text: This is a site designed and intended SOLELY for ADULTS -- people who are at least 18 years old -- who are interested in and wish to have access to visual images, verbal description and audio sounds of a sexually oriented, frankly erotic nature. The materials which are available within this site may include graphic visual depictions and descriptions of nudity and sexual activity and should NOT be accessed by anyone who is younger than 18 years old or who does not wish to be exposed to such materials. By entering this site, you are making the following statements: "Under penalty of perjury, I swear/affirm that as of this moment, I am an adult, at least 18 years of age." "I promise that I will not permit any person(s) under 18 years of age to have access to any of the materials contained within this site."


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Latest 802.11n Wi-Fi Technology
SparkLAN WUBR-508N is an 802.11n Wi-Fi USB Dongle, which is backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g standard. With advanced 2T2R MIMO technology, WUBR-508N delivers ultimate wireless data rate for up to 300Mbps. It allows users to enjoy seamless wireless connection.
Secure Wireless Connection
By supporting 64/128-bits WEP, WPA, WPA2 and WPS, WUBR-508N USB Dongle helps to protect your data and privacy during transmission without sacrificing the performance.

subset: commoncrawl


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Add vehicles to compare. You can compare up to 3 vehicles at a time.
Are you looking for a new Chevrolet in Virginia Beach and can't find what you want. The search is over, here at Rick Hendrick Chevrolet of Norfolk we have the new car, truck or SUV you have been wanting. Come on in and see for yourself, and while you're here schedule a test drive just to be sure this is the Chevrolet that you want. Finding a new car can be hard, but here at your Norfolk Chevrolet dealer we make it easy and fun all at the same time. See for yourself and come on in from Virginia Beach to Rick Hendrick Chevrolet of Norfolk and get back on the road in a new Chevrolet!
New Chevrolet Cars & Trucks For Sale Near Chesapeake
Our wide selection of new Chevrolet cars, trucks, and SUVs at Rick Hendrick Norfolk Chevrolet is only one reason our Virginia Beach customers choose our Chevrolet dealership over the next one. With popular Chevrolet models in stock in just about any trim, color, body style, and available packages you may desire, it's hard to believe why you would shop anywhere else. The lineup of popular new Chevrolet models includes vehicles like the new Chevy Cruze, all-new Chevrolet Malibu, new Chevy Silverado 1500 and the ever-popular Chevrolet Equinox. These models include some of the most cutting edge technology and comfort features to turn an ordinary drive into a full-blown driving experience. These features include 3rd row seating, heated front seats, adaptive cruise control, moonroof/sunroof, bluetooth connectability, navigation systems, WiFi hotspot, and much more! With all we have to offer, why would you shop anywhere else, but Rick Hendrick Norfolk Chevrolet.
What is a fantastic new Chevrolet vehicle, if it doesn't come at a fantastic price? At Rick Hendrick Norfolk Chevrolet we offer all Chesapeake and surrounding area customers a variety of ways to save on their purchase of a new Chevrolet car, truck, or SUV. Our selection of monthly new Chevrolet car specials is catered to save you the most on your purchase from us. We also offer Chevrolet manufacturer incentives to all customers, so you can be sure you're getting the best price. Our array of select retired loaners cars allows an opportunity to save on your new Chevrolet, as well. Browse our vast selection of new Chevrolet cars, trucks, and SUVs today at Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Norfolk today !
Reliable Used Cars, Trucks, & SUVs in Norfolk, VA
If a used car is more of what you're in the market for, be sure to check out the vast selection of reliable used cars at a great price! At Rick Hendrick Chevrolet, we offer all Virginia Beach customers an array of used cars, trucks, and SUVs in a variety of popular makes, models, trims, colors, and body styles. This guarantees you'll find the perfect used car that is as unique as you are. We offer all customers our used vehicle specials to save even more on the popular models you love. We also have a selection of used cars under 15k to appease all customers no matter what their budget is. Stop by and speak to our friendly sales staff today about our deals and specials on used cars, trucks, and SUVs from Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Norfolk.
Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Norfolk offers peace-of-mind to all Chesapeake area customers with their selection of Certified Pre Owned Chevrolet cars, trucks, and SUVs. Each Certified Pre Owned car must pass a multi-point inspection system ensuring your Certified Pre Owned Chevrolet car is of the utmost quality. We have a wide array of Certified Pre Owned Chevrolet cars, trucks, and SUVs in a variety of colors, body styles, and trims, so you're sure to find the Chevrolet car you've been looking for at the best price. Shop our vast inventory now.


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If you've been missing Trevor Jackson and his killer dance moves, it's your lucky day! The R&B singer/actor is back and more swoon-worthy than ever, taking to Twitter to announce the release of his amaze new video for "New Thang":
"#NewYear #NewThang #WhoWannaBeMyNewThang go check out my new vid," he tweeted.
Check out Trevor's "New Thang" video, and let us know what you think in the comments below!


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The new iPhone 4 Security Kit from newMacgadgets is the first cable and lock security kit designed exclusively for the Apple iPhone. newMacgadgets has targeted retailers, businesses, schools and exhibitors that use the iPhone as a presentation tool and need to secure it from theft.
The iPhone 4 Security Kit is very similar to newMacgadgets PAD-Lock for the iPad 2 and secures the iPhone with a small form fitting and lightweight aluminum sleeve. The sleeve is secured with a 7″ coasted steel wire security cable that can attach to a nearby fixture with the included padlock. Also included is a universal mount for securing the cable in areas where a fixed object is not available.
The iPhone 4 Security Kit is ideal for all open environments where security is a concern. The kit retails for $29.95 and is now available directly from newMacgadgets.


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CARE Ethiopia has implemented the CSC broadly, demonstrating its versatility across different types of programming to improve government...
CARE Supports Women Deliver 2013
CARE Supports Women Deliver 2013
Publication info
ATLANTA (May 17, 2013) - CARE, one of the world's largest poverty-fighting organizations, is proud to be sponsoring this year's Women Deliver conference, advancing the goal of ensuring that the health and rights of girls and women remain at the forefront of global humanitarian and development agendas.
CARE believes that access to quality healthcare is both a fundamental human right and a critical development issue. It is essential to women being able to take their equal place in society.
While significant progress has been made in improving women and girls' health and rights under the Millennium Development Goals, such progress has been uneven and inequities remain – often among the most vulnerable populations. Improving sexual, reproductive and maternal health and addressing the continuing disparity is central to CARE's commitment to gender equality and the reduction of poverty and social injustice. A focus of CARE's work is the belief that women's empowerment, gender equality and human rights must be a core component of any development framework for women's health going forward.
"CARE's experience shows that the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women cannot be achieved through the provision of health services alone," said Dr. Helene D. Gayle, president and CEO of CARE. "Real change requires addressing underlying and systemic factors, including the pervasive gender inequality that undermines the health and well-being of women and girls throughout their lives."
Read "Achieving Real Change for Women and Girls" by Dr. Gayle and Dr. Julia Newton-Howes, president and CEO of CARE Australia on the Women Deliver website.
CARE's experts from around the world will attend the conference, and participate in panel discussions highlighting CARE programs that have achieved substantial results not only in the improvement of women and girls' health but also in advancing their rights and empowerment.
CARE invites all those attending Women Deliver, taking place in Kuala Lumpur on May 28-30, to visit our booth and attend CARE's panels to learn more about our gender empowerment, rights based, and sexual, reproductive and maternal health work.
CARE's booth will be located in Hall #5, Stand number 292 & 285. Experts from our country offices will be available to answer questions and share stories from their experiences in the field; including representatives from Australia, Benin, Ca.m.bodia, Canada, Ecuador, Ethiopia, India, Lao PDR, Malawi, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Uganda and the United States. Please see the below schedule for further details on the panels CARE is presenting on, including presenter, panel topic, time and location:
Jesse Rattan, Director, CARE USA
"Lessons from the Field: Preventing Unintended Pregnancies in Humanitarian Crises"
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Room 304
Thumbiko Msiska, Project Manager, CARE Malawi and Madhu Deshmukh, Director of Special Initiatives, mHealth Alliance, and moderated by Christine Galavotti, Director SRMH, CARE USA
"Participatory Governance to Improve Coverage, Quality, and Equity of Maternal Healthcare"
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Room 305
Joseph Maulana, Principal Technical Advisor, M&E, CARE Malawi
"Economic Empowerment and Health Protection: Can Microcredit Be the Platform to Reach Millions?"
2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m., Grand Ballroom 1
Feven Tassew, SRH Progra.m.me Coordinator, CARE Ethiopia
"Young Motherhood: Against all Odds"
2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m., Grand Ballroom 2
Amanda Moll, Senior Project Coordinator, Gender and Empowerment, CARE USA
"Marginalized Adolescent Girls"
11:00a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Conference Hall 1
Ariel Frisancho, National Coordinator of Social Rights Progra.m.mes, CARE Peru
"Accountability and Remedies in Context of Sexual and Reproductive Rights Violations"
11:00a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Room 307
Madhu Deshmukh, Director of Special Initiatives, mHealth Alliance
"Power Up: e-Education and Digital Learning"
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Room 402
Christina Wegs, Senior Technical Advisor, SRMH, CARE USA
"CARE Launches Innovative New Tools to Measure Women's Empowerment and Youth Empowerment and Leadership"
10:55 a.m. - 11:10 a.m., Exhibit Hall
Madhu Deshmukh, Director of Special Initiatives, mHealth Alliance
"Leveraging Mobile Technology for MNCH: What's Gender Got to Do With It?"
12:20 p.m. - 12:35 p.m., Exhibit Hall
Red Sky Production and CARE International
"Second Chances: Releasing the Power of Girls"
11:30 a.m. - 11:55 a.m., Hospitality Suite 2, back of Exhibit Hall 2
For further information, please contact:
Carolyn Krug (on site at Women Deliver)
Senior Program Officer, Sexual, Reproductive and Maternal Health, CARE USA
+001 (1) 810-210-4215


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|Instrument: ASTER : Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer
Instrument Category:
Earth Remote Sensing Instruments
Instrument Class: Passive Remote Sensing
Instrument Type: Spectrometers/Radiometers
Instrument Subtype: Imaging Spectrometers/Radiometers
Associated Platforms
Spectral/Frequency Information
Wavelength Keyword: Visible
Number Channels: 3
Spectral/Frequency Coverage/Range: 0.5 ?m - 0.9 ?m
Wavelength Keyword: Near Infrared
Number Channels: 6
Spectral/Frequency Coverage/Range: 1.6 ?m - 2.5 ?m
Wavelength Keyword: Infrared > Thermal
Number Channels: 5
Spectral/Frequency Coverage/Range: 8 ?m - 12 ?m
Related Data Sets
View all records related to this instrument
The objectives of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) include surface and cloud imaging with high spatial resolution and with 14 multispectral channels from visible to thermal infrared and determination of surface kinetic temperatures. The instrument consists of (1) three visible and near-infrared channels (VNIR) between 0.5 and 0.9 micrometers at 15 meter resolution, (2) six shortwave infrared channels (SWIR) between 1.6 and 2.5 micrometers at 30 meter resolution, and (3) five thermal infrared channels (TIR) between 8 and 12 micrometers at 90 meter resolution. The instrument will have 4 % absolute radiometric accuracy in the VNIR and SWIR, and 2 K absolute thermal accuracy (240 to 370 K) over a 60 km swath whose center is pointable cross-track +/- 106 km. One of the VNIR channels will provide along cross-track stereo views with a base-to-height ratio of 0.6, which will be used for stereoscopic observations of local topography, cloud heights, volcanic plumes, and generating local digital elevation models (DEMs). Various combinations of VNIR, SWIR, and TIR will lead to (1) soil and rock studies, (2) volcano monitoring, (3) surface temperature, emissivity, and reflectivity, (4) land use patterns and vegetation monitoring, (5) evapotranspiration, land and ocean temperatures, and (6) glacier monitoring. The ASTER pointing capabilities will be such that any point on the globe would be accessible at least once every 16 days. The ASTER facility is provided by the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and was flown on the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Terra satellite on December 18, 1999.
Online Resources
Instrument Logistics
Instrument Owner: USA/NASA
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Japan's Earth Remote Sensing Data Analysis Center


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By: bubbleguuum
UPnP/DLNA Renderer, Media Server, Control Point
Powered by Platinum UPnP SDK: http://plutinosoft.com/platinum
* Media Server:
- expose the foobar2000 Media Library, playlists and "what is currently playing" (still experimental)
- stream almost any audio format playable by foobar2000. That includes formats generally not supported by most standalone
Media Servers such as formats with CUE files, game music formats, audio files in archives, cd-audio, DTS, HDCD...
- stream album art
- powerful per device streaming options, to adapt audio format to the capabilities of the remote playing device.
Conversion to WAV or LPCM, transcoding to mp3, resampling, replaygain, bitdepth conversion, conversion to stereo, DSP chain,...
- customizable browse tree
- accessible from the Internet (only from foobar2000 or an iPhone/iTouch with PlugPlayer).
- works well when accessed from WMP12 (possibly also with WMP11, untested).
* Media Server Browser (UPnP Browser):
- browse remote Media Servers for local playback or remote playback to an UPnP Renderer on the network
- browse and play music via the Internet from another foo_upnp Media Server, with optional transcoding to mp3 to save bandwidth
- retrieve album art
* Control Point (UPnP Controller)
- control playback of UPnP Av Media Renderers (similar to Windows7 "Play to" feature)
- integration with the Media Server to serve locally managed audio
- specific support Linn Ds product: handle Playlist sources for on-device playlist management and other analog sources (volume control only)
Some use cases:
- Use the server to stream audio to a PS3, XBOX360 (using their interface), iPhone (PlugPlayer)
- Push audio from either your local foobar2000 Media Library or another UPnP Media Server to WMP12, an iPhone (PlugPlayer) or another foobar2000 instance on the network.
- Control foobar2000 playback from an iPhone, WMP12, or any other Control Point.
- Control a Linn Ds product including making playlists, switching sources, etc.
0.99.49, released on 2015-01-13
Works with foobar2000 v1.0 and newer
Browse all
Browse by author: bubbleguuum
Tags: Columns UI panel, Default UI element, media library viewer, remote control, remote library, streaming


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Fan, another new programming language developed in the multicore era, has recently launched its 1.0.45 release. It is a very active open source project with a very interesting approach to many modern concurrent programming challenges.
I began writing this post about Fan 1.0.44 a week ago. Now, Fan has a new version, 1.0.45.
Most developers don't want to learn a new programming language. However, Fan is a very attractive language for certain tasks because it is trying to solve many modern problems related to concurrency and multicore programming.
Fan is both an object-oriented and functional programming language. This means that a developer can combine functional programming code with object-oriented code. However, at the same time, it has built-in immutability, message passing, and REST-oriented transactional memory. It uses Java-style syntax. Therefore, Java and C# developers won't have problems to understand Fan code.
Its portability makes Fan almost unique. So far, it can run over the JVM (Java Virtual Machine), the .Net CLR (Common Language Run-time) and JavaScript. Its JavaScript support is one of the most exciting features I've found for this language. There are many other languages and libraries offering actors and many different concurrency models for the JVM and the .Net CLR. However, Fan's support for JavaScript could revolution the scripting performance. Scripting could take advantage of multicore.
However, the aforementioned sentence isn't right. Scripting should take advantage of multicore. Fan is evolving to offer JavaScript developers the possibility to tackle concurrency using actors and message passing features. Besides, you can also run it on the JVM or on the .Net CLR. However, you can expect Fan to offer additional compilers to run on new platforms. Portability is very important for Fan.
Fan creators talk about the productivity of Ruby with the performance of Java. Fan's performance is really interesting. As it offers the possibility to tackle multicore, developers can transform a slow performance language into a fast performance one. Undoubtedly, JavaScript's support is a great opportunity for developers to create higher performance RIAs (Rich Internet Applications) based on this popular scripting language.
It's a bit difficult to find a definition for Fan, because it tries to offer many different features in one single and simple language. In a few lines, this list offers a summary of Fan's main features:
- Portability.
- Object-oriented (with inheritance support).
- Immutability.
- Closures support.
- Dynamic programming.
- Functional programming.
- Serialization support.
- Actor framework.
The actor framework is really powerful. It supports the most important features required to create concurrent code without problems:
- Actor locals.
- Actor pools (using a shared thread pool).
- Futures.
- Timers.
- Chaining.
- Message passing.
- Coalescing messages.
- Flow control mechanisms.
If you need functional programming, immutability, message passing and actors, you can take a look at Fan. If you are working with JavaScript, keep an eye on Fan. It can help developers to tackle multicore with JavaScript.
In the forthcoming months, expect to see new libraries, languages, compilers and Domain-Specific Languages appearing to simplify parallel programming for many languages, virtual machines and run-times.


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Library Home
Teens Home
Things To Do
Media Wall
Assignment Alert Form
To Infinity...And Beyond!!
Did you know that Buzz Lightyear spent over 15 months on the International Space Station?!
See him in space here
, and see him
training for his mission
Space / Astronomy websites
Return to Index
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for Students
Very comprehensive site. And you would expect that, right? I mean it is NASA. The people that have actually gone into space. Separate sections for Grades 9-12, 5-8, K-4.
Space Race
This site is sponsored by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Great background on the history of the "Space Race" between the United States and the Soviet Union. Great images and a clear and simple explanation.
Sky & Telescope Magazine
Yeah, this is a magazine, but you don't have to pay anything to view their website, and there is a lot of really good, basic inforamtion about astronomy, including topics like: "Words Ya Gotta Know", "How to Start Right in Astronomy", "Names of the Stars", and more.


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I've been using the new(ish) GarageBand on Lion for a month or so now. Early on, it prompted me to download instrument sample libraries and loops of around 1.5 GB which were not included in the initial installation. Then, it wanted a similarly-sized download to support iOS GarageBand files. I just recently found another download to enable more loops and MIDI voices.
What is the total size of all of these extra downloads, and where do they go?


text: I am set to go to my first OFest. I have booked the hotel and put in for the vacation. I have not yet registered for the event yet. I have looked at the 3 packages online and am trying to pick between M1 and M3. M3 is called Track Package is that just a name or is it more focused on performance driving? With five full days of Driving School what is covered in that much time? The additional fees area, can those items be added to the already existing packages or are those for people who do not get a package. What events can I not drive in a convertible?


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The review doesn't mention any significant shortcomings, other than than a "soft-focus" and "Technicolor" tonal quality. So why not Class A ? In particular, what are the reasons for giving a "Class A" badge to the KEF LS50 and not this one ? I mention the LS50 only because it is significantly cheaper.
Opera Callas loudspeaker
In the well-known D'Appolito array, one tweeter is partnered with two midrange drivers, one each above and below it. Opera's two-way Callas has one vertically centered 5" mid/woofer with a copper phase plug, and identical 1" soft-dome tweeters above and below it. As if that weren't enough, on the narrow rear panel are three more tweeters, identical to those in front, in a vertical array. The enclosure has two small ports, side by side at the top of the rear panel.
The Callas measures 14.8" high by 9" wide by 13.4" deep, its cabinet symmetrically tapering toward the rear, and weighs about 57 lbs. The cabinet is made of elegant solid woods and veneers in a high-gloss finish of medium-shade cherry (except for the recessed, black-painted base plate), with black leather cladding on the faceted fascia. There's a small brass badge on the base plate. Front grilles are provided, but I didn't use them. A single pair of robust, naked (nonEuro-Nanny) speaker terminals is at the bottom rear. Opera claims for the Callas a frequency range of 32Hz25kHz, sensitivity of 86dB, and a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. The mid/woofer and front tweeters are crossed over at "around 1500Hz," the rear tweeters at 2000Hz.
Sound Quality
I placed the Callases on 24"-high stands about 5' apart, 2' from the front wall, and toed in to face my listening position, about 8' from each speaker, and toward the nearfield side of midfield listening.
After hooking up the Callases, I braced myself to be bombarded with five times as much treble as normal, even with a tube amp like the Unison S6 that was a bit on the rich side. My fears were totally unfounded. The Callas was very well-behaved, with a genuinely sweet disposition. That just goes to show that a name is not always an omen. (Diva Maria Callas was reportedly a bit of a handful on her bad days.) After quite a bit of listening to the Callas-S6 combination with Parasound's CD 1, via Cardas Clear interconnects and speaker cables, I came to some strongly held conclusions.
First, this is just a great system, ready for you to pack up and take homea true get-off-the-audio-merry-go-round system. Colleen Cardas was right: the S6 and Callas are hugely synergistic.
Second, I was pleasantly surprised by both the dynamic capability and the bass extension of the Callas-S6 combo. Unlike with many two-way speakers, I never got the sense during most normal listening (as distinct from playing very loud to impress myself or friends) that there was "almost" enough bassthere really was enough bass.
Third, as expected, the Callas-S6 combination was the timbral polar opposite of the Spiral Groove Canalis-AVM receiver system. The latter led with information from the treble, the Callas-S6 with tones from the midrange.
The Callas-S6 combo delivered a sound that was, first of all, widescreen. I think the rear tweeters produced a wider soundstage than conventional speakers (there was no way to turn the rear tweeters off), in a way reminiscent of most Shahinian speakers. There was never a sense of too much treble unless the recording itself was too hot; the treble and midrange were very well integrated. In addition to being widescreen, the sound was a bit soft-focus, but by no means grainy. Last, tonalities were a bit on the Technicolor side, but always addictively enjoyable.
In addition to the recordings mentioned above and in my last column, the most frequent flyer of which was Aaron Diehl's The Bespoke Man's Narrative (CD, Mack Avenue MCD 1066), I spent a lot of time with a new set of old works by Arthur Bliss (5 CDs, EMI Classics 29018); a wonderful set of symphonies and orchestral works by Franz Berwald, performed by Roy Goodman and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and engineered by Tony Faulkner (2 CDs, Hyperion Dyad 22043); Iona Brown and Josef Suk's underrated recording of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields (CD, Argo/Decca 411 613); Lucia Popp's radiant disc of Mozart opera arias (CD, EMI Classics 09679); David Oistrakh's recording of Brahms's Violin Concerto with Otto Klemperer and the French National Radio Orchestra (CD, EMI Classics 74724), which sounded better than ever through the CD-1S6Callas system; Mahler's Symphony 3 with Glen Cortese conducting the Manhattan School of Music Orchestra (2 CDs, Titanic), which did not make the system cry "Uncle"; and, to change things up, Procol Harum's In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (A&M/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab) and L. Subramaniam's Electric Modes (2 CDs, Water Lily Acoustics WLA-ES-4&5-CD).
Summing Up
It's funny that, 10 years ago, while reviewing Unison's S2K amplifier, one of the speakers I listened to was the late, lamented ASA Pro Monitor, a two-way stand-mount from France that I and a few others (including Sam Tellig) found offered a musical trueness very difficult to describe. The Pro Monitor's recipe was simple: an Esotec rather than an Esotar tweeter, a Dynaudio 6.5" mid/woofer with a magnesium basket, a double-walled cabinet clad in ¾"-thick exotic hardwoods, and a simple crossover with premium parts. Perhaps the real secret, though, was that all of ASA's design decisions, such as using the less swank of Dynaudio's available high-end tweeters, were claimed to have been arrived at by listening. By the time ASA threw in the towel, the US price of the Pro Monitor had risen to $5000/pair.
Opera claims on its website that "every single aspect of the [Callas] design was subjected to intense musical listening tests at Opera." I can believe itthe Callas sounds like that kind of a speaker. So if you regret having missed the ASA Pro Monitor, here's that rare thing in life: a second chance. And the price hasn't even gone up.
To sum up the Opera Callas: luscious midrange, sweet treble, large soundstage, surprising bass, eminently listenable; Class B (Restricted Extreme Low Frequencies).
In case you haven't noticed, Stereophile isn't in the habit of allowing you to make a truly informed choice about equipment by giving you the full story, if it includes the shortcomings of any product. When I bought the Stereophile Class-B rated Dynaudio Excite X12, I expected great things, since there was absolutely nothing but superlatives in their review. After I bought it, Iistened to a capella music by Orlando de Lassus that was beautifully recorded, and was surprised to find how rough and unpleasant the male voices sounded (compared to my previous Class C speakers). Likewise, despite their claim that it can handle orchestral works, when I listened to my Phillip Glass Symphony No. 2 (on Nonesuch, with Dennis Russell Davis conducting; beautiful recording), half of the bass line went missing as it dipped below the frequencies the Dynaudio could handle. And so on. It's a nicely balanced little speaker, but far less perfect than their review will lead you to believe. The Monitor Audio Bronze BX2, at about 1/3 the price, seems to do about as well in most respects. It's more detailed and has better bass extension.
Similarly, if you're lucky enough to buy a T+A Power Plant integrated amplifier, you'll find that despite its Class A rating, voices don't sound natural at all (this was not the pairing I used when listening to the above), and despite their claims that it has ample bass and power at 240 watts into 4 ohms, it still can't drive a 4-ohm speaker like the Dynaudio mentioned above well at all.
And so on. Good luck getting the full story out of Stereophile.
A more likely explanation for your experience with the Excite X12s is what you are doing with them in your room, rather than some sort of consipracy perpetrated against readers by Stereophile.
No, you're wrong. I'm not suggesting a Stereophile conspiracy, but instead a style of reviewing that highlights the positive in exaggerated terms, while very carefully tiptoing around the negative. You can refer to their review of the Excite X12s to see what I'm talking about. That review contains nothing but superlatives, so there is no hint of why it would ultimately end up in Class B, rather than Class A. This is exactly the question posed in the original post above, isn't it? This supports the idea of reviews that consistently omit important negative aspects of performance heard by the reviewer (or reinforces the idea of conspiracy, if that's what you think well-founded criticism is). [flame deleted by John Atkinson]
I get good overall performance from the X12s, and I'm more or less satisfied with them in their particular system. Their performance is in fact surprisingly good given their size, and my room doesn't pose any particular problems that wouldn't have been apparent with other speakers in the same position. But I was dismayed at their distinct shortcomings, which I simply couldn't have imagined based on their review. After the fact of purchase, however, the review's omissions become apparent. The reviewer raves about how they handle female voices--but hardly a word about male voices (the low crossover point to the tweeter means that some of the female vocal range is handled by that driver, rather than the woofer, which has higher distortion). Likewise, piano was disappointing next to the Class C Epos M5i speakers I had before, whose midrange had greater purity and clarity.
The T+A amplifier is a dog, and there's no way it deserves Class A. Thin sounding, poor timbre, and unable to drive even small 4-ohm speakers well despite its claimed power output. It has a thin, bleached-out, colorless midrange with harsh mid-treble. Terribly disappointing. I trust Stereophile to the extent that it includes measurements--and within the limits of what measurements can tell you--but otherwise I don't trust it much any more. I bought the T+A amplifier without seeing any measurements, a mistake I'll not make again.
I subscribe to that old addage "trust but verify". While I respect the reviewers opinions on gear they listen to, I have different needs. Fremer may say how he loves the pinpoint imaging of the MBL's or Meijas loves to hear the synthesizer growl on a particular track he likes. I have other needs from a hi-fi system, and whether or not I get to hear the individual plucking in the back of a concert hall of a viola or cello isn't as important to me,being able to follow the line that runs through the music is of greater importance to me. I guess I am quite easy to please then. But when a reviewer raves or likes something that I may be interested in I go and listen and judge for myself. Point being I always use the reviewers opinion as a springboard towards making my own decision.
Yes, I agree completely. That's the way to do it. But sometimes you're looking for something, and a certain item seems to fit the bill, but there's little information available on it, and you can't audition it in a meaningful way that would tell you how it will work out in your own system. I guess if that's the case, the answer is simply not to buy. Trust but verify, then buy. Otherwise don't.
I'm a newbie in this field but I have been visiting audio dealers obsessively in the last year and experienced everything from 200 $ to half a mil $ system, and I completely agree with the above.
Here's something interesting: I buy at least 3 Hi-Fi mags / month and I always try to go hear their group test winners....GUESS WHAT...most of the time I come back dissapointed....and I would like another speaker just happened to be on display.
It happened with the B&W CM7&8 series which for me was my dream speaker...until I heard it in an otherwise wonderful system playing a Blu-ray concert with excellent cables, Oppo player, Rotel amp etc.! I know the recording of that concert is very good...so it wasn't the source or the amp.
I didn't like them...I was up on my feet constantly tweaking the system...after 3 minutes I got tired and walked into another demo room. It all sounded to clinical, no warmth, it didn't draw me in....and it only got worse as I drive up the volume! The CM series would've worked for me problably only connected to a record player and valve amp.
Same thing happened at this dealer with the "award winning", 5* Tannoy DC6T...couldn't stand that tweeter....dialed the highs to 0 and even negative values and yes it got a little bit barable but stil no way in hell I would've buy them.
Btw I did an audio test in a showroom with high grade Grado headphones and test file, and I could hear all the way up to 17-18 khz. The 18khz was barely audible, mostly a high-energy "feel".
The saleman said that might be my "issue" LOL
So there you go....what's 5* for someone might be 1* or less for you :D
Having lived with this amplifier for some time now, my impressions are the same. Break-in has allowed the bass and mids to settle in, and they're acceptable, but there are serious problems in the upper midrange and treble. As often as not, cymbals are just white noise. Trumpets are ear-piercing. Strings are shrill. Pianos seem made out of metal, not wood.
I cant' imaging how on earth this got a Class A rating. I thought Stereophile was more dependable and more objective than other magazines; it's not. I've lived with this amp for a while now, and my "associated equipment" is good stuff--the Stereophile Class A+ rated NAD M51 DAC, first-rate cables, passive line conditioning, and a room with good acoustics. I don't think it was appropriate to just put on a few electric guitar CDs and pronounce it Class A. Reviewers should be more thorough. They should listen closely with lots of genres, especially if the equipment is not going to undergo a measurement routine. I give the Power Plant Class C. Equipment with such audible flaws, and such clearly distorted highs, should not be in Class A.
I have heard these Operas and they are far superior than other stuff rated class A. One thing, the Josehp Audio in Class A use the same drivers...I heard them in a show and even though it was not the right environment I do not remember them to be superior than the Operas in any way....yes, rating in Stereophile is quite subjective....
For the most part, when I decide which class I will NOMINATE a loudspeaker to be placed in (because the final decision always is John Atkinson's), for the most part I intentionally DISREGARD whether there are any inclusions in a class that I might disagree with. I act like an Originalist, or, at least, I go back to the text.
There can be no argument that the official rubric of Stereophile RCL Class A is:
The best of the best, regardless of price or practicality.
Or, other words to that effect.
As much as enjoyed my time with the Opera Callases, and as much as they reminded me of one of my subjective-favorite loudspeakers (ASA Pro Monitors), I found them to depart from "accuracy" in rather noticeable ways, and also to lack the resolving power of a speaker not in but certainly near their price tier--the Vivid V-1.5.
There have been other speakers, such as the Vivid V-1.5 that I enjoyed as much as the Opera Callas, and which also did not depart from accuracy in any important or even noticeable way. Therefore, I made the decision that as far as I was concerned, the Opera Callas was not The best of the best, regardless of price of practicality, but rather, "The next best thing," and that is Class B.
For Heaven's sake, Class B is where Harbeth's P3ESR is. Class B is not a slum.
I am sure that JA did not merely rubberstamp my suggestion. He measured the Callas and I believe he listened to the pair. Had he disagreed with my suggestion, he could have put the Callas in Class C...
Of course, I speak only for myself, and that also means that I am not going to defend any RCL placement I had nothing to do with. And in that regard, I think that it is a good thing that not all the writers toe the same company line. So, expect some differences of opinion.
I respect the feelings and the listening skills of people who think the Callas should have been put in Class A. However, I try to stick to the literal wording of the gatekeeper clause, and the Callas did not in my view make it into Class A. Perhaps if some other writer had covered the product (Hi, Art!), the end result would have been different.
But I again restate that Class B is not Santa's Island of the Broken Toys.
Class B means this is a great product, and nearly the very best you can get.
John Marks
The measurements show what you can expect when you place two tweeters apart. This can't sound well. Figure 6 is hilarious and the red trace of figure 3 shows the reflex port is radiating at 700 Hz.


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Arkansas Cop Who Told Black Men They 'Don't Belong In My City' Is Fired
An Arkansas police officer has been fired after a video of him confronting a group of black men went viral. Demarcus Bunch was shooting a music video in the small town of England when he noticed a police officer was watching them. Bunch, who has an uncle on the England police force, approached the officer to see what the issue was.
"I was wondering, 'Why is he doing this,'" Bunch told THV11. "We're in small England. Everybody knows everybody."
The officer identified himself as Michael Moore, and Bunch's cousin Shannon Scribner explained to him that they were just in the area shooting a music video. They asked Moore why he was following them and he replied: "You know why? Because you don't belong in my city."
After the two explained they were from the town, Moore told them, "I know who my people are, right, who belongs here and who doesn't."
After some back and forth, Moore left the men alone, but they were not happy with what transpired. Bunch spoke to his uncle, who suggested he report the incident to England's chief of police.
After failing to hear back from the town's police department for over two weeks, Bunch shared the video of the encounter on Facebook and it quickly went viral. The next day, the department announced that Moore had been fired.
While Bunch is happy that Moore was no longer with the force, he is angry that nothing happened until after he made the video publicly available.
"Personally, I feel like the Chief should be held accountable as well for allowing him to even continue to work as long as he's worked after showing of the video," Bunch said.


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Danny Meehan: Force Ten from Drimalost, Part Two
Aug 23, 2009
Eden MacAdam-Somer: Into the String
Aug 23, 2009
Phil and Vivian Williams: Showcasing the Northwest's Fiddle Treasures
Jun 01, 2009
Danny Meehan: Force Ten from Drimalost, Part One
Jun 01, 2009
Michael Cleveland: Fanning the Bluegrass Flame
Jun 01, 2009
Martin Hayes should be no stranger to readers of this magazine. The East Clare fiddler, now living in Seattle, graced the cover of our premier issue almost seven years ago. Since then, three more CDs and countless tours and workshops have introduced his unique and intimate interpretations of Irish traditional music to a worldwide audience. I caught up with him in Boston last spring, as he was touring with long-time partner, guitarist Dennis Cahill. I asked Martin if he would share some thoughts about his approach to the interpretation of Irish fiddle music.
Martin, let's talk a little about what you call that "lonesome touch."
Yeah, what is it? If I knew what it was exactly, I suppose I'd be able to do it all the time. But I'm not a hundred percent sure I can get my hands on it at all times! For me it was just a figure of speech, a way of expressing a kind of feeling. It was a way I heard musicians describe other musicians on occasion. So it just became a way of describing a plaintive kind of touch in the music. It had to do with hearing the music in a very vocal kind of way -- lyricism, expressiveness, interpretation of the melodies. Singing them, as it were, on the fiddle in a vocal, expressive way. So I try to play what I might sing in my mind. And I try to bow it as you might breathe it almost. It keeps it kind of simple in some ways. In other ways, it's kind of complicated. For example, when I would bow...[plays], that's how I would sing that phrase. Most often when I've been humming tunes or singing to myself, I'd say, "If I could play like that, I'd be good." And so, I just chase that idea in all its simplicity. Because there are many things you can play on a fiddle that can be very "fiddlistic," even non-musical in some respects. You almost can tell sometimes, when you try to sing it -- if you sang exactly what you played -- how unmusical it might sound at times. On the other hand, it can be kind of accepted as being part of the fiddle genre itself. But I have focused less on Irish fiddle playing and more on Irish music. It's more about the interpretation of the music and less about the instrument. Although it is a great instrument and I wouldn't trade it for anything! It's just using the instrument to express the melodies, really.
Is this approach something that is typically done in Clare or is this something you have picked up on your own?
Yes and no. Most of my ideas are picked up from musicians and Clare people like my father (P. J. Hayes), Paddy Canny, Junior Crehan, Bobby Casey. But it's not the complete picture. Anybody looking at a regional style will see it with their own set of blinkers on. I see one thing, where if somebody else went there, they might see another thing. And I've followed what I saw, what I believe it to be. There's a good degree of subjectivity when you're determining a regional style. And then there's also the problem, if I were to go to East Clare and pick out the definitive East Clare fiddle player, he or she couldn't be found. Because you'd have to have a collection of them before you begin to see that they all contain little parts of it. Maybe no one plays it completely. So I wouldn't be playing definitively in the "East Clare style." I'd be playing how I see it, and then I'd be further into seeing what that philosophically meant -- what were the reasons for them to play music, how did they see music, what did they aspire to in music -- and then taking those ideas and following on from those concepts. Leading you to things that might not necessarily have been heard within that tradition before -- but, in my subjective opinion, not inconsistent with it either. I find myself in that in-between world where in one sense I think it's absolutely traditional, and then with just a flick like that, suddenly it's something completely new and different. And it wavers. It just sits on that edge all the time.
Was the music you heard originally mostly for dancing or was it used also for listening? Were there two kinds of fiddle tunes?
There were, yeah. Even between my father and Paddy Canny, you had that difference in some ways. My father primarily liked to play for dancers a lot. Paddy Canny on the other hand didn't have much particular interest in that. There were different people who appreciated it from a listening point of view, people who appreciated it from a dancing point of view. I've been very influenced by the dance aspect of it also. Slow or lyrical things, even if I play slowly, I try to bring inherent dance syncopations into it.
I've found that, yes, you do play a little bit faster for dancers, but it's not really the speed they're looking for. They're looking for a syncopation, a kind of a swing in the music, to lift them, because then it doesn't have to move nearly as fast as people are often led to expect. It doesn't have to be a rapid speed. It just has to move in a certain way. I played in a ceili band for years and have been kind of focused on that, and I've tried to bring aspects of that and merge it with the kind of lyricism and have the two things moving at once, if possible.
[For the full text of this interview, purchase the Winter 00/01 issue of Fiddler Magazine! Martin was also interviewed in the Spring 1994 and Spring 2009 issues.]
[Peter Anick, co-author of Mel Bay's "Old Time Fiddling Across America," plays fiddle with the Massachusetts bluegrass band Wide Open Spaces (www.wideospaces.com).]
Photo by Peter Anick: Martin Hayes holding the Spring 1994 (premier) issue of Fiddler Magazine, for which he was interviewed.


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If ever a man seemed like a hero, it was David Petraeus.
If ever a man seemed like a hero, it was David Petraeus.
Four-star general. CIA director. Square-jawed.
Or how about Joe Paterno?
Another hero to millions. Inspirational leader. Ran a clean football program in a dirty business.
Then there was Lance Armstrong. Countless cycling titles. Beat cancer. Started a foundation to fight cancer.
Do I have to tell you what happened to these so-called heroes?
The general, raised in Cornwall, cheats on his wife. The coach does nothing about sexual abuse of kids by his assistant. Armstrong takes illegal drugs, leads a doping ring — and lies about it all for years.
These guys weren't heroes.
We just thought they were.
And the only reason we did is because of what we saw on TV, in newspapers and magazines or online.
That's how we think we know most of the celebrities we admire. But really, all we know about them is what they — and their PR machines — want us to know.
That's bad enough for us adults, who just shake our heads and move on.
But what about our kids who are looking for heroes?
As a boy, I worshipped Mickey Mantle with such a passion, I ached for blond hair, like the Mick's.
My little world was shattered when I read that he drank too much — or that he told a pal to get lost when he asked for an autograph.
And what about JFK?
My grandma idolized the young president so much, she told me I could be just like him — except I could be the first Jewish president, just like he was the first Catholic.
And then we learn that he, too, cheated on his wife — in the White House.
As I grew older, I realized something so obvious, it's almost a clich�. It's that image, whether it's four stars or blond hair, doesn't matter.
It's who we are inside that's the real stuff of heroes.
And sometimes the real heroes are those closest to us.
Take my grandpa — a short, paunchy man who was a house painter. He spoke with a Russian accent and never graduated from high school, because he had been sent to Siberia for his political beliefs, and because he was Jewish.
But in the 25 years I knew him, I never heard him say a negative word about any race or religion.
I do remember a story he told me.
When he was a little boy, his father was sick, so my grandpa went to the synagogue and prayed. When he told his father, the old man smiled and explained the real meaning of religion: You wouldn't like it if someone threw mud on the new suit you're wearing, would you? So don't do it to anyone else.
In other words, do unto others as you would want them to do to you.
If everyone lived by that principle — as he did — wouldn't the world be a better place?
And if we all looked to those around us — especially this holiday season when we're surrounded by family — perhaps we all could find our real heroes.


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WNC's Lucey Retires
Carol Lucey finished her last day as president of Western Nevada College on Wednesday, leaving the reins to Chet Burton as executive officer until a new president is appointed.
But Lucey won't be going away. She said she intends to be fully involved with Senate Bill 391, which she hopes will eventually provide WNC with a stable funding base. That legislation passed by the 2013 Legislature opens the door to include local funding to help support WNC and Great Basin Community College.
"In the end I think that's the only thing that's going to allow Nevada to have colleges outside of Washoe and Clark counties," she said in July.
She announced in July that she was leaving the presidency but said she would give the Board of Regents time to conduct a national search for her replacement, staying on until January if needed. She said that search still has not even started.
"The longer you're a lame duck, the harder it is," she said Wednesday. "I just decided this is the time."
Lucey sent a letter announcing her departure to the college faculty and staff, as well as members of the college's three community advisory boards.
She said she took the job 15 years ago "because I had pretty strong feelings about what the colleges could do for people."
"I've got a lot to say about community colleges, the importance of these colleges to economic development and also to providing social mobility to people who don't have other things they can do," she said.
But, she said, as president, she was restrained.
"I'm old enough now to have formed a lot of strong opinions in my life, and sometimes college administrators have to be quiet. I don't want to be quiet," she said.
She said she will be very involved in the SB391 committee because, "It just doesn't seem like Nevada is using its colleges as effectively as they could, so I'm going to be out beating that drum."
In a letter to the college staff she said WNC is a very different place than it was when she arrived.
"Even with the significant financial challenges that we have faced and met, we have been able to make changes that I believe have been good for our students and for all the communities we serve," she wrote.
She said those include diversifying the student population with more recent high school graduates, disabled, low-income and minority students. They added a Veterans Resource Center this semester and increased the number of students who complete degrees nearly every year since she arrived. In 2013, she said, the school issued degrees to 522 students and certificates to another 691 students.
Burton thanked Lucey in a prepared statement.
"Dr. Lucey has provided a solid foundation on which to continue serving the bright young women and men passing through the doors of Western," Burton said. "They are the keys to our future, and we must never lose sight of that fact. We will continue to do everything we can to support and assist them in furthering their education and reaching their career goals."
District 9 Regent Ron Knecht, of Carson City, said the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents will start the presidential search process around Nov. 1. Knecht said the goal is to have a new president in place by July 1.
Before the search process begins Chancellor Daniel Klaich and members of the Board of Regents will host a meeting on campus to gather feedback about the qualifications of the new president. Knecht said he hoped to meet at the WNC-Fallon campus.
"There is a process in place; an open process to reach out to everyone in the community and the college community to gather feedback," Knecht said of the search.
The Regents will meet Oct. 18 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6, also at the UNLV. Knecht said an acting president will be named while the search process takes place.
NAP News Editor Adam Trumble contributed to this report.


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Montana Health Plans
Find individual health insurance in Montana
Discover more plans at the lowest available cost.Find plans in my area
Shopping for your own health insurance can be confusing. Montana residents have a big selection of insurance plans to choose from and finding the right match for your needs isn't easy.
At eHealthInsurance, we offer a broad selection of Montana health plans from leading insurance companies. We allow you to compare plans side by side, read customer reviews, apply for coverage online and get personal help from licensed agents. Use the links below to learn about your Montana health insurance options, what health reform means for Montana residents and the tax benefits available when you buy coverage for yourself, your family or your small business.
Information on Montana Health Plans for Individuals & Families
- Montana Individual & Family Medical
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- Montana Medicare Advantage Plans(Part C)
- Montana Medicare Part D Plans


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Thank you everyone for participating in yesterday's giveaway and sharing with us your favorite episodes!
Remember, if you don't get the show in your area, give your local PBS station a shout and request that they carry it. In the meantime, you can get a subscription to sew.tv and watch Sew it All TV episodes anytime!
Yesterday's winners of a package of Paradiso designs patterns are: Cath and Linda Kirsch! Please email firstname.lastname@example.com with your mailing addresses to receive your prizes!
Many of you mentioned Sue Hausmann's episode as one of your favorites. Well Sue's back for season 6, guiding you through some machine troubleshooting and creating an adorable monogrammed tablet sleeve.
You may recall another tablet sleeve from season 5 by Angela Yosten in episode 512, "Case Logic." Well today we're giving you the chance to win a copy of Angela's book, Stop. Go. Quilt. Sew! Included in the book are 12 fun projects, instructions and patterns!
To enter to win this great prize, answer the following question in the comments section below: What would you like to see on Sew it All TV?
More home-dec projects? Garments? Techniques? Let us know!
Good luck! One winner will be announced on Monday, along with another prize. Have a great weekend


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FBI, Facebook Team Up to Fight 'Butterfly Botnet'
FBI, Facebook join forces to fight "Butterfly Botnet" cyber attack.
Dec. 12, 2012 -- The FBI says a "Butterfly Botnet" cyber attack targeted 11 million computer users around the world and was responsible for over $850 million in losses. The malware program gained access to many individual computers through Facebook, and was able to steal computer users' credit card and bank account numbers and other valuable information. The attacks occurred between 2010 and October 2012.
Botnet is shorthand for a robot network, made up of compromised computers that can be used by cyber criminals to distribute spam or malware or to steal information from private users and networks.
The FBI credited Facebook's security team with helping to identify the "root cause, the perpetrators, and those affected by the malware." ABC News asked Facebook how many users were affected, and spokesman Frederic Wolens responded in an email, "We are not disclosing exact figures at this time, but it was a much smaller subset of users than the 11 million stat quoted (by the FBI)."
The FBI says the investigation identified international cyber crime rings that allegedly used variants of a piece of malware called Yahos to invade personal computers worldwide. Variations of the Yahos malware are known to attack through instant messaging platforms, often prompting users with fake messages from someone on their "friends" list. A click then sends the user to an external site that installs the malware, and the computer becomes part of the botnet.
Cyber security expert Mark Rasch tells ABC News that social networks are prime targets of cyber criminals. "If your goal is to distribute malware widely with the illusion of trust, Facebook and Twitter would be ideal vectors," Rasch said.
Facebook spokesman Wolens said the social network was able to block many of the attempted malware attacks.
"Any Facebook user that we detected as infected was put through our malware checkpoint and our anti-spam systems were able to block any content we identified as originating from this malware," Wolens wrote. "We were able to build detection and remediation tools very quickly, however, the vast majority of the infections occurred 'out of band' (I.E. not on Facebook) so we did not have full visibility into the attack.
And Wolens said Facebook users who were the victims of an attack got help. "Whenever we were able to detect an infected account we check pointed the user and helped them remediate their affected devices, but we only had limited insight into new infections."
The FBI and international law enforcement picked up some of the botnet suspects overnight, but no criminal charges have been publicly filed. The FBI says the investigation is far-flung and complex. The FBI's Cyber Division, International Operations Division, and no fewer than 23 U.S. field offices are involved in the case. In addition, the FBI has received assistance from law enforcement agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Britain, New Zealand and Peru. An FBI spokesman told ABC News some details are being kept under wraps because the investigation is continuing.
"The most important thing about this attack is that there was international cooperation and they apparently found the people behind it," cyber security expert Mark Rasch said. "Fighting cyber criminals may at times be a losing battle, but it's a battle we have to keep fighting."
Meanwhile, Facebook has launched a partnership with a number of anti-virus companies to help provide users with protection from malware. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-security/expanding-the-facebook-av-marketplace/10151060808670766


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PHOENIX (Thursday, February 14, 2013) -- Arizona is included in a legal settlement reached with Toyota over the manufacturer's well-publicized recent safety issues, Attorney General Tom Horne said today.
Horne has joined 29 other states in announcing a $29 million settlement with Toyota Motor Corporation and its related North America entities over allegations Toyota concealed safety issues related to unintended acceleration. Arizona's share is just under $700,000, which is designated for the state's Consumer Revolving Fund.
"When these problems became evident just a few years ago, consumers were understandably concerned about the safety of some Toyota vehicles," Horne said. "This agreement makes sure that Toyota will quickly disclose and fix vehicle safety issues."
Toyota agreed to pay $29 million to settle consumer protection claims and has agreed to provide additional restitution and incentives to vehicle owners to promote compliance with unintended acceleration safety recalls. As a result of the settlement, Arizona will receive $698,872.81 and Toyota will be restricted from advertising the safety of vehicles without sound engineering data to back such safety claims.
In a complaint filed today along with the settlement agreement, the states alleged Toyota engaged in unfair and deceptive practices when it failed to timely disclose known safety defects with accelerator pedals. The investigating State Attorneys General determined poor communication between Toyota's nerve center in Japan and Toyota's United States holdings were partially responsible for Toyota's failure to timely report known safety issues. During settlement negotiations, emphasis was placed on ensuring changes in the corporate culture and corporate chain of command to enhance Toyota's responsiveness to regulatory agencies in the United States. As a result, Toyota has agreed to significantly change the safety culture within the company's United States operations. Toyota will ensure that officials and officers of its United States operations have timely access to information and the authority to fully participate in all decisions affecting the safe operation of Toyota vehicles advertised and sold in the United States. The requested culture and chain of command changes will also improve safety issue related communication between Toyota's holdings in the United States and Toyota's other global holdings. The State Attorneys General believe the agreed changes in Toyota's corporate communications and safety decision making chain of command will allow the company to move forward in a positive manner with improved responsiveness to safety concerns.
In addition, the settlement provides that Toyota is:
- Prohibited from reselling a vehicle it reacquired with alleged safety defects without informing the purchaser about the alleged defect(s) and certifying that the reacquired vehicle has been fixed,
- Prohibited from misrepresenting the purpose of an inspection or repair when directing consumers to bring their vehicles to a dealer for inspection or repair, and
- Required to exclude from the "Toyota Certified Used Vehicles" or "Lexus Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles" categories any vehicle acquired through lemon law proceedings or voluntarily repurchased by Toyota to ensure customer satisfaction.
For more information contact:
- Toyota – 1-800-331-4331
- Lexus – 1-800-255-3987
The lines are staffed from 5 am Pacific/8 am Eastern to 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern Monday through Friday, and are staffed on Saturdays from 7 am Pacific/10 am Eastern to 4 pm Pacific/7 pm Eastern.
This case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Rebecca Salisbury.


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Meeting more people in JD's LBR - ICC
I'm going to divert away from ICC for a sec and talk about something about Draynee's blog that I had to share with her. I was telling her that I love her blog, but what the hell is with the draenei art in the background?? Those boobies are distracting me from her blog content!! She had a good laugh about that!
And this is Tyledres of Frost and Claws. She's been popping over to my blog and I've been reading her Why I play series.
Good old druid bloggers! This is Karegina on her warlock riding Akabeko.
I had to take a pic of giant bear ass. Just because I can. You can see JD doesn't look too impressed.
I just wanted to include this creepy picture because I have never noticed the ghosts before, and I have been to ICC a lot. Where is Tome of the Ancient when I need her to point out all the wonders to me?


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updated 10:48 AM EDT, Wed May 23, 2012
This seemingly mundane act, captured on a surveillance video, would be the last image the 17-year-old's loved ones would have of him alive.
While questions still remain, what happened next to Martin on the night of February 26 became clearer on Thursday with the release of scores of pages of investigative and medical examiner's reports, in addition to new images of Martin's shooter and the 7-Eleven video.
Martin didn't live in Sanford, a central Florida city of about 53,000 people. Yet by that winter night, he'd been there for seven days, after being suspended for the third time from Dr. Michael M. Krop High School in Miami, in this instance, for 10 days after drug residue was found in his backpack, according to records obtained by the Miami Herald.
His father Tracy had taken his son four hours away from home because neither he or Trayvon Martin's mother wanted the teen to stay in his hometown where he could enjoy time with his friends, family friend and former football coach Jerome Horton recalled later.
That Sunday night, Martin was supposed to be getting a snack and heading back to the Sanford home of his father's fiance.
It was on that walk back that he encountered George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer.
Some details as to Martin's thought process around that time may someday be gleaned from what he told his girlfriend back in Miami in a cell phone conversation, his family's lawyers said.
The boyfriend and girlfriend spoke at 7:12 p.m.
Zimmerman's voice, meanwhile, comes through on a 911 call he made around that time, telling a dispatcher about "a real suspicious guy."
"This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. It's raining, and he's just walking around."
The dispatcher asked Zimmerman, who'd called 911 at least four times previously for other incidents, if he was following the person. He replies, "Yes."
"OK. We don't need you to do that," the dispatcher responded.
But Zimmerman followed him anyway.
What happened next is a matter of dispute. Martin and Zimmerman were obviously in the middle of it, but no one else saw all that happened. One witness later told police that "she heard a commotion, which sounded like arguing," while another mentioned "loud talking."
And on one 911 call, placed by a neighbor, a police sergeant counted one man yelling "help!" or "help me!" 14 times in a span of 38 seconds.
Who was yelling? When the 911 calls were later played back for him and he was asked if they were from his son, an emotional Tracy Martin "quietly responded 'no'." But an FBI analysis, also detailed on Thursday, said it couldn't be determined whose voice it was due to the "extreme emotional state" of whomever was yelling, a lack of words from which to compare, overlapping voices and "insufficient voice quality" on the recording.
The same analysis also didn't reach conclusions as to whether Zimmerman used a racial epithet to describe Martin on his own 911 call, as some have alleged. Martin's family have said they believe Zimmerman, a white Hispanic, profiled the African-American teen.
Numerous witnesses, however, did clearly hear a gunshot.
It came from Zimmerman's black, 9mm semiautomatic hand gun. The bullet went into Martin's left chest and lodged there.
Police headed to the neighborhood after Zimmerman's initial 911 call, but didn't arrive until after the fatal shot. They found Martin "face down in the grass."
A sergeant checked and couldn't find a pulse. For the next six minutes, he and another police officer teamed up to conduct CPR on the teen. A plastic bag, brought by a neighbor, was used to seal his chest wound. Firefighters and EMS from the Sanford Fire Department arrived at 7:27 p.m., to continue efforts to try to save him.
Three minutes later, at 7:30 p.m., Martin was pronounced dead.
Aside from a small scratch on one finger, that gunshot wound was the only apparent injury the teenager suffered. A medical examiner's report later found trace elements of THC, an element of marijuana, in his system, though experts pointed out the challenge in equating the levels found with Martin's level of intoxication at the time of his death.
One officer who lifted Martin's shirt at the scene "felt a large, cold can in the center pocket" of the teen's hoodie, which was the iced tea he'd bought just minutes before. Blood was later spotted on his Skittles, along with a lighter, a T-Mobile brand cell phone, headphones and $40 and some change.
A witness told police that, after the gunshot, she saw a "larger" man standing over Martin.
Police who arrived described the shooter, Zimmerman, as compliant in answering their questions and willingly putting on handcuffs.
He had blood on his nose -- with one officer saying it appeared "broken," while noting "swelling" of his face -- and, as photographs showed, blood on the back of his head. His back was wet and soiled, as if he'd been in grass.
Zimmerman claimed that Martin had attacked him, hitting him in the nose and knocking him back into the pavement. It was only then, in self-defense, that he'd taken out his gun and shot the teen, he said.
Tests, the results of which were made public Thursday, would show evidence of Zimmerman's hands on the firearm, but not Martin's. An analysis of scrapings from underneath the teenager's fingernails did not contain any of Zimmerman's DNA, as might rub off in the case of a prolonged struggle.
At the scene, Zimmerman declined to be transported to the hospital despite his apparent injuries.
A police officer reiterated that offer after Zimmerman complained his head hurt and he felt lightheaded while being driven to the Sanford Police Department. But again he turned it down.
While at the police station, Zimmerman requested some tissues, water and to go to the bathroom, but little else. He ended up turning over his clothes to police but, after being questioned and putting on a change of clothes brought in by his wife, he headed home.
Tracy Martin, meanwhile, didn't know where his son was. He filed a missing person's complaint on the morning of February 27, telling authorities that his son hadn't returned from going to the store the previous evening.
Police then showed Tracy Martin a picture taken from the crime scene, and he confirmed the dead teenager was, in fact, Trayvon.
As to Zimmerman, he remained in limbo for weeks.
Police had declined to arrest him that night, saying there wasn't enough evidence to refute his self-defense claim.
But the investigation continued. In a capias request, a request that someone be taken into custody, on March 13, police described what happened as "ultimately avoidable by Zimmerman, if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement, or conversely if he had identified himself to Martin as a concerned citizen and initiated dialog (sic) in an effort to dispel each party's concern.
"There is no indication that Trayvon Martin was involved in any criminal activity."
On April 11, special prosecutor Angela Corey announced that Zimmerman was being charged with second-degree murder.


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A disturbing new study finds that studies are disturbing – Ellen DeGeneres
[singlepic id=288 w=321 h=310 float=right]OMG! Look how Jews in Israel have to line up to get a potful of drinking water from a rusty ol' barrel in this Huffington Post article. That's horrible… and also not true, as any Jew who takes a glimpse at this photo will tell you: It looks like people making their kitchenware Kosher for Passover. But how is the HuffPo staff supposed to know that? Hmm… Let's see if the caption of this Agence France-Presse photo is any help:
An Israeli man immerses cooking pots into boiling water to make them kosher for the Jewish festival of Pessah (Passover) in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, on April 18, 2011. Religious Jews throughout the world celebrate the eight-day Passover holiday, which begins on April 18, 2011, to commemorate the Israelites' exodus from Egypt some 3,500 years ago. Due to the haste with which the Jews left Egypt, the bread they had prepared for the journey did not have time to rise. To commemorate their ancestors' plight, the religious avoid eating leavened food products throughout Passover.. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Hmm… Seems like a CliffsNotes version of Passover for Dummies to me…


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How can we do a better job of sharing the ocean with whales and dolphins in one of the U.S.'s most populous areas?
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The gray whales of the eastern Pacific were removed from the endangered species list in 1994, but now they appear to be in trouble again.
If you're walking along one of Southern California's beaches, you've got a good chance of seeing a whale spouting or a pod of dolphins riding the waves. This coastline supports a rich community of marine mammals, including gray whales, which complete one of the longest migrations of any mammal. They make an annual round trip of up to 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers)—farther than flying from Los Angeles to Tokyo and back—from the food-rich northern Pacific Ocean to the warm waters off Mexico, where they mate and give birth.
But this region is also home to Los Angeles Harbor, the busiest port in the U.S. Whales and dolphins here face constant threats from human activities: shipping traffic, commercial and recreational whale-watching boats, oil rigs, and pollution.
Volunteers helped researchers find out how these activities affect marine mammals and helped develop strategies to reduce these risks. From both the shore and the deck of a boat, they observed marine mammals—how they behave on their own, and how they behave when boats or other disturbances are around. Volunteers learned how to estimate their distance and how to use photos to identify individual whales and dolphins. Earthwatch volunteers worked hard to protect some of the ocean's most majestic inhabitants.
Whales expend extra energy avoiding boat traffic and forage less when boats are nearby, which could push them past their limits.
This research tracked when and where marine mammals are in the area, which can help keep conflicts with boat traffic down.
It can be hard to fathom that a creature as massive as a whale could be at the mercy of us puny humans. But, of course, we all share the coastal regions like Southern California, and conflicts are bound to occur.
Volunteers observed species of dolphin including bottlenose, common and Risso's.
On this project, researchers observed the gray whales on their migratory route and other marine mammals in the area to assess how humans impact them. Collisions between whales and boats have risen steadily since the 1950s as ships have gotten larger and faster and whale populations have recovered from the whaling industry. Marine mammals are injured or even killed after becoming entangled in fishing gear. And there are less lethal, but very troubling, threats that come when maritime traffic intersects whale and dolphin home ranges or migratory paths. This traffic may cause animals to move their paths further offshore, or to forage less when in the presence of boats. Such impacts could increase the animals' energetic costs while decreasing their gains from foraging, and could push an animal past its limits, especially in years when prey is limited.
Volunteers helped these researchers make observations of how whales and dolphins behave around boats and helping to track where these mammals move and appear, you'll contribute to an accurate picture of what exactly happens between whales and humans at this crucial place where our species intersect.
Explore the coast of Southern California from the striking cliffs of Palos Verdes to the bustling restaurants and shops of San Pedro. We'll do our lab work in San Pedro at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, which is named for the first European explorer to visit the area and is housed in a complex designed by Frank Gehry. The Cabrillo Aquarium focuses on native sea life, and it maintains a coastal park where you can spot tide-pool dwellers like sea urchins and sea stars and a number of birds.
Nearby Palos Verdes is known for its stunning vistas and miles of free trails that overlook the ocean. While searching for whales and dolphins from shore on clear days, you can see Santa Catalina Island, the biggest of the Channel Island Archipelago, just offshore.
Southern California has an immense number of natural, cultural, and culinary adventures for visitors, if you decide to make this research expedition part of a longer visit to the area.
This is a summary:
Volunteers arrived on the evening of day one and shared a meal with their teammates, then learned all they needed to know about the research to begin searching for animals in the wild. On some shifts, volunteers took to the sea by boat and followed transects—set paths along the shore—to photograph each animal they spotted and recorded its location, behavior, and any human disturbances in the area. They also spent time stationed at a lookout point on shore, where they scanned the sea for marine mammals and recorded the same information. Volunteers also tried their hand at data analysis, by creating GIS maps of sighting locations or matching photos of individual whales with those taken at different places along the North American coast.
Volunteers investigated whale behavior on a marine mammal survey.
Help Dr. Stelle to track whale and dolphin populations in Southern California.
Dr. Lei Lani Stelle has researched Steller sea lions, the ecological interactions between gray whales and mysids (swarming zooplankton), and river otters. For Earthwatch, she's in Southern California researching whale and dolphin populations.
You'll stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Pedro, just steps from the waters of the Los Angeles Harbor, either in shared double-occupancy rooms or single rooms (at extra cost). The Crowne Plaza offers all the comforts of a modern hotel, including a pool and Jacuzzi where you can relax in your off hours.
The team will dine together at local restaurants or at the hotel for most meals. You can find a vast array of restaurants in the area, many offering fresh seafood and cuisine from all over the world. The research team will bring packed lunches out into the field each day, so you can dine al fresco right at the research sites.
Please write a testimonial for this expedition. You may only write testimonials for expeditions you have been on.
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Have you been on this expedition?
Jamy Garcia | Sunday, June 24, 2018
Had a wonderful time viewing whales and dolphins off the southern California coastline!
Why have Pacific leatherback sea turtles almost disappeared? Look for answers and solutions on Costa Rica's beaches.
How can we keep shark and ray populations strong? Find answers while exploring some of the world's most beautiful reefs.
How can we do a better job of sharing the ocean with whales and dolphins in one of the U.S.'s most populous areas?
How can we protect fragile coral reefs and still benefit from their resources? Help scientists answer this critically important question.


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These are the October 16, 2019 winning numbers for Powerball. To stay up to date with the latest lottery information, download our mobile app.
Power Play: 2X
Power Play: 3X
*Power Plays act as multipliers for the prize money (prize times 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10)
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After a day of touring around Krakow, Poland, with history, delicious food, and tired bodies, a few of us just wanted to relax before returning to our hotel. Our guide had been nice enough to search the square to find the perfect spot, The Piano Rouge. What a treat to walk into this supper club where time had stopped and hear a father and daughter team singing "Unforgettable." In its relaxing environment, I enjoyed a well-known traditional Polish cocktail, both refreshing and tasty, called Tatanka or Szarlotka. It translates to apple pie.
Tatanka or Szarlotka Cocktail (Apple Pie)
1 ounce (28 ml) Żubrówka Vodka (in English, it would be called Bison Grass Vodka)
2 or 3 ounces (58 ml or 86 ml) apple juice
Dash or two of lemon juice
Mix all ingredients and pour over ice cubes.
Garnish with apple slices.
Żubrówka Vodka has been produced since the 16th century. Since it is distilled from rye and flavored with tincture of buffalo grass, this method provides the vodka with a yellow tint. This same grass does not meet with U.S. standards, so in the U.S. a milder version is sold called Bison Vodka. Each U.S. bottle generally has a blade of bison grass in it.
Enjoy a little bit of Poland.


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Joe Pug
Folk singer-songwriter, steel guitar.
Date: December 7, 2017
Event Times: 8:00 PM
Ticket Information: Tickets go on sale August 24, 2017.
URL: union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/event-calendar/event/joe-pug-2/
Location of this event
Wisconsin Union Theater
800 Langdon St
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-262-2201
Accessibility: Please notify the box office if you require special assistance or seating arrangement. The main floor of the theater is accessible by wheelchair via the Park St. entrance. The balcony is not wheelchair accessible. Patrons unable to transfer into an auditorium seat should reserve a wheelchair location in advance. An easy-access restroom is available in the outer lobby on the main floor. Large-print programs may be requested in advance at 608-262-2202.
Email: email@example.com
Web site: www.uniontheater.wisc.edu
Description:The Wisconsin Union Theater, constructed in 1939 as an addition to the Memorial Union, is a multi-purpose performing arts facility offering a varied program of professional dance, music, theater, film and other entertainment and cultural events.
The box office is located on the Park Street side of the Memorial Union. Its hours are 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and 12-5 p.m. Sat. (when the university is in session).


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Alpine Touring/Telemark Poles
Recent Alpine Touring/Telemark Pole Reviews
Black Diamond Compactor Ski Poles
Lighter, faster, and easier to use than other poles, yet worries about durability linger. Despite the worries, I really like these poles. Summary: From Black Diamond: "The aluminum compactor pole adjusts between popular pole lengths and uses an internal Kevlar cord to instantly break down to packable size and redeploys in a flash. One, rock solid, point of adjustment means you can keep moving instead of being the one always fiddling with your poles." I trek on my ski poles. Or maybe I should say… Full review
Black Diamond Compactor Ski Poles
Love the trekking poles. I use to hike a lot, but with aging my pace has really slowed down. These poles are so much better than using a cane for any walking you do. Because of the perfect balance they create you can move easily wherever you use them. However, I have lost my manual and I need advice about how to put on the powder baskets. Help??? Full review
Black Diamond Compactor Ski Poles
Awesome product fo sho! When your trail is slippery, rocky, unstable or challenging in any way, bust out these poles for sure footing. Also, if you have pain in knees/ankles from impact on the trail, these will offer much needed relief to keep you going. Full review
MSR Deploy TR-3
MSR has consistently made rock solid products, and this is no exception. The overall design may become the industry standard. The pole never slipped in height adjustment. The aircraft grade aluminum offered consistent stability. The pole offers a simple way to adjust height without fussing with clips, locks, and twists. The no catch triangular basket, solid construction, and ease of use will make these my go-to poles for my winter hiking and snowshoeing. The TR-3 at first blush to me while attractive,… Full review
Black Diamond Compactor Ski Poles
I love these poles. I use these poles for everything, skinning with my splitboard, snowshoeing, and backpacking. They are awesome. Lightweight and they collapse down really small. The only downside I can think of is that the powder baskets need to be on in order to keep them from flopping around. The baskets have two notches in each one that snaps onto the pole shafts to hold them together into a compact package. Without the baskets (used as a trekking pole) they will flop around on your pack… Full review
Black Diamond Traverse Pole
I didn't use poles for years. I actually use one of the BD's and it alows me to speed through terrain that would normaly slow me down or tear my ankles up. I didn't use poles for years. I actually use one of the BD's and it alows me to speed through terrain that would normaly slow me down or tear my ankles up. Locks each segment solid. Keeps you confident. Full review
Black Diamond Whippet
The Whippet will give you added security in places where falling will have dire consequences. You have to know how to self-arrest for it to be useful. I recommend it for anyone that has ever wished they had, or actually had, an ice axe in their hand while skiing. I started skiing with a Whippet two seasons ago and I really like it. I don't have crampons for my skis so this gives me a nice sense of security when skiing on hard snow. I've had a few unexpected falls/slides where I couldn't stop if… Full review
Line Skis Pin Ski Poles
Great poles!!! I love the grips, can't get use to any other kind now that I have used them. They haven't bent at all since I have had them. Full review
Black Diamond Expedition 3
Light, tough, and cheap. I find it a bit amusing that after many years, the traditional leaders in hiking poles, Leki and Komperdell, are finally coming out with locking systems for their poles based on the Black Diamond Flicklock system. We've all heard stories about the old twist-lock poles collapsing at the wrong moment, dumping someone in a puddle or causing a fall, and it's good to see other companies following BD's lead. I've had my latest pair of Black Diamond Expedition poles for about three… Full review
In order to show you the most useful information, we have omitted some unreviewed products. View the complete product list »


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Willows Private Schools - starts with I
The 50States Willows private school directory. Find Willows , California private school addresses, phone numbers and other private school info.
Go To: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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EWHS (EWHS) Class of 1950 Alumni List
Help us Update the EWHS 1950 Class List by adding any names missing from the list below:
Registered Alumni
1950 Class List
Know EWHS Class of 1950 graduates that are NOT on this List? Help us Update the 1950 Class List by adding missing names.
The top movie in theaters during 1950 was Cinderella, grossing over $85,000,000 in its lifetime. The most popular television series for 1950 was The Texaco Star Theater
Reunions and Earl Wooster High School News
More 1950 alumni from Earl Wooster HS have posted profiles on Classmates.com®. Click here to register for free at Classmates.com® and view other 1950 alumni.
Missing some friends from Earl Wooster that graduated with you in 1950? Check the list below that shows the Earl Wooster class of '50.
If you are an alumn of EWHS you should register now in the alumni directory. We also encourage you to interact with the rest of the alumni on this site. You can find old friends, share photos and stay updated on the latest school news.


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- Page 1 Dell XPS 14 Review
- Page 2 Usability, Screen and Speakers Review
- Page 3 Performance, Value and Verdict Review
- Solid unibody aluminium chassis with soft-touch
- Excellent battery life
- Flexible specs including 3G
- High-res screen
- Good value
- Chunky and heavy
- TN screen with average viewing angles
- No touch for Windows 8 (yet?)
Key Specifications
- Review Price: £840.00
- Aluminium unibody chassis
- 14in 1600 x 900 TN screen with Gorilla glass
- Up to Core i7, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD
- Full-size HDMI, mini DisplayPort, 3 x USB 3.0
- Optional Nvidia GeForce 630M graphics
- Optional 3G
Dell was a little late to the Ultrabook game, but it made a stunning entrance with its original XPS 13 – slim, sleek and screaming premium from every inch, the XPS 13 was a success, and was quickly followed by the similarly-styled XPS 14 and XPS 15. We're looking at the former to see how a traditional MacBook Pro-like Ultrabook with no touchscreen option in the works (yet?) holds up.
What are you getting for around £950? A beautifully constructed slab of unibody aluminium with a 14-inch, 1,600 x 900 screen protected by Gorilla glass, Core i5 processor, dedicated Nvidia graphics, and TPM which gives the Dell XPS 14 business appeal.
The base model offers 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hybrid hard drive, or you can opt for the £1,280 version and get 8GB of RAM along with a whopping 512GB SSD, plus optional mobile broadband. Those are some pretty juicy specs so let's see if the XPS 14 has the body to go along with them.
Dell XPS 14 – Design and Build
When it comes to design the XPS 14 isn't just a larger version of its 13-inch sibling. It forgoes the tapering slimness of its predecessor and instead opts for a more MacBook Pro-like design that means it maintains the same 20.7mm thickness throughout. Mind you, it's certainly no less attractive for it – but it does increase the impression of weightiness and, at just over 2kg, that's the last thing the XPS 14 needs.
Essentially though, if you like the edgy, simplistic design of the older MacBook Pros, you'll be happy with this Dell. Even the usual LED indicators are blended into a single, beautifully integrated strip at the laptop's front. Only on the inside and bottom do things veer away significantly, as these are black soft-touch plastic, while the 'bezel-free' screen sports a glossy black bezel.
The soft keyboard surround makes resting your palms while typing a pleasure. On the XPS 14's base, meanwhile, there's a further thick sheet of rubber that gives this Ultrabook a superb grip even on sloped, slippery surfaces. Frankly, we've never encountered a laptop that felt as secure on our lap as this one, and applaud Dell for daring to be different and elevating function over form to this extent on a designer laptop.
Build quality of the Dell XPS 14 is superb, easily matching the best of the rest. Both the lid and base use milled aluminium unibody enclosures, ensuring there is not even a hint of flex. The anodised outer finish doesn't show off fingerprints, while the soft-touch black plastic used on the inside only shows grease marks from a certain angle. Gorilla glass ensures the XPS 14's screen is as well-protected as they get, and this is one display you can poke fingers or even biros at with impunity.
Dell XPS 14 – Connectivity
As you would expect from a powerful, productivity-oriented Ultrabook, the XPS 14 is stuffed with connectivity. On the left we have the power jack, a flip-out Gigabit Ethernet port, full-size HDMI, micro DisplayPort and twin USB 3.0 ports for hooking up fast external devices and quick charging. The XPS 14's right side is left mostly clean, with only a combined microphone/headphone jack, SDXC card reader, and Kensington lock slot. All this is a major improvement over the XPS 13, which was a bit lacking in the connections department.
On the wireless side of things Wi-Fi and Bluetooth come as standard, then things get a little complicated where 3G mobile broadband is concerned. You see, the XPS 14 with wireless broadband is not technically an Ultrabook as it's just a tad too thick. It also isn't available with dedicated Nvidia graphics, nor with an SSD of up to 512GB as on the XPS 14 Ultrabook. While we're glad Dell is offering a 3G option in its premium 14-inch laptop line with some business features, we can't help but wish you wouldn't have to compromise to get it.
Unlike other sites, we thoroughly test every product we review. We use industry standard tests in order to compare features properly. We'll always tell you what we find. We never, ever accept money to review a product. Tell us what you think - send your emails to the Editor.


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Our Group organises 3000+ Global Conferenceseries Events every year across USA, Europe & Asia with support from 1000 more scientific societies and Publishes 700+ Open Access Journals which contains over 50000 eminent personalities, reputed scientists as editorial board members.
Kidney disease means that the kidneys tend to be damaged along with are not able to filtration blood vessels similar to they should. This kind of damage might cause waste items to build up by the body processes. Additionally, it can bring about different conditions that can harm your wellbeing. Symptoms for Kidney Disease are Diabetes, High blood pressure, Cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease, and a family history of kidney failure.
Treatment for Kidney disease is there are several types of medicine that help people keep their blood pressure in a healthy range. Two kinds of medicines, ACEi (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors) and ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) also help to protect the kidneys.
The extrapolated prevalence in Russia, is found to be 3,916,941 for two times of 143,974,059 population estimation used. Ongoing Research is being done at Kidney cancer Centers.