text: Skeptoid: Digital vs Vinyl Reply #50 – 2012-04-07 00:20:13 QuoteTo determine the actual deformation-force relations, complex groove impedances have been measured as a function of tracking force, groove speed, etc.QuoteAt high bearing loads complete plastic flow sets in and the needle leaves a permanent indentation track, while at lower loads the elastic deformation is predominant.Exactly my contention versus categorical statements by those arguing from authority. Thanks.It would be nice to know from the original paper what they found to be the tracking force where elastic deformation is dominant vs. permanent deformation.QuoteI'm just pointing out that your belief that the practice is harmless is not supported by the facts.I still play records wet with good results that I have owned and played back wet since the late sixties and early seventies.If there is any harm, then it is offset by reducing problems with static, a record that is cleaned during playback etc.It should also be mentioned that the development of heat during the playback is likely significantly reduced by a cooling agent, be it water alone or in a mix of alcohol (isoprop), thus further reducing the risk of permanent deformation. QuoteRepeated playback (no matter what the timeframe) carries the risk of permanent damage. Obviously, records are observed to wear out with repeated play. No published evidence exists of back-to-back playback causing any more permanent damage than if repeated plays are separated by any longer period of time.from the horses mouth itself: http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?ti...inyl_has_cooledAs to plasticizers in pvc:I could not find any reference as to what plasticizers are used in PVC specifically for vinyl records. Or that Vinyl acetate was specifically used at all. Quotehttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002...010508/abstractQuotePolyvinyl chloride acetate (PVCA) is a thermoplastic copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate.[1] It is used in the manufacture of electrical insulation, of protective coverings (including garments), and of credit cards and swipe cards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride_acetateQuote. The most common plasticizers are derivatives of phthalic acid. The materials are selected on their compatibility with the polymer, their low volatility, their low toxicity, and their cost. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chl...er_applicationsQuoteCopolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate (E-VA) of a certain composition can be used for the improvement of impact properties (elasticisation) of PVC as well as under certain conditions (grafting) for the preparation of flexible PVC (plasticisation). Products of interesting properties are prepared by blending E-VA (up to ∼ 12%) with PVC or more advantageously by grafting vinyl chloride on special E-VA types. Graft copolymerisation by the suspension method allows the synthesis of E-VA/PVC systems in all ratios (up to 80% E-VA); these polymers are compatible over the whole range in contrast to the blends.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002...010508/abstractQuotePlasticizersIt has been claimed that some plasticizers leach out of PVC products. However plasticizers do not readily migrate and leach into the environment from flexible vinyl articles because they are physically and tightly bound into the plastic as a result of the heating process used to make PVC particles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chlorideSo again the study by the so called scientists by Discwasher seems to be more than flawed and not worthy any consideration imo.


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Nuclear Sites
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Nuclear Sites
Lashkar Ab'ad - Laser Uranium Enrichment
Lashkar Ab'ad was Iran's secret pilot plant for laser isotope separation until 2003. This site contained equipment including copper vapor lasers (CVL) that were designed to produce enrichment levels of 3.5-7 percent. The IAEA reported that the facility would have been capable of highly enriched uranium (HEU) production once all planned equipment was installed. There were several foreign suppliers to Iran's laser enrichment program, including the United States, Germany, and Russia. For Lashkar Ab'ad, the most important supplier was Russia.
In 1998, Iran signed a contract with Russian entities to obtain information related to atomic vapor laser isotope separation (AVLIS) and for the supply of the relevant equipment for an undeclared pilot enrichment facility at Lashkar Ab'ad. However, as a result of U.S. pressure, the Russian government would not grant the Russian supplier with export permits for some of the equipment, in particular the copper vapor laser (up to 150 kW) and dye lasers, some collector parts, the electron beam gun, and the power sources.
The St. Petersburg Yefremov Institute (NIIEFA), which is part of Rosatom, delivered one large vacuum chamber (5 meters long, 1 meter in diameter) equipped with some diagnostic equipment and diffusion pumps to create the high vacuum inside the chamber. The Russian supplier also provided some training, and documentation. This contract specified the delivery of a system that could produce enrichment levels of 3.5-7 percent and to "have actual production of at least 5 kg of a product within the first year after installation."1
IAEA experts assessed that the system in this contract could have made highly enriched uranium, albeit in very small quantities, if the entire package of equipment had been delivered.2 The AVLIS vacuum vessel had a number of features specific to HEU separation work, including an ion trap for the extraction of ion impurities for increased HEU yield and a collector assembly designed for the relatively low throughput of HEU.
The failure to obtain export permits for the Russian-made lasers did not stop Iran. Independently, Iran had obtained from European suppliers a range of lasers, including dye and copper vapor lasers. It had earlier acquired 50 kilograms of natural uranium metal from China to use as the feed material for an AVLIS plant.
Iran installed its already procured copper vapor lasers and dye lasers with the large vacuum vessel at Lashkar Ab'ad in 2002. Iran conducted a total of four runs with uranium feed using a total of 500 grams of uranium metal from October 2002 through January 2003, achieving enrichment levels of 0.8 percent.
Iran took steps to conceal this facility from the IAEA, even after it was revealed publicly. The IAEA first asked to visit Lashkar Ab'ad in May 2003 after the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) identified the site and said it was related to gas centrifuge activities. Iran eventually allowed an inspection in August 2003, but it still tried to hide the true purpose of the facility. Iran initially declared that Lashkar Ab'ad was devoted to laser fusion research and laser spectroscopy, and claimed that its laser program was unrelated to uranium enrichment. Iran also claimed that no nuclear material had been involved in the experiments. In May 2003, prior to the IAEA visit, Iran moved some of the equipment and the natural uranium from Lashkar Ab'ad to the Karaj site to avoid detection by the IAEA.
In late October 2003, Iran changed its declaration and acknowledged to the IAEA that a pilot plant for laser enrichment had been established at Lashkar Ab'ad in 2000, after initial development work was conducted at the Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC). Iran also admitted to doing laser enrichment experiments in violation of its safeguards agreement.
IAEA safeguards officials visited Lashkar Ab'ad in late 2007 or early 2008 and reported that the laboratories were run by a private company producing and developing laser equipment for industrial purposes according to the February 2008 Iran safeguards report. This report also noted that the former laser equipment has been dismantled, with some of it stored at the site. The IAEA added: "The management of the company provided detailed information on current and planned activities, including plans for extensive new construction work, and stated that they are not carrying out, and are not planning, any uranium enrichment activities."
On February 7, 2011, however, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated that Iran "possessed" uranium laser enrichment technology.3 IAEA reports have since then reported on the inspectors unsuccessful efforts to determine if Iran's laser enrichment efforts have restarted.
For more information check: Related Reports
1 Director General, Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran, September 1, 2004, GOV/2004/60, Annex p. 8.
2 Ibid., Annex p. 8.
3 Olli Heinonen, "Laser Isotope Separation – The Genie is Out of the Bottle," Presentation to Harvard Kennedy School, July 10, 2012.

subset: commoncrawl


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Formerly known as frigidity, female sexual dysfunction (FSD) has always been a controversial diagnosis, and now studies are pointing to relationship dissatisfaction and male performance as risk factors. Just whose problem is this, anyway? New research suggests that broad tactics such as treating a woman's anxiety and improving communication with her partner may be more useful than focusing on the physical mechanics of sex.
Female sexual dysfunction is a broad diagnosis that indicates trouble in one or more of four areas: desire, pain, arousal and orgasm. Controversy about FSD has centered on two key points: whether those who are pushing it as a physiological disorder have something to gain from medicalizing it and whether it reflects society's attempt to pathologize women's naturally variable sexuality. According to sexologist Andrea Burri, author of a study from the U.K. on FSD that appeared in the September 2011 issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, "Describing a sexual dysfunction as a physiologically caused abnormality leaves out factors related to the patient's sexual partners and socialization factors. Personally, I believe that we are using the term way too arbitrarily." Although she accepts that some women do have a physiological impairment that can contribute to sexual problems, she thinks that using loose diagnostic criteria lumps far too many women into the category of dysfunction.
Burri's study, which assessed about 1,500 women in the U.K. for FSD, found that 5.8 percent of them reported recent problems with sex, and another 15.5 percent reported lifelong dysfunction. Hyposexual (low) desire was the most common problem overall, and the most common predictor of FSD was relationship dissatisfaction. This finding supports the criticism that the concept of FSD is misleading because it implies that there is something wrong with the woman who "has" it, when in fact it is often the relationship that has issues. The study also found anxiety, experience of abuse and obsessive-compulsive disorder to be common predictors of lifelong FSD.
A study last June also pointed to relationship dissatisfaction as a risk factor for FSD, as well as male premature ejaculation—so in this case, his dysfunction becomes hers, further obscuring the diagnosis.
One way researchers are attempting to minimize some of these issues is by including personal distress as a diagnostic criterion for FSD. Pain during sex or a lack of desire, arousal or orgasm does not indicate a disorder unless it is causing distress to the woman herself—and that does not include the distress she might feel because of her partner's reaction in bed, explains Marita McCabe, a psychology professor at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. Burri cautions that the distress criterion nonetheless presents some concerns. "A considerable proportion of women who do not report a sexual problem do report feeling distressed about their level of sexual functioning, so there is the question as to what causes a woman to feel sexual distress," she says. "Is it really an intrinsic feeling, or is it caused by societal expectations?"
Regardless of its cause, distress about sex is quite treatable. McCabe authored a study last October showing Internet-based therapy to be effective for FSD when it focused on three objectives: helping participants feel more comfortable about their bodies, lowering their anxiety in sexual situations and improving communication with their partners.
This article was published in print as "It's Not Me, It's Us."


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" Teri King is an absolutely wonderful teacher and really knows a lot about the arts and crafts business and how to teach her knowledge to beginners. I loved her class and teaching style. She explained all the lessons in a very clear and understandable way. Teri really cares about her students and is not afraid to share her personal information with us. She provided all her students with helpful detailed answers and was very suportive of all the different learning styles in the class. Teri is extremely heartfelt, understanding and a GREAT teacher. I can't wait to take another class from her! "
" Fantastic course! Fascinating material! Fabulous instructor! "
" It was a great course. I learned a lot and found the information really useful. I enjoyed the instructor's style of writing as well. Thank you for providing such a great course! This was my first online course of any kind and I have been pleasantly surprised. I have enjoyed my new experience online! "
" I found this class extremely helpful and will use all of these principles in starting up a craft business. Thanks for a wonderful course! "
" The instructor was very kind and helpful. I thought the class was full of useful information. I'm happy and satisfied with all I have learned in this course. It was very specific and to the point. Congratulations to the instructor. "
" Great Class! The course was very useful and the instructor is very kind and professional. I cannot wait to do market research on all the topics discussed. Thank you!! "
" This course really taught me a lot. The instructor is great! I only wished the course were longer because I feel that she has so much knowledge to share and teach. I enjoyed the course thoroughly and learned very valuable information which I hope to put to use very soon. Thank you! "
" Thank you so much for this class. I had so many questions on how to go about making this happen for myself and you pretty much covered all my concerns. Now my only concern is the money I need to get some things started...something I will have to do on my own I'm afraid! Thank you again! "
" I enjoyed this course and learned quite a bit. Although I've done a substantial amount of research on starting my own business, the course helped me put all of the pieces together. I liked the fact that it was specific to arts and crafts, rather than just starting a business. Well done. "
" Teri is a great instructor! "


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Car rental at Mozart is made easy with Europcar. Friendly service, new cars and low prices are part of our every day offer. Whether you are renting a car for business or pleasure, or you need a car or van, Europcar has the right rental car for you. Europcar is looking forward to serving you at its car rental location: Mozart.
Remember to always bring your driver's license, valid credit card and additional proof of identity (such as a passport if you are renting abroad). Rent a car with Europcar today. Europcar's Green Program: At Europcar, we understand the environmental impact of car rental. That's why we have wholeheartedly embraced a sustainable development program, and are proud to be the first rental car company at Mozart with certified ecological commitments. After all, what's good for the Earth is good for our drivers.
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Painted Birch Candles
Earn $25 back in rewards* for every $250 spent with your Pottery Barn Credit Card.Learn More
- Overview
Carefully painted by hand to look like natural birch, these hand-poured candles add a rustic harvest accent to holiday displays.
- Hand-poured paraffin wax with a hand-painted finish.
- 4" diameter, 4" high
- 4" diameter, 6" high
- 4" diameter, 8" high
- 6" diameter, 12" high
- 8" diameter, 3" high
- Tapers, set of 2: 10.5" high
- Dimensions & Care
- These candles tunnel burn.
- Trim wick to 1/4" each time before lighting.
- Always place your candle on a fireproof surface or holder.
- Never burn a candle completely, and dispose of it when it burns to within 1/2" of its base or the holder.
- Never leave a burning candle unattended.
- Shipping & Returns
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 3-5 business days.
Next Day Delivery and Processing
We can arrange for next day delivery to most destinations within the contiguous 48 states, for an extra charge of $26.00 per address. If we receive your order by 6pm PT Monday through Friday, you'll receive your order the next business day; orders placed on Friday after 6pm PT through Sunday will arrive on Tuesday. Note: Next Day Delivery service is not available for some oversized items, White Glove Delivery, out of stock items, personalized items or for items shipped directly from the manufacturer.
View the complete Shipping and Delivery Information page.
You can return eligible item(s) within 30 days of receiving an order or 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery items for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required. Monogrammed items and Made to Order furniture or rugs are not eligible for returns. Review the full list of ineligible items and our refund policy below before starting the process.
Easy Ways to Return:
- Stores - You can return most non-furniture items to your local Pottery Barn store for free.
- Bring to UPS Location (under 70 lbs) – See our full Easy Returns Policy to start the process.
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Questions? See our full Easy Returns Policy.


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Why do I need Glucophage?
Glucophage (metformin) is one of six types of diabetes pills currently available to treat type 2 diabetes. It helps keep your blood glucose within your target range.
Remember, the cornerstone of diabetes control remains unchanged; it is important to follow a meal plan and get plenty of physical activity. Diabetes pills are simply another tool to help you manage your blood glucose.
How does Glucophage work?
- Glucophage helps your body produce less glucose from the liver. It does not cause the body to make more insulin; therefore, it rarely causes low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) when used alone. Hypoglycemia may occur when Glucophage is taken in combination with insulin or other diabetes pills such as repaglinide (Prandin®), nateglinide (Starlix®) or sulfonylureas.
- Glucophage has been found to lower blood fat levels and possibly contribute to minor weight loss.
Guidelines for use
- Take with meals one to three times a day. Be sure to check with your healthcare provider about how much to take and how often you should take each dose.
- Your healthcare provider may want you to combine Glucophage with another type of diabetes pill or insulin to further improve your control. Since it works differently than the other diabetes medications, it will not interfere with their action. Your healthcare provider will determine the best treatment for you.
What should I do if I forget to take my dose?
If you have forgotten to take your diabetes pills you may take them provided it has been less than 2 hours from your dosage time. If it is more than 2 hours, contact your healthcare provider. Do not take 2 doses at the next meal. If you miss a dose, note it in your record book.
Can I take Glucophage with other medicines?
Most medicines interact safely with Glucophage. However, always remind your healthcare provider what medicines you are taking and when there is a change in your medications, so that (s)he can make sure the combination is safe. Ask if the new medication will affect your diabetes.
What are the side effects of Glucophage?
Minor side effects usually go away after your body gets used to taking the medicine for several weeks, and may include mild diarrhea, nausea, or upset stomach.
Taking Glucophage with meals can lessen side effects. Call your healthcare provider if you experience severe discomfort or if the side effects last longer than a few weeks.
Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) is less likely to occur when Glucophage is taken alone. Hypoglycemia may occur when Glucophage is taken in combination with insulin, sulfonylurea agents, Prandin, or Starlix. (Sulfonylurea agents, Prandin and Starlix are other types of diabetes pills.)
Major side effects are very rare and occur mostly in people whose kidneys or liver are not working normally. The most serious side effect is lactic acidosis. It may be life threatening. Your healthcare provider will check your kidney and liver function to determine if you are at risk.
Are there situations where it is necessary to temporarily stop taking Glucophage?
Yes, there are situations that may affect your kidneys or liver function and thus put you at risk for developing lactic acidosis. To reduce this risk, your healthcare provider may need to stop the medication for a period of time. It is important that your healthcare provider know when the following problems or situations occur:
- You have an illness resulting in dehydration (significant loss of body fluid), which may be due to severe vomiting, diarrhea and/or fever, or an inability to keep fluids down.
- You are going to have any surgery or special X-ray procedures that require an injection of iodine contrast dye.
Who should NOT take Glucophage?
- People who have kidney or liver problems
- People who drink alcohol excessively
- People with serious conditions such as a heart attack or severe infection
- The safety of using Glucophage in pregnant women has not been established. Women who are pregnant or contemplating pregnancy should tell their healthcare provider immediately so the right medication can be prescribed.
How will I know if it is working?
Check your blood glucose at the times specified by your healthcare provider. If your blood glucose or A1C is within target most of the time, the dose is working. If not, review the amount and types of food eaten or whether you have forgotten to take the right dose of your medication. If glucose remains high for a few weeks, contact your healthcare provider. A change in dose may be needed.
For more information, you may want to purchase our book What You Need to Know About Diabetes, which can be ordered online.
Page last updated: October 15, 2019


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A World of Oneness
Rabbi Ted Falcon, Pastor Don Mackenzie, and Sheikh Jamal Rahman, known collectively as the "Interfaith Amigos," have been learning and teaching together since 2001. They blog weekly for YES! Magazine.
There is an incident recorded in three of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In Matthew and Mark, someone questions Jesus about which commandment in the tradition is the greatest. In Luke, the question concerns the attainment of eternal life. The questions may seem different, but they both point to understanding the way to healing, to salvation (salving meaning to make whole, to heal).
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus' response begins with the Sh'ma—"Listen O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one." (Mark 12:29, New Revised Standard Version, NRSV) Both Matthew and Luke omit this crucial introduction. Since both of those Gospels are based on Mark, they each may have assumed an audience that understood just how important the Sh'ma is. Here, Jesus is actually quoting Deuteronomy 6:4.
My NRSV Bible renders it as, "The Lord is our God, the Lord alone." Rabbi Ted Falcon translates this text as: "The Eternal is our God, the Eternal is One." I am beginning with these details because they help to define one of the paths we have taken that has made it difficult for us to understand and make use of compassion.
Today, the word "Lord" suggests unrelieved masculinity. It suggests subjection and coercive power. When the text was first written down some five hundred years before Jesus, it suggested sovereignty—an all encompassing Oneness—an idea that we have lost. For the translation in my Bible of Deuteronomy 6:4, we receive the idea that there is only one God. But (putting aside the problem of "Lord") the rendering in Mark, and even more in Rabbi Ted Falcon's translation, suggests the very important concept that there is absolutely nothing else but God: The Holy One of Being and we are all a part of that Oneness.
The concept of sovereignty as it has developed as something apart from us continues a kind of "we/they" mentality. The concept of Oneness overcomes, or at least has the potential to overcome, that division and move toward a new sensibility of being. We are all in this life together, and the gifts and blessings we have been given can be used to make Oneness real.
Compassion is chief among the gifts we have to make Oneness real. But blocking our access to compassion is the same unrelieved (by "unrelieved" I mean a masculinity devoid of any feminine sensibility, any feminine predisposition to an open heart that would have the potential to eclipse the raw desire for power) masculinity that became our sense of the meaning of Lord.
In our culture today, in almost every part of the world, the greatest fear of a man is to be thought of as weak. Stand up for yourself, people have said to us. Not being weak has come to mean living into the idea that men must be strong, must have power to control and coerce, must always be correct, wise and always leading toward more and more strength against the forces of evil. Compassion is a word that evokes a weakness, a giving in, a losing of some deeply important part of the self. In contrast, from a biblical point of view, the tradition suggests that compassion is the strongest sensibility known to humankind. It is similar to what happens in the ritual of marriage where two people give themselves to each other.
Beyond Us and Them
What we dislike in others is often something we need to heal in ourselves.
As Frederick Buechner has written, "By all the laws of both logic and simple arithmetic, to give yourself away in love to another would seem to mean that you end up with less of yourself left than you had to begin with. But the miracle is that just the reverse is true … to give yourself away in love to somebody else is to become for the first time yourself, fully. To live not just for yourself alone any more, but for another self to whom you swear to be true ... is in a new way to come fully alive."
At some level of being, we all know this to be true. We believe it, and it conflicts with the cultural notion that power is everything. This is why I get a lump in my throat every time I read Luke's version of the incident that concerns the path to salvation: In Luke, the questioner asks about the path to eternal life. "Eternal" of course is a word that points to something that we cannot really describe, but it certainly includes an ultimate sense of healing and the realization of true Oneness. Jesus answers with the commandment that follows the Sh'ma in Deuteronomy 6:4, and then says (quoting Leviticus 19:18) a second (commandment) is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Then from his questioner comes the crucial question: "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29)
In answer to this question, Jesus tells the well-known story of the Good Samaritan. A man is robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Two people see him but pass by on the other side of the road illustrating in its most tragic sense, the "we/they" sensibility. A Samaritan comes by and seeing the man, attends to his wounds, takes him to an inn, gives the innkeeper money, and promises that when he returns he will pay the innkeeper whatever money is required for the man's care. Then Jesus asks the one who has asked the question, "And who is my neighbor?" which one of these was neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The answer comes, "The one who showed mercy." Jesus concludes by saying, "Go and do likewise."
Jesus is encouraging us to live into a life that is framed by compassion, a strength that has the promise of helping to create a life where our self worth can be realized, and where in helping each other instead of hurting each other, we can be free of the currently honored thought that strength means power over other people. Becoming a compassionate city, as Seattle has recently pledged to do, becomes one of the most important challenges humanity can attempt because it could lead to a world of justice and peace—peace in the sense of finding imaginative and creative uses for conflict. What a world that would be!
- : David Korten presents recent research that shows that our brains are made to support caring,
cooperation, and service.


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text: NPR Public Editor We Write The Headlines; You Decide The Bias September 27, 2012 Here is a test of NPR's political bias and your own convictions about what it might be. Headlines set the tone for NPR.org and are a litmus test for all the coverage. So let's look at the last three days of campaign headlines. You decide.


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Here's the latest article from the Fiction Writing site at BellaOnline.com.
Halloween Writing Prompts
I thought some writing prompts for the spookiest time of year would be appropriate. Even if one doesn't celebrate Halloween, one is surrounded by the decorations and the excitement of children who want to trick-or-treat and get as much candy as possible. Have fun with the prompts.
Please visit fictionwriting.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Fiction Writing.
To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Fiction Writing located here -
I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!
Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!
Lisa Binion, Fiction Writing Editor
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Introducing Fall & Winter by Fjällräven.
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Fjällräven began in one man's basement and then branched out all over the world. But our original goal hasn't changed: to inspire and enable more people to walk with nature. Follow our journey from backpacks and tents to sustainable development and events.


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Subscribe To Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Hires Identity Thief's Seth Gordon To Direct Updates
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The big screen adaptation of the video game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune has found its way through a couple of director's hands already, with both David O. Russell and Neil Burger taking a whack at the job before finding other projects to do, but now a third contender has entered the ring to go toe-to-toe with the adventure game. According to Deadline, director Seth Gordon is now in negotiations with the folks over at Sony to direct the latest version of the Uncharted movie.
The most recent draft of the script has been written by David Guggenheim, which Deadline's sources say was so good that it got Sony to hire him to write Bad Boys III. The plot will follow adventurer Nathan Drake - a descendant of Sir Francis Drake - as he sets out on a global adventure alongside "a female journalist and his mentor" as he searches for the lost treasure of El Dorado. The casting process is expected to begin shortly, and while Mark Wahlberg was attached to the lead role when Russell was going to direct, fans have loudly proclaimed their desire to have Firefly star Nathan Fillion take the role.
Gordon is an interesting choice for the project, if not only because he has such a mixed background. The filmmaker broke out in 2007 with his video game documentary The King of Kong: A Fistfull of Quarters, and has spent the last few years making big studio comedies like Four Christmases and Horrible Bosses in addition to episodes of television shows like The Office, Community, Parks and Recreation and The Goldbergs. Uncharted will be his first time working in the action-adventure genre, though there were more than a few big stunts and chase sequences in his last film, Identity Thief.
Where Uncharted stands from a timeline perspective isn't entirely clear. Hiring a director and starting the casting process suggests that Sony wants to get a move on this project as soon as possible, but they have not yet announced a release date. If they can get things together quickly enough there is a possibility that the film could start production this year and wind up late on the 2015 schedule, but Sony's plans are currently a mystery. Get a taste of what to expect from the movie with the video game trailer below:


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A Companion to Greek and Roman Historiography
A Companion to Greek and Roman Historiography
ISBN: 978-1-405-10216-2 January 2008 Wiley-Blackwell 752 Pages
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- Comprises a series of cutting edge articles written by recognised scholars
- Presents broad, chronological treatments of important issues in the writing of history and antiquity
- These are complemented by chapters on individual genres and sub-genres from the fifth century B.C.E. to the fourth century C.E.
- Provides a series of interpretative readings on the individual historians
- Contains essays on the neighbouring genres of tragedy, biography, and epic, among others, and their relationship to history
Table of contents
Notes on Contributors xii
Preface xx
Acknowledgments xxii
Ancient Authors: Abbreviations xxiv
Reference Works: Abbreviations xxxvii
Introduction 1
John Marincola
PART I Contexts 11
1 The Place of History in the Ancient World 13
Roberto Nicolai
2 The Origin of Greek Historiography 27
Catherine Darbo-Peschanski
3 History and Historia: Inquiry in the Greek Historians 39
Guido Schepens
4 Documents and the Greek Historians 56
P. J. Rhodes
5 The Prehistory of Roman Historiography 67
T. P. Wiseman
6 Myth and Historiography 76
Suzanne Saïd
7 The Construction of Meaning in the First Three Historians 89
Carolyn Dewald
8 Characterization in Ancient Historiography 102
L. V. Pitcher
9 Speeches in Classical Historiography 118
John Marincola
10 Readers and Reception: A Text Case 133
A. J. Woodman
PART II Surveys 145
11 The Development of the War Monograph 147
Tim Rood
12 Continuous Histories (Hellenica) 159
Christopher Tuplin
13 Universal History from Ephorus to Diodorus 171
John Marincola
14 Local History and Atthidography 180
Phillip Harding
15 Western Greek Historiography 189
Riccardo Vattuone
16 Greek Historians of Persia 200
Dominique Lenfant
17 The Historians of Alexander the Great 210
Andrea Zambrini
18 Greek Historians of the Near East: Clio's ''Other'' Sons 221
John Dillery
19 The Jewish Appropriation of Hellenistic Historiography 231
Gregory E. Sterling
20 The Greek Historians of Rome 244
Christopher Pelling
21 The Early Roman Tradition 259
Hans Beck
22 Memoir and Autobiography in Republican Rome 266
Andrew M. Riggsby
23 Roman Historiography in the Late Republic 275
D. S. Levene
24 The Emperor and his Historians 290
John Matthews
25 The Epitomizing Tradition in Late Antiquity 305
Thomas M. Banchich
PART III Readings 313
26 To Each His Own: Simonides and Herodotus on Thermopylae 315
Pietro Vannicelli
27 Rhampsinitos and the Clever Thief (Herodotus 2.121) 322
Stephanie West
28 The Enigma of Discourse: A View of Thucydides 328
Leone Porciani
29 Contest (Ago ¯n) in Thucydides 336
Donald Lateiner
30 Narrative Manner and Xenophon's More Routine Hellenica 342
Vivienne Gray
31 Fortune (tych¯e) in Polybius 349
Frank W. Walbank
32 Polybius and Aetolia: A Historiographical Approach 356
Craige B. Champion
33 Diodorus Siculus on the Third Sacred War 363
Peter Green
34 Caesar's Account of the Battle of Massilia (BC 1.34–2.22): Some Historiographical and Narratological Approaches 371
Christina Shuttleworth Kraus
35 The Politics of Sallustian Style 379
Ellen O'Gorman
36 The Translation of Catiline 385
Andrew Feldherr
37 Claudius Quadrigarius and Livy's Second Pentad 391
Gary Forsythe
38 Fog on the Mountain: Philip and Mt. Haemus in Livy 40.21–22 397
Mary Jaeger
39 Clothing Cincinnatus: Dionysius of Halicarnassus 404
Clemence Schultze
40 The Imperial Republic of Velleius Paterculus 411
Alain M. Gowing
41 Josephus and the Cannibalism of Mary (BJ 6.199–219) 419
Honora Howell Chapman
42 Quintus Curtius Rufus on the ''Good King'': The Dioxippus Episode in Book 9.7.16–26 427
E. J. Baynham
43 Tacitus and the Battle of Mons Graupius: A Historiographical Route Map? 434
Rhiannon Ash
44 Feast Your Eyes on This: Vitellius as a Stock Tyrant (Tac. Hist. 3.36–39) 441
Elizabeth Keitel
45 Arrian, Alexander, and the Pursuit of Glory 447
A. B. Bosworth
46 Toward a Literary Evaluation of Appian's Civil Wars, Book 1 454
Gregory S. Bucher
47 Cassius Dio: A Senator and Historian in the Age of Anxiety 461
Martin Hose
48 Ammianus' Roman Digressions and the Audience of the Res Gestae 468
David Rohrbacher
49 ''To Forge Their Tongues to Grander Styles'': Ammianus' Epilogue 474
Gavin Kelly
PART IV Neighbors 481
50 Epic and Historiography at Rome 483
Matthew Leigh
51 Ethnography and History 493
Emma Dench
52 Tragedy and History 504
Richard Rutherford
53 Antiquarianism and History 515
Benedetto Bravo
54 Biography and History 528
Philip Stadter
55 Geography and History 541
Johannes Engels
56 Fiction and History: Historiography and the Novel 553
J. R. Morgan
PART V Transition 565
57 Late Antique Historiography, 250–650 CE 567
Brian Croke
Bibliography 582
Index Locorum 642
General Index 677
"Marincola personally speaks with authority on the entire tradition of ancient historiography, both Greek and Roman … and has collected a fine supporting cast of no fewer than 56 scholars." (The Anglo-Hellenic Review, Autumn 2008)
"This new Companion gives a hearty boost to the 'We are winning!' camp, in its sustained engagement with this important issue … and also in its sheer energy and vivacity. One finds oneself with a veritable host of companions at one's elbow, each with a distinctive style and personality, and the product of various nationalities and scholarly traditions. The juxtaposition captures vividly the flavor of current scholarly debate, particularly since the majority of contributors are central figures in their area of scholarship. The volume represents an exhilarating compendium of cutting-edge perspectives on a range of themes. This tremendously valuable two-tome assembly of a stellar array of scholars and scholarship-its whole indeed greater than the sum of its parts-is a credit to its editor and publisher, displays the vibrancy of the field, and will well serve scholars and students in years to come." (New England Classical Journal, November 2008)
"All that you ever needed to know about Greek and Roman historians and current academic study thereon." (Journal of Classics Teaching)
"Major work on a major genre … with no rival in English (or any other language) … .An indispensable guide to the subject. Essential." (Choice)
"Thorough, vigorous and up-to-date treatment of the subject, it should find a place on the shelves of scholars and students of antiquity alike." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)
- Two-volume companion reflecting new directions in ancient historiography
- Comprises a series of cutting edge articles written by recognised scholars
- Presents broad, chronological treatments of important issues in the writing of history and antiquity
- These are complemented by chapters on individual genres and sub-genres from the fifth century B.C.E. to the fourth century C.E.
- Provides a series of interpretative readings on the individual historians
- Contains essays on the neighbouring genres of tragedy, biography, and epic, among others, and their relationship to history


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Off-duty Massachusetts State Police trooper charged with OUI
Robert Gilmore charged with drunken driving
An off-duty Massachusetts State Police trooper was arrested Monday for operating under the influence of alcohol after witnesses reported seeing a pickup truck being operated erratically on Route 28 in Bourne, police said.
Troopers arrested Robert Gilmore, who was on injury leave, around 2 p.m. Gilmore was charged with a single count of OUI and will be arraigned Tuesday in Wareham District Court.
Gilmore, who was assigned to the Middleborough barracks, had been placed on injured reserve earlier Monday.
"At the time he reported his injury, he was on restricted duty following a previous allegation of a violation of department rules and regulations," spokesman David Procopio said.
"We do not condone the department member's actions as alleged. Eradication of drunk driving has always been, and always will be, a priority of this department," said Procopio.


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TAMPA, Fla. — We learned a few years after Glavine had left the Braves to sign with the Mets, that he had significant after-the-fact misgivings about his decision to change uniforms. We learned from the pages of a book written by then-Braves general manager Schuerholz that Glavine spoke to the Braves Rudy Gay Jersey the day after agreeing to sign with the Mets and that he seriously considered reversing field. Glavine certainly didn't need to move to the larger market to make his mark the big leagues. He had won 20 five times and won two National League Cy Awards before he left for the big city. Length and value of contract were issues, of course. But it's not as though Glavine would have retired a baseball pauper had he re-signed with the Braves for less than the $50,000 million he earned five seasons with the Mets. The New area did have some intrinsic lure, of course. The Glavine family anticipated enjoying its time the suburbs north of Stadium. And it did. Other Vlade Divac Jersey factors influenced Glavine's decision, not the least of which involved his extended family, which was located the Northeast. His standing the Major League Baseball Players Association was not one of them, contrary to what some believed. Glavine was more than active the union; he was the NL player rep for the better part of 10 years and articulate and candid spokesman for the union. None of that should suggest he chose the Mets rather than the Braves because of what it would mean to the MLBPA. One hundred percent nothing to do with decision, Glavine said late Tuesday afternoon by phone from his home outside Atlanta. The Braves' offer wasn't at all comparable to the Mets', but… It ticked me off that people suggested that when I signed, he said. Anyone who knew me knows family came first. The union never tried to influence me, and there was nothing I was considering that had anything to do with what was best for the union. Shortly after Glavine signed with the Mets — early December 2002 — he made that clear by saying, The players who did much to gain freedom for themselves and for the guys who have followed didn't go through all that another outside party could influence our decision. They won freedom, and now we have it and we should use it.
No one's whispering our ears. Glavine retains strong feelings and abiding appreciation for the MLBPA. Understandably; his baseball salaries totaled nearly $130 million. Glavine and his family live comfort. He readily understands how it came to be that they are financially set for 30 lifetimes. Thirty franchises and 25 roster spots per club yield merely 750 job openings. And at any time, how millions of 20-somethings and veterans of past big league seasons seek jobs that competitive field? Those 750 are indeed elite and, as the founding father of the union, Marvin, taught this disciples, elite skills warrant elite compensation. Winning 305 clearly put Glavine among the elite of all time. Glavine, of course, had worked closely with Donald Fehr when Fehr was the executive director of the MLBPA. And after the hockey players hired Fehr and gave him the identical title 2010, Glavine's interest shifted to the sport that had been one of his two passions as adolescent. Fehr hardly was familiar with the hockey players, and he wanted them to become familiar with him, to develop the level of trust the baseball players had the union staff. Fehr asked Glavine to share his thoughts with his new members. I just had a couple of conversations with some players, Glavine said Tuesday. I 't know how much influence I had. Glavine spoke of the need to remain united, as the baseball players had. And he stayed touch with Fehr during the lockout that threatened the 2012 season. Of course, Glavine isn't directly responsible for the Jan. 12 settlement. But introducing Fehr to some of his membership and characterizing him was a positive step. Don's a smart guy, Glavine said. And I wanted to dispel the improper perception that he makes demands the players follow him. Mostly Don and I spoke about experiences. We compared what the hockey players were going through to what the baseball players had experienced. Some of it was eerily similar. Glavine worried that the entire NHL season would become a casualty of the third work stoppage — all lockouts — once the Winter was canceled. Settlement came 12 days after the scheduled date. I'd been through that before, he said, a reference to cancellation of the 1994 World Series. I didn't want anything like that to happen again. Those worries gone, Glavine moved deeper into the sport he left behind once he signed with the Braves 1984. He and two of his sons — 12-year-old Mason and 14-year-old Peyton — spent 10 days Toronto last month. The boys, members of a travel team from the Atlanta area, were competing the Quebec International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament, a prestigious event Glavine missed when he was skating Massachusetts as a teenager and attracting the attention of NHL teams. It's big to-do, he said. It was great experience for them, and I really enjoyed time there. A little costly, but well worth it. And Glavine had the money because of the union. His gratitude is understood. is a columnist for. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Out of stock
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Is the health care law hurting the economy?
The battle over health care reform seems never ending. Just before House Republicans headed home for the summer recess, they voted yet again to repeal the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is a leading voice in the Senate against the health care law. In a floor speech, he urged Congress to exclude any money to implement Obamacare from upcoming spending bills. Blocking the health care law, he argued, was vital to the country's economic recovery.
"There is no legislation currently in effect that is damaging the economy more or damaging jobs more than Obamacare," Cruz said.
Economic forecasters put a lot of time and thought into the factors that drive economic growth and employment. We decided to match up their assessments against Cruz's rhetoric.
What the economic forecasters say
As far as things Washington can influence, economists talk about taxes, spending, the Federal Reserve, raising the national debt limit and related items. When it comes to the economy, we found the attention of economists isn't on the health care law. It's on the 2011 Budget Control Act.
That law, known collectively as the sequester, mandated automatic, across-the-board spending cuts. In fiscal year 2013, Washington is on track to tighten its belt by about $85 billion, with another $90 billion in reductions slated for 2014. At the same time, a temporary payroll tax relief measure was allowed to expire, which left most Americans with about 2 percent less in their paychecks. That pulled about another $125 billion out of the economy.
We reviewed the publicly available research on the economy from a group of nearly 50 prominent forecasters, the ones the Wall Street Journal assembles each year to provide a cross section of opinions. That list includes large organizations such as Morgan Stanley, small consulting firms such as Mesirow Financial, and academic centers such as the University of Central Florida.
Our review showed that roughly three-fourths of the forecasters talked about the sequester, compared with about a quarter who talked about the health care law.
Several economists told us why they were far more likely to focus on the sequester than Obamacare.The biggest reason: With the sequester, the numbers are clear while with the health care law, they are not.
"The difference between the sequester and the ACA is that we have hard data on the former and just some survey data on the latter," said Joseph Carson, senior vice president and director of global economic research at AllianceBernstein. "Also, estimating the impact on something that may happen is different than assessing the impact of something that has happened."
Not only are forecasters still waiting to see the impact of the health care law's most significant changes, many of them said it isn't a macroeconomic issue in the first place. Macro-level factors are things like interest rates, the number of dollars the Federal Reserve puts into circulation, productivity and so forth. Microeconomics has to do with markets and who pays how much for goods or services.
Assessing the health care law "requires reading materials that are more micro than macro in nature -- employee benefit studies, etc.," said Susan Sterne, president and chief economist at Economic Analysis Associates. (Sterne, by the way, ranked third for most accurate on the Wall Street Journal list). "I spent many days on the potential consumer impact and still had many questions. It is not easy."
This isn't to say that these forecasters dismissed the impact of the Affordable Care Act on jobs.
"The economic costs of the new health care act are being underestimated," said John Lonski, managing director and chief economist at Moody's Capital Markets group. Lonski said the law could be causing people to work fewer hours or prompting small businesses to hold off hiring. That would lead to a material loss of economic activity, even if it's hard to measure.
A July economic assessment from Wells Fargo Bank said sluggish hiring might stem from employers trying to minimize the effect of the health care law. Sen. Cruz's office noted that in the Federal Reserve's March economic update, employers in a couple of cities said the Affordable Care Act had led to layoffs or hiring delays. There is no doubt many employers are concerned; Cruz's office noted several surveys to that effect. The requirement to provide health insurance under Obamacare applies to firms with 50 employees or more.
Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS, believes that over time, the new health care rules will increase the cost of doing business in the United States, and it will end up as a slight negative drag on the economy. However, Behravesh said the impact that he sees is not on the same scale as that of the Budget Control Act.
"The tax increases and spending cuts (of the sequester) have reduced growth a full percentage point," Behravesh said. "For the Affordable Care Act, the effect is there, but it's not a big dent in growth. Maybe a tenth or two of a percent."
In sum, for most of the country's top economic forecasters, the Budget Control Act is a much bigger economic deal than Obamacare, if only because the dollars tied to the sequester are tangible and the biggest elements of the Affordable Care Act have yet to unfold.
We should note that Cruz has an entirely different view of the Budget Control Act. His press secretary, Catherine Frazier said it "has not and will not harm the economy."
Analysis from the Congressional Budget Office
When it comes to finding an independent assessment of legislation, we often turn to the Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan analytic arm of Congress. On the sequester, the Congressional Budget Office's latest figures say if the spending cuts ended now, it would boost growth by 0.2 percent to 1.2 percent and add 300,000 to 1.6 million more jobs by the end of the 2014 fiscal year. On the other hand, the report also said that in the long run, simply abolishing the sequester would undermine economic growth as the federal debt grew and eventually cut into the country's output.
The Congressional Budget Office has been less certain about the economic effects of the health care law. We found no analysis that estimated the impact on the overall economy. As for jobs, in 2011, the CBO director told Congress that the new law would probably lead some people to work fewer hours. Basically, if they didn't need to work or work as much to get health insurance, they wouldn't. The CBO gave a rough estimate that some 800,000 people, through their own choice, would pull out of the workforce by 2021 once the health care law fully took effect. A report cited by Cruz's office also suggested that outcome.
But the CBO said its analysis was full of uncertainty. The director said the actual impact on employment would be different and the new health care rules would shape the labor market "in ways that are difficult to anticipate or quantify."
In short, the CBO makes specific projections about the Budget Control Act slowing the economy but makes none for the Affordable Care Act.
Our conclusion
Overall, the evidence suggests that the health care law might be reducing hiring by some employers now, especially at smaller firms, and that it is likely to add to the cost of doing business down the line. But Cruz was comparing the Affordable Care Act to other acts of Congress and in that regard, the Budget Control Act has had a much greater impact on growth and jobs in the short run.
The country's top economic forecasters and the CBO generally estimate that law cut growth by something in the range of one-half to 1 percent, with a corresponding loss of jobs. We didn't find those kinds of assessments for the health care law. One forecaster figured that the health law might cut growth by one-tenth of a percent. That is at the macro level. On a smaller scale, among businesses with 50-100 workers, the effect might loom larger and that is a group that Cruz seems to have had in mind.
The information we have right now about the health care law and small businesses is real but anecdotal. In any event, it's not possible to extrapolate from them to the economy as a whole. In terms of the effects of the Budget Control Act and Obamacare on the broader economy, Cruz's words reflect a perspective that has gotten ahead of the full set of facts.


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Nor'easter moves offshore but major flooding, high winds to linger into Sunday
A fierce nor'easter has downed trees and power lines, causing widespread problems across the Northeast. Parts of Massachusetts saw heavy flooding, while Buffalo, N.Y. was buried in snow. (March 2) AP
The fierce nor'easter that flooded streets, snapped trees and knocked out power to more than 1.8 million homes and businesses will not go away quietly, as forecasters warned hard-hit coastal residents in Massachusetts to brace for more strong winds and major flooding into Sunday.
The storm, which battered residents from North Carolina to Maine, was blamed for at least seven deaths.
Nearly 400,000 customers were still without power Saturday morning in The Bay State from downed trees and power lines, mainly along the coast.
The National Weather Service in Boston warned that coastal flooding and strong winds would persist during the weekend as the storm slowly pulls away from New England.
It forecasts a third round of moderate to major coastal flooding for the midday high tide, and succeeding tide cycles through Sunday.
High winds, with gusts of 50 to 60 mph, were expected on already-battered Cape Cod and the islands on Saturday, gradually subsiding on Sunday.
Winds were expected to remain breezy from Washington to Boston, a day after they toppled tractor trailers and exceeded 50 mph, with gusts of 80 to 90 mph on Cape Cod. At least five people were killed Friday by falling trees or branches.
Ohio and upstate New York got a foot or more of snow. Boston and Rhode Island expected to get 2 inches to 5 inches.
More: Nor'easter pounds East Coast with severe winds, heavy rain; at least 5 dead
Related: Airlines cancel 3,400+ flights as nor'easter snarls travel
Authorities on Saturday reported two more deaths from the storm, bringing the total to at least seven in the Northeast. A 25-year-old man in Connecticut and a 57-year-old Pennsylvania man were killed when trees fell on their cars Friday.
The other five people killed included two children. A man and a 6-year-old boy were killed in different parts of Virginia, while an 11-year-old boy in New York state and a man in Rhode Island, both died. A 77-year-old woman died after being struck by a branch outside her home near Baltimore.
Floodwaters in Quincy, Massachusetts, submerged cars, and police rescued people trapped in their vehicles. High waves battered nearby Scituate, making roads impassable and turning parking lots into small ponds. More than 1,800 people alerted Scituate officials they had evacuated, The Boston Globe reported.
Gov. Charlie Baker activated 200 Massachusetts National Guard members to help victims. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf was sending 90 guard members, mainly to help communities hit by heavy snow in the Poconos Mountains.
Airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights, mostly in the Northeast. LaGuardia and Kennedy airports in New York City were brought to a near standstill.
At one point Amtrak shut down all service along the Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston because of the strong winds and danger of flooding. The New York-Washington leg of the passenger service was still suspected Saturday morning.
In New Jersey, a tree hit overhead wires, forcing the suspension of some New Jersey Transit commuter service.
A fierce storm bringing high winds and heavy rain is causing flight delays and other problems around the Northeast. (March 2) AP
At Washington's Dulles Airport, passengers on one flight had a rough ride through the heavy winds.
"Pretty much everyone on the plane threw up," a pilot wrote in a report to the National Weather Service.
President Trump, who traveled to North Carolina for the funeral for the Rev. Billy Graham, was forced to fly out of Dulles instead of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One is housed, because of high winds.
Meanwhile, police in New York reported that several barges used in the construction of the replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge broke loose in the Hudson River north of New York City.
Whether you call it a "snow hurricane" or "bombogenesis," this storm packs a punch worthy of its namesake. USA TODAY
In the western New York town of Hornell, 30-year-old Anna Stewart milked the 130 cows on her dairy farm on Friday in a barn powered by a generator hooked up to a tractor. Stewart lost power the night before. Hornell got more than 14 inches of snow.
"The snow is pretty wet and heavy. It's taken down a lot of lines," Stewart said. "There's more snow than I've seen in quite a few years."
On the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown resident Andy Towle took video of a 50-foot fishing boat breaking free from its mooring and drifting dangerously toward the rocks.
"I've never seen anything like that," the 50- year-old resident said. "The harbormaster was down there with police, and they didn't know what to do."


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Q&A with Senior Guard Daisy Feder
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After seeing just 54 minutes of action in an injury-plagued redshirt freshman season, UCSD guard Daisy Feder saw her minutes climb and her role increase steadily in each of her next two seasons. Then, as a junior in 2011-12, Feder exploded into prominence, starting all 33 games next to All-American Chelsea Carlisle in the Triton backcourt, averaging 15.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while dishing out 83 assists. Her number were even more impressive down the stretch as she led UCSD in scoring five of the last six games, averaging 22.7 points per contest with five of those outings coming in the CCAA and NCAA Tournaments. Feder has simply continued to get better in her senior season, leading the Tritons in scoring (20.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 pg). First-year Head Coach Heidi VanDerveer has been impressed. "Daisy is very talented offensively. She's unique in that she has deep range as a shooter, combined with the ability to put the ball on the floor and create opportunities for herself and her teammates," said VanDerveer. "But her best attribute is that she is simply a competitor. Some people work hard, some play hard but she really competes, which I think is the ultimate compliment for a player." Feder spent time recently talking about her progression, this year's Triton team and the transition to a new coach.
Q-For the first time in your UC San Diego career, you have not had former backcourt running mate and All-American Chelsea Carlisle on the floor with you. How has her departure changed your game?
FEDER-Chelsea is an incredible basketball player and I have had so much fun playing with her here. She was able to create really well and get everyone a lot of open shots. I think her departure has forced me to be more aggressive offensively, as well as trying to create more for myself and my teammates. We also lost a lot of leadership, so we are collectively trying to fill that void and I am trying to take on more of that role.
Q-Every season of your collegiate career, you've seemed to take clear steps forward. This year, you're on your way to doing that again averaging career bests in points, rebounds, shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage. From your perspective, what have you done and what are you doing to make that improvement happen?
FEDER-I think the biggest factor for me is being healthy. I redshirted my freshman year due to stress fractures in my shins, and I struggled my sophomore and junior years unknowingly from severe iron deficient anemia. Once my health was under control my game began improving.
Aside from being healthy, my work in the offseason is what has led to that improvement. This past summer consisted of beach workouts three times a week, and skill basketball workouts six days a week including some two-a-days. We also played in a very competitive LA summer league as a team every Saturday. I think the offseason is critical to anyone's improvement during season, so that is where I would credit most of my success.
Q-After going 75-19 over the past three seasons, this year's squad started 1-5. It's now over the .500 mark and is 6-2 in conference play. What were your feelings during that opening six-game stretch and what has allowed the team to rebound and improve its record?
FEDER-It was really hard on all of us initially, especially coming off the year we had last year. Although the start to the season was frustrating, we were playing against really good teams and playing them well for most games but just couldn't take care of business in the last few minutes. It was a good learning experience for all of us and a good way to gain experience and develop chemistry with a younger team and a new coaching staff. We have all stayed hungry and determined to win and get better every day. That has made the difference in our improved record.
Q-With the experience of three CCAA seasons behind you, what type of success do you see this year's team having in conference play?
FEDER-We are getting better and better every day. In previous seasons we have had a tendency to peak early and run and out of gas towards the end. Although we have not been as successful as early this year, I think we have unlimited potential to be successful in conference as we continue to improve and grow together every day. Our conference is very competitive this year and any team can beat another team on any given night. With this being said, we want and know we are capable of winning conference. We know what it takes based on the past, and are confident in the fact that if we come to play our standard of basketball every game we can achieve this goal.
Q-For the first time in your tenure at UCSD, you have a new head coach. For you, what, if any, adjustments have there been with Heidi VanDerveer and what are the most significant things you have seen her bring to the program?
FEDER-She has brought a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge of the game to our program. Her basketball IQ is limitless and it has been a great experience learning from her thus far. As with any new coach, there are always adjustments when it comes to offensive and defensive philosophies and learning and understanding a new offense.
Q-When did you know basketball was "your sport?"
FEDER-My parents say I was three years old when I would follow my older cousin to the backyard and try and throw my mini rubber ball in the hoop. The ball would never get closer than hitting my cousin in the back of the head, but I think that's when I knew it was my sport.
I did Tae Kwon Do and gymnastics for years when I was younger. In high school I did high jump for four years, but only because our track team didn't have any high jumpers and they figured basketball players would be the next best. I love the competitiveness and art of basketball. It's a beautiful sport and has been my passion and what I have worked for my entire life.
Q-If you were told you couldn't play basketball anymore, what sport would you most likely gravitate to? Why?
FEDER-I don't recommend me in another sport, I don't think it would be pretty. If I had to choose, I would want to play flag football. Flag because I don't think I would like being tackled, and football because it's fun to watch and I loved playing as a kid.
Q-What's your favorite pick-up hoops spot in San Diego?
FEDER-RIMAC, I haven't played pick-up anywhere else in San Diego. I sometimes play pick up at different high school gyms by my house in Santa Monica.
Q-What's the most high pressure situation you've ever found yourself in on the basketball court?
FEDER-We have had quite a few high pressure situations already this year especially in the beginning of the season. Five of our seven losses were eight points or less, including a double OT loss to Tampa, all of which were high pressure situations. When it comes down to it, I want the ball in my hands. I'd like to think that I respond well in pressure situations, but regardless, I know I'm going to give it everything I have and if it's enough then great, if not, I at least knew I did everything I could to win.
Q-Speaking of pressure, if your team was tied up in a championship game, no time left on the clock with one free throw to win it, which of your teammates would you want on the line?
FEDER-Erin Grady. She doesn't miss free throws.
Q-At home games in RIMAC Arena, it's pretty much a given that your parents will be found sitting in the front row directly across from the Triton bench. What kind of influence have they had on your basketball career? What is the best advice you've received from each of them?
FEDER-They have had a tremendous influence on my basketball career through their unconditional support. My dad got me into it at a very young age and was always opening my eyes to new possibilities in terms of different leagues to play in, club teams etc. He surrounded me with basketball, whether we were watching a game on TV or going to a UCLA Bruins game together, and I fell in love with it. I will always be grateful to my parents for the countless hours they spent driving me to practices, games, and tournaments, as well as the money they have invested in me to be able to play in middle school, high school, and now at UCSD.
Best advice:
MOM: "Life is too short"
DAD: "Air in, air out, bend your knees" (he yells that at me when I shoot free throws...listen for it at games!)
Q-Both of your parents work in the dentistry field. You're an ethnic studies major with a minor in psychology. Is it safe to say you won't be following their footsteps, career-wise?
FEDER-Haha. I most definitely will not. Unfortunately, dentistry was never very appealing to me. In terms of a long-term career, I have no idea what the future entails for me. Ideally, I would love to do something where I could still be involved with basketball. I think when I'm done with this year I would like to continue playing overseas for a year or so. I'm just not ready to give basketball up quite yet.
Q-What do you consider your two or three most dominant personality traits? Is there a misconception people often have about you?
FEDER-When it comes to basketball, I would say perseverant, determined, and hard working. Generally speaking, I'm very indecisive and tend to over analyze things. People aren't usually aware of my compulsive-like tendencies towards structure, schedules, and planning in my personal life.
Q-When you're not playing basketball or studying, what do you enjoy doing?
FEDER-I am a TV junkie. The past few months I have been watching Lost on Netflix which has kept me very entertained. I love spending time with my family and friends when I have the time and am able to go home. In the spring and summer, you can always find me laying out by the pool, working on my color, and most likely sipping on a boba.
Q-Favorite television show? Favorite dessert? Person you'd most like to meet?
FEDER-Hands down Grey's Anatomy. Best TV show ever. I love chocolate chip cookies, but almost anything with chocolate gets my sweet tooth going. I'd love to meet Kobe Bryant. He's the best basketball player of all time...sorry MJ.
Q-Last year ended on a disappointing note in the finals of the NCAA West Regional. Do you remember how you felt that night? What will make 2012-13 a successful season in your eyes?FEDER-Of course, that feeling is something that I will probably never forget until it can be replaced. That loss broke our hearts, but it is what has fueled our offseason work and our fight throughout this season. I think being competitive and consistent throughout the duration of season would translate to a successful year. This team has come a long way, but we still have a long ways to go which is a good thing. I think we will peak at the right time and success will follow.
Previous Q & A Articles
Craig Elsten (UCSD Athletics Broadcaster) January 14, 2013
Beth Dong (Women's Swimming & Diving) December 3, 2012
Tyler McGrath (Men's Basketball) November 15, 2012
Danielle Dahle (Women's Volleyball) October 26, 2012
Jessica Wi (Women's Soccer) October 10, 2012
Elena Inouye (Women's Cross Country) October 1, 2012
Josh Stiling (Men's Water Polo) September 15, 2012
Alec Arsht (Men's Soccer) August 28, 2012
Amber Hawthorne (Women's Volleyball) August 13, 2012
Kristin Jones (Women's Soccer Assistant Coach) June 24, 2012
Nick Howe (Men's Track & Field) May 13, 2012
Kris Lesovsky (Softball) March 16, 2012
Danny Susdorf (Baseball) March 6, 2012
Sarah Lizotte (Women's Water Polo) February 9, 2012
Charity Elliott (Women's Basketball) January 31, 2012
Alex Henley (Women's Swimming & Diving) January 17, 2012
James McCann (Men's Basketball) December 29, 2011
Emily Osga (Women's Basketball) December 19, 2011
John Butler (Men's Water Polo) November 28, 2011
Lauren Demos (Women's Volleyball) November 8, 2011
Cory Wolfrom (Men's Soccer) October 26, 2011
Ellen Wilson (Women's Soccer) October 1, 2011
Brian Donohoe (Men's Water Polo) September 4, 2011
Roxanne Brunsting (Women's Volleyball) August 19, 2011
Jon Pascale (Men's Soccer) August 4, 2011
Vincent Nguyen (Tennis) July 1, 2011
Patti Gerckens (Softball) May 26, 2011
Blake Tagmyer (Baseball) May 11, 2011
Theresa Richards (Women's Track & Field) April 27, 2011
Austin West (Men's Tennis) April 17, 2011
Drew Lawyer (Men's Crew) April 11, 2011
Keith Okasaki (Men's Golf) March 26, 2011
Matt Herman (Men's Swimming & Diving) March 12, 2011
Hanalei Crowell (Women's Water Polo) March 5, 2011
Camille Gaito (Softball) February 23, 2011
Tim Shibuya (Baseball) February 8, 2011
Carl Eberts (Men's Volleyball) January 31, 2011
Neda Nguyen (Women's Swimming & Diving) January 24, 2011
Amy Bianchini (Fencing) January 14, 2011
Lauren Freidenberg (Women's Basketball) January 3, 2011
Christian Hatch (Men's Basketball) December 24, 2010
Blake Langland (Men's Swimming & Diving) November 27, 2010
Sarah McTigue (Women's Soccer) November 8, 2010
Brandon Yee (Men's Soccer) October 11, 2010
Bryce Madsen (Men's Water Polo) September 23, 2010
Annette Ilg (Women's Soccer) September 9, 2010
Ricci Luyties (Women's Volleyball Head Coach) August 24, 2010
Kevin Messey (Head Athletics Trainer) July 7, 2010
Dan O'Brien (Baseball Head Coach) June 18, 2010
Christine Merrill (Women's Track & Field) June 14, 2010
Vance Albitz (Baseball) May 11, 2010
Erik Elliott (Men's Tennis) May 3, 2010
Kelly Fogarty (Women's Track & Field) April 23, 2010
Liz LaPlante (Women's Tennis Head Coach) April 15, 2010
Kirby St. John (Baseball) March 24, 2010
Dan Perdew (Men's Swimming) February 28, 2010
Calvin Ross (Men's Volleyball) February 20, 2010
Nicole Saari (Softball) February 4, 2010
Brad Kreutzkamp (Women's Water Polo Head Coach) January 18, 2010
Tyler Acevedo (Men's Basketball) January 4, 2010
Dr. Cliff Kubiak (UCSD's Faculty Athletic Rep) December 18, 2009
Chelsea Carlisle (Women's Basketball) December 9, 2009
Carianne Cunningham (Women's Swimming) November 23, 2009
Elena Inouye (Cross Country) November 6, 2009
David Morton (Men's Water Polo) October 28, 2009
Juan Pablo Carillo (Men's Swimming) October 19, 2009
Sara Spaventa (Women's Soccer) October 10, 2009
Karen Reis (Women's Volleyball) October 2, 2009
Daniel Pavitt (Men's Soccer) September 23, 2009
Daniel Anderson (Cross Country) September 11, 2009
Peter Gresham (Men's Water Polo) September 2, 2009
Alexia Zatarain (Women's Soccer) August 24, 2009
Elaine Chen (Women's Volleyball) August 12, 2009
Jared Kukura (Men's Soccer) July 30, 2009
Dawn Lee (Former Women's Soccer Standout) July 8, 2009
Rob Mamula (Director of Athletic Performance) June 18, 2009
Garrett Imeson (Baseball) June 8, 2009
Leon Baham (Men's Track & Field) May 21, 2009
Kristyn Lesovsky (Softball) May 8, 2009
Kazumi Negishi (Men's Tennis) May 5, 2009
Laiah Blue (Women's Track & Field) April 16, 2009
Ryan Andre (Men's Crew) April 2, 2009
Josh Tanner (Baseball) March 24, 2009
Anju Shimura (Women's Swimming) March 7, 2009
Stephanie Bocian (Women's Water Polo) February 20, 2009
Lauren Chastain (Softball) February 5, 2009
A.J. Maulhardt (Men's Basketball) January 28, 2009
Annette Ilg (Women's Basketball) January 22, 2009
Steven Hardy (Men's Swimming) January 13, 2009
Frank Fritsch (Men's Volleyball) January 5, 2009


text:
GSF Skatepark is an outdoor skatepark in Oslo, Norway.
Also known as: Gamlebyen Sport og Fritid / Gamlebyen Skatepark / Gamle Oslo Skatepark / Gamlebyen Arena / Arena Gamlebyen
Below are the latest related articles. See the full list of articles for more related news and updates.
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text:
Cloud computing was meant to be simple, but it has evolved to become anything but as more features and services were added.
Nearly three-quarters of IT decision-makers (71%) believe their organisations have lost revenue due to a lack of cloud expertise. On average, this accounts for 5% of total global revenue.
Rackspace's Cost of Cloud Expertise report explores the importance of expertise to an organisation's cloud evolution and the impact the current technical skills gap is having on businesses.
The study surveys more than 950 IT decision-makers and IT pros from across the globe to better understand the barriers to increasing cloud usage, the impact this has on innovation and business growth, and the skills organisations require to compete in today's technologically driven world


text:
The phone rings. We answer. The caller asks if we are going to publish the community commentary she submitted in opposition to the Northern Pass power project. Our eyes glass over as we explain the topic is exciting as watching paint dry to those of us in the Seacoast.
But OK, we will publish the commentary the caller is told.
On Sunday, we published her commentary under the heading, "Northern Pass still not right." In it authors Susan Arnold and Christophe Courchesne tried to make the case that Northern Pass is a raw deal and should be of concern throughout the state.
We don't deny the plan to run power lines from Canada to Deerfield should be of broader concern beyond the communities geographically affected. Any such project which purports to increase energy supplies to the region should undergo public scrutiny by state agencies and the public at large.
But much of the argument is geographically out of sight, out of mind. And to many who might pay brief attention, the project promises clear, cheap power. So why worry?
In trying to answer these question it is hard not to bore. The arguments pro and con are often technical, as with the arguments made by Arnold and Courchesne, and slanted by the pair's political perspective.
In a nutshell, Northern Pass proposes to bring clean power south where it will find as yet an undetermined home, pending negotiations with the likes of the Northeast power grid.
Opponents are correct that it won't directly feed New Hampshire homes and businesses. But as of now, most energy produced in the state is available to the grid. There it can be used and sold outside of the Granite State.
Opponents also argue that building transmission towers through portions of New Hampshire's scenic vistas will harm the tourist industry and reduce land values for those along the route. It is primarily for these reasons that opposition to Northern Pass has made headway. All of us who enjoy the state's beauty and hope to market it to tourists should be concerned that Northern Pass be done right.
But beyond these arguments noted in Sunday's commentary, we urge readers to be highly skeptical.
The authors who represent the Conservation Law Foundation and the Appalachian Mountain Club argue the project is not "clean" or "green" and secondarily follows a pattern of decisions that have raised electric rates rather than lowered them.
For many reasons, the motivation of CLF and AMC in opposing Northern Pass should be greatly suspect.
For example, CLF and AMC argue, "It [Northern Pass] not only impacts the mountains, forests, and streams of New Hampshire, but the project contributes to yet more new damming and diversion of major rivers and the flooding of millions of acres of forests in Canada."
As we have noted in past editorials, if it were up to the extremes of the environmental movement the Hoover Dam would never have been built and its hydro-power unleashed, nor would a vast irrigation system constructed that allowed the West to prosper.
While it can be argued New Hampshire currently does not need the power, as the economy rebounds that will change. When it does, Granite Staters and the region should not need to go begging for power once forsaken.
As for the high cost of electricity, we turn to the kindred spirits of CLF and AMC, protesters that held up construction of the Seabrook nuclear power station and forced projected electric rates to skyrocket.
And what of legislative demands that PSNH diversify into expensive renewables? Truth be told "green" is not always cheap, so don't pretend otherwise.


text: Marine Well Containment System Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC) is an independent company with headquarters in Houston. The company, which is not in the business of making a profit, provides well containment equipment and technology in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. As a leader in deepwater well containment in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the company is committed to being continuously ready to respond to a deepwater well control incident in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. MWCC has enhanced industry containment capabilities with the development of an interim containment system (ICS) available for use in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The ICS can handle pressure up to 15k psi. The capping stack, the centerpiece of the system, can cap a well in deepwater depths up to 3,000 meters. It is engineered to cap and flow a well in deepwater depths up to 2,400 meters. The system has the capacity to contain 60,000 barrels per day (and 3,398,000 cubic meters per day) with potential for expansion. MWCC worked with regulators from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) when designing the system to ensure all expectations were met and that the new system would not only safeguard the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, but allow new permits to be issued. Photo — Marine Well Containment System overview ExxonMobil, in partnership with Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Shell, continues to lead the development of additional system components to expand the initial system's capabilities, with completion of the expanded system set for 2013. The system is being engineered for use in deepwater depths up to 3,000 meters and has the capacity to contain up to 100,000 barrels of liquid per day (and handle up to 5,663,000 cubic meters per day of gas). MWCC is available to all deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico operators as a member or on a non-member (per well) basis. Members have access to containment services for a response to a potential well control event of an existing well; non-members have access only for a specific well over a defined time period. MWCC has 10 member companies. In addition to ExxonMobil, current members include: Anadarko, Apache, BHP Billiton, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Hess, Shell and Statoil. For more information on the Marine Well Containment Company, please click here..


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Last week I visited London and brought a Lytro camera to document the experience.
Lytro is a "light field" camera that promises to let users shoot now and focus later. The technology is so innovative, Steve Jobs met with Lytro's founder before he died. He wanted to use it in iPhone cameras. Investors have given the two-year-old startup $50 million.
For a photography novice like me, Lytro sounds great. You can have next-to-no skill and still manage to take good photos, because you can change the perspective afterward. When you take a good Lytro photo, the pictures seem to come alive. They shift focus from one object to another, pulling them forward or blurring them into the background. It can completely change the story a photo is telling.
Skip To: Check out what Lytro's living photos really look like >
The device is sleek and narrow. It looks like a kaleidoscope. The most expensive version is red, holds 16 GB of images, and retails for $499. It allows you to store 750 photos at once. The other models retail for $399 and let you store 350 photos. They come in electric blue, graphite, moxie pink and sea glass.
Carrying a Lytro is like wearing Google Glass – you're instantly the center of attention. I was lent the red 16 GB camera and got looks whenever I pulled it out of my pocket. While going through security in Heathrow Airport, the man behind me asked, "How long have you had your Lytro?" He was a United employee from Houston who had read about it on a tech blog.
Others actually pointed and stared. Some asked to try the camera themselves. The cameras are sold on Lytro's website, Amazon, Best Buy and Target, but it isn't currently available in London.
I trekked all over East London with the Lytro, then over to some major attractions: Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, The Shard and London Bridge. The Lytro was more convenient than my company's DSLR, which is bulky, heavy, and retails for a similar price.
It's easier to take photos with, too. There are only two buttons: an on/off switch on the bottom near a hidden USB port, and a shutter button on top. The top also has a thin ridged surface. Stroking left to right will let you zoom in, right to left lets you zoom out.
Lytro's head of photography, who lent us the camera, admits the screen on the camera could be better. It's hard to see a clear image of what you've just taken because the screen is small and pixelated. And it's difficult to view in the sun. But it's a touch screen, so you can tap to zoom or trash an image, swipe to review old photos, and star your favorites. You can also switch camera modes from the default setting, which is better for distance shots, to "creative", which is better for close-ups.
Once you upload all of the photos, you can add special effects like filters, then process them. Processing photos takes a very long time. The Lytro desktop application crashed multiple times before all 150+ photos could be uploaded to my online gallery.
Once the photos are in your online gallery, you can share them to social media sites, some of which keep Lytro's instant perspective shift and refocusing features. Facebook, for example, does this. You can also embed Lytro photos in web pages because they're iframes, so others can play with the photos too.
Most of my Lytro photos ended up being a disappointment. I was warned to practice taking photos before I took London, so the blame could be mine for not learning all of Lytro's tricks. But out of the 150+ photos I took, less than five display Lytro's technology well. I'm much happier with the DSLR photos. They're at least clear, while Lytro's are blurry and don't show much depth.
Lytro would be a better if you could apply filters to photos once they're uploaded online, so you don't have to take time editing on your desktop, then re-processing the image. It also would work best as a mobile app, like Instagram.
So while I like what Steve Jobs had in mind with Lytro and the technology has a lot of promise, the current camera isn't worth the steep price tag until a few more of the kinks are worked out.
At least not for photography novices, like me.


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Ratt – Infestation (2010, Roadrunner Records)
- Eat Me Up Alive
- Best Of Me
- A Little Too Much
- Look Out Below
- Last Call
- Lost Weekend
- As Good As It Gets
- Garden Of Eden
- Take A Big Bite
- Take Me Home
- Don't Let Go
Band Lineup:
Stephen Pearcy – Lead Vocals
Warren DeMartini – Guitars & Background Vocals
Bobby Blotzer – Drums
Robbie Crane – Bass
Carlos Cavazo – Guitars & Background Vocals
Producer: Michael Baskette
Country: USA
Total Time = 42:16
Ratt MySpace page
Roadrunner Records
It's about time that Ratt got back together and released a new album! Since the band's initial break-up in the early '90s, Ratt has reformed, regrouped and changed members countless times but they haven't really made much noise. The band did get together with original singer Stephen Pearcy in 1999 for a new self-titled album on Portrait Records and a prime opening slot on the Poison reunion tour but that soon fizzled out again. Drummer Bobby Blotzer and guitarist Warren DeMartini (the two original members left) went through more Ratt incarnations and continued the war of words with their former frontman but now Pearcy is back in the fold. Longtime bassist Robbie Crane is still with the band and former Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo is on board adding his slick guitar to the mix. The result? INFESTATION!
I have always been a big Ratt fan. Back when I was a young kid, I read about the Sunset Strip scene in fanzines and one of the names that popped up alongside Quiet Riot and Motley Crue was Ratt. I got into Ratt like most people did when FM radio and MTV started playing 'Round And Round' in their regular rotations, that's when I ran out and bought OUT OF THE CELLAR (1984). I've always backed Ratt, even when the albums weren't as good, because they were always a solid band and one of my favorites. Their reunion performance on the 1999 Poison tour was great and I thought they stole the show both times I saw it! The problem has always been that Ratt has fallen just a bit short compared to Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and Poison so when I heard that INFESTATION was a return to the old Ratt sound, I was really looking forward to it.
I was hooked from the opening guitar of 'Eat Me Up Alive', a classic Ratt rocker that sounds similar to 'You're In Love' (from 1985's INVASION OF YOUR PRIVACY) but a bit faster. Now that's the way to open an album…..start right away and go for the throat with a fast song that is guitar heavy. If that isn't enough, the band follows up with a song that sounds like one of their big hits from the '80s, 'Best Of Me'. This track is clearly a return to the commercial melodic Hard Rock that the band became known for and it has a similar sound and tempo to the band's 1988 hit 'I Want A Woman' (from REACH FOR THE SKY). One of the things Ratt did so well back in the day was incorporate the big hooks and the melodic choruses to get you singing along with them, their songs were just infectious and 'Best Of Me' follows that tradition. This song is the lead single off INFESTATION and it should definitely be played all over Rock radio, it was tailor made for it, but it's 25+ years since the band's heyday and it's a crime that people won't hear it.
Ratt always had a sleazy quality to them, maybe it was because of Pearcy's unique voice or that Sunset Strip hedonistic mentality, but it's definitely back again on songs like 'A Little Too Much', the swaggering 'Look Out Below' and guitar driven 'Last Call'. These songs sound like classic '80s Ratt, especially 'Look Out Below with it's 'Way Cool Jr.' strut (from '88's REACH FOR THE SKY) and that isn't only due to the recognizable vocals from Stephen Pearcy, it's due to the guitars as well. Warren DeMartini has been in Ratt from the beginning and he has always been the band's "guitar hero", even when the late Robbin Crosby was sharing lead guitar duties, and his playing is still amzing both on lead and rhythm guitar. What sets this Ratt lineup and album apart from previous reunion tries is that former Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo is on board and he fits in perfectly. The problem with the 1999 self-titled album was that it was just Demartini on guitar, the classic Ratt sound was built on the DeMartini/Crosby twin guitar attack. Ratt has always maintained this in concert with former guitarists John Corabi and Keri Kelli but they never put it to a record. Adding Carlos Cavazo not only brings another versatile guitar player but also a songwriter, he adds his writing to four songs including 'Eat Me Up Alive' and 'Best Of Me'.
There are more classic '80s similarities like the 'Lack Of Communication' style on 'Lost Weekend' and the 'Wanted Man' grind on 'As Good As It Gets' (the band even name checks 'Wanted Man' in the lyrics!), these songs have a similar base compared to the classics but they stand on their own and aren't cheap copies. It's that familiarity that's really hooked me in and makes the rest of the hard rocking songs like 'Garden Of Eden', 'Take A Big Bite' and 'Don't Let Go' just as good. You kind of expect an '80s Hard Rock band to have a ballad on a new album but the closest thing to a ballad is 'Take Me Home'. I would call this song more of a combination of a hard mid-tempo (on the chorus) and a ballad (on the verses) with an updated sound. What's throwing me off on 'Take Me Home' is that the rest of INFESTATION sounds so much like classic Ratt that the any updated sounds get lost. I like the string arrangement and the guitar solos but 'Take Me Home sounds more like an idea that needs to be fleshed out a little more rather than a proper song.
Bottom Line:
Like I said before, I have always been a big Ratt fan so I was really looking forward to this new album. INFESTATION is exactly what an old school Ratt fan is looking for: a return to the classic sound. The band hasn't released a proper album in eleven years so the classic sound is fresh to my ears where it may be dated to others, Ratt basically followed the same formula with great success for close to two decades. Having Stephen Pearcy back in the band makes a huge difference because his voice is the Ratt sound, kind of like Vince Neil is to Motley Crue, it's hard to replace such a unique singer. Also adding Carlos Cavazo on guitar brings more energy and diverse playing to join with Demartini's guitar heroics. INFESTATION is sleazy, slick and hard all at the same time and it's definitely a classic Ratt record that you could put alongside OUT OF THE CELLAR, INVASION OF YOUR PRIVACY and REACH FOR THE SKY. This is easily one of the best Hard Rock albums I've heard this year and 'Best Of Me' is one of the best songs of the year so far! A great comeback…..
Favorite Songs:
'Eat Me Up Alive', 'Best Of Me', 'Look Out Below', 'Lost Weekend', 'As Good As It Gets'