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Embracing baseball late in the game
One lives in the San Francisco area and roots for the Giants. One lives in Dallas and is a huge Rangers fan. One lives near Philadelphia and closely follows the Phillies.
Each loves baseball, but they have a common tie that runs deeper than that. They are nonagenarian women who developed a passion for the game relatively late in life. There is abundant anecdotal evidence to suggest that they are not alone. Connecting generations is one of the Hall of Fame's stated goals, which evokes an image of fathers playing catch with sons. The reality is that it encompasses a much wider range than that.
One lives in the San Francisco area and roots for the Giants. One lives in Dallas and is a huge Rangers fan. One lives near Philadelphia and closely follows the Phillies.
Each loves baseball, but they have a common tie that runs deeper than that. They are nonagenarian women who developed a passion for the game relatively late in life. There is abundant anecdotal evidence to suggest that they are not alone. Connecting generations is one of the Hall of Fame's stated goals, which evokes an image of fathers playing catch with sons. The reality is that it encompasses a much wider range than that.
For example, the demographic represented by 91-year-old Frances Rain, 90-year-old Elizabeth Malarin and 96-year-old Louise Stiller.
They are as avid about their teams as any fan, although, not surprisingly, their reasons for caring are different from, say, a 20-something guy.
Baseball is a game of many layers, but has a surface simplicity that is appealing. "Mainly, I like it because I can understand it," Rain explained. "I don't understand football. I don't understand all the plays. And I just think baseball is a graceful, graceful sport."
"I understand the game, No. 1," Stiller said when asked what she most liked about baseball.
Another attraction is that there's a game almost every day. Baseball gives them something to look forward to on a daily basis from the beginning of Spring Training until the end of the World Series.
Said Malarin: "I guess it's just hard to explain other than you just find yourself, 'Oh, I've got to get upstairs. The game is on.' Somebody will say, 'Are you going to that symphony tonight?' 'No, I can't be bothered, I've got to go watch the Giants.'"
Rain agreed. "That helps a lot if you don't have much to do, if you're a woman and you have free time," she said. "Because watching it every day gives you so many clues. You know how it is. You enter into it a little bit more. And when the team is off, I'm bored to death. I was thinking this morning that I've got to get some kind of hobby because the season's going to be over soon. My day is set with baseball and everyone here knows if they don't like it, stay out of my place."
Stiller keeps several Phillies schedules in strategic locations around her apartment so she can always find out quickly when the team is playing.
The women also take a more personal interest in the players beyond what they do on the field. Stiller, for instance, likes to hear about the family life of left-hander Cole Hamels.
"I was, and still am, interested in the players' private lives to an extent," she said. "Hamels got married, had a baby. There's a little bit you get into the individual players. He was a new guy. I remember them showing pictures of him before he married his wife and what she looked like. I remember following that whole thing."
Malarin distinctly recalls when Giants catcher Buster Posey suffered a serious ankle and leg injury during a home-plate collision in 20l1. "When he got hurt, I could have just cried. You knew it was serious. You begin to feel for them. They're one of your own," she said, adding that she gains insights into their lives through her subscription to the official Giants magazine.
"These are young men who have come up. Some of them are so appreciative and enjoying it. And they're playing their hearts out. It's kind of nice to see that. And these boys are from all over the world. And they're just precious. I love them all. I say, 'I've got to go over and see my boys.'"
Rain has even developed a friendship with Rangers manager Ron Washington. He's visited her condo to see her collection of scorecards. She developed a habit of scoring games when she went to see the Red Sox and Braves play in Boston while her husband attended Harvard in 1946, and she continues to do so to this day. Washington also invited her onto the field when she attended Spring Training each of the past three years.
Which is not to suggest that the women can be every bit as critical as the next fan when things aren't going well.
"You like a good game, even if they lose. Sometimes you say, 'Oh, for heaven's sake, that was terrible. They've been so sloppy,'" Malarin said with a laugh. "Then I get on the phone to my neighbor and if you could have heard us arguing last week about [Pablo] Sandoval. 'What's the matter with him? He's put on so much weight.' And then, of course, the next night he puts three [homers] away. She called me and said, 'Did you see that?' I said, 'We'd better shut up, they must have heard us.' We went down every single one. We were really going down the list of everybody. What was wrong? But you really do get into it.
"Why [manager Bruce] Bochy put him in. Why he took so-and-so out. Sometimes you agree with them. Sometimes you say, 'I don't know about that.' We're talking to ourselves and we always say if anyone walked down our hall by our different doors they'd hear us screaming and clapping away in there. I'm yelling my head off. So it's been a marvelous outlet and enjoyment."
That social aspect, talking to friends about baseball, is part of the appeal, too. Stiller volunteers three days a week at a hospital thrift shop. She enjoys working the cash register because it gives her an opportunity to talk to people. Discussing the Phillies with the other volunteers is another way of remaining active and engaged. Baseball also is a pleasant diversion from everyday concerns.
"I think in America we can use a little bit of that," Malarin said. "Stop worrying about the world. Not that we don't know or care. We do. But it's a marvelous outlet. You're seeing the youth come up. And then you see the disappointments. And that's life, you know? If you've got a business, sometimes it goes wonderfully well and sometimes it's a pain in the neck."
But there's always baseball.
Paul Hagen is a reporter for MLB.com.


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New Processing Grant from the NHPRC!Posted by Danelle Moon at 4:49 PM
The San José State University Special Collections & Archives (SJSU), Martin Luther King Jr. Library has been awarded a Basic Processing grant of $151,704 from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) to make accessible all the permanent archival collections. The grant will support a full-time archivist to survey, catalog and encode the collection inventories of 80 manuscript and university record collections. The finding aids will be published on the On-line Archives of California. http://www.oac.cdlib.org/
We anticipate on hiring an project archivist in the next motnh, and hope to have the project underway by the end of August 2008. This grant will help us move forward in making our collections more accessible and will result in new discovery tools! We will post updates on the progress of this grant project once we get underway!

subset: commoncrawl


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Representative Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5th District) United States House of Representatives Washington, DC
Dear Representative Hoyer:
Thank you for your letter of June 19, 2007, in response to my letter requesting that you work to pull our troops out of Iraq. Unfortunately, I am deeply troubled by your response.
You begin your letter by seeming to indicate that the problem with the war is that it is badly managed, noting that the "Bush Administration's handling of the war in Iraq has been disastrous," and providing a litany of facts that purport to support that statement.
You note that, "the Administration ignored the advice of top military commanders and sent too few troops into Iraq, miscalculated on intelligence, failed to properly plan for the occupation, and has grossly underestimated the monetary and human costs of the war."
As the House Majority Leader, it seems that you believe that the primary difference between the Republican and Democratic Parties in regards to the current Iraq war is that Democrats could "manage" this war better than Republicans. This is hardly a positive endorsement of the Democratic Party's position on the war.
A great leader, Prime Minister Winston Churchill warned, "Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy, but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events."
Your position concerning the "managing" of the war does not distinguish you from many of your Republican colleagues. But worse, you continue to support the invasion, stating that "I believe strongly that all civilized nations have a collective obligation to act against an international lawbreaker who threatens peace and stability, and that military action against Hussein's regime was justified due to Iraq's failure to comply with United Nations disarmament and inspections requirements."
You fail to note, however, that the United Nations did not authorize the war, that the United States unilaterally invaded a sovereign nation against the wishes of the majority of UN nation states, and that no weapons of mass destruction were located.
You fail to note that this unilateral invasion cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, rendered millions more Iraqi's destitute, cost billions of dollars from our treasury, and, most egregious of all, cost the lives of thousands of our troops, with more dying daily in the midst of a civil war complicated by an insurgency against U.S. occupation.
You continue to support the war, while claiming, "I would not have voted to authorize military action against Iraq had I known the incompetent manner in which the war and the ensuing reconstruction effort would be conducted." You fail to acknowledge the illegal nature of the war, claiming that some unspecified management improvements are all that are needed to improve the situation engendered by our invasion of Iraq.
This is an unacceptable position on the most important issue of the day. Unless you change your position, I believe that I have no alternative but to actively work against your reelection. I will work within my community to make sure that my neighbors understand your position on the war, and I will attempt to publicize alternatives to a vote for your reelection in 2008.
Sincerely, Jim Cassedy
From Rep. Hoyer- 19 June 2007
Mr. James Cassedy 5400 40th Ave. Hyattsville,MD 20781-1821
Dear Mr. Cassedy:
Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts regarding the war and occupation in Iraq. I appreciate hearing your views on this important matter.
The Bush Administration's handling of the war in Iraq has been disastrous: the Administration ignored the advice of top military commanders and sent too few troops into Iraq, miscalculated on intelligence, failed to properly plan for the occupation, and has grossly underestimated the monetary and human costs of the war. Further, the Administration has consistently strengthened the recruitment efforts of insurgents through policies that allowed the widespread mistreatment of detainees in American custody. Today, Iraq is on the verge of becoming one of the world's worst refugee crises, with more than four million displaced Iraqis and thousands fleeing weekly.
I believe strongly that all civilized nations have a collective obligation to act against an international lawbreaker who threatens peace and stability, and that military action against Hussein's regime was justified due to Iraq's failure to comply with United Nations disarmament and inspections requirements. Nevertheless, I would not have voted to authorize military action against Iraq had I known the incompetent manner in which the war and the ensuing reconstruction effort would be conducted.
The President's current plan to increase troop levels is not a new strategy, but a continuation of his "Stay the Course" approach, without the necessary shift of responsibility towards Iraqi forces. I believe that the escalation in troop levels is too little, too late, due to the Administration's critical failure to put enough troops on the ground at the outset of hostilities to secure and stabilize a nation of 26 million people.
There are no easy answers in the war in Iraq, but there are several positive steps forward that we must take, for the good of our country and for the long-term benefit of the people of Iraq. First, we must shift greater responsibility to the Iraqis for their security, and transition the principal mission of U.S. forces from combat to training and counter-terrorism. Second, we should begin the phased redeployment of our forces within the next six months. Finally, we must implement an aggressive diplomatic strategy, both within the region and beyond, which reflects the continuing obligation of the international community to help stabilize Iraq and which assists the Iraqis in achieving a sustainable political settlement. Put simply, we need a diplomatic surge, not a military one.
In this regard, the on March 23, 2007 the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1591, the Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act. I regret that the President vetoed this bill, thereby defying the will of the American people and bipartisan majorities in Congress. This carefully crafted bipartisan legislation fully funded our troops, and provided additional funding for military and veterans' health care over and above the President's request. Additionally, it held the Iraqis accountable for the first time in four years. Furthermore, it provided for a responsible redeployment of American forces from Iraq, which is a provision supported by nearly two-thirds of Americans.
Most recently, the House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 2206, the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007. In addition to providing the necessary funds to protect our troops, H.R. 2206 holds both the President and the Iraqi government accountable for the first time since the beginning of the war. H.R. 2206 establishes eighteen political and security benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet, and it makes $1.6 billion in new economic assistance to Iraq conditional on achieving progress toward those goals. Additionally it requires a series of reports from the Administration and outside auditors on progress in Iraq in both July and again in September. This is an important step in our efforts to change the course in Iraq.
As debate regarding the future of the U.S. presence in Iraq proceeds, please know that I am committed to providing our troops with the resources and equipment necessary to effectively protect themselves and perform their duties safely. And like you, I sincerely hope for their speedy and safe return. With Kindest regards, I am
Sincerely yours,
Steny H. Hoyer James Cassedy can be emailed at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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|"Blacklock dwarf" by Daniel Falconer
|General Information
|Mountains of the East[1]
The Blacklocks were one of the seven houses of the Dwarves that dwelt in the mountains of the East. They were originally paired with the Stonefoots.[2]
It is possible that the Blacklocks were among the "Houses of other Fathers" who sent troops to help Durin's Folk in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.[3]
[edit] Portrayal in adaptations
1982-97: Middle-earth Role Playing:
- The unnamed Dwarven tribes were given invented names in an early supplement.[4] While these were published before the publication of Tolkien's late note on the name of the Dwarven houses of the East, it has been suggested that the Blacklocks could correspond to Drúin's Tribe (as portrayed in MERP).[5]
2002-5: The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game:
- The House corresponding to the Blacklocks is called Var's Folk, said to wander the lands of the East and South. Their beards are "black as coal and thick as wire, often left tangled ad unkempt".[6]
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Of Dwarves and Men"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Of Dwarves and Men", pp. 301, 322 (note 24)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk"
- ↑ R. Mark Colburn, Peter C. Fenlon, John D. Ruemmler, Terry K. Amthor, Jessica M. Ney (1989), Lords of Middle-earth Vol III: Hobbits, Dwarves, Ents, Orcs & Trolls (#8004)
- ↑ Thomas Morwinsky, "A Brief History of the Dwarven Mansions", in Other Minds issue 4 (July 2008)
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Chris Seeman (2003), Moria
|Dwarven Clans
|Longbeards · Firebeards · Broadbeams · Ironfists · Stiffbeards · Blacklocks · Stonefoots · (Petty-dwarves)


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COLUMBUS, OH (WOIO) - HB 197 is on its way to becoming law.
The bill passed its first committee vote Wednesday. It now moves to the full house floor for a vote. No date for that vote has been scheduled yet.
Backed by State Representative John Barnes from Cleveland, Ohio House Bill 197 was created initially to help Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry.
Under House Bill 197, anyone held against their will for eight years or more, will get $25,000 for every year held in captivity, free tuition room and board at any state school, and free health care, in the form of medicaid, for life.
The money would come from the Ohio Victims of Crime fund. That fund is built with court fees, fines and costs -- meaning no direct taxpayer money.
Copyright 2013 WOIO. All rights reserved.


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These tutorials are now under construction, please be patient. In order to make the revision process clear, I introduce a confident index, "0" means nobody except me has reviewed the text. I please the reviewers to increment the counter to prove the validity of the tutorials.
If you are a Phonon developer and you realize errors, you're missing some details or a whole chapter. Please feel free to complete the followings. You can contact me on #phonon on the irc.freenode.org to give me any feedback, usually I'm using the nickname "lucas" or other variants.
Confident Index =0
The following is based on the documentation available here Phonon API.
By getting involved with Phonon, you can choose between three different main tasks.
Beginners will probably be more interested by the first task.


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W Hotels & burn studios DJ Lab Global Tour Arrives in the Maldives
W Hotels Worldwide, in collaboration with burn studios held the second DJ Lab 'boot camp' at the beachside retreat, W Bali Retreat & Spa. Turkish DJ, Dougus Cabakcor, one of six DJ's chosen globally participated in the mentorship program. Following completion of the W Hotels & burn studios DJ Lab, the 2012 class jetted off to perform at select W destinations around the world, including: London, Paris, Barcelona, Bali, Singapore, and Taipei. Now, miles from everywhere, Dogus Cabakcor will perform at the iconic W Retreat & Spa Maldives.
Jetting into the Maldives aboard the new direct flights between Istanbul and the Maldives, DJ Dogus Cabakcor will perform not to be missed sets. The private island retreat will unveil a different beat on Wednesday 1 May, as DJ Dogus performs under moonlight, beside an open fire pit on FIRE beach. The following day signature cocktails, Cigars and Shishas create a spin at WET. On Friday 3 May, Dogus amplifies the sunset experience aboard ESCAPE, W Maldives yacht as he performs chill out mixes. Dance the island night away in the Maldives only underground night club, 15BELOW on Saturday 4 May.
On a more personal note Dogus knew at a young age that his passion was music creation and design. Dogus has worked as a DJ and Music Director for many top establishments in Turkey. He has become one of Turkey's premier DJs and all Istanbul's elite swings to his beats.
W Retreat & Spa Maldives is a tropical playground in the Indian Ocean that's perfect for relaxing, playing, and recharging for your next adventure. Experience one of the 78 Retreats, either on the beachside or overwater which gives you access to endless Indian Ocean views. Abandon the expected and sample creative dining by Executive Chef Nikolaj Retpen in our three dining experiences, two lounge concepts. Step into the spotlight at 15BELOW the Maldives only underground nightclub, and sip on one of the 90 varieties of vodka.


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If you've been a follower of ours for a while now, you probably know that we have a peacock mantis shrimp, and that they're pretty awesome creatures!
From their lethal, club-like appendages to their eyes (widely-considered to be the most complex of any living creature), peacock mantis shrimp have captivated scientists and online audiences alike, the latter is largely due to this comic created by The Oatmeal.
Did you know? Peacock mantis shrimp have 16 color receptive rods in their eyes (humans get by with only 3!). These rods allow them to detect 100,000 colors and many wavelengths of light, including ultraviolet!
Want to learn more about these awesome creatures? Check out our mantis shrimp infographic:


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Some sobering news about autonomous or self-driving cars.
After the recap of the state of the technology from Audi, Lexus and Google, the writer asks what the real hurdle to adoption of this will be.
It's not the technology, as these manufacturers are showing that we're already almost there.
Rather the problem will be the new rules associated with a world full of computer-driven vehicles.
How to legislate for what happens when technology goes awry is bound to push the ETA for these super-automobiles. And then of course there's the cost.
Which is to say — be prepared to handle gridlock with your own hands and feet for well into the next decade.
Read more about the robot-driven car movement from DigitalTrends.com here.


text: California Dairy Processors, Producers Disagree over Farm Profitability August 1, 2013 02:22 PM Tweet TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Catherine Merlo Farm Journal's Milk Western and Online Editor Email Processors claim dairy farm margins are improving; producer groups say dairies still struggling with red ink. Claims by a California dairy processor organization that the state's dairies are enjoying dramatically improved farm income are being called "specious" and "disingenuous" by producer representatives. "For dairy farmers, the reality is just the opposite," says Michael Marsh, president of Western United Dairymen (WUD), a producer trade group that represents about 60% of California's milk production. Marsh was referring to a July 30 news release from the Dairy Institute of California, a trade association that represents milk and dairy processors on legislative and regulatory matters. The release reports that California cheese makers and other dairy processors have paid the state's dairy farmers over $400 million more in the first six months of 2013 than for the same period last year, according to data released by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). "That $400 million in additional revenue translates to about $250,000 more per dairy farm this year," says Rachel Kaldor, executive director of the Dairy Institute of California. She notes that the trend is expected to continue for the rest of the year due to strong global demand for dairy products. "California dairy farmers are far, far from profitability or recovery," responds Marsh. "When you've been losing $2 million, and now you're losing $1.75 million, you're still losing money." Marsh said that while total revenues into the state's dairy marketing pool have increased, California dairy producers continue to lose money. CDFA numbers show that California milk prices for the first quarter of 2013 averaged $16.53 per cwt., with dairies' average cost of production at $17.69 per cwt., says Marsh. (These cost of production numbers do not include a return on management or investment.) "That's a negative margin of $1.16 per cwt.," says Marsh. This year's red-ink numbers, however, are better than first-quarter 2012 margins, which yielded a loss of $1.72 per cwt., Marsh said. That was based on an average milk price of $14.91 per cwt. with the cost of production of $16.63. But, in fact, dairy farm margins are improving, Kaldor notes. "One of the most common ways to gauge dairy farm profitability is to measure farm income over feed costs," she says. "For the most recent two quarters reported, dairy farmers are enjoying an average 57 percent improvement in their margins over the middle of last year." Feed costs have moderated this year and are expected to decline dramatically over the remainder of the year — down about 40 percent from last year's drought-driven highs, Kaldor says. The assertion that dairy farm income is up dramatically "certainly doesn't paint a picture of the industry we've been experiencing," says Rob Vandenheuvel, general manager of Milk Producers Council, another California-based producer association. "Everything is not fine. Yes, you can see an improvement, but it doesn't mean things are great." California dairy margins remain in negative territory, at $1.45 per cwt. or more, Vandenheuvel says. Over the last five years, the average-sized California dairy – with 1,000 cows producing 65 lb. of milk – has lost $2 million, according to Vandenheuvel. California has lost 25% of its dairies in the last six to seven years, says Marsh. Marsh and Vandenheuvel believe Kaldor's claims that dairy farmers are enjoying improved margins are an attempt to influence CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, who is considering whether or not to grant a hearing on a temporary price fix that would benefit the state's dairy producers. That announcement is due by Aug. 6. California dairy farmers are seeking the hearing on a milk-pricing deal negotiated and agreed to in July by the state's dairy farmers, cheese makers and the Legislature. The deal would create a short-term fix of $110 million in new money that cheese processors will pay into a milk pool to be shared by dairy farmers. The $110 million will come from increasing the price of California's Class 4b milk (the milk used to make cheese) up to 46 cents, and by expanding the whey scale from its existing cap of 75 cents per cwt. of milk to $1. Kaldor says processors supported CDFA last year when it temporarily increased the price of milk that processors pay dairy farmers. "Those temporary price hikes will add about $62 million to dairy farmer income this year," says Kaldor. "But compared to the $400 million more processors have already paid, it's very clear that vibrant dairy markets are far better at improving dairy farm income than reliance on regulated government-imposed price adjustments." Producer groups, including WUD and MPC, maintain that CDFA's milk-pricing policies have put dairies at a disadvantage to the state's milk processors as well as to dairies in other states. Kaldor warns that the state's complex regulatory pricing system needs to change if California dairy farmers and processors are to compete in the new global market. "Our current regulatory system was not designed for today's marketplace," says Kaldor in the July 30 release. "Dairy farmers need to join us in understanding that competition builds markets for their milk, which leads to more farm income for them. We need to create a market-driven system with high levels of investment, vigorous competition and growing global demand for our products. We're partners in this, and we should be working together to make it happen." Back to news


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Tech wrap: Apple teases "Mountain Lion"
Apple released details on the successor to its "Lion" operating system for Mac computers, due out late this summer. OS X 10.8, dubbed "Mountain Lion," will inherit features already running on iPhones and iPads such as iMessage, Notification Center and AirPlay mirroring, according to an Apple press release. Game Center will give Mac users the opportunity to square off against gamers on iOS devices as well as other Mac users. A new feature called "Gatekeeper" is meant to give OS X users more control over what apps can be downloaded onto their Macs, further distinguishing Apple-approved apps from third-party ones. The plan to introduce more iOS functions to Apple's desktop and laptop OS comes as Microsoft prepares to make its desktop applications more mobile with a rumored fall release of Windows 8.
Four months after one of Japan's biggest corporate scandals, police and prosecutors arrested seven men, including the former president of Olympus and ex-bankers, over their role in a $1.7 billion accounting fraud at the medical equipment and camera maker. Three former executives arrested, ex-President Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, former Executive Vice President Hisashi Mori and former auditor Hideo Yamada, had been identified by an investigative panel, commissioned by Olympus, as the main culprits in the fraud, seeking to delay the reckoning from risky investments made in the late-1980's bubble economy.
Groupon CEO Andrew Mason said that the company's location-based service Groupon NOW will likely not be a material contributor to results in the next one or two quarters. Mason said customers of the company's daily deals are using Groupon NOW too. However, he stressed that the new service will likely take time to grow. Groupon NOW is a relatively new service that differs from Groupon's main daily deal business. Groupon subscribers can check on nearby deals that are happening in the next one or two hours, based on their location.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood proposed voluntary steps for automakers that would establish new safety criteria for hands-free calling, navigation, and entertainment systems that have become common in new cars and trucks. The guidelines introduced recommend that automakers adopt technology to disable distracting electronic systems that are accessible to the driver — but not passengers — when a car is moving. The latest government figures show that roughly 10 percent of U.S. traffic deaths in 2010, or 3,092 people, were linked to distracted driving.
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/


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For more than forty years, Virginians voted only Republicans into the White House, and then came President Obama. Playing to the new urban liberals in the Northern Virginia suburbs of the nation's capital, Mr. Obama won 53 percent of the vote to John McCain's 46 percent.
While Ohio has taken much of the focus of this election cycle, Virginia is still crucial. Even if Republican Governor Mitt Romney wins Ohio, he will still need Virginia's thirteen electoral votes to put him over the top. A victory here comes down to the winner of that battle between North and South.
Virginia's population has grown from 7.7 million in 2008 to 8 million in 2010, according to the U.S. Census, but much of the gains have come in the North. Northern Virginia's urban, increasingly liberal population has grown 23 percent in the past decade, as builders put up thousands of condo units a stone's throw from the National Mall. Northern Virginia's suburbs have also grown dramatically, as home builders banked on a new tech sector and the relative low unemployment fueled by government jobs.
(Read More: How the Unemployed Plan to Vote in Today's Election)
But the south, which includes the cities of Richmond and Norfolk, is still strongly in the Republican corner. Witness that just one year after the state helped put President Obama in the White House, voters elected Republican Governor Robert McDonnell.
The great divide can also be seen in a tight Senate race here between two former Virginia governors, Tim Kaine (D) and George Allen (R). They are fighting for the seat being vacated by James Webb, a Democrat who beat George Allen in the senate race back in 2006. This is one of the hotly contested seats that could determine leadership of the Senate.
With so much of the Senate's work in the coming term focussed on issues in the economy, leadership is more crucial than ever. From the fiscal cliff to the extension of the Bush tax cuts, Wall Street will be depending on Congress, where Republicans hold a strong lead in the House of Representatives, but where Democrats have held on to the Senate.
(Read More: State By State: Election Day Viewer's Guide)
Virginians are particularly focused on Congress as well, since sequestration, and a potential $50 billion in defense cuts could hit them hard. In the South, Norfolk depends on its ship building industry, and in the North, both Northrup Grumman and of course the Pentagon account for thousands of jobs. The Senate race has been extremely tight from the start, with Kaine outspending Allen but Allen hoping to ride on Governor Romney's coattails.
(Read More: Did Wall Street Just Give Up on Romney?)
That ride, however, is nowhere near certain, as polls up to election day showed Obama with a very slight lead. The two have crisscrossed the state, with Obama holding nine rallies to Romney's ten since August 31, 2012. The candidates, their spouses and running mates have made over 90 appearances in Virginia this year, and Romney chose to announce Paul Ryan as candidate for Vice President in Norfolk. Virginia television stations have reaped the rewards of this close race, taking in over $131 million in advertising revenue from both candidates.
Polls in Virginia close at 7pm Eastern Time, so early results here could help point to a winner.


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Anna Kournikova Covers 'Women's Health' November 2011
Anna Kournikova shows off her toned tummy on the cover of Women's Health magazine's November 2011 issue.
Here's what the 30-year-old Biggest Loser trainer had to share:
On marriage rumors with Enrique Iglesias: "[Marriage] isn't important to me. I'm in a happy relationship�"that's all that matters."
On trust in relationships: "I believe in commitment. I believe in being open and trusting each other and respecting each other completely."
On having kids: "I absolutely want to have children, whether I have my own or adopt. I love taking care of people."
For more from Anna, visit WomensHealthMag.com!
Bigger cover pic inside…


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U.S. Stock Futures Rally on Bernanke Rate Comments
Stock futures rose in Wednesday's after-hours session as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said benchmark interest rates will remain low for a while. MarketWatch's Laura Mandaro reports. (Photo: AP)
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... what ... a sad day for us the Senate to twice a day after Air is when say I'm Lime and air with MarketWatch in San Francisco ... the scene U S stock index futures rally after Fed chairman Ben burn Anqi addressed a group of a common its ... U S stock index futures which we usually look at the market ... a few months after that the pantomime ... but they caught selling apps to the Fed Chairman answered that question ... he said that rates are likely to stay low for quite a lot of time ... and the response was to teach him that I didn't Essen P five hundred Index futures and tensions in the still at its infancy as ... puppets of the index futures for the cap of about ... seventy points after this for months ... there's also a notable reaction and the funding currency markets ... Treasurys which had been lower for the day turned higher than the heel lower ... and that balance and losses falling below one hundred yen ... and gold futures and electronic trading gains ... to over twelve sixty and Alison actually all these markets is that the Fed the thinly traded at this time I'll really see ... much action until


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Posted 7 years ago
(144 items)
A hand-wrought, dark patinated copper planter or coal bucket by William Soutter and Sons (Birmingham, England) in the British Arts & Crafts / Art Nouveau style (circa 1895). The piece is elevated on four bulbous supports that are deftly affixed in European Arts & Crafts fashion by hammered copper plugs. Fully marked underneath with the William Soutter & Sons manufacturer insignia of "S&S W" and associated Birmingham letter monogram. Also, etched lightly underneath with "13788" (see second picture above). Dimensions: 11.5"(H) x 9"(W).
William Soutter & Sons were established in 1760 in Birmingham, England and operated until 1914. They were well known for their copper tea kettles and planters, which were well worked in the predominant styles at the time. The manufacturer's mark on the piece above dates the planter /coal bucket to circa 1895; right at the advent of the British Arts & Crafts era.
William Soutter & Sons had the distinction of exhibiting their copper wares at the 1st World's Fair in 1851. An entry for the company in the Official Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue (Vol. 2) for the 1851 Fair, which was entitled the, "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations," states the following:
#354 Soutter, William. 10 Market Street, Birmingham (Manufacturer). Copper-bronzed tea urns and swing kettles. Bright copper-fluted coat vase, and round or oval kettles.


text:
The Scientific Advisory Board
Mira Gadzala, Ph.D
Dr. Gadzala joins Stemtech to lead our company's initiatives in research and development through our exciting second decade. She comes to us after five years as President and Founder of BioCell Rejuvenation™, a Florida company that provided vitamin-development companies, fitness clubs and alternative clinics with scientific analysis and personalized wellness programs for the revitalization and balance of bio-cellular and metabolic functions to meet the body's requirements and fight diseases. Dr. Gadzala will be a key product formulator for Stemtech and will oversee all current and future clinical trials.
She has 25 years of hands-on experience in biomedical, orthomolecular and cellular medicine research, as well as expertise in developing and promoting novel research concepts for dietary product lines. Dr. Gadzala is also the author of a number of booklets, handbooks and articles published in The USA and Europe.
Currently a Board-certified Alternative Medical Practitioner and holder of advanced degrees in Alternative Medicine and Orthomolecular Health, Mira Gadzala achieved her Ph.D in Holistic Nutrition with Highest Honors in 2004 and her Master's Degree in Cell Biology in 1976.
She is an accomplished public speaker and has completed specialized training in toxicology and pharmacology, clinical nutrition, holistic human development, mind/body healing & wellness, oriental & ayurvedic perspectives, and courses in nutrition focusing on aging, the musculoskeletal system, women & children and nutritional healing.
Dr. Leos joined Stemtech's scientific team in 2017 to bring her expertise and knowledge in the areas of medicine and biophysics. Graduated as a surgeon and midwife at the Guadalajara Lamar University, she's been a member of the Biophysics Research Center of an important company in Guadalajara, Mexico, and has also provided advice to sales distributors on medicine and nutritional supplements.
Dr. Leos has an important field experience especially in the area of maternity. Additionally, thanks to her communication abilities, she's an experienced lecturer and has shared her knowledge in radio, television and medical articles.
Aware of the importance of well-being and innovation —two pillars of the Stemtech philosophy—, Dr. Lizette Leos is the latest addition to our board of scientific advisors.
Yury Kronn, PhD
Yury Kronn is a world renowned research scientist, inventor, theoretician, Human Rights activist and organizer. Dr. Kronn was educated at one of the world's premier schools in the area of the physics of nonlinear vibrations, Gorky University (former USSR), and earned his Post Doctorate degree at Russia's leading Research Institute, Lebedev's Institute of Physics, Moscow.
Kronn was one of the leading researchers and theoreticians heading-up research on high frequency electromagnetic vibrations, laser physics and nonlinear optics. He was a lecturer and Adjunct Professor of Moscow University, Physics and Technical Institute. He taught Bachelor and Doctorate students in a variety of courses in nonlinear optics, quantum electronics and quantum mechanics. He has been dedicated to researching and refining these applications and to advancing the understanding of subtle energies. He is the pioneer who headed up the team that developed Vital Force Technology™
Fani Martinova, MD, PhD
Dr. Fani Martinova has earned a medical degree and two post graduate degrees specializing in transfusion medicine, clinical immunology and immunogenetics in Sofia, Bulgaria. She has over 290 scientific publications and is a university professor providing courses in emergency medicine. Dr. Martinova is working on clinical studies for Stemtech's advanced formula products.
Igor Nazarov, PhD
Dr. Igor Nazarov, fluent in 5 languages, has over 30 years of professional experience combined with an extensive 20-year educational background around the world, which has led to being published in over 30 articles. With a Masters in Experimental Nuclear Physics, and a PhD in Chemical Physics from the famous Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dr. Nazarov works closely with Kronn on subtle energy technologies used exclusively in Stemtech products.
Robert Jackman, PhD
Dr. Robert L Jackman has Food Science degrees from the University of British Columbia and the University of Guelph (MSc, PhD). As a Postdoctoral Fellow at ORTECH and Research Associate and Adjunct Professor at the University of Guelph, he authored or coauthored over 25 peer-reviewed journal articles, 6 book chapters, and several Records of Invention.
He has been providing Research & Development and technical support services to the Food and Natural Products industries since 1996, and for Stemtech since 2010, being responsible for the Company's site and product licensing in Canada, and assisting with its product registrations in other countries in which Stemtech operates around the world.


text:
FIGHTING: Niall McClelland & Lukas Geronimas
Written by Matt Irving
These two Canadians are amazing! I've been emailing back and forth with them for a few years now and we've worked on a couple of projects together. They are hard workers in every sense, which I always have a soft spot for. These days most people seem fairly lazy, or they work extremely hard and are scared to admit that they actually care. I guess it just makes dedicated people that much more refreshing, because they're proud of what they create and they aren't afraid to show it. Some of you may know of them already but in my opinion the world is just discovering the tip of the iceberg that is FIGHTING... otherwise known as Niall McClelland & Lukas Geronimas.
(NIALL): Niall McClelland, pronounced Neil, it's Gaelic. Toronto born and raised, Vancouver for 6 years, now back in T.O. until January, then onto Barcelona & Valencia.
(LUKAS): Lukas Romualdas Astronimas Geronimas, and I was born at Toronto General Hospital and I'm back to the city that brought me into this world (Toronto). I'll be here through the winter, while Niall goes to Spain.
(NIALL): When we were 14, I got rides to school from his family, it was awkward cause I didn't like him and he didn't like me, his pops was cool though and still is actually. Eventually we nerded out on some sci-fi and fantasy shit and we've been tight since. Obviously.
(LUKAS): Yes well, art is a solo thing, and as far as fine art goes, we're getting into our own things. But Fighting was a way to guarantee a bilateral sort of progress. It really started when Niall and our friend Robin Cameron (rocamm.com) decided to do a Low Fashion show (just t-shirts) and we decided to make some shirts together because I had access to the printmaking studio at my school and we were down to receive mutually deplorable or agreeable feedback. We also realized that it was a good way to emphasize one another's strengths while hiding our weaknesses. For instance, I have absolutely no idea how to type (unable to distinguish between letter forms) and Niall can't speak a word of English (he just spits and drools whenever he tries, and in fact is transcribing my portion of the interview as we, well I, speak). Together, it looks like we're exceptionally literate, erudite and well versed in a variety of graphic styles.
(NIALL): All the time, everyday. But its not generally about the conflicting visions or overall concept for any project, its always about details, details, details. The small shit. So yeah, I'd say weekly there's probably a moment I want to punch the fucker, but it only lasts a second so showing some restraint is a good course of action. I'm sure that goes both ways.
(LUKAS): Fighting wasn't really about violence so much as it was about struggle. It's an admission to the fact that anything that anyone wants to do graphically will be scrutinized and ultimately compromised, and it's the artist's responsibility to step up and convince their audience, or their patrons, or the companies that employ them, to trust the artist's vision. So that the product remains integral. It's a little old-fashioned to preach product-based marketing (the artist being the product), but we're confident about our ability to produce. That being said, we do end up compromising often enough when time and money govern the project, and it's justified because we understand what's up. And also we're decent people (equal parts real/ideal and moderate like any good Canadian) that work to understand the politics involved in our industry, which makes us a little more subversive than the name suggests, even though a fire still burns in our bellies.
(NIALL): Well...the main reason was that we were looking for a unique URL, something humourous, we thought it'd be funny to have something annoying to type out, a little awkward to remember. The name itself came about from a note I found that Lukas had written me drunkenly one night in jest about a girl who used to dig me tons until I was an ass to her and now wouldn't even be in the same room as me, we thought the whole situation was pretty amusing, I guess. So when we were putting the initial site together I found the note and thought fuck it, let's just run with this. Maybe the URL should go a little more like "shedoesntloveyouanymorehahahaha.com"?
(LUKAS): Oh man Japan, my heart has a tidy little place 4 ever with no shoes allowed! Reserved for the land of the rising sun. The efficiency, understanding, and level of context with which the Japanese culture conducts itself is part of my guiding light (like 15-20%!), and although there are plenty of problems, like the fact that the country's construction budget has yet to decrease (it's increased significantly, in fact, even with regards to GDP growth and inflation) since Japan set forth along the path to repairing its devastated infrastructure after the second world war - and as a little note; if you think what the Allies did to Dresden and Hamburg other parts of 'Evil' Europe was gnarly, America's retribution for Pearl Harbor was nastier than Vancouver's Downtown East side x 3rd stage syphilis: pretty much 75% of the COUNTRY - not just Nagasaki and Hiroshima, but the entire COUNTRY, was razed. Japan's cities were made out of sticks - the whole place became a space-scale campfire in the early 1940s. Central Tokyo is built on the ashes of its recent past, and it is fucking ridiculous what they've done in a half-century. I got to live downtown, in a small box with two big men, for almost a year, and it ruled to the max. Sorry; I never finished my problem point - because the construction budget has yet to shrink since the country began rebuilding three quarters of it's property, and pretty much they finished RE-building some thirty or so years ago, there's been an enormous glut of senseless concrete pouring which has led to all but three of Japan's hundred-and-something major rivers receiving a concrete bed treatment, and vast portions of Japan's coastline covered with scores of concrete tetrapods for no reason other than to spend the budgets allotted to construction companies in order to receive just as much or more money in the coming year. Blah blah blah, I still think it's one of the most amazing places ever. Extremely detailed.
(NIALL): I actually studied communication design out west; art is something I've just always done. But yeah, Vancouver... that's a special city, I really dig it there, its a beautiful spot, but now that the Olympics are coming through in 2010 the city is bulldozing through a lot of its most interesting areas, closing anything with character, building condos, putting on the clean face for the world. Things are getting more expensive, the good neighbourhoods are getting gentrified; basically the city is losing some of its charm. But really, the city is still awesome; it feels like a small town, some really tight knit communities that foster creative pursuits and not just chasing the almighty buck. Toronto on the other hand... well I grew up here so there is always a place in my heart for this city, but... I dunno, its not nearly as inspiring, its kinda a middle of the road city, lots of marketing people... which sometimes makes you want to puke a little on the inside, but hey, at least here I'm not starving just to do what I want to do. Good food, good industry, good neighbourhoods, boring art. Still though, its large and fairly dense, so its great to bike around and explore all the different areas which are divided culturally, like little Portugal, Greek town, little India, etc, that part is dope.
(LUKAS): The west coast is the best coast, no doubt. The weather and the geography and the proximity to Mexico, these are all the best. But the west coast ain't got the hustle like the east coast does (that doesn't mean you individually, reader, but as far as an unbiased truism goes, it's true). And New York is the world's cultural anchor. I'm digging on being close to the family and close to the big smoke, but I miss clean pacific groundswell and no regard for fashion. Toronto's not forever, but I'm happy here; they've got a good public library system.
(LUKAS): I eat out as often as I've got money.
(NIALL): Exactly, whenever I have the dough.
(NIALL): Roti is a dish of stewed or curried ingredients wrapped in a 'Roti Skin' primarily made from wheat flour, salt, baking powder, and water. The dish resembles a large Enchilada. Popular variants include chicken, conch, beef and vegetables. Shrimp and goat are also often available. Poutine is a dish consisting of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and covered with hot gravy, usually brown gravy, and sometimes other additional ingredients. The curds' freshness is important as it makes them soft in the warm fries, without completely melting.
(LUKAS): Hmmm... that's a tough one, but I gotta run with Roti. Next time you're in Toronto Matt, we'll go grab some from this dope spot I know in Parkdale; shit is mouthwatering.
(LUKAS): We're all part of the stew, but you'll always know a carrot from a potato, and I think that's why the melting-pot can create a big mess when you forget that there are cultural differences that are clear-as-day and ingrained deep into the fabric of the space and time of our age, and that shit, it won't fade man. I think cultures need a place where they can feel comfortable being themselves, because we don't want that kind of chaff-age, municipally or nationally. A neighbourhood's a rad place when it's got a sense of community - whether that communal vibe is a result of race, religion, socio-economic status or liking your nuts sucked by a chick or a dude is of little importance, so long as pride doesn't speed ahead all devil-may-care and crash into a racist ditch, which is easier to do than some people think, as pride is a narrow road and the ditch isn't really that much of a bitch to navigate, and this means some folk don't even know they're off the shoulder and out of bounds. But they are. Geographic segregation isn't all that good unless it's organic, which makes developing a very tricky profession, but when it works well, you get happy residents and happy tourists and no one's jealous, and that's some sweet candy.
(NIALL): Fuck the Canucks, bunch of pussies. Leafs 100%. This is the hockey capital of the world my man.
(LUKAS): The Raps for making terrific drafting decisions. It's not the organization's fault the big shots don't want to hang out in Toronto once their rookie contracts expire (I'll bite my tongue a bit for Bosh, he's some good crack yes'sir). Vince Carter is an Ass-shit, and it's sad to say but he really fucked with Toronto's emotions, and we haven't gotten over the hurt because we're not that strong. The Griz' were over before they started, and should have been a baseball team. Somebody forgot to poll the Pacific Rim sports fans.
(LUKAS): I have yet to drink from Niall's can, all references aside you dirty sleuth, and I wouldn't tell anyone if I had, all references aside. Kokanee is glacier mountain fresh, so of course I drink it; I'd be a fool not to.
(NIALL): Yeah, that was nice, too bad they didn't sell 'em out east so I only got to drink the free ones they hooked me up with, still though. As far a Lukas is concerned, well he's on this tennis tip at the moment so I'm thinking a Wilson racket, the kind Roger Federer uses. Classic backhand, no grunting. That would be right up his alley, either that or a bottle of Bushmills whiskey, cause bro is more into the hard stuff than the beer, and Bushmills is some tasty shit.
(LUKAS): I wish I knew more good music coming out of these cities. Man, the Deadly Snakes just played their last show, so you'll not see them again but you could have a listen; Pride Tiger is from Vancouver so they don't count; Jon Rae and the River, they are amazing and frighteningly uplifting; Great Lakes Swimmers, Akron/Family and Regina Spektor are all pretty good; we're going to Pop Montreal (http://www.popmontreal.com) in October, which is this sweet music festival and you're invited to come, in fact, everyone is invited.
(NIALL): Well... I'm pretty bummed on music these days, but some local stuff that I dig is Rammer, a little bit of metal heaven, and The Brutal Knights, some good ol' asshole punk rock. I dig Vancouver music better though, Destroyer, S.T.R.E.E.T.S., Book of Lists.
(NIALL): Bailing while riding your busted deck, luckily not busting your mickey but then unluckily slipping on a puddle of your own blood while throwing the deck off the nearest roof through the window across the street, laughing the whole way through and taking a nice big swig. Ahhh! Refreshing! Check it
(LUKAS): Umm, Double F's like a nice guy with bad acne and this really messy fake-tan looking complexion (too many carrots and olives in his diet), and he's got a magnetic personality, I guess, but no one can come near him, not even to shake his begrimed hand, because he lives in this woven sac of high-tensile gossamer that you can hardly see, even if you look close, and he kind of just hangs out and let's other people big him up, but he's always got his beady little eyes open and he's got all these brothers that tell him about all sorts of shit, and he's like Rain-Man with his remembering (not his stuttering so much), so pretty much he spends most of his time talking about all this shit his buddies have told him about, and gambling, and it usually pays off. He usually gets his bros to go out and bomb for him, so his style's pretty eclectic. I think his latest tag looks a little like the splash page on this site used to look, although it might not even be a tag, it might be more like a picture. But he's cool. Oh, and here's a little something I rocked for him a while back. Check it
(LUKAS): I've spouted enough to turn a tea kettle green already; but I'll do my best to impart some righteous final words: Chill the fuck out whenever you can (which is different than doing nothing though); and don't worry about cliché; and no pretending, because some people, not all, but some people have got more in those two eyes just above and to either side of their nose than the limited ability to take in a small part of light's vast spectrum, and not only can they see the heat radiating from your loins, they'll also know if you're pretending. It could be your mom, or it could be your girlfriend or boyfriend, or even some random hustler from across the way, or the postman, but they'll see you're pretending, and the look they'll give you, it'll be worse than the firestorms of Tokyo in 1944, because you'll know that they know, and you'll see your dream's curtain come down, so dreadfully slow, and the corporeal lights of an undeniable place and time will come up, just as dreadfully slow, and reality's merciless ambiance will turn your tummy into a pernicious pile of little knots, and you'll get sick, yes'sir, sick as you've ever been, and there ain't no pills you can take, no method of purging that pain, and that feeling will stay with you for a long, long time. So no Pretending. Thanks Matt and John and everyone else for taking some time out of your day. Oh, and don't play video games; they are stupid and terribly useless.
(NIALL): Lately I've been having some trouble with folks and their digital cameras, people trying to document every moment, these flashing bulbs all over the place and LCD screens shoved in my face showing me what I just saw through my own eyes. It's getting to be that we can't even consider a moment worth having unless someone is there to capture it, it's depressing. We were hanging out in Central Park the other day, a bunch of us, just relaxing on the rocks, sleeves up, bags of tall boys, some sandwiches, just enjoying the company, the weather, the view, it was a really picturesque scene and I got to thinking how awesome it was that nobody had a digital camera on them to try to "capture the moment" and ruin my whole vibe. Some shit is better off just left undocumented by anything but your memory. Also, just for good measure, here are a few friends and peers that I think are worth taking a peak at cause they pretty much just slay:
Nick Pittman (blanketgallery.com/Admin%20Files/artists.htm)
Charlie Roberts (blanketgallery.com/Admin%20Files/artists.htm)
Ryan Foerster (ryanfoerster.com)
Marco Cibola (novestudio.com)
Alister Lee (enterthealist.com)
Color Magazine! (colormagazine.ca)
Thanks Matt and John! Peace!
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text:
|2012-05-28, 22:32
|Link #1741
Emperor of the Expected
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Florida
I think we are getting off topic, but like you said Infinite Stratos is very popular in Japan and sells there are higher than the 3 stories I mentioned. Though I believe the 3 stories will soon be there with it, I like reading Infinite Stratos based on the actions and comedy, not the Romance since there isn't much mutual love in it. I have the story of Infinite Stratos in my head already, when I compared it to the other stuff I read I prefer Campione!, High School DXD, and Blade Dance. Infinte Stratos sells sky rocket when the anime came out, it was pretty decent. When the anime adaptation on Blade Dance comes out (Highly likely an anime adaptation will come out, although not the top of sells it is popular), pretty sure it will sky rocket as well.
|2012-05-28, 22:40
|Link #1742
Ava courtesy of patchy
Join Date: Jan 2009
Yeah, sorry, already deleted my post. A little too late though lol. Back to the topic, how haremish the story get in the later volume? does the antics fill up more than half of the volume? I might pick this up if it's not too haremish, although since it's published by mf bunko, I guess I'm expecting too much?
|2012-05-28, 22:46
|Link #1743
Emperor of the Expected
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Florida
Don't know the meaning of Haremish, do you mean Kamito just keep getting girls and the Novel is entirely on love? Than that is a no, Harem Romance is pretty decent in here but it also has great story. Many mysteries, and if you are into S&M than you will love the harem interaction with Kamito. Action is also great, comedy too. Though the Main Character is getting stronger and stronger later on, well not getting stronger but regains his strength that he lost before the Novel started out. I love reading it and wish to read more, though it has gotten me in trouble with Mura and Teh_Ping. Though I think already been apologetically enough, if not I will say I am sorry again. kuroishinigami, this Light Novel is worth reading in my opinion try it out. Baka-Tsuki has only 2 volumes translated, but those were enough to get me hooked.
|2012-05-28, 22:52
|Link #1744
Lover of Purity
Join Date: Feb 2012
Well as far as I recall, the haremette are all wanting him but his heart is for Restia and now Est. Although the things that the other girls do is hilarious like when Claire reads a "certain" book and used the "information" for her use
|2012-05-28, 22:59
|Link #1745
Emperor of the Expected
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Florida
Hahahaha you might as well post the details in the spoiler tag, still can't believe it. Kamito have had interactions before with the harem, not directly, but they knew him as Ren Ashbell. Due to Kamito 3 years ago, Claire's continuous insults directed towards her has lighten up since the Fire Spirit Lord stopped throwing a tantrum due to Kamito's blade dance. Fianna met Kamito when he saved her, and they made a promise. Ellis saw Kamito when he was fighting against her sister and won, since Kamito didn't lose the Blade Dance. What was Rinslet interaction with Kamito back then?
|2012-05-28, 23:08
|Link #1746
Ava courtesy of patchy
Join Date: Jan 2009
|2012-05-28, 23:11
|Link #1747
Lover of Purity
Join Date: Feb 2012
|2012-05-28, 23:12
|Link #1748
Emperor of the Expected
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Florida
Well base on vol 1 and 2, I say 20 to 35 percent. Though what I heard from vol 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 it really focuses on combat, the mysteries, the past of the Main Character, and things in terms that can be said insanity. Trust me it is good. I prefer my light novels to have several things in them. Combat, Romance, Fantasy, and Comedy. If you like any of these together or even separately, I think you will enjoy your time reading it.
|2012-05-29, 03:30
|Link #1749
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: somewhere in Asia
Last edited by dragon1412; 2012-05-29 at 03:46.
|2012-05-29, 03:38
|Link #1750
Yandere Otoko Ruki-tan
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Earth 616
when she said this one?
|2012-05-29, 08:21
|Link #1753
Emperor of the Expected
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Florida
Pretty much, Kamito must have a reason why he was so attach to her. Maybe they were something else than just partners. Restia right now, although she said she is his enemy, is trying to make Kamito the next Dark Spirit Lord. The first 5 volumes I say were just character introduction volumes. We get their struggles and their dreams. Claire was vol 1, Fianna was vol 2, Ellis vol 3, Rinslet vol 4, and Est vol 5. The real story hits around vol 6 or 7 I believe.
|2012-05-29, 09:13
|Link #1756
Join Date: Apr 2007
Chapter 4:
The next morning, just before the fight with Sushin is to take place, Claire and Ellis are bickering over the previous night's events.
Ellis, with her amazing detective skills, comes to the conclusion that Kamito is not Ren Ashbell because he doesn't like marshmellows and doesn't start washing his body from the same place that she does. Apparently, Ellis has been collecting all sorts of trivia about Ren Ashbell. Too bad none of it is true. Even when dressed as a girl, Kamito could not disguise his voice, so he let the reporters draw their own conclusions and spoke as little as possible.
Fianna and Kamito have a quick discussion about Claire and Ellis possibly coming to the right conclusion, but they are interrupted by the arrival of Shela Kan's familiar, a member of team inferno, in the form of a snake. She greets Fianna as the more likely girl to become the holy priestess of the dark spirit king and Kamito as the successor to the dark spirit king before disappearing.
They get found by the other girls and asked "What do you think you're doing!?" to which Fianna replies, "Of course ecchi things!", leaving the rest of the girls teary eyed.
They all head out to the location of the blade dance with Est getting special treatment along the way, leaving all the girls super jealous.
After some quick introductions, where Kamito insults the Sushin princess for her flat chest and small stature, not unlike how he met Claire, the fighting breaks out.
|2012-05-29, 09:35
|Link #1758
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Atlantis
|2012-05-29, 09:52
|Link #1759
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Gensokio
Age: 30
|action, comedy, cross-dressing, ecchi, fantasy, harem, light novel, mf bunko j, romance, shounen, supernatural, trap
|Thread Tools


text:
On Monday, the Financial Times reported that Google will no longer allow employees to use Microsoft Windows on all but a select few internal machines. In the past, new employees were able to choose between Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux. Going forward, employees won't be able to stay on Windows or get a new Windows machine without approval from approval from senior management.
According to Google employees quoted in the Financial Times story, two factors are driving the policy change—security and a desire to run Google on Google products. After the attack on Google's China operations earlier this year, the company began phasing out internal use of Microsoft Windows. Google also wants to begin running the company on its own products—chiefly Chrome OS.
I'm sure there's some truth to both reasons given for the switch, but there's also a fair bit of Google PR here. The company gets a chance to promote their own OS and take a pot shot at its main rival—Windows.
But, it's not Google's move away from Windows that interests me. I'm much more interested to know if members of the TechRepublic audience are considering similar moves, and not just in the arena of desktop operating systems. Is your organization considering a totally new email, CRM solution, telecom, sales, or office suite system? If you're moving off a system that's been in place for many years, what's driving such a radical change—cost, flexibility, ROI? Take the poll and let me know.
Bill Detwiler has nothing to disclose. He doesn't hold investments in the technology companies he covers.
Full Bio
Bill Detwiler is Managing Editor of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop support specialist in the social research and energy industries. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville, where he has also lectured on computer crime and crime prevention.


text:
Aldo Peña Perez
From Murmann Mixed-Signal Group
Short Bio
Aldo Peña Perez was born in Queretaro, Mexico, in 1981. Received the B. Sc. degree on Electronics Engineering from the Technological Institute of Queretaro, Mexico, in 2004. Received the M. Sc. degree from the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), Puebla, Mexico, in 2006 and Ph. D. degree from the University of Pavia, Italy, in 2010. During his Ph.D., he was involved on development, design and testing of low-power high-resolution sigma delta modulators. From 2010 to 2011 he joined the Integrated Micro-Systems Laboratory of the University of Pavia as postdoctoral research fellow. During 2012-2013 he worked for STMicroelectronics, Milan, Italy as analog engineer at the Body and Audio Division (BAD). He is currently a postdoctoral researcher with the Murmann Mixed-Signal Group at Stanford University, Stanford, CA. His main research activities include mixed signal design, in particular low-voltage, low-power oversampled data converters and analog amplifiers.
Contact Information:
Department of Electrical Engineering - Paul G. Allen Building
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Current trends in integrated circuits and transducer technologies push ultrasound array imaging systems in the directions of full-scale real-time volumetric (3-D) imaging using conventional 2-D arrays with thousands of elements. Design of low-cost and compact beamformers is therefore crucial for realization of such systems, where reducing the cost, size, and power consumption of the front-end is critically important.
On the other hand, recent advances in nanometer technologies have made single-bit ΣΔ ADCs more and more attractive for the design of digital beamformers since can be easily integrated onto the same chip as the processing circuitry creating the beam [1]. Thus, interconnections, size, and power consumption are dramatically reduced.
Due to the large dynamic range necessary for ultrasound applications, the discrete-time ΣΔ ADC performs a third order noise shaping behavior to maintain adequate signal-to-noise ratio. The amplifier, a key analog building block in SC circuits, does not utilize classical low-voltage OTA topologies since could be replaced with inverter-based architectures [2]. In spite of the limited performance of inverters compared with OTAs, inverters attract attention for their inherent advantages such as rail-to-rail operation, scalability with technology and capability to operate with very low supply voltages.
[1] S. R. Freeman et. al., "Delta-Sigma Oversampled Ultrasound Beamformer with Dynamic Delays", IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, Vol. 46, No. 2, March 1999.
[2] Y. Chae and G. Han, "Low Voltage, Low Power, Inverter-Based Switched-Capacitor Delta-Sigma Modulator", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 44, No. 2, February 2009.
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The scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is a type of electron microscope that shows three-dimensional images of a sample. Based on the electron tunneling effect, the STM works by scanning a very sharp microtip over a surface, providing an extraordinarily high resolution due to the exponential dependence of the measured tunneling current on the tip-sample distance.
The sharpness of the microtip is an important parameter since its quality dramatically affects the reliability of the STM imaging process and its strongly related to the fabricating method. The tip is usually prepared by the "drop-off" method, which is based on the electrochemical etching process [1]. For the purpose of producing a tip as sharp as possible, on this standard technique the etching current is cut-off as soon as the part of the material wire immersed in the electrolyte drops off due its own weight, so that the tip radius is kept at a minimum. With a cut-off time as short as 50ns, is possible obtaining a tip radius as small as 10nm [2].
Since the etching current decreases abruptly once the sharp tip is formed, a feedback control circuit takes place to accomplish two main tasks: first, the electrolytic current is cut-off accurately by opening the voltage etching supply and second, the possible residual current resulting from the etching process is shunted away from the cell. Currently, an improved feedback control circuit for the DC electrochemical fabrication of metallic tips is under development. The circuit is capable to control the fabricating process accurately with cut-off times in the state-of-art solutions (~40ns-50ns).
[1] P. J. Bryant, H. S. Kim, Y. C. Zheng, and R. Yang, "Technique for Shaping Scanning Tunneling Microscope Tips", Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 58, 1115, 1987.
[2] Y. Nakamura, Y. Meta and K. Maeda, "A Reproducible Method to Fabricate Atomically Sharp Tips for Scanning Tunneling Microscopy", Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 70, 3373, 1999.
This project explores the development of an electrochemical-sensing interface for the transduction of discrete electronic and vibrational modes of a molecular analyte in a high-background liquid environment, utilizing the electronic tunneling current as the transduction mechanism [1]. Noise is used as a gating mechanism to control the kinetics of the charge transfer process, and operates the interface in a regime where there is minimal thermal dissipation of discretized mode information. In order to get an independent control of both interface voltage and voltage noise power a three-electrode cell driven by a low-noise potentiostat is used.
A three-electrode electrochemical sensor consists basically of a working electrode (WE), a reference electrode (RE), and a counter or auxiliary electrode (CE). The working electrode (WE) makes contact with the analyte and serves as a surface on which the electrochemical reaction takes place. For many physical electrochemistry experiments, the WE is an "inert" material such as gold and assists the charge transfer process to and from the analyte. The RE is used in measuring the working electrode potential and it does not provide any current flow. The CE is an inert electrode that completes the cell circuit since provides all the current required for electrochemical reaction.
A potentiostat [2], on the other hand, is an electronic instrument that controls the potential difference between the WE and the RE at a desired cell potential (VBIAS) by injecting the proper amount of current into CE. The current generated in the CE is fed to the signal conditioning circuit where it is processed for further operation and information extraction.
Recent efforts on the potentiostat design includes an ultra noise feedback loop and a redesigned transimpedance amplifier stage which has been optimized to measure sub-pA level current with good absolute accuracy.
[1] C. Gupta, R.M. Walker, R. Gharpuray, M. Shulaker, Z. Zhang, M. Javanmard, R.W. Davis, B. Murmann, R.T. Howe, "Electrochemical Quantum Tunneling for Electronic Detection and Characterization of Biological Toxins", Micro- and Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications IV, Proc. of SPIE, Vol. 8373, May 2012.
[2] "Potentiostat Fundamentals", Application Note-GAMRY Instruments. www.gamry.com
[1] A. Peña-Perez, V.R. Gonzalez-Diaz and F. Maloberti, " Analog Sigma-Delta Modulation with Op-Amp Gain Compensation for Nanometer Technologies", Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing. Published online: 10 March 2013.
[2] A. Peña-Perez, E. Bonizzoni and F. Maloberti, "A 88 dB DR, 84 dB SNDR Very Low-Power Single Op-Amp Third-Order ΣΔ Modulator", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 49, No. 9, pp.2107-2118. September 2012.
[3] E. Bonizzoni, A. Peña-Perez, H. Caracciolo, D. Stoppa, and F. Maloberti, "An Incremental ADC Sensor Interface with Input Switch-Less Integrator Featuring 220-nVrms Resolution with +/-30mV Input Range", Proc. of IEEE European Solid-State Circuits Conference (ESSCIRC), pp. 389-392, Sept. 2012.
[4] V.R. Gonzalez-Diaz, A. Peña-Perez and F. Maloberti, "Fractional Frequency Synthesizers with Low Order Time-Variant Digital Sigma-Delta Modulator", IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems-I: Regular Papers, Vol. 59, No. 5, pp. 969-978. May 2012.


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In my first topic I asked for help with gluUnproject.
My current code is almost finished, but it still have one bug, that's camera rotation.
I tried it explain in following picture:
By my words: On 0 degrees is corrupted world coordinate Z, on -90 degrees is Z fine but X coordinate became corrupted
Source code:
Code :QMatrix4x4 viewMatrix = m_camera->viewMatrix(); QMatrix4x4 modelViewMatrix = viewMatrix * m_modelMatrix; QMatrix4x4 modelViewProject = m_camera->projectionMatrix() * modelViewMatrix; QMatrix4x4 inverted = m_viewportMatrix * modelViewProject; inverted = inverted.inverted(); float posZ; int posY = (int)m_viewportSize.y() - (int)mouse_position.y() - 1; m_funcs->glReadPixels((int)mouse_position.x(), posY, 1, 1, GL_DEPTH_COMPONENT, GL_FLOAT, &posZ); QVector4D clickedPointOnScreen(mouse_position.x(), (float)posY, posZ, 1.0f); QVector4D clickedPointIn3DOrgn = inverted * clickedPointOnScreen; clickedPointIn3DOrgn = clickedPointIn3DOrgn / clickedPointIn3DOrgn.w(); terrain_pos = clickedPointIn3DOrgn.toVector3DAffine();


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Review Group Week 174 - AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #597
Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
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Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
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by Starlord » Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:56 pmAmazing Spider-Man #597
Solid issue in my opinion. Still enjoying the way things have been going in this book, lately. Although I want MJ back!!! Has anyone mentioned the Doc Ock tease? It was the best moment in the book.
I don't like Wolverine Jr. at all and is really the second weakest character they've come up with in the last ten years. However, I did enjoy the banter that Peter kept up during the battle. If he wasn't striking physical blows, he got him with a couple of verble.
The art was just as solid as the writing. This issue is everything that is right with Spider-Man and wrong with it, at the moment. The stories are good to great, the art has been very easy on the eyes, but at the end of the issue I can't help but still wonder: "And they couldn't tell this story with a married Peter because... ?"
And for all of you that are now screaming for me to get over it - I've entered a twelve step program.
Story: 7
Art: 7
My Score: 7
by Punchy » Sat Jun 13, 2009 5:24 amWho gives a crap about MJ? That has nothing to do with this book.
by Punchy » Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:43 amAmazing Spider-Man #597 - 'American Son Part 3' - Kelly, Checchetto and Chuckry
Story - Spider-Man is in an odd place at the moment, as I suppose you all know, even though it's been over a year, the One More Day shit-storm is still going on in forums all over the internet, it seems that any discussion of the character has to somehow go back to that story and the character of Mary Jane. And to be honest, it's getting a little tiresome, I've been one of BND's biggest supporters, I like MJ, but I like a single Spider-Man just as much, so from here on out, this review will not be about One More Day, or MJ, or how Spider-Man may or may not be broken and a villain, it will be about the current blockbuster arc, American Son, which I am enjoying a lot, and this middle chapter is no exception. Joe Kelly and Marco Checchetto do good stuff here.
Ever since Brand New Day began, there have been a few 'tentpole' arcs, where big shit goes down, ASM is the continuing soap opera of Spider-Man's life, and these arcs are feature length specials. New Ways To Die was the first story like this, with Spider-Man facing off against the Thunderbolts, and Character Assassination was the second, where the Spidey Brain-Trust wrapped up a year's worth of stories, who is Menace? Who will be Mayor? Who is the Spider-Tracer Killer? American Son is the third such story, and is in many ways a successor to these previous arcs, it features the return of Norman and his team, now no longer the Thunderbolts, but the Avengers, and also a continuation of Lily Hollister's story as Menace. These 2 plots mesh together well, as they are connected through one man, Norman Osborn. This arc marks the beginning of Amazing Spider-Man's tie-in to Dark Reign, and it makes sense, Norman is Spidey's big bad and it's always fun to see them square off, especially now the balance is tipped so far in Ozzie's favour. Joe Kelly writes a strong Norman, repeated references to 'sheep' show his sense of superiority, and his understated malice.
The plot of this issue is simple, Spider-Man is undercover as Venom in Avengers Tower, trying to save Harry, while Harry is himself trying to save Lily, who is pregnant with his child. Spidey's efforts to impersonate Venom are a highlight of the issue, he is able to be much cruder and it's interesting to see our hero act in such a way. Joe Kelly is a very clever writer here, and it shows, on the first page, when Spider-Man swears, I thought, hmmm, that's odd, Spider-Man never swears, and then, in the very next panel, Kelly addresses it, good stuff. This is a different kind of thing than we're used to from Spider-Man, it really shows the lengths Dark Reign has driven him too, what he's willing to do because Norman is in power. But he still remains Spider-Man, he wasn't willing to let that monster kill him, and he's still funny, that whole Julia Roberts riff, was good stuff, Kelly is one of the best current writers for Spider-Man's type of humour. Spider-Man's fight with Daken, Wolverine's son was also very strong, I don't know much about Daken at all, except he's got a Mohawk and is kind of lame, but this was a good fight, he held his own against Spider-Man, and the use of pheromones led to some interesting artistic choices. Maybe I've judged Daken too harshly up until now, maybe he's a good character?
Harry's arc is also very interesting, his return was quite controversial, but I'm glad to have him back, he's one of Spider-Man's strongest supporting character's, he's just such a fuck-up, but he means well, and the current Spider-Man writers have certainly put him through the mill, his Fiancee is a super-villain, his dad rules the world, he relapsed into alcohol, and now this. Kelly writes a very strong Harry, he's using his ingenuity, and he's trying to save someone he loves. But he's also under the hold of his dad, the final scene, where he sides with Norman over Spider-Man has very interesting consequences, and I don't know where the character will go from here, will he become American Son? Who knows. That whole final scene was excellent, and quite surprising, first Harry reveals that it's the real Spider-Man, then Hawkeye fires arrows into his legs, disabling him, and then Norman shoots him in the head! Now obviously Spider-Man isn't dead, obviously his Venom suit is bullet-proof or something, but it was still a good way for an issue to go out, and left me wanting the next issue very badly.
But this issue wasn't just all Norman, all the time, we get to spend some time with Aunt May and J. Jonah Jameson Senior as they plan their wedding, and tease the return of a certain classic Spider-Man foe, that tease was very compelling, the whole 'something terrible/something great' bit was sinister as hell. Can't wait for #600, where Doctor Octopus will get his return to the big time.
Overall, this was a typically strong issue of Amazing Spider-Man, Joe Kelly is a perfect fit for the character, all the humour is there, but there is a darker edge, as should be expected with Dark Reign! Norman is perfect, Harry is interesting, and the stakes are amped up as high as they can go. Top that off with a surprising last page, and a tease for Doc Ock, if you've been following Spider-Man, you're sure to enjoy this one too.
Art - Marco Checchetto is an artist I'm unfamiliar with, but he does an able job filling in for Phil Jiminez. He has the fluidity that's needed for Spider-Man, and his facial expressions are good, particularly on Harry and Norman, I thought he did a good job of differentiating the two, despite their ridiculous hair. I mentioned before how his art helped the Spider-Man/Daken fight a lot, he used a lot of close-ups, making the reader as disoriented as the character was, good stuff. There were a few problems, like one pose where Spider-Man's legs looked all bulbous, but overall it was very strong, I wouldn't be averse to seeing him do plenty more work on the character.
Best Line - 'Thus, Norman Osborn shows me the only real advantage of posing as Venom... I can swear in public without it winding up on YouTube'
by MrBlack » Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:50 amApprently, I've pissed a lot off with my review choice. Everyone seems to want to review Captain American #600, a book which everyone is going to buy and have an opinion on anyway. I assumed part of the reason for this group was to introduce people to books they would not otherwise read. I guess I was wrong.
So fuck it. Review whatever you want. I'm done. You can take me off the list amlah; I haven't gotten very many reviews in anyway.
by Punchy » Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:52 am
Don't do that, we'll do Transformers. You're right about people moaning and how we should be introduced to new stuff.
by Mr_Batman » Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:57 amDude yeah, don't quit. We'll do Transformers. It's your pick, not everyone else's.
by MrBlack » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:00 am
Yeah, well, the way it looks nobody is going to review it anyway, so why not just have people review what they want?
Besides, it's a bitch to get IDW books through Diamond. Even I have trouble getting them, and I've got a subscription through my LCS.
by Punchy » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:01 am
So? Have confidence in your pick.
by Mr_Batman » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:01 am
It's ok.
by MrBlack » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:02 amAnd I do appreciate the support Punchy and Mr_Batman. I'm just sick of the recent bitching from people at this site and I don't want to deal with it from the Review Group as well. I come here to relax; I get bitched at enough at work.
If it's not too late, consider next week an open review week. I've contacted amlah6 about it to see if that's alright.
by thefourthman » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:06 am
dude, we are a griping bunch of assholes, take nothing we say seriously. I have every intention of reviewing your book.
by thefourthman » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:08 amDude, I have picked books that only two or three of us have been able to find, don't sweat it.
by thefourthman » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:09 amAnd who said anything about Cap???
by Mr_Batman » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:13 am
Yeah, what fourthy said, don't take anything that we say that's offensive seriously. It's all just a big joke
by MrBlack » Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:14 amDon't worry about it. If you want to review my pick, feel free. Enough people have griped on this thread and others through (or at least said they won't or can't review the book) that I'd rather leave it up to them to review what they want.
As I've said before, I've been busy as hell with work lately, and I haven't been posting regular reviews of late. I haven't even gotten my comics on time for most of the past month (I won't get this week's until Sunday). As little commitment as it entails, I just can't continue with the review group unfortunately, although I still plan to review books when I have a moment, and when the urge compels me.
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Specialized Lululemon Racing Team Ride With LEZYNE in 2012
San Luis Obispo, CA – Lezyne is proud to continue its commitment to professional women's cycling by sponsoring the newly formed Specialized-lululemon team.
Last October, Velocio Sports announced that the extremely dominant HTC-Highroad women's team would continue in 2012 with new management and new title sponsors: Specialized Bicycle Company and lululemon athletica. This new dream team is made up of several current and former national champions, an Olympic gold medalist, and a several promising young athletes that are destined to be a driving force in the women's peloton.
Returning members of the team include current German national road race champion Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, U.S. national time trial champion Evelyn Stevens, and former world time trial champion Amber Neban (USA). Velocio Sports Director, Kristy Scrymgeour and team manager, Ronny Lauke will use their extensive experience and success from Highroad Sports to lead this team to success.
"The team is made up of immensely strong women who also happen to have sterling careers to back them up," says Lezyne Marketing Manager Patrick Ribera-McKay. "Lezyne is more than happy to partner with an industry standard and truly valued group of women such as these. Just as Lezyne is pushing at the forefront of product design and engineering, these women are pushing not only cycling in general, but women's cycling forward at such a spectacular pace that we are simply trying to keep up. With a shared passion for perfection and a keen eye out for cycling and it's future, Lezyne is extremely proud to be a partner of Specialized-Lululemon and the amazing women that encompass it."
Lezyne's Marketing team was in Carlsbad, California last December for the team's winter training camp. There, Lezyne had the opportunity to sit down and interview some of the riders and get an inside look at the women who make up this amazing team. This overview video is the first of three videos that Lezyne captured at the camp.
The team wasted no time getting its first wins under its belt in 2012. On January 1st, Australian Chloe Hosking won the first round of the Jayco Bay Series in Geelong Australia. This was quickly followed the next day by teammate Loren Rawney, who took the first win of her professional cycling career at the second round of the Jayco Bay Series.
The Team will be riding with Lezyne hand pumps, multi-tools, tire repair, organizers, and saddle bags. The Team's mechanics will use Lezyne floor pumps and shop tools.
To learn more about the Team click on the following links:


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Today dawned cloudy, cold and rainy on top of Alpe d'Huez, but that wasn't enough to deter us from a ride up the mountain! Since our original ride had to be changed because of the weather, some of the folks on our Europeds Tour Trip decided that a quick assault on the 21 hairpins would be enough for today. While some of us loaded our bikes and gear into the vans for a valet ride down the switchbacks, a few folks from our group braved the slick descent (difficult enough on a dry day). Below you can see our mechanic, Brad, prepping the bikes for the day, as Spencer and John get ready to load their bikes into the waiting vans.
After a few of our crew decided that discretion was the better part of valor, we set off with John for a wet ascent of Alpe d'Huez. Nothing like a constant cold drizzle to make the ride up even more challenging than it already is!
Over the course of the 8 plus mile climb, the road to Alpe d'Huez averages about an 8 percent grade (although it gets shallower at the corners, and steeper in other sections). If you're having trouble picturing what this grade looks (and feels) like, just take a look at the picture below. That's a pretty big gap from one bend of the road to the other!
Up and up we climbed once again, to be rewarded with fog-shrouded vistas overlooking the snaking course of the lower switchbacks that we just finished climbing.
Here's a shot of David powering his way up to turn 3, where barriers have already been laid out to protect the pros from the hordes of fans sure to descend on the mountain on Friday! But today we had the mountain pretty much to ourselves, except for the handful of other cyclists brave/crazy enough to attempt this climb today.
Once we reached the top, the weather and the view weren't much improved. The drizzle got heavier and the temperature dropped down to 36 degrees Fahrenheit as we crested the climb! Nothing like summer in the French Alps!
After heading back to the hotel and warming up with a hot shower (and trying to dry out all of our wet gear), we headed out for a tasty lunch and a little shopping (after watching the exciting Tour stage finish, of course – Thor Hushovd is just amazing!) We found a great little bike shop called Cycles Huez, run by a friendly English/Australian couple, that sold cool Alpe d'Huez jerseys. Check them out if you make it up here one day!
Tonight it's off to a dinner of traditional Alpine fondue, and then to sleep with dreams of better weather tomorrow!
To keep up-to-date on what we're doing next, or to get in touch with us, be sure to follow Performance Bike on Twitter and Facebook. We want to hear from you as we head into the Alps!