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Great idea! One more thing though, is it possible for an enemy unit to find a spy/assassin? Here's an example:Arkbrik wrote:Simple, you make a secret note about which enemy trooper is really your guy. Then you can reveal it at any time by replacing it with your assassin.
Suppose you have an assassin on the enemy team. If he is within range of his target (eg enemy commander) and he kills him, does he get caught? An enemy unit wouldn't expect someone on their own team to kill their commander, so there's no guarantee that he would be caught.
My own thoughts on this matter are that you'd roll a dice to decide if he gets caught, depending on the manner he killed him in. If he knifed him, it's pretty likely that he'll be caught, whereas if he fragged him, it's much harder to see who threw the grenade. Suggestions, anyone?
Also, if the spy isn't caught instantly, what would the enemy response be? I was thinking maybe the enemy could lock down the area, and the spy has three turns to try and leave the complex before he's automatically caught. What are your thoughts on this matter?

subset: commoncrawl


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Ron Paul's long-shot presidential campaign officially may have officially come to an close — again— this weekend, after he failed to secure a majority of national delegates at Nebraska's state GOP convention.
In the end, however, the Texas Congressman may walk away having achieved the real goal of his presidential campaign: An audit of the Federal Reserve.
A GOP source tells Business Insider that the Republican Party is seriously considering including support for an audit of the Federal Reserve in the party's platform this year, a move that would enshrine Paul's signature policy in the Republican Party doctrine for at least the next four years.
According to the source, the possibility of including Paul's position on auditing the Fed in the party platform came up during a recent meeting between Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Paul's son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, whose positions generally align with those of his father. The source told Business Insider that Romney expressed support for including the "Audit the Fed" plan into the platform, and that the Paul camp is working on specific language to present at the Republican National Convention in Tampa next month.
The Romney campaign did not respond to BI's request for confirmation.
There is a strong political rationale for Romney to support Paul's "Audit the Fed" plan. The position is popular among rank-and-file Republican voters, uniting the Tea Party and Ron Paul libertarian factions of the GOP. The House is expected to pass Paul's latest "Audit the Fed" bill when it is brought to the floor, which will likely be sometime next week, according to House Leader Eric Cantor's office.
Including "Audit the Fed" in the platform could also go a long way toward appeasing the hundreds of Ron Paul supporters who will descend on Tampa as national convention delegates. For Paul, it will be a small vindication of nearly three decades as the modern era's most relentless critic of the nation's central bank.


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dustinsparks needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 72 designs submitted by 18 freelance designers.
Global Satellite Company needs a logo redesign. Company name is GIT Satellite Communications
Global Information Technologies
GIT SatelliteCommunications want a new logo - they are open to a new design & new colors, but if it helps there current logo can be viewed at.
It will be used on their new site & print collateral, TV ads, & satellite communication devices - neat opportunity :)
- New bolder logo with 2-3 dimensions - more Web 2.0 - ish
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A Sunday Thought
I'm reading Mitch Daniels's book "Aiming Higher: Words That Changed a State." It's a collection of his speeches as Indiana governor, and in the introduction he talks about the writing of them: "The most perceptive statement I ever read about the task of writing was, 'Writing is easy. I just sit down and write what occurs to me. It's the occurring that's hard." Many of Daniels's speeches "were weeks germinating" before he settled on exactly what he wanted to say, and how. That's why his speeches are good: You sense the germinating.
All this made me think of David McCullough, who once noted that people tend of ask him how long it took to research a work of history and how long to write. They rarely ask him about the thinking, which is what really takes time. "To write is to think," he said. "Good writing is good thinking." I quoted him in a television interview the day of President Obama's inaugural. The anchor had asked if the president and his speechwriter would have a lot of "good lines," and were they busy thinking up "good lines." I said I hoped not. I quoted McCullough and said I hoped they were thinking.
If you try to write "good lines" you'll likely wind up with strings of dumb, unconnected applause lines. The audience will probably applaud—crowds of supporters are dutiful that way, and people want to be polite—but they'll know they're applauding an applause line, not a thought, and they'll know they're enacting enthusiasm, not feeling it. This accounts for some of the tinniness of much modern political experience.
At least the anchor didn't say "soundbite," a word that seems to be losing currency, thank goodness. I sometimes talk to young political writers about how they shouldn't be thinking of them.
From the paperback edition of "On Speaking Well":
What is now called a soundbite was once called a "sentence" or "paragraph" or "phrase." Great soundbites of political history are great sentences and phrases of political history:
"Gentlemen may cry peace, peace, but there is no peace."
"With malice toward none, with charity for all . . ."
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself."
Those are four of a hundred that would come to mind if you sat down and thought for an hour or two.
They were all created—they came to live in history—because their writers weren't trying to write "a soundbite" or "a line." They weren't trying to self-consciously fashion a phrase that would grab the listener. They were simply trying to capture in words the essence of the thought they wished to communicate. And because some of their phrases and sentences were happily brief, they wound up in newspaper headlines. "In Bouyant Ceremony New President Declares 'Nothing To Fear But Fear.' " Headlines and subheds were the soundbites of yesterday.
In Patrick Henry's case, he was trying to say: We must finally admit that war is not only inevitable, it has in fact begun. In Churchill's it was: Our resolve will see us through this darkness In FDR's: Buck up, in times like this attitude is everything.
All of the famous phrases that came from these thoughts are ringing and memorable because they are natural. That is, they bubbled up from the creative process, they naturally emerged from the process of thinking and writing. They were a thought that emerged in a certain form from a sea of ideas, words, thoughts. They authentically emerged from thought.
Lincoln, when he wrote, 'With malice toward none . . ." was not trying to write a soundbite—though that would have been the great soundbite from his second inaugural. He was trying, simply, to put into words his attitude toward all the people of a broken country as the end of the war approached. He wasn't trying to write a "line" — he was trying to give voice to serious thoughts and serious policy.
When Ted Sorensen and John Kennedy were working on JFK's inaugural, I am sure they did not think to themselves that "The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans" was a great soundbite—although it became one of the most famous soundbites of the century. I am sure they thought, instead, that they had created a ringing passage in an elegant speech, a passage that effectively and memorably trumpeted a truth: that the tone and style of American leadership was about to change.
They were serious.
You must be serious when you're doing serious work.
So don't "try to write a soundbite" when you write a speech. Don't try to come up with a great line. Try to write well. Which means try to think well. Try to put clearly the position you're advancing of the thought you're explaining. Try to explain why your policy is the best one, your attitude the right one, your program the more just one. Lose yourself in the work and the words will come.
I wish I'd written, "Lose yourself in the thought and the words will come." Anyway, "On Speaking Well" was published 15 years ago, and it seems to me still pertinent to the anchor's question.


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This is one of our handmade items.


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The trade deadline has come and gone and Roberto Luongo is still a Vancouver Canuck. But before we watch the season unfold down the stretch and into head into the playoffs, there is one more important day coming up tomorrow, April 4th, as the Canucks hold their annual Canucks for Kids Fund Telethon during tomorrow's game against the Edmonton Oilers.
CFKF Telethon raised more than $1.3 million during the 2011/12 NHL season, through phone/online donations and fundraising events throughout the year. The fund dedicates resources to assist charities which support children's health and wellness, foster the development of grassroots hockey, and facilitate and encourage education in British Columbia. Over its 27 year history, the Fund has raised more than $41 million for the children and families of our province.
This year we are excited that our own Bruce Ng will be representing CanucksCorner.com and taking pregame phone pledges during the telethon. If you get to speak with Bruce, we're sure his kind, enthusiastic voice will convince you to make a big donation!
In addition to possibly getting to talk to Bruce there are other great incentives if you make a donation to the cause:
- Enter by Midnight April 4th, 2013 and you could win a 2013 Chevrolet Trax LTZ.
- Donate $150 or more and receive both "Century of Hockey" and "Milestone Memory" photographs.
- Donate $100 and receive an exclusive 8″ x 10″ photograph of a "Century of Hockey".
You can make an online donation by clicking here, or call in your donation tomorrow night during the game at Toll Free at 1.85.KIDSFUND (1-855-437-3863).
Help the kids if you can, it's a really great cause!


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THE FARM BILL has a profound impact on farming and nutrition. Three key things the multi-faceted bill provides are: a safety net for farmers, incentives for conservation practices, and food assistance for low-income families. Congress writes the farm bill every five to six years; the most recent Farm Bill, approved in 2008, expires Oct. 1.
At present, nearly 80 percent of the bill's roughly $100 billion a year in spending goes to the food-assistance category, most notably to food stamps—the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which now helps feed 46 million people in the U.S. Less than 10 percent of current Farm Bill funding supports water and soil conservation practices, such as no-till farming and preserving wetlands and grasslands.
In the past, a significant part of the bill has been commodity payments made under various programs to farmers of crops such as corn, wheat, rice, cotton, and soybeans (but not fruits or vegetables). As farmers are currently benefiting from high grain prices, while the government faces budget deficits, the next Farm Bill seems poised to recognize that the time has come to end commodity payments.
However, farmers, challenged by volatile swings in crop prices and by uncertain weather, still need a safety net. In lieu of commodity payments, the Senate version of the Farm Bill, passed in late June, moves toward subsidizing crop insurance, which covers farmers—including fruit and vegetable growers—against both poor yields and poor prices.
The Senate version of the bill includes cuts in conservation and food stamps—but not as severe as what the House has in mind. If present policies had continued, Farm Bill spending was projected to be nearly $1 trillion over the next decade. The Senate bill cuts approximately $23 billion from that 10-year total. In May, the House Agriculture Committee said it was aiming to cut approximately $33 billion.


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The stylish range of dresses, tops, pants, and skirts helps women sizzle from head to toe, no matter the season. It's easier than ever to browse handbags, watches, and special occasion outfits by style, brand, or price so that you can grab the perfect accessory and score the best looks for your big day. Don't skimp when it comes to menswear that looks sharp and stylish. Beef up your bevy of clothing with jeans, sweaters, and suits. Sellers on eBay have a selection of accessories to fit your fancy, including hats, ties, wallets, and sunglasses. Grab a new briefcase for work, or find the perfect backpack that holds all of your hiking supplies.
Before school starts, get your little ones the most fashion-forward and well-fitting clothes. Discover dresses, outfits, jeans, and coats for boys and girls of all ages. Let them proudly rock new ensembles from big brands, giving little ones extra pep in their step when they start their day. Instead of slowing down, keep your tootsies on point with shoes of all sizes and colors. Sellers on eBay offer boots, heels, sandals, and athletic footwear that will keep you and your entire family moving year round. Take the strain out of shopping with great deals on classy clothing, stylish shoes, haute handbags, and jazzy jewelry on eBay.


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For her Indian-inspired nuptials to Rishi Jain, Shilpa Harish sought to strike a beautiful balance. "We wanted it to be a colorful, traditional wedding, and also something that was elegant," she says. The couple chose to marry at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV, near Shilpa's hometown, and instead of hiring a planner to help pull together their 400-person affair, Shilpa and Rishi jumped headfirst into organizing the details of their day.
After Rishi and Shilpa's outdoor Hindu ceremony, decorated with rich oranges and reds (traditional colors used at Indian weddings), guests conversed during the cocktail hour as one of the couple's friends played tunes on an Indian guitar called a "vina." A nearby escort table displayed the guests' place cards, which were attached to silver bowls filled with Indian sweets. Back inside, the reception decor played off of the turquoise Indian party dress Shilpa had changed into for this stage of the event. The tables were embellished with fuchsia linens and calla lilies, and even the ceiling was swathed in the vibrant colors: Large bolts of fuchsia and turquoise material were hung from the chandelier and secured in the room's corners, creating an interesting pinwheel effect.
Multicultural food stations, with dishes like tuna sashimi and pad Thai, gave their affair the unexpected twist they'd envisioned, as did the Los Angeles–based DJ, Razor Rus, whose specialty is spinning Indian music along with hip-hop beats. "Weddings are the highlight of Indian culture," says the bride. "Ours was just the way we'd hoped it would be; it really gave our families a reason to celebrate."
Learn From Shilpa and Rishi
Rally the troops: For their 400-guest wedding, the couple recruited their families to help cook, assemble favors and fill welcome bags.
Embrace your heritage: To honor their backgrounds, Shilpa and Rishi incorporated Indian traditions throughout their wedding. One highlight was the special ceremony Shilpa's parents performed, the Vara Puja, during which they offered Rishi a mixture of honey, yogurt and banana to demonstrate that they warmly accept him into their family.
Get plugged in: The couple were determined to keep guests clued in to the wedding details, so they created their own Web site that listed information about the reception venue, nearby hotels and travel arrangements. —Cristi L. Hansen


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You can't help but notice the dire chatter surrounding student loans these days.
Continue Reading Below
In fact, student loans are one of the hottest topics here at LearnVest, whether in LV Discussions, your comments or stories we write. Some are calling it the newest lending crisis, equal in scope to the subprime mortgages that torpedoed the economy in 2008.
No wonder–a record one in five households now holds student debt. Increasingly, this debt burden is altering lives, and not in the way students imagined when they first took out the loans. Enrollment in graduate programs has dropped, as students face mounting undergraduate loans. 44% of graduates are delaying buying a home, and 23% will delay having children because of their debt burden.
Defaults on student loans are at a record 13.4%, and there's no clean slate in sight–student loans are rarely dischargeable in bankruptcy.
One NYU professor has even said that student loans are immoral.
This is a topic you're passionate about. According to a nationwide survey conducted by LearnVest and Chase Blueprint, more than half of you have student loan debt, and you owe an average of $41,000. A quarter of you have more than five loans outstanding, and more than a third of you don't think your student loans were worth it.
We wanted to show the faces behind these statistics, so we reached out to five LearnVest readers to share their own stories of naiveté, guilt and–in some cases–acceptance and triumph.
Do you recognize your own story in theirs?
Rebecca Harris, law student
Debt: $160,498
I came out of undergrad with almost $40,000 in student loans, and decided to go straight into law school. I wasn't worried about taking on more debt because law schools all but guarantee that their graduates get jobs. The reality is that those numbers were inflated and manipulated. Students from my school who graduated two years ago are just now starting to get real jobs or picking up temporary work.
I've been adding to my loans for three years, and I now have an outstanding balance of $160,498 in federal loans (find out why federal loans are better than private), and I haven't been able to pay down any while in school. My school requires 25 hours per week in legal clinics in addition to classes, reading and work, so there is little to no time for an extra job.
I feel extremely stressed out and overwhelmed. Recently I've been wondering if this is the right career for me after all, after getting a taste through clinic work. I want to find something that doesn't make me stressed and anxious, and is more fulfilling. I've been researching other options, like working in HR or taking a management job that doesn't require a law degree but would still make use of it.
Tiffany, public sector professional
Debt: $97,000
Even with a half-tuition scholarship, help from my parents and graduating early, I graduated from Boston University with $70,000 in student loan debt, then embarked on a career in the public sector in New York, starting at $30,000.
About two years ago, my boyfriend asked what the pay-off date for my loans was, and I had no idea. I read all the fine print and repayment terms and found I would be paying for nearly 30 years at the rate I was going! It felt like getting hit over the head with a ton of bricks.
I have since calculated my monthly payments so I will be paid off no later than December 2020. I allocate more to the higher-interest loans and take advantage of incentives such as lower interest if you enroll in auto-payment. I have a credit card that sends my cash-back bonuses straight to my private student loans.
I am grateful that the loans allowed me to go to the school of my choice. I just wish I understood capitalized interest and the terms of repayment better. I would have made an effort to pay at least something on my loans while in school. Even $100 a month, which would have been feasible with my college job, would have saved me $1,200 in accrued interest.
Now I'm back in school for my master's in public administration and I'm looking at another $60,000 in debt, but this time with more knowledge. I chose a program that allowed me to continue working full-time and have paid off over $15,000 of my debt while in school. At work, I have been promoted, now earning between $50,000 and $60,000, and will graduate with my master's in a much better position, both professionally and financially, than if I had attended a full-time program.
Diane Bitler, receptionist
Debt: $80,000
When I took out my student loans, I was young and did not have any clue about money, like the difference between lenders and good versus bad APR. My parents were new to the process as well and had no qualms about taking loans out. I wish my counselors guided me more, but instead I was encouraged to apply to any bank for loans.
I majored in Political Science at SUNY Albany. I chose my major at 17, and by the time I realized it didn't appeal to me, I was a junior and it was too late to switch majors. Still, I figured I would graduate and find a job in six months (the time before receiving the loan bill). In reality, I graduated, and could only find part-time or extremely low paying jobs, none of which were enough to support myself and pay student loans.
For a long time I felt like a failure because I had no means of paying these loans. I tried the late payment rehabilitation program, but was two payments away when my work hours were cut and I could no longer afford it. My lenders continue to raise my interest and tack on late fees, which now accounts for the majority of my debt. Because my mom co-signed my loans, she's been getting collection calls and harassment letters about garnishing her wages. Her credit is ruined along with mine.
I went to a free financial counseling center in NYC, which helped me figure out how much I owe and to whom, but I am still at a loss as how to deal with these lenders. I'm trying to find a way to consolidate all my loans into just one bill.
I finally left Manhattan and moved to Virginia to find work. Now I earn $10 an hour, roughly $21,000 a year. I feel trapped. I could pay these off if I became a millionaire. Otherwise, I will be paying them until I die. I just wish I could file bankruptcy and start fresh.
I don't understand how this could be done to the future of America.
Lily Engle, sales professional
Debt: $0
When I graduated in May 2009, I had a solid amount of student loan debt. While I know that $15,000 definitely isn't that high, it was still a considerable sum to wrap my head around, and it lit a fire under my butt to find a job.
I work in sales, which isn't my dream job (I had been hoping to find something in development or fundraising for a non-profit), but it has proven to be extremely rewarding and pays twice as much. So my happiness at work is one positive that came out of my student loans.
If I didn't have these loans, I may have been more frivolous with my spending after college and would not have been able to create an emergency "savings cushion" like I have now. My loans helped me learn to budget and think about money differently. When paying down my debt, I always paid far more than the monthly minimum. As a trade-off, I chose to live somewhere where my rent was lower than the max I could afford. I also planned my budgets and spending around my salary, not my bonuses.
When I received my end-of-year bonus in March 2012, I used the entire thing to pay off the remaining $8,000. Because I didn't incorporate my expected bonus into my budget, it wasn't painful to say goodbye to it. I saved big on interest–I would have ended up paying an additional $800 or so over the life of the loan had I just kept on paying as usual, which would have taken me until 2015.
(Find out why she saved by paying earlier.)
Because of my loans, I can really appreciate the value of my education. Compromising on my education to avoid borrowing may have left me jobless post-graduation and given me no choice but to remain financially dependent upon my family. And being sure to pay my loans each month has given me good credit and solid financial footing as I prepare to take on additional financial responsibilities like homeownership or a family (eventually!).
Virginia Bosch, actor
Debt: $110,000
I was recently asked to fill out a survey from my private university, including the question: "If you could do it all over again, would you choose this school?" I answered, "Yes for the experience, but not for the money."
I've wanted to be an actress since I was a little girl, but I also wanted to go to a school that let me explore other options and grow personally, so I chose to get a BA in the arts instead of going to a conservatory program. My university had the best theater program in the country … and was also named the most expensive college in the state. Originally we had more aid from the school and my parents were planning on paying more upfront. But since the market crashed when I was in college, our situation changed and the amount of aid the school gave me drastically dropped by the time I graduated (this was all told to my parents, not me). So my parents took out more loans. I graduated in 2009 with $12,000 in federal and private student loans in my name, and over $100,000 in my parents' names.
My goal is still to be an actress, but I've built up a swarm of freelance flexible jobs. I tried a steady administration job, but was miserable. So now I am currently an actor/babysitter/teaching artist/administrative temp/superstar errand-runner. (Find out more ways to make income on the side.) My income ranges between $1,000 to $2,600 a month. I'm back on track to paying my loans, and starting to formulate a financial plan.
When I graduated, the words "consolidation" and "interest rate" were foreign to me, despite the fact that I had borrowed so much money. When applying to college, I would have loved someone to sit me down and explain the ins and outs of loans. $50,000 in debt is very impractical as an actress. At my current rate, I will be able to pay off my portion of loans within the next five years, but I plan on taking on as much of the $100,000 in loans in my parents' names as possible, even though they say they are willing to pay for my education.
Originally, my loans only produced guilt that I chose an expensive education, guilt that my parents were helping me, and primarily, guilt that I was pursuing my passion when I had this debt. I have been making peace with this, especially since guilt doesn't pay the loans. And I'm so grateful for my parents' support.
If You're in Student Loan Debt or Considering Taking It on:
One good rule of thumb is to never take out more student loans than your anticipated first year's salary. But we bet, now that you've read other women's stories, you have more questions of your own about how to handle student loans responsibly.
We answer them all in LearnVest's Knowledge Center. First, understand how student loans work with our complete guide. If you need loans, use our easy checklist to figure out how, and what type, to take out in the first place.
If you're paying off student loans, use our checklist on how to pay them off, which runs through all the strategies and resources available to you to get a handle on your payments. If you're struggling, read about your options here.
Want More?
By the Numbers: The Student Loan Crisis
Take Control of Your Money With Our Free Bootcamp


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Many of those polled in the nationwide survey have taken measures to decrease their monthly bills and save energy. For example, 73 percent always turn off lights, 57 percent replaced most incandescent light bulbs in their homes with more efficient compact fluorescent lights, 57 percent purchased Energy Star products and 52 percent have renovated their homes to stop leaks and energy waste.
With all these attempts to save energy, it's not surprising that 53 percent of Americans think they're using less energy than they were five years ago, according to a survey conducted by the Shelton Group, an advertising agency based in Knoxville, Tenn.
In reality, though, U.
S. electricity consumption has steadily risen, increasing 10 percent in the last 10 years, according to the Department of Energy. There are a number of reasons for this apparent contradiction, including the growing number of appliances Americans consistently use and the "SnackWell's effect," said Suzanne Shelton, president and chief executive of the Shelton Group.
"A lot of us buy a box of SnackWell's (cookies) and think, 'They're low-fat, so I can eat all of them,' (and) then we wonder why we haven't lost weight," Shelton said. "Buying an energy-efficient product can create the same type of effect. We'll say, 'I just got a high-efficiency air conditioner; I can lower the temp and make my home even cooler in the summer.'"
Behaviors like this may be why a third of survey respondents with energy-efficient products said they had not seen the return on investment they'd hoped for. Outcomes like that can kill energy-efficiency campaigns and are largely due to lack of education, Shelton said.
"There's a willingness to be energy-efficient, but there's misinformation about how to do it," Shelton told United Press International.
That's because there's no unified, national approach and codified message, she said.
"Sadly, with all the billions of dollars (for energy efficiency) in the stimulus bill, there is nothing set aside for consumer awareness," Shelton said.
That's not a reflection of federal attitudes toward energy education, though, said David Marks, spokesman for Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, which played a key role in drafting the energy provisions of the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
"The stimulus was all about job creation," Marks told UPI. "It needed to be timely and temporary."
Education, while important, wouldn't have advanced the goal of this particular bill, Marks said, because it wouldn't have created many immediate jobs. However, future energy legislation may take up that issue, he said.
In the meantime, there are already a number of state and federal agencies with a myriad of programs focused on educating consumers, particularly the Department of Energy and its offshoot, the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office.
The department distributes information to the media, creates campaigns targeted toward different audiences and sponsors public-service announcements, including one in 2007 that featured characters from the Disney film "Ratatouille."
"Our emphasis is that there are ways to save energy and save on your bills while staying comfortable," said Chris Kielich, Energy Department spokeswoman. "You can't save 50 percent on your bill by doing one thing, but if you do many things, it certainly does add up."
To help consumers figure out what they can do to cut consumption, the department has set up a number of Web sites, including energysavers.gov. The site explains how to do a home energy audit and provides information on energy-efficient appliances, insulation, lighting, windows, water heaters and more. It also outlines ways to finance products and projects to increase efficiency.
The results of the Shelton Group survey don't necessarily mean these efforts aren't working, Kielich told UPI.
"The fact that someone even did a poll is good because 10 years ago, no one would have thought about it," she said. Energy efficiency "is really on people's consciousness these days."
Grassroots efforts by utility companies represent a major force driving this interest and changes in consumer behavior, both Kielich and Shelton said.
Utilities have a major incentive to get their customers to use less, said Robert Jagusch, director of energy services at the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association, which includes 125 utility providers in the state.
"The cheapest power plant to build is the one you don't have to build," Jagusch told UPI. "We try to use conservation as a way to avoid building new power plants."
State laws also prompt power providers to push efficiency. In Minnesota, utilities are mandated to save 1.5 percent of their annual retail electricity sales. To do so, the companies hit the streets.
"For instance, we'll walk into a hardware store that sells energy-efficient lightbulbs, but you'll look up and they've got regular lighting," Jagusch said. "We'll suggest they use their own product, and often they think it's a great idea; they just never thought about it."
Many utilities also have programs that provide financial assistance for customers, particularly low-income people, to help them invest in energy-saving projects or products.
"Some of our utilities will literally pay for and install Energy Star products, like a fridge," Jagusch said.
There're a number of federal programs with the same objective. The recent stimulus bill channeled $5 billion into the Weatherization Assistance Program, a 30-year-old program that has already weatherized 6.2 million low-income homes.
There are other programs for businesses, manufacturers, builders and people who aren't considered low-income. The Alliance to Save Energy, a coalition that promotes energy efficiency worldwide, has created a Web site to help people find and utilize these tax credits at energytaxincentives.org.
The current economic downturn may bring more people to Web sites like this one and increase their willingness to conserve, but the public and private sectors may have a harder time finding the funds to keep pushing the energy-efficiency message. For instance, the main sponsor of one of the alliance's campaigns just pulled its financial support.
"It is tough in this economic condition," said Jessica Lin, communications associate at the alliance.


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This page contains my pictures of galaxies and galaxy clusters. Please click on each thumbnail for a larger version and for more information.
Monitor calibration: for the best experience, adjust the brightness and contrast of your monitor so that you can see each step separately. Pay more attention to the black steps here. The darkest step should be as dark as you can make it while still being able to distinguish it from the next lighter step.
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Brianstampley necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 26 diseños de 17 diseñadores freelance.
BooksOnPurpose hosts fundraisers for local schools in an effort to raise money for their reading program. Specifically to afford the school the funds to provide e-readers for every student. We also partner with local charity organizations to assist them with fundraising by hosting 'book donation drives'. We then facilitate the resale of those books on behalf of the charities.
BooksOnPurpose's mission is to transform the experience of reading for children by getting positive titles into the hands of school kids, thereby ensuring that they are properly equipped with powerful life and success skills starting at a young age (Grades 6-12). One of our goals is to play a valuable role in successfully getting an E-Reader into the hands of every student in America. We host fundraising programs, where students are encouraged to gather as many unused books as possible from their homes, families and communities. These books are then resold and the profits are used to purchase E-Readers for the school.
We also impact the community by partnering with charities and fundraising organizations. We help them host 'book donation drives' which is intended to raise money for said charities through the resale of these books.
We know that traditionally, reading is not considered to be the most exciting part of a child's day. With the relentless distraction of television and the internet, reading needs to be something that captivates its audience at a young age. Currently within the school system, the selection of required reading, we feel, is outdated, presented in an inapplicable manner, and mundane. We believe that with titles that stimulate creativity, encourage growth, and challenge the reader, we can directly change the experience of reading starting with our youngest generation. If we can help students realize the power that can be accessed through reading, they would be excited to read. The nightly assigned reading would no longer be a boring and resentful "task". Reading would now be, (as best put by a 2nd Grade boy who loves to read), "T.V. in your head".
We plan to expose and promote our Movement through Social Media. We will connect and network with others in our community that are passionate about this cause. Creating raving fans and raving leaders is our #1 goal. The logo should we designed so that it is memorable and can easily be recognized.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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- Overall Length:17.50"
- Blade Length:8.00"
- Cutting Edge:6.875"
- Blade Thickness:0.19"
- Blade Material:Stainless Steel
- Blade Style:Bayonet
- Blade Grind:Flat
- Finish:Polish
- Edge Type:Plain
- Handle Length:9.50"
- Handle Thickness:0.95"
- Handle Material:Acrylic
- Color:Black
- Frame/Liner:Brass
- Weight:1 lb. 0.67 oz.
- Knife Type:Automatic
- Opener:Push Button
- Lock Type:Ring Pull
- Brand:AGA Campolin
- Model:18" Stiletto
- Country of Origin:Italy
- Best Use:Collection
- Product Type:Knife
This 18" Italian Stiletto from A.G.A. Campolin comes in the classic style with a black acrylic handle and a bayonet blade. A.G.A. Campolin offers some of the finest traditional Italian Stiletto's on the market, with a variety of collectible styles to choose from. This 18" model has an acrylic handle with nickel silver bolsters and buttons. Brass pins and liners add a classic touch to the design. The blade comes in a bayonet style with a plain edge and a polished finish. Add a piece of Italian history to your collection with the A.G.A. Campolin 18" Ringpull Stiletto.
Italian Stilettos are handmade using traditional knife-making techniques. As a result they will have a more rustic fit and finish than most production knives. These traditional Italian knives are intended more for collection and display, rather than hard EDC use.


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|Personal Liberty Bob Livingston provides you with a conservative, Christian view on life. Helping you live free in an unfree world. Delivering news on improving you health, boosting your wealth, and protecting your civil liberties."
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Researchers: Reconsider LSD For Medical Use
Norwegian researchers studying the results of studies conducted more than 40 years ago say there is convincing evidence that the powerful psychedelic LSD should be re-examined as an option for treatment against addiction and other mental conditions.
The researchers examined six different studies of LSD and alcoholism that were scientifically sound by todays standards, in which patients were randomly assigned, as if by tossing a coin, to receive either LSD or a comparison treatment. They combined all the data from these studies, involving a total of 536 people. They contend that, to date, this is the most comprehensive study of these experiments conducted from 1966 until 1970.
In the studies some of the alcoholic patients were given a large dose of the drug on one treatment day and some patients were given a small dose of LSD, while control patients received a low dose of LSD or a stimulant drug — or nothing.
"In independent and standardized follow-up examinations, ranging from one to twelve months later, all of the studies showed that the patients who had received a full dose of LSD fared the best. On average, 59 per cent of full-dose patients showed a clear improvement compared with 38 per cent in the other groups," say Teri Krebs and Pål-Ørjan Johansen, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
By 1971, LSD was banned for non-medical use. Although the drug was and is still permitted as an experimental medical treatment, it became increasingly difficult to conduct clinical trials. Despite the promising studies, LSD was claimed to have no demonstrated medical use. There may be several reasons for this, the researchers explained.
In an era when 10 percent of all Americans are taking prescription antidepressants and more battling various forms of addiction, Krebs and Johansen are among a growing number of mental health professionals advocating research of unconventional psychological treatments.
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CIRA .ca Domain SuspensionsJune 12, 2004
CIRA's on a witch hunt, and the first casualties are the wave of multiple suspended .ca domains dropping off the internet this weekend.
From the inception of the .ca TLD in 1993 to the transfer of control to CIRA in 2000, the .ca registry was run by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Owning a .ca has always meant adhering to strict Canadian presence requirements, but the rules have relaxed over time. During UBC administration an individual or company was required to maintain a physical presence in the country. Subdomain use was liberal and an individual had little chance of registering a higher-level domain than http://name.city.province.ca/.
When the Canadian Internet Registration Authority took over the regional segregation was dropped, although physical presence requirements remained. But it has become apparent non-Canadian residents were able to skirt around this stipulation, and CIRA started pulling the plug on their sites this weekend.
Californian Greg Storey was contacted on May 25th about his domain, Airbag.ca. CIRA wished to verify his registrant information, and threatened suspension if he didn't comply within 5 business days. Further, they informed him they would be blocking any access to his domain during the verification process:
Please note that during the RIV process, CIRA is restricting your Registrant profile and all domains associated with it, this includes Registrar transfers, Registrant transfers and administrative contact changes etc. Unless the Registrant is unable to respond satisfactorily to CIRA's RIV request, the restrictions will be removed upon completion of the RIV process.
Because Storey wasn't able to meet the Canadian presence requirement, CIRA followed up with notice of suspension on June 11th, and by June 12th airbag.ca had disappeared from the web. And he's not alone; notable typography site Typographi.ca has gone dark, and the list of suspended domains is growing daily.
While it was obvious all along that non-Canadians shouldn't own .ca domains, CIRA's handling leaves a lot to be desired. A domain switch is not an easy process; bookmarks break, traffic falls, and server configuration takes time. Instead of wantonly closing down sites that slipped through the cracks, they could have instead extended a grace period to the registrants and allowed time for a proper domain transfer. CIRA allowed these registrations to happen; silencing resources that others have come to enjoy and rely on isn't the proper way to handle the situation.
Note — Airbag has since moved to airbagindustries.com, so update your bookmarks. Feel free to use comments on this article as a lost and found to hook up missing .ca domains with their new address.
Reader Comments
Typographi.ca is back online, thanks to Stephen's Great Aunt in Alberta. http://typographi.ca
Why should only Canadians be able to get .ca domains? I've long had an interest in getting muthafu.ca.
I understand what CIRA is trying to do, but they should have done it differently.
Comparing .com to .ca is different though, look how hard it is to get a .us domain if you're Canadian? or a .co.jp or .co.uk?
I don't really understand why you'd want them anyway unless you're from that country. I hate it when one company registers their name in every TLD there is…
When you're so saturated with a dominant culture, it's easy to see why they want to protect it - its just a terrible way to go about it.
One of the best and the worst things about New Zealand is that anyone can get a .nz. I love seeing the .nz in an international forum - it's so disappointing though when it's actually not someone from "downunder".
<i>CIRA's handling leaves a lot to be desired…<i>
Excuse me? If registrants chose to ignore the policy when they knowingly misregistered their .ca domain, they deserve to be dark.
sheesh, I can't believe this is an issue.
Why should only Canadians be able to get .ca domains?
Here in Canada, there's quite a bit of concern over Canada losing its identity and independence. A huge amount of our media is imported from the U.S.
Also, a strong Canadian identity is essential to Canadian unity. (For those who weren't aware, there's a constant threat of separation in Quebec, and there's concern about Western Canada, too.)
That's the truncated abridged version.
I think it's a disgrace that people abuse TLDs in the fashion they do. If you have to resort to a non-standard TLD, get more creative and pick another name for your site (like johnnycamereallyreallylate.com). Even though sites like blo.gs appear to be clever, they are just abusing the system (of course the system went away when it was deregulated).
I also dislike the fact that certain countries (like the Cocos .cc) have given up their TLDs just to profit.
Ah - so we're all pretending that there's some deep meaning to the arbitrary strings of letters that make up the TLDs and that there's a real feeling of community between folks that share the same TLD. I'll pretend that somehow I gain a strong sense of identity from my .com homepage. I can identify with my neighbors that I share the com namespace with: Yahoo, the New York Times, Halliburton. Oh wait…
Well, I guess there is one good thing to come out of all of this controversy: Greg and Dave will be united by the .com bond. Tell me again why Mezzoblue isn't a .ca domain? What sort of company is Mezzoblue, exactly?
Perhaps the real problem was not enforcing the Canadian presence requirement to begin with – after the registration process loosened in various respects, I mean. The laxity led folks to believe their faking was merely fibbing, and we know that fibbing is okay. So I have some sympathy with the beached people, but not a whole lot.
My god… Total Suspended/Expiring Domains: 8774…
That's a LOT!
Requiring residence is not an unusual requirement for country specific top level domains. Many of the domain registries in Europe require you to have lived in said country for 6 months before you can register. In France, you have to set up a company (incorporated or public) and have a physical office open for business before you can apply for a .fr domain name.
I agree with the comments about the grace period before deleting the domains from the registry. 5 days is a horrifically short length of time to move a web-site across domains. Informing your readers of a change of address can take months. 5 days will loose useful web-sites like Airbag a lot of readers, and for businesses, a lot of customers.
In my defense, I did not use a loophole. I went to the first Canadian registrar I found (lowcostdomains.ca) and tried to get a domain. I was surprised it went through, but it didn't seem too odd as there are so many countries that allow for foriegn registration.
And I fail to see how registering a domain can be compared to spreading spam or viruses. That's just stupid.
"I pretty much agree that if someone has used a loophole to get hold of something they know they shouldn't really be able to get, then they don't deserve a warning."
Though I'm a Canadian citizen, support the residency requirements and generally agree with CIRA's decision, I don't agree with any sentiment that these sites should go dark simply because the owner found a loophole. I am not someone who would stand to lose a domain over this (I don't even own any .ca's anymore) but speaking as a user of the sites that do, it disappoints me to see such a quick action on CIRA's part after years of dormancy. A grace period is reasonable in these circumstances.
"Tell me again why Mezzoblue isn't a .ca domain"
Because the more pedestrian .com scores over .ca in two important ways; first, because it was still actually available as a .com (the benefits of making up words). Second, because it was slightly cheaper. All my properties probably should have a .ca redirect at the very least, but it hardly strikes me as worthwhile to spend the money on what results to a purist debate.
One similarity between this issue and your last post (Everything looks like a blog) is access to our Internet. Scroll wheels on computer mice are vertical, not horizontal, so no one likes to scroll sideways (and you can just hit the space bar to scroll down). Dominant browsers append a ".com" domain when none is entered. But trying to get people to embrace the domain naming convention is similar to moving people away from just the default browser.
That's actually pretty scary that somebody thought .ca was California, when you think about it.
Interesting that you've had problems with .ca domains. Here in southwestern Ontario, .ca's actually seem more prevalent than .com's. Perhaps the .ca thing has just taken a stronger hold here or something. That would make an interesting article.
Thanks for the post Dave. While I was looking at the very long list, I noticed that one of my domains is about to be suspended! And I'm a Canadian citizen.
I orginally noticed the CIRA crackdown while at Greg's Airbag site, and one of the comments struck me as being kind of funny - one commenter thought that .ca was the TLD for the state of California.
And I also agree that .ca domains do not get as much attention as .com - having owned both, I recieve constant complaints that people cannot find my .ca sites. People tend to automatically add .com to the end of a domain - even though you tell them to use .ca!
I pretty much agree that if someone has used a loophole to get hold of something they know they shouldn't really be able to get, then they don't deserve a warning.
If you go spamming Google for example, would you complain if you got a ban/penalty with no warning?
If you were to start sending viruses round the world, would you expect a warning before being arrested and charged?
I mean, if we have a system setup that allows someone to send viruses or spam search engines, then surely its not their fault for taking advantage of it.
I'm sure many people will now tell me that registering a .ca domain is wildly different to spamming or distributing viruses, but if someone does something they know they shouldn't, do they really deserve a warning? Building a business on that kind of thing is perhaps not the best thing to do……
"it disappoints me to see such a quick action on CIRA's part after years of dormancy. A grace period is reasonable in these circumstances."
I can understand being annoyed as a user that a site you visit suddenly disappears. I would also conceed that where people do have a proper legitimate right to the domain, it is very unfair not to offer some kind of grace period. For that reason alone perhaps they should have offered a grace period to avoid penalising innocent people.
I don't, though, have any sympathy for those who knowingly used a loophole, or CIRA's laziness, to obtain a domain, and find their site has now been pulled.
I would imagine that CIRA could be caught by compensation claims if they suspend a legitimate domain without warning, and I would hope that they were pretty sure of falsley registered domains before taking that action.
The moral take on the loophole ("you shouldn't have done it, so you deserve it") might not hold water, but the insurance take might: when you enter into a contract with a certain set of requirements that you don't meet – even going so far as to be *surprised* that your offer wasn't refused given the terms, then you might not rely too heavily on the other party upholding the contract. Whether the terms were broken in good faith or bad, it comes down to banking on CIRA not noticing, which doesn't strike me as particularly stable.
Entities with .ca domains who don't meet residency requirements are taking a substantial risk in choosing those domains over those without requirements that they have trouble meeting; if not having to move domains years later is something one wants to insure against one might want to be risk-averse in choosing a TLD.
The funny thing about this, of course, is that Typographica IS owned by a Canadian (or rather, about 3 people minimum, one of whom is a Canadian citizen) - and CIRA has copies of his passport and drivers license apparently on file, and had them two years ago too - but they don't believe the site is "Canadian" enough, I guess.
Sorry - just to reiterate - I have been told by one of the many people involved with Typographica that the Canadian citizen who originally registered the domain in partnership with the Americans and others who founded the site was asked to send his Canadian Presence Requirement 2 years ago (or more? does anyone know?) when the site was first put up. And he did. And everything was fine - until now. But it was sent in a second time, valid IDs (2 of them) showing his regular permanent address in Canada.
I doubt that's enough for CIRA, though; from other people who have lost their sites (many of whom are Canadian citizens living in Canada and elsewhere), CIRA wants specifically Canadian content. Maybe we should tell the Typographica people to write more about Canadian typefaces, maybe that would make CIRA happy.
Introducing Typographicom — Corporate Typography News Since 2004


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Walter is a 32nd Generation Shaolin Disciple under Master Shi Deyang (Chin.: Shì Déyáng Fǎshī 释德扬法师) and co-founder of Shaolin Wuseng Houbeidui - Italy, with the Dharma-name Shi Xingmi (Chin.: Shì Xíngmí 释行米).
Today traditional Shaolin stance training is often misunderstood, neglected, or interpreted in a much more limited way than its intended purpose.
Stance training has for centuries represented an important part of Shaolin training, often considered a fundamental element without which most other aspects of the discipline would be impossible to understand, perform correctly, and have any martial efficiency.
Often it is argued that as a means of physical preparation stance training has today been surpassed by other more modern and scientific methods; this however is a conclusion that simply displays limited first-hand stance training experience, and limited understanding of the "science" of stance training and its multiple objectives.
Stance training has a number of fundamental objectives, which can be divided in three main groups; technical, physical and mental.
Technical training objectives
Stance training is first and foremost a way of learning an extremely complete, evolved and accurately defined method of movement, which, when applied correctly, will enable the expert practitioner to rapidly transition to any attack and defense position in a stable, fast, unpredictable and coordinated manner.
Furthermore it teaches a set of postures which, when applied correctly, will enable the expert practitioner to control the opponent's position and movements, simultaneously allowing the execution of a great variety of defensive and offensive hand and leg techniques with maximum power and whilst maintaining optimum stability.
Physical training objectives
Stance training develops muscular endurance via isometric holds; by staying in a specific stance, for example mabu [1], for a prolonged period of time, substantial isometric tension is generated on the abdominal muscles, lower back, hips and all the leg muscle groups.
Stance training also develops muscular strength via dynamic movements; by moving in and out of a stance, for example lowering and rising xubu [2], the practitioner executes various types of one-legged and two-legged squats and lunges with substantial load on all leg muscle groups as well as the trunk stabilizers.
Furthermore it develops power via an alternation of the isometric holds and dynamic movements described above. Modern sport science has discovered that a sequential application of isometric holds and dynamic movements generates more power gains than dynamic strength training alone; stance training has always applied this principle, alternating the static hold of a stance to dynamic movement between stances.
Finally it enhances joint mobility and muscular flexibility; several stances, if executed in their more extreme "stretched" variations, require substantial joint mobility and muscular flexibility,
and consequently can contribute to develop both, via static (holding the stance) and dynamic (moving in and out of the stance) stretching postures.
Mental training objectives
Stance training engages the practitioners in a challenging learning process which will stimulate coordination, balance, mobility, body-awareness, and other mental characteristics indispensable to a complete fighter.
Furthermore by pushing the endurance of the practitioner this type of training can stimulate relaxation, concentration, resilience to fatigue and to physical pain.
Most importantly, and quite uniquely, traditional stance training combines all the above technical, physical and mental training objectives, providing a single fundamental training foundation.
How stances are trained
Normally traditional Shaolin stance training begins with simple exercises alternating single stances in both static holds and dynamic movements, ensuring maximum movement range to achieve all the strength and stretching benefits outlined above. The stances are then connected in static and moving sequences, initially without performing defensive or offensive techniques such as punches or kicks, but often with the inclusion of some hand posture to ensure correct body alignment and whole-body 'tension'.
Finally multiple techniques are added, both in short jibengong (basic skills) sequences and in a variety of taolu (boxing sets); the stances however remain the primary constant, and they should continue to be practiced also separately, as a stand-alone training routine.
A traditional basic stance training routine can have almost infinite combinations; the following example is a short but challenging beginner sequence of exercises (mabu, pubu [3], xubu). It is important that each stance is executed correctly, with an appropriate hand posture, and that maximum motion range is achieved (within the physical capabilities of the individual).
mabu – 4x2min static holds with tights parallel to the ground, alternated with 4x25 reps standing in and out of the stance (mabu squats)
pubu – 4x30sec (each leg) holds as low as possible whilst maintaining correct posture, alternated with 4x10 reps (each leg) standing in and out of the stance (pubu side squats)
xubu – 4x30sec (each leg) holds as low as possible whilst maintaining correct posture, alternated with 4x5 reps (each leg) standing in and out of the stance (one legged xubu squats)
To increase or decrease the difficulty of the routine simply increase or decrease the height of the stance, the duration of the holds, and the quantity of the reps. Always perform a warm-up and light stretching routine prior to attempting stance training, and ensure correct posture and alignment is maintained, initially with the supervision of a competent teacher.
More advanced Shaolin stance training will then aim at exponentially raising the difficulty via the stimulation of greater and greater control; whilst the initial training as described above will provide the raw endurance, strength, mobility and posture foundations, the advanced exercises will add body-and-mind control difficulties.
These can be for example the execution of the exercises whilst balancing on ever-higher and narrower poles, or on uneven and perilous surfaces such as rocky outcrops, or with control-enhancing elements such as small water-filled bowls balancing on the head, hands, legs.
All these methods will stimulate ever greater muscular control, postural alignment, balance, concentration, focus and body awareness.
Alternatively there are methods focusing more on enhancing the strength benefits of stance training, such as increasing loads by holding weights (traditionally stone locks and stone balls) in various hand postures whilst executing the stances, or performing more complex single-leg dynamic movements, or transitioning between stances with plyometric-like movements.
Traditional Shaolin stance training is therefore not just a unique method of movement, possessing great versatility as a means to train the technique as well as the body and the mind. As such it must be the foundation of any Shaolin training and in itself reflects perfectly the Shaolin training philosophy, one which always aims at combining physical, technical and mental training as one.
Far from being dismissed as obsolete, sport science only confirms that traditional stance training can be an invaluable method which in many ways reflects the very latest scientific findings in its union of static and dynamic movements, maximum range of motion, and mental stimuli.
Mastery of stances however requires dedicated training; this article might inspire more practitioners to "eat bitter" and go back to basics, to stance training, for as Master Shi De Yang says:
"Shaolin martial arts begins with basics and ends with basics. At the start you will only do basics, because they are the foundations on which you will build all else, and at the end you will only do basics, because you will realize that all else is within them.
However your basics will no longer be basic, they will show skill of the highest level."
[1] Mabu (Chin.: mǎbù 马步) (Eng.: horse stance)
[2] Xubu (Chin.: xūbù 虚步) (Eng.: empty stance)
[3] Pubu (Chin.: pūbù 仆步) (Eng.: drop stance)
- For more information on Shaolin Disciple Xingmi, or Shaolin Wuseng Houbeidui - Italy, please visit the website: http://culturashaolin.it/
-少林禅城 Shaolin Chan City
Discuss this article on the forum....
Copyright © 2009 Shaolin Chan City, LLC. All rights reserved.


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I'll be making shoe recommendations in connection with different kinds of pedals, but first here's some quick advice.
Feet swell a bit as you stand and walk on them. If you ride your bicycle to go buy shoes, you may find them too small after you have been walking. Buy shoes a bit large, or go for a good, long walk before trying them on. If you will be wearing the shoes for winter riding, you also might leave enough room inside for two layers of wool socks.
Now, as to pedals: what kind are best for you? Some bicycles restrict your choices:
A coaster brake (backpedaling brake) prevents you from backpedaling after a quarter turn or less. After stopping, you have to take a foot off the (rear) braking pedal before you can place the other foot on the (forward) power pedal -- so, a coaster brake is practical only with plain pedals, which don't secure your feet.
A bicycle with a one-piece crank uses a smaller pedal threading than other bicycles. Only a limited selection of pedals is available for one-piece cranks, unless you use an adaptor, and that will move the pedals outward, reducing cornering clearance.
A fixed gear doesn't let you coast. A secure connection to the pedals is important with a fixed gear, but spinning pedals make toe clips hard to enter, and the straps hard to adjust. Clipless pedals are the best choice if your bicycle has a fixed gear.
There is detailed information on installing, removing and servicing pedals in the companion article about pedals.
Most bicycles allow backpedaling and have three-piece cranks, so you can use any kind of pedal you like. You put one foot down when stopping, and prepare to restart by lifting the opposite pedal to the high-and-forward starting position. With toe clips or clipless pedals, the pedal rises with your foot. With plain pedals, you hook your foot under a pedal. To restart, you step down on the pedal as you let go of the brake levers. The first pedal stroke lifts you up onto the saddle as it gets you moving.
In the video below, Theresa James, aged 13, demonstrates the preferred technique for starting and stopping on a bicycle which allows backpedaling.
Many cyclists keep the saddle too low for efficient pedaling. Plain pedals reinforce this preference by allowing pedaling on the arches of the feet. Also see the article on this site about starting and stopping.
Some pedals have built-in front and rear reflectors, or reflectors can be bolted on. Always use lights at night -- but rear-facing pedal reflectors help increase visibility. They also show whether you are pedaling, so they serve more or less as brake lights. If your pedals can't take reflectors, reflective ankle bands are a practical substitute, and they also provide reflectivity to the sides. We like the wide, Velcro-backed Bike-a-Lite ankle bands -- but no ankle bands really protect trouser cuffs, so, wear socks that reach up over your ankles, and tuck trouser cuffs into the socks. Then only the right-hand (right-foot?) sock is at risk from chain dirt -- and nobody will see it when you get off the bicycle and put the cuffs back on the outside -- even less if the socks are black. Some bicycling shoes also are reflectorized.
Plain pedals can work with most shoes, and are most practical when a cyclist wears a variety of non bicycle-specific shoes -- especially, dress shoes. The feet are free to align themselves on plain pedals -- there is no need for adjustment, though there is also no rotational "float" -- freedom of the foot to realign itself during the pedal stroke. People who ride with the saddle too low for efficient pedaling often prefer plain pedals, so they can pedal on the arches of their feet.
If the shoes have leather soles, plain pedals should have a rubber tread for traction. With rubber soles, a toothed metal traction surface also works. A smooth metal surface will be slippery when wet, whether the soles are of leather or rubber. Plain pedals should be double-sided, so it doesn't matter which side comes up.
Plain pedals with a large platform for the foot can be used with soft-soled shoes, even moccasins or Crocs. Plain pedals which have only a metal cage, like the pedal at the left in the image below, should be used with stiff-soled shoes.
|Metal pedal, usable plain or with toe clips and straps
|Rubber-block pedal,
for traction with leather soles
|Platform pedal,
best with soft-soled shoes
You have to push back against yourself to keep your feet on plain pedals during the upstroke. Also, the loose connection between feet and pedals promotes a slow cadence and increases the risk of a foot's coming off a pedal, possibly causing a crash. Still, there are "keep it simple" advocates who prefer plain pedals even for long rides, and who point to the risk of knee injury when a pedal secures the foot at an incorrect angle.
In winter, avid cyclists often switch over to plain pedals so they can wear heavy boots while riding. Children and beginners usually go with plain pedals for easier starting and stopping. (On the other hand, children riding on the back of tandems should have toe clips and straps -- see the article on this site about tandeming with children.)
Toe clips and straps have been used since the 1890s and are still quite popular despite the advent of clipless pedal systems.
By preventing a foot from slipping from a pedal, even loose toe straps improve safety, once a cyclist has learned to get the feet in and out of them. So-called "mini" toe clips or pedal "baskets", though, used without straps, may look good to a beginner, but they make it harder to start without offering any advantage once you get going.
Toe clips and straps can scuff shoes, and require a relatively stiff toe box, so they aren't a great idea if you wear sandals, moccasins or Guccis. Most running shoes and bicycling shoes work well with toe clips and straps, though.
Pedals for use with toe clips and straps are available in a variety of widths and shapes. Single-sided pedals like the ones in the image below should only be used with toe clips and straps. Some quill pedals, like the one shown at the left, have a tall prong at the outer end, making them unsuitable for wide feet or wide-soled shoes. Platform pedals and track pedals, shown in the middle and right photos, avoid this problem.
|Quill pedal,
AKA road pedal
|Pair of platform pedals for
use with toe clips
|Single-sided pedal without
quill, AKA track pedal
Leather toe straps are more durable than fabric ones, and stiffer -- less likely to tangle with the toe of the shoe as you put your foot in. Thread a strap starting from the outside of the pedal, with a 360 degree twist under the pedal to keep it from sliding out of position. Do not insert the end of the strap into the slot at the bottom of the buckle. Instead, leave it hanging out like a floppy dog ear. Then you can tighten the strap by pulling on the end, and loosen it by pushing the buckle outward with your thumb.
This correctly-threaded leather toe strap was started from the outside of the pedal;
and twisted 360° as it passes through the pedal. The end is loose, to tighten
by pulling, or to loosen by pushing outward on the buckle. The toe clip here is mounted
outboard of center, to accommodate the cyclist's splay-footedness. This is a rear pedal
on a tandem; a bungee cord connects to the front pedal and holds both pedals upright.
The knot in the bungee cord shortens it so it holds tension.
Most toe clips attach to the front of the pedal with two bolts, and can be placed under a pedal reflector. If your feet toe out, you may want to mount the toe clips farther toward the outside of the pedals than usual. Toe clips are sold in different lengths. It is very important for toe clips to be long enough to avoid strain to the Achilles tendon (at the back of the ankle). The ball of the foot should be over the pedal axle or slightly farther forward. Slightly oversize toe clips place the strap behind the widest part of the shoe, allowing you to pull back lightly at the bottom of the pedal stroke. There is confusion in toe-clip sizing: I've found Japanese ones to be one size smaller than European ones with the same markings (S, M, L, XL).
To get your foot into the toe clip, place your toe of your shoe on the back of the pedal and push down. On a recumbent bicycle, pull the back end of the toe clip toward you with the toe of your shoe. Get one shoe into its toe clip before you start. As you start, slip the other foot into its toe clip. If you don't succeed on the first pedal stroke, ride with the pedal upside down until you have built up enough speed to try again. Except on a fixed-gear bicycle, you may stop pedaling momentarily to reach down and tighten the toe clip once you get going.
Many people worry about getting their shoes out of the clips, but really, you only have to exit a pedal while nearly at a stop. A bit of practice while leaning against a wall will probably get you comfortable with this. You don't have to tighten up the straps if you don't want to, or, as you approach a stop, you may loosen the strap for the foot you put down. It is usually still possible to wiggle a foot out for an unanticipated stop. If you do fall, it's usually more about laughter than tears -- and especially if you wear cycling gloves so you can safely put a hand down to break the fall.
Power Grips -- wide straps that extend diagonally across each pedal from the outside front to the inside rear -- offer an alternative to toe clips and straps.
One widely-recognized problem with toe clips and straps, as well as Power Grips, is discomfort due to the pressure of the strap on the top of the foot. The strap also impairs circulation, resulting in even more discomfort in cold weather. As noted, adjusting toe straps is hard on a fixed-gear bicycle, because you can't stop turning the pedals.
Clipless shoe-pedal systems work somewhat like ski bindings. They allow easy, hands-free release of the foot -- even more important on a fixed-gear bicycle -- and avoid pressure on the top of the foot. Most early clipless systems (1980s) had cleats that protruded from the shoe soles, but Shimano SPD, Eggbeater, and Speedplay Frog systems, among others, have recessed cleats and walkable shoes. Some walkable systems shed mud and packed snow well, making them practical for almost any kind of riding.
Cleats for clipless systems bolt to the soles of the shoes. Different systems use different cleats and bolt-hole patterns, so you need to take care to buy shoes that will work with your cleats and pedals. Cleats are sold with pedals, rather than shoes.
As with toe clips and straps, practice getting your feet in and out of these pedals before you go riding with them. The motion is different from that with toe clips, and it also is different with different kinds of clipless pedals. Most of these pedals have a release adjustment, which you set according to your leg strength.
The photos below show a selection of pedals used in clipless systems.
Speedplay Frog pedal
|Look racing pedal, uses non-walkable cleat
|Crank Brothers
Eggbeater pedal
Pair of Shimano SPD/platform pedals. Which side is up?
Two-sided Shimano SPD pedal
My own choice, for urban cycling as well as recreational rides and bicycle touring, is SPD in its walkable "mountain bike" version. Other systems may be lighter, and easier to adjust, but SPD is relatively economical, and a wide variety of pedals and shoes is available from several makers. Shimano makes two kinds of cleats -- black, which release only with a twist of the ankle to the side, and silver, which also release upward. I prefer silver.
I do not like combination pedals which are plain on one side and clipless on the other -- like those at the lower left in the picture above. You are likely to fumble getting started because the wrong side of a pedal comes up. I suppose that these pedals might make sense for someone who can't have a different bicycle equipped with each kind of pedals. Some pedals are double-sided with platforms but have SPD on both sides, providing better support for the shoe. Long-distance riders report that these pedals improve comfort. The SPD pedals at the lower right in the picture are minimalist, designed for light weight. They work best with shoes that have stiff soles.
Cleats are adjustable, forward and back, from side to side, and in rotation for toe out/toe in. Most clipless systems also offer some rotational "float" – the feet are free to toe in or out. Float makes initial alignment less critical, and accommodates the slight changes in the natural angle of the foot at different parts of the crank rotation.
Correctly-aligned cleats make long rides easier and more comfortable, but incorrectly aligned cleats can quickly lead to knee pain -- usually at the outside of the knees. Prolonged misalignment can result in damage to cartilage in the knee joints, so -- deal with this problem promptly!
The cleat attachment on most bicycling shoes has the feet pointing directly forward -- but most people toe out. Except with pedals such as Speedplay that have a wide range of free "float", you will probably need to rotate the cleats. You may also have to move the cleats toward the big-toe side of the shoe soles so your ankles clear the cranks. While most systems offer a range of forward-and-back adjustment, legendary long-distance cyclist Lon Haldeman modifies his shoes to place the cleats even farther back. He reports that this eliminates foot pain and without reducing his power output. You may find his advice here.
A good way to start with cleat alignment is to note how your feet rest on plain pedals. You may also want to ask for the help of an experienced bike shop mechanic who uses the New England Cycling Academy Fit Kit, with its R.A.D. (Rotational Adjustment Device). If a foot feels like it wants to rotate, then it does. In tough cases, you do well to seek professional help from a sports orthopedist. You may need orthotics (shoe inserts, or wedges under the cleats) to align your feet, and/or "knee savers" (pedal axle extenders).
The soles of my Specialized Body Geometry bicycle shoes, with Shimano
SPD cleats. The cleats are rotated to accommodate my
natural toe-out: the cleats are parallel, while the slots under them splay
outward, though intended to point directly forward. Also,
the cleats are installed as far as they will go to the big toe side
of the soles, to get my ankles clear of old Stronglight cranks, and as far back as they
will go, to spare my Achilles tendons.
Adjusting the angle of a Shimano SPD cleat by rotating it with an adjustable wrench
while tightening the bolts that secure it to the shoe.
Knee savers
A wide variety of shoes is made for clipless systems -- though if you want cleated business Oxfords or patent-leather pumps, you still have to get them modified yourself. (The market cries out! Really!) You can get sandals, combining high-efficiency pedaling with a 1950s beatnik look. Quoting Sheldon Brown, the founder of this Web site:: "These are my very favorite footwear. In the summertime I go for weeks on end without ever having anything else on my feet. Far and away the most comfortable cycling footwear ever."
This topic deserves a longer discussion, so here it is.
Sheldon wearing Shimano SPD sandals,
New Year's Day 2004, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Ever making his way upstream against the current of conventional so-called wisdom, Sheldon also wore Shimano SPD sandals in winter. I had to ask him what he was thinking, wearing sandals, as I took the photo above during the Charles River Wheelmen bicycle club's New Year's Day 2004 ride. The temperature was 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). Sheldon cheerfully explained that sandals, unlike ordinary shoes, do not restrict circulation to the feet, which stay warm. I gave sandals a try in cold weather and can confirm this. With two pairs of wool socks inside my SPD sandals, I have been comfortable on days when fingers of ice were forming in puddles on the road.
The Velcro straps of SPD sandals also are very accommodating of different thicknesses of socks, or no socks at all. On a warm, rainy day, I favor a bicycle with fenders, a Carradice rain cape -- and sandals worn without socks. Shimano sandals are mostly rubber, so they dry easily. When I get to the end of my ride, I wipe the sandals dry, put socks on, put the sandals back on, and I'm prepared to meet the dress code of offices, shops and restaurants.
I have tried Keen and Specialized brand sandals, but I like Shimano SPD sandals much better -- they have an open toe and don't cramp the feet. When I wear conventional cycling shoes. they are Specialized Body Geometry shoes.
In case you think that an avid cyclist's wearing sandals is a new idea, check this out:
The photo is from before 1930. The cyclist is the Frenchman Paul de Vivie, known as Vélocio, a central figure in cycletouring and development of bicycle gearing systems in the early 20th Century. The bicycle in the photo has bi-chain gearing with gear selection by engaging drive on one or the other side. The Dancing Chain, the definitive -- and entertaining -- book on the history of bicycle gearing, includes the photo and describes de Vivie as wearing monk's sandals, no matter what the weather.
There are more options in bicycle shoes and pedals now than ever before -- and there are also some outside-the-toe-box options worth considering. I hope that I have been able to help you choose shoes and pedals, and set them up to work well for you.
Installing, removing and servicing pedals
Sheldon's article in Adventure Cycling about pedals for touring
Pedals, toe clips and straps and sandals from Harris Cyclery
Speedplay page about clipless pedals
Last Updated: by John Allen


text:
Please help us! Donate
Key Votes
H Amdt 1160 - Project Labor Agreements - National Key Vote
Judy Biggert voted Yea (Amendment Vote) on this Amendment.
Read statements Judy Biggert made in this general time period.
Issues Related to H Amdt 1160
Stage Details
Amendment - Introduced (House) - May 31, 2012
Title: Project Labor Agreements
Amendment -
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(218-198) -
May 31, 2012(Key vote)
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Title: Project Labor Agreements
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Vote to adopt an amendment to HR 5854 that repeals the prohibition on the use of funds appropriated by this bill for government construction contracts that require or prohibit contractors from entering into project labor agreements.
- Michael Grimm (NY - R) (Out Of Office)


text: Problems installing ROCKS We're trying to install ROCKS cluster on a flat network with one managing node (HP DL360 g3, 1x3.06 GHz Xeon ) and 2 compute nodes (HP DL 145, 2x2.4 GHz Opteron 250). When trying to install ROCKS we get this error at 80%: " Error installing fonts-xorg-75dpi Can indicate media failure, lack of disk-space or hardware problems Fatal Error. Verify media" We have verified the media and checked the disk-space as well as the hardware. 1) How can we configure a flat network in ROCKS? 2) What does the error mean? 3) The two compute nodes do not have CD-ROM nor floppy disk. How can we install ROCKS on one of these machines if we instead choose one of these as managing node? Karianne


text:
SOCHI, Russia — Ted Ligety of Park City, Utah, gave the U.S. ski team its biggest moment of the Sochi Games on Wednesday and entered Olympic lore by winning the gold medal in the giant slalom at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Center.
See Olympics photos
Ligety roared out of the first run with a .93-second lead that no one could catch. He posted a cumulative time of 2:45.29 to finish, .48 ahead of silver medalist Steve Missillier of France. Another Frenchman, Alexis Pinturault, won the bronze.
"This is the event I wanted the most," Ligety, 29, said after the victory. "This is the event I have been putting so much pressure on myself to win, so to pull through is an awesome feeling."
Ligety is the first American man to win two Olympic gold medals in alpine skiing, joining American Andea Mead-Lawrence, who herself won gold in the slalom and giant slalom at the Olso Games in 1952.
"The plan was to really just nail a couple of big rolls," Ligety told reporters after the first run. "This hill is not difficult skiing wise, but it's difficult tactically. I was trying to be smart over those big tactical terrain changes, then push as hard as I could in the sections where I knew I could take some risks."
It paid off for the man who won three gold medals at last year's World Championships.
Ligety has been one of America's best skiers for eight years but has also been in the large shadow of stars Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn.
His victory gives the U.S. team four medals with the men's and women's slalom races coming. Ligety and Mikaela Shiffrin are expected to be in the running for medals in both of those events.
Austrian Marcel Hirscher was one of many who believed in Ligety.
"He is just brilliant," said Hirscher, who finished fourth. "The best guy won today. Before the race started it would have been a big surprise if someone beat him."
Tim Jitloff finished 15th with a time of 2:47.13, while Jared Goldberg of Salt Lake City was 19th. After winning a bronze medal last weekend, Miller was 20th.
Miller, 36, said he hurt his left knee during the super G, the race he got his sixth Olympic medal.
"Managing it has been the biggest challenge this year, coming back from injury," he told reporters. "Your body, when you go off snow for a while, doesn't like getting back into it.
"If you keep skiing every day, you get used to it."
Miller said he changed equipment because of a crash he had at St. Moritz, Switzerland, last month.
"I didn't feel like I could take another crash like that,' he said. "It's been maintaining some pretty good puffiness in there through this whole couple weeks."


text:
|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange
previous taxon |
next taxon
Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
Perennial, in soil or on or among rocks; rhizome creeping to erect, scaly
Leaves generally all ± alike (or of 2 kinds, fertile and sterile), generally < 50 cm, often < 25 cm; petiole generally thin, wiry, often dark, in transverse section with vascular strands generally 13, less often many in a circle; blade generally pinnate or ± palmate-pinnate (see Adiantum ), often 2 or more compound, lower surface often with glands, ± powdery exudate, hairs, or scales; segments round, oblong, fan-shaped, or otherwise, veins generally free
Sporangia in sori or not, marginal, submarginal, or along veins, sometimes covered by recurved, often modified segment margins (false indusia); true indusia 0; spores spheric, sides sometimes flat, scar with 3 radiating branches
Genera in family: ± 40 genera, 500 species: worldwide, especially dry areas. Definition of Cheilanthes and related genera problematic; traditional limits often untenable.
Plant in soil or rock crevices; rhizome short-creeping-decumbent, generally 35(8) mm wide, scales linear-lanceolate, with darker mid-stripe
Leaf: petiole 520(32) cm, 0.52(3) mm wide; blade generally 23-pinnate, 28(15) cm, triangular or generally 5-sided, with white or yellow exudate on lower surface, with or without exudate on upper surface, main axis shallowly to deeply grooved on upper surface; lowermost 1° leaflets each strongly asymmetric (more developed on basal surface); veins free
Sporangia along veins ± throughout; segment margins unmodified, recurved or not
Species in genus: 2 species: w North America. A puzzling complex of intergrading chemical, chromosomal, and morphological variants (see Yatskievych et al. 1990 Amer Fern J 80:917); for these we prefer the rank of var. but have used subsp. here because combinations at that rank already exist
Horticultural information: DFCLT.
Rhizome tip, scales without exudate
Leaf: petiole brown to reddish brown, with or without exudate; blade 310(18) cm, generally pale to dark green, upper surface generally without exudate
Chromosomes: 2n=60,90,120,150
Ecology: Common. Generally shaded slopes or rocky areas
Elevation: < 2300 m.
Bioregional distribution: California Floristic Province, Modoc Plateau (caves in Lava Beds National Monument), East of Sierra Nevada, Desert Mountains
Distribution outside California: to British Columbia, Nevada, Arizona, Baja California
Synonyms: Pityrogramma t. (Kaulf.) Maxon


text:
Paris: PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti insists nothing has changed regarding Nicolas Anelka`s situation in Paris and he will return to Chinese outfit Shanghai Shenhua.
The former France international has been training with Les Parisiens in order to keep up his fitness while his Asian club are on their off-season break, which has led to speculation over the striker`s future.
However, Ancelotti is adamant that his initial conditions have not been altered and Anelka will return to China as proposed.
"Anelka? nothing has changed. He is training with us before resuming with his Chinese club," the 53-year-old told reporters.
The Italian coach watched on as his side settled for a 0-0 draw with relegation candidates Ajaccio on Friday, on a night where Lucas Moura made his much anticipated debut for the hosts, but Ancelotti remained upbeat about the side`s display against the Corsicans despite failing to grab the three points.
Ancelotti added: "We could have done better if we played with more intensity in the first half. The second was better. Lucas [Moura] has been well, he did good things on the field.
"The team is in place, it is the same as in December. No result, but the performance was not bad.
"You cannot be happy with the result. This can happen sometimes. We must win the next match."
PSG finished the game with ten men as Thiago Motta saw red, but there was other worrying news for capital outfit as Thiago Silva limped off with an injury, but Ancelotti remained tight-lipped on the extent of the knock.
He added:"Thiago Silva was hit in the thigh."
PSG remain in first place but with Lyon and Marseille due to play this weekend, they could find themselves slipping down to third in Ligue 1.


text:
All your base are belong to us.
posted @ 6/14/2004 10:12:00 AM
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"The writings here reflect the opinions of the author only. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental. In other words, I'm here to steal people's ideas and get away with it. Also the free banjo music."


text:
Hi all,
These days i m into a tricky problem and i m unable to solve it. The situation is that our mail server is situated outside the LAN (i mean its outside the company premises i.e. at a secure data center). I have enabled a port forwarded on my gateway (linux based gateway) which forwards the pop and smtp traffic to our mail server. Now consider that my domain name is example.com and my emailaddress is firstname.lastname@example.com if some one inside the lan sends an email to my email address it goes thru the smtp proxy to the mail server and then i can download that email thru the pop proxy (in our gateway), in this way the local email travels around the world. Now i want to deploy a local mail server at my company premises so that if some ones send a mail inside an organization it is stored at the local mail server and when some ones tries to download his emails some mails would be coming from local mail server and some will be coming from the outside mail server. If someone sends a mail to my mail address from outside the lan it should go to the real mail server. i think i have clearly metioned my situation if some one wants more details then i will be more than happy.


text:
How do you track your documents? What suggestions do you have to make this more functional?
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Sorting Saturday - Document & Record log
How do you track your documents? What suggestions do you have to make this more functional?
9 comments:
- Tessa said...
Interesting spreadsheet - I think you will want to add the source of your document - oftentimes you will find that there is more information to glean from a document later and perhaps the photocopy will not be enough. Also it will make life easier when you make use of the document in your research and you want to source it. Thanks for sharing.
- March 19, 2011 at 2:15 PM
- Heather Kuhn Roelker said...
I concur. I put the respository, but I think the actual source would be useful to add as well. Thanks for your input!
- March 19, 2011 at 3:28 PM
- Greta Koehl said...
I have to do this and this is a great model. Thanks for posting this.
- March 19, 2011 at 4:26 PM
- Chris Odom said...
Heather, what a fantastic idea!! I'll have to see how I can incorporate this with my "system" (or lack thereof) I have now! Thanks!!
- March 20, 2011 at 3:53 PM
- Jim Gill said...
This is an excellent idea, Heather. I number each of my sources and use an Access database to keep a List of Sources Searched. I just wrote a blog about my determination to get organized at Searchin' for Kinfolk. Should have labeled it Sorting Saturday, but I'm new and still learning about this blogging business.
- March 20, 2011 at 4:34 PM
- Michelle Goodrum said...
Thank you for sharing. This is an excellent example to follow!
- March 25, 2011 at 2:14 PM
- Donna Hanson said...
Thanks, Heather! I use Ancestry.com and Family Tree Maker AND I have 2 file cabinets with a manilla file for each individual PLUS my reference library. Don't ask me how I keep it all straight...
- March 26, 2011 at 3:48 PM
- MHD said...
At the very least, your spreadsheet is a great start. Please tell me more about HOW you use it: template on your desktop? online &/or printed out? etc. I've tried something similar before a couple of times, but I haven't found a structure or procedure that is easy enough or intuitive enough for me to keep it up... Thanks!
- April 3, 2011 at 2:07 PM
- Heather Kuhn Roelker said...
As far as actually using the document: I update it every time I get a new piece of evidence or document. When I decide to work on this particular line of the family, I open the document and reference it to ensure I'm not tracking down the same paths that I have done before. Having this document keeps me from rummaging through my binders or computer folders looking for what evidence I already have.
- April 10, 2011 at 3:28 PM