text:
Testimonials for the Free Hypnosis Course
Read some great feedback from our customers
"...the free hypnosis course really helped me realize the true potential and understand it"
by Liz Quilty
Because there are so many scam artists out there its hard to tell who is real and who's just trying to make a buck. After keeping an eye on the site and noticing the low prices I could see that this is the kind of site that is more concerned about ME as a person.
I've read many books on self hypnosis but reading your content and downloading the files from the ' Free Hypnosis Course' really helped me realize the true potential and understand it. I realize there are a lot of misconceptions.
I have now created several of my own self hypnosis tapes for both weight loss and self confidence, and also to help promote exercising. So far I have quit smoking and am have lost about 15kg (and still losing) using these tools.
My workplace has seen the newfound confidence and have suggested that very soon I will be training new employees and having my own team after only being there a year!
This story came from Liz Quilty who is a Programmer from Auckland, NZ
"Your hypnosis course. has convinced me that hypnosis is a scientific tool with which to overcome any psychological problem in your life"
by Ian Small
I was wary of subscribing and downloading anything to do with hypnosis when I came across this site, having always been suspicious as to what hypnosis was about. I had previously thought it would involve someone else being in control of my behaviour. I think after having read your hypnosis course and listened to some of your downloads it has convinced that hypnosis is a scientific and useful tool with which to over come any psychological problem in your life.
At the moment I have just begun to subscribe to your newsletter and have only had time to listen to your basic course on hypnosis, which I am still in the process of completing but I truly believe that it has change some of my views about just how much hypnosis can benefit you! I am a smoker at this present moment and have been struggling to quit. I think that the first download I would have to try would be the 'Quit Smoking - Stay Stopped' course as this is a problem that I honestly believe could be solved through your hypnosis courses.
In my current group of friends the majority are smokers who are unhappy smoking and currently willing to try almost anything to quit. I will most definitely be letting them know how my
This story came from Ian Small who is an Undergraduate Student from Stellenbosch, South Africa
"I can relax myself and get rid of stress"
by Dan West
The lessons on 'Learn Hypnosis in 5 Days' gave me great insight. Initially by developing an understanding of hypnosis. This was made clear through the first lesson.
I now have a better understanding of myself through self-observation and recognizing the way I act at times. If I feel I am getting stressed I can run through the exercise of observing the way I feel and talking through each step of my senses.
From there I find I can relax myself and get rid of stress. The best lesson exercise that helps me through this is the staircase induction. By observing the sights, smells and touch I can make it real and vivid in my mind.
I have used this a number of times and find it very beneficial. I have even used this on my fiance and she has experienced the benefits of relieving stress. If I can run through this with her by myself it tells me the lessons are effective and work.
Through these short lessons I can see how effective this is and excited to explore further lessons that target specific situations.
This story came from Dan West who is a Business Owner from Ottawa, Canada
* Results may vary from person to person. This is why we provide a no-questions asked 90-day guarantee to ensure you feel comfortable trying our downloads out. We believe they are the best available, and hope you will too.


text:
Roots Canada: Save $80 On The Student Pack Tribe
Last week, we told you about a hot sale at Roots, with 40% off sweats. This sale has ended, although you can still get the sweats at 30% off if you did miss that deal. But, I've got an even better one for you today. Get 30% off the student pack tribe, with a regular price of $268, you'll now get it for $187.60.
While you might be thinking that $187 is quite a bit to pay for a pack, this pack is gorgeous and 100% Italian leather. It was made in Canada as well, which I absolutely love. It has a main compartment plus an outer compartment for organizing all your stuff. This bag will only get better with age, as the leather will look more worn and vintage. It already has a vintage styling, which came from hand rubbing the bag.
The straps are adjustable so this one size bag will fit anyone, big or small. If you are looking for a sexy bag that differs from what everyone else is carrying, this is your bag. It will also last you through your years in school and you can pass it down to a sibling, so it is well worth the money.
The price is available only online and will not be matched in the store, so don't even try it. Plus, why would you, when you have ample opportunity to add to your cart right now, pay with PayPal or a credit card and get it right to your home in a matter of days? Driving to the store is just so 1999.
While there are no reviews for this bag, I did notice that there is a whole Africa line with other gorgeous bags, although none of them are on sale, which is quite unfortunate.
The bag will ship for free, as Roots offers free shipping on all orders over $50.
(expiry: unknown)

subset: commoncrawl


text: A closer look at Pawlenty's budget plan Politics St. Paul, Minn. · Feb 15, 2010 Listen 53min 53sec Gov. Tim Pawlenty AP Photo/Jim Mone MPR political editor Mike Mulcahy and Capitol reporter Tom Scheck explain the details of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's supplemental budget proposal which he released this morning. Gallery Gov. Tim Pawlenty AP Photo/Jim Mone Stay Informed Subscribe to our politics newsletter. Email Address Zip Code See our Privacy Policy. Must be age 13.


text:
Looking for summer home to sublet? Have you considered the Washington, DC area? Well perhaps you should!
For sublet, June 3rd – August 25th. 1 BR in a 2BR apartment in Dupont circle. Furnished, all utilities included.
I will be away for the summer in Denmark attending the summer-long Danish Cat Convention. You will share the apartment with 16 well mannered cats and 2 Roombas. The cats will occupy the other bedroom, and the roombas will be on patrol to help keep the hair situation under control. I will ask that you refill the cats' automated food dispensers once a week, and clean the Roomba filters every three days or so. Below is a brief description of the housecatmates:
Here's where it really gets great…
Polly – shy, quiet, tabby
Bitnum – playful, clawy
Lightning – slow, old
Lighting II – slow, young
Bebop – paranoid, jumpy
Cappy – sneaky, grouchy
Apina – knowledgeable, soft
Grobor – Incessant, loquacious
Kyle – stylish
Leesha – aged, engaged
Somtorious – idle
Gleebok – green-tinted
Horatio – friendly, mild-mannered
Bananana – a little off
Hoppy – jumpy
Duran – pensive
Gregor – Robotic, kitcheny
Sandra – Robotic, hallway-y
As a connoisseur of fake Craigslist ads, I can say with almost absolute certainty that this is fake, or at least the cat aspect of it is. If I had to guess, it's someone's clever way of finding just the right person to sublet their apartment. Besides, there appears to be no such thing as a "summer-long Danish cat convention."
Then again, I've been wrong before!
(via @lizzieoreally)


text: The PriusChat Shop is proud to announce the availability of the PriusLock, an auto door locking module for the 2004-2009 Prius. PriusChat Shop : Toyota Prius Auto Door Lock [PriusLock] - $55.00 Have you ever wished that your Prius came with automatic central locking doors? Introducing the PriusLock. This accessory will automatically lock all your doors upon entering and powering up the Prius. Plugs into existing channels on the wiring harness on driver side floor panel. Includes full-color installation instructions, takes less than 20 minutes time and requires NO cutting or splicing cables. This is a great safety feature for those who are used to a vehicle with automatic central locking doors. Available for Generation 2 Prius 2004-2009. If you would like to purchase the PriusLock via credit card, PayPal Express, or Google Checkout, the product is also available on HybridUtopia here: Toyota Prius Auto Door Lock [PriusLock] : HybridUtopia, Your Hybrid Car Accessory Shop I for one look forward to getting mine and trying it out. Nichole hates that the Prius doesn't have this feature!


text:
I was listening to ITRadio today and in particular their podcast from TechEd. Patrick Gray was talking about another battery recall of Lithium Ion batteries and he mentioned the Toshiba Tecra A7. Hey guess what? I have one of them.
So I go to the Toshiba site to find out what I have to do? Anything there about it? Nope.
I go to the support page. Anything there? Only some tiny writing on the right hand side that doesn't even mention my unit.
So then I do a Windows Live search on "Tecra A7 battery recall" and this pops up http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_dtlView.jsp?soid=1501060&ignore_sn=true
I'm wondering why the Australian site has absolutely no mention of something as dangerous as this? Bear in mind if a Lithium Ion battery with a fault like this fails it really does explode and that could probably hurt a lot if I'm anywhere nearby...
Guess who Ill be calling Monday? 🙂


text:
NBC News correspondent Betty Rollin has survived breast cancer to discover a lesson about life and death.
"A little bit for fear about the end of your life can be very useful," she said. "It just makes you pay attention to the good things in life."
Rollin, an award-winning television reporter and author of "First You Cry," an account of her first bout with breast cancer 21 years ago, was the keynote speaker at a recent Hadassah's Women of the West conference in Burlingame, Calif.
Some 400 participants from five western Hadassah chapters attended the three- day gathering, which focused on women's changing roles in relation to religion and health care.
Rollin, who had a breast cancer recurrence 11 year ago, emphasized that her message to other women is primarily "upbeat."
Breast cancer survivors may find their view of life forever changed – for the better, Rollin said.
"When you find you're still breathing, you kind of notice it," said Rollin, who is Jewish. "When you survive, you're grateful for the rest of your life."
The ability to detect breast cancer earlier means that "many more of us who get this disease will live," she said. "And it's really important to know that you live."
Not only can women who develop breast cancer believe that they are "going to be OK," she said, but the quality of their lives can also improve.
"`First You Cry' is about a woman who loses a breast and then has a major love affair," she said, referring to have she walked out of a bad marriage and into a tender and close relationship with another man.
Rollin wrote "First You Cry" in 1976, five years after she joined NBC as a reporter, moving on to create and anchor a series of special programs for and about women tilted "Women Like Us."
In 1973, she became a correspondent for NBC News and now serves as a human interest reporter and contributing correspondent for the "NBC Nightly News," with Tom Brokaw.
Rollin's groundbreaking 1976 book dealt frankly with how breast cancer and a mastectomy changed her life. She was equally forthright in her 1985 book "Last Wish," which tells of the assisted suicide of her mother, Ida, who was dying of ovarian cancer.
At the Hadassah event, Rollin joined medical experts from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic in Houston as well as Seattle Jewish scholar-educator Rivy Poupko Kletenik for a panel on women's health care concerns, particularly breast and ovarian cancer.
Last year, a cooperative study by Hadassah physicians in Israel and scientists at the U.S. National Cancer Institute discovered a gene mutation that puts Jews of Ashkenazi descent at greater risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers.
Kletenik, 37, who is director of professional development and Israel resources at the Jewish Education Council of the Seattle Jewish Federation – she also is the wife of a rabbi – offered a Jewish perspective on surviving cancer.
Her view on women and cancer is especially perceptive; Kletenik lost her mother, grandmother and aunt to ovarian cancer. All died before reaching the age of 60.
Focusing on women's role in creating ritual, education and spirituality, and on the healing powers of Judaism, Kletenik said she has a "sense of inner strength."
As Jews, "we do believe in the eternity of the soul," she said, adding. "We value human life, and we dedicate much of our time and energy to preserving human life, and that's good."
Kletenik, who also teaches at the Seattle Hebrew Academy and the Community Hebrew High School, jokingly described himself as "the good student" when it comes to health concerns. Referring to the sonograms and doctor's examinations she regularly undergoes, she said, "I get all the tests."
Unfortunately, ovarian cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages. Many women do not notice any symptoms until the cancer has metastasized, when cure rates are low.
Despite her family's history, Kletenik maintains a positive outlook on life.
"None of us is here forever," she said.


text:
Be the pack leader for your pets and for an environmental cause with this organic promo leashes.
This Woven Personalized Bookmark has your custom imprint woven through to display your logo and message.
ePromos has the perfect promotional products for every season! So no matter when your event or promotional campaign is, we have items, imprinted with your company name or logo, that will work for any time of year. Browse our seasonal promotional products today!


text: AsiaCarrom gamers seek Olympic recognition Organisers in Bangladesh want it to be part of Olympics to bring more recognition and sponsors for popular Asian game. 14 Jul 2012 20:43 GMT | Asia It's not just a game, Carrom is a sport - not by Olympic standards but it still generates plenty of excitement. The table game is especially popular in Asia, where up to a billion people play the game across the Asian continent. Now organisers in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, which is hosting the 16th regional tournament, want it to be part of the Olympics as a way to bring more recognition and sponsors. Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque reports from Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.Source: Al Jazeera


text:
Anna Trebunskaya, Jonathan Roberts from 'Dancing With the Stars' are getting divorced
We know a lot of our Juice*heads are mental about their Dancing With the Stars, which is fine with us, as long as you don't make us watch it. You'll be saddened to hear, then, that dance pros Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya are getting divorced after nine years. The judges just didn't care for their chemistry, huh?
"We have enjoyed more than a decade of a very loving, loyal and happy relationship, but after much soul searching, we have decided to end our marriage," the couple said in a joint statement to People. "We are committed to staying friends and dance partners. We have immense respect for each other as people and performers."
Trebunskaya and partner Drew Lachey were kicked off the show earlier this month, while Roberts was on DWTS for seven seasons, with partners like Heather Mills and Marie Osmond. We can only ask, if they are committed to continue dancing with each other, why can't they make the rest of it work? It does, indeed, take two to Tango.
[Photo: The couple in 2010. Getty Images]


text:
Skip to Content
The creative ingenuity of engineering students at the University of Colorado at Boulder will be on display Saturday, Dec. 4, when nearly 60 student inventions will be demonstrated to the public at the ITLL Fall Design Expo.
The student inventions range from fun to functional, including a Rube Goldberg ice cream sundae-maker, a teeter-totter water pump and a car windshield that automatically turns opaque when the engine is turned off.
The end-of-semester expo showcasing the work of about 300 students provides an interactive, fun educational opportunity for K-12 children and their families to learn about the field of engineering.
Student projects include Rube Goldberg devices that perform simple tasks in complex ways, water-powered machines, robots, assistive technology devices for people with disabilities and sustainable technologies designed for use in developing countries.
Most of the projects that will be demonstrated were designed and built by first-year engineering students. A few upper-level inventions, researched and developed to be marketable products, also will be demonstrated.
The Design Expo is free and open to the public from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The event is held at the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory, located on Regent Drive about one block south of Colorado Avenue. Free parking is available across the street in lot 436.
Volunteers from industry, government and the community will serve as judges, rating each project on its originality, craftsmanship, understanding of engineering principles, effectiveness and poster presentation. Judging will take place from noon to 1 p.m., before the event is opened to the public.
An awards ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. and prizes will be given to the best project in each category. Members of the community can vote for their favorite project to win the "People's Choice" award. Hewlett-Packard is sponsoring the event.
For more information, call (303) 492-8112.


text:
It's been 11 months since I last wrote about big liberal donor Don Henley's lawsuit against me for writing two music parodies and turning them into online campaign videos.
I've long believed that conservatives ignore culture at their peril. Hollywood and faith shape culture and culture shapes voters far more powerfully than can mere politicians. With this understanding firmly in mind, I have cultivated contacts in the entertainment industry and used Al Gore's invention to its fullest extent, winning awards for our campaign's innovative use of Twitter and for our groundbreaking iPhone app (Beat Boxer? There's an app for that!).
A key part of this effort to harness non-traditional modes of political speech began 13 months ago when, while campaigning in the Bakersfield area, I saw a fading Obama bumper sticker on a Prius. Instantly, the line, "Out on the road today I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac, a little voice inside my head said: don't look back, you can never look back," from the Don Henley song "The Boys of Summer" popped into my head.
Knowing that Henley imputed political meaning to this line (he said it was a critique of how the idealism of the 60s degenerated into the materialism of the 80s) I decided right then and there to write a parody using the leftist Henley's composition against the newly elected president he so ardently supported. Late that night, after driving over 420 miles (ironically, in my 2004 Cadillac CTS festooned with Chuck DeVore for U.S. Senate stickers) I penned the lyrics to "After the Hope of November is Gone." Sung to the tune of "The Boys of Summer," the parody pokes fun at President Obama's supporters while anticipating the fading hopes of his presidency. On April 1, two days later, we released the music video of the parody, sung to a karaoke track, on YouTube.
Don Henley was not amused. Less than a week later, he filed a motion under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to pull down our YouTube video. With millions of dollars to his name from being the lead singer to the most popular band of the 70s, Henley likely figured that he could use the court system to cripple the campaign of a U.S. Senate candidate running against the most liberal senator in the nation, Barbara Boxer, someone he's supported with at least $9,000 of donations.
I refused to be intimidated by Henley's actions. I had a campaign to run and I intended to win it using methods not routinely employed by conservatives. If I was unable to use cultural references in a campaign in California, I knew my effort to beat Boxer would be crippled. So, I filed a DMCA counter-notification and, on April 14, released another YouTube parody aimed at Boxer's cap-and-trade bill. "All She Wants to do is Tax" was based Henley's "All She Wants to do is Dance." It went viral, hitting the top 10 on YouTube's News and Politics category while getting 10,000 views a day – until Henley filed to remove it.
With lyrics such as, "They're pickin' up the taxpayers and putting 'em in a jam, And all she wants to do is tax, tax. Liberals been liberals since I don't know when, And all she wants to do is tax… Barbara Boxer talkin' round, Control in her sight, And all she wants to do is tax, tax. Wild-eyed global warmers, Who ain't afraid to lie… Well, the government rigged the market in the carbon trading scam, And all she wants to do is tax, tax. To keep the boys a sellin', All the credits they could ma'am. And all she wants to do is tax. But that don't keep the boys, From makin' a buck or two, And all she wants to do is tax, tax. They still can sell the public, On the good that they can do…" you can see why Henley could not let the parody stand. As a committed liberal in the entertainment industry who's given some $750,000 to Democrats and leftwing causes in the past 10 years, Henley understands the power of culture. A conservative harnessing some of that power had to be stopped.
So, after my DCMA counterclaim notifications restored the parody videos to YouTube, Henley sued me in federal court, offering to drop the suit if I pulled the parodies and removed my lyrics from all Internet sites. My response was simple: pound sand.
So, where are we today? My campaign for U.S. Senate has raised about $1.8 million. The last five independent polls since January have placed me within the margin of error of Barbara Boxer. And the Henley lawsuit drags on, consuming time and money and shutting down a vital avenue of free speech that I intended to use in the course of my campaign. We expect a summary judgment on the case in May, just before the June 8 primary. If we win, our parodies will be back and I will likely write others. If we lose and go to trial, then lose in court, the implications will be far-reaching. For example, Paul Shanklin's parodies on the Rush Limbaugh Show will be shut down as infringing on the copyrights of the owners, rather than transformative works of free speech protected by the First Amendment as they are now considered.
Had I known a year ago where we would be today would I have still written the parodies and drawn Henley's lawsuit? Absolutely. Free speech using a culturally-savvy delivery is far too powerful to leave as the sole province of the Left.


text:
Orsoni fears he will be killed
Ajaccio president Alain Orsoni has revealed he is intending to resign as he is fearing for his life after two people close to the club were murdered in the last month.
Since the turn of the year, 17 people have been shot dead in Corsica, an island that has a longstanding problem with organised crime and violent separatists.
Two days ago, Jacques Nacer, Ajaccio's general secretary and the president of the Chamber of Commerce of South Corsica, was killed when leaving his downtown clothes shop. Nacer had replaced Antoine Nivaggioni, who was killed in October 2010, on the Ajaccio board.
One month ago, Antoine Sollacaro, the club's lawyer, was shot dead at a petrol station.
Nacer and Sollacaro were close to Orsoni, who led a nationalist movement in Corsica, and is still under investigation over a 2009 killing. Having been the subject of a murder attempt shortly after becoming Ajaccio president in 2008, he said in Friday's edition of Le Parisien that he considers himself to be a "priority target" and feels that he has been "condemned to death by rumours".
He added that he plans to leave the island and move to another country "if [he is] still alive".
On Thursday, in an interview with the France Inter radio station, he had said: "Of course I'm scared. I have a family, children, a 78-year-old mother who trembles every day when she reads the papers.
"More than scared, I'm desperate. I don't know how I can get out of this situation. I think I will quit Ajaccio."
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.


text:
Lookin for multiplex fun jet, kit or otherwise
Good Morning members, well going to put in another 2000 miles this week for Greyhound, Got to make the money to play, I have a bass boat, motorcycle an a hanger of planes to support as wel las 3 grandchildren. an a understanding Mrs, LOL
Anyone run across a multiplex fun jet, let me know, Full fuselodge would be ok without electronics, I can put together advice from Chellie on what to put in the fun jet. Im just having having trouble finding the airframe. Multiplex moving on to the ultra, etc,,,,,,,I have a fun jet on the way from Chellie, PNP, 103 MPH she put together, fine Set up, shes a good one to deal with. Just looking to build out another one as time goes on.
Have agreat wednesday, Happy Flying.:ws: John in Alabama
you look at the hobbyking RADJET800 it basically a clone of the funjet . it may be a tad smaller or bigger.the air fram are like 40.00
tks for the tip sandman ill check it out not much more economical than that. Flyn Dude
Being a Greyhound driver do you get to the Phoenix area very often? I have a FunJet that has been sanded and partially 'glassed with WBPU. Just one more project I'll probably never finish. I might be persuaded to part with it for a reasonable price. I just don't want to hassle with shipping as it's a fairly large box and I'm not interested in eating the cost like most buyers expect.
no I have to stay in the southern alabama area, tks anyway.
Ive bought all I need for a while now. Tks again Jon
|All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:45 AM.
Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright 2005 WattfFlyer.com
RCU Eflight HQ


text:
$ 59.99
$ 59.99
Bern Watts Helmet
Designed and developed in Massachusetts, these brain buckets are lightweight with plenty of ventilation to help you feel that summer breeze in your hair. And, unlike most helmets, Bern actually makes you look cool while keeping you safe.
So to recap: sweat less and live longer. Wear Bern.


text:
OK, so what do I have to do to make a function that returns a masked macaddr? I.E. sets the last 3 bytes to 0x00? That in conjunction with some changes to my ouiparse.awk script and we can put this to bed. Larry -- Larry Rosenman http://www.lerctr.org/~ler Phone: +1 972-414-9812 (voice) Internet: ler(at)lerctr(dot)org US Mail: 1905 Steamboat Springs Drive, Garland, TX 75044-6749
Next: From: Larry Rosenman Date: 2000-07-31 01:17:36 Subject: Re: mac.c Previous: From: Alfred Perlstein Date: 2000-07-31 00:54:52 Subject: Re: Inprise InterBase(R) 6.0 Now Free and Open Source


text:
DC Collectibles Pencils Exclusive Batman, Krypto Plush Into SDCC Plans
With just a hair over a six weeks to go until San Diego Comic-Con, companies have been slowly dropping hints about what to expect in the way of exclusive merchandise at this year's show. As expected, DC Collectibles will have some choice items up for grabs at the event.
Previous SDCCs have seen a fairly diverse line-up from DC Collectibles, but in 2014 the company really only had a limited Batman: Arkham City Harley Quinn statue. Fortunately, the merchandise side of the DC Comics brand is offering two unique collectibles this year that'll be a tiny bit more affordable... provided you can get one at the show itself.


text:
I've tried fridge-aging steak using the standard methods prescribed on this board and elsewhere. I'm typically aging for 2-3 days with prime boneless NY strips.
While I do notice a texture upgrade, the two times I have tried it my steaks have had a "chickeny" flavor. I don't really know how else to describe it. It's not good. My wife refused to eat it both times, but I ate it and it didn't make me sick or anything.
Any ideas?


text:
found a new home!
Plenty of my friends are looking
for one too. Find a pet to adopt.
I am already spayed and up to date with shots.
Hello! I'm Gabby, and I came to Tigerlily Cat Rescue after a Good Samaritan found me outside in the cold winter. I'm such a sweet and loveable little girl, and definitely looking for that forever home to call my own! I am gentle and would make an excellent lap warmer too! I do get along with other kitties, and am just a wonderful companion to have around! Maybe you have room in your heart and home for me?
Love, Gabby
Gabby-ADOPTED, a Sterling Heights Domestic Shorthair cat was adopted! Here's how you can benefit by looking at adoption as an option to buying a Domestic Shorthair for sale in Sterling Heights, or seeking a Domestic Shorthair cat from a breeder in Sterling Heights.


text:
Unlike Saturday when the Irish needed five overtimes to finally top Louisville, they only needed one against DePaul.
"That's really as big a win as Saturday, when you turn around and dig one out when it doesn't look good at times," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said.
Jerian Grant scored 21 points, including a big three-point play in overtime, to lift the Irish (20-5, 8-4 Big East). Grant, who scored 12 points in the final minute of regulation against Louisville, came up big in overtime this time.
Pat Connaughton hit a 3-pointer to give the Irish a 74-70 lead . After Brandon Young hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one-point, Grant got the rebound of a miss by Atkins and scored, then made free throw and the Irish made 5-of-6 free throws in the final 21 second to hang on.
"It is tough," said Cleveland Melvin, who led DePaul with 23 points. "We were fighting the entire second half, but it is tough to get over the hump in overtime."
The Irish needed to overcome 10 turnovers and 39 percent shooting in the second half as they appeared to run out of energy.
"We turned the ball over a little bit. They got some easy buckets. They just started hitting their shots," said Notre Dame guard Eric Atkins, who had 13 points and nine assists.
The Irish weren't helped by a lethargic crowd of 8,554, with less than half of the student section filled.
"I feel like going into the dorms and chasing some of my students down," Brey said. "I thought we deserved a little more from our legion given the show we gave them Saturday night."
Grant said it was a tough game coming off the game against Louisville.
"We could have been tired and just said we'll let one get away, but for this team to come back and go into another overtime and pull it out is definitely mentally tough," he said.
The Irish improved to 3-1 in overtime games this season and played back-to-back overtime games for the first time since 1999-2000.
"Their record won't say it, but they're a good team and they can score the ball," Grant said.
Brandon Young added 20 and Donavan Kirk added 16 as DePaul lost its ninth straight.
DePaul coach Oliver Purnell was encouraged the Blue Demons gave the Irish a better challenge than it did on Feb. 2, when they lost 79-71.
"I'm not happy with it. I'm encouraged our guys continue fight and continue to get ready," he said.
Jack Cooley, who had 11 points for the Irish, said the Irish learned something with the victory.
"We have learned that we are in great shape and that we can play through being tired," he said.


text:
Land O'Lakes man dies in cycle crash
A 54-year-old motorcyclist died early Friday after striking a utility pole on U.S. 41, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Larre Wesley Stewart of Land O'Lakes was southbound on a 2010 Dongfang when he veered off the road, troopers said. There was no indication Stewart struggled to avoid hitting the pole, troopers said. Stewart was pronounced dead at the scene. The FHP report stated that he was wearing a helmet. The crash, reported about 4:30 a.m., happened on Broad Street near Snow Memorial Highway, according to FHP. The circumstances surrounding the crash were being investigated. The FHP asked witnesses to contact Cpl. David Frye at (813) 631-4020.
Founders Day fest continues today
Sims Park downtown will bustle with music and activities as New Port Richey Main Street's 15th annual Founders Day Fall Festival Celebration continues from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Booths offering festival foods, arts and crafts will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Miss Daisy pontoon boat will offer cruises up and down the Cotee River for $5 every hour on the hour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. There's also a bounce house for kids. Today's special event is the Sunset Corvette and Classic Car Club show from noon to 5 p.m. Registration is $5 from 10 a.m. to noon. Music gets started about 4 p.m., with the Black Jack Bomber band playing classic rock from the 1970s and '80s from 6 to 7:30 p.m., followed by the Queen tribute group, Absolute Queen, from 8 to 10 p.m.
Two seminars set on senior safety
The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas will hold two free senior safety seminars this month to help residents learn how to protect themselves. The first seminar runs from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Land O'Lakes Elderly Nutrition Site, 6801 Wisteria Loop. The second seminar runs from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 13 at Regency Park Library, 9701 Little Road, New Port Richey. Both events will feature presentations by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office Economic Crimes Unit, as well as free fingerprinting and information from victim advocates. For information, call the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas at (727) 861-5230.
Note to readers:
For the latest crime listings, visit pasco.tampabay.com and click under "Weekly crime report."


text:
Xadow Grove Adaptor is a device that converts Grove interface to Xadow Interface to compatible with Xadow System. It can achieve this function: analog signal from two analog Grove interface will output by Xadow I2C bus through ADC. The signal from Grove I2C Interface will directly lead to Xadow I2C bus without conversion. The A/D conversion based on ADCC121C021, a 12-bit precision ADC, create high precision.
- Work Voltage: 3.3V
- A/D Resolution:12 bit
- Sample Rate: 188.9 ksps
- I2C address variable
Compatibility issue: Not all of Grove parts can be used at the same time. For example: Grove - Chainable RGB LED can't be used with other Grove analog sensor at the same time due to the reuse of wires. We suggest use I2C/analog Grove parts together.
Xadow is a though small but perfectly formed Arduino(TM) compatible board series containing several modules. It's a kit extremely suitable for space-sensitive projects such as wearable devices & arts designs, which have higher request on size, weight and flexible cascade connection.
You can find more modules here.
|Seeed Studio
Be The First To Review This Product!
Help other Little Bird Company Pty Ltd users shop smarter by writing reviews for products you have purchased.


text:
Can you call a 9 year old a psychopath?
Fascinating article. I love reading stuff like this.
I've been studying serial killers for 30+ years and I do believe you can call a 9 year old a psychopath.
Is this particular kid a psychopath? He doesn't seem to have the more usual tendencies but I'm an amateur researcher not an expert so who knows.
Haha, this reminded me of the movie 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'
So many kids nowadays are diagnosed with autism that I think it sometimes muddles research on this sort of subject.
In the case of serial killers it often seems to be the combination of genetics, an abusive upbringing, head injuries/illness that makes them who they are. And they are also saying that there is a difference in brain scans between psychopaths and normal people.
The article did discuss the father's antisocial behavior when he was a child, so genetics could definitely be a factor. But they also mentioned environmental factors, such as Michael's earlier diagnosis of firstborn syndrome. IMO, mental disorders are too complex to be one or the other. They are most likely a combination of factors.
I thought the differences between behaviors exhibited by children with psychopathic tendencies, versus those with OCD, other impulse disorders, and those with ordinary behavioral problems to be really interesting.
The researchers definitely have something worth studying. I mean, even the journalist's personal observations and interactions with Michael are really disturbing.
When the author mentioned the bit about the Criminal Minds episode, I was like yea! because Anne and Miguel's story instantly reminded me of it.
And also the part about Michael growing up to be a Nobel Prize winner or a serial killer was very sad. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to love a child with so many negative tendencies and personality traits. My heart broke a little when she also said that raising him was joyless.
Sent from The Brick
I'm sure many people do have sympathy for loving, non-abusive parents of psychopaths.
I feel for the 2 younger boys. It is difficult growing up in the shadow of a sibling who has issues.
Reading that the father also had problems as a child makes me wonder if when planning to marry/have children, do people disclose their childhood issues to their partners.
What Jeepy said.
First off, this is the NYT Magazine. It's entertainment, not a peer-reviewed research journal. Non-academic publications tend to grossly exaggerate real science to make it sound more interesting.
As with most things, it's nature + nurture. People can have the sort of brain activity found in sociopaths, but not be sociopaths themselves. They had the potential for it, but it was never triggered by environmental factors.
Also, children's brains change so much that it's not appropriate to diagnose them as sociopaths. There's a good chance that they'll grow out of it as their brains mature.
I'm definitely no expert, but I think psychopath is a word that has pretty much become synonimous with serial killer in our minds, but only some psychopaths/sociopaths actually fall into that category. And yes, it sucks to label a child that way (technically, they're calling them C.U., and that may or may not represent sociopathic tendencies), but I think they're right to do the research.
If there's a chance they can come up with helpfull treatments, then it's worth it. Better than to ignore the problem because it's too unpleasant to think about and deal with the horrible consequences later. Even the child doesn't become a criminal, they could still benefit from learning empathy. There are other ways sociopaths can behave that are also problematic, violence isn't the only issue.
This all has to be done with great caution and responsibility, of course. I am curious as to whether putting all those kids with C.U. together (the "summer camp") is a good idea. Should they be put in an environment whith other manipulative children? Might that not give them a sense of belonging, make them think that their behavour is somehow normal?
If it was my kid exhibiting this behavior, I would want the research to happen.
A few years ago, not far from here, an 11 year old boy murdered his father's 8 1/2 months pregnant fiance (found guilty of 1st degree murder and some other charge I think). He shot her in her sleep, with other kids in the house. Then walked his stepsister to school.
From what I hear from folks in the system, he has shown no remorse and has had issues for awhile. I don't know the whole history of this kid so I'm not sure I'd label him a psychopath, but I'm betting people close to him wish they would have done more to get him the help he needed.
And, psychopath or not, he will be free in 7 years.
Edited a million times because I can't type a clear sentence.
Now that I think about it, the most disturbing thing about the movie was Ezra's (Kevin's) dead eyes.
Um......thanks for the info?
Siri types my posts for me.
I thought it was really interesting when they mentioned a study from the 1970s showing that all psychopathic adults in the study were antisocial as children, but only about 50% of the antisocial children grew up to be psychopathic adults. That tells me that the right environment can (hopefully) override innate tendencies.
I used to know someone that I'm pretty sure is sociopathic, or at least has a lot of sociopathic tendencies. He is not a serial killer (most sociopaths aren't), but harms people in other ways. He does not form true attachments or relationships with others and does not show remorse for his wrongdoing.
I think there are lots more sociopathic people out there than we realize. It's only the ones who turn into serial killers that get the attention.
I read a book on serial killers and lots of them harmed people just to "see what would happen". I found it interesting that many of the kids in the article performed similar "experiments".
Sent from my iPhone - blame autocorrect for everything strange
|All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:12 AM.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright 2011 NaturallyCurly.com


text:
Resolve the issues with Internet Explorer® which causes high CPU usage in Windows® 7
What are the tips to resolve issues while using Internet Explorer causing high CPU usage in Windows 7?
Internet Explorer features simplifies the daily tasks that you perform online, and help you to maintain the privacy of your personal information. Internet explorer is the web browser which includes advanced web browsing technology. This web browser provides more stable and more reliable web browsing experience. Windows 7 is the latest version of the operating system from the Microsoft. Windows 7 also comes with the different version. It has several advanced features that consist of enhanced facility. It includes a number of new features, like enhanced touch and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core processors, and improved boot performance.
Following are the causes of high CPU usage while using Internet Explorer in Windows 7, its symptoms, and tips to fix this issue:
- Causes of high CPU usage
- Symptoms for high CPU usage
- Tips to fix the issue
Causes of high CPU usage
An overloaded CPU can make the system slow. The System Idle Process is required to have a high CPU usage. The spyware and viruses in your system is the main reason for high CPU usage. They can bog your CPU down by creating multiple processes that requires your computer resources. A process would take 100 per cent CPU if it is very old.
Symptoms for high CPU usage
When you find that there is over use of CPU, it might slow down the whole performance of the system. All the operations at which you are working would be slow down. As it is very time consuming it would create more harm to the user. You won't be able to download the software which need more memory and they won't run at all.
Since the old application requires more CPU, it is necessary to update the software application installed in your system. You need to upgrade your web browser, because there is more use of plug-in, add-ons, themes and toolbars in their browsers. In order to solve the over usage of RAM, you need to look which program is making issues. Avoid the process in the task manager which takes more CPU cycles.
iYogi is the fastest growing online and remote tech support provider in the direct-to-consumers and small businesses sector. Our highly skilled and experienced tech experts available, 24x7x365 will provide the best issue resolution and customer satisfaction. Our award winning and low priced Annual Subscription covers the following services:
- Comprehensive for fixing high CPU usage while using Internet Explorer in Windows 7
- Diagnostic & repair for your technologies.
- Troubleshoot software errors.
- Update drivers and security to protect against online threats.
- Connect to Internet, devices and peripherals.
- Optimize your computer's speed and performance.
Unlimited access to great tech support, all year around! We promise the lowest wait-time and highest resolution rate in the industry.


text:
Randy Houser Releases New Single, 'Goodnight Kiss'
Randy Houser is hoping the third time is the charm. The Mississippi native, whose last two singles, 'How Country Feels' and 'Runnin' Outta Moonlight,' soared to the top of the charts, has just released his third single, 'Goodnight Kiss,' from his latest album.
"On the same day that I found the songs 'Top of the World' and 'Runnin' Outta Moonlight' (the day before the last day of recording this record), we wrote 'Goodnight Kiss,'" Houser recalls in a press release. "We all remember those dates when we'd pick up the girl and pretty much we'd have to go through the whole routine of the movie, and the dinner, and riding around, and all … all before we could ever get to the goodnight kiss. I finally had the epiphany that you can start with the goodnight kiss and just really never go do any of that other stuff, and I thought well hell, nobody's ever written about that yet!"
Houser, who wrote the tune with Jason Sellers and Rob Hatch, says his songwriting has changed since welcoming son West into the world last year. "There's certain things as a songwriter that I don't really care to write about and there are certain things I won't sing about anymore," Houser tells The Boot. "There are just so many things that I probably thought was OK for me, or have been in the past, that I would never want my son to think was OK. You start checking yourself a little bit and that definitely has affected my songwriting."
Houser will juggle fatherhood with his time on the road this fall, including shows in Maryland and New York later this month. See all of his upcoming shows here.


text:
Falcons Playing To Win Against Buccaneers In FinaleThe Falcons have clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs. But they are still looking to finish the season strong against the Bucs.
Buccaneers Have A Banged Up SecondaryThe Bucs have glaring weaknesses in the secondary. And these have been illuminated by a slew of injuries.
Buccaneers Have To Limit Falcons' ReceiversThe Bucs are facing their biggest challenge this Sunday against the high-powered Falcons. But the Falcons do have a few weaknesses.


text:
USF to offer job search help to unemployed alumni
TAMPA -- Starting in late September, the University of South Florida will begin offering free job search help to unemployed alumni.
The new Alumni CareerQuest program involves USF's Career Center and Alumni Association. Jobless alums who have earned a degree from USF can get help with effective job search strategies, resources and coaching.
Alumni CareerQuest is not meant to be a job placement program, administrators say. But it will provide alumni with access to a variety of resources, professional career coaches, workshops, webinars, job search preparation software and opportunties to network and talk to recruiters looking to hire candidates from USF.
As part of establishing the program, USF is suspending its alumni career service fee for the 2009-10 academic year.
On Sept. 25, Alumni CareerQuest will hold a daylong workshop, "Job Search Strategies for a Tough Economy," with sessions on polishing a resume, interviewing effectively and taking advantage of career center services. The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the USF Alumni Center. Registration in advance is required and will take place Sept. 8-24. To register, visit www.career.usf.edu after Sept. 8.
Following the workshop, alumni will be able to use the Career Center's library and make appointments for job coaching. USF graduates who live outside Tampa Bay will be able to schedule telephone or online coaching appointments. The program will hold weekly career and job search webinars as well as on-campus career fairs and electronic fairs.
Alums also will be able to upload their resumes, look for and apply for jobs posted through the Career Center and apply and schedule interviews on campus with employers looking to interview alumni.
-- Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer


text:
|[Home Page] [This Week] [Classifieds] [Legals] [Obituaries] [Newsstands] [Subscriptions] [Advertising] [Deadlines] [About Us] [FAQ] [Archives] [Community Links] [Contact Us]
Regional Archives The Altamont Enterprise, June 19, 2008
For Albany County
By David S. Lewis
ALBANY COUNTY The first mapping of Albany County's shared services and consolidation has found some surprising patterns. Municipalities with fewer funds are far less likely to share services than those with a more stable economic outlook.
The Intergovernmental Studies Program at the University of Albany's Rockefeller College released a report earlier this spring analyzing cooperative efforts among the municipalities in Albany County (available online at http://albany.edu/igsp/mapping_albany_county_igsp.pdf).
The report, found patterns suggesting that towns and villages, as well as small, adjoining urbanized areas, were more likely to enter into relationships with each other than were rural areas with distant or suburban neighbors. It also found less active collaborators tend to have fewer than 10,000 residents.
The study also found that a leader with an affinity for cooperation is more likely to achieve shared-service agreements.
"They are different, but they are more likely to be different to people who are paying a great deal of attention to them," said Sydney Cresswell of the differences between consolidation and shared-service agreements. "We made it very clear in our interview protocol, the different thing we were talking about."
Cresswell is the assistant dean of Rockefeller College and one of the authors of the study.
Cresswell said she hoped the report, which followed on the heels of a statewide survey taken over a period of 10 days in order to provide county legislators with information on inter-municipal agreements, would be part of an ongoing general annual survey analyzing local government efficiency.
"We want to gather information from within municipalities on all the cost-savings methods and methods for increasing revenues," said Cresswell.
The report, entitled "Municipal Cooperation and Consolidation: Mapping Albany County," was a project undertaken at the expense of Rockefeller College; Cresswell said the college chose to study Albany County because benefits gleaned from the study should go first to their home county.
"We are a program in a public university; to the degree possible we do everything we can to help. And we don't charge for it," she said. "No one funded it, we had to do it on our own time, and we chose Albany because it is our home county. If you are doing something just to make the contribution and to learn something, it is nice to do it in your own backyard."
Cresswell said she expected to see many more municipalities forming agreements in the near future, and that new boundaries are being crossed in the quest for consolidation.
"I am seeing a lot of cooperative activities occurring across school district and town boundaries," she said. "I do think the winds of change are bearing down on us."
The report studies both service sharing and consolidation.
Swapping services
The report found that municipalities experiencing fiscal stress were not as likely to enter into cooperative efforts as wealthier, more financially stable municipalities.
The report included a summary of income and the poverty rate in each municipality. While the city of Albany has a poverty rate of 22 percent, suburban New Scotland and Guilderland's rate was 4.1 percent and the rural Hilltowns are at 5.3 or 5.4 percent; county wide, the poverty rate is 10.6. Similarly, per capita income in the Hilltowns ranges from $21,000 to $23,000; while in New Scotland and Guilderland, it is close to $30,000.
The village of Altamont's mayor, James Gaughan, said that, although seemingly incongruent, he had found that his village's stability had helped him pursue agreements with other communities.
In the Enterprise coverage area, the report listed Altamont with seven shared services, second to Guilderland, with eight.
"There are two factors that make Altamont ideal for inter-municipal agreements," said Gaughan.
"The first I would attribute to me and the supervisor [of Guilderland, Kenneth Runion,] and our relationship," he said. "You have to build relationships with your neighboring officials.
"And the other is our financial well-being. We had the luxury of being financially well-off, and that allowed us to explore our options," said Gaughan.
"If I did not have a cross-supportive and professional relationship with the supervisor of Guilderland, I don't think it would have been possible," he said, referring to the village's land-use agreement with Guilderland, which dictates that development plans for areas near the village would be submitted for approval to the village board. If rejected by the village, the town of Guilderland would need a super-majority vote to overrule Altamont.
Guilderland Supervisor Kenneth Runion said it would make sense for struggling municipalities to take advantage of cost sharing with other communities.
"The reason for these cooperative agreements is to share services and to save money," he said. "I wouldn't think that would be a deterrent."
"What you may find is that, when you have a fiscally unstable government, they probably have a tendency to look inward and to deal with those efforts rather than seeking agreements," said Runion. "I should think it would be just the opposite.
"A lot of people are under the impression that, when a community is experiencing a period of financial stress, they would be more likely to turn to cooperative agreements, but we found that wasn't the case," said Cresswell. "They took whatever measures they could to get things back in line and, then, turned out to be very good cooperators," she said with a laugh.
Methods of dealing with financial stress included cutting back on services and expenses but none of the three local leaders who had led their communities through tough times turned to cooperatives.
"They may feel threatened in some way by outside cooperative efforts as well. Maybe that's part of the issue. There are state safeguards that protect municipalities' independence; I can't see where that would enter into the situation," said Runion.
Would entering into cost-sharing agreements and consolidation efforts with other towns likely be enough to bail out a financially unstable town or village? Runion said, he didn't think so.
"I don't think you are going to see any kind of cost-sharing measures that are going to help a struggling municipality," he said. "While we do save money, we are not saving hundreds of thousands of dollars through the various agreements we have."
Runion said that cooperative efforts were better suited to reducing duplicated services and trimming costs.
"We have so many levels of government: village, town, county, even water and sewer districts, a variety of various special districts. There is a lot of duplication of services," he said. "I guess the goal should be, how do we eliminate as much duplication as possible?"
And, according to Runion, therein lies the problem. When you consolidate the services that make a community feel independent, he said, many feel threatened.
Runion attributes his success in forging cooperatives to having an "open-door policy" and a transparent government; he has been a village mayor and a supervisor, providing him with critical perspective, he said.
"Having served as both a mayor and a supervisor, I think I am able to spot where it is beneficial to both municipalities to enter into these cooperative-type measures," said Runion.
Cooperative ventures, the report says, include sharing equipment, paramedic service, fuel, assessing, staff, community development, land-use planning agreements, and sewer and water.
Berne, Knox, and Voorheesville each cooperate in five categories, the report says, New Scotland three, Westerlo in two, and Rensselaerville in only one.
Dolin questions differences in definition
The report states that New Scotland has no formal inter-municipal agreements, but Supervisor Thomas Dolin said that there are agreements with the neighboring town of Bethlehem, from which the town of New Scotland gets its water.
"I'm not sure what their definition of "formal agreement" is, but we have four water districts supplied by the town of Bethlehem, and they own the reservoir located in New Scotland," he said. "The town sold it 1957."
New Scotland also has several informal agreements dictating the loans of some kinds of equipment, and the town also signed a contract with the village, which will supply water to the new housing development at the Colonie Country Club.
Attempts were made by the two previous town supervisors, first Martha Pofit and, later, Ed Clark, to enter into agreements regarding assessing services, building and zoning agreements, and animal control, with the village of Voorheesville, but the efforts had failed, said Dolin.
Dolin said he is very open to cooperating with other communities, and that he meets regularly with the Bethlehem supervisor, Jack Cunningham, and Robert Conway, the mayor of Voorheesville.
The Rockefeller College report indicates that two-year posts make it difficult for many elected officials to implement inter-municipal agreements because the typical timeline for such efforts made them politically vulnerable during the most controversial time period of the project. Dolin agreed, and said political time constraints could be a deterrent, but didn't think voters would support longer terms.
"Every time it is presented to the public, they turn it down," he said. "I think the people like the idea that they have the ability to make a change if they find it necessary; and I am sympathetic to that," said Dolin.
"I think where it has a negative influence is when you're trying to recruit people to run for the office. For example, if someone has a full-time job, which has a certain amount of security to it, why would they abandon that to run for a position of town supervisor, knowing that in two years they could be out of a job?" he asked.
"In my case, I'm retired, so it's not really a factor," said Dolin. "I have the luxury of being able to say what's on my mind."
Dolin, who has been in office since November, said that several cooperative ventures with other municipalities are on the agenda now.
"Number one, I am trying to resolve the crisis that exists for many of our town residents;" he said. New Scotlanders relying on wells currently have limited quantities and quality of water. "These are existing homeowners; I am not talking about developing water for new developments, I am talking about existing homeowners," said Dolin. "I think that's a chronic problem out here, and it doesn't have a short-term solution."
Dolin said he plans to work out deals with neighboring communities in order to solve New Scotland's water shortage.
The New Scotland Town Board also agreed last week to join 12 other municipalities in Albany County in a coalition that will work to solve storm-water problems.
Consolidation clash
Berne town board member James Hamilton said that he had read the Rockefeller College report and found inaccuracies in the appendix devoted to Berne. The report said the county executive, Mike Breslin, and Berne's supervisor, Kevin Crosier, had both attempted to persuade the board to merge the town's highway department with that of the county. According to the report, the measure would have saved residents 2 percent on their property taxes, but the board voted against applying for a grant to support the proposed merger. Not so, said Hamilton.
"That's one of the big inaccuracies," he said. There was a mistake on the Department of State's website, too, according to Hamilton, that indicated the grant money was for a study. The authors of the Rockefeller College study had not interviewed him, and only received one view of the merger, that of Kevin Crosier, Berne's Supervisor, Hamilton said..
"We thought if we got enough useful information, we could share it, but an unfunded study has to have parameters," said Cresswell. "If we were trying to do a case study on the Berne highway merger, we would have interviewed board members and residents, as well."
She said that the point of the study was to illustrate cooperative relationships between communities, and, due to limited resources, could not be a collection of in-depth case studies.
"Some of the information that you share is terribly critical to follow up on," she said of her department's study. "That's a detail that didn't seem central to the point we were trying to make," she said, of the Berne merger grant.
"The grant was not to study the merger; it was grant money to support the merger, directly." Hamilton said the grant money would have been for new trucks and to upgrade the Berne highway department's facilities.
The Rockefeller College study says that the Berne Town Board "did not think the highway department merger would work" and did not want to apply for a grant to "support the proposed merger."
The report also says, "The board's objections included skepticism about the extent to which the proposed savings would materialize, arguments that consolidation was tried preciously and did not work, and a general feeling of distrust of relying on a government that is further removed from the people."
Hamilton said that he couldn't vote for the measure because he felt the information provided about the savings was insubstantial and incomplete.
"I thought the information provided was inaccurate and misleading," said Hamilton. "Actually, it was more of a takeover by the county than a merger."
Hamilton said that the town would have no say over what happened on its roads if the merger were brokered, and that many locals were dependent upon the speedy removal of snow from the roads.
The Rockefeller College report found that residents often don't trust other municipal governments, creating another challenge to brokering cooperative agreements.
"That's actually true," Hamilton said, but that distrust wasn't the only problem.
"My biggest problem is that it was rushed, not enough information was provided, and I was skeptical about some of the things it claimed," he said of the merger proposal. "And no other possibility was looked at."
Provincial politics
"Nearly half of the Albany County leaders we interviewed observed this tendency toward provincialism is a serious hurdle they face in proposing shared service agreements," says the report. Most often a pejorative for narrow-minded and self-centered, "provincialism" was used directly by three local leaders in Albany County, and implied by many more, according to Cresswell.
"'Provincial' means that it is a highly 'localist' perspective; we decided to go ahead and use it because the local leaders we interviewed were using it," said Cresswell when asked about the use of the term.
"That term, provincial, has been used a lot," Hamilton said. "People automatically assume that's why we didn't go with the merger." He said that was not the primary obstacle for the Berne Town Board.
"If more stakeholders in a scenario are not included in discussions related to it, there is going to be some distrust," he said, "and I don't just mean in the project itself, but I mean in the initial planning of the project, too.
"Involving more people in the initial planning, coming up with reasonable data that demonstrates where the cost savings would come from would make more sense; that way, you have governments at the same level working together. People would not feel they are being taken over by a larger entity," said Hamilton.
He considers himself open to inter-municipal agreements.
"I am the town of Berne's representative to the county legislature's Municipal Services Committee," he said. "In fact, I suggested we join the committee."
"It's a meeting between Albany County and every municipality in the county," he said of the committee. "We discuss possibilities for working together and saving money for members of our communities…Right now, we're discussing health insurance through the county, because we can get it cheaper that way."
Like minds think…alike
Like communities with similar geography and demographics are better suited to inter-municipal agreements, said Hamilton.
"Personally," said Hamilton, "if there is going to be consolidation of municipalities and entities, I would be more comfortable seeing the Helderberg Hilltowns consolidating as one community rather than see us absorbed by a town with a different geography and demographic."
Cresswell disagreed. She said that, for certain types of agreements, differences between communities are far outweighed by the potential cost-savings.
"…To the extent that some of the cooperative agreements that have bigger dollar values, it really doesn't matter what the geography and demographics are," she said. For example, she said, "Most local government budgets are labor intensive, and the health insurance cooperatives become really interesting possibilities, because there is quite a bit of money that can be saved through them."
"Striking moments"
The Rockefeller College report found that some circumstances were more favorable to inter-municipal cooperation than others. Through interviewing local leaders, the study identified many elements of successful cooperatives and offered solutions that lessen the potential for failure.
It's unlikely consolidating entrenched services, such as the proposed merger between the town of Berne and the county's highway departments, will succeed, the report says. The report found that consolidation efforts were more likely to succeed if they involved services that were new enough not to be entrenched in the public's mind.
Built-in sunset clauses or expiration dates are another way to "sell" a proposed agreement to the public. According to the report, sunset clauses are especially useful for situations where the public acknowledged a need for change, but shied away from inter-municipal deals, providing an "attractive safeguard."
Other methods that local administrators found effective were capitalizing on "striking moments," or ideal timing, as the community's circumstances change or evolve. Such changes could be fiscal, or the result of new technologies or evidence, or even new participants in the process, according to the study.
She noted that there are municipalities in the county moving in positive directions, and said that one of the objectives of the study was to better learn how to study the best examples of well-run local governments, and to pass on the information to policy makers.
She added that the information learned could be beneficial to other counties, as well; she said she hoped the report would attract the attention, and the contracts, of other counties, which would hire the Intergovernmental Studies Program to conduct similar "mapping" studies for their areas.
We learned a great deal, and more of that should be done, and there is much about the character of different counties that, if studied, could benefit policy makers, not only at the county level, but the state government, as well, said Cresswell.
"When you are doing a survey, you have to make sure that they are asking the right questions," said Cresswell. "This was very much exploratory, so we tried not to interject too many accolades or praise in there, but we do feel there are several local leaders who are very forward looking and progressive."


text: Politics 20 February 2013 EU carbon permit scheme gets a sticking-plaster fix Permits to be backloaded, constraining supply. Sign up for our weekly email * Print HTML The EU has finally got around to slapping a sticking-plaster on the woefully unfit-for-purpose carbon trading market. The European parliament has voted in favour of a plan to allow "backloading" of carbon permits — delaying the scheduled releases of permits by a couple of years — in order to deal with the record low prices those permits have reached (around €5 per tonne of CO2). Alphaville's Kate Mackenzie writes: The price collapse is down to a few things: slower economic growth, changes to the energy mix — and arguably, some imperfect policymaking to begin with. The carbon permit scheme had always been disliked by many left-wing environmentalists for allocating initial permits based on emissions — and then increasing those allocations for the first few years of the scheme, albeit at a decreasing rate. The idea was to put a cap on the amount of emissions growth major companies could get away with, but as the economic slow-down and changing technology started to hit, those major companies found that they had far more permits than they needed. The permit scheme eventually turned into a mild handout to the biggest companies, with the size of that handout vaguely dependent on how much they had cut their emissions. If the backloading amendment works, it should constrict the supply of permits, and actually encourage those companies to cut their emissions again. If the scheme works well, the scarcity of permits should mean that there is a real financial cost to emitting excess CO2. But the backloading will only help in the short run. The state of affairs is such that the EU still has to release those permits at some point. The Wall Street Journal yesterday looked at possibilities to move beyond the temporary fix, including: Canceling CO2 permits, including other industries in the market to increase demand, or even a mechanism to directly manage the prices, which experts say could resemble the way central banks manage currencies. The problem is that any plan which actually leads to a constraint on carbon usage is unlikely to be particularly popular with the businesses affected by it. The EU is basically in the same position it was when it tried to start the carbon permit scheme, except that now, industry can plead that it is already part of a carbon trading scheme. Current legislation will expire in 2020, and from there, the EU can set about building an emissions reduction scheme which is fit-for-purpose. Until then, there'll be many more sticking plasters to come. › The trial of Alfie Meadows and Zak King Photograph: Getty Images Alex Hern is a technology reporter for the Guardian. He was formerly staff writer at the New Statesman. You should follow Alex on Twitter. Subscribe from just £1 per issue More Related articles Everything wrong with the Electoral Commission's suggestion to ban trolls from voting Meet the megabots – how scientists turned robots into a swarm The science and technology committee debacle shows how we're failing women in tech Subscription offer 12 issues for £12 + FREE book LEARN MORE Close This week's magazine


text:
The Good Wife Recap: VIP Treatment
After two weeks of mostly larger-picture story telling, The Good Wife returns to a more procedural-esque format this week, while keeping its many sub-plots at a nice simmer on the back burner. It was a good episode, and if it didn't reach the heights of last week's epic, I think that the ability of the show to keep some plots at a slow boil and fill up an episode with case-of-the-week will give it much more longevity than your standard TV serial; consider how fast serials burn through plots, forcing writers to come up with new conflicts and characters. The Good Wife can come up with a satisfying stand-alone episode at any time, which gives it's serial elements the benefit of unfolding in a natural way without appearing that the writers are dragging their feet on the details.
The case this week involved a massage therapist, Lara (played excellently by Natalie Knepp) who accused a Nobel Peace Prize winner, Joe Kent, of sexually assaulting her. In an interesting twist, the entire conflict never reached a court room; instead it spun around Lara and the lawyers of Alicia's firm warily circling each other and trying to decide whether or not to (figuratively) get into bed together. Will looked at the case as a potential money-maker, while Diane was firmly against it on the grounds that the accused was a great man whose work for women in Africa meant he couldn't possibly have actually assaulted Lara.
As I've come to expect from the old pro's on Wife's writing staff, the story was filled with twists and turns (including that Cary had actually recommended she go to Alicia, a very nice new color that I'll get into more down below), and despite it looking very bad for her in the beginning it eventually comes out that she is indeed telling the truth. However, even as Will and Diane finally agree to take the case, Alicia sees Lara leaving in the elevator. As she runs after her, she realizes that Lara is dropping the suit, and for once even Alicia's special touch with clients doesn't work; her presence and history has actually made Lara realize what she's signing up for if she goes forward. She has a past, and she doesn't want it out in public; Lara walks away.
While the Lara story-line took up much of the hour, it did serve to advance a few characters, none more so than Cary. Cary wasn't strongly featured in the episode; I think Matt Czuchry only had one short scene. However, the fact that he referred Lara to Alicia and his old firm speaks volumes if you believe that he did it in good faith, which Alicia doesn't but I think I do. Alicia clearly states that she still thinks he wants to hurt them; however, I'm starting to think that The Good Wife is finding its most morally unambiguous character in Cary. Cary wants to work in the State Attorney's office because he states that he enjoys not having to live in the gray area. When a client approaches him and he believes her but can't help her, he sends her to someone who can. And not just anyone, but someone who helped her to see what exactly she would be getting into. Kalinda, whose people reading skills are unequaled, states flat out that she misses having Cary around. Cary appears to really be trying to do good in the world, which is a huge shift from where his character sat last season, as Alicia's frenemy at work. I'm not trying to say that Cary is no longer out for revenge; I just think that he's not being blinded by it, and the audience is being shown that he's a good man.
Still happily living in the moral gray area is Peter, who discovered the voice-mail from Will on Alicia's phone which she had saved for 86 days. After attempting to listen to it once and being interrupted, he ultimately chooses not to listen to the complete message. He does, however, have an extremely interesting conversation with Tammy, Will's new girlfriend, who claims that Will is in love, but not with her. Tammy is clearly being set-up as an anti-Alicia; while Alicia demanded a plan from Will, Tammy insists on just having fun together. It's nice to see a little movement on the love-triangle front, after almost no mention of it since the season premiere.
Other than that, most other plots were in low-gear for this hour. Kalinda and Blake still hate each other, but didn't cross paths except for a small moment when Derek told Blake he didn't need his services as Kalinda beat him to the punch. Wendy Scott-Carr has a short meeting with Peter, where she flatly turns down his offer to run with her, claiming that she wants to clean up the corruption. Eli runs around and is completely unapologetic about his moral ambiguity. A good hour of TV, and one that whets my appetite for more.
And some final thoughts:
-This episode was written and shot long before Clarence Thomas' wife called Anita Hill and asked for an apology, but that phone call at the end from Mrs. Kent (bringing a whole new level to the term "good wife" when she stated that it didn't matter to her if the accusation was true) asking Diane to drop the case couldn't help but appear extra-topical because of it. And while we're on the subject of Diane, the episode offered a really nice showcase for Christine Baranski, who has been under-used thus far this season.
-Natalie Knepp bears a strong resemblance to Amy Acker, who cannot be on TV enough. And I'll state again that I thought Knepp did a superb job with an extremely obtuse character, and managed to display real emotion when clearly being asked to be stoic. She was like a little Alicia, a parallel drawn clearly in the final scene.
-I really liked the new colors brought to Cary in this episode. It occurs, however, that if he's going to be viewed as a major threat to Alicia and company, he's going to have to eventually beat them in court.
-One note that rang incredibly false: I sincerely doubt that Steppenwolf, one of the premiere theater companies in the US, would agree to present a few scenes of their current production at a gala for lawyers. Also, I sincerely doubt that they would put on a production so patently ridiculous as the one presented. It was actually vaguely insulting.
-Lea Michele's Dove commercial was, sadly, more entertaining than the extremely ill-conceived episode of Glee that aired earlier. I happen to love Glee, but it just didn't work.
-Anyone else notice that Alicia's phone messages all said "Will" and "Grace." Ah, I miss that show.
-Line of the episode: "Because they think they know him and they don't know you." The voice of experience.
-No new episode next week. Must have something to do with some sports event that neither the Yankees or the Phillies will be participating in. That warms this disgruntled Met fan's heart.


text:
This is a series I am bringing to Redskins Hog Heaven for the rest of the season. I've done extensive film analysis on at least a couple of games for each team in the NFC (exceptions: the dreadful Panthers and Cardinals), and figured while you need a lot more than a hundred or so total plays to be an "expert" on any one team, you also don't need to be an expert on any topic to provide some valuable insight.
Remember, I am no expert about teams that aren't the Redskins, and this series specifically steps outside my level of expertise. If I can provide just a couple of nuggets of knowledge to readers in advance of the upcoming game, this endeveaor can be considered a success.
The following is the Redskins Hog Heaven Scouting Report on the Minnesota Vikings.
Offensive Backfield The strength of the Vikings here is obscured by their inability to provide great opportunities in either the passing game or the running game. Adrian Peterson was never a complete, feature back prior this year, usually providing highlight reel runs when he got on the edge and only a moderate amount of ability to run between the tackles and move the chains prior to this season. In addition to that, Peterson fumbled on more than 3% of his carries for the season. This year, Peterson is a different, far more effective player who has had fewer highlight reel moments because the blocking hasn't allowed Peterson to get free much this year. Peterson is second in the league behind only Chris Johnson in carries, and has done more with those carries than Johnson. Peterson isn't in the elite class with Arian Foster and Jamaal Charles (and this year, BenJarvus Green-Ellis), but he is very much in the next tier below those guys as a runner. His numbers this year compare favorably to Michael Turner, and Turner plays behind an offensive line full of maulers.
The Vikings are a much better team when they are running than when they are passing, in spite of a line than can neither block for Peterson, nor Brett Favre. Their run-centric gameplans have tended to yield a competitive team, where their pass-centric gameplans have tended to led to struggles by Brett Favre.
Favre still plays at a high level in the pocket, avoiding sacks and pressures and helping the receivers learn the timing mechanisms in a complicated offense. Favre's level of play is less effective downfield, in no small part because his injuries and declining arm strength are working in tandem to create a monster of sorts: Favre plays like a guy who can make all the throws. Favre does not actually still have the ability to make all the throws. He still throws up the seams really well, but he's not getting it outside the numbers with any sort of velocity.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends Too much of the Vikings offensive decline has come because this group has underachieved. TE Visanthe Shiancoe is enemy number one in terms of "where have you gone" players from last seasons top passing offense. More understandable is the loss of Sidney Rice to injury, and Randy Moss' temporary inability to fill those shoes. This is a team that managed to play Bernard Berrian all season, and managed to actually target Bernard Berrian and Greg Lewis in a professional offense 61 times.
Percy Harvin might be the offenses best player, if it isn't Peterson. He's the class of this receiving corps. Sidney Rice is just coming back from hip surgery and is somewhat of an unknown quantity. He could be a match-up nightmare for the Redskins given his rapport with his quarterback from last season, but he didn't exactly set the world on fire last week in his return: 3 catches on 10 targets. A healthy Harvin and Rice may be an elite receiving duo for the Vikings many years into the future, but neither is 100% right now — and Harvin may never truly be at 100% the rest of his career.
Greg Camarillo was a valuable pickup for Miami who is underutilized because the Brad Childress Vikings were trying to justify both Bernard Berrian's contract, and Greg Lewis being on the roster.
Offensive Line While 'underachiving' is a word that fits Brett Favre's receivers, something like "bad" might best describe this group. When C John Sullivan is playing and playing well, he gives the rest of the group a chance to be successful. It's LG Steve Hutchinson who has declined the most from his all-world peak in the middle of the decade. RG Anthony Herrera may be the group's most consistent performer, which isn't meant as a complement. The tackle duo, Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt, could be among the worst pass protecting duos in the league this year, and neither was drafted to get much push in the running game.
This is the group that continues to allow Favre to get hit and hurt, and the group that can't create rushing lanes for Peterson to gallop through. They are a dead weight around the neck of the entire offense.
Defensive Front
This unit has underachieved as badly as the pass catches have, because the Vikings' front is super talented. DT Kevin Williams is having a good year, but is getting little help from the other starters: DT Pat Williams, DE Jared Allen, and DE Ray Edwards. Allen, in particular, is having a dreadful pass rushing year, while Pat Williams might simply be too old to be a consistent performer. Edwards has simply been disappointing, since many were expecting a breakout year. Some of the best performers here have been backups, such as Brian Robison and LeRoy Guidon.
The linebacking corps have struggled through injury and underperformance as well. E.J. Henderson has played the whole season with a metal rod in his reconstructed leg, with Ben Leber starting to show signs of age. The third linebacker, Chad Greenway, has been fantastic for them against the run and the pass. He's the strong side backer responsible for covering the tight end, and the Vikings have really done a number on opposing TEs this year. This isn't much of a blitzing group under Leslie Frazier, so they've just taken the underperformance hit in terms of their pass rush rather than bringing LBs in order to generate pressure.
Defensive Backfield It's a weakness. Antoine Winfield level of play hasn't matched his own level of play from last season, which is a problem, but the rest of this secondary hasn't even matched Winfield's current level of play, which is the bigger problem.
Donovan McNabb should have a field day down field which should help to counter-act the fact that the Redskins are going to struggle to run the football against this unit.


text:
£5.40 GBP - Excellent stock
With this product you can design your own Round Wooden Coasters with our product designer. There is no additional cost, and the price you see on screen includes the case itself, printing in full colour and first class postage if you are sending within the UK.
Please note, This is a 4pack. It is not possible to buy in any other quantity at this time.


text:
Apple first announced "Visual Voicemail" back in 2007 , but support from operators for the feature has been lacking. However, EE have now announced that their 4G iPhone customers can now access Visual Voicemail.
Visual Voicemail enables users to view a list of people who've left them voicemails and listen to them without having to dial a number. You can listen to them in whatever order you like, as well as being able to pause and stop them at anytime.
EE's 4G customers will now be able to use the service and the even better news is that the data it uses will be free. In order to use the feature you'll need to be running iOS 6 or later, but seen as though EE only offer the iPhone 5 on 4G that shouldn't be much of an issue.
EE also own both the Orange and T-Mobile networks and the good news for Orange customers with an iPhone running iOS 6 is that they'll get Visual Voicemail very soon. However, it doesn't look like T-Mobile will be adding support for Apple's feature anytime soon which is disappointing.
Hopefully, EE's steps will provoke the other UK operators to begin offering "Visual Voicemail". We hope it does because free voicemail which is easier to use would be greatly appreciated. If we hear anymore about the availability of the service we'll be sure to let you know !
©Copyright 2017 www.3G.co.uk - All Rights Reserved


text:
You are reading the older HTML site
Positive Feedback ISSUE 9
october/november 2003
5.1 Vitra Home Theatre System
as reviewed by Roger S. Gordon
Most audiophiles would love to have a killer surround-sound system. For those with unlimited budgets, this is not a problem, but for the rest of us, having a home theater system in addition to our main stereo system can be a budget buster. There is the option of the Home-Theater-in-a-Box, with a surround processor/amp, five plastic speakers, and a dinky subwoofer for $300 or less. I have such a system (a Creative Labs/Cambridge Soundworks 5.1) in my office. Using a Radio Shack portable CD player as input, the music is enjoyable, but not what I would call high end. At the other end of the scale, there are high end theater systems that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Is there anything toward the lower end of the scale that delivers something better than mid-fi sound for less than $2000?
Aside from being less than $2000, my home theater system also had to be compact in size, and the speakers had to be mountable either on the walls or on the home entertainment unit that covers one of the 12-foot walls in my 12 x 20-foot room. This requirement is dictated by the fact that my theater room is not a dedicated room. It has to serve as a guest bedroom several times a year, and as a second dining room when our church group comes over for potluck dinners. Now, having a small room usually means spending less, but a small room is usually not good for the Big Sound required by cinematic earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and nuclear explosions.
Thinking about possible solutions, I remembered hearing the Anthony Gallo Acoustic speakers, which consist of 4-inch globes atop thin pipes that serve as stands, plus a subwoofer hidden in the corner. I had heard them at CES a few years ago, and had been quite impressed with the quality of sound for a very affordable price. The spherical shape of the speaker enclosures didnt worry me, though it is very different from conventional box speakers. I once attended a lecture by Bill Firebaugh of Well-Tempered Turntable fame, in which he showed his prototype of a large spherical loudspeaker that never made it into production. I remembered all of the advantages Mr. Firebaugh claimed for a spherical speaker enclosure, which included: (1) rigidity with no internal bracing (more volume to let the bass notes develop), (2) no internal standing waves, as there are no parallel surfaces, (3) ease of manufacturing (and lower cost), and (4) no refractions off the front face. However, I could not find a local source for the Gallo globes.
While I was pondering my next move, a friend who is heavily into home theater suggested I consider Morel speakers, as they also make a home theater system that utilizes 5-inch globe-shaped speakers. I had never heard of Morel, so after logging onto the web for a little research, I discovered that the company is a well-known manufacturer of loudspeaker drivers, and that their drivers are used in some very high priced loudspeakers. Only recently have they started to make their own speakers. The basic building blocks of the Morel 5.1 Home Theater system are a 100mm (approximately 4-inch) woofer and a 28mm (approximately 1-inch) soft-domed tweeter. These two drivers can be either mounted coaxially in a 130mm (approximately 5-inch) steel sphere, as in the SI-2, or the tweeter can be moved to the top of the 5-inch sphere, as in the SA-2. The tweeter is liquid cooled, and has a usable range of 1000 to 20,000 Hz. Both drivers utilize neodymium and ferrite magnets, with the voice coil pole piece inside the magnet. This design minimizes the size of the driver assembly, which leaves more room inside the sphere for bass notes to build up. The drivers are crossed over at 3500 Hz using a first order crossover. Besides being cheaper to build, first order crossovers minimize the phase shifts and other distortions caused by higher order crossovers.
Both the SA-2 and the SI-2 weigh less than two pounds (.9 and .88 kg, respectively). The spheres tilt on their base, and there is a screw that you can use to lock the sphere in position. The footprint of these speakers is only a few square inches. They can be placed on surfaces, or can be mounted on walls or ceilings with the included mounting kit.1 There are pipe threads on the back of the spheres that allow the speakers to be screwed onto optional stands. The binding posts should accept just about any wire or termination.
For a center channel, you can either use a SI-2, a SA-2, or the Morel C-5 center channel, which consists of two 130mm (approximately 5-inch) woofers and the 1-inch tweeter from the SI-2 and SA-2. The unit weighs ten pounds (4.5 kg) and measures 20 inches wide by 6.3 inches deep and 6.3 inches high. Of course, no home theater system would be complete without a subwoofer. Morel provides one that can be purchased with or without a built-in amp. The powered subwoofer, the IS-9A, is included as standard in all of their home theater systems. It has an isobaric, port-loaded reflex cabinet with two 222mm (approximately 9-inch) woofers in a cabinet that is 24 inches wide, 16 inches high, and 8 inches deep, and weighs 44 pounds (20 kg). It is very compact and easy to tuck away in a corner or behind the furniture, but the port is rear firing, so you may not want to put it against the wall. The controls on the subwoofer include volume, phase, and crossover point, so blending it into your system and room should not be too difficult.
With these four speakers as your building blocks, you can build four different home theater systems. The Applause system uses five of the SA-2 speakers, using one of the SA-2s as the center channel, and the IS-9A subwoofer. This system has a MSRP of $2395, but is advertised on the web for $1495. The next system, the Supra, uses four SA-2 speakers, the C-5 center channel, and the IS-9A subwoofer. The MSRP is $1995, but it is sold on the web for $1449. The Vitra system uses two SA-2 speakers as the right and left front speakers, two SI-2 speakers as the left and right rear speakers, the C-5 as the center channel, and the IS-9A subwoofer. The MSRP is $1795, and the web price is $1395. The Spiro system uses four SI-2 speakers, the C-5 as the center channel and the IS-9A subwoofer. The system has a MSRP of $1695. I could not find a web price, but it should be less than the Vitra. After discussing the pro and cons of each system with my dealer, he suggested that I start out with the Vitra system. He thought the SA-2s made sense as the front channel speakers, but did not think using the SA-2s in the rear would add much. I have bought a lot of equipment from this dealer over the years, and have learned to respect his ears, so on his recommendation I bought the Vitra system.
Of course, except for the subwoofer, these speakers need an amp to drive them. The SI-2, SA-2, and C-5 are all 8-ohm impedance and 89 dB sensitivity, and thus are very easy to drive. The dealer recommended a Marantz SR5300 surround sound receiver. He said it was the most musical of the lower-priced surround receivers that he had heard.2 With 6 x 90 watts, it was more than adequate to drive the Morel speakers in my 1920-cubic-foot, highly reflective room.
Hooking everything together was not a problem. The speakers come with a generic installation manual, but everything is so straightforward that most people will not need to even look at it. The front SA-2 and center channel speakers I put on top of the entertainment unit, flush with the TV screen. The rear channel speakers I mounted high on the walls, a little over halfway down the length of the room. Everything was off the floor and out of sight except for the wires going to the rear speakers. I then connected the audio output of my Samsung progressive scan DVD player (P721-M) to the Marantz SR5300 via coaxial cable and its progressive scan visual output to the Sony KF-50XBR800 LCD projection HD TV (16:9). I then balanced the output of the five speakers plus subwoofer using the white noise generator built into the Marantz and my Radio Shack Sound Pressure Meter. Once everything was balanced, it was show time.
First on the system was Lethal Weapon 4. I figured the opening scene, with its gunfire and explosions, would be a perfect way to test the surround sound effect. I was not disappointed. I had to play with the subwoofer volume, phase, and crossover controls to get the bass dialed in, but after a few adjustments, I settled down to watch the movie.3 Surround sound makes all the difference between watching a movie and experiencing it. Since that first day, I have watched movie after movie on the systemones with 5.1 surround sound, ones with stereo sound, and even a couple with mono sound. I really did not notice the sound. I just enjoyed the movies. I am one happy camper.
After a month of watching movies, I decided to see how the surround sound system handled redbook CDs. I plugged my Shanling CDT-100 CD player into the Marantz via the analog auxiliary inputs and played a few of my favorite discs. In two-channel stereo (left and right front speakers and subwoofer only), it was better than what I hear on my office system. However, it was not as good as I had expected. I then played the same CDs on the Samsung DVD player, which was connected to the Marantz via a coaxial digital input. Big difference. Obviously, digital-in is the only way to go on the Marantz. Unfortunately, I did not have a cable long enough to connect my Shanling to the digital input of the Marantz, so, continuing to use the Samsung DVD player as the source, I switched the Marantz into simulated multi-channel stereo with the left channel signal being fed to the left rear surround, the center channel being fed a mix of the left and right signal, and the right rear surround being fed the right channel signal. The music really opened up. What had been a fairly flat soundstage in front of me was now a big hall surrounding me. My enjoyment level went up several notches. If something happened to my main system, I could listen to this and get my daily music fix until the main system was repaired.
In summary, I achieved my goals. I put together a visually non-intrusive surround sound home theater system that has a high "Spouse Acceptance Factor." The system can play louder than my ears can stand without noticeable distortion. Explosions rattle everything in the room. Needless to say, my level of enjoyment in watching movies has increased dramatically. Most important, I stayed within budgetthe purchase price for the speakers, surround sound receiver, and DVD player totaled less than $2000.
It would have been nice if I could have listened to and compared the Morel speakers to home theater loudspeaker systems made by other high end manufacturers such as Totem, Mirage, or Mission, to name a few. That was not to be, but your situation may be different. If you get the chance to audition a number of low-priced high end home theater systems, go for it, but I would suggest that you put the Morel speakers on your list. Based on my experience, they will allow you to have a champagne home theater system on an imported beer budget. Roger S. Gordon, CPA
Morel Co., Ltd.
USA Distributor:
1 The supplied plastic anchor appears to be designed for use in plaster walls or ceilings. If your walls or ceiling are constructed of wallboard, I would suggest that you use an anchor designed for wallboard, or even better, a butterfly/toggle bolt.
2 The Marantz SR5300 has a MSRP of $599, but I have seen it selling on the web for less than $320.
3 The Morel installation guide says that the speakers need at least 48 hours of break-in time. They do improve over the first few days, but right out of the box, the sound was about 90% of their fully broken-in sound.


text:
High Kick Girl
For those who prefer your girls to fight with their legs rather than guns or swords.
Original text from duffman below.
can't wait for the movie [coming in theaters early summer in 2009 in Japan]
here's a link to the official blogsite for more pics and wallpapers^^
- Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- Japan Probe - Japan news and entertainment (Subscribe)
- Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan (Subscribe)


text: Forgive the tremendous ignorance in advance, but I've been growing interested in vintage radios lately and am wondering: did they all plug into outlets or were some battery operated. I frequently see pictures of smaller desk bookcase ones that don't appear to have cords. Can someone fill me in on the basics of their operation? Are there any good links you might recommend? Thanks!