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WASHINGTON (NNS) — With members of Congress continuing to express concern about the impact of sequestration on the military, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told a congressional panel today that the Navy and Marine Corps will be able to meet their current and future missions only with proper resourcing.
"The department's ability to meet the demands of today's operations in support of our defense strategic guidance depends on anticipating and preparing for the changing geopolitical landscape and having the proper resources ready to deploy," Mabus told the House Armed Services Committee in prepared testimony. "The department will continue to maintain the capabilities required to ensure that the Navy and Marine Corps is the finest expeditionary force in the world; however, proper resourcing is needed to maintain our capacity for global operations."
In light of a budget-driven, Pentagon-wide review of strategic priorities, he added, "everything will be on the table."
Mabus testified alongside Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, chief of naval operations, and Gen. James. F. Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps. All three leaders spoke of shortfalls and having to do more with less in the coming years if the hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts triggered by last month's budget sequester remain.
"We do it to the very best we possibly can," Amos said, but he suggested that at some point, such cuts could undercut the rationale for having the Marine Corps, which is on a path to shrink from just over 202,000 Marines to 182,100.
"The Marine Corps remains the nation's ready hedge against unpredictable crisis, an insurance policy that buys time when hours matter," Amos said. He cited yesterday's bombing at the Boston Marathon and the ongoing uncertainty over North Korea's intentions to illustrate how an unpredictable and chaotic security environment demonstrates that "the need for this highly capable and ready force is more pressing now than ever."
Aware of the nation's fiscal restraints, Amos said, the Corps will make hard decisions about what it needs. But he added that "with declining resources to address the emerging security challenges, neo-isolationism does not advance our nation's national interest."
Greenert said shortfalls this fiscal year alone, while mitigated by congressional action last month, will be compounded if sequestration continues, leading to a $23 billion shortfall in 2014. The situation already has led the Navy to recommend cancelling one ship deployment to the Pacific, two to Europe and all but one to the U.S Southern Command region.
"Overall, due to reduced training and maintenance, about two-thirds of the fleet will be less than fully mission capable and not certified for major combat operations," he said, emphasizing that this state of readiness does not apply to Navy forces and assets supporting operations in Afghanistan. In addition, he said, discussion continues about the number of furlough days Navy civilians may be required to take between now and the Sept. 30 end of the current fiscal year.
Other issues not directly related to funding, but which remain among his top concerns, Greenert said, include:
— A smaller fleet operating at a high tempo;
— Shortfalls in at-sea manning;
— Sexual assault, which he said affects about two sailors every day; and
— Rising suicide rates.
The Navy has implemented a comprehensive strategy for countering sexual assault, the admiral noted, and has stood up a task force to prevent suicides.
The hearing follows President Barack Obama's submission last week of a $526.6 billion defense budget request for fiscal year 2014, one largely consistent with the previous year's, but delivered amid a budget landscape that envisions $500 billion in additional defense cuts over the next 10 years if there is no change in current law.
If Congress does not act to change that, Amos warned, the Marine Corps will have to undergo "a top-to-bottom re-examination of priorities, missions and what it will take to continue to be the nation's expeditionary force in readiness."


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Jason Griffin, Airleakage NVH Engineer
Click here to download related images.
To understand the critical role Jason Griffin plays in helping reduce powertrain, road and wind noise inside the all-new Ford Explorer, imagine him in a laboratory smock crawling around inside a sealed, pressurized vehicle body. Using calibrated measurement tools – and his own sensitive ears – Griffin listens for air leaks.
Meeting stringent air leak targets early in the vehicle development process is a key quality barometer.
"My objective is to eliminate the potential for unwanted vehicle noise by ensuring the passenger cabin is effectively sealed," said Griffin. "A tightly sealed passenger cabin greatly reduces intrusive noise from a variety of possible sources. Significantly reducing air leakage in the all-new Explorer helps deliver the quiet ride today's SUV customers expect and deserve."
Eliminating air leakage begins with design checks while the vehicle is in its virtual realm, and then continues with physical validation tests after the body has been built. Engineers seal up the shell of the vehicle after it has been painted, securing Plexiglas coverings over the openings. Using the air leakage machine, they are then able to either pressurize or pull a vacuum in the cabin. They crawl through the cabin using tools like a stethoscope and a mini-camera on a cord, which allows them to examine spaces otherwise inaccessible.
The team even has developed an innovative new weapon in its arsenal against air leakage –thermal camera photography teamed with heated air, which allows engineers to determine exactly where the air leakage is occurring.
"Typically, we would pump air into or evacuate air out of the vehicle, and then listen for air coming in or out, and that's how we detect the issues," Griffin said. "But recently we devised a method where we can heat the air, so when it blows out, it heats up the sheet metal where it's leaking from, and we can use a thermal camera to see the leak."
Engineers also perform air leakage tests on vehicles in their finished state with all the interior, exterior, chassis and powertrain components installed to further ensure a quiet ride for customers.
"We'll use all the tools at our disposal to make sure we have a tightly sealed passenger cabin," Griffin said.
Griffin, a Detroit-area native, believes the improved product development processes are a big reason why the new Explorer has been largely free of air leakage issues.
"Our new processes enable us to detect a lot of the issues prior to prototype fabrication and physical vehicle testing," Griffin said. "We eliminated potential air leak issues in CAD, prior to building a physical body. The team is very pleased with Explorer air leakage control. We think customers will be pleased, too."
Personal Insights and Fun Facts
- Griffin is married with two children
- Away from his automotive engineering career, Griffin enjoys boating, fishing and home-improvement projects
- Griffin spent a semester abroad during his senior year at Michigan State University, visiting 17 countries from his European base in Aachen, Germany. He earned his bachelor's degree from Michigan State and a master's degree from University of Michigan-Dearborn
- Prior to joining Ford, Griffin spent two summers serving internships with the company. He's been with Ford for nine years
# # #
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 176,000 employees and about 80 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010, and, until its sale, Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
July 1, 2010

subset: commoncrawl


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Our Summer 2017 issue looks at the two great musical traditions that come out of the African American culture of the South: jazz and the blues. These uniquely American genres are known throughout the world and, although they began within the black communities of our country, they have come to belong to people of all races and regions. They are part of the American identity. These two musical forms have been creatively interwoven and reimagined, and they are at the root of the best of rock and roll, hip hop, and rap. American writers like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Albert Murray and musicians like Charles Mingus and Gregg Allman have recognized the importance of these musical traditions in shaping our national identity, and historians know that the history of jazz and the blues provides a critical window into our collective past.
In his essay, "Robert Johnson and the Rise of the Blues," Elijah Wald examines both the myths and the realities of a musician who, legend has it, met the Devil at the Crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and sold his soul in exchange for musical talent. But if his only recorded album, King of the Delta Blues Singers, made Johnson famous, Wald points out that the blues predated Robert Johnson. It took shape in the Delta, spread to the working-class salons of New Orleans, and became part of the repertoire of big band greats like Count Basie. Johnson died a violent death in 1938, but his slide guitar virtuosity became a model for later musicians like the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. For Wald, Robert Johnson's true talent was "blending the past with the present, creating music that was deeply rooted but looking toward the future."
The task of preserving the blues tradition and its history, as well as ensuring that it will be kept alive by future generations, has been taken up by the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. The museum's director, Shelley Ritter, offers us a brief history of that museum in her essay, "Clarksdale: Myth, Music, and Mercy in the Mississippi Delta." For those of us who have made the pilgrimage to Clarksdale several times, the museum remains the first stop on any visit. And for those of us who teach or write history, that stop is essential, for, Ritter points out, it is here that one can see the remains of Muddy Waters's plantation cabin and listen to and watch videos of many practitioners of the blues over the last century. The museum's goal, Ritter explains, is to "help untangle the mystery and meaning" of the blues "through an interpretation of the lives of the men and women behind the music." Ritter invites you to come sell your soul at the Crossroads if you wish, or seek your soul in Clarksdale; in the end, however, "let the Delta Blues Museum help heal your soul with the mercy found in the blues."
The other great American musical genre, jazz, is the subject of Krin Gabbard's essay, "Charles Mingus and the Third Stream." Here Gabbard focuses on Mingus's brief connection to a music that combined classical music and jazz. To explain Mingus's participation in the movement, Gabbard traces his journey from childhood training in classical music to a jazz style influenced by African American rhythms and the blues. Along with Miles Davis and George Russell, Mingus was open to experimenting with "third stream" music that was written by classical composers but played by jazz artists. Mingus, however, was too eclectic to be pigeonholed. He refused to identify with a single musical genre, and this, the essay suggests, is why he never had a hit record.
Finally, filmmaker Kerry Candaele looks at a band that blended jazz, the blues, and rock to create a Southern music of vitality, virtuosity, and authenticity. In "Songs of a Different South: The Allman Brothers' Blues-Rock Legacy," Candaele pays tribute to a musical legend that is, in his words, "wide and deep." The death of Gregg Allman this past May makes this essay particularly timely. Candaele stresses the baseline that jazz and the blues provided for this band from Macon, Georgia. From early works like "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," to the classic "Whipping Post," to the more recent "Where It All Began," the Allmans perfected a sound defined by jazz-infused jamming and improvisation. Along with his brother, Duane, who died at twenty-five in a motorcycle accident in 1971, Gregg put together a racially integrated band in an era when segregation dominated social relations in the South. The Allman Brothers band was proudly Southern, but they did not wrap themselves in the Confederate flag or embrace the ideology of the "lost cause." Instead they made music that brought together black and white artists who shared deep roots in the South.
This issue of History Now also offers two special features: First, "Jazz and the Blues: Selected Writings" a mini-anthology compiled with the participation of the Library of America. Included are excerpts from novels, essays, and other writings by Wallace Thurman, James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Miles Davis, and others. Second, a timeline entitled "Fifty Jazz and Blues Greats, 1912–2017," which includes links to landmark recordings. Both of these should be invaluable in your classrooms.
Jazz, like the blues, was born in the South, but it did not remain a regional music. Donald L. Miller's video presentation, "Supreme City: How Jazz Age Manhattan Gave Birth to Modern America," reminds us that this musical tradition spread north, to Manhattan, where it helped usher in a broader modern American identity. Miller offers us new insight into the Jazz Age and into the way in which the music captured the American imagination in the twentieth century and continues to capture it today. In addition to the video, you will find a lesson plan on the relationship between jazz and the Beat Generation and links to several essays on these musical genres from the Gilder Lehrman Institute's digital archives.
We wish you a relaxing summer—and hope this issue will prove to be a must-read whether at home, at the beach, or wherever your travels take you.
Carol Berkin
Editor, History Now


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Time marches on, and the malt shop and pizza place are gone. In their steads stands Espresso Cucina, recently reopened after a four-month facelift that features a new chef, artwork by local artists and a respect for what the co-owner sees as a new Ocean Beach vibe.
Chris Stavros and his wife, Adriana Alcaraz, owners of OB's Olive Tree Marketplace, bought the restaurant last year upon the former owner's retirement. Pizza, of course, is a staple (for $12, (the customers get to make their own
14-inchers), and more than 80 entries, including beer and wine, dot a menu that features favorites such as smoked salmon and veal Parmigiana.
The Stavros family work ethic and Ocean Beach have essentially grown up together — and Stavros said the eatery's upgrade reflects the change in the neighborhood's climate.
"You're seeing a huge influx of wonderful restaurants coming in in OB," he said. "You're finding people refining their taste buds, demanding higher-end foods and better product. It's the same in the craft-beer industry, too. We've noticed the trends among young owners and we went for it to give the city want it wants."
Jose Lares, formerly at Avanti's in La Jolla, will cook your dinner.
• ESPRESSO CUCINA is located at 1776 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., and is open from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. every day except Tuesdays. Further information is available at (619) 224-2227 or espressocucina.com.


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Do More.
|Step up to a counter at a fast food restaurant, and we're there. Go shopping at a grocery store, you'll find us there, too. Order a drink at a bar. Order a product from a warehouse. Step into a factory or a food court. We're there. We're in the backroom. We're behind the counter. And, we're behind some of the most efficiently run businesses in the world. Why will you find us in all of these places? Because companies large and small have learned that they can Expect More from SPG, and can achieve more with SPG products, service and support. We offer the broadest range of storage systems on the market, and a reliable single-source solution for all of your facilities' needs. Our lines include AMCO, ISS, ISS Contender, Freestyle, Universal Stainless, Kelmax, and Gillis/Jarke material handling systems.


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ARVC Hosts Expo, Outlines Member Programs
December 4, 2012 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on ARVC Hosts Expo, Outlines Member Programs
The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) celebrated its annual Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo in Las Vegas last week, drawing more than 550 park operators and industry officials from across the country, according to a press release.
The Nov. 28-30 conference, held at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, included nearly 50 educational seminars, networking and crackerbarrel sessions, a trade show with nearly 100 vendors as well as the industry's annual membership meeting, in which top ARVC officials highlighted the continuing strength of the campground industry, the turnaround in ARVC membership as well as the association's latest accomplishments and new initiatives.
ARVC Chairman Rob Schutter commended ARVC President and CEO Paul Bambei for his efforts and leadership in establishing a new headquarters in Denver, hiring new staff and launching nearly a dozen new member benefits, including an unprecedented music licensing program, which provides 60% to 70% off the normal rate for BMI and ASCAP. This program alone will save small parks $700 a year, while large parks could save $1,200 or more.
"I don't know where we would be at this time if it wasn't for Paul Bambei," Schutter said, adding that Bambei has also managed to increase membership above 3,000 parks and reduce ARVC's operating budget by half a million dollars since he became president and CEO three years ago.
Bambei, for his part, announced several new member benefits, including discount programs with AT&T Wireless, RVBackground Checks.com, Ecolab, Moen Kitchen & Bathroom Equipment and The American Society for Asset Protection. These are in addition to significant discount programs with Ford Motor Co., Club Car and Alliance Laundry Systems, which ARVC negotiated earlier this year.
Bambei noted that savings from many of these programs easily exceeds the cost of ARVC membership, making membership in the association essential for park operators who are interested in increasing their bottom line.
Bambei also reviewed previously announced improvements to GoCampingAmerica.com and announced a major overhaul of the association's website at ARVC.org, the latter of which would go live during the first quarter of 2013. He said ARVC also plans to publish three print versions of the ARVC Voice on a seasonal basis.
The conference included nearly 50 educational seminars, the largest of its kind in the campground industry, including multiple sessions dealing with employee management, marketing and the latest social media tools.
ARVC's Expo also featured nearly 100 vendors, who reported brisk sales, reflecting a growing sense of confidence about the campground industry's prospects for 2013.
Schutter, who also serves as chief operating officer of Milford, Ohio-based Leisure Systems Inc., said most campground operators have maintained at least modest growth during the past year, with revenues climbing up to 4% while their occupancies have remained flat or grown slightly. Schutter said the strongest growth involves parks that are investing in rental accommodations.
In other business, ARVC members elected several new officers for the association, who will work with Schutter during the coming year. They include 2nd Vice Chairman Terry Munoz of Thousand Trails in Lake Conroe, Texas, who replaced Michael Gelfand of Terra Vista Management Inc. in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Treasurer Tim Deputy of Sun N Fun RV Resort in Sarasota, Fla., who replaced Pat O'Neill of Camp Gulf in Destin, Fla.; and Secretary Truman Hartshorn of Lebanon Reservoir Campground in Lebanon, N.Y., who replaced Terry Munoz in that position.
New ARVC board members include Bobby Cornwell, executive director of Florida ARVC, who replaced Deb Carter of the Maryland Campground Owners Association; Lynda Phelps of Upriver RV Resort in Fort Myers, Fla., who replaced Tim Deputy of Sun N Fun RV Resort in Sarasota, Fla.; Tim Wilcox of Gateway Park Campground in Hillsdale, Mich., who replaced Garry Cole of the Shelby / Mansfield KOA in Shelby, Ohio; Dan Wright of The Springs at Borrego RV Resort in Borrego Springs, Calif., who replaced Michael Gelfand of Terra Vista Management, Inc. in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Eric Stumberg of TengoInternet, who replaced Ann Emerson of Good Sam Enterprises in Ventura, Calif.; Karl Littman of Candy Hill Campground in Winchester, Va., who replaced Vicki Cole of the Shelby / Mansfield KOA in Shelby, Ohio; and Wade Elliott of Utility Supply Group in Kingston, Wash., who replaced Norman Boucher of LCN Outdoors, LLC in Windsor, Conn. Also elected to the board was Al Johnson of Recreational Adventure Company, a Hill City, S.D. company that owns and operates KOA campgrounds.
Based in Denver, Colo., the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds provides private park operators with marketing support services; public affairs advocacy; educational enrichment and networking opportunities as well as major discounts on products and services needed by campgrounds, RV parks and resorts across the United States. Visit www.arvc.org for more information.


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Blue Velvet Obsession
This is one color/texture obsession that's just not going away for us. While I've yet to own a blue velvet piece of furniture, these 10 examples have it high on my gush list, in a way that feels far from a fleeting trend. If anything is going to be covered with velvet, it seems that it must be in a great shade of blue...
Top row:
• 1. Inspiration: Chesterfield Sofa
• 2. Fricke'n Pretty Home
• 3. Color Combo: Chartreuse and Turquoise
• 4. Blue Velvet Couch from Room & Board
• 5. Harrington Bros Inc Moving & Storage
Bottom row:
• 6. Trending: Using Indigo and Royal Blue in the Home
• 7. The "Cheesy but Strangely Appealing Velvet" Project
• 8. Maggie's Retro Chairs
• 9. Richard Christiansen Lives at the Bowery Hotel
• 10. Suzi's L.E.S. Meets Le Marais


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It's been a few weeks since I met the BlackBerry Team for this term's UCOSP program, but between the BlackBerry 10 Launch and the excitement around BlackBerry Jam Europe, it's been a busy time on the Inside BlackBerry Developer Blog. Now that you've had a chance to see all the cool things that BlackBerry 10 can do and that our outstanding developer community has accomplished on the platform, let's talk about what these students are doing to support our developer community through Open Source Software.
(Our Hackathon space at Facebook)
This is our second term working with the UCOSP organization, with a team of students from across Canada. This term we have 8 students, and I'm thrilled with what they've been able to accomplish already. First let's hear from Karan Khiani, of the University of Ottawa, who is a returning student from last term:
"This past weekend has been a great mix of work and play. We were a huge group of people coming together from all around Canada to hack together for a whole weekend. We all gathered for a weekend in Palo Alto, CA and got to do our hacking at the Facebook Campus. From the moment we got to the campus for the first time (I learnt that Facebook is located on 1 Hacker Way) right to the time we left the campus (I learned that 82% of traffic on Facebook.com comes from outside USA) it was a weekend of discovery.
"Apart from having the opportunity to experience the work culture at Facebook, we managed to get quite a bit of work done ourselves. By happy coincidence, BlackBerry was hosting its final port-a-thon for the BlackBerry 10 platform. This was great timing for me as I was just about ready to get my first BlackBerry 10 app into the app store. By the time I finished my first app (a bucket list app), I had become quite familiar with the development process for the platform. This enabled me to spend another few hours to also come up with a second app ("Clock of Death"). The fact that BlackBerry 10 apps are developed using web technologies made things really convenient for me as I have a fair amount of experience working as a web developer.
"The folks at BlackBerry have done a great job with all the frameworks they have published to make things easier for app developers. That, combined with the power and flexibility of HTML5, makes the entire journey quite smooth! I can't wait to come up with a killer idea for my third app."
With 8 students, including 2 returning from last term, we are able to work on a few different areas at once. As a top contributor to bbUI.js, and now with a couple of applications developed using WebWorks, I've asked Karan to work on a new template for bbUI.js applications so that new developers have quick starting points for applications using bbUI.js. Two other students with strong C++ experience will be working on WebWorks Extensions using the new Template, and the other four are each contributing to the bbUI.js framework. Now let's hear from one of those students, Haixuan Chen of Simon Fraser University:
(Team members join a BBM group on their new Dev Alpha devices)
"It was a great experience to meet with a bunch of new faces from other Canadian universities, to work on a new mobile platform (BlackBerry 10), and to use a new version control system (GitHub). Everything is new, but a lot of fun too!
"I have had some experience of building web applications using various frameworks, and basic experience with jQuery for front-end UI. But using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript to build mobile application is a brand new wonderland to me.
"Thankfully, Tim has a magic handy Ant build script, which greatly simplifies the process of building and deploying applications. I have already tried the bbUI.js samples at home. So on the first day of the hackathon, I started with the WebWorks extension sample. But I'm more interested in HTML5 and CSS3, so I spent the rest of the weekend working on bbUI.js. We have two students, Karan and Hidaya, who have already worked on bbUI.js for one term. They transferred a lot of valuable experience to newbies like me during the event. By the end of the weekend, I had submitted two pull requests regarding two bug fixes in bbUI.js. More importantly, I had gained a clear picture of the complete workflow of developing a new feature in bbUI.js, and the relationship between WebWorks framework and the underlying native device APIs."
The students have already been hard at work with coding over the last few weeks and it's exciting to see their progress. You can see what the students and our other open source developers are working on by checking in on our open source repositories, and perhaps you'll find a project that you'd like to contribute to as well.


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Transamerica Advisors Life Insurance Company v. Marsh et al
Plaintiff: Transamerica Advisors Life Insurance Company
Defendant: Sharon Marsh, Catherine Marsh, Robert Bernecker and Susan Johnson Wise
Case Number: 2:2017cv00189
Filed: November 10, 2017
Court: Michigan Western District Court
Office: Northern Division (2) Office
County: Kent
Nature of Suit: Insurance
Cause of Action: 28:1332
Jury Demanded By: None
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For years I've been hearing about how Gejas Cafe is the most romantic restaurant in Chicago. It's in every magazine, blog and their website is full of proposal photos. Every time you say the word "Gejas" people get a dreamy look in their eye and you can see them re-living memories.
So I finally went. I broke down, made a 5:30pm reso- weeks in advance mind you because the place books up- and entered "the most romantic setting in Chicago".
The place was cute, charming even and it reminded me of a place we had in college called Beggars Banquet. Was it blow me away romantic? No.
They pretty much make you choose between one of their platter combo meals which includes; cheese fondue, salads, a platter of meat, chicken and or seafood with veggies and chocolate fondue for dessert.
We started with the cheese fondue, served with stale bread chunks and fruit and we pretty much knew it would be downhill from there. First off- they put the pot on the other side of the table so you have to reach like you have a go go Gadget arm just to dip your food. And it was just blah.
The soggy salads tasted like something you'd be served at a wedding.
Since I don't eat meat, we requested two separate pots of oil to cook the main courses. The waiter and staff by the way were fantastic, nice, professional, blah blah. BUT for some reason they think it's normal to present all of the meat on the same platter as the seafood. There was raw chicken spooning my shrimp.
To most people that isn't a big deal, but trust me….if you don't eat meat- you want it nowhere near your food.
We pointed this out to the waiter who apologized, took it into the back and moved the chicken to Shaun's side with the other meat. He clearly didn't realize that the shrimp still had raw chicken touching it- moments earlier. I very nicely pointed this out and he seemed confused, but took it back and exchanged it for an entirely new platter.
Side note- I'm sure they took all my seafood and rubbed raw meat all over it in the back. Kidding, but that's how annoyed they seemed with my request.
We didn't even finish half of the caveman-sized meal and were presented with a bill that was ridiculously expensive. In fact, we're pretty sure we were accidentally over charged but I hate confrontation and refused to ask for an itemized receipt. So I sent them an email today and I'm blogging (very mature, I know). I think email was created so people could avoid awkward conversations with people.
Anyhow- the real "romance" was the fact that we reeked of oil when we left. Nothing like bonding over how bad you smell, right?
If this place would serve half the amount of food, they could charge less and maybe people like myself wouldn't be so turned off the following day. Then again, it has been in business forever and is always packed so why listen to me?
Next time I'm looking for romance I'll light some candles and cook dinner at home, in fact I think I saw a Fondue set on Gilt.


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Who wouldn't like an Imperial AT-AT PC case? This one was modded by Sander van der Velden ASPHIAX. He crammed not only a zotax z68 mini itx motherboard, intel 2600k, 8Gb vengeance ram, Sapphire 6870 gpu, and Crucial SSD into it, he also water cooled it. The water cooling consists of Koolance 370 CPU and mosfet waterblocks, Heatkiller NB/SB waterblock, XSPC pump, 2 x 240 radiators, 4 x 120mm Enermax Fans, Scythe Mediabay with fan controller. He also tells us that it features a remote controlled (old hdmi switcher remote) Arduino microprocessor that is connected through USB to the system and runs 2 x 5mW red lasers that have been installed in the forward cannons in the head.
The build is impressive. Now that some performance Mini ITX options are starting to show up wont be long there will be some rather cool builds, even our own fearless leader Nate has started his own water cooled Mini ITX build packing an Intel Ivy Bridge 3770K CPU.
Here is some images of the Imperial AT-AT build
Star Wars Imperial AT-AT case mod
Want to show off that smoking system or your latest creation?
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Star Wars Imperial AT-AT case mod
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-Thomas Jefferson
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The Gay Rappers (Foxxjazell, Shorty Roc, Lasto & Nano Reyes) - Ride Or Die Boy "Pride Remix" [Label Submitted]
"Available on i-tunes" - Foxxjazell
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Little bit sad and nostalgic music. Toys are not alive anymore. Grass not so green and dreams are not so outspoken.
- Full quality WAVE (44.1kHz/16bit)
- High quality Mp3 (320 kbps)
Dear customers and VideoHive Authors!
If you would like to use my music in your projects and videos I ask you to make music credits "Music by Alex Louder". I appreciate this! And please, do not forget to link to the music in your description, and drop me e-mail, so I could update my track description with the link to your item.


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Storm Eden Gi - BLUE
Storm Kimonos
The Storm Eden gi features:
-Ultra Comfortable 420gsm Storm Weave
-Fabric with high definition embroidery
-Ultra Resistant and Breathable Materials
-Zero Warp collar
-Zero Hold Sleeve Technology
-Hidden Mouthguard Pocket
-Anti-Microbial Treatment
-Pants are made of Ultra Lightweight Storm Breathe Tech Military Ripstop.
-Designed to comply with the most updated IBJJF regulations.
*Belt is not included.


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Sean Paul Taylor here from the RIM® Gaming Team. We have all been busy working towards bringing the latest and greatest game titles to the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ platform and getting them ready for the BlackBerry 10 launch. My team has been working on a very deep down, technical level with game studios and have been putting the new BlackBerry 10 devices to their guns with exciting new content. We have also been doing heavy battle testing of various, new upcoming external game engine technologies and some of our own internal to share as well!
Today we are announcing the latest version of gameplay3d v1.5.
For those unfamiliar, gameplay is an open-source and cross-platform C++ game framework that we have contributed out along with the community on github. Lately it has really been picking up steam in the 3D indie communities. Our focus in creating the gameplay3d framework was to deliver a high-quality, minimalistic 3D game framework that helps game studios understand our platform better. People have been looking into the source code of the framework (library, tools and samples) and it has been helping people understand the details on how to easily go cross-platform and how to easily include BlackBerry with very little efforts.
New features
- Linux support (tested on Ubuntu 12.04 LTE 64-bit)
- Linux development environment (via CMake or CodeBlock 10 IDE)
- Vehicle physics support (via new PhysicsVehicle and PhysicsVehicleWheel classes)
- Gamepad support for Xbox360, PS3 and Bluetooth® HID controllers on desktops systems.
- Touch gesture support for tap, swipe and pinch.
- Configurable multi-sampling anti-aliasing support.
- New gameplay-tests app for easily learning basic engine features.
- New public community forums directly off the website at www.gameplay3d.org/forums
- File formats documentation for game.config .scene, .material, .animation, .physics, .particle
- Visual Studio Plug-in (beta) support for BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 and BlackBerry 10.
The 'next' branch features for v1.6, v1.7
- AI path finding with navigation meshes
- Terrain and Water
- Asset Pipeline improvements


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The transition to feeding your baby foods other than breastmilk should be a pretty simple one.
But there are many Booby Traps that can complicate that transition:
Pressure to start too early. Many breastfeeding mothers face pressure to start solids too early. As you know, the American Academy 0f Pediatrics recommends that babies start solids at six months of age. But as I've written before, CDC data shows that about 40% start solids before 4 months. One reason mothers gave for starting that early was "A doctor or other health care professional said my baby should begin eating solid food." And that's not too surprising, since surveys of pediatricians in 1995 and 2004 both found that nearly 30% of pediatricians routinely recommended the introduction of solid foods or formula for exclusively breastfed infants before 5 months of age. This all adds up to babies receiving less breastmilk. It also portends a shortened duration of breastfeeding, as the more calories consumed as solids the less breastmilk mothers will produce.
Panic when a baby starts "late" or doesn't get into solids until one year. They're all different, those babies, and some take to solids readily at six months while others naturally take their time. Unfortunately that's not the view of some providers, who may express concern about a baby who doesn't eat much or any solids starting at six months. Since babies are unquestionably in the driver's seat on this one (ever try to force a baby to eat?), mothers might feel that they're left with two options: either get into a massive and potentially damaging power struggle with their babies, or lie to their doctors.
"She's not eating enough solids." (Code for: "your milk is nutritionally insufficient"). Many mothers are told that their babies aren't eating enough solid foods. But what is enough? There is clearly a wide range of normal, from no solids at all to large amounts, and if we simply offer nutritious foods and let the baby take the lead (which appears to reduce the risk of obesity), it all works out. So why the panic when a baby isn't eating "enough" solids? Well, it's only a problem if the other source of the baby's calories is not nutritionally sufficient, right? So I read the "not enough" concern to be a veiled, perhaps even subconscious, criticism of breastmilk as nutritionally insufficient. Ever think about the assumptions behind that common question, "is your baby eating real food yet?" This point of view also supports the practice of cajoling, bribing, and even attempts at forcing a baby to eat solids.
Pressure to serve rice cereal as the first food. This is gradually changing, but for years providers have recommended rice cereal as a first food. Why? Because it's less likely to be an allergen, can easily be fortified with iron, and can be mixed with breastmilk or formula for an easier transition – at least that's what I was told when it was recommended to me. But the more we know about nutrition the less sense this makes. The tide is rapidly turning toward whole foods, but rice cereal remains a popular first food.
Pressure to start cow's milk. I, and I'm sure many other mothers, took it as a given that I needed to start my son on cow's milk at age one. Why? I really have no idea, since, as Dr. Jenny Thomas points out, "he's not a baby cow." Pressuring mothers to start their children on cow's milk may mean that they get less nutrition and immune protection from milk that was specifically designed for them.
Pressure to use processed baby foods. Ever wonder when we started serving babies jarred baby food? And when we started feeding babies by spoon? Gil Rapley, in Baby led Weaning, explains that beginning the earlier part of the 20th century, breastfeeding "mothers were told to follow a strict timetable, limiting the time the baby spent at the breast and spacing feedings several hours apart." As a result, many women didn't produce enough milk. The solution: baby foods, started when mothers couldn't produce enough milk for their babies' needs, sometime between 2 and 4 months of age. "At around the same time," she says, "preprepared sieved or 'strained' foods began appearing in stores, and by the 1930's, a variety of fruit and vegetable-based baby foods was available."
And the spoons? Spoons are the only way you can get a solid food into a baby that young.
Jarred food was estimated to be a $1.25 billion industry in 1995, controlled by three companies. This report found that "the average US baby consumes 600 jars of prepared baby food by the age of 12 months," but that "European babies, by contrast, consume only about 240 jars and Eastern European babies even less – 12 jars." Yes, jarred food can be convenient sometimes, and there are more organic options available. And yes, since our average diet family is pretty deficient in fruits and vegetables they might serve a purpose. But the default first foods for babies? Your ancestors would probably scratch their heads at that one.
Baby led solids (also known as baby led weaning) has caught fire as a more natural way to feed babies – one which integrates babies into the food ways of the family and gives them the control they deserve (and clearly feel entitled to) over which and how much nutritious foods they eat.
Did you experience any of these Booby Traps as you started solid foods?


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A reader asks: "Could you please explain how a stimulus package (which creates more federal debt but puts cash into the hands of consumers) helps the economy? It is hard to understand how spending more money helps the economy. Isn't this what got us into this mess? The nation has a negative saving rate, the Republican Congress encouraged spending at the federal level and at the consumer level, housing prices became inflated, people took out mortgages that they now cannot afford (overspending)…. Isn't it better to have a good balance of spending and saving?"
The reader is basically right, says Barry Bluestone, a dean and economist at Northeastern University, Boston. Many consumers have overspent and maxed out their credit cards. Housing prices have soared, making Americans regard them as a clever investment as well as a home. "Mischievous" mortgage brokers made a mint providing inappropriate loans on home purchases.
Paraphrasing Professor Bluestone further, he sees the United States now facing a "perfect storm" with the potential for serious inflationary pressures. Oil prices have soared toward $100 a barrel. The dollar has tumbled, making it easier for domestic businesses to raise prices and still compete with imports.
Moreover, the decline in housing prices, the subprime mortgage mess, plus approximately a 15 percent drop in stock market values since October, has left many people feeling poorer. Even if still employed, they rein in their spending. They delay building an addition to their house. They skip a vacation. They don't buy expensive furniture, and so on.
This trend raises the risk of a worsening economic slump. It needs countering with easier monetary policy and "short-term fiscal stimulus," says Bluestone. He emphasizes the words "short-term." Tax rebates or tax cuts shouldn't be permanent, he says. Putting an extra $300 or more into the pockets of consumers will prompt some of them to spend, some to reduce debts, and some to save.
"It will make people feel less poor," says Bluestone.
Yes, the tax stimulus raises federal debt. But with the economy already slowing, the nation must avoid hitting the economic brakes; rather keep it moving to slow rising unemployment and the weakening of businesses.
When the temporary tax cuts end, the economy should be moving forward again and federal revenues will rise to trim or end the federal budget deficit. That, explains Bluestone, is what happened in 1995-96 under President Clinton. And if necessary, the government could dampen a new vigorous economic expansion to trim rising inflation.
"At least we tackle that problem when the economy is growing, not declining," says Bluestone. "It's a timing problem."
Certainly, the 80 percent of Americans who have seen no increase in their real income for the last five years will benefit from the fiscal stimulus, Bluestone says. Many "working stiffs," he says, will spend their tax rebates.
The impact of a recession on people is nothing to sneeze at. Fearing the political and economic consequences, Congress and President Bush, Democrats and Republicans, have managed – so far – to agree on a fiscal stimulus package.
Should the present slump worsen into a real recession, economists John Schmitt and Dean Baker predict that the labor market will suffer for about the next three years (as happened in the economic downturns of the early 1990s and 2000s). The problem might last four years if a recession is as bad as the 1980-82 dive. The latter was the worst downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. If the recession is modest, the national unemployment rate could rise 2.1 percentage points to 6.7 percent through 2010, adding 3.2 million people to the rolls of the jobless. If the downturn is more severe, the unemployment rate might soar to 8.4 percent by 2011, with 5.8 million more Americans unemployed.
Depending on its severity, a recession could add 1.6 to 3.5 percentage points to the 2006 poverty level of 12.3 percent, calculate Mr. Schmitt and Mr. Baker, both from the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. Further, a mild-to-moderate recession would reduce the median family income by some $2,000 a year and leave an additional 4.2 million individuals without health insurance.
Considering the potential damage of a recession, the Federal Reserve decided to cut a key interest rate a further 0.5 percentage points last Wednesday.
But not all economic seers are gloomy. One optimist, Brian Wesbury of First Trust Portfolios in Lisle, Ill., told a congressional committee last week that since 1982, the economy has been in recession only 5 percent of the time, whereas between 1969 and 1982, the US was in recession roughly one third of the time. He called attention to that 1980-82 recession when both unemployment and inflation exceeded a 10 percent annual rate. The 30-year mortgage rate rose to 18.5 percent when then Fed president Paul Volcker braked the economy hard to stop what was called "stagflation."
Most economists don't expect anything as bad this time around.


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The Jacomo Chorale is beginning its 31st year as a community chorale, dedicated to bringing choral, ensemble and solo music to Blue Springs and surrounding communities. The Chorale's repertoire spans classical works to contemporary pieces and presents at least three concerts per year.
This year, the Chorale will begin rehearsals at 7 p.m. Aug. 21 at the Nativity of Mary Parish, 10017 E. 36th Terrace, Independence. Directed by Dr. Helena Vasconcellos, the chorale is seeking new members. Music lovers and singers of all levels are welcomed into the Jacomo Chorale.
There will be no formal audition to join the group. Instead, prospective singers will go through a process of voice placement. Regardless of the skill level of the prospective singers, they will be invited to attend the first rehearsal in order to have an idea about the pace of practices and the level of expectation on the part of the conductor, as well all the other members.
For more information, call Nancy at 816-355-0114.


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This can be a challenging month in the fitness industry, as personal trainers and gyms see many clients lose motivation and abandon their training consistency in favour of fun and festivities.
When people stop training, they often start eating and drinking too much at the same time. Is it really necessary for so many people to go completely off the rails in December?
With a few established strategies and a bit of effort, it's possible to maintain your health and fitness through December, and maybe even see some progress.
Remember to consult your physician before starting or changing your fitness program, or making any significant modifications to your eating plan.
Take notes: One of the best ways to maintain accountability on a fitness and nutrition program is to keep a journal or log of your activities. Although it's helpful to record your workouts, this is especially effective with your diet. Taking diligent notes about timing of meals, foods eaten, quantities, beverages, and so on will inevitably lead to more disciplined eating.
Partner up: Find a training partner and set a schedule for exercising through December. Commit to each other on set days and times, and enter the sessions into your calendar. It's hard to find an excuse to skip a workout when you've got a partner counting on you. If your partner tries to bail out on a workout, be the supporter you signed up to be, and give them a good load of inspiration with just a touch of guilt to get them to follow through.
Substitute: When you're at a social function, make a conscious effort to substitute healthier food and drink for things that you know are usually your weaknesses. If you're thirsty, try soda water with lemon instead of an alcoholic cocktail or eggnog. Go for lean meats and veggies rather than sausage rolls and the cheese plate. For something sweet, try a few pieces of fruit rather than traditional high-calorie, baked treats, like Nanaimo bars or tarts.
Try a long winter nap: Many people run themselves ragged in December, working hard all week and then partying, socializing and shopping all weekend. When you're tired or stressed, it's much harder to get motivated to exercise and it's a lot easier to break down and eat unhealthy food, or drink too much. Have a nap at least once each weekend and schedule it into your day to fight the pressure to skip it.
Test yourself: Weigh yourself and take a few body measurements. Establishing a base line for your weight and shape is a good idea at any time. It can help you be more aware of when you're losing ground, and also give you a good standard for evaluating progress. Simple areas to measure would be waist, hip and thigh girth.


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Nefu Da Don Interview Gone Wrong: Nefu Da Don (Queen Pen's Son) Spazzes Out After Being Asked About A Jim Jones Twitpic! "Fxck Outta Hea. Fxck You & Your Site. Fxck What You Represent Niqqa"
@nefudadon goes off on an interviewer .. skip to the 2 Min & 25 Sec mark
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Remember when you couldn't even conceive of filling a 10GB hard drive? These days, we bet you go through gigabytes faster than you can click on a hyperlink. Good thing storage drives are becoming increasingly larger in capacity while shrinking in actual size. In fact, according to Tom's Hardware, thanks to Foremay, you might soon be able to stick a whopping 2TB solid-state drive (SSD) in your laptop.
SSD maker Foremay claims to have manufactured the first 2.5-inch SSD with 2TB of storage capacity. At that size and with a thickness of 9.5mm, it will fit inside most laptops and can replace your smaller hard drive or solid-state drive. Foremay has a version of the SSD made specifically for industrial purposes and another version for ordinary consumers. That doesn't mean, however, that you can get one right now. While we do know that the drive offers security features, such as military erase methods and hardware encryption, the company has yet to make it available for purchase. It hasn't even revealed its full feature set, speed, or other performance claims.
The SSD's price is also a mystery. If you're interested in getting one when it comes out, we suggest you either start saving now or dig up that piggy bank buried in your closet. We're 99.9 percent sure it won't come cheap.


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South Tama Schools open Aug. 24; Meskwaki School classes underway
STC?Superintendent Gives Fall Update
August 18, 2011
TAMA NEWS-HERALD- Fall classes begin for South Tama Community School District students and staff on Wednesday, Aug. 24. Registration continued for all grades through today (Aug. 18.) Meskwaki Settlement School students are already back in class. Their school year began on Aug. 17. A school-wide open house is scheduled for next Wednesday, Aug. 24 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Settlement School at 1610 305th St., Tama. South Tama staff is set to be back on the job making class preparations tomorrow. Watch for profiles of new South Tama staff members in The News-Herald and Chronicle. Classes at the Iowa Juvenile Home / State Training School for Girls in Toledo are conducted year-around. At the request of The News-Herald, South Tama School Superintendent Kerri Nelson commented on the upcoming school year– "I am really looking forward to starting school on Aug. 24. The staff has worked hard to create some new learning opportunities for our students and we are all ready for them to be back in session. I am very pleased that the district is able to continue offering preschool this year. The funding from the state for preschool was reduced for this fiscal year, but we are still able to provide a quality program for our students. "The High School has added an elective science course and has been able to add two additional college courses (Calculus and English Composition) that will be taught by Iowa Valley Community College staff on our campus. This is an excellent opportunity for our students to expand their learning and earn college credit. "The district is also pleased with the new AlertNow communication system that is in place. It will help us more effectively communicate with our students and their families about what is happening at school in a more efficient way. We hope to use the system to remind parents of weather related delays and cancellations as well as events such as registration, conferences, and more. "There will be some changes in the student activity program. "Previously, the district was a member of the Little Hawkeye Conference, and is now a member of the North Iowa Cedar League (NICL). There is information about the NICL on the district's website. "We are also looking forward to demonstrating our STC Trojan Pride with the students and the community at the homecoming game on Sept. 30. We invite you to join us at the game. "The district greatly appreciates the community support for our students and schools. It makes a difference in what we are able to do for our students."
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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stock futures fell on Friday, with Wall Street bracing for a fifth day of losses, on worries negotiations between the White House and Congress may not break the budget impasse.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average US:DJH3 fell 70 points to 12,958, while those for the Standard & Poor's 500 index US:SPH3 fell 9.4 points to 1,401.30.
Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index US:NDH3 fell 16 points to 2,606.75.
The economic calendar is thin on one of the last trading days of the year, with the Chicago PMI due at 9:45 a.m. U.S. Eastern time. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expect the index to come in at 51.0 in December versus 50.4 in the prior month. Any reading above 50 indicates expansion.
Then at 10 a.m. Eastern, the National Association of Realtors will report on pending-home sales for November. In October, pending sales rose 5.2%.
Equities managed to pare losses on Thursday on news of last-ditch efforts to salvage a deal to avert the U.S. fiscal cliff. After dropping below the key 13,000 level for the first time in three weeks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.29% recovered from a 150-point drop to finish at 13,096.31, a fall of 18.28 points. Read: Cliff maneuvering helps stocks trim losses
Late Thursday, President Obama called for a meeting of congressional leaders on Friday in an attempt to hammer out a deal. Earlier in the day, House Republican leaders said they plan to reconvene on Sunday. Read: Obama calls Hill leaders for Friday cliff talks
"Futures are trading lower now because the question is why would we move higher based on just another meeting out of D.C.," said Adam Sarhan, founder and chief executive officer of New York-based Sarhan Capital.
He added, though, that markets could rally if any upbeat headlines come out of Friday's meeting, on the hopes that a deal will be reached Sunday. That's partly due to the fact that volumes are thin and just a few players can move markets dramatically at times.
"Markets in general are taking a wait-and see-approach. They can turn on a dime, up or down, depending on the next headline out of D.C.," said Sarhan.
Futures took no inspiration from a rally in Asia stocks, as investors there clung to hopes that U.S. lawmakers will reach a deal before the year finishes next week.
The Nikkei Stock Average NIK, +0.99% finished up 0.7%, which left it nearly 23% higher for the year. Japanese markets are shut Monday for New Year's Eve. Read: Asia stocks extend gains at week's end
Shares of Hewlett Packard Co. HPQ, -1.15% could move ahead of the market open. Media reports said that the U.S. Department of Justice is looking into the tech major's allegations that before it acquired Autonomy Corp., the U.K. software firm provided improper accounting statements.
The Wall Street Journal quoted a statement from Autonomy's former CEO, Mike Lynch, that no regulators had contacted him and that "we will cooperate with any investigation and look forward to the opportunity to explain our position."
Read: Muni bonds may be money makers in 2013
Providing critical information for the U.S. trading day. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Need to Know newsletter. Sign up here.


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In the past, new truck shoppers were more concerned with power, cargo capacity and off-road ability than fuel economy. Now that gas prices are hitting all-time highs, however, fuel-efficiency has become an important issue for buyers, even those who need a vehicle capable of hauling more than just a bag of groceries. With this in mind, we've compiled a list of the top 10 most fuel-efficient pickups and SUVs sold in the U.S. today, based on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) miles-per-gallon ratings for city and highway travel. The only hybrid vehicle to make the list is the new Ford Escape, which offers stellar economy for such a versatile vehicle. Later in 2005, a hybrid version of Toyota's Highlander will also arrive — likely as a 2006 model. Our hierarchy is based on the EPA's formula for combined fuel economy: 55 percent of city mpg rating plus 45 percent of highway mpg rating. The rating for each vehicle below is expressed in mpg as a city/highway ratio. With exceptions for the Dodge Magnum, Ford Escape Hybrid, Honda CR-V, Jeep Liberty Diesel, Subaru Baja and Toyota Highlander, all ratings apply to base models equipped with a manual transmission — and for pickups, a regular cab/standard bed configuration. Likewise, all ratings apply to 2WD models, with the exceptions being all the Subarus and the Jeep Liberty Diesel. You'll notice that some decidedly carlike vehicles made the list this year, such as Chrysler's PT Cruiser and the Dodge Magnum, and that's because the EPA classifies them as SUVs — even though they're basically station wagons.
1. Ford Escape Hybrid — 36/31


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Snake River to present '7 Brides for 7 Brothers'
Come enjoy an evening of singing, dancing, color and entertainment at the Snake River High School auditorium.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers opens tonight at 7 p.m. in the auditorium and runs through Saturday. There is no show on Wednesday.
Tickets are $5 per person and can be purchased at the door or by calling Sheila Van Orden at 681-4902.
Over 60 students make up this cast. They have been practicing since January.
Senior Jacob Seamons plays Adam Pontipee in this musical production. Seamons played Jacob Marley in the musical, "Scrooge."
"I love the time era [of Seven Brides] the best," Seamons said. "I like the clothes and the boots; I get to talk in this thick disgusting brogue.
"The musical is fantastic," he said. "There is great singing, fantastic choreography.
"It's wrapped up in a huge ball of energy," said Seamons.
For more on this story, check out our print or e-editions.


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Gay American history: lesbians and gay men in the U.S.A. : A documentary
Crowell, 1976 - Social Science - 690 pages
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I feel I will always owe Ned Katz an enormous debt of gratitude for this early classic compendium on gay and lesbian history in the USA. First, he is both sincere and thorough in his feminism and ... Read full review
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Doctor Who - Dreamland (UK - DVD R2)
The Wilson Bros watch Doctor Who's Dreamland - isn't that in Margate?
Nevada, 1958.
A mysterious stranger enters a hole-in-the-desert diner, on a causal trip to the area. When introducing himself as 'The Doctor', the waitress and a Native American have no idea of the chaos about to unfold around them, with aliens, spacecraft, and a plot to destroy the world at hand. Yes, not only does '50s America have Reds under the bed, but it seems that Uncle Sam's military has made a very curious alliance with the Viperox, a deadly race of war-hungry insects, to take care of the imminent threat from the Soviet homeland.
After a disastrous meeting with a crazed general, an attempt to wipe their memories and being pursued by the Alliance of Shades—a group of mysterious men-in-black—the Doctor, Cassie and Jimmy Stalking-Wolf have to stop an invading alien hoard and prevent the unleashing of a genetic weapon capable of wiping out entire species—all centring around 'Dreamland', the almost mythical Area 51. Yes folks, animated Doctor Who finally comes of age with this superbly realised adventure.
We'll keep the specifics of the story mechanics scant, as this is one which passed many people by, and there are a lot of pleasures to unfold before you. We'll concentrate on the individual elements, rather than blowing one of the last gasps of Tennant's appearances as the Doctor.
In terms of originality, the opening doesn't inspire much confidence, with the path of a ship tracked as it falls to earth, with the action picking up a few years later. If this sounds rather familiar, then you might want to cast your mind back to the start of 1987's Predator, which was similar to the beginning of The Thing. This is the first of an amalgam of sci-fi ideas, but we are happy to say that Dreamland has much more going for it than merely being a thief of parts.
No tale of American involvement aliens (particularly with involving Roswell) would be complete without covert agents being a pain in the arse to the protagonists and covering up all traces of extra-terrestrials, and Dreamland rises to the challenge whilst overriding cliché. Thwarting the Doctor's plans at every turn come the Alliance of Shades, not merely servants of a national agency, but of an interstellar organisation charged with eradicating all traces of interplanetary meddling. Happily, they put a new spin on it—which we won't reveal here, in case you haven't seen it—but The Day the Earth Stood Still was doing the same thing fifty years ago. Borrowing aside, the Men in Black element works well, and Phil Ford wisely chose it to be a recurring element rather than the focus of the story.
The animated nature of the story allows for a more elaborate set of adversaries, and we get them in the form of the Viperox, a hoard of giant, intelligent cockroach-based life forms. They walk upright, are clearly intelligent, and where their Earth-bound relatives are chiefly adept at doing various things with excrement, the Viperox are born warriors, invading entire planets at a time. Doctor Who rarely has the budget to do vast swarms of alien invaders, but the animation allows just that, however upon first encounter with our heroes, a Viperox battle drone disgraces himself by proving to be a really lousy shot.
Speaking of the aesthetics, there are times when the animation reaches the level of 'photo-realistic', snapping back into CG when the human characters reappear. Creating convincing CGI characters for a show has never been an easy task, and whilst the rendering of skin gets increasingly better, such efforts are always knackered by the uniformly unsuccessful way mouths are handled, and Dreamland is no exception. The insides of the mushes never completely integrate into the rest of the face, often resulting in an entire row of teeth being seen during something as mundane as dialogue being delivered. Sure, Pixar have loads of both time and money to take care of these problems, but you always do when limitless resources are at your disposal. Regardless, the animation in Dreamland is excellent, with gorgeous, sweeping deserts, deeply cool spaceships, and bags of atmosphere. It'll help you to forget the slapdash efforts of The Infinite Quest.
To foreign eyes, there is a certain expectation when it comes to American military personnel, and none are more imprinted in the collective consciousness than the terse, flag-worshipping, nuke-em' variety from the 50s—again something associated with sci-fi films from that particular decade. Colonel Starke embodies all these elements, going into business with the Lord Azlok and his Viperox warriors seems to be based on Charles Napier, and you can't fault that for a choice. He comes equipped with a nicely formed character-arc, which we are loathe to reveal here, and is given a better shake of the stick than you would have expected.
As mentioned earlier, there are obviously a number of thefts from other projects, with one the main ones being that of Independence Day, specifically going for a spin in a Roswell ship and having problems with the reversed controls. At one point, when planning an escape through an air duct, the Doctor muses that being in the 50s, no-one has ever seen Aliens. Clearly the writers had, with a number of elements pilfered from it, chiefly with the Viperox species being governed by a huge queen, sustaining the race by laying vast amounts of eggs to form an invasion force.
While the amount of pop-culture references are largely kept to a minimum, there are some elements which are thematically—rather than verbally—drafted into the story. Aside from the obvious nods to the certain Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones movie, the Roswell warehouse of government secrets is strikingly similar to the both Raiders of the Lost Ark and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Sticking with Dr Jones, they even throw in a mine cart escape similar to Temple of Doom as our heroes try to escape the clutches of the military.
The flashbacks of Viperox invasion are impressive, and nicely boost the level of threat which doesn't quite come across otherwise, with their cockroach-like appearance suggesting that a quick application of Deadex bug spray being enough to take care of them. They are a credible species to worry about, with a life-cycle carefully wrought and possessed of an intelligence which stops them from being mindless bringers of destruction, but willing to bargain with lower a tier of enemies to take out the more dangerous ones.
With events focusing on Roswell, there would have been many grumblings from UFO fans if 'The Greys' hadn't been incorporated into the story, and we have to say that their inclusion constitutes some of the most sincere alien characters seen in Nu-Who. Here, they are intelligent, vengeful, wield horrifically powerful weapons, yet suffer heartache, loss, anguish and yearning. Sure, they have been depicted as beings of wonder in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, demonised in Whitley Streiber's Communion, and even seen on a weekly basis in Stargate SG-1, but never as multi-dimensional as seen here.
There is a lot of comedy, but is kept firmly in check, not relying on the kind of delivery which Tennant can slip into if not reined in. Best of these is when pompous Col. Stark reveals the nuclear threat posed by the 'Reds', which temporarily confuses the Doctor as he tries to work out why Manchester United might be cause for military concern. It might be somewhat nitpicky—even though it goes with the territory—but another venture in humour come when the Doctor introduces himself to the denizens of the local diner with a greeting of 'howdy, partners,' with a cod-American accent. Is this really the same Doctor who admonished Rose for doing the same thing in Scotland? The rest of the writing is good enough to overcome a slip from the outset.
A prime example of the otherwise quality writing is a nice nod to stories past, which sees the Doctor in a position where he has the chance to completely eradicate a rampaging, malignant species from the face of time, but faces a crisis of conscience. Most reading will know that he refused to 'pull the trigger' in Genesis of the Daleks on the grounds that alliances form against them, with the universe a better place with them in it, but here he hesitates for different reasons. Can the imminent threat of the Earth being destroyed be the final straw which persuades him to commit genocide?
Tennant gives a good reading of his dialogue, but there are a couple of times where he briefly does just that: reading them. When interacting with other characters, he's fine, to the point where he underplays it nicely. Bugging us during his time on the show were Tennant's OTT exclamations, giving the dignity of previous incarnations a swift kick whenever he would rattle off a 'Ooooowwwhhhh!!!' at every realisation which hit him. This was toned down over the course of time, but this element is mercifully diminished in Dreamland. Sticking Tennant into a recording booth and depriving him of visual representation works very well, focusing him on delivering a more focused, dialogue-driven performance.
One of the real surprises comes in the form of Cassie, hallmarked by a nicely invisible return for Georgia Moffett, she who was the centre of the 'cheat' story, The Doctor's Daughter. There have been a number of attempts to bring America into the British institution, with varying results. There will always be those who hate Peri, and let's just try to forget Peter Purvis' horrible stab at a redneck earl on in The Chase, but Moffett manages it nicely. She doesn't try too hard, and is assisted by deft writing which steers clear of the usual forming of a cocoon of clichés around the performer, which many a British attempt to crystallise Americana.
The character of Jimmy Stalking-Wolf isn't as breezily flowing as the immediately appealing Cassie, but this is purely because he in some way adheres to the typical depiction of Native Americans in the media at the time. There have been precious few ethic assistants throughout the run of the show, and while he is a welcome addition, he seems to be there purely to enable the story to be told whilst adding another ethic dimension previously unseen.
The voice of David Warner is a welcome addition to the cast, giving his usual, measured performance he keeps in reserve for the genre he hates, but is happy to make a decent living from. A real problem is that the animation doesn't convincingly sync up the mouths of the Viperox with the actor's voices, but this is more to do with the design of the creature than the abilities of the artists. Warner's frequent appearances in sci-fi irk us; he sells his name and puts in an almost identical (although adequate) performance every time, and for this reason, we have always labelled him a 'genre-whore'.
There is an ambition to Dreamland's storytelling which is unleashed by using CGI. It's a nice example of what could be achieved in live action on the show with the grace of a larger budget. There are many who would be put off just by the fact that it is CG. One of our Missus' scoffed at the thought of watching it, even though she has enthusiastically watched all of Nu-Who. She can cook, though. Whatever their reasons for letting it slip past them, it's clearly their loss. Now, how does the disc look?
The 1.78:1 anamorphic image is a very nice rendering of the source material. Colours look particularly strong, with a pleasing level of detail which showcases the work put into the CG animation. Blisteringly hot Nevada deserts look terrific, while the moonlit streets of ghost town Solitude keep its eerie secrets firmly in the shadows. An excellent job.
The 2.0 audio provides decodes very nicely into a satisfying surround experience, with booming explosions and careening ships bringing a smile to the lips. Dialogue is robust, but with audio recordings playing a key role, they weren't going to slip up on that one. Murray Gold's score is in no way diminished by the animated nature of the project, and this is true of the sound as a whole. Well done, guys.
The extras are confined to a secondary disc, and it is unfortunately here that we have to pack up our box of superlatives for this review. Grouped in the bracket of 'Doctor Who Greatest Moments', they comprise of:
- The Doctor
- The Companions
- The Enemies
We'll lump them all together, as this is essentially what the BBC are happy to do with all of their publicity material for the show. These are talking-head shots interspersed with clips from the programmes. We put all three shows in the SKY+ over Christmas, and ended up watching them all on fast-forward. They are strictly self-congratulatory in nature, not only concentrating on Nu-Who, but almost shutting out Christopher Eccleston from the proceedings. Well, OK, he appears a couple of times, but only because either Billie Piper or John Barrowman were the focus of what they needed. The only bridge comes in the form of Elisabeth Sladen and strictly through association. This was the woman who criticised the original show (and her character) in a radio interview when she was brought back for School Reunion, but The Sarah Jane Adventures ain't that crash-hot, honey. The correct title for this collection should have been the David Tennant Memorial Service.
In any case, these are very disappointing extras, with virtually no effort made. Would it have killed them to have stuck a camera in during the various recording sessions, if just for a split-screen comparison? The fact that fans are paying for a forty-five minute DVD should have given them the incentive to make an effort with the trimmings. This the only black mark for a very good disc.
There are a lot of people who missed the TV broadcasts of Dreamland, mainly because it was shown during kids' programming, or poorly scheduled on BBC HD. Many are still unaware that you originally watched them as a mini-series by 'pushing the red button' on the BBC. The DVD represents a golden opportunity to see a story more satisfying than a lot of episodes from the last three years, and shows the Doctor in a completely foreign landscape from the rest of the of the run. If only there could be more of these things. Recommended.
Review by Wilson Bros
llama Member Join Date: February 2008 Location: United States Posts: 503
Oh, God! The animation makes me want to disembowel puppies. In a bad way.
That is to say, the animation looks horrible.
That is to say, the animation looks horrible.
rebel-scum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1,101
No it doesn't.
General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children
Disc Details
Release Date: 1st February 2010
Discs: 2
Disc Type: Single side, dual layer
RCE: No
Video: PAL
Aspect: 1.78:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Subtitles: English
Extras: Doctor Who Greatest Moments
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Gary Russell
Cast: David Tennant, Georgia Moffett, David Warner
Genre: Animation
Length: 45 minutes
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ReleasesBack to
Sonny Clark
Soul Stirrin' is an invigorating, exciting date from trombonist Bennie Green, showcasing his wide range of skills. His tone is alternately boisterous and reflective -- the juxtaposition of the wildly swinging "We Wanna Cook" (complete with shouted vocals) and the gentle "That's All" is startling, demonstrating that Green can vary his robust sound according to the occasion. Green's fluid trombone is at the center stage throughout most of Soul Stirrin', but he also steps aside to shine some light on his extraordinary support group -- saxophonists Gene Ammons and Billy Root, pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Ike Isaacs and drummer Elvin Jones. Each musician plays with soul and passion, both on the laidback blues and mambos and the rollicking swing numbers. It's a thoroughly enjoyable record and one that is a good introduction to Green's wonderful, friendly style. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine


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Joint venture partners Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Doracon Contracting and Banks Contracting Company, Inc. are at work on the Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel, which will connect to the Baltimore Convention Center and is adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles. When completed, the new hotel — the city's largest and its first major design-build project — will feature 757 rooms, 550 parking spaces, two large ballrooms, meeting rooms, a restaurant, bar, and fitness center.
The entire project has been divided into three sites — west side, east side and the pedestrian bridge over Howard Street that connects to the convention center. Each site features different foundations and construction techniques.
With project plans 35-percent completed, Doracon began the deep-hole excavation in February 2006 and removed 100,000 cubic yards of soil. Shoring and lagging work followed.
The slab-on-grade foundation for the west side superstructure site, which is concrete, sits on 194 caissons reaching depths of 40 feet to 50 feet and then pier caps. The perimeter walls are shotcrete.
Bill Thumm, project manager with Hensel Phelps, says that on this phase of the project "we had a small consortium of small businesses do the slab-on-grade, underground drainage and pier caps. We took our big concrete package and broke it down into sub-packages to develop more diversity on the job site."
CECO Concrete Construction has been on-site since November and is doing all of the structural concrete work on the west side. CECO has reached the 10th floor of the 20-story superstructure, and they have been using a modified table system — the perimeter is tabled and the interior is handset — and a concrete pump to pour one floor a week.
"Two floors have forms at one time," explains Thumm. "Once you hit 75-percent design strength, you can pull them out and fly them to the next level. You want to pour your deck and pour your columns in the same day, and a regular deck is three pours. You do three pours to finish one floor a week."
The east side of the project is a structural steel package that sits on a different foundation system. After stripping the site down 3 feet to 4 feet, it was brought back up with engineered fill. Hayward Baker Inc. then engineered and installed the aggregate piles for the site. Thumm explains that a lense of existing fill sits between the structural fill and the native soils. The aggregate piles span between the two.
Work on the structural steel began in March 2007 and has been going well. Thumm explains that they have had to plan around the steel, but design-build delivery offers more flexibility when placing mill orders. Hensel Phelps worked closely with Baltimore Steel and ACM Erectors to "lock up the mill orders, procure the steel early and start detailing to get it to the job site at the right time," says Thumm.
The third site on the project is the pedestrian bridge over Howard Street. Building the foundation for the abutment on the east side of the bridge proved to be particularly challenging because of a CSX Rail tunnel running alongside the location of the proposed foundation. Built in the 1880s and still in active use, Thumm explains that they "had to thread between the convention center, the CSX tunnel and whatever utilities were there.
"Initially (the design) started out as 5-foot-diameter caissons, but we changed it to micropiles. We went through seven micropile designs in the course of a month to hit the deadline to have the steel delivered before the ballpark opened. We (installed) 12 micropiles to accommodate the abutment on the east side of the bridge."
Hensel Phelps' first big milestone was to get the bridge steel erected before the Oriole's opening day on April 9 in order to avoid the lane closures that would interfere with fans making their way to Camden Yards. Using four cranes, United Crane accomplished the task in one Saturday night.
Canam Steel fabricated the bridge trusses at their facility in Point of Rocks, Maryland. The trusses were shipped to the job site and assembled on the ground. A 300-ton Link-Belt HC-278H crane picked up and flew the first truss and did a mid-air transfer to another 90-ton Liebherr and a 120-ton Grove GMK5120B, which set and held the truss in place. The 300-ton Link-Belt then picked up the second truss, setting it and holding it in place. Finally, a 40-ton Grove TMS500E hydraulic crane stitched in the cross members.
Because the pedestrian bridge crosses over Baltimore's light rail line as well as Howard Street, work hours are restricted to five-hour windows on Friday and Saturday nights when the light rail trains are not running. So, construction continues on the bridge, which will feature a curtain wall on each side, metal panels underneath and a standard roof.
Work will soon begin on the exterior skin and the studs. The exterior on the lower podium is Cushwa brick that will match the brick at Camden Yards. Above that a metal panel system comprised of metal studs, sheathing, an air barrier, and a 2-inch insulated Centria wall panel will form the exterior of half the remaining superstructure, while the other half is a corrugated rain screen panel.
At this point in the project, the utilities are nearly 75-percent done. The concrete superstructure is scheduled to top out on September 28, the structural steel in mid-July on the lower podium and the high steel by mid-October. Once construction is finished, however, Alisha Schmitz, project manager with Hensel Phelps, is responsible for the interior upfit of the hotel — right down to the silverware.
"Normally developers handle their own furniture and their own operating supplies — glassware, stemware, computer systems, knick knacks, etc.," says Thumm. "We're working with the Parker Company, which is a purchasing agent for the hotel industry."
According to Bill Thumm, this is a growing trend in construction contracts — contractors being responsible for Fixtures, Furniture and Equipment (FFE) and Operating Supplies and Equipment (OSE) so that these items can be incorporated into one contract.
With a scheduled completion date of August 9, 2008, the Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel is on schedule and going well. "We've gotten past the design stage and we're fully permitted," says Thumm. "We're projecting to meet or beat our goals. It's a great collaborative team, which is what you want with design-build."


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Managed in cooperation with St. Johns River Water Management District
St. Johns River Water Management District
Bayard WMA is comprised of 9,702 acres in southeastern Clay County, south of Green Cove Springs extending nearly seven miles along the western bank of the St. Johns River. Floodplain forests line the river, while pine flatwoods and sandhill communities are found on higher ground in this diverse area. Recreational activities include hunting, bank fishing, wildlife viewing, hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, camping, and picnicking. White-tailed deer, bald eagle, osprey, wild turkey, and gopher tortoise are a few of the species that are found on this area. Children under the age of 16 are required to wear a helmet when horseback riding on public lands. For more detailed information go to Nicole's Law . All horseback riders must have proof of current negative Coggins Test results for their horses when on state lands. Although the area is accessible by water, there are no boat launches.
Rules Regarding Dogs
View FWC's Regulations Summary for Bayard for an area map, hunting seasons, permits, fees, and area regulations.
FWC Facts:Cranes are quite omnivorous. They feed on seeds, grain, berries, insects, earthworms, mice, small birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and crayfish, but they do not "fish" like herons.
Learn More at AskFWC
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Pursuant to section 120.74, Florida Statutes, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has published its 2018 Agency Regulatory Plan.
Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
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text:
10 Biggest Financial Scandals in History
Financial scams happen every day. However, there have been several notable cases in history that deserve particular attention. This is an article focusing on the 10 worst financial frauds. Enron Financial Scandal Enron went bankrupt in 2001. It was once the 7th biggest company in the US and was estimated to have been worth as much as $90 Billion! Traditionally Enron operated in the energy sector, but it tried to


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HOUSTON : One student was killed and three others injured in what police said may have been a gang-related stabbing at a suburban high school north of Houston on Wednesday, and a teenager has been arrested and charged with murder in the case, authorities said.
Luis Alonzo Alfaro, 17, admitted the stabbing to authorities, according to the Harris County Sheriff's office.
Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, who said the incident may have been gang-related, said the student who died at Spring High School was also 17. The other three victims were transported to hospitals, treated and released, police said.
"We believe that a confrontation of some sort occurred ... that ultimately led to a physical confrontation that then produced weapons," Garcia said.
The high school in Spring, about 24 miles north of Houston, was locked down for hours after the incident and little information was released to parents.
Frustrated parents, standing in the sweltering heat across the street from the school, initially learned of the incident through local media reports or through text messages from their children who were inside the school.
"One of my girlfriends called to ask if I'd heard," said Cheri Fitzgerald, the mother of a freshman, who did not get an automated message from the school until 10 a.m. local time, about three hours after the incident occurred.
Another parent, Tricia Mollard, who heard about the fight on television, tried calling the school and then police for answers.
"No one could tell me anything. Then I called the school district asking questions and she hung up on me. The lady I spoke to hung up. I am so mad. I want answers," she said.
Superintendent Ralph Draper told a news conference the reason for the delay in communicating with parents was that the school district was working with police officials at the time to ensure a smooth investigation.
School principal Donna Ullrich later said in a statement on the school's website that she was keeping parents informed with regular updates by phone and email messages throughout the day.
Parents said some students go to school before classes begin in the morning to get breakfast, causing the cafeteria to be crowded without much adult supervision. Other parents said many of the entrances to the school, which does not have metal detectors, are unsupervised.
"Someone told me that kids are safer walking the streets of Houston than they are at Spring High School. I wish I'd known that," said Stacy Thornton, whose family is new to the district.
The school will be closed Thursday and Friday, with classes resuming Monday, according to the school district web site. Crisis counselors will be available to students and staff, with increased security as needed, the website said.
The stabbing was the third such violent incident at a Houston area school this year. Fourteen people were stabbed, but none killed, at a community college campus in April, and three people were wounded in a shooting at another community college campus in January.


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Provincial regulation requires all municipalities to test drinking water for lead content at the tap level. The Markham Community Lead Testing Program began in December 2007 and successfully completed 8 rounds of sampling until regulatory relief from the lead sampling was granted by the Ministry of Environmental and Climate Change in the fall of 2011.
During the 8 rounds of sampling Markham had taken 872 residential samples, 80 ICI samples and 484 distribution samples and tested for lead.
During the 8 rounds of sampling, Markham has taken 872 residential samples, 80 ICI samples and 484 distribution system samples and tested for lead. These samples were taken on a volunteer basis from locations evenly distributed throughout Markham, targeting the older areas of Markham. In total Markham has sampled almost double the residential samples as required by the Regulation.
Lead test results from rounds 1 to 8 [PDF] were acceptable and below the MOECC Drinking Water Quality Standards for lead of 0.010 (mg/L).
Even though regulatory relief from the lead sampling was granted, Markham is still committed to ensuring the highest quality of water. To date, all known lead service lines in Markham, from the municipal watermain up to the property line, have been replaced. However, there may still be private service lines from the property line to the house that are made of lead or contain lead. Similarly, the internal plumbing of a building may also still contain lead pipes. Should a resident suspect that their home has lead plumbing or that they are connected to a lead service line, they may contact the Waterworks Department at 905-475-4862.
City of Markham Waterworks Department
Telephone: 905-475-4862


text: Drones - What the latest developments in the EU mean for your business Aviation Legal Update UAS Alert Share this 20 DEC 2016 By: Prof Dr Ludger Giesberts LL.M. Dr Thilo Streit LL.M. Because of the broadening scope and business chances for operation of drones within a society longing for faster and more efficient mobility at lower cost, the European Union (EU) intends to swiftly advance the regulations of this sector. In order to prepare for such legislation, a High Level Conference "Drones as a Leverage for Jobs and New Business Opportunities" took place 23-24 November 2016 in Warsaw/Poland. Results of the Warsaw Drones Conference (23-24 November 2016) The conference in a nutshell set the following goals: The EU Commission will present a concept on how drone operations should be organized in a U-Space within the next 6 months. An efficient framework for all individuals and businesses to operate drones at lower levels, up to 150 meters high shall be enacted. Denser traffic of automated drone operations over longer distances including cities shall be possible. The rules shall provide a safe environment and make privacy and security rules effective. The European Commission already proposed to give the EU competence to regulate on all drones regardless of their weight (currently the EU only has the competence to regulate drones with a weight of more than 150 kg while member states regulate the lighter versions). Education and safety promotion campaigns shall be developed to increase the awareness of all actors, in particular those without an aviation background. Background: the "Prototype" Commission Regulation Even before the Warsaw Conference, the European Commission, Member States and other stakeholders requested the European Air and Space Agency (EASA) in Cologne to draft a "Prototype" Regulation. By the end of 2018 at the very latest, the EU institutions expect to adopt a final Regulation on Unmanned Aircraft Operation. Given the economic potential of the drone market and the potential issues regarding safety, privacy, and data protection, the EU intends to enact a clear legislation to face the future challenges that drones pose. The EASA "prototype" regulation is intended to support preparing the formal EU rulemaking process. It does not yet constitute any formal commitment though. Under the proposed regulation, drones will be grouped into three categories, which are risk-based. Safety risks are determined by the possibility of mid-air collisions with manned aircraft, harm to people and damage to property. Proposed drones categories The EASA "prototype" regulation proposed the following drone categories: open category" (low risk). No prior authorisation by a competent authority before the operation takes place. No pre-approval for the design of the UA, the operator, or of the pilot. Compliance with operational limitations (e.g. limit to flight altitude of 150 meters), mass limitations (maximum weight of 25 kg), product safety requirements, and a minimum set of operation rules. Registration of the UA, equipment with an electronic identification means, and/or with a geofencing function for certain sub-categories. "specific category" (medium risk) Authorisation by a national aviation authority before the operation takes place. This authorisation is based on an operational risk assessment. "certified category" (higher risk) Requirements comparable to those for manned aviation. The certification of the UA, a licensed remote pilot and an operator approved by the competent authority, in order to ensure an appropriate level of safety. What to do now? Assess business chances and risks under the intended rules. Take influence on EU decision-making processes. Adapt products to the challenges of the upcoming regulation. In case you have any additional questions, require further input or seek for advice or support on EU Legislation, please contact the authors.