interface you can watch live TV (network and pay channels), DVDs, shows stored on your DVR and online streaming content. You can also access Android apps and games from the Google Play Store, surf the Web with the Chrome browser and use Google search. As you'd expect from a device that sits at the center rather than the periphery of your entertainment system, Google TV boxes tend to be more complicated to set up than other streamers.
Able to deliver 1920 x 1080 HD programming, the Sony set-top box is an unwieldy 8.0 x 5.1 x 1.3 in., making it harder to hide than the other devices in the roundup.
While the Internet Player's remote control has four dedicated buttons for programming your favorite content providers, there's also a touchpad for moving around the screen. Flip it over and the remote has a full QWERTY keyboard with tiny keys that make it a snap to type in your password or the first few letters of what you want to watch. Sony also offers apps that let your Android or iOS device act like a smart remote control.
How it connects: Sony's streamer lets you connect your TV to the Internet via 802.11n Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable (not included). The Internet Player has HDMI input and output connectors that can send signals to your TV and can also integrate a cable/satellite box or an external DVD/Blu-ray player. There's no composite connector for older TVs, but it can connect with a set of external speakers through its SPDIF optical audio port.
What you can watch: Although it doesn't include a TV tuner, the Sony set-top box pulls in local stations from your TV's tuner and pay channels from your cable or satellite provider. The online programming choices include a mixture of free and subscription-based Google TV options such as Netflix, Crackle, Pandora and oddballs like Flixster and Adult Swim. It is also the only box in our roundup that can display programming from Sony's Entertainment Network, which delivers music, movies and games for a fee.
Like Vizio's Co-Star, the Sony set-top box can download thousands of Android apps and games from the Google Play Store; Sony throws in three free movies to boot. And you can browse the Web with the built-in Chrome browser -- but note that several major networks block Google TV from streaming Web-based video.
Unlike any of the others here, the Sony Internet Player has the luxury of 8GB of internal storage for apps, games, home videos, photos or music. If that's not enough space, the system also has a pair of USB ports for connecting memory keys or hard drives for more storage capacity.
Who it's best for: Google fans who want to experience the company's full integration of live TV, streaming Internet TV, Web browsing and search, Google Play Store apps and more -- and who don't mind paying a premium and putting up with some complexity to do so -- may be interested in Sony's Internet Player. (Have an older TV that requires composite video input? You're out of luck.)
Vizio Co-Star
Price: $100
Vizio's $100 Co-Star set-top box gives your TV the Google TV treatment for a lot less than Sony's box. Like the Sony Internet Player, the Co-Star sits between your TV and a content-delivery device like your cable/satellite box, DVR or DVD player. It supports 1920 x 1080 HD as well as 3D content, and at 4.2 x 4.2 x 1.6 in., the midsize device won't dominate your living room.
The Co-Star's remote has dedicated buttons for three popular entertainment selections and a touchpad for navigating around the screen. Flip it over and you'll find a QWERTY keyboard with tiny keys for typing in everything from your password to the search term "Green Acres." The Co-Star's remote has a dedicated ".com" key to ease Web journeys and a four-way gaming control for when aliens attack.
There's also a Google TV Remote app for controlling the set-top box from your Android or iOS phone or tablet.
How it connects: The Co-Star can tap into your home's broadband via 802.11n Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet. It connects to the TV via HDMI and offers an HDMI-in port as well for integrating a cable/satellite box or DVD/Blu-ray player. (Cables not included.) There's no audio-out jack or composite connector.
What you can watch: Like the Sony Internet Player, the Co-Star integrates live TV with the Google TV platform's array of free and subscription-based online programming, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go and Amazon's Instant Video service. It also provides access to the OnLive on-demand cloud gaming service as well as thousands of Android apps and games via the Google Play Store.
Want to see what's going on at CNN's or Computerworld's website? The Co-Star has a Chrome-based Web browser as well as Google search built in. It also has a USB port for connecting a hard drive or memory key for watching home movies, scrolling through photos or listening to music.
Who it's best for: If you want Google TV but don't want to shell out for Sony's Internet Player, Vizio's Co-Star does without extras like onboard storage, an optical audio port and a second USB port -- but it still rolls up live TV, online TV and Web browsing for $100. (It doesn't, however, work with older TVs that require composite video input.)
WD TV Live
Price: About $99 ($79 TV tuner also available)
Best known for its hard drives, Western Digital also has a TV set-top box that can deliver your favorite shows and movies. It lacks the ability to browse websites, but gives freedom of choice for how you get it online.
At 4.9 x 3.9 x 1.2 in., the TV Live box is small enough to be stashed just about anywhere, and it's available in versions for the U.S. (for NTSC TVs) or Europe (for PAL sets). Like most of the others, the set-top box delivers full 1920 x 1080 HD content to the TV set.
The system's remote control doesn't have a mini-keyboard, but one of the USB ports can be used for connecting a wired or wireless keyboard to the set-top box. If you like, you can use your smartphone or tablet as a remote control with Live TV by downloading the company's free Android or iOS app.
How it connects: TV Live can get you online via Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet, and it works with TVs old (with composite video connectors) and new (with HDMI; cable not included). A bonus is its audio-out connection that can drive a set of digital speakers using the SPDIF optical standard.
What you can watch: Although TV Live doesn't have a Web browser, it can tap into online programming sources like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, MLB.tv and YouTube, some free, some fee- or subscription-based. It can also deliver traditional broadcast TV or unencrypted cable TV with Hauppauge's add-on 950Q USB TV tuner. The tuner, which costs $75, lets you record shows to a USB drive attached to the TV Live box.
Speaking of which, the TV Live device has two USB slots for connecting a memory key, a hard drive or a video camcorder to show your home movies, family photos or digital music archive. You can also stream videos, music and photos from a Windows 8 PC to the box, but note that it doesn't support protected formats such as iTunes music and movies.
Who it's best for: Western Digital's TV Live is for those who want a small, unobtrusive device that offers online programs, live TV (with add-on tuner) and the ability to access content from external storage -- but not Web browsing.
Making a decision
No two people like the same exact mix of TV shows, music and movies -- or desire extras like Web browsing or live TV integration. To decide among set-top streamers, start by asking these questions:
Are there specific sources of online programming -- say, Pandora or Hulu Plus -- that you consider must-haves? Check out our features chart for listings of each streamer's content sources, and do your initial filtering based on that.
Do you have an older TV that requires a composite connector? You'll need to choose from the NeoTV Pro and Max, the four Roku boxes and the WD TV Live.
Do you like having a vast multitude of online entertainment choices, including a variety of offbeat content? One of the four Roku systems should be next to your TV.
Own a lot of iTunes content and/or have an iDevice? Prefer simple controls and streamlined options to a lot of bells and whistles? Apple TV is an excellent fit.
Want to watch local TV channels in the same interface as Internet TV? If you don't care about nosing around the Web, then Boxee TV or WD TV Live (with add-on TV tuner) will do the trick. If you want to use your TV as a Web browser without sacrificing local TV integration, Boxee Box with its add-on tuner fits your profile -- though it'll cost you.
Want to bring live cable/satellite TV, Google TV's online programming and everything the Web has to offer into one interface, and don't mind enduring some complexity to get there? Sony's Internet Player and Vizio's Co-Star bring it all together.


text:
Configuration: Configuring the CUIC Scheduler Service Failed
From DocWiki
Configuration: Configuring the CUIC Scheduler Service Failed
|Problem Summary
|Configuring the CUIC Scheduler Service Fails
|Error Message
|Configuring the CUIC Scheduler Service Failed
|Possible Cause
|The CUIC Scheduler Service is not auto-configured
|Recommended Action
| If you see this message, look at the CuisConfigTool.Log file and make every effort to resolvethe error based on the information in that file.
Only if it is not possible to resolve the matter from information in the CuisConfigTool log, configure the Scheduler as follows:
1. Open a command windows.
2. Go to the directory <CUIS_HOME>\CuisScheduler.
3. Run the following command: installutil CuisScheduler.exe
4. From Windows Administrative Tools > Services, ensure that this service is set to startup automatically.
5. Set the configuration file. To do this, locate the CuisScheduler.exe.config file. It is in the same directory as the Schedulerservice executable.
6. Replace its contents with the contents of the web.config file located in <CUIS_HOME>\CuisWeb.
7. Change the credentials under which the scheduler service runs.
8. Locate the CUIS Scheduler Service in the Services control panel.
9. Right-click the Service and select Properties.
10. In the LogOn tab, enter information so that the CUIS Scheduler Service runs with the credentials of the Unified IC internal user.
11. Start the Scheduler service.
|Release 7.5(x)
|Associated CDETS #


text:
Congregation homeless after East Side church fire
Historic structure destroyed in blaze.
Members of a historic East Side church will worship at the Convention Center today after a fire that began close to midnight Friday destroyed the chapel they called home for nearly 50 years.
Firefighters remained at the scene Saturday afternoon, interviewing witnesses and keeping onlookers a safe distance from the charred and crumbling shell of Childress Memorial Church of God in Christ.
Bishop Samuel Edward Iglehart, who's been senior pastor of the congregation since 1997, had already accepted the damage Saturday evening and was looking forward to today's 10:45 a.m. service.
"When you're the leader of Christian people, you have to keep a measure of faith regardless of what you're going through," he said. "We will be meeting tomorrow. We will resolve to move forward."
Iglehart said he's received offers from several pastors in town to hold services at their churches in weeks to come.
"We can endure this," he said, adding it will likely be months before rebuilding can be considered. "Whatever was taken from us, God will restore."
With about 450 members, the church has been an East Side institution since 1931 and has worshipped at the North Pine Street location since 1964, when the building was bought from another congregation that had occupied it for about 50 years.
"I've been in this church all my life — most of us have," church administrator Paulette Childress Bell said Saturday afternoon.
She sat at a bus stop across the street in a purple Sunday outfit, surrounded by other parishioners. "This is very difficult. We're just coming together as a family, trying to console each other," she said.
Thirty-six units responded to the blaze, and the cause had yet to be determined.
However in a statement earlier this week, the San Antonio Fire Department noted that arson is suspected in six other East Side fires during the past two months.
Christian Bove, SAFD spokesman, said investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to help process the scene, which is protocol in church fires.
The church is ruined, with the damage probably totaling $300,000, Bove said.
Hours before the fire, a 7:30 p.m. Friday service was held in the church and the last person left about 9:30, Bove said.
Neighbor John Wilkins, an educator at nearby Bowden Elementary, appears to have been the first to spot the blaze about 11:45 Friday night after his dogs' persistent barking got him out of bed.
Church photographer Ronald Gordon watched the blaze consume the building.
"I was coming down (Interstate) 35 and I could see the flames shooting up from there" about 12:30 a.m., he said.
"I was praying it was not our church. When I pulled up, it was shock."
Staff Writer Michelle Casady contributed to this report. firstname.lastname@example.com
Staff Writer Michelle Casady contributed to this report.


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Meterko and Morgan win at Butler Invite
BUTLER — Punxsutawney junior Brody Morgan knew he could handle the muddy, slippery runaway while throwing the javelin at the Butler Invitational Friday. Since Punxsy doesn't have a runway, he was used to not having a clear path for the approaches on his throws.
Morgan was surprised with where he finished, winning the javelin (177-0) with a throw six feet further from his next closest competitor, Kyle Armagost of Moniteau (171-2).
Morgan also finished in fifth place in the shot put (45-7 3/4).
"It felt good, even though it was my fourth meet in six days," Morgan said. "I was surprised I won the javelin, because I wanted to go out and throw my seed, but I was able to win."
John Smith, the Chucks head coach, said he felt Morgan could finish in the top three.
"It was exciting, because I knew going in that he had a chance to place," Smith said. "I didn't know that he would win. He had a great throw."
Punxsutawney had three kids place at the Butler Invite, which featured nearly 25 schools, most of which were from the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League.
"The kids were excited," Smith said. "It's one of the reasons we come to these big meets. The kids got a chance to take a look at the competition, especially the WPIAL kids."
A.J. Meterko won the 800-meter run (1:59.2) and placed fifth in the 1,600-meter (4:32.57) and Kevin Byars placed fifth in the triple jump (43-0), along with Morgan's two top seven finishes.
"For A.J. to break two minutes in a big meet is a big deal," Smith said. "He took off to the lead and did well from there."
Morgan said he was looking forward to some time off after competing so much in a short period of time.
"It'll be nice to rest my arm," Morgan said.


text:
Anyone who has or is thinking of buying a home understands that many of the benefits, features and amenities that make a home attractive can be very subjective. What's significant to one buyer can be different from the needs and wants of another. Some of the biggest personal motivators are lifestyle, affordability, family composition, special needs, age, ethnicity, security, and prestige.
5 Elements to Buying Common to Ontario Buyers
Yet certain factors in buying a home can be similar for the majority of buyers. The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) recently conducted a survey to gauge what concerns are considered important in buying a home. 80% or more of those surveyed regarded these 5 issues as fundamental to most.
- Safety: This was by far at the top of the list, cited by 93%. We all want to live in an area with a low crime rate and good building security.
- Perceived Value: 85% named this as a critical aspect. What makes a home a good buy was based on market conditions coupled with a home's features and amenities.
- Low Maintenance: mentioned by 85% of voters. People have preferred low upkeep homes for some time now. We all lead busy lives and have less time than ever before for working around the house. Costs such as condo fees are also a factor. A turnkey, move-in home is desirable today.
- Location Close to Amenities: 80 per cent want to be close to facilities such as shopping and transportation.
- Near Work: "80 per cent of Ontarians between the ages of 18 to 34 felt this to be important.
If you would like to read the OREA Press Release in its entirety, please go to the following link, http://www.orea.com/en/About/Press-Releases/Press-Releases/August-15-2012 .


text:
Holiday lighting illuminated
Professional holiday decorators give their tips on how to make the season bright, indoors and out
Every year, holiday lighting manufacturers introduce more varieties of bulbs, strands, colors and accessories. Luckily for the seasonal lighting industry (and those who love cruising the neighborhood, looking at lit-up houses), nobody seems to be willing to forego Christmas lights altogether, no matter their financial woes.
Professional decorators say that there's a trend towards nostalgic, natural-looking decorations rather than the energy-guzzling displays of the past. That means that LEDs are getting more popular and the Las Vegas marquee-style house is going extinct. The variety of products available leaves people at a loss when choosing the right lights for the job, so a few lighting professionals have given their tips on lighting each area of the house.
Front yard trees
Lit trees in a front yard draw the most attention to a house, says Brandon Stephens, vice president of marketing at Christmas Décor in Lubbock, Texas.
Lights on a door or across the roof lining act as a backdrop. If you light a tree, that's the thing that stops traffic, Stephens says. Using a lot of lights sets a property apart. Since a large tree requires plenty of light, use mini-LED strands. LED lights save energy and thus electricity costs, so they work well for massive outdoor undertakings.
To make the tree look full, string the lights through the branches rather than around the outside, says Ric Robertson at lighting service Holiday Lighting Guy in Beverly Hills, Calif. "We don't want to have to go around the tree and tangle it and make it look like the tree is choked," he says.
Divide the tree into sections and then work from the top to the bottom, Robertson says. "That'll create a nice, full tree," he says.
For a different look, Stephens recommends wrapping mini-LED lights up the trunk and then using larger C9 or C7 bulbs in the canopy.
Outdoor shrubbery
The key to making lit shrubbery look nice is making it seem organic, Robertson says. He advises against using light nets, which tend to look too perfect. "As far as bushes go, we lay lights in by hand," he says. Use mini-LED lights rather than larger bulbs to make shrubbery look full.
Clear lights remain the most popular choice in outdoor holiday decorating for roof and window lines, but shrubbery is the place to use color, Stephens says. Setting up a pattern of clear and colored lights works well, with every few sections changing to green or red. "It's a popular place for people to work color back into their display," he says.
Take a look at where the electrical outlets are, says Bob Pranga, owner of holiday design company Dr. Christmas in Los Angeles. Wandering cords will diminish the look and present a potential hazard. Then determine the focal point of the room, he says. Any lighting should complement it.
For example, a foyer with a fantastic chandelier should keep the chandelier as the focus, Pranga says. Lighting should be set up symmetrically around it. "Do something even and outline the existing architecture," he says. "That makes it feel warm."
Indoor lighting acts more as an accessory to other holiday decorations than as the primary attraction, Pranga says. He suggests combining some sort of greenery with the lights, such as garlands or wreaths, to hide the cords. "Just stringing up lights in your house, unless you really want that frat house look, doesn't give it much charm," he says. "You end up scotch taping them to the walls."
While LED lights save power for complex outdoor displays, they tend to look too harsh for indoors, Pranga says. "They make your room look like a black light palace." Use incandescent lights instead for a warm and cozy ambiance.
Christmas tree
Similar to decorating an outdoor tree, wrap lights through branches rather than around the Christmas tree to add a nice depth, says Carolyn Horten, owner of design group Christmas Holiday Specialists in southern California.
Use the same tactic of dividing the tree into three triangle sections and working from the top down. The method not only makes the tree look full, it helps with damage control, she says. "It's really easy to control blow-outs that way," Horten says. To prevent fuse blow-outs all together, don't use more than three or four strands, and run an extension cord along the trunk, she says. Use a remote-powered or step-on-step-off power strip at the bottom to simplify turning the tree lights on and off.
Horten recommends using strands with 100 lights per foot. "It just adds a really nice ambiance," she says. But don't be afraid to accent the tree with a unique light size or color, using mini-lights further into the tree.
Traditional trees with lots of sentimental ornaments that range in color will pop with a mix of clear and colored lights. "You can definitely mix up the lights," Horten says. "It sounds weird. But it looks nice."


text:
COMcheck Software User's Guide for 90.1-2004 and 90.1-2007
You can use COMcheck™ to demonstrate that your commercial or high-rise residential building design complies with the ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2004 and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007.
The COMcheck software provides a highly flexible way to demonstrate compliance with minimal input. The envelope section allows tradeoffs between envelope components, including roofs, walls, windows, floors, and skylights. The lighting section enables you to quickly determine if your lighting design meets interior-lighting power limits. The mechanical section enables you to assemble a customized list of code requirements that are applicable to the systems and equipment in your building.
Publication Date:
Saturday, October 24, 2009


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Choo bases-loaded walk, Texas 4-3 win over Philly
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shin-Soo Choo is already having a positive influence at the top of the Texas Rangers lineup. Adrian Beltre has been clutch for them since 2011.
For the second night in a row, they played big in a winning ninth-inning rally.
Choo drew a bases-loaded, game-ending walk against Jonathan Papelbon as the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 Wednesday to clinch the season-opening series.
"It's really special for us," said Choo, who signed a seven-year free-agent deal with the Rangers this winter.
"That's why you play nine innings, and that's what we do every night is play nine innings," manager Ron Washington said. "In the end, we did what we had to do. We got focused and put some good at-bats together and made things happen."
Beltre, whose ninth-inning single Tuesday night drove home Choo with the winning run, started this three-run rally with a leadoff single. After Mitch Moreland's double, pinch-hitter Jim Adduci had an RBI infield single and Leonys Martin singled home the tying run. Donnie Murphy walked on four pitches before Choo got to full-count pitch before walking.
Adduci reached on a slow roller down the third-base line with one out before Martin grounded a single through the drawn-in infield.
"The whole inning was kind of just one of those innings. You get a cue ball down the third base line. Then you get a double-play ball, which you think is the game-ending double play. It's not," said Papelbon, who gave up four hits and two walks while retiring only on batter. "My whole focus was get a ground ball, get a double play and get us out of the inning."
Seth Rosin (1-0) worked two scoreless innings for his first major league victory.
Moreland had a triple in the seventh and scored on Martin's two-out single.
"It's a nice way to start the season," Moreland said. "We really came together these last couple of games."
Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer and Kyle Kendrick allowed only one run over seven innings for the Phillies, who still haven't won a road series since Ryne Sandberg took over as their manager last August — first on an interim bases before getting the full-time gig.
The Phillies lost 24 of 32 games over their final 10 road series last season. They split four games against the New York Mets last August in Sandberg's first series on the road — but had dropped the previous five series away from home, and then lost the last four. They won this year's season opener 14-10 before consecutive ninth-inning losses.
Texas left-hander Robbie Ross struck out seven over five innings in his first major league start after 123 relief appearances the past two seasons. He allowed three runs and seven hits with two walks.
Howard's homer made it 3-0 in the third. It was his first homer since July 5, when he went deep in his final game last season before going onto the disabled list because of left knee inflammation.
After Philly got an unearned run in the first after center fielder Martin bobbled the ball for an error, Texas failed to score in the bottom of the inning after two hits and two errors by the Phillies. Choo got caught in a rundown and tagged out between third base and home after Kendrick initially dropped a grounder.
NOTES: The Phillies were a player short after SS Jimmy Rollins returned home to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. ... Texas said ace RHP Yu Darvish will make his season debut Sunday at Tampa Bay. He was put on the disabled list because of neck stiffness. ... Rangers INF Adam Rosales cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A Round Rock. ... Both teams are off Thursday before road games Friday. The Phillies play the Chicago Cubs for the opener marking the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field, and the Rangers are at Tampa Bay.


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Long-Term Marijuana Users May Experience Withdrawal
Two studies have been performed that suggest that
long-term marijuana users may experience withdrawal symptoms.
The symptoms that researchers are focusing on are mostly behavioral
including anxiety, irritability, and aggression. Experts believe
that to avoid the unpleasant experiences associated with abstinence
people may continue to abuse the substance.
Long Term Marijuana Users May Experience Withdrawal
May 2004 (Volume 4)
Send E-Cards (CDC)
Check out our latest Feature Articles
Guidelines for Identifying and Referring Persons with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Going the Extra MILE: A Math Tutoring Program for Alcohol Affected Kids
Central Nervous System Abnormalities Associated with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Website aims to remove stigma of mental illness in black communities:
Atlanta — According to statistics, only 1 in 3 black people who need mental health care receive it. This exemplifies the
well-known fact that the black community faces significant barriers to mental health care. While issues such as racism,
institutional mistrust and lack of insurance are major obstacles, the barriers posed by stigma and misinformation are some of the most prohibitive.
BlackMentalHealthNet.com is designed to empower the Black community by promoting mental health and providing a safe place to learn about mental illness, discuss mental health issues, connect with other individuals and families dealing with mental illness, and find treatment.
"Stigma often stifles the conversation regarding mental illness in the Black community," explained Dr. Sarah Y. Vinson, a Harvard-trained, Black psychiatrist and founder and chief editor of BlackMentalHealthNet.com. "Families too often base decisions on little information or misinformation. We hope to change that by providing facts and facilitating dialogue around mental illness in an environment of relative anonymity and acceptance."
BlackMentalHealthNet.com visitors will find clinically based information and summaries of mental health research relevant to the Black community presented plainly. Site contributors represent a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, including psychology, psychiatry, social work, and people with first-hand experience with mental illness.
The site includes valuable resources like a library of mental illness descriptions written specifically for the Black
community, links to additional mental health and mental illness resources, and a growing directory of mental health
providers working with and within the Black community. The meat of BlackMentalHealthNet.com, however, is its interactive discussion forums and articles.
Several recent postings have a back-to-school theme, including an article by a school psychologist addressing planning ahead and a video discussing school accommodations for mental health issues. Other postings include the first in a series of articles about anxiety by a black anxiety expert; a report on July's State of Black Mental Health Forum on Capitol Hill; a column by a New Orleans native, Hurricane Katrina survivor and psychiatrist-in-training about her personal experience with the disaster's effects on mental health; and an article reviewing some of the ongoing needs for mental health treatment in New Orleans post-Katrina.
"At BlackMentalHealthNet.com, we appreciate the strengths of the Black community while acknowledging its unique
challenges, both in a broader social sense and specifically in matters of mental health," said Dr. Vinson. "We want to
help people stop looking at mental illness as shameful and provide the information they need to develop their strengths
and embrace the help that is available."
Two National Meetings in Atlanta in 2011
Research Society on Alcoholism
June 25-29, 2011
National Prevention Network – Prevention Research Conference
September 20-23, 2011
FASD 2011 Webcast Available & Advance Notice for Adolescents and Adults with FASD 2012
"Light Drinking in Pregnancy: Is it Safe?"
NOFAS Georgia Executive Director (Volunteer)
Iceberg Newsletter article: "FASD Leadership Conference on the next challenge: Intervention and treatment for Alcohol Affected Indivduals."
Behavioral Health Link Home Page
Call to Stop Perpetuating "Meth Baby" Myths


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NFS server in kernelspace
This article Last edited by frontalot.
Originally by ultravelours.
at Linkstationwiki.org
|MIPSel only
|Right now this article is only for the MIPS based LinkStation II, but if you do have NFS kernel modules for the PPC based LinkStation I it should work the same way.
Prepare your Debian Installation
You need some tools from Debian for your NFS server, things like the portmapper and other RPC tools. Usually it should be enough just to do (as root or with root-permissions)
apt-get install nfs-kernel-server
This will also install the necessary dependencies like 'nfs-common' or 'libwrap'. Now you have to setup your '/etc/exports' to set up the shares you want to mount on other machines (you'll find a lot of tutorials on that topic on the net).
The Files
You can download the latest kernel modules from the downloads area. Install the kernel modules per the README file. Use the latest 'nfs-mods-tools'.
Start the server
With everything in place, simply start the NFS server from the init-scripts with '/etc/init.d/nfs-kernel-server start' and it should work. An 'lsmod' will show 'nfsd', 'lockd' and 'sunrpc' as loaded modules. Now you can try to connect to your fresh NFS server.
For that special "now that's cool"-effect I also installed mdnsresponder from Debian unstable, but the "official" version from Apple will do it, too. Now you can advertise your exports by adding something like
"LinkStation NFS" _nfs._tcp local. 2049 "path=/share/nfs"
to '/etc/mdnsresponder/mDNSResponder.conf'. On a more recent Mac (with Mac OS X 10.2 or better) all these shares auto-magically show up in the '/Network' directory - no need to configure the automounter, fstab or NetInfo database.
It should also work with the latest Nautilus/Gnome 2.8 or Konqueror and KDE, as they can handle mDNS service discovery (AKA "ZeroConf" - or "Bonjour", formerly known as "Rendezvous")


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Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
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Will, what did Kevin lie to Nasty about? I thought he pretty much told her everything that Michele said. I'm confused
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Enhance any core math program, and save time preparing lessons using the Number Case's 200 ready-to-use 5th grade math teacher resources.
Number Case Overview
The prepared visual models in each Number Case were created to help teachers save time while still enabling them to engage students, and bring their lessons alive.
The carrying case is made of durable, no-tear plastic and comes equipped with an easy-to-carry handle for effortless transportation around the classroom, the school, or to home and back.
The ready-to-use contents of the Number Case are shipped with reusable vinyl sleeves to help protect them from damage when not in use.
The resources within the sleeves were developed based on years of best practice research showing how children develop an understanding of elementary mathematics.
The materials in each case are grade-level specific and include:
Seamlessly Enhance Your Stepping Stones Experience
Although this is an outstanding resource for enhancing any core math program, it integrates seamlessly into the ORIGO Stepping Stone core math program.
Throughout the Stepping Stones teacher materials, educators will find indicators recommending how to integrate the ready-to-use 5th grade math teacher resources into the day's lesson.
Although these suggestions are optional, taking advantage of this intentional design feature enables teachers and students to experience the Number Case and the Stepping Stones core math program in the richest way possible.
Also Available in Spanish!
|Core Program, Supplemental, Teacher Resource
|Calvin Irons, James Burnett and Rosemary Irons
|Product Code


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Neoseeker : Videos : Walkthroughs : Episode 32
Pokémon Pearl
- By Game Freak for DS
Episode 32
Register as a member to subscribe comments.COMMENTS
You must be a member to post comments. Login or register to post what you think of this video!
Trailer Info
|From: gocubs711
|Jul 13, 2016
|Category: Walkthroughs


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Here's a scary thought for future wrestling opponents of Oregon senior Brandon Sklavanitis: You ain't seen nothin' yet.
Sklavanitis, the Hawks' 170-pounder, has amassed a sparkling 36-1 record this season, including championships at the Polo and Stillman Valley tournaments. It was his lone loss this season, however, that could mean the best is yet to come.
On Saturday, Sklavanitis dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Alleman's Sean Wetherell in the finals of the Bob Mitton Invitational in Orion. The wrestlers were ranked No. 2 (Sklavanitis) and No. 3 (Wetherell) in Class 1A by Illinois Matmen, and it's helped the Hawk realize he's got to bring more to the table against top-flight competition.
"He's an excellent defender," Sklavanitis said, "but I was not near as aggressive as I should have been during the match. Part of that could be my conditioning, and I'm starting to work on that more."
Sklavanitis has been arriving at school at 6 a.m. for 45-minute workouts that include extra running and time on the stair climber – "all the fun stuff", he said with a smile – and he hopes teammates join him as the season heads toward its conclusion.
The lack of aggression against Wetherell is something Sklavanitis has been trying to correct. He attended an elite wrestling camp, the Purler Takedown Machine Training Camp, at Newman over the summer. His training partner was the Comets' Brian Bahrs, a 2-time state champion. It was all takedowns, all the time.
"It's actually just the basics, but you drill it over and over 6 hours a day for 5 days," Sklavanitis said. "There's a few new setups, but everything else, I primarily already knew. You get a lot of mat time with it."
The results have been showing. In 30 bouts (not including seven forfeits) this season, Sklavanitis has racked up 20 pins. He had 17 as a junior.
"Last year, I was a lot more laid back," Sklavanitis said. "I'd have close matches and be comfortable with it. This year, I want to take the next step and spread out the lead."
Oregon head coach Mike Guzman has taken notice.
"He's a really good defensive wrestler on his feet," Guzman said, "but what he's done this year is allow himself to take more risks on his feet."
The ultimate goal is to show his stuff at the state tournament. He qualified a year ago, but was a one-and-done competitor after dropping a 5-2 decision to Roxana's Tyler Floyd in the 160-pound preliminaries. It wrapped up a 37-4 junior season.
"It's motivated me a lot," said Sklavanitis, whose 138 career wins are third all-time at Oregon, behind Randall Peterson (157) and Tom Bottoms (142). "I don't want to go down there and go home right away. I got the nervous butterflies out of the way last year. Now it's just going down there and doing what I do best."
Sklavanitis has gotten the job done off the wrestling mat as well. He's ranked 11th in an Oregon senior class of 137 with a grade point average of 4.1, and he plans on becoming a doctor. He hopes to attend the University of Wisconsin.
"My parents have always been pushing me to go as far as I can," Sklavanitis said, "and I think it would be a big challenge in college to become a doctor."
Oregon's career win leaders
1. Randall Peterson (2004-07) 157
2. Tom Bottoms (1995-98) 142
3. Brandon Sklavanitis (2010-13) 138
4. Brent Suter (1995-98) 136
5. (tie) Jeremy Benesh (1997-00) 133
Eric Berg (1998-01) 133


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Instinct's Top 10 Favorite Friends & Foes Of 2013!
As we try to brainstorm resolutions that don't begin with cross and end with fit (not enough time to cruise with that workout!), we search for any idea that may marginally improve ourselves in the New Year. Though those efforts are certainly noble, what we truly enjoy about this end of year-transition time is sifting through the past year to identify how our lives actually improved through the work, passion and creativity of others. As members of Instinct's editorial team, we look forward each and every year to cutting out the chaff and exalting the diamonds that shined the brightest over the previous 12 months. The bountiful and landmark year of 2013 certainly made our work cut out for us, but these gems stood out above the rest as Instinct Magazine's top favorite friends and foes of the year.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, FOE
Chris Christie fought marriage equality tooth and nail throughout his first four years as governor of New Jersey. When the courts ushered in same-sex marriage in the Garden State anyway, Gov. Christie still waged war and appealed the landmark ruling. But as the gubernatorial election loomed and the opponent hoping to unseat him announced support for marriage equality, Gov. Christie backed off to allow gay New Jerseyans the taste of equality. (Jonathan Higbee)
Fox News, FOE
What's to like, really? Middle America's news network continued to offend any and everyone who isn't a white, Christian, straight male. From Duck Dynasty to Affordable Healthcare, Fox News did what it does best: spin baby, spin. (Jeff Katz)
Sen. Rob Portman, FRIEND
To know us is to love us. It's a sentiment LGBT activists have been saying for years, and in 2013 a senator from Ohio showed just how great of an impact coming out can make. The Republican politician publically changed his stance and supported marriage equality this year, becoming the first incumbent statewide or national-level Republican to do so since 2004. And the reason for the change of heart? Portman's son came out. The senator also went on to become one of 10 Republicans to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, showing that politics doesn't have to be business as usual. (JK)
Britney, FOE
No, Brit didn't make our list because of her disappointing "intimate" album. It was Lady Vegas' ignorant comments about her gay fans that left a truly bad taste in our mouths. No, dear, we're not just like girls, we don't all work in hair and makeup and while we certainly think we're hot, calling us "adorable" is a tad condescending. (JK)
Sen. Cory Booker, FRIEND
Handsome, charming and long an LGBT ally, the newly-minted SENATOR Cory Booker marked his ascension up the political ladder this year by marrying a handful of gay couples the moment marriage equality became legal in New Jersey. Ahhh. Swoon.
The most memorable bridge between straights and gays in 2013 was undoubtedly erected by one of the year's biggest pop music breakouts, Macklemore. Though he and collaborator Ryan Lewis first debuted on mainstream radio in 2013, they wasted no time in putting their celebrity to good use with a pet cause: LGBT equality. With Eminem's recent album (which finds itself burdened with homophobic lyrics) breaking charts around the world, Macklemore is exactly what hip hop needs right now. (JH)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, FOE
Not that he was ever exactly a friend, but this year Putin and Russian lawmakers showed their true hateful colors. Anti-gay laws, police brutality and general fear permeated through the LGBT community in Russia for most of 2013. And despite plenty of world attention Putin seems unlikely to change his position anytime soon. (JK)
Edith Windsor, FRIEND
Move over Betty White. Seems America found itself a new sweetheart in 2013. Edie Windsor is one of the few friends on this list that also carries the honorific title of "Hero" after being an instrumental part of the dismantling of DOMA. Spurred into action after New York charged her hundreds of thousands of dollars in tangible estate tax inequality, Edith fell into our hearts and history books by pursuing justice instead of backing down. (JH)
Pat Robertson, FOE
It was really hard to out-bigot Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2013, but televangelical fraud Pat Robertson was seemingly up for the challenge when he warned viewers of the 700 Club that we gays wear secret razor-sharp rings to cut and infect bystanders with AIDS. Or something. Cough, cough *douche*. (JH)
United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry were landmark cases examining the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8. After long court battles, the two cases came before the high court, and on June 26, equality prevailed. In two separate 5-4 rulings, the court found DOMA to be unconstitutional, while the justices also declined to revisit a lower court's ruling on Prop. 8, meaning same-sex marriage would once again be legal in the Golden State. Coupled with a landside of new states to recognize same-sex marriage and it was clear that 2013 would be the year equality prevailed. (JK)
What do you think about our Top Friends & Foes of 2013, Instincters?
To see our other Top Favorites of 2013, head here!
Looking on as an outsider, (I neither know your magazine, until now, nor am a huge Britney fan), but having read of the upbringing/education Britney has had, the comments she has made appear genuine and innocent in context. Perhaps she cannot express how she feels in the manner in which you would like. You however, by your careless judgement could easily end a person's career, or cause emiotional damage. Like most "journalists" these days, as dannydawn6 so rightly says, you hide behind your keyboards, firing off judgement, not even thinking of the consequences. Why can't you just offer impartial information, rather than enter the "bitchfest" media circus. I don't care if celebrities sign themselves up for public attention....it doesn't mean they sign up to public ridicule and one way judgementalism.....time you looked for a more life rewarding career..if you have the qualifications.
thank you!!!!!! well said yourself!!!! also it just hit me-where the fuck is the lesbian waitress who lied about her customers leaving her no tip and that offensive note!? how great did she represent our community and how much did she contribute to the anit-discrimination cause!? HOW IS SHE NOT A FOE BUT BRITNEY IS!!!??? especially considering how closely you all covered and wrote articles on that story!!!!!!! someone obviously rushed the friend/foe 2013 list-there was a lot of progress but still plenty of hateful scumbags...AND WAIT!!!!!!!!!!! where the fuck was the duck dynasty hick!!!!!???? i know that was kinda last minute in the year but only an IDIOT would consider britney spears a greater foe than him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! as a reader/viewer of your magazine/website for now 7 years i think you all should WRITE A RETRACTION removing britney from your foe list and agree to stop hating on her so much and making something outta nothing just to meet your quota of articles for the day.
well said!! got me to search 'britney spears' on this site and majority of the 'positive' britney related stories (new music...etc) over the last several months were written by Nigel Campbell while majority of the 'negative' stories (random quotes you never hear/read about anywhere else) were written by Jonathan Higbee-that said...Jonathan WHAT THE FUCK DID BRITNEY EVER DO TO YOU!? or are you just hardcore Timberlake fan!? i'm so sick of all your mountain out of a mole hill britney stories!!!! i never see these 'headlines' anywhere else on tv/online-it seems you have a true, personal bias! and believe me i can't stand people who get all cocky and brave from behind a keyboard but i just had to say something!!! please can this website move on in 2014 and not fish for the backhand in a compliment or statement-in closing...you know it's coming...LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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It's disturbing to sit in court and listen to how Richard Lapointe's lawyers failed him.
But their hard-to-comprehend mistakes, however unintentional, may now represent the convicted murderer's best shot at a new trial, and perhaps freedom 18 years after his murder conviction and life sentence.
Superior Court Judge John J. Nazzaro could grant a new trial for the mentally disabled dishwasher on the claim that the state suppressed exculpatory evidence – an arson investigator's notes – in the 1992 murder trial and conviction. Nazzaro, however, may find it easier to rule on the other claim made by Lapointe's supporters.
Lapointe's own lawyers didn't do the job.
Items seemingly from a movie script – unidentified pubic hair found on the victim's clothing, gloves at the crime scene, the location of the murder and the clothing worn by the victim – were left largely untouched by Lapointe's lawyers during the 1990s, when they could have been used, compellingly, to prove his innocence to a jury.
What Lapointe's current lawyers say is his constitutional "right to effective assistance of counsel" could prove pivotal as Nazzaro prepares to rule now that testimony is nearly finished in the two-week trial to determine whether Lapointe deserves a new murder trial.
A man with an I.Q. of 80 who spent his time in court this week doing simple word puzzles, Lapointe has made three flawed, recanted confessions , including one where the facts didn't match evidence gathered at the scene of the rape and murder of 88-year-old Bernice Martin, his wife's grandmother.
Lapointe's two public defenders from 1992 could only shrug when asked why they didn't bring up provocative and alarming inconsistencies and forensic evidence during testimony this week and in May.
"I don't recall,'' Christopher Cosgrove, one of Lapointe's two public defenders during the 1992 trial, said repeatedly this week when lawyer Paul Casteleiro kept asking him why he failed to make an issue of the gloves, pubic hair and other crime scene evidence. His colleague, Patrick J. Culligan, made similar statements during testimony in May.
Lapointe told police Martin was wearing a pink housecoat. She wore dark slacks and a blouse. His description of her strangulation doesn't match a medical examiner's report. His location of the murder is at odds with the crime scene evidence. A pubic hair not belonging to Lapointe and found on the victim was ignored. Gloves with no link to Lapointe or Martin and found on the bloody bed were barely mentioned during the 1992 trial.
Cosgrove and Culligan deserve credit for their honesty about the first trial and the shortcomings of their defense. Far worse is the performance of Lapointe's second lawyer, Henry Theodore Vogt – a commercial litigator whose one and only trial experience has been this case. After police handed him potentially exculpatory evidence, Vogt barely made an issue of the so-called "burn time" notes during Lepointe's first habeas trail in the late 1990s.
Vogt replied this week that he couldn't "recall" why he failed to bring up the burn time notes from an arson investigator, evidence that Casteleiro argues provides Lapointe with an alibi because it supports his client's argument that he was home watching TV when the murder took place.
The burn time notes, prepared by police investigators at the time of the crime and produced by the state years after the 1992 trial and conviction, could have been used in the first trial – if the handicapped man's lawyers had had them.
Perhaps searching for a technicality to use to justify a new trial, Judge Nazzaro has been especially interested in the Manchester police department's decision to secretly tape an interview with Karen Lapointe, Richard Lapointe's ex-wife. Curiously, police said they saw no reason to tape Lapionte's crucial confession on the same day – even though he recanted twice before and his words became the foundation for the state's case.
Nazzaro, of course, could also rule on what motivates Lapointe's hardy supporters, who have filled benches in the courtroom throughout this trial: that the small, uncoordinated man with the malformed brain was not capable of the vicious murder of 160-pound Bernice Martin, who was tied up, tortured, tossed about, raped and left to die in a burning apartment.
If you believe the state of Connecticut, Lapointe did this while on a 20-minute dog walk, returning in time to watch television with no sign of having completed a violent, messy murder.
"There simply was no viable motive for Mr. Lapointe to have committed this crime,'' Culligan, the public defender, told Judge Nazzaro.
There still isn't.
It's disturbing to sit in court and listen to how Richard Lapointe's lawyers failed him.


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Two Regional workshops organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Regional Office for West Asia (IUCN - ROWA) and co- funded with the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) were launched in September 2013.
These regional workshops give attention to: World Heritage preliminary lists, global exceptional value, nomination files for World Heritage and the management effectiveness of World Heritage in the Arab States. Thirty experts and technicians from 13 Arab countries participated in the ten day event, five days for each workshop, which were considered as the launch of the Tabe'a program's activities.
The first day of each workshop was characterized by highlighting the World Heritage agreement and focusing on the geographical characteristics of Arab region. On the second day, the participants presented various case studies that show their experience, opportunities and challenges regarding World Heritage management.
Each workshop focused on showing various practical implementation methods for these concepts and summarized the results of these procedures and recommendations in management and conservation for World Heritage areas in Arab states.
The aforementioned workshops are designed to unify and strengthen the national and regional efforts of the World Heritage programme in Arab states.
For more information about the World Heritage Programme and its achievements, kindly contact:
Dr. Hany El Shaer – Programme Manager of the Protected Areas, World Heritage & Business and Biodiversity Programme
Ms Haifa Abdulhalim – IUCN World Heritage Coordinator Arab States and West Asia


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Check out the hot new Video of the Week, featuring the sideways talents of the Sprint 2 Drift!
It's another all-action, take-no-prisoners look at the exciting world of the drift maniac, this time featuring the Sprint 2 Drift! Click here to see the video, and browse through the Media section of the site for more all-out action videos featuring the latest and hottest cars and trucks!
Source : HPI


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So, excuse us, but how about taking a break this Sunday and putting on some silly-looking glasses?
I'm talking about the 3-D glasses inside the Sunday Observer (Oct. 10th edition). They are tucked inside a special 3-D section, called "Comin' at You," that pays tribute to Charlotte's Race Week.
We created this section just for fun. It also happens to feature some of the most compelling photography the Observer has shot at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Our sports and photo staffs sifted through hundreds of great racing moments from our archives for shots of legendary drivers, faithful fans, grinding competition on the track and furious action in the pits.
This is our first experience working with 3-D images. In choosing photos, our director of photography, Bert Fox, says he looked specifically for depth, action and simplicity.
"As 3-D images, foreground objects come at you and background objects fall off," Fox says.
Fox and the Observer's advertising creative manager, Chuck Cole, worked with an outside firm to transform the existing photos into 3-D images (a process explained in the section on page 18Z).
If you've watched a 3-D movie, you know that the effect is more obvious in some scenes than in others. The same is true in print. On top of that, the experience will vary from person to person.
"Any nuance specific to your eyes can affect how well you see a particular photo," Cole says. "And color-blindness may prevent you from seeing (3-D) because of we use a specific red and a specific blue to create the 3-D effect."
Color is also why you are likely to see a more dramatic effect when you use your glasses to view the same photos on Charlotteobserver.com. Most computer monitors are set to emit a much heavier saturation of color.
While they are paper, we figure these funky glasses are good for at least a few more days of fun. So, hang onto your glasses to view a 3-D photo we'll publish in each day's newspaper and online this week. These photos will feature scenes of Charlotte and the surrounding region.
Now, for those of you with a smartphone (such as an iPhone, Droid or Evo), I have one more experiment at hand.
With my column in the newspaper, you'll notice something called a QR code. It looks somewhat like the bar code on products you buy. The QR stands for "quick response."
To use this code, you must first download a free application that enables your phone to scan it. (Just search for "QR" in your phone's online app store.)
Then, when you use your camera to scan the code, it should link you automatically to a slideshow of these 3-D images online.
Of course, you can also just type http://www.charlotteobserver.com/ into your phone or computer.
But we're intrigued with the potential uses of the QR code as a bridge between your printed newspaper and the Observer's digital content.
If you try it, we'd like to know how it worked for you. We'd also like your ideas for how this technology might be used to benefit you as an Observer reader.
Reach Rick Thames at email@example.com, twitter.com/rthames, www.facebook.com/rthames.obs and 704-358-5001. You can also ask him a question at www.charlotteobserver.com/local.