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NIH Awards AAPCHO Over $700,000 to Study Impact of Health Information Technology on Asian Americans Living with Viral Hepatitis
January 24, 2013
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[Archive] Stacy Lavilla
Director of Communications
(510) 272-9536 x110
First Study to Evaluate Health Information Technology Strategies for Low-Income Asian American and Pacific Islander Populations Infected with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)
OAKLAND, January 24, 2013 – The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) received a 3-year grant totaling over $700,000 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop new Health Information Technology (HIT) strategies that increase screening for chronic hepatitis B and reduce the impact of hepatitis B among high-risk Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) populations.
Through its newly awarded project, AAPCHO will work with medically underserved AAPI populations at risk for and infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) through one of its member community health centers, International Community Health Services (ICHS). Chronic hepatitis B infection can cause serious liver disease and is the cause of up to 80 percent of all liver cancers worldwide. Many AAPIs with chronic hepatitis B are not receiving the care that they need and are disproportionately impacted by this disease—over half of the estimated 2 million people infected with HBV in the U.S. are AAPI. This will be the first study to research how HIT can improve HBV outcomes for medically underserved AAPI populations.
"We view this project as an exciting step toward utilizing HIT to reduce viral hepatitis disparities among AAPIs," said Jeffrey Caballero, executive director at AAPCHO. "The results of this study will contribute to enhanced coordination of improved prevention, care, and treatment of viral hepatitis, and serve as an important model in developing culturally appropriate health care for other underserved populations affected by this disease."
Through this project, AAPCHO and ICHS will use HIT to improve HBV care at the provider and patient level. The project will involve the creation of HIT tools aimed at diagnosing health problems sooner, reducing medical errors, and providing safer more comprehensive care. Among other things, providers would be given HBV testing and vaccination reminders for patients. Patients will benefit through such tools, as they will have improved access to preventative and primary care. AAPCHO will also work with ICHS to conduct interviews, focus groups, and surveys to incorporate community perspectives from underserved HBV patients, family members, and providers. AAPCHO and ICHS will use these findings to develop culturally tailored HBV interventions that incorporate HIT.
"As a community health center, our goal has always been to provide comprehensive, affordable and culturally-competent care," said Teresita Batayola, chief executive officer of ICHS. "This grant, and its integration of new HIT tools in the clinical setting, enables us to help patients living with hepatitis B get the care they need, and helps us continue to build stronger, more vibrant communities."
Currently, one in 12 AAPI suffer from chronic hepatitis B. AAPIs are nearly three times more likely to develop liver cancer than non-Hispanic Whites, having the highest rate of liver cancer among all ethnic groups. It is estimated that one in 20 people in the U.S. will become infected with HBV, and one in four chronic hepatitis B carriers will die of liver cancer or liver failure. About 350 million people are infected with HBV worldwide.
About AAPCHO
AAPCHO is a national association of 29 community health organizations dedicated to promoting advocacy, collaboration, and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islanders in the U.S. The project mentioned in this release is funded by the National Institute On Minority Health And Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R24MD008095. The content of this release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. For more information on AAPCHO and its Guiding Principles and Values, please visit www.aapcho.org. AAPCHO can also be found on Facebook (www.facebook.com/aapcho), Twitter (@aapchotweets), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/aapcho).
About ICHS
International Community Health Services (ICHS) is a nonprofit community health center, based in Seattle, Washington. For 40 years, ICHS has provided affordable, culturally-appropriate, and multilingual health care to Asians, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other underserved communities. ICHS began in 1973 as a small storefront clinic in Seattle's International District. Today it is the largest community health center in Washington state serving primarily Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. In 2012, ICHS was recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a "patient-centered medical home."
Media Relations
Beverly Quintana
(510) 272-9536 x112


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Word? Pole Dancing Will Better Your Health!
CNN reports: "A new trend in exercise may bring out your inner vixen as CNN's Judy Fortin reports in this Health Minute."
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Formation and Education for the Life of the Church
When I live day to day, it's often hard to see God's hand
working in my life. It's only when I step back and look over a span
of time, I realize I'm exactly where God planned for me to be.
Lately I've been looking back through all the photographs taken
in 2012. God's hand is extremely evident in these photos. They show
the many blessings received at Saint Meinrad this year and the many
lives that were touched through experiences on the Hill. The photos
show happy times and memories and even some sad times too.
Most of all, the photographs show that we keep moving into the
future and Saint Meinrad continues to grow and change according to
God's plans.
Please enjoy this slide show of some of my favorite photos from
Fr. Meinrad Brune, OSB, oblate director, applauds the newly invested oblate novices and the oblates who made their oblation promises on March 21 in the Chapter Room at Saint Meinrad.
On April 14, 2012, John Francis Kamwendo of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and Jeffrey Todd Nance of the diocese of Tulsa were ordained deacons by Most Reverend Christopher Coyne in the Archabbey Church.
A participant in the Institute for Priests and Presbyterates World Priests Program played the piano in the St. Joseph Oratory before Mass on April 19.
A participant in the Institute for Priests and Presbyterates World Priests Program prayed during Mass in the St. Joseph Oratory on April 19.
On April 25, 2012, seminarian Adam Ahern, seated, helped children ages 6-17 with their homework at the Boys and Girls Club of Evansville.
Lay Degree students lined up to process into the Archabbey Church for graduation in May.
Bishop Paul Etienne of the Diocese of Cheyenne participated in the graduation Mass in the Archabbey Church in May.
Lay Degree students celebrated outside the Archabbey Church after graduation.
Archabbot Bonaventure Knaebel, OSB, congratulated oblates Helen Haggard, center, and Jerry Gorup, right, after they made their oblation in the Archabbey Church in June.
Fr. Godfrey Mullen, OSB, gave high-fives to the college ministerial interns after they scored a goal in the Ultimate Frisbee game against "One Bread, One Cup" participants on June 14.
Fr. Simeon Daly, OSB, played "Someone Was There" for an audience of "One Bread, One Cup" participants in June. Fr. Simeon passed away on November 10.
"One Bread, One Cup" participants worshiped through music during Mass in June.
Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, paused for a moment while giving a conference during the Alumni Reunion in July.
Monks gather at the altar during the first profession of Novice Anushka on August 6.
The hot, dry summer led to a beautiful fall at Saint Meinrad Archabbey.
Seminarians Juan Guido, Frank Lona, Mario Jacobo and Julio Barrera represented Mexico with tacos and tequila during the Around the World party in October.
Seminarians celebrate after winning a soccer tournament at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in October. Photo by seminarian Doug Hunter.
The dry, hot summer led to a beautiful fall at the Monte Cassino Shrine.
Monks process to the Archabbey Cemetary during the All Souls ceremony on November 2.
Br. Zachary Wilberding, OSB, from left, Br. Philipp Steiner, OSB, and Br. Macario Martinez-Arjona, OSB, sang during the funeral of Fr. Simeon Daly, OSB, in November.
Students, faculty, co-workers and family participated in the Saint Nicholas Banquet on December 6.
Fr. Peter Marshall sautes vegetables during an Institute for Priests and Presbyterates program in September.
To view more photos please visit our gallery on Smugmug
Do you have a reflection on Christian faith or spirituality you would like to share? Click here to learn how to become a contributor to Echoes from the Bell Tower.
Echoes from the Bell Tower is a blog
devoted to observations on Christian faith, spirituality and
everyday events, by authors with a connection to the Benedictine
values found at Saint Meinrad Archabbey and its Seminary and School
of Theology. Contributors include students, permanent deacons,
Benedictine oblates and Saint Meinrad monks. Their stories,
thoughts and ideas highlight the mission and vision that ring out
from the bell towers on this Hill in southern Indiana.
Contact Information
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© Saint Meinrad Seminary & School of Theology 2019


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James "Whitey" Bulger refused to look at the relatives of his victims Wednesday as they stood only feet away from him in federal court, offering emotional accounts of the fathers, husband, and sister they loved and the devastating impact of their brutal deaths.
"You won't even turn around and look at us?" said Patrick Callahan, shaking his head in disgust after speaking of his father, John B. Callahan, who was shot to death in Florida in 1982 on orders from Bulger. "Coward."
During the 95-minute hearing in the Boston courthouse, Bulger, 84, sat impassively between his lawyers in his jail-issued orange jumpsuit as one by one a dozen people stood at a lectern behind him. He now faces sentencing on Thursday, when he could receive two life prison terms for participating in 11 murders, drug trafficking, racketeering, money laundering, extortion, and other crimes.
The gangster sat with his back to the victims' relatives, even as they called him an evil rat, confessed to wanting to strangle him, implored him to look up, blasted his corrupt relationship with the FBI, and vilified his brother, former Massachusetts Senate president William M. Bulger.
US District Judge Denise J. Casper asked Bulger if he wanted to speak. He rose to his feet and answered with an anticlimactic, "No."
Defense attorney Hank Brennan told the judge, "Mr. Bulger has made clear to us that his position is the same today as it was when he gave a colloquy to Your Honor at the time of his trial, that he believes the trial was a sham."
Later, outside the courthouse, Bulger's other lawyer, J.W. Carney Jr., said Bulger "did not want to validate the trial by participating directly, or indirectly, through us in the sentencing process, and so to have made a statement at the trial or to have turned directly and faced the people who testified today, would have been part of validating the trial."
Bulger, who fled Boston shortly before his 1995 racketeering indictment and was one of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted, was captured in June 2011 in Santa Monica, Calif.
In August, jurors found that Bulger participated in 11 murders while operating a sprawling criminal enterprise from the 1970s through the 1990s that trafficked in cocaine and marijuana; extorted drug dealers, businessmen, and bookmakers; and corrupted FBI agents and other law enforcement officials. He was convicted of 31 counts of racketeering, extortion, money laundering, and weapons possession.
Bulger's lawyers spent much of the trial trying to refute that he was a longtime FBI informant, insisting that his so-called handler, former agent John J. Connolly Jr., fabricated his informant file to cover up the fact he was taking bribes from Bulger and leaking him information.
Bulger's former associates testified that he orchestrated the slayings of three FBI informants after being warned by agents that the informants were cooperating against him.
David Wheeler, a Texas businessman, told the court Wednesday that he holds Bulger and the FBI equally responsible for the slaying of his father, Roger Wheeler, who was gunned down in Tulsa, Okla., in 1981 on Bulger's orders.
"My father's fatal mistake proved to be his faith in the FBI," said Wheeler, noting that his father bought World Jai Alai, a sports betting business, because retired FBI agents "assured him that they would protect his business and keep it clean."
Wheeler was killed because he suspected Bulger's associates of skimming from the company, and later FBI agents in Boston thwarted the investigation.
"Shame on you, Mr. Bulger," Wheeler said. "For all your notoriety, you are a punk, and you don't even matter anymore. . . . Greatest shame on the FBI and in particular those agents and officials who violated their sacred oaths, who defrauded the special trust of the American people."
Bulger's lawyers say they will appeal his conviction, arguing that he did not get a fair trial because he was unable to present his claim that a deceased former prosecutor promised him immunity decades ago for all his crimes.
Jurors found prosecutors failed to prove Bulger's involvement in seven of 19 murders he was accused of and were unable to reach a verdict on an eighth slaying, the 1981 strangulation of 26-year-old Debra Davis.
Casper allowed relatives of the victims Bulger was not convicted of killing to also speak Wednesday.
Davis's brother, Steve Davis, broke into tears as he glared at the back of Bulger's head and told the court, "This man's built up so much hate in my heart that I'd like to strangle him myself."
Davis said he is convinced Bulger strangled his sister.
"I hope Whitey dies the same way my sister did, gasping for breath as he takes his last breath," Davis said.
Tom Angeli said he holds Bulger responsible for the 1974 slaying of his father, Alfred Angeli, also known as Notarangeli, even though the jury found it was not proven.
Angeli said the Bulger scandal will always be part of Boston's history and will negatively impact the legacy of the gangster's brother, William, who resigned as president of the University of Massachusetts after being grilled before Congress about his brother.
Tim Connors, whose father, Edward, was gunned down by Bulger in 1975, said Bulger may not have known the importance of a father since his own father reportedly beat him as a youth.
"Maybe he knew what you were about to become," Connors said.
Bulger's brother, John, the only member of his family at Wednesday's hearing, remained stoic.
Edward Connors's daughter, Kathleen Nichols, said that her father's slaying traumatized her and her six brothers and sisters.
"There is a stigma attached to murder that only the victims' families know, and it is mentally exhausting," Nichols said.
Sean McGonagle, who was 11 when his father, Paul, vanished in 1974, said James Bulger "stooped to an all-time low" with a taunting call to the McGonagles' South Boston home the following year.
"You told me, 'Your father's not coming home for Christmas,' " McGonagle said. "When I asked who this is, you stated, Santa Claus."
Bulger was convicted of killing McGonagle, whose remains were recovered in 2000.
Patricia Donahue said she wanted her husband, Michael, who was gunned down in 1982 by Bulger, to be remembered for the wonderful man he was. She said he loved to cook, though his prime rib was overdone, and assembled bicycles for their sons one Christmas, only to discover the wheels and handlebars were on the wrong bikes.
"We were a happy, loving young family with hopes and dreams, and he was the soul of our family," she said.
William O'Brien, who was born several days after his father, William O'Brien, was shot to death in Dorchester in 1973, said the trial, which ended with Bulger being acquitted of his father's murder, raised more questions and provided no answers for him.
"I just want to say for the seven families of the not proven . . . just because it was not proven, doesn't mean you'll be forgotten."
The dramatic accounts continued with Theresa Bond, whose father, Arthur "Bucky" Barrett, was killed by Bulger in 1983. "Mr Bulger could you please look at me?," she asked.
Bond paused, but Bulger ignored her plea.
"Do you have remorse for taking my father's life?" she asked. "I think you do. I forgive you."
Meredith Rakes spoke for her father, Stephen Rakes, who was murdered last summer before Bulger was convicted of extorting his liquor store in 1984.
"The nightmare is over, the pain stops here," said Rakes, noting that her family no longer has to live in fear of Bulger and her father "is at peace."Shelley Murphy can be reached at email@example.com; Milton J. Valencia can be reached at Milton.Valencia@
globe.com. Follow them on Twitter at @shelleymurph and @miltonvalencia.


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This page contains the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding CORE as an organization. The questions listed here are generic. See also the FAQ for domain name holders and the Registry FAQ.
Does CORE offer registration services to end-users
No. CORE is an association of registrars and provides services to registrars or registries who in turn have registrars. The registrars provide registration services to end-users.
What is CORE?
CORE is an international not-for-profit association of registrars constituted under Swiss Law.
CORE's members are professional registrars from various areas (Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific) who handle domain name registration on behalf of customers.
CORE provides technical services for the operation of TLDs. It currently acts as technical Registry Operator for two Sponsored TLDs, .cat and .museum. In the context of the new gTLD process, it is working on a series of new TLD projects.
Services provided by CORE
CORE integrates a broad range of consulting and technical services dedicated to businesses in the Registrar and Registry industry.
Registrar Registration Channel
CORE offers to its members a complete range of domain name registration services. All the members of CORE have access to various gTLD Registries via the communication method of their choice.
Registrar Advisory Services
CORE provides advisory and support services to members for technical, governance and administrative tasks related to domain registrations. CORE also provides assistance to members seeking an direct accreditation with ICANN or with ccTLD registries.
How does an organization become a member of CORE?
CORE is an open association that encourages registrar diversity. The requirements and criteria for acceptance are described on joiningCORE.htm. Over time, CORE's membership criteria have been updated in line with the evolution of the domain name environment.
How do I register a domain via CORE?
CORE does not offer any domain registrations directly to end-users. All registration activity takes place through CORE members who also provide additional services and customer support.
Customers are free to chose their CORE member (irrespective of their country of residence) and to transfer their domain names between CORE members or to other registrars.
CORE members compete with other, set their own pricing policies, and develop their own value-added services. Many CORE members work with business partners or value-added resellers.
Registration fees are paid to the respective CORE member, not to CORE. The CORE Secretariat has a coordinating function for the CORE Association and does not interact directly with registrants.


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* No way to avoid meat inspector furloughs, Vilsack says
* USDA may stagger layoffs to minimize impact on industry
* No clarity on timing of overall USDA furloughs
WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Americans should expect to experience spotty shortages of meat due to furloughs of food inspectors caused by federal budget cuts, but the government will stagger the layoffs to minimize the impact, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Wednesday.
Automatic budget cuts are scheduled to take effect on Friday unless a deal can be reached in Congress.
During an interview with Reuters TV, Vilsack said furloughs of meat inspectors, and the cascading impact on the meat industry, were unavoidable although shortages were unlikely to occur immediately.
"At some point, you're going to have shortages," said Vilsack. "The reality is there are going to be disruptions."
The White House says USDA's meat safety agency would have to furlough its 8,400 inspectors for the equivalent of 15 days to compile the savings required under the automatic cuts. But those days off could be structured in various ways.
Vilsack says USDA would try to minimize the impact on consumers and the meat industry. It will depend, he said, on "how many days we have to furlough and how we stagger those days."
It was the first time Vilsack mentioned staggering the furloughs, although officials have said the furloughs might occur on non-consecutive days.
A mass layoff of inspectors would shut down nearly 6,300 meat packing and processing plants because companies cannot ship meat that lacks the USDA inspection seal. The White House estimates the industry would lose $10 billion in production with a two-week shutdown.
Meat processors say the government is required by law to provide meat inspection and USDA should find other ways to save money and keep inspectors on the job.
Vilsack did not specify how furloughs at other USDA agencies might be structured. For example, the Agricultural Marketing Service generates prices used as benchmarks for livestock futures at CME Group Inc.
USDA personnel also perform key roles in inspecting exports of U.S. grains and cotton.


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Crucial M500 SSD Now Available
Crucial M500 SSD Now Available
New Drive Delivers Terabyte-Class Capacity, Faster Speeds, and Advanced Feature Set
BOISE, Idaho and GLASGOW, United Kingdom, April 9, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crucial, a leading global brand of memory and storage upgrades, today announced the immediate availability of the Crucial® M500 solid state drive (SSD). Featuring terabyte-class capacity, increased response times, and an advanced feature set, the Crucial M500 SSD is available now through select global channel partners and at www.crucial.com/ssd. The 2.5-inch drives are available in 120GB, 240GB, 480GB, and 960GB capacities with MSRPs of $129.99, $219.99, $399.99, and $599.99, respectively.
Dramatically faster than a hard drive, the Crucial M500 SSD enables users to boot up their systems almost instantaneously, provides ample storage and powerful data transfer speeds, and easily addresses the multitasking demands of today's applications. Using Micron's 20nm MLC NAND flash, a SATA 6Gb/s controller combined with Micron's custom firmware to deliver up to 80,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS), the drive's sequential read and write speeds reach up to 500 MB/s and 400 MB/s, respectively.1
The Crucial M500 SSD incorporates features important for data protection and reliability, such as hardware-based encryption that meets TCG Opal 2.0 and IEEE 1667 standards (TCG Opal 2.0 + IEEE 1667) when combined with appropriate software2, thermal management technology, protection against unexpected power-loss, and advanced error recovery techniques. In addition, the drive offers device sleep (DEVSLP), which increases system battery life while maintaining system responsiveness. This feature enables the drive to draw less than 5 milliwatts of power while the system is in sleep mode— a 93% power improvement compared to Crucial's previous-generation drives.3
"We designed the Crucial M500 to meet the reliability and performance expectations of today's systems, and are thrilled to offer the first terabyte-class. SSD for under $600," said Robert Wheadon, senior worldwide product manager, Crucial. "The Crucial M500 is equipped with an impressive new set of features, making it a multifaceted solution for today and tomorrow."
Leveraging the industry-leading memory, design, and manufacturing capability of Micron Technology, the Crucial M500 is compatible with both PC and Mac® systems, and is backed by a limited three-year warranty. The 2.5 form factor is available in 7mm height and comes with a 9.5mm bracket. M.2 form factors are expected to be available in the second quarter of 2013.
Follow us online!
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/crucialmemory
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/crucialmemory
- YouTube™: www.youtube.com/crucialmemory
About Crucial
Crucial is a global brand of Micron Consumer Products Group, a division of a subsidiary of Micron Technology, Inc., one of the largest memory manufacturers in the world. Crucial® products include award-winning solid state drives (SSD) and DRAM for more than 50,000 desktops, laptops, servers, workstations, and other systems. Crucial products are available worldwide at leading retail and e-tail stores, commercial resellers, and system integrators who can be found at www.crucialproducts.com. For more information or support, visit www.crucial.com.
About Micron
Micron Technology, Inc., is one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets a full range of DRAM, NAND and NOR flash memory, as well as other innovative memory technologies, packaging solutions and semiconductor systems for use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, embedded and mobile products. Micron's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ under the MU symbol. To learn more about Micron, visit www.micron.com.
©2013 Micron Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Information is subject to change without notice. Crucial and the Crucial logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Micron Technology, Inc. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
1Based on 480GB and 960GB capacities.
2When combined with software applications, including Microsoft® BitLocker with Windows 8 Pro/Enterprise/RT or Wave® Systems' EMBASSY® Trust suite
3Comparing Micron and Crucial 240GB M500 SSD with device sleep to Micron and Crucial 256GB C400/m4SSD
CONTACT: Media Contact: US Contact: Andrew Rodger Crucial +1 (978) 518- 4516 firstname.lastname@example.com www.crucial.com UK Contact: Joan Lunny Crucial +44 (0) 1355 586130 firstname.lastname@example.com www.crucial.com/uk


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Next Tuesday is one of the most important primary elections in Vermont's recent history. Of the six state offices, four have competitive races. Five Democrats are vying for the right to confront Republican Brian Dubie in gubernatorial race. Two Democrats and two Republicans are in a party run-off in the lieutenant governor's race and the secretary of state race; two Democrats are vying for the state auditor of accounts position to confront Republican incumbent Tom Salmon. Add to that a competitive three-way race among Republicans for the congressional seat held by Democrat incumbent Rep.
What do the times require?
What critical crossroads loom that Vermont must not miss in the upcoming decade?
Which gubernatorial candidate will best be able to meet the demands required to lead the state forward?
The District Environmental Commission's quick denial of an Act 250 permit for the proposed Lathrop gravel pit near downtown Bristol laid out the basic issues in clear detail, but seemingly with the assumption that an appeal was likely. That's just being smart. Appeals often follow on the heels of such a significant denial. After all, the applicants have been battling with citizen-opponents for going on seven years, and it's hard for the losing side to simply admit all that effort was for naught.
The full text of this article is only available to online subscribers.
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Click here to learn more about our subscription options.
If you have a print subscription, you can now add an online subscription at no additional charge! Just email us with your name and mailing address to set it up.
In Vermont's Democratic gubernatorial primary, the challenge voters face is two-fold: determining which candidate can best fulfill one's own political priorities and goals, and determining which candidate has the best chance of beating Republican Brian Dubie.
With Vermont's Aug. 24 primary coming into sharper focus, it's interesting to observe the public's reluctance to change.
As Vermont candidates face questions about how to grow our local economy, in Washington the consequences of Bush-era policies — particularly the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, and the rapid escalation in defense spending — are coming home to roost, making it all the more likely that Washington can no longer provide additional stimulus to jumpstart the economy, putting more of an onus on states to provide visionary and bold visions of their own.
President Obama and congressional Democrats passed an extension of unemployment benefits over the objections of Congressional Republicans with a 60-40 vote in the U.S. Senate. On the surface, the battle was about how (not whether) to approve the unemployment benefits: Republicans said they wanted to pay for the expense upfront to avoid adding to the deficit; Democrats said not only would an extension help a struggling national economy, but that it was simply the right thing to do.
House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, met with business leaders in the Capitol last Friday and issued this warning to the nation: Until businesses and wealthy individuals know if the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 will be allowed to expire or be extended, they won't invest in new jobs.
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What is CiviCRM?¶
CiviCRM is a powerful, web-based contact relationship management (CRM) system. It allows an organisation to record and manage information about the various people and organizations it interacts with. CiviCRM is more than just an address book, it also allows you to track your interactions with people and organizations, engage with constituents, and solicit donations through your website. The information you gather is all stored in one place but you can access it from almost anywhere.
CiviCRM focuses on the needs of non-profits. CiviCRM emphasizes communicating with individuals, community engagement, activism, outreach, managing contributions, and managing memberships.
CiviCRM is Free/Open Source software, which means there are no license costs or user fees associated with downloading, installing, or using the software. Being Free/Open Source also ensures that you have the freedom to view and modify the source code and to distribute copies of the original source to any person or organization.
CiviCRM is web-based, which means it can be accessed by many users at the same time from different locations. It has been developed with the international community in mind, and translations and multi-language options are supported.
One way to understand what a CRM does is to think of your personal address book with enhanced capabilities. Imagine that every time you make a phone call to a given person, your address book automatically makes a note of it, together with brief description of the conversation. It can also decide whether to ask this person for a particular favor, based on whether she did this favor for you a week ago, and schedule a follow-up meeting following the call. After using this address book for a while, you could ask "What were my interactions with Ji Lao?" or "How many people helped me this month?" and it would give you the whole history.
Now let's say you're organizing a dinner party and you want to invite all the people you've met during the previous year. Just write the invitation and tell your address book to send the email. You don't have to worry about anything else after this point (apart from preparing the dinner!). Your address book handles the RSVPs from all invited guests, together with information about who is vegetarian and who is not. It even lets you know two nights before the event how many people you can expect.
It would be great to have such an "assistant", right? Organizations need one even more. It's hard to remember all your meetings, phone calls and other forms of contact (especially over the long term), but the more you know about the people and organisations you interact with, the more successful your work will be. You'll be able to target your message to specific groups, because you know who will be interested in specific topics, and you'll be able to observe their reactions and adjust your next interaction, and continue to improve how you talk to different groups.
CiviCRM is a modular system. In the simplest set-up you can:
- record basic contact information such as name, home or postal address, email address, phone number
- define relationships between your contacts
- send emails
- keep a record of your interactions with your contacts
Components and extensions will let you do more things such as sign up members for your organization, take registrations for your events, receive donations or distribute grants. See the Components and Extensions chapters for more information.
CiviCRM works together with another common piece of software: a content management system (CMS). A CMS is a tool for creating and managing websites, and most websites these days are based on a CMS.
CiviCRM integrates with Drupal, Joomla and WordPress. Integration with a CMS opens up a lot of useful possibilities. Visitors to your website can carry out many activities on their own, such as renewing their membership, signing up for events, requesting email updates, and donating money and you can share parts of your CRM data, for example event information, with visitors to your website. You can read more about integrating with a CMS in the Website Integration section.


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Our San Francisco office serves as our global headquarters and the hub for our conservation activities worldwide. Our team develops PSAs, educational materials, research reports and collateral for distribution to schools, zoos, aquariums, wildlife groups, government agencies, non-profits, companies and service organizations. We arrange for speaking engagements, PSA distribution, footage release, and public relations activities to further raise awareness and vital funds necessary to successfully launch campaigns to reduce demand for wildlife products.
WildAid worked closely with peer conservation groups to push for shark fin bans in key US states. Hawaii become the first state to ban the possession, distribution, and sale of shark fin in the US, followed by Washington, Oregon, and California, where Executive Director Peter Knights testified before the state legislature on three separate occasions. Being that California is the largest market for shark fin outside of Asia, this legislation is vital for global conservation efforts.


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Jun 26, 2014
Representatives from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda have announced to work togrther to combat illegal timber trade in East Africa.
Nairobi: High-level government representatives from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania today, at the first United Nations Environment Assemble (UNEA), announced their intention to work together, along with INTERPOL and UN agencies, to curb the illegal timber trade that is stripping East Africa of one of its most valuable natural resources.
The East Africa Initiative on Illegal Timber Trade and REDD+ represents an innovative cross-border, multi-sectoral effort that will create a powerful deterrent to Africa's illegal timber trade.
Illegal logging degrades forests, causes economic loss, destroys biodiversity and livelihoods, promotes corruption, and funds armed conflict. The economic costs of illegal logging are staggering. Including processing, an estimated US$30-100 billion is lost to the global economy through illegal logging every year, making the trade in illegally harvested timber highly damaging to national and regional economies.
Well-managed forests are a vital economic resource that supports the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people. Ecosystem services from tropical forests alone are estimated to be worth, on average, US$6,120 per hectare each year. Africa's forest cover is estimated at 675 million hectares, or 23 per cent of the continent's total land area continent. Between 2000 and 2010, 3.4 million hectares were lost annually to illegal logging equivalent to an area 322 times the size of Paris, or 5.1 million football pitches.
In addition to facing the challenges of illegal logging within their borders, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda are also used as transit countries for timber illegally logged in other countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Tanzanian strategy to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), the on-going Kenya REDD+ governance project and the Uganda REDD+ readiness plan highlight the importance of strengthening law enforcement and forest governance to address the illegal timber trade as one of the key drivers of deforestation.
'These countries recognize that illegal logging must be mitigated, and forests managed sustainably, in order to reduce emissions from forest loss. As such, a key goal of the initiative is to curb illegal logging and trade in East Africa as a way to address deforestation and subsequently reduce emissions from forests
The government of Norway, a strong global supporter of tropical forests and those that depend on them, has announced its intended support for this important collaboration.
"I am very enthusiastic to learn that there is great interest from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to tackle illegal logging and trade", said Tine Sundtoft, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway. "We know that these illegal activities constitute an important driver of deforestation and forest degradation in the region."
"Due to illegal logging, countries are deprived of substantial revenues from the forest sector, and the income from this trade often ends up in illegal networks, fuelling crime as well as conflict" she said. "Norway is committed to supporting this initiative and congratulates the countries, the UN and INTERPOL, for coming together and announcing their dedication to work together on this important initiative."
The East Africa Initiative on Illegal Timber Trade and REDD+ provides an opportunity to build on each country's experiences combatting the illegal timber trade, and brings in the specialized expertise of INTERPOL and each collaborating UN agency. The five agencies will assist the governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to address a different facet of the illegal trade in timber: from economic drivers, and corruption, to law enforcement, customs control, and monitoring.
"Safeguarding the world's forests is not just the most cost-effective way to mitigate climate change: well-managed forests also generate multi-trillion dollar services such as reliable water flow, clean air, sustainable timber products, soil stabilization and nutrient recycling," said UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
"We cannot afford, economically or environmentally, to allow the continued wholesale destruction of one of our planet's most valuable resources," he added. "That is why UNEP applauds the East Africa Initiative on Illegal Timber Trade and REDD+ and the firm commitment of the governments of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to help ensure the responsible management of one of the most important sources of inclusive and sustainable economic growth available to us."
Given the multi-sectoral negative impact of the illegal timber trade, the initiative will receive strong implementation support from Interpol, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
"This initiative demonstrates the UN's strong support to Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda in tackling illegal logging and trade, and our appreciation to Norway for leading this process," said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. "Moving forward, leadership and agreement on the need to act is critical, and co-operation remains essential."
A key element of the initiative's strategy is to support countries in addressing the illegal timber trade from source (illegal logging) to export. This will focus on increasing accountability, transparency and developing the technical capacities to deliver effective enforcement and verification.
"Wildlife and forest crime demands a global solution that offers international cooperation founded on joint operations, intelligence sharing and strong and compatible national legislations," said Yury Fedotov, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). "We can do nothing less. This is our shared planet; wildlife and forest crime is our shared responsibility."
Enforcement plays a critical role in the process. The apprehension and prosecution of those involved in the illegal timber trade and in illegal logging reduces the perceived rewards of taking part in these illegal activities. For this reason, the initiative will also include, with the support of INTERPOL, and with the engagement of police forces, strengthened exchange of intelligence and communication across borders.
"We remain committed to developing and maintaining networks of cooperation like the one we see here today between UN agencies and INTERPOL," said David Higgins, Head of INTERPOL's Environmental Security Unit. "Through collaboration and coordination, we are building an unprecedented approach to address illegal logging and trade in East Africa."


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Manage the link between your computer and your BlackBerry device
Sync your organizer, music and media files from your PC or Mac to your BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet or smartphone with BlackBerry® 7.1 OS and earlier.
Have a BlackBerry 10 OS smartphone?
You need BlackBerry® Link software instead.
For PC Users:
BlackBerry® Desktop Software for PC coordinates the link between your smartphone, tablet, email accounts, calendars and more. With BlackBerry Desktop Software 7.1, managing this link is even easier.
For Mac Users:
BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac syncs your contacts, calendars and appointments between your computer and smartphone. It also allows you to transfer videos, iPhoto albums, and iTunes songs and playlists.
Important Notice:
BlackBerry will no longer be providing updates, including security updates, for BlackBerry Desktop Software. It will continue to be available for download, but there will be no technical support available.
If you have been using this software without issues, then you can continue to use BlackBerry Desktop Manager. However, BlackBerry will not be providing any updates to add features or fix issues, including security issues.
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Russell Westbrook
February 04, 2014
One of my last shoots in 2013 was with Oklahoma City Thunder point gaurd Russell Westbrook. I am a big Thunder fan and I have been wanting to photograph some Thunder players for a while now. My first opportunity was with Russell. Can't complain about that. Russell was a lot of fun to work with. He was cracking jokes and goofing around with everyone on set but very professional at the same time. The main set of images were for U.S.Cellular to be used in various marketing pieces. Big thanks to The Cryder Group, Insight Visual Media and Jay.
Here are a few of my favorites and outtakes.
Russell and my wife Destiny messing around.
Ray Westbrook making sure the light was right.


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bigstrads wrote:JOEL wrote:bigs you gotta get out here and see an fn game..
i stoped off before the game at my watering hole " THE ENGLANDER"
to toss a few back and eat some bangers while i watched the lakers suns..
was feeling just right then went to the roaracle and saw the best game of the year..
im holding a seat open for ya.
Sounds perfect bud...............I MAY be coming soon...............Ive got a big decision to make..............it involves me selling my property and coming out to SF for 3 months, hopefully looking for work and staying but atleast Ill be coming home for 3 months.............you and I will have to get that drink.
bigs ol boy
and we will drink well.....
then we will head off to the roaracle....just get your arse here by the playoffs


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About Jz
"the problem is that no matter how popular or well known this music/performance/artwork is, I personally hadn't previously been aware of it and now that I am aware of it I find I do not care for it and therefore it has no relevance to me."
And you have no relevance to us.
Culture is a group thing. The more people who share it the more value it has.
While you might want uniqueness to define culture I think you'll find your disparity is only important to you.
for those who didn't watchING the thrilling, suspenseful
and capital for Thinking
"I am about halfway through the book and these aliens have their reasons for needing to comply with US copyright law."
Self imposed reasons mayhaps?
Or duly lubricated political reasons?
You fail to explain but the SOPA et al predilection suggests we won't know.
You don't have to follow the laws of America if you don't live there.
Hollywood taxes are not ubiquitous.
We don't care about you!
If the clothes at Gap don't fit
.and I get somebody to make one
..that fits
...it's not illegal
....it's NOT theft
I will then have pirated a copy and nobody will care.
Look at the latest royal wedding dress and how quickly that was copied.
The clothes industry was a really lousy example for her to choose really.
Some kid stole a car. He got kneecapped by a bunch of overly helpful terrorists and then arrested by the police.
I nearly complained that it was a bit OTT but I didn't want to be accused of justifying theft. They said it would stop the kids stealing after all.
The name RIAA should be a dead give away.
And if I had to register, if I had to use a name, it would be the work of moments to be a named anonymous troll.
This cut would be deeper; once you accept the proviso that there should be no anonymity on teh w.w.web then you provisionally accept passports.
If you accept passports then it won't be long before you have to swipe your little barcoded tab to post an opinion.
We have IP addresses (your (apparently insufficient??) passport to the internet) already, if something I said is illegal you can find who I (probably) am.
This is a case of those who are in a tenuous position of conceptual power trying to make themselves harder to mock and a landgrab by those who are in power to remove dissent.
Sometimes I think that if America modelled itself on China it might be a bit more honest.
Importance is a relative term and not the same as popularity.
Justin has thousands and thousands of female fans who want to have his baby.
It takes a jump of understanding to link SOPA to Bieber, as evidenced by some of the comments here.
Ergo; baby fantasy wins importance stake as judged through the glasses of Google and the next Bieber may end up entertaining Baba.
"are causing Plaintiffs great and incalculable damage."
Obviously if someone presupposes 'incalculable' with 'great' then they haven't understood what it means not to be able to calculate an amount. Perhaps it is legaleze shorthand for 'lawyers need more money'.
'Plaintiffs will suffer irreparable injury for which they have no adequate remedy at law.'
No. Really no. It will be incalculable and irreparable until they are asked how much money they want to make it all better. One song in one nightclub does not construe an apocalyptic nightmare of unimaginable horror worth the income of a small nation.


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Many men and women are sexually aroused by looking at tits (see sexual attraction). Favors and opinions are different and usually based on breast size and breast shape. Breasts are considered an erogenous zone.
The line between the two tits is called cleavage. The device to fight gravity and to give her tits a different shape is called bra. If she does not wear a bra, she is braless. If she wears no bra AND her tits are visible but she is not naked, she is topless.
ES: Pechos o Mamas. Pectoral.
Los pechos sirven para dar de mamar a los bebes mamiferos, para lucir escote, y sexualmente para batir el pene en una masturbación llamada "Cubana".
[edit] Natural and Enhanced Tits
The world of tits is divided into natural tits and enhanced tits (through plastic surgery). Plastic surgery nowadays allows to shape the titties any size or shape wanted through breast enlargement or breast reduction.
[edit] Tit Sizes
The tit size describes the dimensions of her breasts and ranges from very small to super huge. Basically commonly referred breast sizes are very big tits, big tits, medium tits, small tits and very small tits. Further reading under breast size. The size of her tits is important when it comes to bouncing tits.
[edit] Tit Shapes
The breast shape describes the design of her breasts and tries to find analogies to other objects, like for example "torpedo tits". Further reading under breast shape. Some wonder about the overly round tits obtained through augmentation, and think natural is best, no matter the size. Even plastic surgeons can be fooled by some really good boob jobs. Besides the shape of her tits, also the size and shape of her nipples are important.
[edit] Tit Support
She usually supports her tits to fight gravity and unwanted movements also known as bouncing tits by using a bra, which comes in all different styles and colors. The more she supports her tits, the less bouncing tits you will see.
[edit] Tit Covers
Unfortunately she usually covers her tits by wearing a top. However oops situations can lead to nipple slips as well as voyeuristic downblouse, upblouse or sideblouse opportunities to get a better idea about the shape and dimensions of her tits. Depending on the design and support of her top, her tits might feature a good view of her cleavage, sideboob or underboob.
[edit] Tit Functions
The basic function of her tits is to breastfeed her baby with milk which leads pregnant tits and lactation and milking. Human milk is very sweet and tasty; however, some milk must be left for the progeny. While this function is only performed for limited time frames, many other important functions are delivered through all ages ranging from flashing tits to titfuck. Furthermore her tits are very often envolved in masturbation and foreplay as well as object to topless selfshots. In bondage her tits might be subject to breast bondage and in other sex games subject to breast pumping as well as nipple pumping. Tits are subject to tit voyeurism and street voyeurism.
There are many activities which can be performed on her tits, either by herself or by sexual partner(s). Tit related activities are very common and have been documented on photos gazillion times.
[edit] Activtities on her tits ususally performed by herself
- Clutching tits
- Cupping tits
- Hand bra
- Hefting tits
- Holding boobs
- Nipple Icing
- Licking nipples
- Milking
- Nipple masturbation
- Nipple tweaking
- Pulling nipples
- Selflicking
- Suck on her own nipples
- Tit flossing
[edit] Activities on her tits usually performed by someone else
[edit] Tit Firmness
The universe of tits is divided into firm tits and saggy tits.
[edit] Tit Tanlines
Her tits can show tanlines depending on how she covered her tits while catching sun: This type of tits is called tits with tan lines
[edit] Tit Photos
Voyeurweb shows thousands of different tit photos at the Instant Tit Flash Section of Voyeurweb
[edit] Further Reading about Tits
- Instant Tit Flash: The art of exposing tits at Voyeurweb
- Painted tits: Using tits as canvas
- Exposed tits: Putting her tits on display
- Floating boobs: When gravity has no impact
- Erected nipple: Aroused nipples are sexy
- Inverted Nipple: Different anatomy of nipples
- Breast fetish: When people get kinky
- Hangingobagos: Tits pointing down
- Clutching tits: Pushing tits against the body
- Cupping: Holding tits
- Torpedo tits: A special tit shape
- Uneven boobs: Different shaped or sized tits on one woman
- Tit flossing: Odd behaviour
- Mother of all Boobs: Serious tits!
- Big tits: Size matters.
- Cum tits: Post-ejecalution state
- Serial tits: More than 6 tits in a row
- Holding two magnificent parts of herself
- Flashing tits: The first exercise to become an exhibitionist
- Tits on glass: Different view
- Underwater tits: Submerged and gravityless tits
- Nipples: The most sensitive part of her tits
- Bouncing tits: When boobs start shaking...
- Downblouse: Seeing assets your are not supposed to see.
- Airbags
- Bago: A basic slang term at VW used to built new tittie-related expressions like sexobago, funobago etc. See Igorisms
- Bazookas: Stands for really huge tits
- Bazongas: Tits somewhere between bazookas and bongos.
- Boobs or Boobies
- Bongos: Stands for big tits
- Bouncing Betties: A less common expression which stands for bouncing tits
- Cans: Stands for tits in general, does not say anything about size.
- Chi-Chis: Japanese Slang for tits in general
- Cutobagos: Natural cute titties
- Floatobagos: Stands for floating boobs as well as for underwater tits.
- Funbags
- Funobagos; Same as funbags
- The Girls: Stands for tits in general
- Glasopressobagos: Stands for tits on glass
- Greatobagos: Stands for great looking boobs of any size or shape
- Handfuls
- Headlights
- Hills: Stands for tits in general
- Honkers: Stands for large tits
- Hooters
- Hugobagos
- Itty-bitty
- Jugs
- Knockers
- Mamas: stands for tits in general
- Milk Bags (or Milk Sacks): Same as milkjugs
- Milkjugs: Pregnant tits
- Milkobagos
- Mouthfuls
- Mosquito-bite titties
- Tits or Titties
- Perfectobagos
- rosobagos (Rose tattoo)
- sexobagos
- superbags
- superhugobagos
- superbobagos or superpobagos (see Igorisms)
- Supermonsterduperhuperfunobagos
- sweetobagos
- Ta-Ta's or tatas:
- Teasobagos
- Tinobagos
- Tit Lickers
- toyobagos
- The Twins
- Magombas
- Newtonbags (gravity following bagos)
- Udders
- variablefunobagos
- unbelievableobagos
- yum yum yumobago
- yumobagos
- 38efobagos


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Topic: Clarifications (Read 11709 times)
Clinton R. Nixon
Posts: 2624
Re: Clarifications
Reply #15 on:
January 30, 2008, 11:16:02 AM »
It is sort of hilarious how many threads end in me saying "it seems like TSOY might not be the game for what you want." Anyway, you can guess what I'm about to say.
So, all those things you want to do: those are things starting characters do. There are no super-powers in Near. There are ordinary people you can influence. Spending your four advances to be the guy who holds the zu word for "tiger" (or, let's see, "knife-tooth-hunter-beast") makes you one of the most powerful and influential people in your personal world, certainly the most influential person you know. Any single Three-Corner Magic ability is kind of immensely powerful and makes you either revered or reviled.
Removing transcendence is a really bad idea, but I don't want to be the guy telling you how to play your game, so just take this as advice and not me saying, "Don't do that." Anyway, the core of the game is about how the playing field is leveled, and anybody, no matter who they are, can change their world. By pumping up characters and then removing the mechanism by which inhuman characters are removed, you're playing a different game, and one that other game systems do better.
Clinton R. Nixon
CRN Games
Posts: 928
Don't Panic!
Re: Clarifications
Reply #16 on:
January 30, 2008, 11:26:43 AM »
Well, I think its pretty plain that I don't know a ton about the game. And I have never got a straight answer, so I will just ask straight up. Why Transcendence? What is the issue with Grandmaster? I know that lvl 7 success is impressive, but I don't understand why it is so bad you want to take it out of the game. I am not trying to be confrontational, just trying to understand. Everyone I have talked to has said the same thing, leave transcendence in. But no one has said why. My guess is it is supposed to be obvious, but as you may have guessed, its not obvious to me, lol
Dave M
Author of Legends of Lanasia RPG (Still in beta)
My blog
Free Demo
Clinton R. Nixon
Posts: 2624
Re: Clarifications
Reply #17 on:
January 30, 2008, 11:36:38 AM »
Cool. I totally have answers for you there.
So, TSOY's a game about people, right? It's there in the book: "No gods. No monsters. Just people." Everyone in the game should be a person, and while there's magic, I still intend it to be like (my idealistic view of) the real world, where if you've got enough gumption, and enough reason to, you can take on anybody in the world and win. I could take down the head of a pharmaceutical company if they gave my wife the wrong medicine and killed her, or I could win a Supreme Court case to marry another man if I were in love with him, or I could beat up a skilled robber if my home was threatened. These ideas are idealistic, as I said, and not totally realistic, but not completely fantastical either.
In most fantasy, this isn't true. The guy with the magic sword can kill anyone who dares confront him. The gods can smite down anyone. The lord of the land can't be reasoned with. You see where I'm going, I bet.
So, TSOY's different. People aren't smaller in it: people are big and powerful and institutions are fallible. The setting is such that the world's a place that needs fixing, and you are powerful enough to do it, with the help of your friends.
Transcendence is there because traditional fantasy games let you build and build and build until you're just plain tired of play. Transcendence cuts that off early. When you're the best at something that a human could ever be, when you're on the cusp of complete invulnerability, you're going to get a chance to change the world forever in a way that you get to choose completely. The only place where something like "narration rights" is mentioned in TSOY is in Transcendence, and that's because it's the place where you get to take over and say how you change the world forever. And that's it - you don't come back and get to be the invulnerable lord, or god, or whatever. You get to have a legend.
Clinton R. Nixon
CRN Games
Posts: 153
Re: Clarifications
Reply #18 on:
January 30, 2008, 12:09:36 PM »
I think there may be some confusion here, in that different people in this conversation are looking for different things, but also not necessarily using the same terms for them.
Dave, I was reading some of the new material from the D&D 4th edition designers yesterday, and even *they* were talking about the problems you discuss in D&D 3rd edition--that 1st level characters feel weak and throw-away, and the conflicts you get into simply don't have a huge dramatic feel to them.
That space starting around 3rd or 5th level is the game's "sweet spot"-- where play is fun and people feel like they have real efficacy. Similarly, above a certain level (some people say its 13th, or 11th, or elsewhere) the power discrepancy becomes so huge that characters almost phase themselves out of existence. A lot of what used to be interesting in the story is just boring, as some conflicts can be walked right through with ease, and others are about micro-management of so many little things (the spell list for a 14th level wizard is truly onerous, and yet he doesn't use a vast majority of it), that the characters fall out the other side of the "sweet spot."
With a mind towards this, Dave, I can tell you that one of the best things about TSOY is that its almost entirely all "sweet spot." Starting characters, the ones with just 5 advances, have tons of efficacy as starting characters. In my games I've seen at least two children of powerful Ammenite fathers of Houses, a lazy son of a Lord of Maldor, the leaders of ratkin warrens, ambassadors from pirate empires, exiled leaders from failed coups against goblin kings, and escaped Zaru slaves who freed themselves by plunging two Ammenite Houses into warfare. All of these were starting characters. 5 advances (though I tend to throw in one extra Key for free, which I heartily recommend, as it gets the story going quickly). All of them had *plenty* of efficacy. Dozens of sessions, and 20 advances later in some cases, they still had plenty of efficacy. They'd grown as characters--shed Keys and tried new ones, picked up new Abilities and advanced others, bought and even designed new Secrets, and much more--but they never fell out of the "sweet spot" where things stayed challenging and interesting.
Starting characters can be as powerful or as immaterial as you want them to be. The strength of TSOY is that you DON'T need to call for every single thing to be a conflict. If you want a starting character to be a Lord of Maldor, that's fine-- don't make it a challenge for him to issue orders to every one of his subordinates. If he's well-supported, that's not what the drama of the story is about. If its about his conflict with a rival Lord, then *that's* where the challenge should be. Yes, your points about raising NPC's to suit the level of the PC's is a wise one, but the fact is that that challenge level is easily adjusted even during a game, as PC's advance in power. Most of the ability scores of your NPC's are going to be entirely opaque to players, anyhow. Narrate results, not scores. This isn't a game where we care about THAC0.
Similarly, not every duke or baron is a Grandmaster in every ability. Look around you in the real world--there are plenty of people with a lot of power who aren't necessarily geniuses, the most charismatic people in the world, or the strongest/fastest/what-have-you. Placing characters in positions of power where they CAN'T just muscle through every conflict they're in (even if "muscle" means debate/seduce/charm/magic/or any other mechanism) makes things interesting. It forces them to seek allies, get into bed with questionable friends, pursue unusual solutions, and advance themselves personally. In my experience, players leap at the opportunity to settle a grudge from a previous loss. Games shouldn't always be about winning, in my opinion; losing is just as instructive, and often contributes to the drama.
In terms of Transcendence and the range of ability, I'll try and answer what I suspect Clinton is already thinking, from what I've heard him say before. The point has always been that, in TSOY, the worst guy having the best day has a shot at taking out the most potent character having the worst day of his life. An Unskilled character *can* take out a Grandmaster, if he does his best and the Grandmaster does his worst. That's wildly different than D&D--where no 1st level monster has a snowball's chance in hell against a 20th level character. The math simply doesn't support that 1st level monster ever being able to even scratch the 20th level character; there is never a way it happens. TSOY chooses to head in the opposite direction, making the possibility of greatness from a seemingly "weak" character a possibility. The songbird CAN kill the dragon, under the right circumstances.
Transcendence is one way of supporting that idea. If the most powerful characters in the world end up disappearing in a flash of magic and drama, then you neatly avoid the issue of having the world ruled by these "epic level" types, who are utterly unscratchable. More than a game balance issue, it makes for an opportunity for the narrative to end in a dramatically satisfying way for players who achieve that level of power; endings aren't a bad thing. Good stories end; every good movie you've ever seen had an ending, and I know this because you're here right now and not watching it. Transcendence is *a* way for the story to end, but it doesn't have to be *the* way for the story to end. In the current Ammenite game I'm playing, we'll be long done before anyone Transcends. I've actually never seen an in-game Transcendence, simply because I've never seen anyone take their Ability all the way and then roll a perfect success.
And not to beat this dead horse one more time, but there's always the Secret of the Bodhisattva for those who just can't bear the idea of character Transcendence.
Having never seen it happen in game, why do I still think it has a place in TSOY? Honestly? Because it's cool. Because it adds a weird magical thing to the world that I've never seen used in any fantasy game (odds are it might be out there; I just haven't read or played every game ever written, so bear with me) which makes people wonder about metaphysics. There's a total solar eclipse; that couldn't happen prior to Near getting a moon. This is something new, and weird. Is it tied with the strangeness about elven immortality? Where do those people who Transcend *go*? Maybe some of them don't even really "leave", but their state of existence changes. That's exciting to me. It fires my imagination. It makes me wonder about a world where drama and supernatural physics are tied together. It's fairytale and romantic and perplexing. It leaves me guessing. And I like guessing.
But that's my opinion. And your mileage may vary.
Another example is worthwhile from my World of Darkness gaming experience. In most cases, from what I've seen, every attempt to play something like Vampire with characters who were built as Elders has been a game where we feel like Neonates with too many kewl powerz. There's something to be said for characters coming into their own. Granted, I don't usually have people start as humans or ghouls, the same way I don't start D&D games with characters at 1st level-- I want to be in the "sweet spot." But you can move out of the "sweet spot" with too much power, and you can also move out of the dramatic "sweet spot" with characters who have plenty of power but no real attachment to the setting and the characters around them. TSOY works best when the drama is interpersonal and intimate. Those stories hit Keys like crazy, and make things work really well. Slaying dragons is boring in TSOY, unless the dragon you're slaying killed your wife and children, or *is* your brother hideously transformed into a dragon, or the dragon offers you power, wealth, and influence beyond your wildest dreams if you'll only stop with the slaying nonsense and get down to what's really interesting in the world. Those dramatically interesting moments aren't directly related to how high your abilities are rated; they're about what characters care about, and what their players care about.
My suggestion, for what its worth? Build a campaign with the advances as they stand. If you really feel the power gap, which is super unlikely from my experience after, say, 3 more advanced, then promoting characters with a host of advances added at a certain juncture is easy; just advance the story with a narrative break, and play "Book Two" of the story, wherein everyone is way more badass and has lots of new abilities and powerz and such. Removing ability and power once you've given it, which you might be tempted to do if the game starts out so "ultra mega" won't satisfy anyone; players will just feel like you're hosing them. If you start characters in positions of power but uncertain how to use them, you'll probably nicely find the "sweet spot" quickly. Wars between nations and magical stories of grand sweeping change are possible with only moderate ability scores, and probably a lot more satisfying. There's still room to grow. Once everyone hits the ceiling, where do you go next?
But, as always, that's only my opinion. And your mileage may vary.
The fact is that neither the game police, nor Clinton himself, will come to your house and arrest you for playing the game any way you want. Throw away the dice and play "rock, paper, scissors", or draw cards from a deck and play "high card wins" if thats the mechanic you like more. Include a 4th, 5th, or even a 6th pool if it suits your play style, or cut the number of abilities in half. None of these will "ruin" the game, but every one will change it, and has repercussions for play style.
But if you just want to know if it works as written-- it does. It works beautifully. But make it your own. The important part is to have fun.
-shadowcourt (aka josh)
Eero Tuovinen
Acts of Evil Playtesters
Posts: 2591
Re: Clarifications
Reply #19 on:
January 30, 2008, 12:39:26 PM »
As an interesting minor detail, I've always considered Transcendence first as a narrative technique, not an in-setting event. Sure, the eclipse is real, but it's not necessarily so much as remarked upon by any characters. Transcendence is, for me, most of all about ending a growth story in a satisfying manner, like a movie that ends when we know that the hero has grown into
and can pretty much imagine what he's going to do after riding into the sunset. Such a character doesn't necessarily disappear from the setting, either - I haven't had to give statistics for such characters after Transcendence, but technically that could happen in my game if a campaign continued after it - I imagine that I'd halve all Abilities, remove all Keys and remove all but three of the Secrets of a Transcended character if somebody came to bother him in his NPC retirement, or something like that.
Blogging at
Game Design is about Structure
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Solar System
Arkenstone Publishing
Posts: 15
Re: Clarifications
Reply #20 on:
January 30, 2008, 12:51:06 PM »
Quote from: Eero Tuovinen on January 30, 2008, 01:13:18 AM
To understand Abilities, realize that there isn't a character with more than six or so Abilities above Unskilled. Anything more is pure waste, as the game is intented to work by allowing players great leeway in choosing their Abilities for a situation. Specifically, you as the SG do not choose which Abilities a character needs to use in a specific situation - you do not put in a gorge and call for a Jumping (V) check! Instead, you put in the gorge, and the player, if he wants to, may describe how his character tries to surmount the obstacle. Most likely he will use something he already knows well, and that's exactly how the game is supposed to go; you don't punish players for not having some marginal Ability nobody would want, you let character nature be expressed by the choice of Ability players bring into situations.
I can't stress the above point enough when it comes to TSoY procedure - the SG never needs to know or care about the Abilities characters have. In some other games the GM can't put in a wild horse encounter if he doesn't know how the riding rules in the game work, but in this game that's exactly what he does - he puts in some wild horses because that fits his sense of a good encounter, and then it's up to the characters to maybe have or not have suitable Abilities for dealing with wild horses. Whether a given Ability is "suitable" is judged in a case-per-case basis, the SG does not need to have a premade list of which Abilities are suitable and which are not. If the group considers a given Ability suitable for a given situation, then it is.
When you think about the implications of that procedural point for character generation, you will probably notice that a given fictional super-hero doesn't actually have dozens and dozens of high Abilities in TSoY terms. In GURPS (to pick an arbitrary traditional game) your character is forced to have high Abilities any which way simply because if the GM should call for a specific skill check, the character will fail in a most ignominious manner if he hasn't developed that skill. In TSoY a character will do just fine if he has something for violent situations, something for social situations, a little bit for romance, a dash of analytical Ability... in practice the game plays to its strengths when a barbarian character kills the diplomat instead of talking with him
because that's how he can win
; the assumed weakness of the character is not a weakness when the player can freely choose how he acts, it's a part of the nature of the character - this character solves diplomatical situations with steel because he doesn't have a diplomatical Ability! If you give player enough Advances to raise all Abilities sky-high this character definition disappears, which makes the game not only duller, but it also causes it to choke in dice - when characters have lots of Abilities it can also take a lot of time to work out all support checks when the character is making an Ability check. If you want characters to be equally capable in everything, you should rather give them
Advances instead of more. Simpler that way.
This is an excellent analysis.
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Interracial Inception 2 Lyla LettoFavorites [+]
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Running Time: 53 minutes
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Series: Interracial Inception
Description: Tiny little redhead Lyla gets the biggest cock of her life in her First Ever IR going for a ride on the BBC highway and trying to fit it all in getting her pussy destroyed and face splattered with man jizz!
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Interracial Inception 2 Lyla Letto: Scene 1
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text:
gvldenyovth 発言しました …
i 愛 the used so much send tweet 投稿されました 1か月前
|もっと見る 音楽 アンケー >>
|もっと見る 音楽 回答 >>
Pop Evil
This is the 秒 time I've seen them and I enjoyed them very well. Though for this コンサート I wasn't in the pot and had seats pretty far up. But from the distance it was cool. I got to hear Footsteps and he came into the crowd nearly to the lawn for the last song.
Cheap Trick
I wasn't really familiar with this band before the 表示する but right when they came out I knew I'd 愛 them. They had a sense of humor stating that they're "a brand new band" and that they "have a single that has only been out for 18 weeks" before playing an...
I've been collecting (kay at this point its もっと見る like hoarding) CD's for a long time now and so I wanted to try my hand at doing some album reviews. Basically I'll be rating the cover art and each song on the album. Naturally I'm going to start with my all time お気に入り album. So without further delay, here's a review of the Mother Earth album.
The artwork for this album is what drew me in. At the time I had purchased this album, I was having trouble deciding which Within Temptation album I wanted more; Mother Earth または ハート, 心 Of Everything. In the end I went with this one Mother...
For this event I was pretty near the front. From what I heard this band is pretty new and I attended one of the stops in their first tour ever. They weren't bad at all for a band that hasn't been preforming long. I liked the female vocals; they were very powerful and passionate. And the harsher male vocals were a nice contrast. In general they had a catchy 一覧 of songs and put on an ear pleasing show. They didn't quite have a stage presence yet and didn't interact with the crowd too much, but that'll probably come with time.
Backsmacking, for those who don't know is when あなた take a song and put it in reverse. Some artists of course decide to put reversed lyrics in their own songs. I always found those to be interesting and so I decided to make a 一覧 of these songs. In the parenthesis are the lyrics. And yes, I did have to reverse some of these myself lmao so some of the lyrics may not be exactly correct (and some I couldn't understand at all). I'll probably add もっと見る as I find them.
- Utada Hikaru's Sanctuary (I Need もっと見る Affection Than あなた Know)
Recently, while surfing through Twitter, I bumped into a tweet によって Ellen Degeneres where she interviewed a young boy who was a big ファン of Idina Menzel. And as a surprise, Idina Menzel was there too! I can just imagine how joyful that boy was. However, this kind of saddened me. As someone who's also a huge ファン of Idina Menzel, watching that little boy meeting her idol made me happy, and sad. Happy because a young child finally met with the person he idolized. And sad because I wanted to meet/contact her for a long time. This gave me an idea. Maybe if I write about why I look up to her, then she...
Another round of コンサート reviews from the bands I've seen this 年 so far.
Slot Machine
Slot Machine was pretty cool; the lead vocalist had this nifty pimp cane lol. He also had these really cool sunglasses that looked almost futuristic and robotic. All of the members were wearing suits. I wasn't as into their 音楽 but they were lively and kept me entertained. And they taught the crowd a bit of Korean. I was about six rows of people back and got a pretty good view.
Hi everyone!
FYI, this 一覧 is not in order from お気に入り to least favorites, simply because I found it impossible to determine which songs would occupy the 上, ページのトップへ portion of the 一覧 over the other songs. The songs are alphabetized according to title.
Also, my お気に入り songs often shift drastically within relatively short periods of time, so this 一覧 may be subject to change.
Anyway, let's start!
All In - Monsta X
Camila Cabello: こんにちは guys it's Camila and あなた guys know how I look like Ariana grande ryt? well here's a crazy story for u.
(house of chang's) the grande's and the cabello's eating at a Chinese restaurant called house of chang's
Ari: everything looks so good here
Camila: yes it does
a waitress named Pei pei and her mother approach them hello welcome to house of chang's
Ari and Camila: thanks
Pei Pei mother;s: how is everything?
Camila: it's yummy as always
This was the last one I typed, a while back. Here are some もっと見る wonderful underground bands, in no particular order. link
Blvck Ceiling
Genre: Witch House
Blvck Ceiling is an American band formed in 2011 によって a man named Daniel Cuccia (aka Dan Ocean). The band has a variety of variations to it's name that includes BL▲CK † CEILING, BL4CK C3ILING, Black Ceiling, and even...
|もっと見る 音楽 記事 >>
There's nothing better than YouTube if you're looking for some song that あなた liked as a child One big online 音楽 動画 warehouse, also a 人気 global social network
MTV rocks!!
Eurodance never dies! Once called Disco, then called Dance.
|もっと見る 音楽 リンク >>


text:
If you need help getting around, travel training and travel assistance schemes can help. Here we have information about what's available.
There are many local organisations that offer travel training for people with sight loss. The training, which is usually free, will give you the skills and confidence to use public transport.
We have information about organisations that offer training in the Travel Training section of our Sightline Directory.
Train operators across the UK provide free travel assistance for people with sight loss or other disabilities. This usually includes guiding you to the platform and meeting you at your destination. It's best to contact the train operator in advance to book your assistance but some operators will offer a turn-up-and-go service.
We have information about who to contact to arrange assistance in the Rail Travel Assistance section of our Sightline Directory.
If you are unable to use public transport, you can use a local community transport scheme to get around. These schemes, for example Dial-a-ride, offer a door-to-door transport services.
We have information about community transport schemes in the Community Transport section of our Sightline Directory.


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Understanding "Critical Understanding"September 14, 2004
I suspected my point in "Critical Understanding" was buried in enough subtlety to warrant an explanation; here it is.
There was one point made, and one alluded to within that short piece. None of them had anything to do with what was being said, sorry to anyone who thought the article was about colour.
The point alluded to was caught by a few: Criticism without justification is purely subjective. The learning comes after the explanation, and when there is none forthcoming there's no real value in the critique. Perhaps in some cases it might be useful to aggregate opinions for the sake of trend analysis, but most designers are rarely concerned about anything larger than the work at hand when soliciting feedback.
But the real point being made lies in what wasn't said. A critique that attempts to justify or discredit work based on personal preference for design choices is laughably narrow in focus. The question the critic effectively answers is "Do I like the way this site looks?", which except in situations where that actually matters, is absolutely the wrong question for a successful critique to answer.
The question fails to take into account the design goals for the site. It doesn't consider the processes which evolved the site to the completion point. It misses that multiple decisions were made throughout development that, for better or for worse, have changed the original ideas. It can't possibly reflect the budget or working conditions.
(And it has absolutely no comprehension that the green was hand-picked by the CEO's wife.)
Reader Comments
It's a good thing you explained this.
I've had some trouble with people who try to criticize me. And sometimes they were right. Mostly they weren't. What I demand from a critical person is looking at something to see if the goal is reached, not if some font has strange serifs. "Gods, man! Listen! It's not about the font, but about the purpose! Now what _do_ you see?"
It gives me a hard time.
There are few things more annoying than the single comment "I don't like it", except for the follow up "I don't know, I just don't". So far into the scale of useless that it grows into the world of the Useful. Useful, that is, for knowing how to phrase the question next time, perhaps.
Colour requests are odd things. My absolute all time favourite non-changable main colour that we had to vitally use was - I was told later - chosen by the client typing his date of birth into a hex-colour field.
I still don't understand. Please post an entry called "Understanding "Understanding "Critical Understanding""" to explain this one.
I'm just kidding. I seem to have been lucky enough to find both of the intended meanings in the original comment.
Aquarion: I typed my birthdate in and it makes a surprisingly nice color. I think I'll use it as the basis for my next site.
Aquarion: Let me guess, the non-changeable color was a shade of blue?
I've never actually tried this but it came to me after reading this post.. maybe the question we should be asking when getting something critiqued is, "Is there a problem that this design does not solve?" and it's correlary, "Does this design create any problems?"
The mind-set is suddenly focused on what design is about: solving problems.
Philip: unless you do YY-MM-DD… then it's a nice shade of red. :D
I know this is obvious but I will chime in anyway…
Don't dismiss (apparently) subjective criticism from the target audience. If "green" is getting in the way of the design goals of the site (they can't see the forest for the green) it is still a valid criticism. Off course it is important to find out WHY they don't like green. Sometimes the reason can be similar to avoiding the number "four" with Chinese clients.
Whoa! Where did that double post come from? Apologies anyway.
Now I should add something useful…
Small businesses sometimes have a close affiliation with their clients (like-minded personalities etc). It is important to consider that their critiscms (however irrational) may be reflected in their client base.
I am just going to babble here a bit. I would imagine color is of a great essence to certain limitations. I am not spilling in the color retorts from the previous "Critical Understanding" experiment but I wouldn't redesign homedepot.com to use #000099. Home Depot would be appalled and call it blasphemy! /stops babbling
Back on topic (I hope), defining zones for a page and asking a set of questionnaires to different audience types if I'd want to solicit a solid and well referenced critique is an absolute must for me. A well defined set of questionnaires can help pin point exactly what the majority sees as a mismatched function of the page you presented them. Unfortunately, a couple of testers answering the same questions don't always equate to forming a perfect conclusion or solution. Is that bad? Well I'd imagine a web page "recall" would give me twitches.
Dave, you're probably preaching to the converted… most of us reading the site are design professionals and have to deal with unjustified criticism on a daily basis… :)
I think a big part of the problem is trying to create an understanding of the value of design. There is still an overwhelming feeling among many people that designers are artists and have some inborn ability to just make things look good.
I don't know if you heard about what happened here in Vancouver regarding the Olympic logo; a lot of local designers protested the fact that a contest open to the public will be responsible for creating the new logo. It completely de-values the design process, and turns it into nothing more than a beauty contest…
This is probably a difficult problem to tackle, but creating an overall awareness that designers are professionals and what they do has an immense value to business would alleviate a lot of the problems we have with unjustified criticism.
The other thing to remember is that the client making the critique will in general not be a designer, artist or a developer. Because of this they will not have the understanding of why they don't like a particular design nor the vocablorary to explain their feelings.
Many times I've seen situations where a solution is presented back to the client and they have suggested changes, only to find that once all their changes and ideas have been implemented they are still no happier.
The only solution is to involve the client at all stages of development and make them aware of the reasons behind decisions made. Give them choices, but not direct design input. Ask them 'what' and 'why' but not 'how'. This way they will feel part of the process and they will appreciate the end product more.
'I don't like the green' is 9 times out of 10 a way of saying 'it's not what I imagined and I don't like it'.
The only thing as bad as unsupported critiquing is unsupported art direction.
"Make it more fun" and "Jazz it up" are not valid guidance. ;-)
I've gotten an "improve the quality" on a page of printed black text. When asked what that meant, he said "I don't know, print it on a laser printer or something".
"It doesn't consider the processes which evolved the site to the completion point."
I had a lead developer come to me with a list of changes needed for a web interface. After going over the changes he added, "Oh, and could you change that yellow to something else?" I asked why so that I would know whether I needed to change it to improve legibility or better reflect the client's image or whatever. "I don't like it," the developer said.
I told him about how this particular color combination - including the yellow - had been carefully selected and already tested on the target platform for maximum legibility, clarity, and interoperability with related web sites. The developer conceded, red-faced. I think he'd been under the impression that I just pick color schemes out of the rainbow on a whim.
Interesting point, as far as it goes.
You have identified the (far too) common case, in which someone uses the phrase "I don't like …" to complain. They may or may not be aware of a reason for their dislike.
All too often, however, they are using the phrase as a means of calling a halt to forward momentum for some other reason. How do you draw that reason (or reasons) out, without the situation descending into quagmire?
And what about those cases where the person truly doesn't like the item or aspect in question, because their dislike stems from an emotional or physical response? Few people are able to express these feelings in more detail without considerable assistance. How best to do that, also without bringing the momentum of the moment to a complete halt. (Tho' that may be what is called for.)
P.S. IANAPD, just a design autodidact who has had to manage projects where visual design superseded all other criteria.
One thing which I think has been missed is the fact that, yes we do face criticism which is obviously incomprehensible, but there is a far more sinister ideal behind it. As Dave points out, people look at the design and think about how it appeals to them, or doesn't. The majority of designers have the same disability in my opinion. Most sites are designed by a person who is thinking, first and foremost, "what would I like to see in this design/content?". But design and the web should be about what has the most value to the world, not a narrow "I like this, hope you do too" mentality, IMHO.
It's something we all encounter. Keith Robinson just wrote something along similar lines.
I wish clients had more faith in our expertise - unfortunately they see fit to give us these completely useless comments like "It needs more dynamism" or my current all-time favourite slap in the face: "I don't like it because it doesn't look professional enough".
'Professional', as it happens, often means 'plenty of blue', 'just like so-and-so's website' or 'use more Flash'.
I'm sure a lot of the people reading this have read Hillman Curtis's "Making the Invisible Visible"… if you haven't, open up Amazon right now and pick up a copy… there is some amazing advice about bringing the client into the process, and avoiding these kind of problems in the first place.
As Hillman points out early in the book, it's too easy for us to see the client as "the Enemy" sometimes, when we really should be involving them in the process more to start with; stripping away some of the mystery and showing them your design process also can have the side effect of having your client appreciate exactly what it is you're billing them top dollar for…
That's quite interesting Cam, I'll check that title out. Thanks for the book tip.
The worst job I ever had was building a mercifully small site on behalf of a friend who was snowed under with work. His client wanted a site fast, would I help?
No real brief, minimal content ( And I do mean minimal ) , crappy photography and all feedback with the client filtered through my buddy. Absolute nightmare from start to finish.
I do understand that regarding the client as the "Enemy" is clearly not helpful, however it is difficult to not feel the odd flash of contempt for someone who wants you to write his web site content because he "hasn't really thought about…can't you just make it up?".
Bizzare. He's paying for it, but dosn't really care. He just "Wants a good web site…".
It certainly highlighted the oddness of the "Clients expectations/apathy vs Real world design goals waltz" to me.
I've learned from the experience. Learning fast enough is the real trick though.


text: Hi, > Is it possible to have a compute node PXE boot a distro > mounted in the CD on the headnode? I don't know about the PLD Linux, but it's at least possible to boot from a installation (into a directory in the server) all the nodes. Depending on the setup of PXE, you can just boot via nfs (and this is before lilo has any job to to - this would cover your case), install the local harddisk or boot from the local harddisk. You need this: http://syslinux.zytor.com/ i.e. PXELINUX Cheers - Reuti


text:
Newport Harbor 78, John Glenn 35
MONTEBELLO — Junior guard Nic Sargeant finished with 15 points in the Sailors' second pool-play game at the Cantwell-Sacred Heart tournament on Thursday.
Newport Harbor (6-1) can advance to Saturday's tournament championship game with a win against Warren on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Zach Wade finished with 12 points and eight assists for the Sailors, ranked No. 11 in the CIF Southern Section Division 2-A.
Robbie Rettig had 11 points.
Costa Mesa 50, Century 40
SANTA ANA — Juniors Sean Comer (19 points), Kyle Hefner (16 points) and Clinton Bell (eight points and 11 rebounds) led the visiting Mustangs in the nonleague game Thursday.
Costa Mesa (2-5), which halted a three-game losing streak, returns to action Wednesday against Servite at the Norco tournament at 6:30 p.m.
Foothill 68, Corona del Mar 44
WESTMINSTER — Senior shooting guard Max Stone had 10 points for the Sea Kings in a quarterfinal game at the Charlie Wilkens Memorial tournament at Westminster High on Thursday.
Ryan Griffin contributed eight points for CdM (5-2), ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Division 3-AA poll. Foothill is ranked ninth in Division 1-AA.
The Sea Kings face Westminster on Friday at 6 p.m. With two more wins, Coach Ryan Schachter said CdM could play for fifth place in the tournament.
Estancia 60, Bolsa Grande 55
CYPRESS — Josh Mendoza scored 23 points for the Eagles in a consolation game of the Oxford Academy tournament Thursday.
Ben Beck added 12 points, Chad Fackler had 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Matt Jarmacz had 10 points and nine rebounds for Estancia (2-6), which plays another consolation game Saturday.
Estancia 3, Los Amigos 1
COSTA MESA — Juniors Haley Flores and Jackie Hubbard, as well as sophomore Alba Barrios all had goals for the host Eagles in the nonleague game Thursday.
Coach Jessica Perry singled out the defensive play of freshman left back Brandi White for helping the Eagles improve to 2-1-3.
Estancia plays at Mayfair in the Bellflower Tournament on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
Calvary Chapel 1, Sage Hill 0
SANTA ANA – The Lightning dropped to 7-2-1 after Thursday's nonleague match at Centennial Regional Park.
Kekai Whitford and Rachel Cramer combined to make three saves.
Estancia 10, Santa Ana 1
COSTA MESA — Senior Ilene Umansky scored seven goals for the Eagles in the nonleague game Thursday.
She has 64 goals this season, which leads Orange County.
Danielle Ridge scored two goals and Nikkie Blinn had one for Estancia (8-4).
Goalie Alexis Paul made 11 saves for the Eagles, who return to action Jan. 7 in the Santa Ana Valley tournament.
Estancia 48, Santa Ana 38
SANTA ANA — Junior Celia Duran had 23 points, four assists and three steals to lead the visiting Eagles in the nonleague contest Thursday.
Gianna Jason added 15 rebounds and six points, while Michelle Simmons had nine points and five boards for the winners (6-3), ranked No. 10 in CIF Southern Section Division 3-A.
Tarbut V'Torah 36, Sage Hill 32
NEWPORT COAST — Senior Maggie Danner had 14 points, 19 rebounds and six blocked shots for the host Lightning in the nonleague game Thursday.
Sophomore Bailey Super had seven points, while sophomore Claire Goul chipped in six points and four rebounds for Sage Hill (2-4), ranked No. 5 in CIF Southern Section Division 5-A.
The Lightning play host to California Academy of Math and Science on Friday at 6 p.m.
Ocean View 38, Newport Harbor 31
HUNTINGTON BEACH —McKenna Izzi scored 10 points for the Sailors at the Ocean View tournament Wednesday
Bela Raimondi added seven points and Jasmyn Winters had five points for Newport Harbor.