text: KSG1996 30 Posted March 9, 2013 (edited) Hey guys! I'm finally done with my 4 and a half month journey of Accutane! I know lots of you need motivation and my breakout wasn't simple. It was one of the toughest ones I ever had. Here's my story. I've struggled with acne ever since I hit 13 (I'm 16 now), not as severe but I had the occasional pimples here and there. When I hit 15 is when my acne really began to get serious. I started getting cysts and numerous whiteheads all over my face, just to later expand to my back and chest. I took doxycycline and it did clear me up completely for a couple months. During July of 2012, I broke out once again. This time, my derm recommended me to use Accutane, since it was my last shot for a cure. I decided to take it and prayed for the best. My initial breakout was one of the toughest I have ever suffered, probably one of the worst I've ever seen. Pictures of my breakout: It was the hardest moment of my life. I gave up on looking for a girl (even the girl I had a deep crush with and I knew she liked me back...I gave it up), I rarely went to do sports, I NEVER wanted to go out, I would get mad when my parents invited people over...My life was completely down. There was this one day I was so depressed about my acne, I faked being sick in school to go home and just be with my parents. I can't describe how much pain I went through. There were days where I cried of frustration with my appearance. I was collapsed emotionally. Really, really collapsed. After the third month, things began to look a bit better. My face began clearing every day a bit more, and people noticed it. Slowly, my confidence began to build up once again and things were finally getting a whole lot better. I started going out a bit more and actually decided to enjoy my life and ignore the acne problem. I prayed every day and night to get better, and I began to see myself helped by God and my parents. I also had fantastic friends that came to visit me when I was really depressed and we chilled together. My life was turning around. My face got a whole lot better, and by the time I cleared up acne wise, my treatment was over. I was happy to feel confident once again and to go outside with my friends. I hate being so self concious at times but I realized how much better I was. My parents, friends, and family tell me I look much better. I do still have the marks but that's the least. I'm getting chemical peels a couple months from now and it's fantastic to know that everything is a whole lot better now. Here's pics of my face now: I know my face isn't completely like I want it at the moment, but it's a billion times better than what it was. I'd like to thank all of those who kept helping me out here on acne.org when I was desperate for answers and for those who just helped me keep my head up high and have hope. I'm truly amazed at what such a great community, faith and a medication can do to my life, and I truly am grateful. This is my story to you guys, and feel free to share your thoughts. If you're going through acne, I'm always here if you need help. Thanks guys! Edited March 10, 2013 by KSG1996 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Pictures & Review of Gucci Resort 2014 Collection Lookbook
Gucci Resort 2014
Gucci Resort 2014
There are just as many unexpectedly luxurious treats in Frida Giannini's Resort 2014 collection for Gucci as there are essential pieces for surviving early Winter. A white cashmere coat, for example, closes at the waist with a robe-like tie, and a woven mink hoodie looks especially cosy. But even those pieces, sumptuous as they are, have to compete with generously cut shirts and pants in Lurex and paisley tunics that telegraph the feeling of being on — or just near — a beach in the '70s. Giannini told WWD she designed this collection for "an up-and-coming Jerry Hall beaming with breezy style," and she achieved that look best in a sheer halter jumpsuit covered in blue metallic polka dots. There are some statement t-shirts in this collection, too — one of which simply says "Frida's." But Giannini certainly didn't need to take that detour into screen printing to leave her mark on this collection. A full look, here in the gallery.
— Additional reporting by Jennifer Michalski Photo courtesy of Gucci

subset: commoncrawl


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New Releases
It's been months since Reverend Curtis learned that his wife Charlotte had affairs with two different men, and for now, he continues to be cordial and respectful to her. But he's also made it clear that once their son Matthew graduates high school, he will be filing for divorce. Charlotte, on the other hand, continues to do everything possible to make amends in hopes of saving their marriage. Unfortunately, Curtis is ready to move on and is being propositioned by a woman who desperately wants to become the next Mrs. Curtis Black. When the situation heads down a path that is frighteningly shocking, could it be the final blow to this once blessed union?
Frank Money is an angry, self-loathing veteran of the Korean War who, after traumatic experiences on the front lines, finds himself back in racist America with more than just physical scars. His home may seem alien to him, but he is shocked out of his crippling apathy by the need to rescue his medically abused younger sister and take her back to the small Georgia town they come from and that he's hated all his life. As Frank revisits his memories from childhood and the war that have left him questioning his sense of self, he discovers a profound courage he had thought he could never possess again.
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Twenty-something Sierra Dixon speaks about the joy of being single, though she is anything but, drifting from one relationship to another. Although she stresses the importance of unconditional love within the family, Raine Omari has hit her breaking point with her mother-in-law and is ready to take drastic steps. And when Liza Washington discovers that her pastor-husband is in the middle of a scandal that could bring down more than just their ministry, she knows she must do something to stop him. On one a fateful evening all of their secrets are exposed, and one diva commits an act that will land her in prison for the rest of her life…Each has motive; who will crack? Destiny's Divas is another compelling novel by Victoria Christopher Murray, a surefire hit about three women struggling to bridge the dangerous gap between appearance and reality.
Camille Robertson had her fifteen minutes of fame in the late '90s with the sexy R&B girl group Sweet Treats. Now she works as a telemarketer and longs for the past. With her thirtieth birthday around the corner, Camille is determined to break back into the music industry. But her new agent says her only chance is to reinvent herself--as a gospel singer. So Camille joins the nearest mega church, headed by handsome worship leader, Ronald Shepherd. She quickly wows the choir and orchestrates a plan to secretly record herself and make a demo. But when she and Ronald sing a duet together, it ignites a spark for them both--and leaves Camille conflicted. Camille is grateful for the relationship developing with Robert, but she's not willing to let go of her dream--even if it means using him to get there. Before long, Camille finds herself betraying the people she cares about most. Can she have love, forgiveness, faith--and fame?
What other explanation could there be? With her dark complexion and kinky hair, so unlike her fair-skinned parents, Lara knew she was different. At eight she finally learned the word "adopted." Twenty-two years later, a stranger arrives as she blows out the candles on her thirtieth birthday cake—a woman in a blue-and-black head tie who also claims the title "Lara's mother." Lara, always in control, now finds her life slipping free of the stranglehold she's had on it. Unexpected, dangerously unfamiliar emotions are turning Lara's life upside down, pulling her between Nigeria and London, forcing her to confront the truth about her past. But if she's brave enough to embrace the lives of her two mothers, she may discover once and for all what it truly means to be Lara.
Lydia was a common slave with a common life until the day she entered a world no slave had gone before. Pale skin and deceit opened the door to wealth and a power she had only dreamed of. But what she didn't count on was falling in love. What she didn't realize was life was not always black or white.
Running the Rift follows Jean Patrick Nkuba, a gifted Rwandan boy, from the day he knows that running will be his life to the moment he must run to save his life, a ten-year span in which his country is undone by the Hutu-Tutsi tensions. Born a Tutsi, he is thrust into a world where it's impossible to stay apolitical—where the man who used to sell you gifts for your family now spews hatred, where the girl who flirted with you in the lunchroom refuses to look at you, where your Hutu coach is secretly training the very soldiers who will hunt down your family. Yet in an environment increasingly restrictive for the Tutsi, he holds fast to his dream of becoming Rwanda's first Olympic medal contender in track, a feat he believes might deliver him and his people from this violence. When the killing begins, Jean Patrick is forced to flee, leaving behind the woman, the family, and the country he loves. Finding them again is the race of his life.
Twelve Gates to the City is the much-anticipated sequel to Black's acclaimed debut, They Tell Me of a Home. In this novel, Sister assumes the voice of the narrator, speaking from the spirit realm, telling her brother TL things he could have never known about their family. She constructs the story as a series of spiritual revelations, exposing to readers both who she was in the years of TL's absence and how every event in his life was an orchestration for his return.
From one of the world's most admired women, this is former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's compelling story of eight years serving at the highest levels of government. In her position as America's chief diplomat, Rice traveled almost continuously around the globe, seeking common ground among sometimes bitter enemies, forging agreement on divisive issues, and compiling a remarkable record of achievement. A native of Birmingham, Alabama who overcame the racism of the Civil Rights era to become a brilliant academic and expert on foreign affairs, Rice distinguished herself as an advisor to George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign. Once Bush was elected, she served as his chief adviser on national-security issues – a job whose duties included harmonizing the relationship between the Secretaries of State and Defense. It was a role that deepened her bond with the President and ultimately made her one of his closest confidantes. In 2005 Rice was entrusted with even more responsibility when she was charged with helping to shape and carry forward the President's foreign policy as Secretary of State. As such, she proved herself a deft crafter of tactics and negotiation aimed to contain or reduce the threat posed by America's enemies.
Harry Belafonte is not just one of the greatest entertainers of our time; he has led one of the great American lives of the last century. Now, this extraordinary icon tells us the story of that life, giving us its full breadth, letting us share in the struggles, the tragedies, and, most of all, the inspiring triumphs. Belafonte grew up, poverty-ridden, in Harlem and Jamaica. It was not an easy life, but it instilled in young Harry the hard-nosed toughness of the city and the resilient spirit of the Caribbean lifestyle. His journey led to the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he encountered an onslaught of racism but also fell in love with the woman he eventually married. After the war he moved back to Harlem, where he drifted between odd jobs until he saw his first stage play—and found the life he wanted to lead. Theater opened up a whole new world, one that was artistic and political and made him realize that not only did he have a need to express himself, he had a lot to express. My Song is a very personal look at the people in that movement and the world in which Belafonte has long moved. He has befriended many beloved and important figures in both entertainment and politics—Paul Robeson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sidney Poitier, John F. Kennedy, Marlon Brando, Robert Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Tony Bennett, Bill Clinton—and writes about them with the same exceptional candor with which he reveals himself on every page. This is a book that pulls no punches, and turns both a loving and critical eye on our country's cultural past. As both an artist and an activist, Belafonte has touched countless lives. With My Song, he has found yet another way to entertain and inspire us. It is an electrifying memoir from a remarkable man.
His father, "Syl" Whitaker, was the charismatic grandson of slaves who grew up the child of black undertakers from Pittsburgh and went on to become a groundbreaking scholar of Africa. His mother, Jeanne Theis, was a shy World War II refugee from France whose father, a Huguenot pastor, helped hide thousands of Jews from the Nazis and Vichy police. They met in the mid-1950s, when he was a college student and she was his professor, and they carried on a secret romance for more than a year before marrying and having two boys. Eventually they split in a bitter divorce that was followed by decades of unhappiness as his mother coped with self-recrimination and depression while trying to raise her sons by herself, and his father spiraled into an alcoholic descent that destroyed his once meteoric career. Based on extensive interviews and documentary research as well as his own personal recollections and insights, My Long Trip Home is a reporter's search for the factual and emotional truth about a complicated and compelling family, a successful adult's exploration of how he rose from a turbulent childhood to a groundbreaking career, and, ultimately, a son's haunting meditation on the nature of love, loss, identity, and forgiveness.
Professor Anita Hill takes us on a journey that begins with her own family story and ends with the subprime mortgage meltdown. Along the way, she invites us into homes across America, rural and urban, and introduces us to some extraordinary African American women. On the eve of the civil rights and women's rights movements, Lorraine Hansberry's childhood experience of her family's fight against racial restrictions in a Chicago neighborhood ended tragically for the Hansberry family. Yet, that episode shaped Lorraine's hopeful account of early suburban integration in her iconic American drama A Raisin in the Sun. In the midst of the 2008 recession, hairdresser Anjanette Booker's dogged determination to keep her Baltimore home and her salon reflects a commitment to her own independence and to her community's economic and social viability. Finally, Hill shares her own journey to a place and a state of being at home that brought her from her roots in rural Oklahoma to suburban Boston, Massachusetts, and connects her own search for home with that of women and men set adrift during the foreclosure crisis. The ability to secure a place that provides access to every opportunity our country has to offer is central to the American Dream. To achieve that ideal, Hill argues, we and our leaders must engage in a new conversation about what it takes to be at home in America. Pointing out that the inclusive democracy our Constitution promises is bigger than the current debate about legal rights, she presents concrete proposals that encourage us to reimagine equality. Hill offers a twenty-first-century vision of America—not a vision of migration, but one of roots; not one simply of tolerance, but one of belonging; not just of rights, but also of community—a community of equals.
Jezebel's sexual lasciviousness, Mammy's devotion, and Sapphire's outspoken anger—these are among the most persistent stereotypes that black women encounter in contemporary American life. Hurtful and dishonest, such representations force African American women to navigate a virtual crooked room that shames them and shapes their experiences as citizens. Many respond by assuming a mantle of strength that may convince others, and even themselves, that they do not need help. But as a result, the unique political issues of black women are often ignored and marginalized. Melissa V. Harris-Perry uses multiple methods of inquiry, including literary analysis, political theory, focus groups, surveys, and experimental research, to understand more deeply black women's political and emotional responses to pervasive negative race and gender images. Sister Citizen explores how African American women understand themselves as citizens and what they expect from political organizing. Harris-Perry shows that the shared struggle to preserve an authentic self and secure recognition as a citizen links together black women in America, from the anonymous survivors of Hurricane Katrina to the current First Lady of the United States.
STRAIGHT FROM HOLLYWOOD comes a dynamic business model for building a thriving career without compromising your faith. DeVon Franklin, vice president of production for Columbia Pictures, shares how being bold about his Christian faith while being driven and ambitious has actually helped him to excel in a high-profile, fast-paced, competitive industry. Produced by Faith parallels each step of the Hollywood filmmaking process with the faith-making process God uses to turn your career into a success. You will discover that it is possible to be both wildly successful and completely committed to God—and that you will be even more successful when you place your faith at the center of your career. You can unleash the power of your faith as your greatest professional advantage and use the compass of God's Word to guide you to your true passion and purpose in life.
Paige Donahue has always lived in her sister Camille's shadow. As children, Camille had the grades, the friends, and their parents' love, while Paige was left with hand-me-downs and criticism. Now as adults, Camille lives an idyllic life with her husband, Pierce, and her two perfect children in a beautiful home, while Paige is stuck in a small condo with bills she can't afford to pay. But no more. With seeds of doubt planted in both Camille's and Pierce's minds, Paige's plan to steal her brother-in law starts to work. But when he reveals his decision to make his marriage work, a desperate Paige moves from envy to madness. What results from her dangerous scheme is something no one could have imagined.
Mia and Danielle had vowed to stay best friends for life-until one indiscretion destroyed that bond forever. Twenty years later, tragedy reunites them in an unexpected way. Now they must confront the past, discover its untold truths, and rebuild a friendship destined to endure.
With the opening line of Silver Sparrow, "My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist," author Tayari Jones unveils a breathtaking story about a man's deception, a family's complicity, and two teenage girls caught in the middle. Set in a middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta in the 1980s, the novel revolves around James Witherspoon's two families—the public one and the secret one. When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a relationship destined to explode when secrets are revealed and illusions shattered. As Jones explores the backstories of her rich yet flawed characters—the father, the two mothers, the grandmother, and the uncle—she also reveals the joy, as well as the destruction, they brought to one another's lives. At the heart of it all are the two lives at stake, and like the best writers—think Toni Morrison with The Bluest Eye—Jones portrays the fragility of these young girls with raw authenticity as they seek love, demand attention, and try to imagine themselves as women, just not as their mothers.


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BOLTON LANDING -- A high-tech scientific project seeks to gather wide-ranging data in an effort to protect Lake George water quality before it's too late. The 32-mile-long lake attracts countless visitors year-round, for an estimated $450 million economic impact on Warren County alone. However, a variety of environmental stressors from invasive species to road salt threaten the pristine lake's ecology. "We believe it's at a tipping point," said Eric Siy, executive director of The Fund for Lake George. "We are still at a position where we can have a dramatic effect on the future of the lake." The Fund, IBM and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are collaborating on a long-term, multi- million dollar effort to gather information they hope will influence local and state policy-makers whose decisions quite often have a direct bearing on the lake's use. Leaders of all three parties held a press conference Thursday at The Sagamore Resort to outline the project, which will include a floating lab and a network of sensors that collect information on everything from pollutants to lake circulation. Such information will then be fed into "super-computers," giving researchers a better understanding of factors affecting the lake. "We're going to turn on the high-beam headlights and look into the future of Lake George using scientific data," said John E. Kelly III, IBM senior vice president and director of research. "The technology we develop here is not only going to be used in Lake George and the Adirondacks, but around the U.S. We hope to employ it around the world." The initiative is called "The Jefferson Project" in recognition of Thomas Jefferson's assessment of Lake George as "the most beautiful water I ever saw." "The beauty of the lake is timeless," RPI President Shirley Jackson said. "Today, we take a very important step to make sure it also is endless." RPI plans to hire additional faculty just to work on the effort. "This is going to be a destination point for scientists and engineers," Jackson said. Researchers at the RPI Darrin Freshwater Institute in Bolton have been studying the lake for 30 years, providing a solid background for the work. Advanced technology including three-dimensional computer modeling will enhance such efforts by leaps and bounds. "We'll get 10 times per day the same amount of information we gathered in the past 30 years," Jackson said. She declined comment on the project's exact cost because considerable work, such as designing sensors, still has to be done. The project will be housed at an existing Freshwater Institute building that's slated for major renovations. Jackson said the effort will be "in the millions." All three groups will be contributing financially, but not equally. Lake George has been selected for the project because it's at the northern end of Tech Valley, where IBM and RPI are major players. But it's also near the Adirondacks and its vast wealth of natural resources. Ninety-five percent of the land around Lake George is forestland. Of this, 46 percent is state-owned forever wild forest preserve. In addition, the lake is big and complex enough to have a variety of impacts, but small enough that's still relatively easy to study. "It's a unique water body, but its problems aren't unique," Jackson said. IBM is already doing similar but not identical projects elsewhere around the globe as part of its Smarter Planet initiative that seeks to help firms and governments make wiser choices about water quality issues including Rio de Janeiro, the lower Hudson River and Galway Bay, an ocean setting in Ireland. "Water bodies around the world are experiencing similar problems," Kelly said. "We need to start with the science to understand them."
RPI, IBM, The Fund for Lake George team up to preserve lake
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I've read a lot of lens reviews that say something like, "in order to get the maximum sharpness out of this lens, you'll need to stop it down" to f/2.2 or f/2.8. I'm shooting on an APS-C camera. Is stopping down the lens any more or less of a consideration on cropped-sensor cameras, or is the sharpness in this context entirely a property of the lens itself?
Am i wrong? stopping down refers to stopping it down to a smaller/narrower aperture f/8 f/16 f/22, (for example) - "f/2.2 or f/2.8"r is wide more open. – Alaska Man Mar 9 '17 at 6:47
@Alaskaman "Stopped down" is relative to the maximum aperture. If the maximum aperture is ƒ/1.4 then yes, ƒ/2.2 is "stopped down." – bdesham Mar 10 '17 at 0:54
@ bdesham Obviously i know this, but in context to the OP's question when stopping the lens down to find the maximum sharpness or sweet spot it is generally in the smaller apertures and not the wider ones that the sweet spot is found. Is there a lens that has a sweet spot at f/2.2? – Alaska Man Mar 10 '17 at 5:55
Stopping down is suggested because many lenses are considerably less sharp when wide open. This does not change on a crop-camera, since it is a property of the lens. There is however for most lenses a difference between center sharpness and corner sharpness. Most of the time, the center sharpness is substantially better than the corner sharpness.
The difference between a FF and a crop camera is shown in the diagram below. A crop camera uses a smaller proportion of the lens. This means that when the lens has a bad corner sharpness, this becomes less relevant for a crop camera. Therefore if you have a lens with an excellent center sharpness wide open, it might become less relevant to stop down on a crop camera.
As a final remark you have to decide if corner sharpness is really an issue when shooting wide open. Most of the time when you are wide open you are shooting objects with an out of focus background. When this is the case, what does it matter that your lens has bad corner sharpness wide open? Absolutely nothing.
So, to answer your question, it could still be necessary to stop down with your crop camera, but depending on the center sharpness of your lens in relation to its corner sharpness, it might become less important or even unnecessary.
4You might want to mention that many lenses are APS-C specific (e.g. Nikon DX Nikkors), so the image circle thing does not apply here. This answer is strictly about shooting with a full frame lens on a crop sensor camera. – Billy ONeal Jun 6 '13 at 14:36
Absolutely true, forgot to mention that. – mmumboss Jun 6 '13 at 14:42
The need to "stop down" a lens has to do with the construction of the lens, not the sensor or camera. In any lens, there are tradeoffs, and the most significant tradeoffs come with cost. A cheaper lens will produce poorer quality at a greater number of "wide" apertures than a more expensive lens. This is due to the quality of the optical materials used for each lens element, the number of aberration-correcting elements or materials used, etc.
A "consumer grade" fast 50mm prime, such as an f/1.8 or f/1.4, will usually exhibit a number of optical aberrations when used wide open. Those aberrations will persist until the lens is stopped down to an aperture where diffraction becomes the most significant factor that drags IQ down. Both diffraction and optical aberrations are always present, at all apertures...however the degree to which they present operate on opposite curves. Aberrations increase as aperture increases (in most cases...there are exceptions to this rule), and diffraction increases as aperture decreases.
You can use two 50mm lenses on the same exact APS-C camera. A cheap 50mm f/1.4 lens will likely need to be stopped down to f/4 or even farther before it achieves its maximum sharpness potential. A very expensive 50mm f/1.4 lens might achieve its highest resolution at f/2.
The more expensive lens will employ more advanced lens elements...better materials, such as higher grade glass, alternatives such as Fluorite or diffractive grating or diffractive dispersion elements (Canon only), better adhesives and glues to bind elements together, better antireflective coatings (such as a nanocoating, used on newer professional-grade lenses from Canon and Nikon), etc. It may also employ more advanced design, utilizing aspherical elements, more advanced multi-element groups to minimize CA, field curvature, or spherical aberration, etc.
So, fundamentally...the need to stop down a lens to maximize it's sharpness has to do with the lens, not the camera! The more money you spend, the better the quality will be in most cases.
If you are willing to spend as much money as necessary, and can afford to get the best of the best, then there are lenses that do not require you to stop down to realize maximum performance. An example would be any one of the "great white" lenses from Canon. The new Mark II line of telephoto and super telephoto lenses employ the most advanced optical designs and materials known to the DSLR photography world. The 200mm, 300mm, 400mm, 500mm, and 600mm lenses all offer optimal performance at their widest apertures (or, in the case of the 200mm through 400mm lenses, within 2/3rds of a stop at most). You'll spend a pretty penny for any one of those lenses, with the cheapest clocking in around $7000, and the most expensive reaching $13,000. Nikon has just recently released their new 800mm prime, which utilizes similar design factors that were originally seen in Canon's Mark II telephotos (such as fluorite elements for superior control over CA). The Nikon 800mm lens clocks in at $18,000!
Yes, you still need to stop down to achieve best image quality and the sharpness and contrast are properties of the lens (unless the lens is so good it out-resolves the sensor).
However, on APS-C (with a full frame lens) you don't get all the problems related to the corners of the image (mostly corner softness and vignetting) because the sensor only "sees" the center of the image
stopping down a lens means increasing the f stop which is the opposite of shooting at f2.8 which is a lens aperture wide open. If you stop a lens down you get a greater depth of field and more of the image will be in focus- but when you stop a lens down you are reducing the amount of light entering the lens and therefore reducing the actual sharpness of the image. If you look at images that have been shot wide open- they are crisp and bright- the more you stop down the more you are bending the light into a tighter aperture and reducing quality
5A review of (say) a 50mm f/1.8 lens might very well say it needs to be stopped down to f/2.2 or f/2.8. I don't think the OP is misunderstanding what stopping down means. – coneslayer Jun 5 '13 at 17:31
3Stopping down a lens reduces picture quality? Are you sure? That seems to be the opposite of what I learned, and what the other answers are saying. – DJClayworth Jun 5 '13 at 20:16
3@DJClayworth Stopping down can give you a blurry image due to diffraction, but that's not usually a consideration until f/8 or so. – bdesham Jun 6 '13 at 20:19


text: Submitted by chris_hunt on Mon, 2013-09-09 14:44 West of The Rockies Greater Yellowstone Area Backcountry Trout Magazine Idaho Trout Unlimited Beginners' Corner Vote Up Down +2111 + P9070029.JPG P9070036.JPG I'm a creek freak... a smaller-is-better backcountry trout angler who doesn't so much get turned on by the size of the trout, but instead by the backdrop. Fly fishing, to me at least, is best done in a place where wild trout will answer the dinner bell, not some hatchery reared behemoth that tugs once and then rolls over quickly, as if knowing that posing for the hero shot is the only thing between it and resuming its place in the feeding lane. Because of my preferences, I've gravitated to light-weight fly rods--I actually own a 5-foot, two-piece 2-weight rod that might be best suited to only a handful of streams I can think of. And, over the years, I've become enamoured with fiberglass rods to help me feed my small-stream addiction. Glass is more supple and more flexible. It's slower, which I believe lends itself to more delicate presentations. While the latest graphite rods, particularly those designed for big water or saltwater, have helped the sport of fly fishing evolve to meet demanding circumstances, I believe glass still has its place, and I believe that's particularly true when it comes to approaching small water. Enter Redington's new Butter Stick. First, a tongue-in-cheek complaint. I've said for years of rods I'm particularly partial to that, "It casts like a stick of butter." Redington beat me to the punch, copyrighting the name of its new rod, and now I have to find a new affinity phrase for sticks I dig. I'll get over it, but I'm none too pleased. As I said, I've fished a number of glass rods--my favorites have always been diminutive little creek rods, like Scott's line of glass hardware, and I've come to appreciate the slow casts and the subtle power a fully loaded fiberglass rod can deliver. The Butterstick easily rates among the best glass rods I've had the pleasure of fishing. Not only will it lay out line within the expected 20- to 30-foot range that's the norm on small water, but it'll go even further, when long, light leaders are vital for finicky spring-creek trout. I've fished the 6-foot 2-inch 2-weight version (all 1.9 ounces of it) of the Butter Stick now for about two weeks, traversing much of Idaho with it in tow. I've plucked spunky brook trout P9060002.JPG from tiny backcountry trickles, and I clocked a rainbow from a stretch of private-water spring creek that taped well over 20 inches. The rod's supple nature allows for ideal presentations, and the slow, deliberate motion required to best cast it allows for spot-on delivery of both large and small dry flies. And, in a moment of curiosity, I even tried a small streamer witih the little rod, and pulled some very respectable brook trout from under cut banks on tributary of the Henry's Fork. Simply put, for my kind of fishing, the Butter Stick is the ideal implement. And, in keeping with Redington's traditional price-point mantra, the rod, compared to its competitors, is priced just right at $249. It's also a handsome rod, with a deep yellow finish and a no-nonsense friction-based reel seat that reduces weight and moving parts. If you're in the market for great little small-stream stick, consider Redington's new fiberglass offering. I think you'll be more than pleased with the performance, and I'm betting, after doing a bit of research, you'll find the price to be perhaps the best selling point. But wait until you cast it. You'll think it's steal.


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Eventually we'll get a season snowfall total from Morenci area climate observer George Isobar. If only it would stop snowing.
Any additional snowfall shouldn't be significant, Isobar said, so he's putting the total at 23.6 inches...and counting.
That's about 14 inches below the long-term average for Toledo, Isobar said.
"Looking through the totals for Morenci over the past 30 years, I see four or five years in the upper teens and about that many in the lower 20s," Isobar said, "so 23 inches isn't unusual. Maybe disappointing for those who enjoy winter sports, but we've had plenty of similar winters."


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ALSC at ALA Annual Conference
ALA Annual Conference is the world's largest event for the library community. Bringing together more than 25,000 librarians, educators, author, publishers, literacy experts, illustrators and the leading suppliers to the market, the Annual Conference gives you a once-a-year opportunity to advance your career and improve your library.
For more information about ALSC's involvement at upcoming Annual Conferences, visit ALSC at Annual Conference.
ALSC at ALA Midwinter Meeting
The ALA Midwinter Meeting, generally held in January, draws more than 10,000 leaders in the library and information industry for some 2,000 meetings and events. About 450 exhibits feature the latest in books, videos, computers and other materials. Also announced at Midwinter Meeting are the winners of the year's Youth Media Awards, such as the Newbery and Caldecott Awards.
More information will be posted on ALSC at Midwinter Meeting as it becomes available.
ALSC National Institute
The ALSC National Institute is a two and a half day learning opportunity focused solely on youth services librarianship. Smaller than an ALA Annual Conference with only 300 attendees, the Institute is a great place to network with colleagues, attend practical child-focused programs, and meet the authors/illustrators you know and love. It's designed for front-line library staff, children's literature experts, education and library school faculty and other interested adults.
Arbuthnot Honor Lecture
Community Forums
ALSC hosts quarterly online forums for members called Community Forums. These community forums are held via Adobe Connect. During the Community Forum members can chat live with members of the ALSC Board and the ALSC President. Members who cannot participate in the live chat can post questions and comments on the ALA Connect discussion board. A transcript is also provided after the chat is finished.
Discover the many continuing education options available online!
William C. Morris Endowment activities
The ALSC William C. Morris Endowment was established in 2000 and activated in 2003 upon the death of Morris, former vice-president and director of library promotion at HarperCollins Children's Books. Morris envisioned his endowment funding programs, publications, events, and/or awards that would promote excellence in children's literature. More information about Morris Events is posted to the website as it becomes available.
Past ALSC programming
A list of past programs sponsored by ALSC is now available.
If you have questions about ALSC conferences or programming, please contact Kristen Figliulo, program officer for continuing education, by email or 800-545-2433 ext. 4026.


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Hangover Helper: Green Eggs and Ham from Mar'sel at the Terranea Resort in Los Angeles
Just what the doctor ordered.
The dreaded Champagne hangover. The classier cousin to your regular weekend beer headaches, the Champagne hangover is a gussied up, bubbly affair—but still packs an unforgiving next-day punch. It's a wedding tux with a tapenade stain on it, because you fell into the tapas bar while dancing the Funky Chicken. When you encounter the mysterious upscale hangover, you need something equally refined to fight back, but with the same essential backbone of grease, cheese, and eggs that are the staples of everyone's hangover cure.
Mar'sel is tucked into the Terranea resport in Rancho Palos Verdes, which clings to the cliffs of Los Angeles' South Bay. But don't worry if you couldn't swing a night at the swanky palace, Mar'sel is open to all for lunch, brunch, and dinner. You don't even have to make a reservation if you don't want to.
There are blueberry ricotta pancakes ($16) to soothe you, served in a pillowy stack with lemon curd and a blueberry compote. You can break the bank for a $38 plate of steak and eggs, a meaty slab of farm-raised hanger steak with some yolky toad-in-the-hole action off to the side. But what you really need to find a plate of, when you're stumbling from your room wearing the same pleated chinos from the night before, is the Green Eggs and Ham ($18).
Served on a thick slice of bread that's been buttered and grilled, this Seussian dish is the perfect mix of cheese, egg, butter, pork, and heat to offset last night's uncalled for bottle-popping. If you've got any dignity left, reach for the silverware to cut this perfect brunch stack into manageable bites. That way, the warm and runny yolk can mix in with the fried pork belly like some sort of barnyard paperback romance novel.
The salsa verde is vibrant and fresh, and somewhere on your rectangular plate is a fistful of house made potato chips. Or, if you prefer, a lightly dressed salad, a quiet reminder of your upscale surroundings. After all, once you've picked your head up off the table, you'll realize that you've been sitting patio side at the edge of America, looking over the wash of ocean that stretches out past the horizon. You might be using your sleeve as a napkin because of last night's Champagne problem, but the Green Eggs and Ham from Mar'sel at the Terranea resort will have you leaving like the gentleman you were the night before.
You know, before you started doing the Funky Chicken.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Just Released! Dangerous Deputy
Julia's irritated when she's stopped on a country road by a cop when she wasn't even speeding. When the cop turns out to be Dennis, the deputy she's lusted after since she met him, annoyance is the last thing she's feeling. Her hormones go haywire and she lets her desire for a "dirty cop to have his way with her" be known.
She's more than surprised when he takes her up on it, right there at the side of the road. And then invites her back to his house for the weekend.
Everything's going just great, until she finds out her brother-in-law put him up to it. Then, fantasy or not, she wants nothing more to do with him. Too bad her dangerous deputy has no interest in letting her get away.


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CIA/Keith Ferris
- Yield
- Makes 48 (2-inch x 2-inch) pieces
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- 3 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 pound package phyllo sheets, thawed
- 1 1/2 cups butter, melted
- Syrup:
- 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 lemon, peel only
- 1 clove
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Mix together the walnuts, sugar, and spices and set aside.
- As you work, keep the sheets of phyllo covered with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on the bottom of a jelly roll pan (12-inch x16-inch). Brush the dough lightly with melted butter. Repeat this process until there are 8 sheets of phyllo in the pan.
- Sprinkle one-third of the nut mixture onto the phyllo sheets.
- Place 4 more sheets of phyllo on top of the nuts, brushing melted butter between each sheet.
- Place another one-third of the nut mixture on the dough.
- Layer the remaining sheets of phyllo on top of the nuts, brushing melted butter in between each sheet. Brush the top sheet with butter as well.
- Trim the edges so that they do not stand above the level of the dough.
- Cut the pastry into 2-inch squares, making sure not to slice through the bottom layer of phyllo dough. Leaving the bottom layer uncut will allow the syrup to soak in more efficiently.
- Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes or until the top layer of the phyllo takes on a light golden brown color.
- While the dough bakes prepare the syrup. Combine all of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove the clove and lemon peel.
- Remove the pan from the oven and immediately pour hot syrup over the baklava.
- Before serving allow the baklava to stand at room temperature until cooled. Slice through the bottom layer of phyllo dough and serve.
From Gourmet Meals in Minutes by The Culinary Institute of America, (C) 2004 Lebhar-Friedman Books


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$100K reward offered for stolen Stradivarius violin
A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the recovery of the stolen Lipinski Stradivarius violin.
The instrument was stolen Monday night from Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond after a concert at Wisconsin Lutheran College.
"We are hopeful that this reward will aid in the recovery of this priceless treasure so that it may be enjoyed by Milwaukee's cultural community and the international arts world for years to come," MSO President and Executive Director Mark Niehaus.
Police said Almond was shot with a stun gun, and a man and a woman took off with the instrument.
Associate concertmaster Ilana Setapen moved up a seat Friday night as the orchestra performed without Almond.
"Such a terrible, violent act on one of our premier musicians here in Milwaukee. That was very hard to hear about," said Debby Ganaway, a symphony patron.
A spokesman for the Milwaukee Police Department told WISN 12 News the source behind the $100,000 reward is not being revealed at this time.
"It's just a horrible loss, right from the beginning when I read about it, I was in shock of course," said symphony patron Susie Lind.
Tips or leads can be directed to the Milwaukee Police Department at 414-935-7360 or to the MSO at 414-226-7838.


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It's the summer after high school and Lacey and group...
Still Here130398
- by nova_elizabeth
- Rating:
- Published: 10 Feb 2014
- Updated: 12 Apr 2014
- Status: In Progress
They both sigh and nod. Harry was obviously hurt but she was obviously in love with Niall. Anyone with eyes could see it. Niall was just stupid.
She was careful, especially since we'd kidnapped her.
She was careful, especially since we'd kidnapped her.
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After a rocky start, Chicago's controversial efforts to overhaul its public housing have showed gradual improvement, according to a new report by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Chicago Housing Authority's Plan for Transformation, launched in 2000, is a dramatic effort to replace, refurbish or redevelop nearly 25,000 units of the city's public housing, while relocating residents either to rehabilitated public housing, new mixed-income communities, or into the private housing market full release.
View the press release
Download related PDF


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What's new in the 2018 release of Adobe ColdFusion?
The all-new Performance Monitoring Toolkit to monitor Servers. All-around functionality results in code that flies 30% faster, without ever compromising on overall security and performance.
Enterprise applications.
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Extend services.
Embrace new customers.
Widen your outreach and grow your business by unlocking the power of APIs. Build a more successful, cost-effective API program by managing, securing, and transforming APIs across their lifecycle.
New Features in Adobe ColdFusion (2018 Release)
Asynchronous programming
Boost the performance of your principal application by offloading resource-intensive code segments to a secondary thread. Simply use the RUNASYNC function to execute code without the overhead of managing multiple threads. Once the result is ready to be consumed, you'll receive a notification.
Server monitor
Flag performance issues and isolate problem areas so that you can initiate corrective action much faster. Know the average response time and throughput across the cluster, or specific to a node, application, or page, in real time. The information will also be automatically archived for historical analysis.
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A pair of lobbyists facing charges related to the public corruption arrests of the mayors of Miami Lakes and Sweetwater surrendered to authorities Wednesday.
Jorge Forte, 41, and Richard Candia, 49, turned themselves in to the FBI at their headquarters in North Miami Beach. They appeared in federal court later Wednesday and were both released on $100,000 bond.
Authorities say Forte and Candia are charged with conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right related to Tuesday's arrests of Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi and Sweetwater Mayor Manuel Marono.
Candia's lawyer would not comment, but Forte's attorney David Weinstein maintained his client's innocence.
"We're aware of what the charges are that have been filed against him, and we're comfortable to let the facts speak for themselves inside the courtroom," Weinstein said.
RAW VIDEO: Miami Lakes, Sweetwater Mayors in Handcuffs
According to the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office, Forte and Candia were involved in separate schemes that paid the mayors thousands of dollars in bribes.
Authorities began their investigation in June 2011 after receiving a tip about corrupt activity, and an undercover operation was begun. Undercover agents proposed to Candia that with the aid of corrupt local public officials, they could get federal grant money that they would keep among themselves, authorities said.
Candia identified the two mayors as potential participants in the scheme, authorities said.
After Candia introduced Marono to the undercover agents, he got a resolution to be passed that authorized the agents' company to apply for federal grants on behalf of the City of Sweetwater, the Marono criminal complaint said.
VIDEO: U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Miami Lakes, Sweetwater Mayors
Marono, working with Forte, accepted cash payments for his support of the grant scheme, and lied to an FBI agent posing as a grant auditor, U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.
Marono and Forte received $40,000 while Candia received at least $5,000 in kickbacks in connection with the Sweetwater scheme, authorities said.
Marono also used his position as president of the Florida League of Cities to float the scheme to other public officials to see if they were interested, Ferrer said. Forte and Candia also worked toward that end, and Marono and Forte received an additional $20,000 for the introductions, authorities said. But no officials were interested, Ferrer said.
Full Criminal Complaint Against Pizzi and Candia (PDF)
Pizzi participated in a similar scheme in Miami Lakes and Medley, Ferrer said.
Candia introduced Pizzi, who also serves as Medley's town attorney, to the undercover agents to help implement the grant scheme, and he initially agreed to participate in exchange for $750 in campaign contributions, authorities said.
To help in the scheme's success, Pizzi backdated a document that endorsed the undercover agents' company, according to authorities. He also lied to and misled an undercover agent, whom he believed was a federal grant auditor, about the use of the grant money and the performance of the grantee, the Town of Medley, authorities said. For his help in Medley, Pizzi received a $1,000 kickback and other things of value, they said.
Later, Pizzi worked to get a resolution passed in Miami Lakes authorizing the undercover agents' company to seek grant money for the city, according to authorities. He received cash payoffs of $5,000 for his efforts in Miami Lakes, authorities said.
Full Criminal Complaint Against Marono, Forte and Candia (PDF)
Marono, 41, was released after posting $250,000 bond Tuesday. Pizzi, 51, was released on $50,000 bond. Both were suspended from office Tuesday by Gov. Rick Scott.
Pizzi's lawyer, Amanda Maxwell, said that he is an attorney and a public official, "and a man of integrity. Today begins his fight for vindication."
"We really have no comment at this time, other than to say that we want to let the process work its way forward," Marono's attorney Armando Rosquette said. "And anything that we will be saying on behalf of Mayor Marono will be said in court."
On Wednesday, the City of Sweetwater and acting mayor Jose Diaz released a statement saying there would be no restructuring of the city commission at this time.
"The City of Sweetwater is an institution that is not defined by one person and continues to operate as usual in light of recent events," the statement said.
Diaz would only be sworn in as mayor if Marono is convicted or resigns from his position, the statement said.
"I would like to reiterate that Manny Maroño is innocent until proven guilty. I am confident in our judicial system and that justice will prevail," Diaz said. "I will continue to lead the city in a professional fashion with the highest level of integrity. The sentiment is the same for all administration and staff. There will be no gaps in service to our residents or community."
All defendants will be in court on Aug. 27
More Local Stories:


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From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Related Categories: East Bay | Racial JusticeView other events for the week of 9/20/2013
|RANDALL KENNEDY / For Discrimination: Race, Affirmative Action, and the Law
|Friday September 20
|Import this event into your personal calendar.
|Location Details
|Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley CA 94709
|Event Type
Friday, September 20
FOR DISCRIMINATION: Race, Affirmative Action, and the Law
with an introduction and moderation by Eva Paterson
In the wake of the Supreme Court's recent decision regarding Fisher v. University of Texas, For Discrimination is at once the definitive reckoning with one of America's most explosively contentious and divisive issues and a principled work of advocacy for clearly defined justice.
What precisely is affirmative action, and why is it fiercely championed by some and just as fiercely denounced by others? Does it signify a boon or a stigma? Or is it simply reverse discrimination? What are its benefits and costs to American society? What are the exact indicia determining who should or should not be accorded affirmative action? When should affirmative action end, if it must? Randall Kennedy gives us a concise, gimlet-eyed, and deeply personal conspectus of the policy, refusing to shy away from the myriad complexities of an issue that continues to bedevil American race relations.
With pellucid reasoning, Kennedy accounts for the slipperiness of the term "affirmative action" as it has been appropriated by ideologues of every stripe; delves into the complex and surprising legal history of the policy; coolly analyzes key arguments pro and con advanced by the left and right, including the so-called color-blind, race-neutral challenge; critiques the impact of Supreme Court decisions on higher education; and ponders the future of affirmative action.
"Kennedy has long been among the most incisive commentators on race. His books seem to be carved from intellectual granite, yet they have human scale . . . So resonant, so personal."
—Dwight Garner, The New York Times
"Kennedy's commitment to racial justice is plain . . . He frequently throws the cold water of common sense upon issues that are too often cloaked in glib histrionics."
—John McWhorter, The New Republic
Randall Kennedy is the Michael R. Klein Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton and his law degree from Yale. He attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and is a former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He is the author of six books, including Race, Crime, and the Law, for which he received the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word ,and, more recently, The Persistence of the Color Line: Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency ("Provocative and richly insightful." —Brent Staples, The New York Times Book Review; "Excellent."—David Remnick, The New Yorker) . A member of the bars of the Supreme Court of the United States and the District of Columbia, and of the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he lives in Massachusetts.
Eva Paterson is President and Co-Founder of the Equal Justice Society, a national organization dedicated to changing the law through progressive legal theory, public policy and practice. Prior to taking the helm of the Equal Justice Society in 2003, Paterson was the Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.
7:30 PM at the Hillside Club (2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley)
Tickets: $15 general, $8 students; $20 at the door
Brown Paper Tickets online or 800-838-3006
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Although concepts are always highly anticipated at auto shows, production-ready cars also receive well-deserved attention. This year at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany, we have selected 10 favorites to share with you. These are automobiles you will soon see roaming the streets. We threw in a wildcard entry as well. Let us know which is your favorite in the comments section below.
Porsche 918 Spyder
About the car: Porsche's latest hybrid supercar has been making headlines lately for good reason. It set a record-breaking lap time at the Nurburgring in Germany and wowed crowds during the official world debut at the Auto Show. A hybrid powertrain will make a combined 887hp from both gas and electric power. A naturally aspirated 4.6L mid-mounted V8 produces 608hp, while a 127hp electric motor sits at the front axle in addition to a rearward 154hp electric motor that sits between the engine and seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. Don't expect it to whistle like a classic hybrid though thanks to its unique audibly aggressive exhaust system.
Full article: Porsche 918 Spyder
Ferrari 458 Speciale
About the car: The 458 Italia is pretty darn special, but this newest offering from the prancing horse manufacturer is more "speciale" than the last. The 458 Speciale is powered by the same 4.5L V8 as the standard 458 Italia, but with a little extra juice, 34hp to be exact. This brings the total power output to 596hp - that's 132hp per liter! Price? It's a Ferrari, so don't expect anything less than expensive.
Full article: Ferrari 458 Speciale
Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse
About the car: So you wanted to buy the Gallardo Super Trofeo racecar, but had no track to drive it on, well you're now in luck! The Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse is the street-going version of its racecar brother. Claimed to be the most extreme road-going Gallardo ever built, it is powered by a 5.2L V10 and produces 562hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. Extensive use of carbon fiber and all sorts of high speed goodies are featured helping to take it from 0-62mph in 3.4sec. Just take that in for a second.
Full article: Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse
Bentley Continental GT V8 S
About the car: Whether you prefer your Bentley in a coupe or convertible, this new Continental GT V8 S is available in both body styles. Powered by a twin-turbo 4.0L V8 engine power output is increased by 21hp and 15 lb-ft of torque bringing the total to 521hp and 502 lb-ft. Putting that power down is a close-ratio eight-speed automatic. You might be wondering how this will effect fuel economy, it won't thanks in part to a variable displacement function allowing the V8 to run on four cylinders for cruising. The coupe can make the 0-60mph sprint in 4.3sec while the convertible does it in 4.5sec. Deliveries of these new all-wheel drive models will begin in early 2014.
Full article: Bentley Continental GT V8 S
2014 BMW i8
About the car: If you're looking for a true sports car (price being no option) without the concern of mpg then this is not the one for you. But if you're interested in cutting-edge technology paired with sporty performance in a futuristic package, look no further than the 2014 BMW i8. Costing $136,625 (including destination) makes this the second most expensive BMW in the lineup behind the 2014 760Li sedan. Powered by a mid-mounted 1.5L I-3 producing 231hp via a six-speed automatic, a 131hp electric motor also powers the front wheels with a two-speed transmission. Able to travel up to 22 miles on electric power only, BMW claims this to be its most fuel-efficient model. Take into account, it still is able to make the 0-60mph sprint in under 4.5sec thanks to a lightweight design and combined output of 362hp and 420 lb-ft of torque.
Full article: 2014 BMW i8
2015 Audi A8
About the car: Audi has been spreading itself all over the automotive spectrum with models ranging from the awesome R8 to more affordable diesel options. And one of its most prized sedans, the A8 is getting slightly refreshed. Equipped with a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 with 429hp (nine up from the 2013 model). Torque figures have not yet been calculated. The base model's 3.0L engine will also carry over in addition to the A8 L TDI engine. But there are no plans of a hybrid-powered A8 coming to the states. The interior is filled with technological and luxury features that will have anyone nearing the end of a lease heading to the nearest Audi showroom.
Full article: 2015 Audi A8
2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
About the car: Usually the terms, "afforadble" and "Mercedes-Benz" aren't used in the same sentence, but now they can be. Following the CLA-Class, the new 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class is on the less expensive end coming in around $32000-$34500 (MotorTrend est.). Coming standard is a new 2.0L turbocharged I-4 making 208hp and 258 lb-ft of torque mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Initially the GLA250 will be a 4Matic (AWD) but a front-wheel drive variant will be making an appearance in a showroom near you fall 2014.
Full article: 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
Rolls-Royce Celestial Phantom and Home of Rolls-Royce Collection Ghost
About the car: How many vehicles come standard with diamonds? Buy a Rolls-Royce Celestial Phantom and you get four in the rear privacy divider's clock. While a one-off, this Rolls-Royce celebrates the first Phantom delivered to its owner from the new Goodwood plant a decade ago. More than 1000 fiber optic lights are hand-woven into the headliner, mimicking a night sky. The Home of Rolls-Royce Collection Ghost will be joining the Phantom as a limited-production model. Each features a "celebration" compass motif on the dashboard in celebration of the first 10 years at Goodwood. Each piece of wood on the dash is laser cut and assembled by hand. How's that for opulence?
2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet
About the car: Further expanding the already expansive lineup, the 2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet will come in slightly lighter than its predecessor (about 110 lb for the base model). This A3 will be offered in three different trim levels in Europe including Attraction, Ambition and Ambiente. Under the hood there are three available engines including: the base 1.4L 140hp turbo (mated with a six-speed manual), 180hp 1.8L TFSI available (mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch) or a 2.0L turbodiesel with an available 163hp (also with a six-speed manual). And for those looking for the most excitement there is the S3 model that will be equipped with a turbocharged 2.0L I-4 with 300hp and 280 lb-ft of torque (mated with a six- speed dual-clutch). We will be lucky if we see this Audi Cabriolet make its jump to this side of the pond.
Full article: 2015 Audi A3 Cabriolet
Bugatti Veyron "Jean Bugatti" Legends Series
About the car: Here we have another limited-production and extremely exclusive tribute car. The "Jean Bugatti" special edition is the second in a six-part Legend Series - the first being the "Jean-Pierre Wimille" edition. This wildcard entry pays tribute to the founder's eldest son. Limited to only three cars produced, its looks are modeled after its historical predecessor the Type 57SC Atlantic. While the engine is still the quad-turbo 8.0L W16 that produces 1184hp, its exclusivity is something that will remain especially since this black beauty carries a price tag of $3.69 million.
Full article: Bugatti Veyron "Jean Bugatti" Legends Series


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READ about Piers Morgan's long career in journalism here.
As the nation continues to heal from the bombings at Monday's Boston Marathon, and as the FBI continues their investigation that has made "significant progress," Piers Morgan spoke to soccer star Matt Reis about the Boston Marathon and the city's resilience.
"It's kind of galvanized us and brought us together," said Reis on the horrific event.
In reaction to the newly released photos and video of the possible suspects in the bombing Reis expressed that it was "unfortunate that two people can try and ruin something as amazing as the Boston Marathon."
"I hope they get them."
Watch the clip, and listen further, as Reis talks about his admiration for the many people of Boston who, in the bombing's aftermath, "lept into action and did whatever they could do and try and help."
» Follow "Piers Morgan Live" on Twitter
» Follow "Piers Morgan Live" on Instagram
Please leave this man alone. Is your narcissism so grandiose that you can't see he is a humble hero. If you we're this man I understand your want of recognition because of your British Narcissism. Leave him alone.
Amen! Thanks bro.
Please...PLEASE take a better look at the Green photograph of the white ball cap "suspect 2".
Behind the tan shoes someone keeps talking about, there are three women with a man in the background that could very well be the the first suspect and may be following the second suspect. He has brown khaki pants and dark shoes with a ball cap and appears to be carrying a backpack. He just doesn't have the sunglasses on here as compared to the FBI video where suspect 2 is then following suspect 1. Could this just be a simple mistake and people jumping to conclusions as to what is depicted in the Dave Green photograph?
Thank you for taking a closer look.
I used to be very pleased to search out this internet-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this wonderful learn!! I definitely having fun with every little little bit of it and I've you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you blog post.
When people strike us we only get stronger and stronger as a nation! Nobody wants to see this guy alive.
I've downloaded a few wordpress blog themes from other websites. They are in the zip file format. How do I apply them? Can I get a step by step guide?.


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19 May, 2011 | (01 hr)
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This Conference KeyNotes Webcast will include video clips from The Conference Board 2011 Customer Experience Leadership Conference. Highlights from selected sessions will be featured, including:
- "Providing the Best Customer Experience"
Who Should Attend:
Executives responsible for Marketing, Brand Management, Customer Service, Customer Relations
Teresa Laraba
JOB DESCRIPTION: Teresa oversees the Customer Support and Services, Customer Relations, Customer Service Agents, and Central Baggage Services.
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Jack Mitchell
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Europe Market Research
Mintel's market research reports make sure you always see the bigger picture with country-by-country coverage across Europe. Our unrivalled research and analysis lets you compare sales, strategies and consumer behaviour across up to 30-plus nations, offering a 360 degree view of the business environment in one of the most commercially sophisticated regions of the world.
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Had Livia forgotten the encouragement she had given to Paolo before she went away and Terry's demise? From Paolo's perspective, he was still the crown prince, waiting. From Livia's perspective he was a means to an end, and the end she'd already allowed him to achieve in having sex with her was no more than a dead end, literally if necessary. Livia was a user, a manipulator, as ruthless as a mantis. Livia was ideally suited to take over from Tony, having 'made him redundant' along the way.
Livia had qualities for sure, and she was determined to exploit them.
"So who else then?" asked Livia. "Who could do the job and is someone we could trust?"
"Well both our kids are far too young." Replied Marcia, "and looking round the crew, there's not a lot of choice. Franco's the best tough guy, but has neither the brains or the subtlety to run the show. Paolo has been pretty close to Tony, and he seems to have ambition and probably knows what's what..."
"Paolo?..." exclaimed Livia, "Gimme a break... he's no more than a child... an adolescent, more interested in exercising what's in his pants! Paolo? Boss? No bloody way!"
"Would you want your greedy little sister in control of your future though?" This was Livia's million dollar question and both of them knew the answer.
"I think I've probably answered that already... no bloody way! Don't get me wrong, I love my sister... but I know her too well and there are still silly little unresolved issues from our childhood that might crop up and if Sofia had the whip hand... then I'd have to kill her!" Both women instantly burst into laughter. But the underlying truth seemed to disqualify Sofia from the top job.
But would Sofia agree?
"Sofia? Well she's certainly got the balls for it, and she's bright... brighter than me. But she's got a pretty good job in Town which she likes. It gives her plenty of freedom and enough to live reasonably well on." Marcia was articulating her thoughts.
"But is enough enough? From what I know of her, admittedly nothing like as much as you Marcia, she is extremely ambitious and not even the sky's the limit!" Livia was pushing hard. She needed the low down on her competition.
"Yeah, well she's always been a greedy cow!" Marcia laughed, but meant it.
"When you say any one of us, do you mean us two?" Marcia was getting her head around the implications of what Livia had said.
"Maybe..." answered Livia cryptically, adding "if either of us could be bothered with the responsibility. "I'm not sure I'd want to do it," she lied, "my life's looking up right now and with Terry's insurance payout, I should have enough to live on."
"Probably not my thing either, except to keep the money rolling in." Marcia wouldn't admit to plans to take over either, "Who else then?"
"Sofia's an ambitious girl isn't she?" supplied Livia.
Livia's face went all serious.
"Sure he's suffering right now, just like he's made lots of others suffer over the years, including you I imagine, otherwise why would you be so against him? My worry is that the business might be suffering, and with a fifty percent share in it, I could be suffering too. And so could you Marcia; your little bubble could burst at any time!"
"Marcia was taken aback by this.
"So what do you suggest we do then Livia?"
"We need a replacement... really soon!"
"Like who?" came the question.
"Any one of us." Livia answered.
Livia was off the hook... because Marcia didn't seem to give a fig. Livia had gleaned something from her questioning though, or so she imagined. Marcia and Sofia weren't that close and Livia doubted that Marcia knew if Sofia was servicing Tony now and then. And she guessed Marcia wouldn't even care if she were anyway.
Undaunted, Livia continued. "So what are we going to do about Tony then?"
"Do about him?"
"Yeah, do about him!" confirmed Livia.
"Do him in you mean?"
"Not exactly, but didn't we agree to make him suffer?"
"And you don't think he is already?"
But Livia was on a roll, she would push her luck once more.
"Hates his guts eh? Or is she telling you how she hates his guts? Sometimes you know, women work in devious ways..."
"...and there speaks one who should know!" Marcia parried, then laughed out loud, adding. "What are you up to you little minx, stirring up a family civil war?"
Marcia's reaction was not quite what Livia had planned, so she backed off.
"Ah... you've rumbled me Marcia. I'm just winding you up. I don't get a lot of fun these days. Gossiping that's all I do!"
"Do you think he's got someone else on the side maybe?" asked Livia. "Someone he can talk to... someone who'll listen to him and his ravings... someone who'll see you off?" Livia was deliberately stirring but wanted to test things, in particular if Marcia was aware or suspicious of Sofia providing Tony any weekend cocoa.
But Marcia seem unfazed by Livia's directness. "Unless he's got a hot date at his office... and I wouldn't have thought that was his style... the only other women here at home are me and occasionally Sofia. I'm always here and Sofe hates his guts!"
Livia wasn't at all bothered who Marcia was at it with, but the opportunity to talk about Tony had been presented to her.
"Tony's completely cut himself off then it seems?" Livia probed. "The odd occasions I've spoken to him about Terry, he's been really weird. Like he's closed off. Is the business suffering do you think?"
"Not sure... I bloody hope not, although what grip he's got on it I can't tell. I assume it's OK, but he's still got stacks in the bank to fall back on.... well I think he has! You've got me worried now Livia!"
"Having a ball? How great! How many balls though?" Livia laughed a grubby laugh, which set the lunch going really well. Marcia responded.
"Why? What've you heard? Who've you been speaking to?" she said, giggling herself, having twigged Livia's question.
"It's just that with Tony behaving like a zombie, it's difficult to imagine life being a ball as such round your house." Livia was still laughing.
"Fair point I guess, but as for Tony, we're ships that pass in the night, except that we don't pass or do anything in the night!" Marcia also saw the funny side of things.
Livia's lunch with Marcia was an altogether different and more relaxed affair. It may have been that Marcia was in some way fulfilled. Living in a smart house in a 'nice area', she didn't have to do much except what she wanted. What she wanted included a couple of men now and then, neither of whom was Tony, who kept his distance, and one of whom, Franco, was more 'now' than 'then', a very frequent visitor to check the kitchen he'd fitted... after-sale servicing.
In the local Moroccan restaurant, Livia asked Marcia how she was.
"I'm having a ball!"
Livia wasn't so much needy as greedy. Her plans were quite simple... Tony would be removed, permanently, and she would take over the running of the business. Whilst the two other women might present complications, Livia had no doubt that ultimately they could be 'managed' or sacrificed. Sofia would seem to be the bigger threat, but Livia's next lunch engagement with Marcia should provide more information... and information is power.
Paolo's role was errand boy with knife. He was extremely useful right now and could be scapegoated at any time. His apparent love for Livia was to be exploited mercilessly.
The lunch ended when Sofia checked her watch and announced that she was late and had to race back to the office. Whoosh! She was away, but Livia was pleased with what she'd discovered. Next it would be Marcia's turn.
Sofia, slightly the worse for drink as she sped back to her office, wondered why Livia had wanted to meet. She had the feeling she'd just been probed, but wasn't sure why. She put that question onto the back burner as she successfully made the excuse to colleagues about having had to be a sympathetic ear for a needy friend.
Livia decided she'd probed Sofia enough... and she'd found out things... not definite things, but she now had strong hunches. Firstly, Livia was certain there was a romantic involvement, as yet unresolved - the ring thing. Secondly, Sofia had almost certainly slept... and might still be sleeping with Tony. Livia was pretty certain he wasn't the romantic interest... so Sofia was probably attending to Tony's needs... for her ultimate gain.
That might mean she had ambitions to take over the business if anything happened to Tony.
If true, Sofia herself might be trying to use Livia and Marcia.
That wouldn't do!
Livia wasn't convinced. She knew Tony of old. Sure, he was a bully and had beaten her viciously back when she was playing him and Terry. But she also knew that when it came to women and sex, Tony was a shy guy and most unlikely to make the running.
She was pretty certain Sofia and Tony had been doing it, regularly... as a weekend activity of which Marcia was unaware... or knew about and didn't care. Livia was pretty sure Sofia would have initiated it, probably just for the hell of it.
So maybe the sisters weren't so close.
"Is that why you don't go there so often now maybe?" Livia was on the case. "Has he ever...?"
Another nod from Sofia.
"More than once?" Livia probed further.
"More than more than!" Sofia was adding fuel to the fire... and she was on a roll. Livia seemed to be getting really wound up. "Why are you bringing all this up Livia?"
"Because I don't like that bullying creature getting away with it! Did you tell Marcia?"
"I couldn't. He said he would beat me up if she got wind of it!"
"So why go back?"
"She's my only sister."
Livia was hard-wired to pick up on things, particularly drink-fuelled off the cuff remarks.
"But you're there at weekends, aren't you?.... If you're saying what I think you might be saying, Sofia, you either like to live dangerously or have, let's say, a very interesting taste in men. Or maybe you're playing a game of your own that requires considerable skill! Are you sleeping with Tony yourself?" Livia was very direct.
Sofia realised her slip. "Absolutely not! Perish the thought! How could you think that of me Livia?"
"But Tony's tried it on with you though?"
Sofia nodded.
"You're not suggesting your sister's a slapper are you?"
"Well, Let me put it this way, Marcia's taste in men is quite catholic." Sofia had barely recovered from laughing.
"But Tony's a Catholic isn't he?" Livia giggled.
"There's Catholic and catholic... and then there's Tony!"
"What's he then?" tittered Livia.
"A belief system all of his own. A complete madman... dangerous too!"
"Why does Marcia stick with him?" asked Livia.
"He's her meal ticket, she spends how she likes... and shags who she likes too!"
"And Tony gets none?"
"Not during the week!" drink and bravado had loosened Sofia's tongue.
Livia's fictitious appointment had been simply an excuse for why she was up in London, but it could also indicate that she might be preoccupied right now.
"Enough about me," she said, "I wonder how poor Marcia is coping with Mr Grouch?"
"Mr Grouch?" asked Sofia more naively than might be expected. "Is that her bit on the side?"
"Haha!" laughed Livia. "I meant Tony... how fascinating... Marcia's got another man eh?"
"Wouldn't put it past her. Wouldn't blame her either. There's nothing going on with Tony!"
"I wonder who he is."
"West Ham United maybe?"
Lunch erupted into laughter.


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Fazosinn, a fashion designer and illustrator, born on 10th of August 1985 in Pasir Mas, one of the well-known district in Kelantan, Malaysia. The youngest from six siblings realized his interest in drawing since he was 8 years old. Ever since he knew of his passion in art, he started to improve his skills in drawing, painting, and involved in many kinds of creative activities. He joined various drawing competitions at school and has also represented the state of Kelantan in numerous event. With all the skills and talent, he has won quite a number of the title from them.
During his studies, right from his schooling period, Fazosinn is very active in producing fashion illustration, caricature in cute versions, tote bag, portrait and embroidery artwork. He has chosen to be in Fine Arts line during his Diploma study in UiTM Seri Iskandar, Perak, which has provided an important aesthetic basis to his artistic knowledge. From year 2003 to 2006, Fazosinn has put on all his focus, effort and attention to excel in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and graphic.
Fazosinn then reconsidered his career option and has pursue his Degree in Fashion Design, a course offered by UiTM Shah Alam, Selangor. During this time, he actively participated in UiTM Art Market / Art Bazaar, and has initiated a cartoon character "Habouhabou" in 2011 which specialize in hand drawing tote bag and t-shirts designing. He has also collaborates with a close friend, Brisyam Mahadi, in creating a Brisyamfazo Sdn Bhd. Together, they took part in "Piala Seri Endon" Batik competition and has become a Semi Finalist.
In 2010, Fazosinn participated in a local TV station's reality tv show, "Gaya Pesona di TV2". The program involves twelve young designers, aims to design dress for celebrities for Hari Raya celebration. They were assigned to design for Enot, a local Actress and TV Host.
Though Fazosinn is very active with university curriculums and other outside events he ensures good grades on his studies and has achieved three Dean's List during his Degree. After graduation in 2012, Fazosinn continue on being a full-time illustrator and has come out with a new label of "FazosinnWorld". He has expanded another step in his arts, by producing cute caricature hand phone cover. Fazosinn later, trying his luck for the second time in "Piala Seri Endon" Batik competition, participated under BrisyamFazo collections and has succeeded till the Grand Final.
Later in 2012, Fazosinn was offered to be Junior Fashion Designer in the most famous local fashion house, Jovian Mandagie Sdn Bhd. Within a year in employment, he was promoted to be Assistant Fashion Designer of Houte Couture and Ready-To-Wear (RTW).


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With the Sencha dev team hard at work improving the underlying performance of ExtJS 4 there has been a lot of talk on the forums about how to write fast applications. Those of us who've been using ExtJS for a while will all have experienced sluggish UIs and in many cases the problem lay in our applications, not the library itself.
I thought it might be interesting to get some discussion going about what techniques people have used to improve UI performance in their own applications. It would be interesting to compare notes and possibly generate some metrics to see which 'optimizations' actually work. If there's sufficient interest perhaps it could even turn into a blog post.


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Montpelier makeover: James Madison was a wallpaper man
In May, Monticello unveiled a dining room redo in eye-popping chrome yellow. This week, another presidential house, Montpelier, announces that the dining room of the Father of the Constitution will be transformed from "drab to fab" with period wallpaper–- and says the makeover has nothing to do with keeping up with the Jeffersons.
"We all admire Monticello," says Montpelier VP Lynne Hastings. "We've been working the past year and a half to restore this wallpaper. It's much more of a detective story."
On Constitution Day two years ago, Montpelier unveiled a $24-million architectural restoration that stripped away the pink stucco exterior added by a 20th-century owner and returned the house's look to what James and Dolley Madison knew.
"Now we're in the refurnishing stage," says Hastings.
Historians don't know exactly what pattern the Madisons might have chosen, but they do know the couple were "very enamored of the French taste," says Hastings. That led the restoration team to Henri Virchaux, a Philadelphia designer popular among the swell set in 1815, the year the Madisons bought wallpaper for Montpelier.
Another ah-ha moment that swung the swatch choice toward this particular pattern of floral swags across a green background: an 1836 list of the dining room furnishings of Montpelier revealing–- ta-da–- green chairs.
The reproduction wallpaper, dubbed Virchaux Drapery, has been made by historic design specialists Adelphi Paper Hangings, which will use the method Virchaux used, called blocking.
And after the paper goes up, some furnishings will be added to the formerly bare room. "We're borrowing a wonderful table from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation similar to one James and Dolley bought in 1804 when he was secretary of state," says Hastings.
Visitors can watch the new wallpaper hanging August 16 - 27. And a new tour beginning September 1 will allow visitors to take it all in.
But wait, there's more. In October, the drawing room gets redone, and the choice Montpelier staff feels most in accord with the Francophile couple's taste: red-flocked wallpaper.
"Visitors said it was more a museum of the arts than a drawing room," says Hastings. "Their furnishings reflect a lot of sophistication and awareness of the culture and tastes of the time."
All these wallpaper plans for Montpelier stand in contrast with the painted walls of Monticello. Is this an indicator that Thomas Jefferson wasn't a wallpaper man?
While Monticello did not immediately return a phone call from the Hook, Hastings points out a tidbit about Mr. Jefferson's house. "There was wallpaper in the bedroom used by Dolley and James Madison when they visited," she says. "It was called the Madison Chamber."
Next question in the clash of the presidential homes: Can Montpelier get Michelle Obama to visit? The First Lady made her second trip to Monticello on August 12, but we haven't seen a First Lady at Montpelier since July 1998, when Hillary Clinton kicked off the restoration with a rousing speech.
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FYI: Montpelier's Moderne Room, to which a couple of you have ascribed 1950s vintage, was actually created in 1936 by Charlottesville architect Milton Grigg and his associate Floyd Johnson. The "du Pont heiress" -- Marion du Pont -- was then newly married to movie star Randolph Scott, and the two wanted a bit of Hollywood nightclub atmosphere in which to entertain Scott's show biz friends.
I'm just glad that they did away with the decor in some of the rooms from the previous owner, the Du Pont heiress. That 1950s cocktail lounge look had to go.
Well, Mr. Brown, according to one of the referenced articles, you can still relive those halcyon days in the Visitors Center, where the Art Deco Red Room has been reassembled, right down to the highball glasses.
I am in agreement with Mr. Brown. I think the makeover was a huge disservice to visitors. What always made Montpelier special among the many presidential homes was the showcasing of the entire history of the house, rather than a pretentious snapshot of Madison's ownership. My students got a broader scope of history when they understood the plywood furnishings that seem tacky by modern standards were once modern and futuristic building materials in Du Pont's horse room. The stages of ownership once displayed in Montpelier helped make Madison (and history) more human and approachable. Sadly, Montpelier is now like Monticello and so many other homes: too perfect, formal, and distant to relate to student's personal experiences. The banishment of the furnishings to the visitor center only serves to segregate real life from history.
Thank God that Montpelier has not resorted (yet) to the Emperor's Clothes of the Chrome Yellow in the Dining Room at Monticello. They are so very proud of themselves that they cannot see how very hideous it, indeed, is.
The DuPonts erased any vestige of respect for historical architecture in order to make themselves comfortable and better than anyone else in the neighborhood.
The Madison homestead has been, thankfully, restored, and let us all hope that they don't re-interpret themselves to the point that they paint the dining room "chrome yellow" and then boast of it!
I'm just sad that they did away with the decor in ALL of the rooms from the previous owner, the Du Pont heiress. That 1950s cocktail lounge look was so cool. And the fact of the matter is that the Du Ponts lived in the house 5 times longer than James And Dolly
Mr. History, That must be quite some school you teach at if your students find the Du Pont's way of life so easy to relate to. No need to worry though for the loss of Montpelier as a teaching tool. Enniscorthy still stands as a fine example of what too much money and too little taste can do to a historic house. Perhaps you could ask for a tour for your students. Make a point of asking to see the barn. The kids will love it.
I understand Mr History's argument, but the only reason anyone visits the home is because James Madison lived there. If it had merely been the DuPont's home, it would still be a private residence, or might not exist anymore at all.
That said, there's probably a place for some of the Dupont's furnshings to show students how the wealthy lived when I was a boy. The focus, though should be on Madison.


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First Sightings of SATA 6Gbit/s and USB 3.0
First Sightings of SATA 6Gbit/s and USB 3.0
By now, most of you would have heard all about the next-gen storage interface, SATA 6Gbit/s and the ubiquitous USB 3.0. SATA 6Gbit/s, as its numbers would indicate is exactly twice that of the existing SATA 3.0Gbps specifications. Already, we have seen the first SATA 6Gbit/s hard drive available from Seagate (Barracuda XT) and more will be released next year as solid state drives are quickly hitting the limits of SATA 3.0Gbps. USB 3.0 meanwhile, extends the maximum transfer rate of the current version 2.0 by up to 10 times. Crucially, it is backwards compatible, so a new USB 3.0 device would degrade to the slower standard if the other party (host) is only USB 2.0 compatible.
They both sound like significant additions to the technology, especially USB which is so popular among users. Portable storage for instance would benefit greatly from the increased data transfer rate. Unfortunately, there's a potential hitch in plans. Intel has delayed plans to integrate USB 3.0 in its chipsets to 2011; its current mainstream P55 chipset has already launched with a disappointing lack of support despite initial plans.
While we believe SATA 6Gbps will be more quickly adopted than USB 3.0, the fact is that current chipsets do not have support for either. This is where motherboard vendors and third-party vendors come into the picture. With no official chipset support, it's an opportunity for vendors to appeal to the early adopters and power users by including these new technologies. ASUS and Gigabyte are two such motherboard brands that have such products out now (you can get them from the usual retail channels) in their revised P55 motherboards.
Today, we'll be taking a look at these two motherboards, the ASUS P7P55D-E Premium, based on the original P7P55D Premium and the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6, which is a revised Gigabyte P55-UD6. These boards are based on existing models but enhanced with these new features. As for the performance of these boards when it comes to SATA 6Gbit/s and USB 3.0, we'll be covering them separately in the near future.
The Thing about SATA 6Gbit/s and USB 3.0
Before we move to the usual motherboard tests, there is however a difference in approach in implementation between the two vendors, ASUS and Gigabyte that we need to highlight. Since these features are not found in current chipsets, both companies rely on third-party controllers. For SATA 6Gbit/s, this controller is from Marvell while the USB 3.0 controller is manufactured by NEC.
These controllers are embedded on the motherboard, though other motherboard vendors may ship with add-on cards instead. ASUS is taking this latter route to add support for these features for the more affordable models in its line-up while Gigabyte will be releasing 'A' versions of all its P55 motherboards, like the P55A-UD6 that will come with SATA 6Gbit/s and USB 3.0.
One note about the controllers is that both ASUS and Gigabyte are using different Marvell controllers, with Gigabyte going for the 9128 chip that comes with an onboard micro-processor to reduce CPU utilization and also enable SATA RAID 0 support. ASUS chose the no-frills 9123 chip which just provides the basic SATA 6Gbps feature. Both vendors however use the same USB 3.0 controller model from NEC.
What's crucially is how the new features are implemented on the P55 chipset. As you may know, the Lynnfield Core i7/i5 processor integrates the PCIe 2.0 controller with 16 lanes into its CPU die. There is no PCIe 2.0 functionality on the P55 chipset by itself. This is fine for a mainstream platform since dual SLI or CrossFireX can be executed by having the graphics cards in dual mode with 8 lanes each. 3-way CrossFireX or SLI is another issue that requires some compromise and switching of PCIe 1.1 lanes available from the chipset.
This limitation of the chipset poses a problem for the SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 controllers. They each require the full 500MB/s bandwidth from a single PCIe 2.0 lane to reach their maximum speeds. If these controllers are connected to the P55 chipset, they can only do so via the chipset's PCIe 1.1 lanes, which are capped at 250MB/s per lane. It's either that or connecting these controllers to the processor's PCIe 2.0 lanes, which will then affect the reserved graphics bandwidth.
This approach of tapping into the PCIe 2.0 lanes is exactly what Gigabyte did with its P55A-UD6. As it states in red on its product page online, the SATA and USB functionality will revert to the normal SATA 3.0Gbps and USB 2.0 if you have installed two graphics cards on the board in SLI or CrossFireX configuration so as not to affect the graphics bandwidth. In short, this is not the ideal board if you plan to have dual graphics cards along with the expectations of using SATA 6Gbit/s and USB 3.0.
ASUS meanwhile uses a bridge chip on the P7P55D-E Premium to enable what it calls 'true' SATA 6Gbit/s and USB 3.0. What this bridge chip does is to convert four PCIe 1.1 lanes on the chipset to a bandwidth equivalent of a pair of PCIe 2.0 lanes. These can be used by the new SATA and USB controllers for the full bandwidth. Of course, this is still a compromise and technically not perfect, since these lanes have to come from somewhere but chances are, users are probably not too concerned about the loss of their PCIe 1.1 slots for example or the lanes from the Gigabit LAN (since there are two LAN controllers on the ASUS). The bridge chip however is additional cost that may be reflected in ASUS' pricing.
So, there you have it, the difference in implementation between the two boards featured here. We'll have to give the advantage to ASUS here since not having the full bandwidth for SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 when using CrossFireX or SLI is not what an early adopter or power user would have signed up for.
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