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As the world's telecommunication networks are extended and upgraded, greater focus is being placed on the provision of rural communication services — where site access is often difficult, and connection to a central electricity grid is seldom possible. To power the telecom installations, such as repeater stations located in remote areas, with a high level of solar radiation levels year-round — and where the cost to extend the power lines is prohibitive — photovoltaic (PV) technology is the most economical option.
Direct current (DC) power systems serve as lifelines in today's telecommunication networks. With the availability of energy-efficient auxiliary system equipment operating on DC voltage, there is no need for an inverter, thus making an "all-DC" PV system possible. This article outlines the main features of a typical remote-area, stand-alone, all-DC PV-powered system with reference to design features, installation, and sizing.
Basic system components
Figure 1 (click here to see Fig. 1) shows the block diagram of a typical off-grid stand-alone PV system. A solar PV array, battery, and charge controller are the three primary components of the PV system. The solar array generates DC power for the load and charges the battery, which serves as the energy storage device that powers the load when there is no output from the array. The charge controller regulates the output of the PV array and ensures proper charging of the battery, thus protecting it from abuse. A portable gen-set is required to power the telecom equipment in case of no power output from the PV system.
Array — A PV system starts at its simplest level with a cell that is arranged into a group to form a module. A solar module typically consists of 36 cells and provides a nominal voltage of 12V. Solar modules vary in size from 1W to a few hundred watts. Many modules are connected to one another to form a panel (sub-array). The size of the sub-array is dictated by the weight and size that can be effectively handled at the site. The sub-arrays are then installed and wired to each other to form the array for the required voltage and current output.
Batteries — For off-grid, stand-alone solar power systems, batteries provide the backup power needed when sunlight is insufficient, such as during periods of heavy cloud cover and during the night. The battery bank should have sufficient ampere-hour (Ah) capacity to supply load during the longest expected period with no contribution from the PV array — it has to be a full-size battery bank with a good reserve for five or more days (120 hr).
PV batteries generally have to discharge a smaller current to the load for a longer period (such as all night), while being charged during the day. The batteries must be suitable to withstand the heavy daily cycling required for this application. One cycle is defined as a full charge followed by discharge. It is usually considered to be discharging from 100% to 20%, which means a "depth of discharge" of 80%. After discharging to 20% capacity, the PV system should be capable of recharging the battery to 100% capacity within 30 days (typical) with the defined peak sun hours per day.
Deep-cycle, lead-acid batteries are the type most commonly used in a solar system. Deep cycle batteries are designed to discharge most of their stored energy without damage and then re-charge hundreds or thousands of times while still maintaining long life. Deep-cycle batteries produce less current than a shallow-cycle battery but can produce that amount of current for a much longer period of time. It is common practice for a system to be designed with deep-cycle batteries even though the daily or average discharging amounts to a relatively shallow depth of discharge.
Vented (flooded) lead-acid (VLA) batteries are commonly used in PV systems, because they are more durable in cycling operations than other battery types. VLA batteries provide a long reliable service life of 20 yr (minimum), if deployed in a temperature-controlled environment, operated at the manufacturer specified charge voltage, and looked after appropriately by performing routine maintenance. VLA batteries are relatively inexpensive and readily available.
Telecom battery banks operating at 48VDC are assembled by combining 24 cells of 2V/cell (jar) batteries connected in series, each battery cell of capacity from 100 Ah to 6,000 Ah. In a single string battery system, an open circuit failure in a single cell will affect the entire string with catastrophic loss of function. Therefore, for reliability's sake, the bank is built by splitting the required battery Ah capacity between two or more parallel strings. In this arrangement, if a single cell fails to open, this doesn't result in loss of complete functionality.
Charge controller/regulator — Output from the solar modules varies considerably, depending on the prevailing sunlight and temperature conditions. Therefore, it's required to regulate its output by wiring it to the charge controller before it goes on to the battery bank and loads. Once the batteries are fully charged, the charge controller doesn't let current from the PV modules flow into them. Similarly, once the batteries have been drained to a certain predetermined level, the charge controller will not allow more current to be drained from the batteries until they have been recharged. The charge controller also eliminates any reverse current flow from the battery back to the solar modules at night. For reliability of system operation, the controller is arranged in a redundant configuration, providing 100% redundancy. The controller is also built with alarm features to indicate abnormal conditions (e.g., array failure, battery low-/high-voltage, circuit breaker trip, equipment overload, module anti-theft alarm, etc.) with provision for annunciating the alarms to a central station.
System sizing
Defining the system load is the first step to PV system design. The size and cost of a PV system is proportional to the energy consumed by the load. Reducing the electrical load by selecting energy-efficient equipment will result in a corresponding reduction in PV system cost. For an optimum design, it's important that designers have a thorough knowledge of the load profile with their duty cycle.
Ah capacity of the battery bank is computed first by multiplying the number of hours of battery reserve by the total load current. For a battery bank with two parallel strings, the Ah rating of the battery cell is found as one-half the calculated Ah — for three parallel strings as one-third of the calculated Ah, and so on. For the required cell Ah rating, the battery cell is selected from the vendor catalog at the design discharge hours for the desired "end of discharge" voltage.
The solar array must be capable of producing power to supply the load current for 24 hr/day and to supply the battery charging current for the daily peak sun hours at the site location. (Different parts of the world have varying daily peak sun hours. Refer to a solar insolation map for any particular location to determine the peak sun hours per day.) Daily output power of the solar module, selected from the vendor catalog, is found by multiplying the module output current by the daily peak sun hours. The number of required solar modules is found by dividing the required total daily power by the module's daily output power. The charge controller is sized to handle the sum of total load current and battery charging current. Typical Equipment Sizing Calculations for a Telecom PV System provides the sizing calculation for a typical telecom PV system with equipment housed in shelter.
Array installation
In the northern hemisphere, the sun tracks along a southerly route due to the earth's inclination to the sun. Therefore, it's important to orient the solar array to the south for locations in this area (the reverse is true for locations in the southern hemisphere). The array should face true south at a tilt angle equal to site latitude with respect to horizontal position. Tilt from horizontal is required to achieve a better angle at the sun and help keep the solar modules clean by shedding rain or snow. Tilt angles of latitude ±15° will enable increased energy production toward winter or summer, respectively. Fixed arrays are often favored for systems that operate without maintenance personnel on-site.
PV modules are very sensitive to shading. Once a solar cell or a portion of a cell is shaded, it becomes a load and draws power instead of producing it. Thus, PV modules should never be shaded by nearby trees or structures. Temperature at the back of the modules can rise to 80°C if they are poorly ventilated. Installing the solar array in an area with natural ventilation will improve system performance and extend its life. The mounting option must allow for safe maintenance and possible replacement of individual modules.
Shelter design and installation
Remote sites are invariably harsh environments with temperature and humidity varying widely throughout the year. High winds and dust may also be present. Although the PV modules and associated mounting components must be installed outdoors, all other system components and telecom panels should be installed inside an air-conditioned, dust-proof and water-proof shelter designed to withstand the wind loads in the area. With the availability of energy-efficient, DC-powered air-conditioning (A/C) units and luminaires, an all-DC PV system is a common reality in remote communication sites. Figure 2 (click here to see Fig. 2) shows the one-line diagram of a typical stand-alone PV system powering telecom and shelter loads.
The PV shelter is built with two rooms — one for housing the battery bank and the other for housing telecom equipment panels and other PV system components. The shelter shell is designed and manufactured as monolithic panels for more strength and structural integrity. The shelter is installed on a reinforced concrete foundation designed to support the dead load of the shelter and for the expected wind speeds/gusts.
As the access to equipment inside the shelter is restricted to authorized personnel, battery systems are installed on open racks. The battery room is air-conditioned to provide a temperature-controlled environment, which translates into a long, reliable life for the batteries. To avoid the accumulation of hydrogen given off at the negative plates of the battery due to electrolysis of water in the electrolyte, exhaust fans are provided to effect the required air changes. The equipment room (housing the telecom panels and other PV system components) is also air-conditioned.
The PV shelter is installed directly under the solar array in such a manner that the array provides complete shading through the summer months, which reduces the heat gain into the shelter. Thus, the A/C power requirement is reduced considerably, helping to reduce the total PV system load and optimize the sizes of battery and solar array components. Figure 3 (click here to see Fig. 3) shows the side elevation of solar array with PV shelter located underneath.
Final thoughts
PV system design requires you to use good engineering practices, which includes complying with standards, employing experienced PV designers, and using components appropriately. Using service technicians experienced with PV systems to install and repair the system provides a major boost in system reliability. For off-grid stand-alone applications, an all-DC PV system with features as noted above has proven to be reliable.
Pandian is a project manager for Petro-Infrastructure Engineering Consultants Co. (Pi-Consult) in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. He can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
Sidebar: Typical Equipment Sizing Calculations for aTelecom PV System
Total load current calculation (all loadsoperate on DC voltage)
Telecom equipment = 520W
PV charge controller = 15W
DC A/C in equipment room = 360W @ 50% duty cycle (720W @ 100% duty cycle)
DC A/C in battery room = 216W @ 30% duty cycle (720W @ 100% duty cycle)
Exhaust fan in battery room = 30W
PV shelter lighting = 60W
Misc. loads (fire alarm system, etc.) = 25W
Total load in watts = 1,226W
Total load in current = Total load watts ÷ system voltage = 1,226 ÷ 48 = 25.54A
PV battery sizing
Unadjusted battery Ah = load current × battery reserve hours = 25.54A × 120 hr = 3,065 Ah
Adjusted battery Ah = unadjusted Ah × adjustment factor
Adjustment factor = age compensation × temperature compensation × depth of discharge (battery depth of discharge 80%) = 1.25 × 1.1 × 1.25 (see Note 1) = 1.72
Adjusted battery Ah = 3,065 × 1.72 = 5,272 Ah
Battery bank with three parallel strings, each battery string rating = 5,272 Ah ÷ 3 = 1,757 Ah
Battery cell of Type XXX deep-cycle batteries, from Manufacturer AAA, having 1,800 Ah @ 120-hr discharge rate to 1.85V/cell is selected for each battery string. Number of battery cells required for each 48V string is 24. Hence, the total number of battery cells in the bank is 3 × 24 = 72, with each cell rated 1,800 Ah, 2VDC.
Battery bank rating = 1,800 Ah × 3 = 5,400 Ah
PV array sizing
Battery charging current to charge from 20% to 100% (i.e., 80% depth of discharge) = (battery Ah to be recharged × inefficiency factor) ÷ recharge hours = [(5,400 Ah × 0.8) × 1.15] ÷ 120 hr = 41.4A
Daily battery charging power = battery charging current × daily peak solar hours = 41.4A × 4 hr (see Note 2) = 165.6 Ah
Daily load power = load current X load duration (hours) = 25.54A × 24 hr = 613 Ah
Unadjusted total daily power = daily battery charging power + daily load power = 165.6 Ah + 613 Ah = 778.6 Ah
Adjusted total daily power = unadjusted total daily power × adjustment factor
Adjustment factor = PV array ageing X dirt accumulation × future growth = 1.1 × 1.2 × 1.1 (see Note 1) = 1.452
Thus, adjusted total daily power = 778.6Ah × 1.452 = 1,131 Ah
Daily peak output of PV module (for selected 12VDC PV module) = current @ maximum power × daily peak solar hours = 4.8A × 4 hr (see Note 2) = 19.2 Ah
No. of parallel PV modules = adjusted total daily power ÷ daily peak output of PV module = 1,131 Ah ÷ 19.2 Ah = 58.9, rounded up to 60
Number of series connected 12V PV modules for 48VDC system = 48 ÷ 12 = 4 modules
Total number of PV modules required 60 × 4 = 240 modules
Nominal power output of the selected PV module is 85W @ 12VDC
Total power rating of PV array is 85W × 240 = 20,400W (i.e., 20.4kW @ 48VDC)
PV charge controller sizing
Ampere rating = (load current + battery charging current) × service factor = (25.54A + 41.4A) × 1.1 = 66.68A × 1.1 = 73.35A
Current rating of charge controller @ 48VDC must be 75A or more.
Adjustment factors for de-rating purpose are as defined in design practice/industry standards.
Daily peak solar hours is taken as 4 hr for the location under consideration.


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American snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg advanced to the first medal round of the Sochi Games after a clean run at the slopestyle semi-finals Saturday morning.
He will be the only American at the finals, which kick off at 3:45 a.m. ET here. Fellow teammates Charles Guldemond and Ryan Strassel both nearly made the cut but were bumped out of the top four after their runs.
Great Britain's Billy Morgan, who notched the top score of the morning — 90.75 of 100 — advanced, along with Japan's Yuki Kadono and Canadian Mark McMorris, who competed with a broken rib. Kotsenburg scored 90.50 on his second run, for a No. 2 spot on the leaderboard heading into the final.
He later tweeted his surprise at the results.
"Whoa how random is this I made finals at the Olympics!!!"
— sage kotsenburg (@sagekotsenburg) February 8, 2014
The man to beat later this morning is Canadian Max Parrot, whose nearly flawless qualifier performance earned him a 97.50. Other high scorers included Roope Tonteri from Finland, Talle Sandberch representing Norway and Sven Thorgren from Sweden, all topping 94.
American star Shaun White was supposed to compete in the event, but pulled out at the last minute, citing his desire to focus exclusively on defending his Olympic halfpipe title.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Send News. Want a reply? Read this. More in the FAQ. News Forum - All Forums - Mobile - PDA - RSS Headlines Twitter
This Digital Illusions' Press Release (thanks Frans) announces that DICE is closing their New York offices. DICE New York was the arm of the Swedish developer formed upon the acquisition of Trauma Studios, developers of the Desert Combat modification for Battlefield 1942. According to the announcement, the dozen employees of DICE New York are being offered the opportunity to relocate to Sweden, and that DICE Canada will continue to operate, focusing on expansion packs. The wording of the announcement makes it sound like this move enables DICE to renege on a scheduled payment:
Update: Gamecloud has a reaction from Frank DeLise of Trauma/DICE NY saying those not relocating to Sweden are being provided with severance packages, and he personally was taking a vacation before returning to game development.
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This is like some kind of stunt porn from The Fast and the Furious, but it's still impressive to watch a guy get past a cop car and a SWAT roadblock, on a bridge entrance, without a scratch.
I might get the alignment checked after a drive like this, but damn. Fine work. Somewhere an action-movie screenwriter is writing a note to himself.
YouTube video uploaded by ddnewman


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DaleJ needed a new print or packaging design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 37 designs submitted by 16 freelance designers.
Greetings artists! We are in need of a colorful, well designed illustration for a Christmas oriented collector card. We have included examples of past years designs, and would like to keep the same type of concept.
We have a website that creates custom packages from Santa for children. This year, as in previous years, we will be including a full color Santa Swatch Card in the package. (Please see examples and visit our website for our design approach: http://www.PackageFromSanta.com ).
It is a 5 X 7 color card showcasing an actual piece of Santa's Red Suit (fabric) glued to the card on the front. (The back of the card has a story explaining where the fabric comes from, and how it is made)
We need a creative artist to design the front of our 2009 Collector Card! It should be a stylized illustration. It can be in a similar style to previous year's designs (see examples below) or can be in a different style direction altogether. Ideally, it should represent Santa getting 'tailored' for his new suit by the many elves... but we're open to other creative concepts. Have fun, go wild! (We can provide daily feedback, and art direction)
Note: You can submit black/white line art for further art direction, and then color it after the concept is approved, if you would like.
- Final must be 5 X 7 format for print (300 dpi) (1500 X 2100 pixels)- Must be vertical format (see examples)- Full color (CMYK) You can submit black/white line art for further art direction, and then color it after the concept is approved, if you would like.- Ideally, it would be an illustration of elves 'tailoring' Santa and his suit, but open to other concepts.- Maybe an elf working on a sewing machine in background?- Must feature Santa Claus as the dominant subject- Be visually stunning and fun for children!- Contains the many elements of Christmas (Santa, Elves, etc... get fun with this)- MUST contain an area for an actual piece of red fabric to be glued to each card. (see samples) You can use a picture of the red fabric (as in examples) for a placeholder.- We only need the front side of the card designed. We can create the back of the card after. You are welcome, however, to submit design concepts for the back... this may help your chances! :) - A great resource for reference and stock imagery: istockphoto.com- Here is some IMPORTANT REFERENCE (VIEW NOW!): http://www.packagefromsanta.com/ima…ef_01b.jpg
- Messy, non-thought out designs
- Evil, dark, or otherwise creepy designs
- Poorly Executed Drawings


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Welcome to Zion Gardens
Zion Gardens Cemetery, previously known as Rosemont Park, is a 50-acre property which includes Mt. Mayriv and Isaiah Israel, B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim and B'nai Brith. The new Management Team is comprised of current executives of the Waldheim Cemetery Company, the trusted choice for Chicago's Jewish families for more than 130 years.
Since the transfer, Zion Gardens has created a new perpetual trust fund to properly endow this site. Zion Gardens has access only to the fund's income, not the principal.
We bring to the Zion Gardens Cemetery a time-honored tradition of serving Chicago area Jewish families with compassion and caring at a time when they are coping with the loss of a loved one.
The new management looks to take every possible step to create a safe, secure, and lasting future for those at Zion Gardens. All burials in Zion Gardens Cemetery follow Jewish tradition. For further information, please contact Zion Gardens Management at (773) 736-2553.


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Find aviation departments, administrations, and agencies. Aviation departments provide information on civil and private aviation, airports, airlines, flights, regulations, safety, and jobs.
Aviation Departments can be found at the federal level and in each of the fifty states. Aviation Departments are charged with ensuring aviation safety, planning for sufficient airport capacity, and continuously modernizing and maintaining the integrated national aviation system. Some county and local governments also have Aviation Departments. They are primarily responsible for managing and operating any publicly owned airports in their jurisdiction if an airport authority has not yet been established.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, is the national Aviation Department. The FAA promotes safety by regulating civil aviation and by making assessments of foreign air carriers' adherence to international safety standards. The FAA operates the national air traffic control system and regulates pilot certification in the U.S. The FAA also manages the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), which guides federal funding for capital investments in the national network of airports. This funding is distributed to eligible airports through the FAA's Airport Investment Program (AIP).
Aviation Departments at the state level are usually part of the state's Department of Transportation. State Aviation Departments are responsible for updating and maintaining a State Airport System Plan (SASP). These plans assess the current conditions of the airport system within the state and identify the future needs of the system. State plans are incorporated into the FAA's NPIAS and help to determine how AIP funds are awarded. Some states match AIP grants to supplement capital funding to individual airports.
State Aviation Departments inspect and certify public use airports and manage the process of aircraft registration in their states. Some state Aviation Departments provide educational and training programs for pilots, aircraft technicians, and aircraft inspectors. Many state Aviation Departments also maintain and operate a small number of state-owned aircraft. These aircraft are used for emergency response, aerial mapping, and specialized services.


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Wale - The Artistic Integrity
Video For "The Artistic Integrity" Off WaleX10Deep Mixtape "The Mixtape About Nothing" Co-starring Gbenga Akinnagbe Directed by Rik Cordero
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Find free coupons for more than 1,000 stores
Brought to you by LiveHotDeals.com, your source for best online Sears coupons & deals. Check out Sears deals. If you have problem with a Sears coupon or Sears deal link,or to report a Sears deal, please post on our website. It is possible that some Sears coupons may expire earlier than expected.


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Christmas Trees were added to the federal agriculture census in 1997, when the responsibility for census shifted from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The agriculture census is conducted every five years.
The 2012 Census of Agriculture results were released by USDA in May 2014.
For more information on the 2012 Census of Agriculture, please visit www.agcensus.usda.gov.
Or email


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The Peace Corps said on Tuesday it will start accepting applications next month from same-sex couples who want to volunteer together as part of the overseas service program.
But not all of the 76 countries that host the program established by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 will be open as assignments for those couples, an agency spokeswoman said.
"The Peace Corps is only going to consider placement for same-sex couples in countries where homosexual acts are not criminalized," spokeswoman Shira Kramer said.
"We're obviously aiming to foster the most productive and safe environments for same-sex couples," she added.
Married heterosexual couples have been allowed to serve together since the Peace Corps was created. The agency said they fill 7 percent of its assignments, as opportunities for couples to be posted together are limited.
Including same-sex domestic partners in the application process will expand the pool of people considered to help fulfill the agency's mission of promoting peace and understanding between the United States and other counties, the organization said.
Same-sex couples can apply starting on June 3 and will have to sign an affidavit verifying their relationship before leaving to serve, the Peace Corps said.
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Scott Malone and David Gregorio)


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50 First Dates
Now Available
About 50 First Dates
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore star together for the first time since The Wedding Singer in one of the funniest romantic comedies in years. Henry (Sandler) lives an enviable life in a Hawaiian paradise, spending every night with a beautiful tourist in search of an island fling. It's a sweet life with no strings attached...until he meets Lucy (Barrymore). He and Lucy hit it off from the get-go, but the next day she acts like she doesn't know him. Has his karma come around to kick him in the butt or what? Actually, Lucy has short-term memory loss so every night all memory of her day is erased. But a man in love will go to any lengths to win over the girl of his dreams, and if that means having to find imaginative ways of doing it over again every day, then Henry's up for the challenge. Rob Schneider (Big Daddy) and Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) co-star in 50 First Dates, which will win you over every time you watch it!
George Wing
Nancy Juvonen, Jack Giarraputo, Steve Golin
Peter Segal
Sean Astin, Dan Aykroyd, Drew Barrymore, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider


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#direct auto insurance
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Our new customers claim an average savings of $422 on car insurance! Click Here to get a quote! Direct Auto Insurance is your friend in the world of online insurance. In today's tough economic times everyone is looking to save every penny they can and not spend a dime more than necessary. Along with that our society has grown very litigious which necessitates having adequate financial coverage to protect all assets should an incident happen thus minimizing financial liability. DirectAutoInsuranceQuote.com respects the position of the client and his or her need to minimize cost while maximizing coverage. This company strives to match prospective clients with the best policy for their needs at the lowest cost available. DirectAutoinsurancequote.com does not operate on the idea that only individuals who are 'good risks' deserve good rates. They work with their client companies to ensure competitive rates and coverage's for potential clients. After answering a few basic questions regarding the drivers and cars to be insured, DirectAutoInsuranceQuote.com will have the quotes delivered online instantly, thereby minimizing hassles and stress commonly associated with shopping for auto insurance. Direct Auto Insurance Quote has built their business on the expectations and needs of 21st century clients and have uniquely positioned themselves among the leaders in online auto insurance quote providers.


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Congratulations to our fencers headed to Junior Olympics!
We will be closed Monday, Feb 18th!
Peninsula Fencing Academy is a full-service facility that instructs in the sport of fencing. It has resources to recruit, develop and prepare competitive fencers at every stage of their development. It also has the officiating and organizational resources necessary to host quality fencing tournaments. We offer a unique environment that is safe, healthy and effective in instructing a large base of clientele, competitive and recreational, while retaining many qualities highly desired by parents of young athletes. All members of its coaching staff are certified through internationally recognized certification bodies, and they are actively involved in continuing education.
We actively contribute toward the ideals of Positive Coaching Alliance in developing and strengthening the participation of young, old, able-bodied and disabled, all alike in the sport of fencing.
All our staff members are periodically screened by USA Fencing, as well as evaluated by the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association. We are among the few organizations with a distinction of being recognized as a USFCA Guild Academy.
835B East San Carlos Ave, San Carlos, CA 94070


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Once again the New York Mets' handling of an injury leaves us scratching our heads. This time, it is Wilmer Flores, who one week into the major leagues, isn't wise or brave enough to say, "hey, something is wrong here.''
Flores sprained his right ankle running the bases Monday, did not play Tuesday and could soon go on the disabled list. All this in the wake of rookie infielder telling reporters: "It's just sore. That's it. I was able to play. … I think I'll be all right.''
But, his career is a week old, so I can't blame him. But, what should be done is question the decision not to take him out of the game and not have him undergo X-Rays or a MRI.
In contrast, Giants defensive back Antrel Rolle sprained his ankle the same day, had a MRI and is in a walking boot. The Mets haven't even said when Flores will get a X-Ray, but we should presume today.
Terry Collins, whom I have written should be brought back, said Flores stayed in the game after getting his ankle taped after the half-inning. He didn't say if they spit or rubbed dirt on the ankle.
Collins explained: "It's pretty stiff. In this world we live in, there's always the possibility of the DL. We certainly won't know anything for a day or so. I think the fact that he was taped up might have kept it a little bit intact. But after the game he was very, very uncomfortable. And [Tuesday] he was even worse.''
Part of the Mets' "new culture'' after the hiring of GM Sandy Alderson was a better, cleaner, handling of injuries.
Before, Ryan Church, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Jenrry Mejia, Pedro Martinez and Mike Pelfrey were mishandled. Later in the Alderson Era, it has been David Wright – several times, including let him play with a fracture in his back and the recent hamstring strain that has him on the disabled list – Reyes, Johan Santana and Ike Davis.
Beltran, in fact, was so botched that he had surgery on his own which turned out to be a mitigating factor in his departure from the team.
All this, and Collins was taking preliminary bows the other night about limiting the innings of Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler to protect them from injury. All that, but there's no mention of limiting Mejia, who is pitching well after coming off Tommy John surgery.
The bottom line is Collins has been around long enough to know not to listen to a player when he says "I'm fine,'' because players are notorious liars.
If that bottom line isn't bold enough, then try this one: Get a MRI!
As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and I will attempt to answer them. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos


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Forward-thinking electronic music, regional sounds from around the world, hip-hop, dancehall, and float. Frequent international guests widen the picture. (Visit homepage.)
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July 20, 2009: talkin 2 ghosts
Listen to this show: | Add or read comments
|Approx. start time
|Silent Exposure
|Talking To Ghosts (v/a)
|0:00:00 ()
|Bjorn Fongaard
|Ektrofonia no. 1
|0:06:02 ()
|Aniceto Molina
|Cumbia Colombiana
|0:07:03 ()
|Los Wawanco
|Vienen Las Brujas
|0:09:49 ()
|Chico Cervantes
|Cumbia de la Paz
|0:13:04 ()
|Lucho Cuadros y Eliezer Ochoa
|Te Estan Matando Los Anyos
|0:16:47 ()
|Lucy Gonzales y Combo Orence
|La Ley Poderosa
|0:19:55 ()
|Santo Domingo
|0:25:00 ()
|Cumbia Renosa
|0:28:36 ()
|Mariachi Balinco y Negro
|La Derrota
|0:30:41 ()
|Los Wawanco
|Villa Carino
|0:36:04 ()
|Prendan Las Velas
|0:36:38 ()
|Damas Gratis
|Descanso Al Verdulero Del Oscar
|0:37:08 ()
|Los Diplomaticos
|Sangre India
|0:38:24 ()
|Juan Pina y Sus Muchachos
|Cumbia de la Pendejita
|0:41:14 ()
|Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters
|Dread Lion (feat. The Heptones)
|0:43:40 ()
|King Tubby
|Chapter of Money
|Dub Like Dirt
|0:48:21 ()
|Ata Ebtekar
|Synthetic Overture (Satan's Lullaby)
|0:51:28 ()
|Voces Indias de Chiapas
|San Lorenzo
|Musica Tzotzil
|0:54:26 ()
Listener comments!
Mon. 7/20/09 7:05pm
tuning in... helloooo Rupture and Lamin!
Mon. 7/20/09 7:39pm
Tuning in from France 1:40am here ;)
Mon. 7/20/09 8:00pm
This trad Chiapas track makes me think to some Leonard Cohen song
Tue. 8/11/09 9:27pm
Great slow summer time set. this Dread Lion is putting me on vacation.
wish the podcasts came out a bit sooner so I wouldn't be so late to the party - but love I can take this with me on a canyon hike.
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Naya Rivera Sports Color-Blocked Dress on 2014 People's Choice Awards Red Carpet [PHOTOS]
Naya Rivera always looks stunning on the red carpet! While the 'Glee' star is known for flaunting her amazing body, she covered up at the 2014 People's Choice Awards Red Carpet.
Naya wore a form-fitting dress color-blocked in three neutral shades: nude, white and black. The outfit was fairly uneventful, save for the mullet train in the back of the dress.
Check out the head-to-toe look below!


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UNMC's Mamdani attends opening of Nebraska Center in Japan
UNMC Today – UNMC's Nizar Mamdani was part of a 28-member delegation that joined Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy on a trip to Japan last week to celebrate the opening of the Nebraska Center, the state's first trade office in a foreign country.
Mamdani, the executive director of the UNMC Office of International Healthcare Services, served as a representative for the medical center, which is one of the key sponsoring partners of the Nebraska Center.
He joined delegates from the state's agriculture, business and educational communities as they discussed with Japanese officials ways in which Nebraska's services and resources could benefit the island nation.
"This trip has been a valuable experience and this office will offer the university a multitude of opportunities," Mamdani said.
UNMC has pledged to give up to $20,000 to the Nebraska Center — about a quarter of the funding needed to support the new operation.
Mamdani, Sheehy and the other delegates joined more than 200 Japanese business and government leaders at a Friday reception to commemorate the center's opening.
The reception capped a five-day trade trip to Japan, which is home to the world's second-largest economy and is the state's top overseas trading partner.
"This office is an important step in our global strategy to market Nebraska to the next generation of entrepreneurs," Gov. Dave Heineman said from Lincoln.


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Politicians and Election, Vote in Freedom, Actively Participate in Democracy, Vote for Change, Online referendum
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
> South Africa > Parties > Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania is ready for your opinion, support and vote. Vote online NOW!
PAC - for
Die PAC was 'n Suid-Afrikaanse bevrydingsbeweging en is nou 'n klein politieke party in Suid Afrika. | The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
PAC - against
Click, if you do not support them. Say why.
Pan- african congress bulleted facts, pan africanist facts, pan africanist congress info, facts about the pan african congress and more...
Related polls > Demokratiese Alliansie, African National Congress, Vryheidsfront Plus, National Democratic Convention, Suid-Afrikaanse Kommunistiese Party, United Democratic Movement, Azanian People\'s Organisation, Afrika Christen Demokratiese Party, Minority Front, Nuwe Nasionale Party, Onafhanklike Demokrate, South African Democratic Convention, Inkatha-Vryheidsparty, National Freedom Party, United Christian Democratic Party, Congress of the People, African People\'s Convention, (Pan Africanist Congress of Azania) and more...


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AHL Game Night: 3-8-14 Americans at Crunch
Syracuse falls short in a tight one.
Cedrick Desjardins allowed 3 goals on 18 shots for the loss. This was one of the rare games where you had an opponent getting 2 EN goals sandwiched around a 6th attacker goal. Putting that tidbit aside, 3 goals on 18 shots is an ugly stat line for a goaltender.
First Period
Second Period
SYR Namestnikov, (16) (Connolly), 5:13 (SH)
RCH Larsson, (13) (Varone, MacKenzie), 9:59
RCH Adam, (25) , 10:57 (PP)
Third Period
SYR Paquette, (15) (DiSalvatore, Henry), 1:55
RCH Larsson, (14) (Tardif, Varone), 5:12 (PP)
RCH Varone, (13) , 18:34 (EN)
SYR Rankin, (12) (Paquette, Connolly), 19:36 (PP)
RCH Zigomanis, (11) , 19:42 (EN)
Cedric Paquette had the 7th multi-point night of his rookie campaign as the Dump Truck is closing in on a haul of about 20 goals. That'd be a nice number to get to in his maiden voyage in professional hockey.
Box score from TheAHL.com.
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Navi (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) – Cosplay of the Day
Today's Cosplay of the Day pays tribute to one of gaming's most beloved, and probably most hated, characters around. She's the little fairy that guides the Hero of Time to do great things, but sounds annoying as hell while doing so. Let's check out The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's Navi.
Navi is a little fairy sent by the Great Deku Tree to accompany Link on his quest to save Hyrule. She appears as a glowing blue orb with wings. Anyone who's played Ocarina of Time before knows how downright annoying she can be whenever she wants to grab the player's attention with a, "Hey," or a "Listen!" But as irksome as this little fairy can be, we couldn't find a better partner to help save the world.
Here is Eve Beauregard in her custom Navi outfit. From the looks of it, the Navi costume borrows elements from the Zelda series and combines them into one nifty suit. The Hylian crest is visibile on her skirt, the Spiritual Stones seem to adorn her head ornament, and she's even got the Deku Shield in tow. We'd like to think that this is what Navi would appear in human form. And if she looked like this, we wouldn't mind hearing her ask us to "LOOK!"
And now you can look at the rest of Eve's fantastic cosplay work on her Facebook page. Let us know what you think of this sprightly fairy.
Want your Cosplay to be seen? Send your info to email@example.com and we may feature you in our Cosplay of the Day!


text: Hi fellow Beowulfers.. We're currently building an Opteron based IB cluster, and are seeing some rather peculiar behaviour that has had us puzzled for a while. If I take a CPU bound application, like NAMD, I can run an 8 CPU job on a single node and it pegs the CPUs at 100% (this is built using Charm++ configured as an MPI system and using MVAPICH 0.9.8p3 with the Portland Group Compilers). If I then run 2 x 4 CPU jobs of the *same* problem, they all run at 50% CPU. If I run 4 x 2 CPU jobs, again the same problem, they run at 25%.. ..and yes, if I run 8 x 1 CPU jobs they run at around 12-13% CPU! I then replicated the same problem with the example MPI cpi.c program, to rule out some odd behaviour in NAMD. What really surprised me was when testing CPI built using OpenMPI (which doesn't use IB on our system) the problem vanished and I could run 8 x 1 CPU jobs, each using 100%! So (at the moment) it looks like we're seeing some form of contention on the Infiniband adapter.. 07:00.0 InfiniBand: Mellanox Technologies MT25204 [InfiniHost III Lx HCA] (rev a0) Subsystem: Mellanox Technologies MT25204 [InfiniHost III Lx HCA] Flags: fast devsel, IRQ 19 Memory at feb00000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1M] Memory at fd800000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=8M] Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2 Capabilities: [48] Vital Product Data Capabilities: [90] Message Signalled Interrupts: 64bit+ Queue=0/5 Enable- Capabilities: [84] MSI-X: Enable- Mask- TabSize=32 Capabilities: [60] Express Endpoint IRQ 0 We see this problem with the standard CentOS kernel, with the latest stable kernel (188.8.131.52) and with 2.6.23-rc9-git5 (which completely rips out and replaced the CPU scheduler with Ingo Molnar's CFS). This is on a SuperMicro based system with AMD's Barcelona quad core CPU (1.9GHz), but I see the same behaviour (scaled down) on dual core Opterons too. I've looked at what "modinfo ib_mthca" says are the tuneable options, but the few I've played with ("msi_x" and "tune_pci") haven't made any noticeable difference, sadly.. Has anyone else run into this or got any clues they could pass on please ? cheers, Chris -- Christopher Samuel - (03) 9925 4751 - Systems Manager The Victorian Partnership for Advanced Computing P.O. Box 201, Carlton South, VIC 3053, Australia VPAC is a not-for-profit Registered Research Agency -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: signature.asc Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 189 bytes Desc: This is a digitally signed message part. URL: <http://www.beowulf.org/pipermail/beowulf/attachments/20071008/2d47448a/attachment.sig>


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So, who's ready to buy what the Colorado Avalanche is/are selling?
So many people figured the 2009-10 Avs would be an awful lot like the 2008-09 Avs but instead they've been winning as if they're the 2000-01 Avs, minus Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Chris Drury, Raymond Bourque, Patrick Roy or almost anyone else the casual fan has ever heard of.
Maybe the guessperts are only covering their fannies, but the party line is that the Denverites can't possibly keep this up. There's certainly ample evidence to support the smoke-and-mirrors claim, starting with the fact that the club is coached by Joe Sacco, for heaven's sake. Sure, Scotty Bowman, Al Arbour and Toe Blake were all equally unknown coaching commodities at some point but you'll excuse the hockey world if it less than impressed with Sacco's resume that includes a .375 winning percentage in the AHL and having once been a teammate of Garry Valk.
More statistically based arguments against Colorado's legitimacy include some pretty lopsided shots for/shots against totals and the probablity that Craig Anderson, as underrated as his work in South Florida was, isn't nearly as good as his early work in Denver would suggest. Throw in the fact that several of their baby-faced players still associate the phrase "having a couple of cold ones" with a trip to the closest 7-11 for Mountain Dew Slurpees and you can understand the skepticism.
But hey, Avs fans have every right to be as optimistic as they please. After all, besides 12 winning seasons, 11 playoff appearances, eight division titles and two Stanley Cups, what do long-suffering Avalanche supporters have to hang their hats on after the first 13 seasons of Avs hockey?
So while everyone waits for the Avs to do the Icarus routine and come crashing back to earth, let's think back to another hockey club that got off to a sizzling start that was reckoned too good to be true. We're talking, of course, about the 2001-02 Calgary Flames, who got off to a ridiculous 13-2-2-2 beginning before remembering they weren't an especially good hockey club.
Like the present-day Avs, the Flames had a new goaltender who hadn't achieved much in the way of fame and acclaim in previous stops. And besides the rude reality check that followed, the great start of 2001-02 is probably least-fondly remembered for the rich (and as it turns out, ill-advised) contract it netted Roman Turek.
A reporter who had seen Turek play in St. Louis once referred to the Czech netminder skillet-like catching glove and his resemblance to a small boy looking for a lost frog when he dropped to all fours in the crease and Calgary fans saw pretty good examples of both those analogies for much of the rest of Turek's time with the Flames. But let's not put all the blame on the lanky netminder known as Large. Look back at that 2001-02 club and you'll get the idea of just how miraculous that 13-2-2-2 run was.
That was the season Jarome Iginla became Jarome Freakin' Iginla and No. 12 formed a surprisingly effective partnership with Dean McAmmond and Craig Conroy but after that, the pickings were beyond slim. Marc Savard, back in his more obstinate days, paired his 14 goals on 56 games with a lovely minus-18 figure. The battle for the fifth spot on the scoring forward list was waged by such luminaries as Rob Niedermayer, Clarke Wilm, Scott Nichol, Dave Lowry, Ronald Petrovicky and Jamie Wright. And who could ever forget the sight, repeated over and over and over again, of a slow-moving puck hopping over Igor Kravchuk's stick on the blue-line during the power play?
After the conspicuous start, that Flames squad went 19-33-10-1 the rest of the way and it would be two more unhappy years (tacked on to the five before) before real and lasting progress was made. The Avs will hope that even if their present play is heavy on mirage, the road back to true competitiveness won't be quite as tortuous.


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Holi: A Festival of Color Photography Exhibit
All Day
1212 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, British Columbia
Holi is an ancient Hindu festival that celebrates the arrival of Spring with symbolic bonfires, paint throwing, and the sharing of traditional foods. Parts of the festival have been culturally appropriated in North America over the last few years, and Kyla wanted to try to show the significance of the festival for people on the other side of the world.Kyla is a professional photographer based in East Vancouver. In addition to travel photography, she also works at the UBC Museum of Anthropology running the digitization studio. "My experiences with my work and my travels have given me insight into this beautiful,
interwoven human story that I feel so deeply it is written in my
You can see more of Kyla's work at http://www.kylabailey.com


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Crank vs Punk Ass: the throwdown
Oh now this is a gift. Nothing like a twatty scrap to kick off a Tuesday.
So Page Six is reporting that Lindsay Lohan and Avril Lavigne threw down at the Chateau Marmont about a week ago. Apparently they were both at an event and Lilo blew off Avril until later, when she noticed Avril was with some popular people and approached collegially, at which point Avril called her out for being "fake":
"Get the hell out of my face, you are fake, you are a loser. I don't like false people. Stay away from me and my friends."
Lilo lost her sh-t and tried to complain to the Marmont people to have Avril thrown out. Obviously not. Because Avril's punk poseur ass isn't broke. In fact, Avril has tons of money. And Ms Crank on the other hand is living on overextended credit. So if the Marmont is removing anyone, it'll be a Lohan over a Lavigne, which is not to say I'm Team Lavigne. Please.
The girl who hates "false people" happens to be f-cking Brody Jenner. Who is on The Hills. And, well, she's living in Los Angeles living a Los Angeles lifestyle. Real isn't really exactly the most accurate attribute for life there. And getting all crusted up over one Lindsay Lohan who can't get invited anywhere anymore when it matters, and whose best professional prospect is playing a porn star, well, it's not exactly a cool move on the part of someone who's fronting like she's above the bullsh-t of the Stupid Generation. In fact, by engaging Lilo in the first place, Avril has effectively demonstrated that she is actually a regular player in that game. So, really, who's the loser here?
This is a busted looking Avril at the Race to Erase MS event last week.
Photos from Wenn.com


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Making Students Ready
At Ithaca, we pride ourselves on making students ready. We prepare students for more than just the next step—we prepare them for life. Making students ready for a constantly changing world means helping them gain the right blend of skills and knowledge to create new possibilities at every turn, defining their own personal and professional success. Our educational environment requires students to think critically, analyze intelligently, and communicate effectively. These are skills that will serve them well throughout their entire lives, enabling them to not only adapt to change but also to lead change.
Students at IC have access to many resources that help them navigate their education and make a real plan for their future:
Our IC Mentoring Network is an extensive community of alumni that is available to give advice, provide insight, and answer current students' questions.
Our Network Nights bring students and alumni together for one-on-one discussions about life after college.
With our extensive network of alumni, students can get much more than advice and information—they can build professional relationships that may lead to internship and career opportunities.
Our Office of Career Services helps students explore professional options and apply for careers or graduate school.
Each of our five schools has a number of cocurricular organizations, activities, and events designed to give students meaningful experience in their fields of interest.
During their time at Ithaca College, students will create their own story, building a solid foundation for an exceptional future. And every story ends at the same beginning: Ithaca College makes students ready.


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DVD - VOB Files - The Lowdownthe_wine_snob Jun 2, 2012 3:52 PM
We often see people trying to edit existing DVD-Videos. Some seem to be able to do this fine, while others struggle mightily. What's the deal? Why can't one just Import those VOB files and edit happily away?
Let's go back to the basics just a bit. A .VOB file is a "Video Object File." As such, and by the DVD-specs., it can contain quite a bit of stuff. Some of this is beyond just the Audio & Video contained in the usually present MPEG-2 file, which is hidden inside the VOB. This VOB can contain subtitles, Menus, and ROM content, to name but a few. With simple VOB's, one can often play them, if they are just renamed to .MPEG, though not always. In the case where this works, one does not need a DVD software player. Any player program that can handle MPEG-2 can play the file.
The structure and elements of a DVD-Video DVD-5 (4.7GB, single sided, single layer) will be in most cases:
AUDIO_TS folder (usually empty). May also not be present.
VIDEO_TS folder, which contains VIDEO_TS.IFO (Video Manager.info), VIDEO_TS.BUP (VMGI.backup), VTS_01_0.IFO (Video Title #1.info), VTS_01_1.VOB (Video Title #1.video), and more of these, incremented by 1. Depending on the number of "titles" on a particular disc, the numbers can range up to the limit of 99. For Projects from most NLE/authoring programs will only have one "title," so you'll likely not see more than 4 VOB's and their accompanying IFO's and BUP's. The VOB's will be approximately 1GB in size, the upper limit.
The title of the "movie" inside the VIDEO_TS folder will be contained in the .IFO and the BUP files. If you open up a DVD-Video in Windows Explorer, you'll see just the folders, and no name, or anything else. The same is for the file names inside the folder(s). They will look the same for all DVD-Videos, though the exact number of these will differ, depending on the structure and number of discrete titles on the disc. It's not until one opens the DVD-Video in either a software player, or in a set-top player, that the IFO files will play, allowing the player to then access and work with the .VOB's, via the instructions that are contained in the IFO and BUP files.
Editing a VOB can be a tricky, as it can contain all those different things. Ripping the MPEG-2 file from the VOB is usually the best approach. That is what PrPro, PE, or other NLE's (Non Linear Editor) attempt to do. Sometimes, it works fine, but sometimes it does not. Another problem can be when there are multiple VOB's, as the MPEG-2 files can span multiple VOB's, as they cannot contain more than about 1GB of data. This is why a DVD-Video can only have 1GB of space for ALL Menus and their elements.
As VOB's can contain the full menuing structure (this will be the first VOB), unless this structure is done 100% by the DVD-specs, there will be issues. Most DVD-recorders include some form of menuing, and most do not do it perfectly. This WILL create issues. Ripping via software will likely be the only answer, or doing a manual capture from a set-top DVD player, hooked up appropriately to your computer with a capture card, or bridge, and using the software that came with that device. You will not have any "device control," so you must start the capture software, hit Record, and then start your DVD in its player. If you do this, make certain that you capture to DV-AVI Type II w/ 48KHz 16-bit Audio.
Once one has edited the Audio & Video contained in the .VOB(s), the process to get the resulting Project back into DVD-Video form is to Burn to DVD. This is the authoring process.
Three things happen:
1.) The edited file is Transcoded to MPEG-2. If you were working from a VOB already, the Audio & Video material has already been Transcoded to MPEG-2, in which there will already be compression of the data. If you do this again, there will be more compression of the data, resulting in a loss in quality. Some NLE's can do "smart rendering/encoding." None of the programs from Adobe can do this, as they are designed to work with material captured from a miniDV tape camera. While they can handle other footage, there will be compromises. When designed, DV-AVI Type II was chosen as the base workflow, because that was what most miniDV tape cameras produced. The introduction of flash memory, miniDVD, and hard drive cameras, plus the introduction of HD, has changed things a bit, and will continue to change them over the next versions of the programs.
2.) The folder structure and the necessary files are created.
3.) The above material is then physically Burned to a DVD-Video, or is copied to a folder on the computer in the required, and necessary form and structure.
In the case of the former, one can then play the DVD-Video via a software player on a computer, or on a set-top player hooked to a TV or display device. In the case of the latter, one needs a software player to play the files in the VOB, with the instructions coming from the IFO, or the BUP files.


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The quake survivors said,
And thanked Him they were not among
Two hundred thousand dead.
"What happened is the will of God"
But God receives no blame;
Survivors gather humbly, and
Sing praises to His name.
One wonders, in the aftermath,
If God is really there—
But which is worse: no God at all,
Or gods that do not care?
In a Saturday NYTimes op-ed, author James Wood ponders the various different invocations of God in the reactions to Haiti's devastation, from Pat Robertson, to President Obama, to the Haitian survivors themselves.
[A] 27-year-old survivor, Mondésir Raymone, was quoted thus: "We have survived by the grace of God." Bishop Éric Toussaint, standing near his damaged cathedral, said something similar: "Why give thanks to God? Because we are here. What happened is the will of God. We are in the hands of God now." A survivor's gratitude is combined with theological fatalism. This response is entirely understandable, uttered in a ruined landscape beyond the experience of most of us, and a likely source of pastoral comfort to the bishop's desperate flock. But that should not obscure the fact that it is little more than a piece of helpless mystification, a contradictory cry of optimistic despair.It is an interesting look at the use of God in such times.
For either God is punitive and interventionist (the Robertson view), or as capricious as nature and so absent as to be effectively nonexistent (the Obama view). Unfortunately, the Bible, which frequently uses God's power over earth and seas as the sign of his majesty and intervening power, supports the first view; and the history of humanity's lonely suffering decisively suggests the second.Interesting, that either view still maintains a God. I wonder why it is that a god who either causes or allows such suffering is not consigned to history. My universe works just fine with no god at all.
In an update, I had a visit in the comments on the "Starving? Have a bible" thread. A representative of the company says he will bring the idea of including a radio receiver, to make the audio bible more useful in such disaster scenarios. I think there are contact details in the link to the company website from my older post, if anyone wants to deliver words of encouragement.


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The demotion of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall did not get a lot of national attention last week with Charlie Batch's big game and all of the Ben Roethlisberger injury speculation.
The intense race for the playoffs is in full gear. Check out the latest situation in the postseason chase. More ...
Mendenhall, a first-round pick in 2008, is buried deep enough in the doghouse to be a healthy scratch on Sundays behind running backs Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman. Mendenhall has a 1,200-yard season under his belt. He's started a Super Bowl.
It's remarkable that he's not even playing at this stage, and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made it clear that Mendenhall's role wasn't going to change this week against the San Diego Chargers.
"We don't intend on doing anything differently in terms of Jonathan (Dwyer) being the guy and of course, (Isaac Redman) supplementing him because Red is capable of distinguishing himself in situational football, short yardage. He's a good blitz-pickup guy," Tomlin said Tuesday via Steelers.com.
Mendenhall has struggled with fumbling this year. He's been benched for his work habits in the past, and it's hard not to wonder if more is going on behind the scenes with this demotion.
"Rashard will get an opportunity to redeem himself, I'm sure, at some point along this journey," Tomlin said. "That's the nature of this thing. There's ebb and flow and opportunities are presented."
In the meantime, expect Mendenhall to be presented with another gameday inactive status on Sunday.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.


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by Hugh Gilmore
We've evolved a tradition here at the Chestnut Hill Local of asking our readers to tell us about the books they've "most enjoyed" during the year. The replies have always been pleasing and surprising, but after a conversation I had last week with our neighbor, Bill Roberts, I think I'll have to phrase the request more carefully in the future.
My wife, Janet, volunteers as a costumer at our local theatrical gem, The Stagecrafters, and last weekend I accompanied her to their show-closing party. I was sitting near the fireplace of our hosts (Scott and Mary Ann Killinger. Scott is also a retired architect and he now designs lovely sets for Stagecrafters plays), merrily being a fly on the wall, when the tall and stately Mr. Roberts approached me. He is retired from the faculty of the Graduate School of Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania and was a founding member of Wallace McHarg Roberts & Todd, the all-world architectural firm (think Baltimore Harbor, for one).
He said, "Nice to see you again, Hugh. I enjoy your columns and I have two books I'd like to mention that really affected me this year."
"Ah, that's good," I said, "your timing is perfect for next week's column."
"Yes, that's good, but one of these books was quite disturbing … and stirred up some unpleasant truths about American history. I'd like to recommend it to others, but it's hardly "most enjoyed" material."
We talked for a while, and Bill agreed to send me an email.
Here is what he said: "'Citizens of London' by Lynne Olson (2010), describes how a small group of Americans in London during the darkest days of early World War II via their access to both Churchill and F.D.R. influenced America's aid to Britain and assumed a major role in the war against Hitler.
"The second book was more informative than enjoyable. 'The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War' by James Bradley (2009) is the startling story of the zeal with which Theodore Roosevelt and William
Howard Taft directed the mass murder of Native Americans, Cubans, Filipinos and other Asian populations toward the agenda of Aryan/Christian dominance over 'heathen savages.' It reminded me of Howard Zinn's 'A
People's History of the United States,' (1980) which is entirely given to the dark side of our history. Fascinating and rather troubling, particularly if we believe that modern policies and conflicts also have their dark story."
I hereby agree to modify my "most enjoyed" criterion for future "reading roundups."
I know that the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and City Paper like to write about how we're all riding 24/7 to foxes and hounds out here on the peninsula, and all we care about is maintaining a flat skyline, but read on.
Barbara Torode, Mt. Airy poet and founder of Torode Design, wrote to recommend "Rehearsing With Gods: Photographs and Essays on the Bread & Puppet Theater" by Ronald T. Simon and Marc Estrin (2004). She writes: "The Bread and Puppet has toured the world, performing radical street theater since Vietnam. The puppets are often oversize. They get in your face. The bread is meant to last. Peter Schumann, the maestro, has always believed that his puppets nourish the hungry, and like sourdough rye, they fight the big white loaf of America.
"The book takes us through much of the history of Bread and Puppet Theater. It goes beyond the pageantry and behind closed doors and shows where the puppets are built up before coming to life."
Barbara Torode also recommends the new book her husband, James Smart – a true Philadelphia asset for decades now – has just written, "Adonijah Hill's Journal, The Diary of a Philadelphia Reporter in 1876." Mr. Smart's book provides a lively and fascinating non-fiction account of Philadelphia life in the centennial year of 1876, as seen through the eyes of the fictional Adonijah Hill.
One of the most omnivorous readers I know is Chestnut Hill's Carol Rauch, a writer and devoted Kindle reader. She emailed, "You don't need to hear of another book read by C Rauch in your wonderful column, so I asked my husband, John, what he'd enjoyed." (John Rauch is yet another retired architect – an architectural trifecta today! – who now paints and, obviously, reads.)
As transcribed through Carol, John enjoyed "in the last few months: 'Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy,' and 'Why It Matters for Global Capitalism' by George Akerlof and Robert J. Shiller (2009) … and in an extraordinary departure from his usual reading, 'Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart' by Stefan Kanfer (2011)."
Finally today, Chestnut Hill writer and life coach Janet Mather writes, "Hi Hugh. Thanks for asking. I've read lots of lovely books, but the most moving was 'Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide' by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (2009). I expected to be taken under by unbearable stories of mistreatment. What stands out, however, over and over, is the courage, determination, and vision of so many people in so many parts of the world. I found it deeply encouraging and often very surprising to learn how many people are thinking "out of the box" on big issues, and getting results we'd all wish for."
All of the entries above were lightly edited, mostly for space considerations. Despite doing that, I've painted myself into a corner once again and don't have room to describe my own "most enjoyed/most moved-by" books this year. My reading total for 2011 will be about 90 books. I'll blame my falling short of 100 on the Phillies. And maybe on the time required to finish my own recently published novel, "Malcolm's Wine."
I'd like to give you all a copy of my book. Having readers would be worth the money spent, but it won't count towards my Amazon.com sales total. I'm hoping to sell enough copies to tempt an agent to want to take over the task of publicizing my book. Till then I'll have to continue to shamelessly self-promote "Malcolm's Wine," now available in both paperback and Kindle formats. Happy Holidays.