text:
Back in 1993, during the last recession, I wanted to create a product that would beat the boom and bust of business. I walked past one of those gimmicky plastic flowers that danced when music played. It was then I had my brainwave. If plastic flowers can dance to music, could a door react to a fire alarm? The first of our intelligent products was invented – Dorgard, a door wedge that holds open fire doors but closes automatically when a fire alarm sounds.
Fireco is now 20 years old. It still prides itself on bringing innovative ideas to market and giving real solutions to its customers. Here are my tips on some of the steps to take a great business idea to reality.
Make sure that the product specification comes at a cost that allows you to sell on and make a profit. So many initial inventions are really expensive and this limits their market. It is only when something can be accessible to its target audience that you can really drive a new market.
Getting the cost and price right is one of the key ways to become successful. Sometimes thinking big and buying large quantities helps keep unit costs down, yet buying in bulk can be a false economy if you can't sell your stock. So carefully plan your production runs and sell through rates, and try and get an indication of forward orders if you can before you spend your money on production.
If design is involved and it is straightforward, sometimes using smaller or independent designers rather than well-known prestigious outfits can keep costs down. Make sure you understand the manufacturing process of your product. Production management should keep track of how many units need to be made in the first instance. How much raw materials are needed? How much production time is needed? Making sure you have agreed all this upfront ensures you do not pay for extra time or access raw materials from the manufacturing process.
Looking abroad for production can sometimes be cheaper, but remember to factor in duties and other international charges such as bank fees for paying in foreign currencies, shipping and other such costs which can sometimes be hidden in an initial quote.
Don't compromise on quality
When the figures start to stack up many people begin to make compromises. Make sure quality isn't one of them. For us at Fireco, this is a matter of life or death, as it can often mean the difference between hindering a fire or not. However, in any industry, your product or services are your reputation and the basis of whether your company will succeed or not. There is nothing worse than launching a product, undertaking an extensive marketing campaign to shout about it and then under-delivering. Test your prototype thoroughly.
Although compromising on quality should never be on the agenda, often compromise is needed to ensure you get your product to market. Like buying a house, you might need to decide between location and size of the property. Often you will need to compromise somewhere along the line to get your product to market.
A top specification may not be right for a mass market product. Or maybe the cost of packaging is squeezing the profit margins. Sometimes getting it right needs a little evolution, so don't be scared of change if that's what is needed.
Creative versus practical
Be sure that the creative process and initial flash of brilliance isn't lost in production or by ensuring the balance sheet stacks up. How true is the old adage that creativity doesn't sit comfortably with practicality. Make sure you have both elements covered – it's no good to have a great idea that doesn't work or an idea that works but isn't new.
If you have the idea, make sure you have a technical person in the company too who can balance the "what" with the "how". Pushing the boundaries is good when it comes to invention but making sure it really is feasible is also important. Ensure you have the great idea and the expertise to put it into practice. Some of the best partnerships are formed by those who hold opposite skills.
Perseverance is crucial
Remember it might take a while to get your idea into all the minds and hands of those it is suitable for. Don't give up. Good things come to those who wait. If you believe in your product or service and have researched and gone through the above checks, all you need to do is shout loudly and the sales should come in.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone in the 1870s, but it didn't really take off as a household item until the 1940s, nearly 20 years after he had died. Likewise, barcodes were first conceived as a kind of visual morse code by a Philadelphia student in 1952 but retailers were slow to take up the technology. It was 20 years later, in the early 1970s when the same student, Norman Woodland, then employed by IBM, devised the Universal Product Code, which now appears on almost everything we buy.
Adapt and evolve
And finally, don't rest on your laurels. Once your idea is out in the marketplace, if it is good, it will be imitated, even with the best trademarks in place. Ensure you are keeping one step ahead with your new product development. Keep talking to your audience and, inevitably, while your competitors are working on their copycat you will be working on phase two.
Neil Purssey is managing director of fire safety company Fireco
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text:
More Breakfast
By Maverick Software LLC
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
Breakfast- the most important app of the day! Now you can cook, eat, and share all your breakfast favorites on your iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad. Made by Maverick Software- creators of the best food games on the iPhone!
More Breakfast lets you make pancakes, waffles, omelets, eggs & bacon, toast, cereal, drinks and more. You get to mix, cook, add toppings & sides, and then share or eat your breakfast. With no dishes to do!
More Breakfast includes:
- Full iPad and iPhone Retina Display graphics, for the most yummy looking food ever!
- Eggs, bacon, different kinds of sausage, hash browns, ham and more, all you can fry up in a pan, flipping the food to cook it faster.
- 5 kinds of pancakes, from buttermilk and blueberry to chocolate chip. You get to mix the batter, pour it in a pan, and flip the pancakes. Then cover them in different syrups, fruit or other toppings.
- Round and square waffle irons, to make hot & golden brown waffles!
- Omelets with 20 kinds of fillings - cheese, ham, green peppers, jalapenos, and more.
- A dozen kinds of cereal (including oatmeal)
- A toaster to make toast, english muffins, bagels, and more. Set how light or dark you want your toast, then press down the lever. After it's done add butter, jam, peanut butter, etc.
- Breakfast sandwiches! Make sausage biscuits, croissant sandwiches, english muffins with eggs and cheese.
- Milk, juices, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate to drink with your meal.
- Over 65 sides and toppings to add to your plate. Fruit, syrups, whipped cream, biscuits & gravy, scones, donuts, and more!
- 25 achievements you can earn by making special food or discovering secrets.
- Pick from 18 plates and 16 tablecloths to get the perfect setting for your meal.
- Full VoiceOver support for the visually impaired.
What's New in Version 2.4
- Larger/easier to press buttons
- Cereal bites on retina iPads aren't tiny any more
- iOS8 bug fixes
Customer Reviews
Thank you very much macros software (stupid spellcheck)
I really do like this game. As a low vision user, there are very many games that I can play. I can't read, I can't seem minor details, I can only see a little bit. So, a few things are hard for me to play on this game. For instants, it's really hard for me to drag the ingredients into the bowl, and it's kind of hard for me to drag the food onto the plate. So maybe you could keep some of your blind users in mind in developing your games?oh, and I bought this game in the app bundle, do you think maybe you could develop your other games a little better? Thanks. I'm working, do you think maybe you could make some of your games free? I know that'sa bit much to ask, but I really want to stop sabotaging my mom's credit card. But it's kind of hard to do that, when you put up so many irresistible apps. Most times which cost money money
I'm sorry
I am really sorry for giving this app only one star last night. I was really upset about my I pad being so messed up after the iOS 8.1 update. A lot of my favorite games are not working properly, and this app is one of my favorites. I know it's not your companies fault. Sorry. The trouble with this app is that the frying pan doesn't fry properly and I can't slide food on the plate anymore. I hope you can fix it. Thank you.
This game is amazing. You can do mostly anything you want and there's nothing that's locked so you can use anything. For example the plates you can choose any plate you want and there are no plates that are locked. They let you mostly choose any food you want and do it. This game is the best game ever. I'm glad someone invented it.
- $1.99
- Category: Games
- Updated: Oct 24, 2014
- Version: 2.4
- Size: 101 MB
- Language: English
- Seller: Maverick Software LLC
- © 2013 Maverick Software LLC
Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
15 Sep 2006, 01:26am by Aaron Schatz
New England has taken an unorthodox approach to their practice squad. (Click link to read more.)
0 comments
14 Sep 2006, 04:13pm by Aaron Schatz
Raise your hand if you want to read a really, really bad NFL analyst. Come on, you know you want to. I've got to give props to Alex Rubin, one of the FO interns, who thoroughly excoriates one of the lamest Week 1 "jump to conclusions" columns in newspaper history, written by Roger Brown of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Honestly, this thing has to be seen to be believed.
51 comments, Last at 12 Oct 2006, 12:14pm by In the know
14 Sep 2006, 12:33pm by Aaron Schatz
Remember William Krasker's footballcommentary.com? Well, there's a new website, Pigskin Revolution, that's doing much the same thing, with a strategy model that looks at the decisions that coaches make during games. Here's their review of Monday's Washington-Minnesota contest.
35 comments, Last at 17 Sep 2006, 10:07am by Frigo
14 Sep 2006, 01:31am by Aaron Schatz
Does Shaun Alexander avoid the curse of 370 due to his propensity to run out of bounds and scoring long touchdown runs? Aaron Schatz examines that ability as well as compares him to other running backs in the league. (Click link to read more.)
0 comments
13 Sep 2006, 05:59pm by Aaron Schatz
OK, which bandwagon derails here? The Wali Lundy bandwagon or the Samkon Gado bandwagon (which has been in the shop since late last year)?
33 comments, Last at 15 Sep 2006, 2:25am by emcee fleshy (ATL)
13 Sep 2006, 12:30pm by Aaron Schatz
Bob Ryan says that if you want to enjoy football, don't read any contract negotiation stories. It's like going to the sausage factory -- if you enjoy sausage, you don't want to know how it is made. I know there have been a lot of complaints about too much Branch talk on FO lately; this article is more about football fandom in general. (Free registration required)
53 comments, Last at 19 Sep 2006, 4:30pm by mactbone
13 Sep 2006, 01:41am by Aaron Schatz
Is running out of bounds the antidote for the curse of 370? Aaron Schatz takes a closer look. (Click link to read more.)
0 comments
12 Sep 2006, 11:58pm by Aaron Schatz
Here's the latest Quick Reads at FOXSports.com with PAR for all quarterbacks in Week 1 plus the top running backs and receivers. Join us as we celebrate Football Outsiders vs. National Jump to Conclusions Week. Sorry this is late, I forgot to send it to FOX on Monday. Yes, I'm an idiot.
46 comments, Last at 16 Sep 2006, 1:17am by Sean_C
12 Sep 2006, 10:59pm by Aaron Schatz
Watch the Salon ad thingy then skip past all the baseball stuff to get to King Kaufman's important point: How good was the team that did the second MNF game last night? Are there words in the English language capable of describing the improvement when you go from Tirico, Theismann and Kornheiser to Brad Nessler, Ron Jaworski and Dick Vermeil? Can we please, please, please have them every week? Pretty please? Seriously, let's start an e-mail campaign.
58 comments, Last at 15 Sep 2006, 2:06pm by David
12 Sep 2006, 10:32pm by Aaron Schatz
The most accurate rating in the NFL returns for 2006 with a new wrinkle: an early-season rating that combines preseason projections with early results to get a more accurate look at team strengths. UPDATE: Commentary is now found here on FOXSports.com.
112 comments, Last at 21 Sep 2006, 7:39pm by Smartmonies


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The Dhabhai Kund, which is famous for its fascinating geometric construction, was built in the 16th century and is located near the Raniji-ki-Baori. It is a step well which was built to provide water to those regions of Rajasthan which were hit by drought. It is famous for its beautiful carvings and murals. A couple of Step Wells are also located outside the Chauhan Gate which are known as the Nagar Sagar.
Tell us what do you think of Dhabhai Kund
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text:
SBI Q4 Net dips 18.5% on higher provisioning; shares tank 8%
Reacting to the below expected numbers, shares tanked 8.87 percent on BSE, wiping off Rs 12,867 crore from its market value.
Kolkata: Hit by higher provisions for bad loans and fall in interest income, banking behemoth SBI today reported 18.5 percent decline in profit to Rs 3,299 crore for January-March period, its first quarterly fall in two years.
Reacting to the below expected numbers, shares tanked 8.87 percent on BSE, wiping off Rs 12,867 crore from its market value.
"The fall in growth of net profit had been due to higher provisioning for sub-standard and doubtful assets for which provision-coverage ratio (PCR) had been increased in the last quarter of FY'13," SBI Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri told reporters after declaring the annual results here on Thursday.
Loan provisioning in Q4 was Rs 3,974 crore, he said.
The SBI chief said NPAs in the agriculture sector posed a challenge as also mid-corporate and SME sectors.
About the future outlook, he said that there would be a marginal increase in corporate loans and capital expenditure.
"There will not be much improvement in these areas. Coupled with this, there will also be a contraction in demand due to high interest rate regime followed by the monetary authority," he said.
Net interest margin (NIM) of the bank as on March 2013 stood at 3.34 percent (3.85 percent). NIM guidance for the bank for the current fiscal was 3.60 percent, he said.
The gross NPA as a percentage of total loans rose to 4.75 percent during the quarter, from 4.44 percent in the year ago period.
Commenting on SBI numbers, Motilal Oswal Securities VP (Equities) Gautam Sinha Roy said net profit declined 19 percent which was "below estimates". "Provisions came in at Rs 4,180 crore which were above estimate of Rs 2,750 crore," he added.
Commenting on the results, Angel Broking VP (Research- Banking) Vaibhav Agrawal said SBI announced "moderate set of numbers" for the quarter. "While NII declined by 5 percent yoy, non-interest income grew at modest 5 percent yoy."
The standalone total income of the state-run bank rose to Rs 36,331 crore in Q4, from Rs 33,959 crore in the same period a year ago, a SBI statement said.
The net interest income (NII) declined 4.42 percent to Rs 11,591 crore during the fourth quarter of FY13.
The standalone profit of the state-run bank for 2012-13 stood at Rs 14,105 crore, making it the third highest profit making firm in the country after ONGC and Reliance Industries.
"SBI's consolidated profit are so far the second highest among the companies that have declared the results because we are about Rs 3,000 crore less than Reliance Industries. ...So we have consolidated our position as the third highest profit making company in the country," Chaudhuri said.
Standalone total income of the bank in 2012-13 increased to Rs 1,35,691.94 crore, from Rs 1,20,872.90 crore in FY12.
The consolidated net profit of the bank and its five associates stood at Rs 17,916 crore in 2012-13.
The NII rose 2.40 percent to Rs 44,331 crore for 2012-13 fiscal. Total provisioning of the bank stood at Rs 16,977 crore at the end of 2012-13 fiscal, against Rs 19,866 crore in 2011-12 fiscal.
Chaudhuri said to improve its asset quality SBI would discourage below investment-grade accounts.
He also said the bank would invest in quality stocks with good volumes.
Deposits of the bank as on March 31, 2013, stood at Rs 12.02 lakh crore and advances at Rs 10.78 lakh crore. Chaudhuri said the bank's market in deposits as on March 2013 stood at 16.46 percent and advances at 16.66 percent.
About raising fresh capital, he said the issue would be discussed in the second quarter of the present fiscal.
The bank declared a dividend of Rs 41.50 per share, for the year ended March 31, 2013.


text:
*From Monash University Department of Surgery (Drs. Dixon and O'Brien), Alfred Hospital; and Department of Respiratory Medicine (Dr. Schachter), Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Correspondence to: John Dixon, MBBS, Monash University Department of Surgery, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne 3181, Australia; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in severely obese subjects (body mass index [BMI] > 35). Overnight polysomnography (OPS) is the "gold standard" method of evaluating this condition; however, it is time-consuming, inconvenient, and expensive. Selection of patients for OPS would be enhanced if we could better predict those likely to have clinically significant OSA.
Study objective: To look for clinical and biochemical predictors of OSA in symptomatic patients presenting for obesity surgery.
Design and patients: Symptoms suggestive of OSA were sought in a structured interview. We report OPS results of 99 consecutive subjects in whom OSA was clinically suspected. Predictors of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) were sought from an extensive preoperative data collection. Multivariate linear and logistic analysis was used to identify independent predictors of AHI.
Results: Symptoms were poor predictors of AHI, with observed sleep apnea the only positive predictor. Four clinical and two biochemical factors independently predicted AHI: observed sleep apnea, male sex, higher BMI, age, fasting insulin, and glycosylated hemoglobin AIc (r2 = 0.42). Neck circumference (the best single measure) could replace BMI and sex in the analysis (r2 = 0.43). With cutoffs selected, a simple scoring system using these six factors provides a method of predicting those with moderate or severe OSA. A score ≥ 3 provides a sensitivity and specificity of 89% and 81%, and 96% and 71% for AHIs of ≥ 15 and ≥ 30, respectively. None of the 31 subjects with scores of 0 or 1 were found to have an AHI ≥ 15.
Conclusion: We explore sleep disturbance and report a simple method of predicting OSA in severely obese symptomatic subjects. This should assist in limiting the use of OPS to those with greater risk and provide a method of assessing risk in those not presenting primarily with a sleep problem.
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text:
Aurukun stabbing accused to face court
A man has been charged over a stabbing in Aurukun on Cape York.
Police say a woman was treated for multiple stab wounds to her back last night.
A 25-year-old man has been charged with grievous bodily harm and is due to appear in the Aurukun Magistrates Court today.
Topics: crime, courts-and-trials, aurukun-4871, cairns-4870


text:
|Home | About | Journals | Submit | Contact Us | Français
Ocular syphilis among HIV-infected patients continues to be a problem in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. However, outside of case reports or small case series, little is known about the clinical, laboratory, and treatment outcomes of these patients.
To examine the literature on HIV-infected patients and determine the results of treatment.
Systematic review of cases series and case reports among HIV-infected individuals with ocular syphilis. Reviews, languages other than English and pre-1980 reports were excluded. The effect of CD4 count and virological suppression on clinical manifestations and diagnostic laboratory values was evaluated.
A total of 101 HIV-infected individuals in case series and case reports were identified. Ocular syphilis led to the HIV diagnosis in 52% of cases, including patients with CD4 count >200 cells/mm3. Posterior uveitis was significantly more common in individuals with CD4 count <200 cells/mm3 (p=0.002). Three patients with confirmed ocular syphilis had negative non-treponemal tests. Ninety-seven per cent of patients with visual impairment improved following intravenous penicillin or ceftriaxone.
Non-treponemal tests may be negative in HIV-infected patients with ocular syphilis. Ocular syphilis remains an important clinical manifestation that can lead to initial HIV diagnosis.
Unlike the incidence of cytomegalovirus retinitis which decreased after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) became widely available,1 the incidence of ocular syphilis has not decreased in the HAART era.2 While there have been a number of case reports reporting the significance of ocular syphilis in HIV-infected patients,3–15 there have been no studies with more than 13 patients.
Ocular syphilis is a well-described entity that can result from acquired or congenital infection. Studies from the pre-antibiotic era16 as well as more recently2 show that ocular syphilis is one of the most common manifestations of neurosyphilis. In cases of both early and late syphilis, anterior uveitis is the most commonly observed ocular manifestation. 17,18 Several case reports have suggested that posterior uveitis is more common among those with HIV infection,19,20 but few data are available. An enormous variety of clinical manifestations of early syphilis within the eye has been reported, including the following: papulosquamous lesions of the skin of the lids, temporary loss of eyebrows, diffuse papillary conjunctivitis, scleroconjunctivitis, interstitial keratitis, iritis, chorioretinitis and optic neuritis. Studies of ocular syphilisamong HIV-negative individuals have found frequent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) abnormalities that are consistent with neurosyphilis,21–23 and no substantial differences in CSF characteristics between HIV-infected and uninfected individuals.22,23
This systematic review analysed the clinical manifestations, immunological status, and treatment response of patients with HIV with ocular syphilis. The goal of this study is to better understand the clinical picture and laboratory findings of ocular syphilis in the HIV era, focusing on the effects of CD4 count and antiretroviral therapy.
We followed PRISMA guidelines for the search strategy, study selection, data abstraction, analysis and presentation (figure 1). PubMed, Science Direct and NLM Gateway online databases were searched using the following terms: ('syphilis' OR 'Treponema pallidum') AND ('HIV' OR 'AIDS') AND ('eye' OR 'ocular', 'iridocyclitis', 'chorioretinitis', 'uveitis', 'retinitis', 'optic neuritis', OR 'conjunctivitis.') PubMed was searched by titles while Science Direct and NLM Gateway were searched by abstracts, keywords and authors.
All manuscripts that reported case series or case reports of HIV-infected patients with ocular syphilis were included. Reviews, languages other than English and pre-1980 reports were excluded. No other restrictions were put on location, study design or type of ocular manifestation. All descriptions of ocular findings were examined by two reviewers, including one ophthalmologist (AML). Data on the following covariates were examined: demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics (including diagnostic syphilis titres, immunological profiles and ocular manifestations), antibiotic treatment and response to treatment.
The case definition included: (1) HIV-infected patients as demonstrated by ELISA with confirmatory western blot; (2) evidence of syphilis infection defined by a positive serum treponemal test; (3) formal ophthalmological examination documenting ocular inflammation. Eye findings were reviewed by an ophthalmologist and grouped into four general categories as follows: anterior uveitis included keratitis, scleritis, iritis and iridocyclitis with or without keratic precipitates; posterior uveitis included vitritis, chorioretinitis, necrotising (and non-necrotising) retinitis, retinal vasculitis/periphlebitis, serous retinal detachment or papillitis; panuveitis included both anterior and posterior segment inflammation; optic neuritis included retrobulbar optic neuritis and optic perineuritis. CSF white blood cell (WBC) counts were dichotomised into normal and raised based on a threshold of >5 WBCs/mm3. CSF total protein counts were dichotomised based on a threshold of 60 mg/100 ml The following covariates were analysed: CD4 cell count (cells/mm3), HIV-1 RNA (copies/ml), ocular findings (anterior uveitis, posterior uveitis, panuveitis, optic neuritis), clinical manifestations (rash consistent with secondary syphilis, constitutional symptoms), serum rapid plasma reagin (RPR) or Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) titres, CSF variables (WBC count, total protein and VDRL test), visual acuity before and after treatment and treatment course.
Differences in the clinical and laboratory findings of patients by CD4 count and viral load suppression were examined using Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous variables and Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. Data analysis used SPSS 18.0. This study was approved by the Partners Human Research Committee and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Institutional Review Board.
Three hundred and four abstracts were retrieved using our search criteria, and 32 manuscripts met all inclusion criteria and were examined in detail (figure 1). Among these manuscripts, five had incomplete data.24–28 Lack of follow-up ophthalmological examination or CD4 count data were the most common reasons for excluding studies. A total of 101 patients from case series9,19,20,22,26,29–37 and case reports3–15 were included in the final analysis. All selected studies were retrospective case series from the United States and Europe (table 1). For those who had available data, ocular syphilis was the presenting symptom of HIV infection in 28 out of 54 cases (52%). In pre-HAARTera case series, 11/17 (65%) patients had ocular syphilis as the presenting symptom of HIV infection. Among studies done after the advent of HAART, 17/37 (46%) patients had ocular syphilis as the presenting symptom of HIV infection. In the studies with available data, follow-up times ranged from 5 to 45 months.
The median age of patients was 38.5 years (range 23–62), and 96.9% of patients were male. The median CD4 cell count was 348 cells/mm3 (range 4–1435), and 17% (17/101) of patients had a CD4 cell count <200 cells/mm3. The median HIV-1 RNA was 1800 copies/ml. A summary of the ocular findings is presented in table 2. Thirty-nine per cent (21/54) of cases had only visual symptoms, and 62% (32/52) of cases had a rash consistent with secondary syphilis infection. Seventy-four per cent (46/62) of ocular syphilis cases had an elevated CSF WBC count, and 75% (33/44) had an elevated total protein. The CSF VDRL test was positive in 57% (37/65) of all cases where a VDRL test was performed on CSF fluid.
Patients with ocular syphilis with CD4 cell count <200 cells/ mm3 were found to have a significantly greater risk of posterior uveitis (p=0.002, table 2). Patients with CD4 cell count <200 cells/mm3 also tended to have a lower risk of panuveitis and anterior uveitis (p=0.055 and p=0.1, respectively). The majority of patients in both groups had relatively high RPR/VDRL titres (median 1:128), suggesting that they may have been in the early stages of infection when they presented (figure 2).
Eleven individuals had HIV-1 RNA levels under the limit of detection. In these patients, there was a trend towards less frequent reactive CSF VDRL titres (20% vs 63%, p=0.051), less frequent leucocytosis (40% vs 76%, p=0.10) and less frequent elevated total protein (29% vs 75%, p=0.13) when compared to patients who had detectable viraemia. No significant differences were seen in the CD4 count or clinical findings between these two groups.
Three cases of ocular syphilis with a negative serum RPR or VDRL test were identified. All three patients were found to have positive treponemal tests and serial assessment following treatment. Of these three cases, two had documented improvement in visual acuity19,20 and one had a post-treatment repeat lumbar puncture showing the CSF WBC count decreasing from 393 to 14 cells/µl (unpublished data). Among these three patients, two had never had been diagnosed with syphilis before, one had been successfully treated for syphilis in the past. One of the patients presented with necrotising retinitis and retinal detachment. Another patient had a rash, bilateral posterior uveitis and a positive CSF VDRL test that became negative after treatment. The CD4 cell counts in these three patients were 56, 158 and 574 cells/µl.
Almost all patients were given 10–21 days of intravenous penicillin or ceftriaxone. Although some patients had poor follow-up, there were no confirmed cases of intravenous penicillin or ceftriaxone failure. Thirty-four out of 35 patients who had follow-up visual acuity formally assessed by an ophthalmologist were found to have either normal visual acuity or an improvement after treatment. One patient had stable visual acuity (20/20) after treatment. However, in the study with the longest follow-up (Li et al), three patients required re-treatment for syphilis, including one for recurrent ocular syphilis. All of these individuals were at risk for reinfection owing to persistent high-risk sexual behaviours.
The literature on ocular syphilis among HIV-infected individuals is limited. In this systematic analysis, we report the clinical and laboratory findings associated with 101 cases of ocular syphilis among HIV-infected individuals. Although this was a systematic review, there was a large amount of heterogeneity in the quality of data and follow-up.
The age, sex, CD4 profile and HIV-1 RNA measurements are consistent with data from US studies of neurosyphilis.27,38 Rash consistent with secondary syphilis was described in a majority of patients, which is similar to a study of neurosyphilis among patients with HIV38 and earlier pre-HIV era studies.39,40 In addition, the high RPR/VDRL titres in the majority of patients suggest that most patients were in the earlier stages of infection. Since the onset of symptoms was not clear in most cases, a more precise discrimination of syphilis stage was not possible. These findings are also consistent with the pre-HIV literature that found a relationship between higher non-treponemal test results and neurosyphilis.41
While a wide range of serum RPR titres have been observed in neurosyphilis studies,27,38 we were able to uncover three cases of ocular syphilis with negative serum RPR/VDRL titres. Although further information about prozone phenomena or the presence of non-syphilis treponeme might explain these cases, there were limited available data on prozone phenomena from the primary manuscripts and follow-up inquiries. Negative non-treponemal tests in the setting of ocular syphilis have been reported among HIV uninfected individuals related to prozone phenomena21 and to other causes,42,43 suggesting that this may not be unique to HIV-infected individuals. These three cases suggest that ocular syphilis may occur in the setting of a negative serum non-treponemal test, emphasising the need for treponemal diagnostic testing and, possibly, lumbar puncture in patients suspected of having ocular syphilis.
This study found a trend towards higher CSF WBC counts in patients with lower CD4 counts (p=0.055). At the same time, seven patients with ocular syphilis and HIV infection had normal CSF white blood cell count, total protein and CSF VDRL titres; all these patients were from the HAART era. This correlated with the finding that those with suppressed viraemia were less likely to have a reactive CSF VDRL test. Syphilis literature from the 1980s suggested that most patients with ocular syphilis had an elevated CSF white blood cell count and total protein,43 consistent with our results. There are conflicting data about the CSF VDRL test among patients who have ocular syphilis. While one study from the pre-HIV era found that none of 50 individuals with ocular syphilis had a reactive CSF VDRL test,43 a greater number of reactive CSF VDRL positive cases were found in an HIV-era study32 and our pooled data.
Several previous case series of ocular syphilis among HIVinfected patients have noted a tendency towards posterior uveitis19,20,31,37 and panuveitis,35 but our analysis supported only the association between posterior uveitis and low CD4 counts. It is unclear why posterior uveitis appears more commonly in HIV-infected patients with low CD4 cell counts. Most patients with uveitis secondary to syphilis have good visual prognosis. Patients with posterior uveitis with central chorioretinal lesions and optic neuritis have poorer prognosis than patients with anterior uveitis and other categories of inflammation.
Persistent symptoms are common among HIV-infected patients with neurosyphilis. A prospective study of 41 HIV-infected patients with neurosyphilis found that patients' main complaint persisted at 1 year in 38% of cases,27 and another study found that 30% of treated cases had persistent symptoms. 38 However, the patients with ocular syphilis in our analysis had good response to treatment based on repeat examination. Although data are available for only 35 patients, 97% of the cases showed definitive improvement or normal visual acuity on follow-up.
While visual improvement was rapid in most patients after treatment, a small number of patients had persistent visual acuity problems. There were limited data on follow-up and also on the use of steroids which may help prevent visual acuity problems. The importance of completing an adequate course of intravenous antibiotics for all patients with neurosyphilis cannot be overstated.44 The US CDC recommends 10–14 days of intravenous penicillin, although these guidelines are based on limited data.45 A full course of intravenous penicillin may be especially important in patients who may have a compromised immune system.3 Several studies noted early administration of steroids in patients with uveitis in order to prevent an ocular Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction46,47 and prevent further inflammation related to uveitis.48
This study has several limitations worthy of consideration. There was substantial heterogeneity in the quality of the data and follow-up in the analysed literature. Publication bias probably revealed a greater number of severe cases, although based on laboratory abnormalities and clinical course, this group of patients with ocular syphilis and HIV probably has less severe disease than other cohorts with neurosyphilis.27,38 Since RPR and VDRL tests were done at different laboratories, comparison of values must be interpreted with caution. Not all patients underwent lumbar puncture and were followed up for repeat visual acuity examination, but patients who had persistent visual problems would probably be followed up. In addition, the CSF WBC cut-off point of 5 WBC/mm3 was chosen because most studies reported that value. Among HIV-infected people, this cut-off point may have lower specificity when diagnosing neurosyphilis.41
Despite the advent of HAART, ocular syphilis remains an important clinical concern among patients with HIV infection. It can occur in patients with negative serum RPR or VDRL test and clinicians must obtain serum treponemal tests when the suspicion of ocular syphilis is high. Lumbar puncture is recommended for the evaluation of all patients with ocular syphilis as a substantial proportion will have evidence of neurosyphilis. Although the visual recovery of patients who completed 10–21 days of intravenous antibiotic therapy was good, behavioural counselling and close follow-up are advised. More research is needed to better understand ocular syphilis among HIV-infected patients.
Special thanks to the MGH Syphilis Working Group. Thanks to Seth Cohen and Kate Mooney for administrative support.
Funding Support from the National Institutes of Health (T32 AI07387, JL), US NIH Fogarty International Clinical Fellowship (R24TW007988, JT) and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (JT).
Competing interests None.
Ethics approval This study was conducted with the approval of the Partners Human Subjects Research Committee and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Institutional Review Board.
Contributors JDT contributed to data interpretation, drafting the article and revising it critically for important intellectual content. JZL contributed to acquisition and interpretation of data, drafting the article and revising it critically for important intellectual content. GKR contributed to the conception and design of the study, interpretation of the data, drafting the article and revising it for important intellectual content. BTD contributed to the conception and design of the study and interpretation of the data. AML contributed to acquisition and interpretation of data, drafting the article and revising it critically for important intellectual content. JL contributed to acquisition and interpretation of data, drafting the article and revising it critically for important intellectual content. GNP contributed to the conception and design of the study and interpretation of the data. MLD contributed to the conception and design of the study, interpretation of the data, drafting the article and revising it for important intellectual content. DF contributed to the conception and design of the study, interpretation of the data, drafting the article and revising it for important intellectual content.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
PubMed Central Canada is a service of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) working in partnership with the National Research Council's national science library in cooperation with the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine(NCBI/NLM). It includes content provided to the PubMed Central International archive by participating publishers.


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There's nothing like a law with no teeth to frustrate residents and police. Massachusetts General Law Chapter 148, Section 39, which prohibits fireworks, has come under attack from Dennisport and West Dennis residents, who are asking police to do something about the loud explosions that trigger dogs' howling and babies' crying throughout the summer.
There's nothing like a law with no teeth to frustrate residents and police. Massachusetts General Law Chapter 148, Section 39, which prohibits fireworks, has come under attack from Dennisport and West Dennis residents, who are asking police to do something about the loud explosions that trigger dogs' howling and babies' crying throughout the summer.
The law is clear: "No person shall sell, or keep or offer for sale, or have in his possession, or under his control, or use, or explode, or cause to explode, any combustible or explosive composition or substance, or any combination of such compositions or substances, or any other article, which was prepared for the purpose of producing a visible or audible effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration, or detonation."
Included under this law are fireworks, blank cartridges, toy cannons in which explosives are used, toy balloons requiring fire for propulsion, firecrackers, cherry bombs, silver salutes, M-80s, torpedoes, sky-rockets, Roman candles, sparklers, rockets, wheels, colored fires, fountains, mines, serpents—or anything else containing explosive or flammable compounds.
By law, those selling such explosives in Massachusetts face a fine of "not less than $100 nor more than $1,000," imprisonment for no more than one year, or both. Anyone possessing or setting off any of the aforementioned faces a fine of at least $10 but not to exceed $100. Officers may seize the explosives without a warrant, and upon conviction of the offender, the explosives become state property.
The law makes exception for use by transportation agencies, properly licensed shows, the militia and veterans organizations, firearms training, and farmers who use firecrackers to discourage bird damage, among others.
Ryan Carr, crime-prevention officer for the south side of Dennis, told a Crime Watch meeting last week, "For as long as I've been a cop, we've been chasing fireworks. Dogs bark and howl, kids cry and people's peace is disturbed, especially during the summer." Carr said that although fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts, they are legal is every surrounding state, making it virtually impossible to stop people from bringing them here.
Police have three options when they receive a complaint: seize the fireworks; issue a summons; or arrest the person responsible. "We don't have time for the second two, and when we seize the fireworks, they just return with more," he said. More times than not, by the time police receive a report and arrive on the scene, the deed has been done and nobody admits responsibility.
"A town bylaw has been suggested because imposing a serious fine puts some teeth into the law," Carr said. "If the person doesn't pay the fine or show up in court, we could then issue an arrest warrant."
A bylaw may be proposed to Town Meeting in one of two ways: through a citizen's petition with 100 registered voters' signatures; or through the board of selectmen. "I understand that it's safer to go through selectmen, because if the petition is not written correctly, when it goes to Town Meeting, it's indefinitely postponed," Carr said.
Fireworks are not only illegal, they're also dangerous. Fire Chief Mark Dellner said that on July 4, 2011, fireworks destroyed a home on South Village Beach in West Dennis. "People in the neighborhood were setting off bottle rockets, and around 1 a.m. we received a report of fire coming from the roof." The seriously damaged home was later torn down and rebuilt.
Dellner said that fireworks have not been a big problem for his department, but they could be. It takes one accident to open people's eyes to the seriousness of this issue, he said.
Police Chief Mike Whalen said he will work with Carr to research and draft the bylaw, which "would allow us some teeth to discourage fireworks instead of tying up an officer for several hours collecting the fireworks, bringing the violator to the station and booking him when the officer is needed on the street," he said. "This would also allow the officer to order the violator off the beach or street."
Whalen hopes to impose a $100 fine for the first offense, with fines increasing by $100 for each subsequent violation.
"We can write a bylaw-violation ticket in two minutes," Carr said. "When there's a significant fine attached, it gets people's attention."
Once the bylaw is drafted, Whalen and Carr will bring it before selectmen, who will schedule a public hearing before placing it on the fall special Town Meeting warrant.
Nicole Muller can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nmullerRegister.


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This is a discussion on another KS guy within the New Members Introduce Yourself forums, part of the Welcome To DefensiveCarry.com category; One more greeting from PA...
One more greeting from PA
Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.
"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."
http://www.rkba-2a.com/ - a portal for 2A links, articles and some videos.
A real man loves his wife, and places his family as the most important thing in life. Nothing has brought me more peace and content in life than simply being a good husband and father.
Welcome from Alabama.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. Albert Einstein
from Central Florida!
Proverbs 27:12 says: The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
Certified Glock Armorer
NRA Life Member
Welcome from another new member from Ks. also.
In what area are you located?
"We must remember that one man is much
the same as another, and that he is best
who is trained in the severest school."
~Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
Welcome from West Tennessee!
,=====o00o _
l_--- \___l---[]lllllll[]
(o)_)-o- (o)_)--o-)_)
I'm kind of in the same boat as fire310....only from Wis instead of KS and I too Have had a similar career....just retired after 26yrs in the fire service. AND just bought my first handgun. Sure wish they'd change that law here....we're one of the only 2 states who still ban it. Anyway, looking forward to some interesting posts in here. Thanks, everyone.
Welcome aboard!
Training means learning the rules. Experience means learning the exceptions.
Welcome from GCK!
I'm a child of the 60's, but I got over it.
Welcome from Junction City.
A person is justified in the use of deadly force, if such person reasonably believes deadly force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to such person or a third person.


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Tools for generating SQL queries using LINQ. ORM framework is also planned to be implemented.http://andshevormtools.codeplex.com/
|orm ormapping query-builder
Object relational mapper (ORM) for PHP that sits on top of a powerful database abstraction layer (DBAL). One of its key features is the option to write database queries in a proprietary object oriented SQL dialect called Doctrine Query Language (DQL), inspired by Hibernates HQL. This provides developers with a powerful alternative to SQL that maintains flexibility without requiring unnecessary code duplication.orm persistence database-development orm-php
Propel is an open-source Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) for PHP5. It allows you to access your database using a set of objects, providing a simple API for storing and retrieving data. Propel uses PDO as an abstraction layer, and code generation to remove the burden of runtime introspection. Therefore Propel is fast.orm persistence database-development orm-php
SQLAlchemy is the Python SQL toolkit and Object Relational Mapper that gives application developers the full power and flexibility of SQL. It provides a full suite of well known enterprise-level persistence patterns, designed for efficient and high-performing database access, adapted into a simple and Pythonic domain language.orm data-mapper python-orm
The Qcodo Development Framework is an open-source PHP web application framework which builds an Object Relational Model (ORM), CRUD (Create, Retrieve, Update, Delete) UI pages, and AJAX hooks from an existing data model. It additionally includes a tightly-integrated HTML and JavaScript form toolkit which interfaces directly with the generated entities. It is a robust, comprehensive framework which can be utilized by small and large Web applications alike.orm persistence database-development orm-php framework web-application-framework
Compass is a real time searchengine. It is built on top of lucene. It is transactional, distributed, supports Spring MVC, integrates with Hibernate.searchengine search-engine distributed
The ORMAP Parcel Editing Toolbar is a project that builds and maintains tools for editing parcel data via ESRI's ArcGIS. The tools consist of an ArcMap toolbar for use in ArcMap version 10X. CAUTION: STILL IN TEST MODE!!! 1/7/2011
A lightweight nearly-zero-configuration object-relational mapper and fluent query builder for PHP5.
Outlet differs from other orm solutions for php in that it provides transparent, unobtrusive persistence. It does not require your entity objects to implement any interfaces or extend some sort of base class. It is also very lightweight, only a handful of classes and tools.orm persistence database-development orm-php
NHibernate is a mature, open source object-relational mapper for the .NET framework. NHibernate is a port of Hibernate Core for Java to the .NET Framework. It handles persisting plain .NET objects to and from an underlying relational database.orm persistence database-development datamapper ormdotnet
Audited (formerly acts_as_audited) is an ORM extension that logs all changes to your Rails models.
We have large collection of open source products. Follow the tags from
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Home calendar
Sun., July 27, 2014
Art on the Green Festival – Friday-Aug. 3. The 46th annual celebration transforming the NIC campus into an outdoor art gallery and marketplace with hundreds of artists. There will be food, live music, art activities for children and more. Hours are Friday, noon-7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Parking and shuttle bus service to the west side of the NIC campus from downtown is available during the festival. No dogs allowed at the festival. North Idaho College, at the old Fort Sherman Grounds, 1000 W. Garden Ave., Coeur d'Alene. Free admission. (208) 699-5066.
Knitty Gritty Knit and Crochet - If you would like to learn how to knit or crochet come and join Corbin member Rose Sloan. Bring a G hook and two skeins of yarn. Friday, 1-3 p.m., Corbin Senior Center, 827 W. Cleveland Ave. Donations appreciated. (509) 327-1584.
Scrapbook Bootcamp - Bring your own craft projects and supplies and join in the opportunity to learn something new with 12 hours of crafting. Includes lunch and dinner. Saturday, 9 a.m., Salvation Army Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Road, Coeur d'Alene. $20. (208) 667-1865.
Teacher Craft Retreat on the Mountain This four-day, three-night craft retreat is all about pampering and relaxing. No cooking, no cleaning, just time to do your craft with those whom you love to spend time with over the summer. Bring your craft projects (sewing, paper crafts, beading, painting, etc.) Begins Aug. 4, Bear Creek Lodge, 24817 N. Mt. Spokane Park Drive, Mead. $200-$240. (509) 474-0600.
Sandbox Sewing - If you would like to work on your projects with other friendly stitchers, this is the place to be. August will be open sewing for anyone who wants to start or finish their projects. Corbin will be accepting items for mending or alteration on the last Tuesday of the month. Donations for this service will go directly to Corbin Center. Donations of fabric and other sewing supplies are appreciated. For more information, call (509) 993-0966 or (509) 981-7766. Tuesdays starting Aug. 5, 9 a.m., Corbin Community Center, 827 W. Cleveland Ave. $10/per class; or $25/per month. (509) 327-1584.
Spokane Valley Quilters Annual Potluck Picnic - Bring a dish to share; plates, silverware and drinks provided. Backpacks and school supplies will be collected to benefit Spokane Valley Partners. Aug. 5, 6:30 p.m., Spokane Valley Mission Park, 11123 E. Mission Ave. (509) 924-6320.
Quilting Bee - Join Washington State Quilters Spokane Chapter at their quarterly Quilting Bee. Butterfly block instructions can be found at www.wsqspokane.org. Bring a project to work on. Space for sewing machines is available, but bring a power cord for your machine. Call to arrange for a quilting frame to baste your quilt. Bring a dish to share for the potluck lunch as well as a plate and utensils; coffee and tea are provided. Show and share a finished or unfinished quilted item. Open to the public. Aug. 9, 9:30 a.m., Country Homes Christian Church, 8415 N. Wall St. Free. (509) 325-2496.
Mother/Daughter Craft Retreat Weekend - This three-day, two-night craft retreat is for moms and daughters ages 8-18. Bring your own projects. Five home-made meals, cleaning and bartending included. Begins Aug. 15, 2 p.m., Bear Creek Lodge, 24817 N. Mt. Spokane Park Drive, Mead. $150-$165. (509) 474-0600.
"Garden of Artistry" Art, Music and Flowers - Featuring Northwest artists. For more information, visit www.ponderaygarden.com. Today, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Ponderay Garden Center, 477703 Highway 95 North, Ponderay, Idaho. (208) 255-4200.
Sprouting at Home 101 - Discover the ins and outs of sprouting at home and get creative recipe ideas for a variety of different sprouts. Thursday, 6:30-8 p.m., Pilgrim's Market, 1316 N. Fourth St., Coeur d'Alene. Free. (208) 676-9730.
Rocket Mass Heater and Rocket Heated Bathtub Workshop - This workshop is for those who wish to learn about heating with wood in an efficient and earth-friendly way. Camping is available at the site where the stove will be built. Friday, 9 a.m., 575 Littlebrave Way, Sagle, Idaho. $285. (509) 993-1990.
Dragonflies on the Refuge - Dennis Paulson, author of "Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West," will present a program on dragonflies and lead a walk in their habitats. Reservations are required. Saturday, 1-3 p.m., Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, 26010 S. Smith Road, Cheney. $5. (509) 235-4723.
2014 Master Gardener Garden Tour and Dinner - WSU Pend Oreille Master Gardeners invite you for an afternoon viewing beautiful gardens and farms east of Newport, with an optional garden dinner offered after the tour. Dinner must be paid for in advance. Garden tour reservations may be made in advance or on the day of the tour. The tour is from 12:30-5 p.m.; dinner at 5 p.m. Aug. 3, WSU Pend Oreille County Extension Office, 418 S. Scott Ave., Newport. $10/garden tour; $12/dinner. (509) 447-2401.
Clematis Garden Talk - The next meeting of The Inland Empire Gardeners presents speaker Linda Beutler, curator of the Friends of the Rogerson Clematis Collection in Oregon. Talk is free and open to the public. Aug. 7, 6:30 p.m., CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place. (509) 535-8434.
Forest Insect and Disease Field Day - Registration deadline is Friday for the class on Aug. 8. Participants get a full day of first-hand contact with varied insects and diseases that affect forest growth and health, with discussions of related management strategies. Aug. 8, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Bonner County Fairgrounds, 4203 N. Boyer Road, Sandpoint. $10/includes materials and refreshments. (208) 263-8511.
Harrington Garden Tour - The tour will include several private gardens and historic buildings in and near Harrington. Aug. 13, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Corbin Community Center, 827 W. Cleveland Ave. $34/member; $39.50/nonmember, includes lunch and transportation. (509) 327-1584.
Growing Your Own Tree Seedlings Workshop - Topics include choosing, buying and growing your own seedlings, planning and using a seed nursery, seed transfer guidelines, cone collection and cultural practices. Class begins at the extension office and concludes with a field trip to a seedling nursery. Visit www.uidaho.edu/extension/ forestry or call to register. Aug. 15, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., University of Idaho Kootenai County Extension Office, 1808 N. Third St., Coeur d'Alene. $20/includes handouts and refreshments. (208) 446-1680.
Tree School - The Spokane Conservation District and the Spokane County WSU Extension are planning an educational event for foresters, arborists, small forest owners and backyard gardeners who want to expand their skills and knowledge. Participants will choose from three tracks and 16 courses; most classes are 50 minutes long with a 10 minute passing period. Several of the courses will have credits available. Register at www.sccd.org/forestry. Aug. 16, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Spokane County Conservation District, 210 N. Havana St. $50. (509) 535-7274.
Mushrooms of the Inland Empire - This course will cover edible, poisonous, and medicinal mushrooms that are easy to identify, but lesser known. Other local fungi and rules that apply to the broader families will also be covered. Taught by Kelly Chadwick. Visit www.sccd.org/forestry. Aug. 16, 8 a.m., Spokane County Conservation District, Tree School, 210 N. Havana St. $50. (509) 535-7274.
Cow Herd Management and Cheese Making - The 2014 Farm Walk Educational Series from the Tilth Producers of Washington presents a tour of a modern dairy farm. Attendees will receive Spokane's Family Farm milk and rennet culture to experiment with cheese-making at home. Monday, 12:30-4 p.m., Spokane Family Farm, 27515 W. Coulee Hite Road. $5. (509) 796-3276.
Bark in the Park - The Spokane Indians invite you and your dog to watch as they take on the Vancouver Canadians. Proceeds from every dog ticket purchased will benefit SCRAPS, Spokanimal and the Spokane Humane Society. Tuesday, 5-9 p.m., Avista Stadium, 602 N. Havana St. $5/per ticket, purchase required for dog. (509) 535-2922.
Bogs for Dogs - The Northwest Mud Racers Association presents the seventh annual event to raise funds for animals in need. The spectator gate opens at 1 p.m. and racing starts at 2 p.m. There is a $45 entry fee for those wishing to race a vehicle with safety inspection and registration from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. A portion of all entrance and spectator fees will be donated to the Spokane Humane Society. Friday, 2 p.m., Spokane County Raceway, 750 N. Hayford Road, Airway Heights. $12/general; free/age 12 and younger. (509) 993-8108.
North Idaho Fair and Rodeo - Aug. 20-24. This year's theme is "Summer's Best Tradition." The fair offers live music, carnival rides and games, food vendors, arts and crafts, livestock, contests and community exhibits. Events include Demolition Derby, PRCA Rodeo, Draft Horse Shows, and Motocross competitions in the Grandstand. Gates open daily at 9 a.m. Buildings open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday; and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. Carnival open Wednesday, 3 p.m.-midnight; Thursday, 2 p.m.-midnight; Friday-Saturday, noon-midnight; Sunday, noon-8 p.m. Special events: Dustin Lynch in concert, Wednesday at 7 p.m., tickets $8-$18. PRCA Xtreme Bulls, Thursday at 7 p.m., tickets $7-$10. PRCA Rodeos: Friday-Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m., tickets $7. Demolition Derby, Sunday at 12:30 p.m., tickets $7. Order tickets at (877) 840-0457. Kootenai County Fairgrounds, 4056 N. Government Way, Coeur d'Alene. $9/general; $7/seniors and children ages 6-13; free/age 5 and younger; $3/parking. (208) 765-4969.
Come Feed the Buffalo - Through Sept. 30. Visitors will learn the farm history and bison facts during a slide presentation and discussion. Tours are offered every Friday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m., Win-Tur Bison Farm, 4742 Highway 231, Springdale, Wash. $5/adults; $4/seniors and children, cash or check only. (509) 258-6717.


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This poster intends to educate youth of color about local food production and urban farming, while encouraging people living in urban communities to reclaim vacant lots for producing their own food. At a time when the dominant messages around food encourage us to eat "fast" and "cheap," positive and alternative messages are of major importance in changing our diets and making statement about the world we seek to create.
Green Our Communities


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The Slide Swing is the most flexible solution for mounting an iPad POS system.
The Slide Swing mount is the perfect solution for corners, bar table tops, under cabinets, or simply where some extra versatility or space is needed. The tension screws allow for precise fluid or locked movement and the 90 degree rotation makes it the perfect choice for both landscape and portrait orientation modes.
The swing arm pulls out up to 10.75" off the secured surface and is a great option for food truck, bar, or in kitchen display. Standard on all SLIDE POS models is the open sides for complete access to inputs and allows you to use the widest variety of card readers. Any card reader that uses the headphone, lightening or 30 Pin connector like the Square, PayPal Here, ID Tech Shuttle, ID Tech Unimag I and II, Magtek iDynamo and uDynamo, and many more will fit on the SLIDE Pro.


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Darley Australia's next superstar Earthquake has shaken up Golden Slipper markets after her electrifying win in last Saturday's Group 1 $1m Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
Earthquake now dominates the betting for the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (100m) at Rosehill on April 5 with Ladbrokes.com.au elevating her to a clear cut $2.90 favourite.
Gold Coast Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Unencumbered is on the second line of betting at $7.50 with the Gai Waterhouse trained Law the third pick at $10.
Blue Diamond Stakes winning trainer Peter Snowden will follow the same path as he did with Sepoy in 2011 with the Elusive Quality colt going on to win the Golden Slipper following his Blue Diamond Stakes victory.
Snowden gave Sepoy one run in between the two Group 1s when he ran second in the Group 2 $300,000 Todman Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill and he will saddle up Earthquake at the same meeting in the Group 2 $300,000 Reisling Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 22.
Earthquake will head back to Sydney this week with Snowden even surprised by the ease of her one and a half lengths win over the Mick Price pair of Jabali and Cornrow in the Blue Diamond Stakes.
"What impressed me most was the arrogance of her win,'' Snowden told The Daily Telegraph.
"She was on a loose rein and as coasting coming to the turn then she sprinted so quickly, she had them covered in a couple of strides.
"I had tingles down my spine – she has so much natural ability and is very exciting.''
"Earthquake will have four or five days at the farm.
"She can go to the Reisling Stakes two weeks before the Slipper. She is the sort of horse who can do that.
"When she worked on Tuesday it was Sepoy type of work. It will be harder in the Slipper but the way she's winning races, she's got the necessary attributes to do it.
"It's all there for her."
Snowden believes that there is still some improvement left in the Exceed And Excel filly but knows he will have to time her run to the minute to have her at her top for the second time in six weeks.
"I don't think this filly has peaked yet,'' Snowden said.
"She had only one barrier trial and an easy run (Prelude) before winning the Blue Diamond.
Queensland based jockey Damian Browne produced a cool and masterful ride to win the Blue Diamond Stakes from gate fifteen but will be have to hand up the ride to stable jockey Kerrin McEvoy who is recovering from a knee injury.


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Phoenix, Arizona – US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, has announced today that its Board of Directors has voted to extend the term of its Olympic Sailing Committee Chair Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.) through 2012. US SAILING President Jim Capron (Annapolis, Md.) made the announcement today at the organization's Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz. (more…)
Posted in Main Stories, Olympic Sailing | No Comments »
Tags: International Sailing, olympics, racing, regatta
The 300 young Optimist sailors at the Volvo Musto Optimist End of Season Championships had a tricky two days on the water. This Championship is the last selection event of the year for the sailors, so it's the final opportunity for them to shine.
Posted in Main Stories, Olympic Sailing, Small Boat Racing | No Comments »
Tags: dingy, olympics, one design, optimist, pram, racing, regatta
Newport/Middletown, R.I. – Competitors at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing grappled today with shifty northeasterly winds. Sizeable shifts turned the water into a patchwork of oscillations that racers navigated carefully, like a minefield. But there were some who definitely chose to travel the right route.
Posted in Main Stories | No Comments »
Tags: International Sailing, olympics, racing, regatta
Southern California – Whether Qingdao's notoriety for wimpy wind will ring true for the Olympic sailing next August, most of the competitors in America's West Coast Trials got plenty of practice dealing with it Monday. The Finns' day at Newport Beach was a complete loss, while everyone else except the 49ers at San Diego and the RS:X sailboards at Long Beach spent much of the afternoon twiddling their tillers before ample breeze arrived for fair contests.
Portsmouth, R.I. – Team USA's Anna Tunnicliffe is riding high today after winning a gold medal in the Laser Radial class at The Good Luck Beijing – 2007 Qingdao International Regatta in Qingdao, China, the second test event before the 2008 Olympic Games. With a new gold charm circling her neck and arms outstretched in victory, Tunnicliffe basked on the top step of the podium in front of an American flag.
"The awards ceremony was an amazing experience," said Tunnicliffe. "It really makes me want to come back and do it again next year at the Olympics."
Posted in Olympic Sailing | No Comments »
Tags: International Sailing, olympics, racing


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January 31, 2013
For the first quarter of fiscal year 2013, Meritor posted sales of $891 million, down 23% from the same period last year. Meritor says the decrease was primarily due to lower sales in global markets. For the period ended Dec. 31, Meritor lost $21 million. That compares with a loss of $22 million a year earlier. Excluding restructuring charges, Meritor's loss from continuing operations was 11 cents per share. First-Quarter Highlights * Sales were $891 million, down $268 million or 23% from last year. * Adjusted EBITDA was $46 million, compared with $79 million last year. * Operating cash flow was negative $91 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013, compared to positive $5 million in the same period last year. * Free cash flow was negative $106 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013, compared to negative $20 million in the same period last year. "Our performance this quarter was slightly below our expectations driven primarily by weaker than expected market conditions outside North America," said Chairman, CEO and President, Chip McClure. "In response to these changing conditions and the impact of reduced military spending, we have taken aggressive actions targeted at variable labor and structural cost reductions which we expect to drive improving margins in the coming quarters." Commercial Truck & Industrial sales were $715 million, down $260 million from the same period last year. The company's Aftermarket & Trailer segment posted sales of $203 million, down $15 million from the same period last year, primarily due to lower volumes in North America. Meritor now projects revenue for fiscal 2013 to be about $3.8 billion, down from a previous forecast of $4 billion.
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text: Ebook Readers, Games & Gaming, Independent Publishing, Publishers, Textbooks New Articles of Interest August 6, 2010 spolanka Some things for your weekend reading list: A Sustainable Future for Open Textbooks? The Flatworld Knowledge Story E-Texts for All (Even Lucy) | Ebooks and Accessibility How Does Google Work? Learn How Google Works: Search Engine + AdWords HOW TO: Self-Publish Anything Online Newsweek Asks: "Farewell, Libraries?†« ResourceShelf


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Pedro Hernandez's attorneys had argued that his interrogation was handled improperly and that he did not have the mental capacity to waive his rights against self-incrimination
A New York State Supreme Court Judge ruled Monday that prosecutors may use the confession of the man charged with strangling 6-year-old Etan Patz to death in 1979.
In denying the motion to suppress the confession of Pedro Hernandez, the defendant in the case, Justice Maxwell Wiley said Hernandez did have the mental capacity to waive his rights to have an attorney present and understood that he had the right to remain silent.
The 53-year-old Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Patz, who disappeared one morning while walking alone to his school bus stop. His disappearance led to a massive manhunt, but New York detectives were unable to bring charges in the case until 2012, when police officers received a tip that led them to Hernandez, who had been a stock clerk at a store in Patz's neighborhood.
On May 23, 2012, officers escorted Hernandez to the Camden County prosecutor's office in New Jersey, where they interrogated him for about seven hours. They did not record most of the interrogation, only turning on recorders close to when Hernandez was about to confess. Officers also waited until several hours into the interrogation to give Hernandez a Miranda warning, instructing him on his rights against self-incrimination.
Today's ruling to admit Hernandez's confession hinged on whether the court accepted that the Miranda warning was properly administered and that Hernandez was mentally capable of waiving his rights. Experts for Hernandez testified that he has an IQ as low as 67 and had been taking antipsychotic medication for more than a decade at the time of the interrogation.
In a written opinion, Wiley said that Hernandez's performance on psychological tests, "along with evidence of his actual waiver of his rights, and of his basic ability to make his way in the world over a period of almost forty years" led the court to conclude that he was capable of "appreciating the nature of the rights he was giving up when he spoke to the police and assistant district attorney."
"This decision doesn't go to the reliability of the facts," said Harvey Fishbein, Hernandez's attorney. "It's about whether they're legally admissible."
Fishbein has argued that Hernandez falsely confessed to the murder. "It's clear that when [the police officers] are done with [Hernandez], he comes out believing he did something wrong," said Fishbein, who contends that his client made up the confession under pressure from the police.
Prosecutor Joan Illuzzi Orbon has contested that argument, saying Hernandez had completed the 11th grade in high school, attended to household finances, successfully applied for Social Security disability benefits and held long-term jobs as evidence that he was mentally capable of waiving his rights.
Patz's body has never been found. He was the first missing child to have his face printed on milk cartons and the day of his disappearance is now National Missing Children's day.
Patz's father, Stan Patz, was the only family member present for Monday's ruling. He declined to comment.
Related coverage: For more on the story, read about the missing boy and the evidence against his accused killer.
Courtesy: ProPublica.org
According to media reports, the ED has alleged that these officials misused cash credit facilities and laundered the proceeds to Dubai via Hawala route
The Enforcement Directorate has registered case against officials from state-run Dena Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC), Bank of India (BoI), Vijaya Bank and UCO Bank under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), say reports.
According to media reports, the ED has alleged that these officials misused cash credit facilities and laundered the proceeds via Hawala route to Dubai.
Earlier in August 2014, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai police had unearthed a largescale banking fraud worth about Rs1,000 crore related with fixed deposits (FDs) in several banks. The EOW also registered 10 first information reports (FIRs) against several people, including some officials from banks.
According to reports, banks involved in this large-scale FD fraud include, Dena Bank, UCO Bank, Syndicate Bank, Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank, Dhanalaxmi Bank, Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank among others. Among the institutions who were victims of the fraud are the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) and South Indian Education Society (SIES) Trust.
During the same month, Dena Bank and OBC initiated action against bank officials following reports of Rs436.7 crore fraud in their branches. Dena Bank officials allowed Rs256.69 crore transfer through overdraft facility, while OBC transferred Rs180 crore received from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) as bulk deposit to one Padmavati International.
JNPT had already filed a case with Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the matter is under investigation.
These fake finance companies are reportedly approaching people with loan offers and would collect a sizeable amount as processing fees and then flee with the money so collected, the RBI said
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) while sounding out a warning bell has asked people to remain on guard against certain companies fraudulently posing as non-banking finance companies (NBFCs).
Such entities, the RBI said, were posing as having got a certificate of registration from the regulator to do business. They were reportedly approaching people with loan offers and would collect a sizeable amount as processing fees and then flee with the money so collected.
Such entities include companies, partnership firms, individuals, the RBI said, adding, "It is understood that entities, imposters are promising loans to the needy public at attractive rates and collecting money from them as processing charges for the loans or advances and vanish with the money so collected," the RBI said.
The central bank advised people to refrain from making any payments or financial commitments to any individuals, entities without verifying the veracity of the transaction, the credentials and genuineness of licence or certificate of registration issued by the appropriate regulatory authority to function as a financial institution.


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No, dumbass, like I said. I have no interest. Not my specialty.<quoted text>hanny and "cooked the books" just to name a couple equals 2. that's all i need. the rest are just fluff. the guy that's coming out in september....i'll wait to see how badly he lies again. pretty sure he duck, dodge, and it'll just be a jawner.
you really don't care bout renewable fuels, huh?? and you portrayed yourself as someone 'concerned' about the planet!!
I have enough to do in my life already, thanks, I'll let the fuel guys figure out the fuels. Let George do it.


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Foreword by Lute Olson
Preview Book Here
Whether you're a die-hard booster from the Lute Olson era or a new supporter of Sean Miller, this is the ultimate resource guide for true fans of the Arizona Wildcats. Authors Steve Rivera and Anthony Gimino have collected every essential piece of Wildcats knowledge and trivia—from how many players the Wildcats have had selected in the NBA draft, the program's longest-tenured coach, and the former players who have had their numbers retired—and pair it with must-do activities, and rank them all, from one to 100. Providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist for diehard fans, these are the 100 things all Wildcat supporters need to know and do in their lifetime.
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Triumph Books (November 1, 2014)
Language: English
Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5.5 x 8.5 inches
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This cotton short-sleeve crew features team logo with the athletic open hole mesh pattern in the graphic. This graphic will be applied through a non-PVC screen print. Swoosh design trademark at center chest.
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Arizona Wildcats Replica On-Court basketball shorts from Nike! These cool shorts will highlight your Arizona Wildcats pride every time you shoot hoops with its heat-sealed team graphics and mesh side panels.
On or off the court, rep your team in elite Nike style when you wear the College Authentic Shorts.
Arizona Wildcats Replica On-Court basketball shorts from Nike! These cool shorts will highlight your Arizona Wildcats pride every time you shoot hoops with its heat-sealed team graphics and mesh side panels.
Our Arizona Basketball team has a long and rich history that is represented by this vintage inspired design. This long sleeve t-shirt is a perfect way to show your pride for our current basketball team and the UA! Stand out from the rest of the fans and show that you always Bear Down and that you are the ultimate Arizona fanatic!
Fabric: 100% Cotton
Care Instructions:Machine Wash Warm With Like Colors / Tumble Dry / No Bleach / No Iron


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Mitchell Pearce arrested after Sydney Roosters half-back's altercation with police in Kings Cross
Sydney Roosters half-back Mitchell Pearce has been arrested and fined after an altercation with police in Sydney's Kings Cross.
Police were called to a licensed premises on Roslyn Street around 1:30am AEST after receiving a complaint.
The 25-year-old was asked to leave and was escorted out of the nightclub but police say he became argumentative and refused to leave the area.
The Roosters vice-captain was arrested and taken to Kings Cross police station.
Pearce was issued with a $500 fine and has been banned from the precinct for 48 hours.
The playmaker is considered a key figure in New South Wales' Origin hopes, and while this incident is unlikely to curtail his involvement in this month's series opener, it is certainly an unwanted distraction.
The Roosters said they were aware of the incident and the NRL's Integrity Unit had been notified.
"The Sydney Roosters have been made aware that Mitchell Pearce was issued with an infringement notice for failure to quit a licensed premises overnight," the statement read.
"The infringement notice was issued and the fine paid.
"The Roosters have advised the NRL's Integrity Unit.
"From here, the club will address the matter internally and will be making no further comment."
Pearce played a leading role in the Roosters' charge to the NRL title in 2013.
On Friday night, he starred in Sydney's 30-6 NRL win over the Wests Tigers.
Topics: nrl, rugby-league, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia
First posted


text: Significant amounts of emergency aid have arrived in quake-struck Port-au-Prince. The challenge now is to get it to survivors as quickly as possible. Further assessments confirm that the damage is widespread and immense. Very few neighbourhoods have been spared, while local infrastructure and services have been wiped out. The ICRC has built latrines for 1,000 people and supplied medical kits for 2,000 patients to two hospitals. Seven truckloads of ICRC medical supplies should arrive in the capital on Sunday evening.


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Are you Normal?Friday, April 14 – Monday, June 26, 2017
We invite you to explore the great range of human diversity with us. The biological bases for who we are–as humans and as individuals–are not fixed and not uniform. No two of us are the same. As a result, categories constructed to divide us from each other, based on concepts like race or gender, need to be examined and questioned.
Even those variations that fall farther from the average–those we typically deem "disabilities," like deafness and Down syndrome–bring tangible and intangible benefits to those who carry them and the communities in which they live.
Give the challenge of defining "normal," new genetic tools that promise to correct "abnormalities" and improve human life demand scrutiny. What are their promises and pitfalls? They may empower parents desperate to change the biological inheritance of their offspring. But they may also further privilege those with many advantages.
These technologies also suggest radical possibilities: Could we amplify the already vast diversity of human forms? Why not consider the strengths of other species–and reimagine our own?
Join us, and ask yourself…Are you normal? Campus Locations: Marriott Library - J. Willard (M LIB)
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Contact Name: Ian Godfrey
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Campus Wide Event: Yes
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New Delhi, Jan 13 (PTI) Promising to crack down on blackmarketeers and hoarders, the government today unveiledmeasures to check spiralling prices by deciding to continueban on exports of edible oils, pulses and non-basmati rice andasked states to waive local taxes on essential commodities.
After two days of discussions at the highest level,chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh -- on a day weeklyfood inflation showed some moderation -- the governmentconstituted an inter-ministerial group under Chief EconomicAdvisor Kaushik Basu to review the overall inflation withparticular reference to primary food articles.
Admitting that food prices have frequently risen at"unacceptable rates", a statement issued by Prime Minister''smedia advisor said that the "current bout of inflation isdriven by rise in prices of vegetables and fruits which ismore difficult to manage because they are not held in publicstocks."
Attributing the rise in prices, especially the onion, dueto late rains, the government said that fast growth of theeconomy, combined with the effect of several inclusivenessprogrammes, put greater income in the hands of the relativelypoor whose food consumption increased. This led to rise inprices of milk, eggs, meat and fish.
On measures that it proposes to take, the government saidit would take stringent action against hoarders and blackmarketeers manipulating market prices to ensure products reachmarkets in time to moderate prices.
"Cartelisation by large traders will be strictly dealtwith. The States will be requested to ensure that such actionis effectively taken under the Essential Commodities Act,1955, and the Competition Act, 2002," the statement said.
It said that import and export of all essentialcommodities would be reviewed on a regular basis. Thegovernment will "impose controls on exports and easerestrictions on imports, including tariff reduction wherenecessary, to improve domestic supplies," it said.
The food inflation, measured by wholesale prices, forthe week ended January 1, 2011, moderated slightly but wasstill ruling high at 16.91 per cent. .


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Hot and Bothered(1995)
A novel by Linda Cajio
He was just the kind of risk she'd never taken--until now.... He rose fromthe sea like a bronze god, and Judith Collier held her breath. She was inthis isolated Baja village to disappear, but instead found a man whose gazeuncovered her secrets and caresses branded her body and soul. Paul Murphyoffered her only pleasure under a flaming sun - but could a runaway heiresspersuade a tough ex-cop they belonged to each other forever? If anyone knowsjust how delicious temptation can taste, its Linda Cajio, who delivers aromantic romp in this sparkling story of love on the run. Once the heat oflonging turned Judith's flesh to fire, could she settle for less than love?
Used availability for Linda Cajio's Hot and Bothered
See all available used copies of this book at Abebooks UK or Abebooks US
Paperback Editions
September 1995 : USA Mass Market Paperback
|Title: HOT AND BOTHERED (Loveswept)
Author(s): Linda Cajio
ISBN: 0-553-44508-1 / 978-0-553-44508-4 (USA edition)
Publisher: Loveswept
Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA
Kindle Editions
May 2013 : USA, Canada, UK Kindle edition
|Title: Hot and Bothered: A Loveswept Classic Romance
Author(s): Linda Cajio
Publisher: Loveswept
Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA
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Though this phone's 3.7in screen may not top the charts when it comes to size, it certainly wears the crown when it comes to quality. Its saturation, contrast, and viewing angles are exceptional for an LCD panel and it's beautifully crystal clear and sharp so beats all AMOLED displays going. Only the iPhone 4 beats it in our opinion and that's really only down to that screen having a slightly higher resolution – 960 x 640 pixels versus 800 x 480 pixels. Quite simply, the Desire HD should have had this screen!
Also impressive is the touch sensitivity of the glass touchscreen, which responds to the lightest of taps and flicks and makes typing on the on-screen keyboard just as good as any other touchscreen phone.
Tthe physical keyboard is also excellent. The layout is top notch with highlights including two 'Fn' buttons, so you can activate secondary functions without either thumb, and two easy to set-up shortcut buttons (those labelled 1 and 2 with the three dots on) giving you quick access to your favourite programs. The keys are nice and large with a decent action, though not quite as good as the best with there being a slight leaning towards feeling mushy. Nonetheless we found we were able to touch-type after only a short period of practice.
The phone's Android software has had HTC's usual facelift giving the whole thing a more cohesive and elegant style than standard Android.
The home screen is arranged into seven horizontal panels (three to each side of the homescreen) onto which you can place widgets and shortcuts while along the bottom are shortcuts to the main menu, the dialler, and the options page for customising the homescreen. Here you can add widgets, change the wallpaper, and set the phone's theme. There are some pretty slick looking interface's on offer with a variety of themes – like work or play – to choose from. Log into the HTC Sense service and you can also download more.
Tap the dialler and, as well as gaining access to a number pad, your list of contacts (which, once you've logged into your Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Exchange accounts will be fully populated with profile pictures, status updates, and info) is also there ready for you to start scrolling through – we really like this as it prevents the need for you to open your contacts list separately.
The 800MHz Qualcomm MSM 7230 processor provides adequate performance with most apps opening quickly and the interface gliding and sliding around at a reasonable pace. However, there is a just about perceptible stutter when scrolling through menus and such like, as compared to faster devices like the Desire HD.
As always there's also the general feeling that Android has a few too many options and menus, making it a bit fiddly to use sometimes. However, once you learn what's what it's very nice to use and is very capable. And the tweaks made by HTC only add to this.
HTC Desire Z A7272 3.7" 3G Wifi 5MP QWERTY Keyboard Card Slot Original Unlocked$51.69 View Item
Original Unlocked HTC Desire Z A7272 3G 5MP WIFI Android QWERTY SLIDE SMARTPHONE$59.84 View Item
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HTC Desire Z Tungsten Grey A7272 QWERTY keyboard Android without Simlock new$175.74 View Item
HTC Desire Z Unlocked C *VGC* + Warranty!!AU$276.44 View Item
THIS is the form factor the Blackberry Torch should have taken!
@Ed - does the speaker distort when you turn it up to the loudest volume? either through the loudspeaker itself, or the earpiece when listening to a call and speaking to someone on it? HTC are renown for garbage quality speakers, like the Desire model, horrible tinny speakers normally, if its good quality.... i will be getting one ASAP
Got mine today; love everything about it so far. I was initially concerned about the hinge and the way the screen can flop back down onto the keys if the phone is held upside down, but the way you'd hold the phone with the keyboard out also holds the screen in place.
There are various videos on YouTube discussing the T-Mobile G2 hinge (US version of this phone), but after a few hours of play I don't think it's an issue.
The screen is amazing alright. I liked the HD when I tried it in a shop but the Z's is much better; very colourful and rich, with great angles.
Nice review,
Personally I want a physical keyboard not so much as to type fast but not to lose screen space when entering text and using Emulators etc.
I pre-ordered this phone a while back but the release date keeps getting put back, but if it's as good as this review the wait will have been well worth it.
Maybe I'm blind but I can't see a reference to how robust the hinge is with the review? It's the only thing holding me back now after that review.
Any chance of a heads up on whether you think the hinge will survive the perilous lifestyle of a mobile phone?
@ShiverinEskimo: There is an issue with the mechanism being a bit loose - the screen will fall back onto the keyboard when held vertically - but any notion that this is a problem would be a complete overreaction in my opinion. The only thing I would concede is that if you dropped it, the hinge could come out worse off but then most of these premium smarpthones would end up with cracked screens and such like were this to happen.
Few points.
"HTC is on a bit of a role" eh? Can't believe no one has spotted that one yet since it's in the first sentence. But definitely agree with you.
You mentioned the trackpad wasting space and then compared it to the iPhone with one button and biggest bezel of any phone. I know you guys have an aversion to buttons but even with them HTC generally keep bezels to the minimum.
Most modded Desire ROMs allow for trackpad wake and I'm not sure why HTC haven't implemented this officially. Having to reach up to the top is definitely annoying.
Good to see HTC upping the quality of their screens and adding shutter buttons. Would love to see them try to reach iPhone 4 standard though.
I really think Google/HTC need to look at what MS have done with WP7 in terms of GPU accelleration. The smoothness and fluidity was pretty amazing. Better even than iOS IMHO. Making heavy use of the GPU has allowed for a beautiful interface while not maxing out the CPU.
Not a deal breaker so. Down to my local phone shop I go to see if there's any chance of stock coming in. Availability in Ireland is not looking good though. :(
I second the concerns demonstrated elsewhere about the phone having no real way of snapping shut when one half is held upside down. True you'd find a limited number of times you'd end up grabbing the phone that way, but I'm not sure I want to get into another round of a manufacturer screaming, "You're holding it wrong!" I'd worry it would tumble around and open up inside a big pocket or bag, and if that hinge makes the phone as extra sensitive to dropping on its side as the glass front.
Thanks for this! Contract is up at start of December and I really want a physical keyboard.
It's either this or the Milestone 2 (Droid 2), apparently the Milestone 2 has the better keyboard, any chance of a review incoming on that? Most reviews werent as positive as you were about the Desire-Z's keyboard.
@Ed: Hmm I was all set to get myself the Desire HD.. would it be a fair to say that while the HD is the better phone technically of the two (apart from the screen), the Desire Z although slightly slower could appeal to people more because of it's smaller size, real keyboard, and lower price?
@Ed that 'pop-out' style of keyboard is REALLY well implemented on my Nokia N97 Mini actually - the screen sits at an angle facing the user when it pops 'up'...and I've found this to be really handy and user-friendly. HOWEVER, the keyboard on this HTC seems a lot better though, with nicer sized keys. I just wish Android had a Nokia Messaging equivalent (is there an app out there?).
I can't believe that in 2010 I'll be making a decision about a new handset based upon battery life! How dare the Desire HD have such shocking battery life? even the iphone4 has not enough battery to last a day out working.
Every train I get on seems full of people recharging their smartphones from their laptops just to get through the day. Altogether now... Grrr.
Still - the Desire Z could be a good option... looks very well made, and the HD's 4.3" screen is definitely overkill.
Is the on screen keyboard (sense UI keyboard) have multitouch? i.e. when you hit one letter, pressing another key whilst holding the first key inserts a new letter rather than taking an average of the two positions and hitting a letter in the middle.
I've had the Desire Z since last Thursday and have to say it's incredible! To answer a couple of questions raised here.
1) I was very worried about the hinge but I've not had one problem with it so far. It moves very well and the design means that as long as you don't hold it at an angle more than vertical it will never flop down.
2) The choice of input/control for this phone is great. Hardware keyboard, programmable buttons, software keyboard, touch pad etc. Some have questioned the inclusion of a trapad but I've actually found it very useful. The onscreen keyboard does have multitouch too!
3. Only negatives are the following, and as you can see they are very minor a) unit is a great size but perhaps slightly heavy (although feels solid) b)ebook reader currently not offered even though with Desire HD c) battery life isn't great - but apparantly much better than original Desire and the HD.
@jonhitch: That's a bummer, I like the Desire HD's ebook reader. Is it available as a standalone download?
@lensmann - I agree and I'm not sure if it's available elsewhere. Hopefully they will release it as I was still hoping to read books on this. I notice there are a number of other ebook readers however including kindle for android!
Pretty sure that the ebook reader is just Kobo, maybe with a few HTC customisations. You can get Kobo from the Market.
Will the lack of a 1Ghz processor prevent this phone from being upgraded to Android Gingerbread 3.0, with its (rumoured - stressed) requirements?
Was about to pull the trigger on this - prefer it over the Desire HD for the smaller dimensions, screen quality and battery life, with a nice bonus of a physical keyboard, but now I'm inclined to wait until an official announcement on Gingerbread (probably early in the new year so as to not impact the Christmas market).
Sorry...wrong link. Here's the correct one.
If this is true, it does seem strange to limit 3.0 to 1Ghz processors or better - will upset a lot of existing Android users including Desire Z owners.
More fragmentation of the Android market?
@Stewart The Desire Z is more powerful than the Nexus One/Desire. It's running a new processor and doesn't need to run as fast as 1Ghz.
I have one and it certainly doesn't feel slow.
Thanks. I really like the Desire Z - more so than the Desire HD. I've spent some time with a friends, didn't consider its processor a limitation at all and was all ready to but one.
However, I wouldn't want to buy one and then find that Android Gingerbread 3.0 is officially announced a month or two later and the Desire Z is not capable of running it because Gingerbread has a minimum requirement of a 1GHz processor (still a rumour at the moment).
Hence me deciding to wait, at least until an official announcement of Android 3.0.
Frustrating for me, but hopefully that'll happen early in the New Year.
Maybe I should just bite the bullet and get one.....technology always moves on.
I've had mine since Wednesday and overall I'm really pleased with it. The only thing that's bummed me out is the battery. Charged it up fully last night,since 8am today I have sent 2 text, went on the internet twice and now at 3pm it's in the red!Just had to switch it off. I've even had the power saver on. A bit of a concern if I'm ever out away from a power source that I'll be caught out with a dead phone. Other than that I've got on well with the keypad and the touch screen so no problems there. It has had a mini crash a couple of times too.hmmm
track pad is great - I need it to click an online qwertykeyboard to access my bankaccount....the pad is tiny on a mobile and my fingers are not, the trackpad is sensitive enough to navigate the buttons with relative ease. i'd likely get blocked from my account if I had to press the screen.
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