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Leland Holmquest
Download the Code Sample
Meet Lily, my office assistant. We converse often, and at my direction Lily performs common business tasks such as looking up information and working with Microsoft Office documents. But more important, Lily is a virtual office assistant, a Microsoft Kinect-enabled Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) application that's part of a project to advance the means of context-aware dialogue and multimodal communication.
Before I get into the nuts-and-bolts code of my app—which I developed as part of my graduate work at George Mason University—I'll explain what I mean by context-aware dialogue and multimodal communication.
As human beings, we have rich and complex means of communicating. Consider the following scenario: A baby begins crying. When the infant notices his mother is looking, he points at a cookie lying on the floor. The mother smiles in that sympathetic way mothers have, bends over, picks up the cookie and returns it to the baby. Delighted at the return of the treasure, the baby squeals and gives a quick clap of its hands before greedily grabbing the cookie.
This scene describes a simple sequence of events. But take a closer look. Examine the modes of communication that took place. Consider implementing a software system where either the baby or the mother is removed and the communication is facilitated by the system. You can quickly realize just how complex and complicated the communication methods employed by the two actors really are. There's audio processing in understanding the baby's cry, squeal of joy and the sound of the clap of hands. There's the visual analysis required to comprehend the gestures represented by the baby pointing at the cookie, as well as inferring the mild reproach of the mother by giving the sympathetic smile. As often is the case with actions as ubiquitous as these, we take for granted the level of sophistication employed until we have to implement that same level of experience through a machine.
Let's add a little complexity to the methods of communication. Consider the following scenario. You walk into a room where several people are in the middle of a conversation. You hear a single word: "cool." The others in the room look to you to contribute. What could you offer? Cool can mean a great many things. For example, the person might have been discussing the temperature of the room. The speaker might have been exhibiting approval of something ("that car is cool"). The person could have been discussing the relations between countries ("negotiations are beginning to cool"). Without the benefit of the context surrounding that single word, one stands little chance of understanding the meaning of the word at the point that it's uttered. There has to be some level of semantic understanding in order to comprehend the intended meaning. This concept is at the core of this article.
I created Project Lily as the final project for CS895: Software for Context-Aware Multiuser Systems at George Mason University, taught by Dr. João Pedro Sousa. As mentioned, Lily is a virtual assistant placed in a typical business office setting. I used the Kinect device and the Kinect for Windows SDK beta 2. Kinect provides a color camera, a depth-sensing camera, an array of four microphones and a convenient API that can be used to create natural UIs. Also, the Microsoft Kinect for Windows site (microsoft.com/en-us/kinectforwindows) and Channel 9 (bit.ly/zD15UR) provide a plethora of useful, related examples. Kinect has brought incredible capabilities to developers in a (relatively) inexpensive package. This is demonstrated by Kinect breaking the Guinness World Records "fastest selling consumer device" record (on.mash.to/hVbZOA). The Kinect technical specifications (documented at bit.ly/zZ1PN7) include:
Microsoft also provides an understanding of the architecture that Kinect is built upon, shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Kinect for Windows Architecture
The circled numbers in Figure 1 correspond to the following:
In this article, I'll demonstrate how I used the microphone array and the speech recognition engine (SRE) to create vocabularies that are context-specific. In other words, the vocabularies for which Kinect is listening will be dependent on the context the user is creating. I'll show a framework in which the application will monitor what the user is doing, swapping grammars in and out of the SRE (depending on the context), which gives the user a natural and intuitive means of interacting with Lily without having to memorize specific commands and patterns of use.
For Project Lily, I used a separate class called SpeechTracker to handle all voice processing. The SpeechTracker was designed to run on a thread independent of the UI, making it much more responsive, which is a critical aspect to this application. What good is an assistant who's never listening?
Prior to getting into the heart of the SpeechTracker, a few things require some forethought. The first is determining the contexts for which the application needs to listen. For example, Lily will have a "Research" context that handles actions related to looking up data and information; an "Office" context that handles actions such as opening Word documents and PowerPoint presentations as well as other tasks relevant to an office setting; an "Operations" context that allows the user to make adjustments to the Kinect device; and a "General" context that handles all of the little things that can come up independent of any real context (for example, "What time is it?" "Shut down" or feedback to the system). There are a few other contexts I created in my example, but one other that's important is the "Context" context. This context is used to communicate what frame of reference Lily should be in. In other words, the Context enum is used to determine the context for which the system should be listening. More on this later.
Each context is then modeled through the use of enums, as illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Example of Context
With the contexts modeled, the next thing needed is a means to convey what intention a user has within a specified context. In order to achieve this, I used a struct that simply contains a holder for each context and a bool:
struct Intention
public Context context;
public General general;
public Research research;
public Office office;
public Operations kinnyops;
public Meeting meeting;
public Translate translate;
public Entertain entertain;
public bool contextOnly;
The bool is of significance. If the Intention is simply to execute a changing of context, then contextOnly is true—otherwise it's false. The utility of this will be clearer later on; for now, know that it's a necessary flag.
Now that Project Lily has the ability to communicate an Intention, it needs to know when and what Intention to use at run time. In order to do this, I created a System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary<TKey, TValue> Dictionary in which the key is a spoken word or phrase and the value is the associated Intention. As of the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0, we have a succinct way to create objects and initialize properties, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 The ContextPhrases Dictionary
This particular Dictionary defines the Context phrases. The keys are the words and phrases the end user speaks that are then associated with an Intention. Each Intention is declared and its properties set in a single line. Notice that a single Intention (for example, Research) can be mapped to multiple single words and phrases. This provides the ability to create rich vocabularies that can model the domain-specific language and lexicon of the subject at hand. (Notice one important thing about the ContextPhrases: The property contextOnly is set to true. This tells the system that this action is used only to change out what context is active. This enables the system to short-cycle the logic behind handling spoken events.)
For a better example of this, look at the snippet from the GeneralPhrases dictionary shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4 The GeneralPhrases Dictionary
Notice that in several cases the same Intention is modeled with different phrases, giving the system the capability to handle dialogue with the user in a rich and humanistic way. One limitation you need to be aware of is that any dictionary that's going to be used by the SRE can contain no more than 300 entries. Therefore, it's wise to model one's vocabularies and grammars prudently. Even if this were not an imposed limitation, it should be considered a best practice to keep the dictionaries as light as possible for best performance.
Now that the vocabularies are mapped to Intentions, I can get to the fun part. First, the system needs to get a handle to the SpeechRecognitionEngine:
ri = SpeechRecognitionEngine.InstalledRecognizers()
.Where(r => r.Id == RecognizerId).FirstOrDefault();
if (ri == null)
// No RecognizerInfo => bail
sre = new SpeechRecognitionEngine(ri.Id);
Now, I'll take the phrases I developed earlier and turn them into Choices:
// Build our categories of Choices
var contextPhrases = new Choices();
foreach (var phrase in ContextPhrases)
I'll do this same operation for all of the phrases I created earlier. The Choices are then passed into the Append method on a GrammarBuilder. The last thing is to create the Grammar objects and load them into the SRE. To accomplish this, I simply create a new Grammar and pass in the GrammarBuilder representing the desired grammar, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5 Creating Grammars and Loading the Speech Recognition Engine
// And finally create our Grammars
gContext = new Grammar(gbContext);
gGeneral = new Grammar(gbGeneral);
gResearch = new Grammar(gbResearch);
gOffice = new Grammar(gbOffice);
gOperations = new Grammar(gbOperations);
gMeeting = new Grammar(gbMeeting);
gTranslation = new Grammar(gbTranslation);
gEntertain = new Grammar(gbEntertain);
// We're only going to load the Context and General grammars at this point
allDicts = new List<Dictionary<string,
Intention>>() { ContextPhrases,
EntertainPhrases };
Notice that there are only two Grammars, gContext and gGeneral, loaded into the SRE, but all of the grammars were added into a List of phrases. This is how I affect the context-aware portion of listening. General and context phrases need to be continually present in the SRE because they might be spoken at any time, without any predetermined pattern. However, one additional grammar will be loaded when a context phrase is identified. To complete this part of the application, I simply handle the SpeechRecognized event on the SRE. The SpeechRecognizedEventArgs argument is used to evaluate what was spoken. Referring back to Figure4, if the argument has an Intention that's flagged as contextOnly, then the system needs to unload the third Grammar (if there is one) from the SRE and load the newly identified Grammar. This enables the application to listen to different vocabularies and lexicons dependent on the context that's currently in scope.
The dictionary (see Figure 4) has a key of type string that represents the spoken phrase and a value of type Intention that indicates what actions are intended for the system to take in order to satisfy the user's needs. Within the addition of each entry in the dictionary is the constructor for the Intention, which is typically comprised of three components: the context association; whether this is a context-changing event; and (in the case of non-context-changing) what action is intended.
With all of the dictionaries of phrases supported defined, I add this information to the SRE provided by the Kinect unit, as illustrated in Figure 6.
Figure 6 Speech Recognition Engine
This effectively tells the SRE what to listen for and how to tag the information when it's heard. However, in an effort to make the system more intelligent and useable, I've limited the system to have only three contexts and their respective phrase dictionaries loaded in the SRE at any given time. The Context and General phrases are always loaded due to their fundamental nature. The third loaded context and phrases are determined by interaction with the end user. As Lily listens to the environment, "she" reacts to key words and phrases and removes one set of phrases to replace it with another in the SRE. An example will help clarify this.
When Lily first starts up, ContextPhrases and GeneralPhrases are loaded into the SRE. This enables the system to hear commands that will cause either the system's context to change or will facilitate general actions. For example, after initialization is complete, should the user ask, "What time is it?" Lily "understands" this (it's part of the GeneralPhrases) and responds with the current time. Similarly, if the user says, "I need some information," Lily understands that this is a flag to load the ResearchPhrases into the SRE and begin listening for intentions mapped to the Research context. This enables Lily to achieve three important goals:
Armed with all the requisite knowledge, Lily can now listen and respond with context-appropriate actions. The only thing left to do is instantiate the KinectAudioSource and specify its parameters. In the case of Project Lily, I put all of the audio processing within the SpeechTracker class. I then call the BeginListening method on a new thread, separating it from the UI thread. Figure 7 shows that method.
Figure 7 KinectAudioSource
private void BeginListening()
kinectSource = new KinectAudioSource());
kinectSource.SystemMode = SystemMode.OptibeamArrayOnly;
kinectSource.FeatureMode = true;
kinectSource.AutomaticGainControl = true;
kinectSource.MicArrayMode = MicArrayMode.MicArrayAdaptiveBeam;
var kinectStream = kinectSource.Start();
new SpeechAudioFormatInfo(EncodingFormat.Pcm,
Several parameters can be set, depending on the application being built. For details on these options, check out the documentation in the Kinect for Windows SDK Programming Guide (bit.ly/Avrfkd). Then I simply have my WPF application register with the SpeechTracker SpeechDetected event, which is essentially a pass-through of the SRE SpeechRecognized event, but using the Intention as part of the event arguments. If the SRE finds a match of any of the context phrases it has loaded, it raises the SpeechRecognized event. The SpeechTracker handles that event and evaluates whether the Intention indicates a changing of context. If it does, the SpeechTracker handles unloading and loading the Grammars appropriately and raises the SpeechContextChanged event. Otherwise, it raises the SpeechDetected event and allows anything monitoring that event to handle it.
One thing to note: An example I found online stated that the Confidence property in the SpeechRecognizedEventArgs is unreliable and to not use it (contradictory to the SDK documentation). I found that when I didn't use it, the SpeechRecognized event was firing fairly continually even when nothing was being spoken. Therefore, in my SpeechRecognized event handler, the very first thing I do is check the Confidence. If it isn't at least 95 percent confident, I ignore the results. (The number 95 came simply from trial and error—I can't take credit for analyzing a valid value. 95 percent just seemed to give me the level of results that I was looking for. In fact, the SDK advises to test and evaluate this value on a case-by-case basis.) When I did this, the false positives went away to 0. So I would advise testing any statements and solutions you might find online carefully. My experience was that the SDK documentation—as well as the samples that Microsoft provided at the Kinect for Windows site—was immensely valuable and accurate.
I'm frequently asked: how much speech recognition training does Kinect require? In my experience, none. Once I set the Confidence value, Kinect worked perfectly without any training, tuning and so on. I used myself as the main test subject but also included my 7- and 8-year-old daughters (thanks Kenzy and Shahrazad!), and they were thrilled to find they could tell daddy's computer what to do and it understood and acted. Very empowering to them; very rewarding for daddy!
Being able to switch contexts based on what the system can observe of the environment creates a rich interaction between the user (human) and Lily (machine). To really enhance the illusion of having an assistant, I added a lot of little features. For example, when we human beings talk to one another, we don't necessarily repeat the same phrases over and over. Therefore, when the Intention of "pulse" is handled, the system picks out a random phrase to speak back to the user. In other words, when the user queries, "Lily?" Lily will randomly respond, "Yes," "I am here," "What can I do for you?" or a few other phrases.
I took this one step further. Some of the phrases include a holder for the user's name or gender-specific pronoun (sir or ma'am). If one of these phrases is randomly selected, then it's randomly determined whether the name or pronoun is used. This creates dialogue that's never quite the same. Little details such as this seem trivial and hardly worth the effort, but when you look at the response the human user experiences while interacting with the system, you come to realize that the uniqueness of our communications comes in part from these little details. I found myself thinking of Lily differently from other programs. As I was testing and debugging, I would need to look up some specification or some piece of code. So as I began searching I would continue talking to Lily and instruct "her" to shut down and so on. After a while, I found that I missed that level of "human interaction" when Lily was down. I think this is the best testimony I can give that Kinect brings a whole new era of natural UI.
To review, Figure 8 shows the progression of the objects needed to create a system that listens and acts on a user's verbal commands.
Figure 8 Creating a System that Listens and Acts on Verbal Commands
In the next article, I'll examine leveraging the Kinect depth- and skeleton-tracking capabilities and coupling them with the speech-recognition capabilities to achieve multimodal communication. The importance of context will become even more obvious within the multimodal communication component. You'll see how to link motions of the body to audio commands and have the system evaluate the entirety of the human communication spectrum.
Leland Holmquest is an employee at Microsoft. Previously he worked for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren. He's working on his Ph.D. in Information Technology at George Mason University.
Thanks to the following technical expert for reviewing this article: Russ Williams
Leland, did you ever convert your code to v1? I am new to the SDK an was hoping to use Lily as a starting point. Thanks
Hi Jean-Philippe Encausse, Unfortunately there is no simple solution. The problem is that you are dealing with two different libraries that are almost the same: Microsoft.Speech and System.Speech System.Speech supports the dictation model, but the Microsoft.Speech does not. So you could use the System.Speech library with the Kinect hardware, but the System.Speech is not optimized for the Kinect hardware, making the performance sub-par. So, you really only have a couple of choices: either wait until they incorporate into the Microsoft.Speech library. Or, I've been thinking about creating an app that uses Kinect/ Microsoft.Speech most of the time, but when in a dictation mode drop the Kinect, switch to a standard microphone and the System.Speech library. I haven't actually experiemented with this yet, so I am not sure if it would work or what pitfalls we might run across. What do you think?
Made my own "little" project (sorry it's in french) http://encausse.wordpress.com/s-a-r-a-h/ But I'm stuck with this question: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12101120/matching-wildcard-dictation-in-microsoft-speech-grammar I don't understand how to handle wildcard from XML Grammar. - Garbage tag ignore the text - Wildcard exists in C# code but not in XML - But WSR Macro already handle wildcard since years So I don't know a smart way to manage with wildcard in sentence like "Sarah seacrh (*) on wikipedia"
Thanks Jean-Philippe Encausse for the comments! I am not sure what you mean by "wrap your project in a standalone app with XML or CSV dictionary". Can you elaborate? I am collaborating with a colleague on adding other capabilities like looking through your Outlook calendar to advise you of upcoming events, etc. He also completely refactored the codebase making it much easier to maintain.
Thanks BogdanO! Well, it was the project for a class I was taking. I didn't really start working the project until about half way through - so roughly 6 weeks. But that is also in addition to working full time. I know that's not a very satisfying answer, but... Short answer, it was a very short time. :-)
Awesome !!! I'm was looking for a Digital Assitant for Windows to run simple command (REST commands). WSR Macro is cool but always try to run native command instead of using only mine. Now that official Kinect driver ara available, would you be able to wrap your project in a standalone app with XML or CSV dictionary ? Best Regards, Jp
The most interesting article I read on MSDN Magazine so far. How long did it take you to design and implement the application?
Hi all, friends and colleagues have all made the same comment and asked the same question, so I thought I would offer it here: Comment: the stuff in this article is cool, but I want the stuff in the next article more. Response: I figured that would be the case (that's how I'd be too!) but as you'll see, due to how this particular application was put together, I had to cover things in this order. If I had started with the skeleton tracking aspects, it would have made for a more difficult to follow article. So be sure to check out May's edition!! Question: Who is Lily? Isn't your wife's name Gigi? Response: Before this question gets me into trouble (LOL), yes my wife is Gigi and I did not want to name a virtual assistant that I would be ordering around to be named after her (seemed a little demeaning to me). Originally, Lily was called Kinny (trying to play on the name Kinect). However, I soon realized that Kinny was difficult for the Kinect to hear properly and it was difficult for me to say repeatedly. As I played with the development of it, I used differnt voices on the Windows machine. One of them was "Mircosoft Lily". I thought this had a nice ring to it, simple to say, Kinect heard it easily. And, once Gigi was satisfied that there were no formal Lily's, she liked the name too. So Kinny became Lily. It's as simple as that! :-)
I recently bought a Kinect for Xbox. It seems to have its own power supply and usb connector. Hoping to try some Kinect programming myself
Couple of notes: if you want to use an XBOX 360 Kinect sensor you will need the power supply that I mentioned before. I bought mine through the Microsoft Store: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/en_US/pd/Kinect-Sensor-Pow... And the code in this article was written against the Beta2 SDK. The current version is even better, but it is significantly different. So if you go to create your own solutions, please keep in mind that the exact implementation will differ depending on which version of the sdk you are using. I am in the process of converting my code right now. I found a fantastic resource online: http://robrelyea.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/k4w-details-of-api-changes-f... This blog goes through the various changes from Beta2 to v1.0. Hope this helps!
Thanks for your advice. I've ordered the one for myself.
Thanks kindly! I did this work prior to the Kinect for Windows version 1. If you use one of the Kinect units for XBOX 360, you need to purchase a special power supply. It provides a USB connector that links the Kinect to your PC. If you get the new Kinect unit specifically for Windows, you don't have to bother with it. The Kinect for Windows unit also has additional capabilities (like the near mode) that the XBOX 360 version doesn't.
Awesome article! Thanks a lot. Could you add a small note or link to way in which you connect Kinect to PC?
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The Evil Within: PC Console Commands & Cheat Codes
October 13th, 2014
Activate the developer console with the quick cheat code guide.
October 13th, 2014
Activate the developer console with the quick cheat code guide.
October 13th, 2014
Spread chaos across the stars with the list of anything and everything extra hidden away in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
October 12th, 2014
Expose the hidden secrets of The Evil Within on our surgical cheats list.
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Get yet another sneak peak at incomplete future DLC with this cool glitch.
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Complete your collection of costumes in Double Fine's RPG sequel.
October 8th, 2014
Build an Uruk up then bring him down to earn the highest level runes in Shadow of Mordor.
October 8th, 2014
Hunt down another trio of tricky squirrels hidden away in the deep, dark abyss of Trials: Fusion DLC.
October 7th, 2014
Do xenomorphs dream of electric sheep?
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Break into the forbidden Terminus with a couple precise jumps.
October 6th, 2014
Unlock info on the investigation
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The crew might be expendable, but these collectibles aren't. Get every locations and unlock two tricky trophies.
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Dig through the old archives and learn all about the fate of Sevastopol Station with these collectible locations.
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Scan the station for secrets with our list of extra guides, collectible locations, and Easter eggs.
October 3rd, 2014
Take on Dark Souls' most disorienting optional area with our guide explaning how to get there.
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Go on a wild ride and save a slew of slaves to boot.
October 2nd, 2014
Don't get overwhelmed at the end of the Ivory King add-on. Even the odds with these knight locations.
October 1st, 2014
Uncover even more upgraded spells to toy around with in Dark Souls 2.
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There's more to Bayonetta's Star Fox costume than meets the eye.
September 30th, 2014
Earn your final reward. …is this really it?
September 30th, 2014
Get some insight into the modern world, cheats, and ice-breaking with Ubisoft's next set of achievements.

subset: commoncrawl


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Famous Fashion Pakistan Week FPW 2012-2013 Karachi came to an end with 12 designers and a high-street brand Read more
Tag Archives: FPW 2012
Famous Designers Dresses Collections at Fashion Pakistan Week FPW 2012
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After starting fashion weeks in Pakistan men and women are lovers for it and always awaiting for this joyful event. So now waiting Read more
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Ahmed W Khan is designers choice photographer and colors the dark scene to brighten shoots. Ahmad W Khan is not formal Read more
Feeha Jamshed in Fashion Pakistan Week 2012 Day 4
Feeha Jamshed Collection at Fashion Pakistan Week2012 Day 4 is dedicated by , "Minnaal" after her sister Read more


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The Week In Reviews - Adriana Rubio - Syd Barrett Interpretation
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Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd fans rejoice! On July 7, 2014 AR Garden Records, via Cherry Red will release the debut album by the Garden Music Project, which features music inspired by the paintings by PINK FLOYD founder SYD BARRETT. 'Inspired By Syd Barrett's Artwork' is a unique masterpiece of 12 tracks that truly reflect the early artistic concept of Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett and his music legacy in modern times. The release will coincide with the eighth anniversary of Syd Barrett's passing in 2006.
The music on this release can be best described as an epic interpretation of Syd Barrett's paintings using Synesthesia perceptions. This music venture was created by Adriana Rubio. All the music was written by Adriana Rubio and Alexander Ditzend together with Alexander Ditzend (guitars & lead singing), Stefan Ditzend (bass guitar & saxophone), Nicolás Saganías (drums & percussion), and Fabrizio Gamba (keyboards & synthesizers).
The News In Review - Barrett and Guests
Imigration, Benghazi, Furguson, Iran, you don't have to be a rocket scientis to find interesting subjects in the news this week.
The News In Review - Barrett and Guests
We have a red tide in DC. What does it all mean? Little or nothing? The butting of heads has already started, Immigration, Obamacare. Threats of another government shutdown, the Keystone pipeline, oh the list goes on and on. But, couuld the red tide be hurting themseves? It is not clear to me that the voter voter for, more they voted against. The next two years provide an oportunity to make progress, but that seems somewhat unlikely.
The News In Review - Barrett and Guests
This week on the program,
The midterm elections, what can we expect in the next two years? Action or the usuaL DC gridlock?
North Korea releases Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller, is this a move to try and repair relations with the US or is there a different agenda in play?
The Berlin wall fell 25 years ago, but are we headed for another Cold War?
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The midterm ellections are just over a week away. At stake is control of the Senate. But many voters are appathetic, does it really matter? Regardles of who is in control it is unlikely that much progress will be made in Washington for the next two years.
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Once again Ebola seems to be the lead story in the news this week. Doctors Without Boarders have treated over 2000 cases in west affrica with only two healthcare workers becoming infected. Here in the US there is a very different story, one case, and two healthcare workers infected.There is someting wrong with this picture. How can doctors working in tents be more successful that our sophisticated isolation wards?
Ebola has now become a hot item for the midterm elections, some are claiming that it will cost the Dems the Senate. Ted Cruz was on tadys Sunday morning talk shows demanding that flights from the infected area be stopped. While this sounds sensible, it is not, to the best I can see there are no direct flights to the US from the region.
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Ebola, a game every country can play. New rules for people flying into the US from infected areas. You have to have your temp taken and fill out a form promising that you you have not been playing with any ebola infected people.
The mid terms loom, millions of dollars will be spent. But does the voter care? Most people view this as a huge yawn. Does it matter if the senate becomes republican? NOPE, it will still be gridlock.
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Ebola seems to be in the news a lot. Is it a pandemic? Should we all be wearing NASA space suits when we venture outside?
There is a rumor that a new DC tour company is planning tours of the white house. Now, the tours are minimalistic and quick, but they offer assistance in scaling the fence.
Nice to see that half a dozen of our elected officials cut their 5 week fund raising vacation short to beat up on the Secret Service. I am sure that it was pure coincidence that the director just happened to be apointed by Obama.
Three high school football players died on the the field this week. What is wrong with this picture?
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Lots to talk about this week, Iraq and Syria continue to hold the headlines. But is this a war that is possible to win?
Jim Traficant has passed on, was he friend or foe?
The midterm elections are looming, what is going to happen?
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There is lots to talk about this week. What amazes me is that Congress just came back from a 5 week summer vacation, spent 6 days in session, not achieving very much, so now they are off on a 6 week vacation. Appently they need 6 weeks to persuade their local voters to keep then in a job! Frankly I would not employ any of them to even cut my lawn. Best way to annoy a canditate that knocks on your door, ask them what they have done in the last two years.
Those that survive the Novermber will be armed to the teeth with pork projects offered to the local voters. November will be the season of pork, they will vote on anything as long as pork is included.
The NFL continues to get bad press over domestic violence claims, bu do the statistics bear out the publicity, you might be surprised.
Scotland does a Quebec! Actually the pair of them have a great deal in common.
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Our weekly look at current events. Ray Rice not just sidelined, but tols to clean his locker out. Adrian Peterson accused of child abuse. What is happening in the NFL?
ISIS beheads another Westerner and breaks the knife in the process. Who is willing to put boots on the ground to stop these lunatics? The coalition to fight ISIS seems to be mostly talk and bluster.
Putin continues on his merry way in the Ukraine, and much like ISIS doesn't seem to care a whole lot what anyone thinks. Removing Russia from the global banking system SWIFT might have serious and disasterous results.
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It has been a busy week for news. We have Vlad the Russian peacemaker suposedly brokering a deal with Ukraine. Many are doubting Putin's motives. Essentially he has won his land grab and a land bridge to the Crimea.
NATO had a nice vacation in Wales. Lots of huffing and puffing about ISIS and an ageement bu 9 countries to offer assistance. However nobody wants to see troops in the ground. France will air drop some cases of wine, germany some Salami, England, while not well known for its culinary delights will be sending Steak and Kidney Pies,
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Dr. Laurie Ramrattan, MD
Rheumatology, University Of Florida Rheumatology Emerson
- 4555 Emerson St Ste 220
Jacksonville, FL 32207
- 2 Office Locations
- (904) 383-1005
Dr. Laurie Ramrattan has been practicing medicine for 8 years. Dr. Ramrattan graduated from the Univ of the West Indies, Fac of Med, St Augustine, Trinidad in 2006. She practices medicine in Jacksonville, FL and 1 other location and specializes in Rheumatology. Dr. Ramrattan is affiliated with Memorial Hospital Jacksonville, UF Health At Jacksonville and University Of Florida Health Shands Hospital.
Gender: Female
Years in Practice: 8 Years
Languages Spoken: English
Medical School: Univ of the West Indies, Fac of Med, St Augustine, Trinidad
Graduation Date: 2006
Hospital Affiliations: Memorial Hospital Jacksonville, UF Health At Jacksonville, University Of Florida Health Shands Hospital
Specialties: Rheumatology
*This physician has multiple office locations. See Appointments for details.


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by Olivia Armstrong (@itslivarmstrong)
Published: August 19, 2014 // 2:00pm
by Meghan O'Keefe (@megsokay)
The twins return to the freak show, and Del finds himself caught in a trap and the only way out is murder.
This week finds Carol and Daryl wandering around the streets of Atlanta, ruminating about modern art. No, REALLY!
This week, Decider columnist Whitney Matheson explores shows like 'Harold and the Purple Crayon' and 'Yo Gabba Gabba,' the latter of which features Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo fame.
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The City of Cuyahoga Falls is partnering with Crooked River Adventures, a division of the Department of Recreational Services at Kent State University (KSU), to conduct a Cuyahoga River cleanup on Saturday, September 29th, 2012.
The annual fall cleanup focuses on the Cuyahoga River between Tannery Park in Kent and Water Works Park in Cuyahoga Falls. Shuttles, equipment and lunch are provided for volunteers.
The Farmers at the Cuyahoga Falls Market are pleased to announce that the market will continue through October 12, 2012! Each week throughout the summer, the market experienced new vendors and new visitors and they are excited to keep the market going.
Mayor Don L. Robart has announced trick-or-treat hours for the City of Cuyahoga Falls. Trick or Treat will be held on Saturday, October 27th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Trick-or-treat will follow the annual Halloween Spooktacular at Falls River Square being held the same day from 2:00 - 4:00 pm.
The Mayor wishes to remind all trick-or-treaters of the following safety tips:
1. Make sure you take a parent with you. 2. If you wear a mask, make sure you can see clearly.3. Stop, look, and listen before crossing the street.
The Mayor's Office would like to remind all citizens that the First Tuesday Program, where citizens may meet with the Mayor one-on-one to present any concerns or ideas for making the city a better place to live, will continue on Tuesday, September 4, 2012 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Water Works Family Aquatic Center will be closed the balance of today, Tuesday, August 21, 2012 due to inclement weather and low attendance.
Water Works Family Aquatic Center will be closed the balance of the day due to low attendance.
The community is invited to a public prayer service, "Coming Together at the River" at Falls River Square on August 12 at 2:00 pm, as part of the Cuyahoga Falls Bicentennial Celebration.
There will be multiple road closures associated with the Bicentennial Parade on Saturday, August 11, 2012. The Route 8 Northbound exit ramp at Portage Trail will be closed from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Portage Trail from Munroe Falls Avenue to State Road will be closed, east and westbound from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Route 8 Southbound exit ramp at Second Street will be open, but Second Street southbound will be closed at Wadsworth Avenue. Motoring traffic is encouraged to avoid downtown Cuyahoga Falls during this timeframe. Emergency vehicles have been notified.
Bring your cell phones to the parade and text your vote for the "People's Choice Award", your favorite entry to (330) 510-1511 and enter the unit number. Unit numbers will be clearly displayed on both sides of each unit. The phone lines will be open from 10 a.m. and will continue until 2 p.m. Any votes received after 2 p.m., unfortunately will not be counted.
Join your Council Representative on Sunday, August 5, 2012 from 3-5 pm for an afternoon of meet and great with your neighbors and fellow ward members for our Bicentennial Ward picnic.


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LL - stands for "Legit Laughing" and is an alternative to the very standard LOL. People say LOL when they're not really laughing. This created a need for an acronym that could express real laughter by differentiating from the commonly misused lol or it's variations. People now just say LL!
Guy1: LL will eventually replace LOL as the most used internet slang thingie.
Guy2: LL!
Guy2: LL!
dodane przez portney wrzesień 16, 2011
Literally Laugh.
I was so high, I LL'd to nothing.
dodane przez Bromosexual22 grudzień 13, 2010
Two lower case l's separated by two periods. This is the symbol for Rock On! symbolizing the classic heavy metal "devil fingers" - index and pinky fingers raised whilst the ring and middle fingers are curled down.
Stan: Dude, I got four tickets to Ozzfest!!!!
Kyle: l..l !!!
Kyle: l..l !!!
dodane przez Ind0ctrinated sierpień 18, 2011
LL stands for Laidback Luke, a Dutch DJ and a producer.
LL is the best House DJ.
dodane przez HouseMuzik październik 22, 2011
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Looking at a couple places where the downside started we note the Russell 2000 trying to be green for a 3rd day in a row and we note the Semiconductor index still holding the key identified support level, which has touch points dating back over a decide. In other words, it's mucho significanto. Adding to the drama, the measurement off the Double Top pattern has been registered, so SOX is a candidate to bounce if it so chooses.
Tag Archives: Semiconductors
Semi Support?
Semiconductors Monthly
Checking back in on the view of a post-2012 leader, the semiconductors with a monthly chart of the SOX.
We had noted for months that the index was creeping up the top of the Bollinger Band for the first time since before its epic blow off in 1999. This month it is falling away from the top of the BB with the monthly EMA 10 right there as would-be support. If it were to drop to the middle of the BB however, that would constitute a test of the long-term breakout.
Semiconductor Sector's Excitement Continues
Dialing back to January of 2013, I am looking for clues about the coming phase for the economy, mostly as an input into whether or not I can think about turning bullish on gold again (here we remind you again of gold's best investment case, which is counter not pro cyclical).
The answer, from a contact in the Semiconductor sector (AMAT, LRCX, MKSI, etc.) food chain was that the Semi equipment companies, which we called "canaries on the [economic] coal mine", were ramping up and thus NFTRH's view became bullish for the economy, at least short-term.
When this information was combined with the following chart of the Palladium-Gold ratio, which had proven a good economic backdrop indicator, the case for a firm economic phase was even stronger. Then followed a string of strong ISM data, a stabilizing 'jobs' picture and voila, here we are in Bull Party Central with trend followers everywhere looking good and touting to cement their reputations. But I digress…
Here is the monthly view of PALL-Gold showing that the economy may not be done yet, although the break above resistance (now support) is still very tentative…
Semi Bullish
The semiconductors have led the way. First in Q1 of 2013, when NFTRH subscribers were alerted that the semiconductor equipment companies were ramping up and then through the big long-term breakout in February of this year, the Semiconductor index has led the way.
In case #1 (the Semi equipment ramp) the implication was for a strengthening economy at a time when everyone thought otherwise. What happened? The canary in the coal mine chirped and the economy strengthened despite indignant emails I got to the contrary. All of this was against a media hysteria about the Fiscal Cliff with even a family member / financial adviser advising that the best and brightest fund managers were in cash (at Thanksgiving, 2012). Ha ha ha. "Bullish!" said I to the drop jawed family member. "Reeeealyyyy???" Ah yah, really.
Semiconductor Index
The daily chart of the Semiconductor Index remains constructive above the 10 year breakout support line and now, with a rise above the 50 day moving average, is trying to get bullish again.
The green arrow shows a higher low and the red arrow shows a lower high. Ultimately, one of these parameters is going to break and send SOX off on its bullish or bearish way.
Semi Retrenched
I may regret this but the rest of the Semiconductor items are now closed out. That includes SIMO, which delivered what I think is its first loss to me this morning. Also, EZchip went back to being not EZ.
SOX is still above support, but as of this moment it's got a big ugly candle and I am not thrilled about what some other markets are doing (hello NDX, RUT). So cash is good for now.
US Stock Market Snapshot
The Nasdaq 100 has dropped to an obvious support level (50 day MA's & lateral visual) from the top of a Reverse Symmetrical Triangle.
Other leadership indexes like the Russell 2000 (small caps) don't look so hot either, and yet here stand the Semiconductors, with SOX still above the important breakout line and still doing its Bollinger Band creep routine.
NFTRH Update, Quick Market Roundup…
Data came in weaker this morning with a home sales drop of 3.3% in February. The 'all one market' market is cheering to banish the evil spirits released by Janet Yellen last week. Those would be the rising short term interest rate spirits and they are key to our fundamentals.
Still Working the Semi's… SIMO
Silicon Motion (SIMO) was sold on the pop and as it dutifully pulled back yesterday it was bought back. I don't know, seemed like the thing to do. As long as SOX remains above that 10 year resistance line I'll be constructive on these things, and the stock market too. Below the breakout line may be a handy stop on a trade like this.
Semiconductor Stocks, While Biding Time
Unlike people making a big deal about PDAC over the last few weeks (I really do not care what is going on in the world of small would-be miners, each with a pitch at the ready) I find freedom in being a macro market person who just happens to be a precious metals bull. That means when the precious metals are not happening (like this week's expected reaction) I am able to literally deal in a world full of markets.
With a great big hat tip to an NFTRH subscriber (who seems to know exactly what I like in charts) the chart below shows my current Semiconductor holdings that are making a day like today in the precious metals a little easier to handle.


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Home » News » Education
Candia school board has concerns with Manchester high schools
The Candia board hopes to receive an update on classroom overcrowding and finances, with the curriculum committee chairman and the finance committee chairman also having been invited to discuss these areas in detail.
The hope, however, is that the talk will move beyond a recap of the well-known and documented issues in the district, and begin a discussion on how to resolve them.
"We're looking for solutions," said school board vice chair Nicole LaFlamme. "And even though we know that this is a process and he's not going to have all the answers, it's going to be a discussion that is focused on a solution."
Manchester has struggled to maintain its relationship with Candia and Hooksett - the two towns that send students to city high schools by contract - as the city district suffers chronic classroom overcrowding due to funding and staffing deficiencies.
Hooksett has formally declared Manchester to be in breach of contract.
Candia, one-third the size of Hooksett, has shied away from such a course and its potentially significant financial burdens for the time being, preferring instead to place more indirect pressures on the city, such as a letter-writing campaign directed at various state officials.
LaFlamme has praised Gatsas for maintaining communication with the town on the issue
"One of the really great things with this situation is the lines of communication have stayed open," said LaFlamme. "Mayor Gatsas has been really great about that, about keeping communication open. We don't always agree, obviously, on every subject, but we're all working on it."
Also, with Manchester superintendent Dr. Thomas Brennan on his way out and no clear successor in sight, the meeting will help preserve continuity for these discussions..
"We love Dr. Brennan, we have a lot of respect for him, but he's moving on," said LaFlamme. "We'd rather have continuity in communication."
The meeting will be held on April 4 at 6 p.m. in the Media Center of the Moore School. Gatsas is not scheduled to arrive until approximately 7 p.m., due to a scheduling conflict.
Manchester has met with both Hooksett and Candia on the issue in the past, with limited success.
A joint meeting with Hooksett in November 2012 resulted in a civil, if ultimately unfruitful conversation.
A meeting with Candia in the city later that month, however, ended up inflaming the town when the meeting abruptly closed before public comment could be heard.
A second meeting with Hooksett in December was canceled by the city, with the breach notification cited as the reason.
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Oak Creek - A 23-year-old Milwaukee man is facing felony charges after he had sex with a 15-year-old Oak Creek girl he met through an online social networking site in October.
Matthew Elmore was charged Saturday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child and one count of possessing child pornography.
According to the Oak Creek police report:
Elmore was arrested Feb. 12 after receiving a call from the girl's mother Feb. 10 reporting her daughter had had sexual intercourse with a man she met on the website MeetMe.com in October. The mother told police the two conversed for several months before they engaged in sex on two occasions in mid-January.
Elmore's next court appearance is scheduled for March 4, for a scheduling conference.
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About StumbleDNA StumbleDNA
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Photoshop? NO. These Are Real Animals
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text: This place is a little gem hidden on a narrow lane off Castlereagh Street. We came here on recommendation from a friend, and were not disappointed! Opting for the buffet, we ate to our heart's content in probably the best BBQ experience I've ever had. The staff were pleasant, despite what seemed like endless ordering from our group. We went... More


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Mario, Street Fighter, Mortal Combat, Doom, Resident Evil to name but a few.........
I kid you not: BBC - Newsbeat - Angry Birds confirm work on a film version is underway
I wish they'd stop making games into films/cartoons. Anyone remember the awful Pac-Man cartoon?
And Sonic the Hedgehog?
I'm trying to think of others, but drawing a blank as my cold addled brain (thankfully) won't let me.
Oh, apparently they are makigng Asteroids into a film as well. How, really, how?
Last edited by Dos_Box; 20th October 2011 at 04:10 PM.
Mario, Street Fighter, Mortal Combat, Doom, Resident Evil to name but a few.........
Sorry, I was thinking more along the lines of cartoons, but thanks for dragging up the memory of the Super Mario Bros movie. I thought I'd safely pushed that to the back of my subconcious, but nope. There it is again in all of its painful glory.
we had angry birds live action edition the other day...
It got stuck in the server room and was pretty pissed off by the time we shooed it out...
Isn't Battleships - The Movie out soon?
And Monopoly as well.
I await Ker-Plunk! as scripted by Clive Barker with baited breath.
I know what'd make a great movie... Pong!
2 hours of 'beep... beep... beep'.
...if only....
That was probably a million times more entertaining than what is to come
There was a mario cartoon too, not just the movie
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|Tower Guest House 2 Feversham Crescent, York, YO31 8HQ, United Kingdom (8.9 miles from Farlington)
Score from 389 reviews: ExceptionalWith luxury Victorian-style accommodations, this guest house in the center of York is about one mile from York Minster. It has free parking and a Silver Award for its standards. More…
$78 Average price per night
|Hotel Noir 3 Clifton Green, York, YO30 6LH, United Kingdom (9.1 miles from Farlington)
Score from 851 reviews: Good There are 4 people looking at this hotel.Hotel Noir has free Wi-Fi and a modern black-and-white décor throughout. Rooms come with complimentary minibar (except for compact rooms). More…
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|Heworth Court Hotel Heworth Green, York, YO31 7TQ, United Kingdom (9.2 miles from Farlington)
Score from 342 reviews: Very good There is 1 person looking at this hotel.Just 15 minutes' walk from York Minster and on the park and ride bus route into York, Heworth Court offers free Wi-Fi in public areas. More…
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|York House B&B 62 Heworth Green, York, YO31 7TQ, United Kingdom (9.2 miles from Farlington)
Score from 546 reviews: ExcellentThe York House is a 4-star bed and breakfast that provides free Wi-Fi and free parking, and has rooms with private bathrooms just a 10 to 15-minute walk from the historic center of York. More…
$55 Average price per night
|The Holme Lea Manor 18 Saint Peters Grove, York, YO30 6AQ, United Kingdom (9.2 miles from Farlington)
Score from 681 reviews: Very good 1 person is looking at this guesthouse.Just half a mile from historic York Minster, this 4-star boutique bed and breakfast retains many of its original Victorian features. More…
$205 Average price per night
|The Groves 15 St Peter's Grove, York, YO30 6AQ , United Kingdom (9.2 miles from Farlington)
Score from 624 reviews: ExcellentOn a quiet tree-lined grove, this large 4-star guesthouse is a 10-minute walk from central York and provides free parking, rooms with private bathrooms and bar/lounge facilities. More…
$77 Average price per night
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Tag: SocialSecurity
Apple details what you need to bring for iPhone purchase
Apple has posted some information regarding where to buy the iPhone 3G and what to bring to the store so you can get up and running. According to Apple, in-store activations will occur at Apple's retail stores. "Let a Specialist help you choose your iPhone, check the network coverage where you live...
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text:
Seeking background information about parents and siblings of my grandmother, Margaret Mahoney who was born on 1906 (Irland or England, I am not sure).
Her Marriage certificate from Nov. 1931 (of Stepney district, London) indicates that she lived in 35 Dron Buildings, Adeline Grove, mile end, London.
Her father, John Henry Mahoney (deceased at the time of her marriage) was a fruit market porter.
Margaret Mahoney married my grandfather Morris Fox from 34 Dron Buildings, Adeline Grove, mile end, London., they had 2 daughters, Barbara (1934) and Josephine (1936).
I was told that she died a short time after the birth of her second daughter. My grandfather remaried to Annie Lask on 1939, so Margaret Mahoney she must have died between 1936-1939.
Can't find any records of her birth nor death or her family, and would be grateful for any information concerning her, parents and siblings.
Please contact me at: email@example.com
Many thanks,
Merav roth
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text: China Telecom Co. Limited (ADR) Company Profile (NYSE:CHA) Tweet Analyst RatingsEarningsDividendsInsider TradesCompany ProfileSocial ActivityToday's Chart Consensus Ratings for China Telecom Co. Limited (ADR) (NYSE:CHA) (?) The ratings breakdown includes the most recent rating from each analyst that has rated the stock within the last twelve months. The ratings score is a calculation of the average number of sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings (0-1.5 = Sell, 1.5-2.5 = Hold, 2.5-3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). The consensus price target is a mean average of the most recent price target set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months.Ratings Breakdown: 3 Hold Rating(s), 6 Buy Rating(s)Consensus Rating:Buy (Score: 2.67)Consensus Price Target: $65.25 (6.39% upside) Current Analysts' Coverage Summary for China Telecom Co. Limited (ADR) (NYSE:CHA) Show: All Ratings For This Stock Only the Most Recent Rating From Each Brokerage DateFirmActionRatingPrice TargetDetailsShare10/15/2014ZacksUpgradeNeutral -> Outperform$67.30View 9/23/2014BNP ParibasDowngradeBuy -> HoldView 8/28/2014MizuhoUpgradeNeutral -> BuyView 8/28/2014HSBCUpgradeUnderweight -> NeutralView 8/27/2014JPMorgan Chase & Co.UpgradeNeutral -> OverweightView 8/5/2014Jefferies GroupReiterated RatingBuy$51.50 -> $63.20View 5/19/2014Goldman SachsDowngradeBuy -> NeutralView 2/7/2014Societe GeneraleUpgradeHold -> BuyView 2/6/2014Credit SuisseUpgradeNeutral -> OutperformView 10/17/2013Sanford C. BernsteinInitiated CoverageMarket PerformView 3/20/2013CIMBUpgradeOutperformView 3/20/2013MacquarieUpgradeNeutral -> OutperformView (Data available from 11/28/2012 forward) Earnings History for China Telecom Co. Limited (ADR) (NYSE:CHA)No earnings announcements for this company have been tracked by Analyst Ratings Network Dividend History for China Telecom Co. Limited (ADR) (NYSE:CHA)AnnouncedPeriodAmountEx-Dividend DateRecord DatePayable DateShare5/27/2014annual$1.236/2/20146/4/20147/28/2014 5/17/2013special$1.105/31/20136/4/20137/29/2013 (Data available from 1/1/2013 forward) Insider Trading History for China Telecom Co. Limited (ADR) (NYSE:CHA)No insider trades for this company have been tracked by Analyst Ratings Network About China Telecom Co. Limited (ADR) China Telecom Corporation Limited (China Telecom) is full services integrated information service operator in the People's Republic of China. The Company, along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the provision of basic communications services, including comprehensive wireline telecommunications services, mobile telecommunications services, value-added services, such as Internet access services, integrated information services and other related services within the service area of the Company. As of December 31, 2011, its subsidiaries included China Telecom System Integration Co., Limited, China Telecom (Hong Kong) International Limited, China Telecom (Americas) Corporation, China Telecom Best Tone Information Service Co.,Limited, China Telecom (Singapore) Pte. Limited and others. Headlines: (11/19) CHA: Buy China Telecom as Capital Markets Open Up (11/16) Bull of the Day: China Telecom (CHA) (8/28) China Telecom Co. Limited Upgraded to "Neutral" by HSBC (CHA) (11/23) AirMedia Partners China Telecom for In-Flight Connectivity - Analyst Blog (11/24) AirMedia Partners China Telecom for In-Flight Connectivity (9/1) China Telecom Corporation Limited (ADR) (NYSE:CHA) Wins Regulatory Approval For 4G Network Trial Expansion (4/17) This Metric Says You Are Smart to Sell China Telecom Corporation Limited (ADR) (CHA) (8/28) China Telecom Co. Limited Stock Rating Upgraded by Mizuho (CHA) (11/21) AirMedia : and China Telecom Satellite Communications Co. Ltd. Partner to Offer In-flight Connectivity and Multimedia Contents in China (9/23) China Telecom Co. Limited Downgraded to Hold at BNP Paribas (CHA) Industry, Sector and Symbol: Sector: Information Technology Industry: N/A Sub-Industry: N/A Exchange: NYSE Symbol: CHA CUSIP: Key Metrics: Previous Close: $63.5650 Day Moving Average: $61.8108200 Day Moving Average: $56.6473P/E Ratio: 18.16P/E Growth: N/AMarket Cap: $49.636BCurrent Quarter EPS Consensus Estimate: $0.00 EPS Additional Links: View CHA on Google FinanceView CHA on Yahoo FinanceView CHA's Company Profile on ReutersSearch for China Telecom Co. Limited (ADR) on Google China Telecom Co. Limited (ADR) (NYSE:CHA) Chart for Friday, November, 28, 2014 (Chart Provided by Yahoo Finance)


text:
Harris Patriot Healthcare Solutions, LLC
B-408737: Nov 21, 2013
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Ralph O. White
(202) 512-8278
(202) 512-4800
(202) 512-8278
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
Harris Patriot Healthcare Solutions, LLC, of Falls Church, Virginia, protests the issuance of a task order to LongView International Technology Solutions, Inc., doing business as FirstView Federal TS, of Alexandria, Virginia, by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under Request for Task Execution Plan (RTEP) No. T4-0236 (also identified as solicitation No. TAC-13-07125). The RTEP sought quotations for software design development, and support services to improve and expand a surgical quality workflow management system. Harris argues that the VA misevaluated the quotations and made an unreasonable source selection decision.
We deny the protest.
Nov 28, 2014
- FitNet Purchasing AllianceB-410263
Nov 26, 2014
- Rotech Healthcare, Inc.B-410203,B-410203.3
- CACI Technologies, Inc.--CostsB-407923.3
Nov 25, 2014
- MetalCraft Marine Inc.B-410199,B-410199.2
- Quality Services International, LLCB-410156,B-410156.2,B-410156.3
- American Auto Logistics LPB-409207
Nov 24, 2014
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text:
What Toy & Game Inventors Need To Understand About Toy & Game Companies…Posted in Uncategorized on 07 February 2014
What Toy & Game Inventors Need To Understand About Toy & Game Companies…
As someone who has had the good fortune to sit on both sides of the fence between Toy/Game company versus inventor/inventor rep, it's apparent to me that there is less understanding than perhaps there should be in many situations.
This is of course to be expected, because until we 'walk in someone else's shoes' we can't truly understand the pressures of their world.
So while the following is by no means the be all and end all of what toy inventors or game inventors need to know about their potential partner companies, it's at least a starting point:
1. This Is A Numbers x Quality Game – the reality is that the large global companies view many thousands (i.e. 4-10k) of concepts each year, and select any where from a mere handful up to 20 or 30 to become real products. Even mid size and smaller companies are routinely viewing hundreds of concepts each and every year. So if we do some simple math/s we can easily deduce that each product we present (all other things being equal) has a chance of being successful of somewhere between 1 in 2,000 to at best of 1 in 100. Logically, the best way to reduce the odds in your favour are to have more concepts to present.
We also need to look at quality – at least half of all submissions, maybe more are just not up to scratch in quality terms – either due to crappy presentation, generic or overly niched concept or other factors. Clearly having high quality concepts will significantly increase the chance of placing products.
Finally, while the top few companies globally may (dependent on deal terms, global commitment levels etc.) offer the biggest pay back should they choose & successfully launch your product, the best way to increase the chance of getting your product out there is to present it to more than just a handful of companies. There are thousands if not low tens of thousands of toy companies in the world…think about that!
2. There Is A Full On, Helter Skelter Business Going On Around The Person You're Trying To Sell Your Concept To – Toy businesses do not employ excess staff resource to sit around waiting for you to call in order to ask if they've made up their minds yet about your product/concept! Rather they employ just about enough people at a stretch to do everything that needs to be done. And once you step outside the top Global players, your contact doubtless has other 'hats'/functions they are performing – from marketing, R&D to owning & running the business.
So take account of this, and behave with some respect for the pressure they are under if you want to win friends & influence people!
3. Most Toy Companies Struggle To Make More Net Profit Than They Pay As An Inventor %Age – the percentage offered for your creation may seem somewhere from modest to pathetic to you, representing a fraction of the actual selling price of the finished product, but do your homework before you get overly aggressive on this beyond the realms of commercial reality, as you could alienate those who would be great partners for you. Go check out the published results of Toy & Game companies, and see if you can find one earning double digit profit percentage…speaking as someone who has managed P&L's at length for companies big & small, I can tell you that a few percentage points for an idea is far more attractive & comparatively rewarding than a few percentage points for cashflowing 90-95% of the sales value in costs throughout the year, taking stock risk, dealing with retailers, staff, marketing, finance, factories etc. Being optimistically realistic within a commercially credible royalty %age range will go as far as having cool concepts much of the time!
4. One Product Toy & game Companies Don't Tend To Last For Long – or to put in another way, companies have to run multiple products (as well as yours!) to reduce risk, manage product lifecycles, extend offering to build retail support etc. This means that your product will get only as much focus as it merits from a commercial standpoint. For sure you can be a real pain in the ass, and sometimes this will get you increased focus short term, but at some point the company's management will over rule tantrums & awkwardness based on common sense (in my experience).
5. Toy & Game Companies Can Be Influenced Positively For Your Long Term Benefit – to balance out the previous point, just want to be clear, I'm not saying leave them to it, and accept anything that comes back from them i.e. renegotiations of commercial terms, lack of support etc., but it's a case of giving them a long term perspective of your product being rewarding to their business in balance with what's involved in making it work…that's not easy, but if you look at the most successful professional inventors/Inventing. groups, they manage to do this.
There is more to add on this topic, but that's enough of a start point for now…


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Why modernize the US nuclear arsenal? The US government should instead fulfill its legal obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and end the nuclear weapons era through diplomacy and negotiations.
A Utah state representative is fed up with waiting for Congress to stop NSA snooping and is pushing a bill to halt operations at its recently opened Bluffdale facility.
Physician Philip Caper of Brooklin is a founding board member of Maine AllCare, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group committed to making health care in Maine universal, accessible and affordable for all. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Craven County Schools safety patrol
Posted: 11/19/2014 - Craven County elementary school students are stepping up to help make their school safer.
Posted: 11/19/2014 - Craven County elementary school students are stepping up to help make their school safer.
Updated: 11/20/2014 - With temperatures below freezing for a second night in a row, the chances increase that your pipes could freeze.
Posted: 11/19/2014 - The 12-member Greenville bond committee has come up with a $22-million dollar proposal that it will recommend city council approves so it can go before voters.
Posted: 11/19/2014 - A recount in a Pitt County race wrapped up Wednesday with no change.
Posted: 11/19/2014 - The New Bern Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday night to approve a budget proposal that includes a reduction in utility rates for city customers.
Updated: 11/19/2014 - The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office has arrested a woman and charged her with hitting another woman with a vehicle.
Updated: 11/19/2014 - Congressman G.K. Butterfield was unanimously elected today as the 24th chair of the caucus for the 114th Congress.
Updated: 11/20/2014 - Sunshine and warmer temperatures can be expected across eastern Carolina on Thursday.
Updated: 11/19/2014 - For the second year in a row, WITN has been named "Outstanding News Operation" in the North Carolina Associated Press contest in Division 2. WITN won multiple awards in the AP and the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas contests.
Updated: 11/19/2014 - Deputies say on Tuesday the 38-year-old man raped the woman that he was acquainted with.
Updated: 11/19/2014 - A Camp Lejeune Marine accused of deserting his unit a decade ago in Iraq has been denied another chance for the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing.
Updated: 11/19/2014 - A top police official says what appear to be the bodies of Miss Honduras 2014 and her sister have been found buried near the spa where they disappeared six days ago.
Posted: 11/19/2014 - A log truck overturned Wednesday morning along a Washington County highway.
Updated: 11/19/2014 - Officials say a fifth death is being attributed to an unrelenting lake-effect snowstorm that has blanketed parts of western New York.
Updated: 11/20/2014 - High Point University has removed Bill Cosby's name from its board of advisors amid of allegations of sexual assault made against him by four women.
Updated: 11/19/2014 - WITN's Teacher of the Week For Wednesday, November 19th 2014 is Mary Beth Bowen of South Lenoir High School.
Updated: 11/19/2014 - Mother Nature was hard at work Wednesday morning to break her own records across the east, and she succeeded.
Posted: 11/19/2014 - Neighbors fed up with alleged drug activity near their homes turned a Duplin County man in to authorities and now he is facing charges for meth and moonshine.
Updated: 11/19/2014 - A man who was released from prison earlier this year for a brutal assault more than eight years ago went before a judge on a fresh murder charge.
Updated: 11/18/2014 - With temperatures getting into the 20's overnight, the weather can be downright dangerous for people who don't have a place to sleep.
Posted: 11/18/2014 - Veterans and military families in the area have been strongly opposed to the construction of the trail and have voiced their concerns to the city.
Updated: 11/18/2014 - Fortunately for John and Renee Hoffman of Black Mountain, the Cedar Island Ferry had just left Ocracoke Island in September 2013 when their sailboat capsized in the Pamlico Sound.
Updated: 11/18/2014 - The EMT program at Havelock High School starts in the spring, but students who signed up for the courses got a special treat Tuesday.
Updated: 11/18/2014 - The 12,000 sq. ft. addition will make it the largest meeting facility in Eastern Carolina.
Updated: 11/18/2014 - The director of the Craven County Department of Social Services asked the Board of Commissioners to ban all weapons at his department.


text: Well, before Thanksgiving I bought a 3pk of digital tests and took one on Thanksgiving that was BFN. It was a little early to test, but I figured since I had 2 more, I would waste one just in case... Well Monday AF was due, so I took another one and it didn't work at all.. so I took the last test and NOTHING.. 2 out of the 3 tests were duds! I was going to drive to the store (1hr away) yesterday to buy a new test, but the snow came and now I am snowed in for at least a week with no POAS test to take! AF was due Monday and has no sign of showing up, so I think I am in, but it is driving me insane to not be able to test and know for sure!


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A Bellevue Boys & Girls Club Is Going Solar!
November 21, 2014
This 98-page report highlights the variety of approaches organizations are using to incorporate environmental and social factors into procurement activities. Based on interviews with representatives from 18 public and private sector organizations, the report describes:
Synopses of the participating organizations' EPP strategies or programs are included in an appendix to the report.


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Shree Kalgidhar Satsang Mandal, Indira Gandhi Colony, Jaripatka will organize a rally and Shobha yatra daily in a 13-day programme on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti from October 25 to November 6. The rally will take out from Shree Kalgidhar Satsang Mandal daily at 4am and will be back at 6am.
students of miri piri academy performed gatka- sikh martial art- during the procession.
sgpc took out nagar kirtan on the eve of birth anniversary of guru ram das.
Malayali Billava Sangha Bolar Vajramahotsava Samiti has organised nava kalashabhisheka rituals to the bust of social reformer saint Brahmashree Narayana Guru at Bolar here on September 5. Sri Prakashananda swamiji of Sri Shivagiri Math, Varkala, Kerala will lead the religious rituals.
Samskara Bharathi as part of Guru Poornima will honour five senior artists, cultural organisers and social workers at their respective residences in and around the city on July 13.
PMK legislator J Guru moves high court seeking police protection. He came out of jail only about 10 days ago, after being detained under NSA.
The state government has released Rs 2 crore to Mangalore University to set up the Narayana Guru Study Chair after the social reformer saint Narayana Guru, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said at Bajpe-Karambar near here.
The rituals in connection with inauguration of newly constructed Brahmashree Narayana Guru Mandir at Bajpe and installation of idols of the social reformer saint will be held for two-days from November 10.


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Film Review: 'The American'
Date: September 8, 2010
by: Pam Nadon | Film critic
It's nearly impossible to find fault with George Clooney. Award-winning writer, producer, director, actor and humanitarian, Clooney never fails to deliver. In his new film, "The American," audiences will witness yet another side of the multi-faceted actor in a skillfully understated performance worthy of attention.
Clooney plays Jack, aka Edward, aka Mr. Butterfly. Whoever he is it's unwise to befriend him. The opening scene: While on a remote romantic romp in the Swedish countryside, a sniper takes a shot at Jack. Paranoid cold-blooded killer that he is, not only does he whack the shooter, he also puts a bullet in his girlfriend's brain for good measure.
On to Italy where Jack is commissioned by a beautiful hit woman (Thekla Reuten) to design a specialized weapon. For whom the gun is meant to eliminate is a mystery. Posing as a photographer in a small village, Jack hooks up with a priest, a mechanic and a prostitute (the ravishing Violante Placido). Trust is elusive for all concerned.
Director Anton Corbijn, well-known for his exquisite portrait photography, demonstrates that his incredible eye for perfection is just as impressive behind the movie camera. Amazing aerial shots, panoramic pans and exotic lighting elevate this simmering thriller to stunning stature.
"The American" has the feel of a foreign film carefully crafted. There's a subtle rather than in-your-face tension, which crescendos while the story unfolds. The tone of the movie is reminiscent of Antonioni's "The Passenger" (1975). In both, the protagonist is driven by purpose but locked in emptiness.
If you're expecting an action flick, "The American" will disappoint. If you're up for watching one of the most versatile and engaging actors knock your socks off, catch Clooney as you've never seen him before.
— Pam Nadon
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- Nov
28 The Jazz Club of Sarasota Presents "Jazz at Two" with Alex and Judi Glover
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
- Nov
28 WSLR Hand-Cranked Festival: Day 1
7:00 pm
- Nov
29 WSLR Hand-Cranked Festival: Day 2
4:00 pm
- Nov
29 Dickey Betts & Great Southern Charity Concert
6:00 pm
The gift of music
Riverview High School received a donation of $5,000 during a break in the Kiltie Band Fall concert on Nov. 20.
Coming together for the community
All Faiths Food Bank called on volunteers to help distribute 7,000 Thanksgiving dinners Saturday.
Observer on the hunt for displays
We're making our list of the best holiday lights displays in Sarasota and checking it twice.


text:
fantaffx First impressions of Dragon Age: Inquisition have not been good. I hate the control scheme (hold R2 to attack. Really? This isn't a f#$%ing FPS EA >.<). Also, I now have the goal of ensuring Cassandra dies. Can it be done? I dunno but I'm gonna try!1 week ago
fantaffx It really bothers me as well. I can't find a way to change the button layout either >.< I think the game is stuck with R2 as attack :(7 days ago
multibottler0cket Yeah, I had that once when a friend brought over Demon's Souls. I couldn't get into it and I kept using items instead of attacking and attacking instead of rolling out of the way...7 days ago
Exelement wrote on fantaffx's wall
"Hey Fantaffx, have you ever done a Favorite Games of all time blog? Or even a Favorite Comics of all time blog? I'd be interested in reading either."
fantaffx I've never done a favorite comics blog. Surprising, eh? As for favorite games, I had the favorite game entry http://www.ign.com/blogs/fantaffx/2013/12/12/fantaffxs-favorite-game-a-tale-above-all-the-rest<...expand1 week ago
fantaffx I forgot to link the list for my favorite games for each console if you were interested in that. My bad. Here it is http://www.ign.com/blogs/fantaffx/2013/07/29/fantaffxs-favorite-games-for-each-console1 week ago
fantaffx I just saw The Book of Life. I loved it! The aesthetics, the story, the setting, even the messages it teaches are great. It's been a good year for animated films. How To Train Your Dragon 2, The Book of Life, and Big Hero 6 are all superb1 week ago
fantaffx wrote on 1212thedoctor's wall
"Hey, I tried to comment on your Big Hero 6 review but I don't know if it showed up three times or not at all. Disqus was kinda freaking out about it..."
1212thedoctor It's there now :)2 weeks ago
fantaffx achieved level 37!2 weeks ago
fantaffx I saw two movies this weekend. Interstellar was just okay in my opinion. Big Hero 6 was great! Judging from the fact that the entire theater was crying, it gets to the feels pretty good too ^_^2 weeks ago
fantaffx I finally decided to catch up on The Walking Dead after slacking for years. Season 3 was different from the comic but still engaging. 2 episodes into season 4 & for the 1st time in...many years I want to stop watching a show I started. It is awful :(3 weeks ago
fliadaloisio I dropped TWD after season 2, i was literally falling asleep watching it. :(3 weeks ago
Rook99999 Yeah, thats the thing with TWD. It is really inconsistant. You will have a great episode followed by three really bad ones.3 weeks ago
More updates


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|Live Scores
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The Report by Andrew Fernando
August 27, 2012
Nagenahira Nagas 163 for 4 (Nazir 44, Mathews 43*) beat Uva Next 160 for 7 (Munaweera 45, Kandamby 33) by six wickets
Related Links
Players/Officials: Shaminda Eranga | Imran Nazir | Angelo Mathews
Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka Premier League
Teams: Sri Lanka
Nagenahira Nagas returned to the blueprint that devised their first three victories, as a belligerent innings at the top of the order and a clinical finish from Angelo Mathews backed up a strong bowling performance led by Shaminda Eranga. The Nagas' six-wicket win over Uva Next ensures they avoid top-placed Wayamba United in the first semi-final tomorrow, a task Uva Next must now face, perhaps without wicketkeeper Upul Tharanga and allrounder Andrew McDonald, who both left the field through injury.
Imran Nazir took flight for the Nagas in the chase, as he walloped eight fours and a six in his 25-ball 44. Nazir was typically powerful square of the wicket, punching Oram over cover to get the Nagas' chase into gear, before hitting a spate of square boundaries in the last three overs of the Powerplay. He was stumped advancing to Sachithra Senanayake in the eighth over, but Mathews, his replacement, ensured the chase stayed on track, first by collecting risk-free runs into the outfield, before hastening toward the target as the close approached. He was unbeaten on 43 from 33 balls when he hit the winning runs with five balls remaining.
Dilshan Munaweera contributed his highest score of the tournament for Uva Next, but sacrificed muscle-power for longevity, striking at a relatively steady 129 for his 45. The Uva top order was restrained by tight overs from Eranga and Mathews at the top of the innings, though Kanishka Alvitigala, who also took the new ball, could not boast their parsimony. Munaweera launched three sixes and two aerial fours, but struggled to pierce the infield for ones and twos until the field spread. He departed just as he'd looked set to launch when he miscued a scoop to short fine leg, but the selectors who have chosen him for Sri Lanka's World Twenty20 squad will be encouraged by an innings of more application than he has shown so far in the tournament, though they will look to him to better ally that attitude with his striking power on the international stage.
Thilina Kandamby also made 33 for Uva Next, but three run-outs and a strong collective bowling effort from the Nagas ensured the target remained manageable on one of the flattest tracks the SLPL has seen.
Eranga resumed the intensity that had brought him success at the beginning of the tournament, in four one-over spells that reaped two wickets and only conceded 25. He troubled batsman with sharp seam movement throughout the innings, and found the yorker length he had been missing in the last two matches, even uprooting Hammad Azam's leg stump in the 20th over.
Andrew Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's correspondent in Sri LankaFeeds: Andrew Fidel Fernando
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
|Comments have now been closed for this article
Pakistan should not welcome Amir back
The serene team culture cultivated by Misbah and his men shouldn't be allowed to be disrupted by a player with a tainted past
Contrite Kohli, apoplectic Kohli, and a Dhoni impersonator
Plays of the day from the fifth ODI in Ranchi
'I don't blame Arjuna for my early retirement'
Former Sri Lanka batsman Asanka Gurusinha talks about playing and coaching in Australia, and tactics during the 1996 World Cup
Dhoni's absence a guide to India's future
He's past his use-by date as a Test captain and keeper. India now have a chance to test Kohli's leadership skills
'I'm a bit disappointed not to get that Test average up to 50'
Mahela Jayawardene reflects on his Test career, and the need to bridge the gap between international and club cricket in Sri Lanka
Pakistan should not welcome Amir back (180)
The serene team culture cultivated by Misbah and his men shouldn't be allowed to be disrupted by a player with a tainted past
Dhoni's absence a guide to India's future (72)
He's past his use-by date as a Test captain and keeper. India now have a chance to test Kohli's leadership skills
'I'm a bit disappointed not to get that Test average up to 50' (56)
Mahela Jayawardene reflects on his Test career, and the need to bridge the gap between international and club cricket in Sri Lanka
A crisis that defines the age (36)
Never mind cricket's absence from free-to-air TV - changes in social attitudes, the demands of work, and an individualistic age are all contributing to a decline in participation
Pujara and the challenge of being a Test-only batsman (34)
Shorter tours don't allow you time to get into form, and domestic cricket isn't demanding enough