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DEVS: How about Bat'leth tournaments?
With the addition of new pvp maps and types incoming, I propose Klingons have an arena set aside for actual Bat'leth Tournaments, along with an actual game mechanic for managing the tournament.
For example: The tournaments would run based on rank (not level). Up to 32 combatants in a bracket tournament, double elimination, with awards for the top 4 finishers, or if a 64 man tournament, the top 8 get awards. The tournament could be adjusted based on the number of people who sign up. I think the top awards should be nicely designed Bat'leths, different in appearance than the other run of the mill bat'leths but with additional buffs and usable in ground pvp of course, since we have no walls to hang them on or desks to put trophies on :) There wouldn't have to be a ton of designs, but just some different buffs on them. In the actual combat, there would be NO weapons allowed other than a Bat'leth. There would be NO skills allowed that were not melee (meaning no Stasis Field, no Cover Shield or turrets, and no Stealth Module, just for a few examples). The point of the tournament is to fight with the Bat'leth, not anything else. It could be resolved to remove kits altogether for the combat so that even Lunge would not be able to be used either, since Engineer and Science officers can't get that skill either, or leg sweep. This is about combat with the Bat'leth, and nothing else. Now, this idea is primarily for Bat'leths, or for other melee weapons when they finally come in to the game, but a tournament for 1 v 1 beams, 2 v 2, 5 v 5 could all be managed, but it would take the devs making the arena and the mechanic to run the bracket etc. If they do *not* do any of this for us, we could do it on our own but it would be a lot harder to implement. Hopefully the devs will take a look and see that this would be a good thing. |
Meh. I don't think there would be much skill in a 1 on 1 "bat'leth only" fight. You'd have two players sitting at keyboards basically mashing "1", "2" and "3" and that would largely be the extent of available strategy and tactics.
A better tournament would be 3v3, 4v4 or 5v5 team play with full use of kits and captain abilities, but where the only weapon you can use is the bat'leth. Then you have real skill coming into play -- teamwork, heals, holds, snares, buffs, debuffs, etc. Much of what makes ground combat interesting and skillful is teamwork and kit usage, not weapon selection. |
And, whether you're hitting 1,2,1 with a bat'leth, you're doing the same thing with any of the other skills too bud, some of them are just grossly overpowered. You know, like VM and SNB in space. |
I'm just sayin' there's interesting possibilities when you have 10 things you can do laid out in front of you. I can:
[my rules] Buff my team with Overwatch Buff my team with Rally Cry Summon 2 NPC security escorts Throw a smoke grenade Throw a knockback grenade Lower my target's resists Buff my damage Left strike bat'leth Right strike bat'leth Cross-strike bat'leth Use a hypo Use a shield regen vs [your rules] Left strike bat'leth Right strike bat'leth Cross-strike bat'leth Which set of skills is going to make for the more interesting, skillful tournament? True, science teams can spam holds on you but, a) they're using bat'leths too so they still have to run up to you and some of their holds break on damage and b) if you're tactical you have a kit that gives you hold immunity part-time and if you're engineer you can drop phaser turrets, mines, etc and be able to basically attack the science guys even while held (fully skilled up phaser turrets do hurt). So I think you're giving way too much credit to the ability of science officers to ruin a bat'leth battle. Incidentally, I would bet that 5 Tacticals can beat 5 Science Officers in a contest using my rules. With skilled up ground combat skills they do a lot more DPS and if they all use the Squad Leader kits they'll have endless AE heals! |
Don't see it needing to be Klingon only or bat'leth only. A melee only PVP match would be pretty awesome if it were technically possible to limit the players joining it. That gives people the option of martial arts, bat'leths, and any of the coming other melee weapons.
Also have to agree with Slamz, not just because he always seems to be right, but because he is right. What makes ground PVP fun is the potential synergies in your own skills/kits/weapons and also with your team. Granted, some of those abilities don't thematically mesh with a melee pvp match, but it'd be more fun including those that don't fit than it would be not having any of those extra abilities. After all, the reason it's so much fun killing science officers is because they can so easily disable you. It's meaningful when you take one down 1v1, or sweet revenge when you unload on him after seeing him blow his heals on his teammates. |
Anyway, the overall point is that we should have the mechanic put in because I think it would be enjoyable for a lot of people, and it should have everything from 1 v 1 to at least 5 v 5. There should be awards, like a nice Bat'leth for Bat'leth tournaments, new sash designs to that you can only get by doing these tournaments, new weapons (beam) and also new melee weapons like mek'leth, d'g tagh, tIk' leth, etc that all are obviously trophies from winning the tournaments. Make them no trade, worth the same EC value as normal weapons of their mark and tier, and give us all something to strive for :) More competition = always better. EDIT: While I have an RA5 and a BG5, I'm a Klingon player most of the time. However, for these tournaments, I have no problem with them being mixed faction, unless the people holding the tournament *want* it to be Klingon only. We players should have some leeway in setting up the tournaments, and deciding the max number of players in it, for example: Fleet A wants to have an in-house martial arts tournament (no weapons at all in hand) and they can only produce 8 people, well, they should be able to do that. Cryptic has many strong points and weak points as devs, but one point that surely isn't weak is their ability to customize design. They could put in a feature that would allow the "Master at Arms" person running the tournament to design the prize themselves, whether is is a sash, a pistol, a bat'leth. All Cryptic would have to do is make sure they don't add in the ability to be stupid, like a pink sash or some such. By doing this, Fleets could have their own custom prizes. There could be a Grand Bat'leth Tournament that is designed to only take the WINNERS of previous Bat'leth tournies. And yep, Cryptic could do some official ones too. Anyway, I do think you guys get it :) |
sounds misconceived if a sci officer can't use his/her abilities. Tactical would win 100% of the time
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US 8179898 B2 Abstract Packets are processed (e.g., routed or classified) in accordance with a braided trie, which represents the combination of two or more different original tries (e.g., representing different forwarding/classification tables). The different tries are combined by twisting the mappings for specific trie nodes to make the shapes of the different tries more similar. Each node in the braided trie contains a braiding bit for at least one original trie indicating the mapping for that trie's node. Trie braiding can significantly reduce the number of nodes used to represent the different original tries, thereby reducing memory usage and improving scalability. Braided tries can be used for such applications as virtual routers and packet classification in which different forwarding/classification tables are represented by a single braided trie stored in shared memory.
Claims(17) 1. A network-equipment-element-implemented method for processing data packets, the method comprising:
(a) receiving, at the network-equipment element, a data packet;
(b) determining, by the network-equipment element, at least one characteristic about the data packet;
(c) accessing, by the network-equipment element, a braided trie stored in memory based on the at least one characteristic to determine a processing mode for the data packet; and
(d) processing, by the network-equipment element, the data packet based on the determined processing mode, wherein:
the braided trie comprises a plurality of nodes representing a combination of at least first and second tries;
the plurality of nodes comprise a root node and one or more levels of child nodes;
the root node has a pointer pointing to one or two child nodes at an adjacent lower level;
each child node has zero, one, or two pointers pointing to zero, one, or two child nodes at an adjacent lower level;
each pointer corresponds to either a �0� branch or a �1� branch in the braided trie;
at least one node in the braided trie has a pointer pointing to a child node, wherein the pointer corresponds to a �0� branch for the first trie and to a �1� branch for the second trie; and
for at least one trie represented by the braided trie, for each node having at least one pointer pointing to at least one child node at the adjacent lower level, the node comprises a corresponding braiding bit that identifies whether the at least one pointer corresponds to a straight mapping to the at least one child node or to a twisted mapping to the at least one child node.
2. The invention of
3. The invention of
in the straight mapping, a left branch is a �0� branch and a right branch is a �1� branch; and
in the twisted mapping, a left branch is a �1� branch and a right branch is a �0� branch.
4. The invention of
5. The invention of
6. The invention of
7. The invention of
the network-equipment element comprises a plurality of virtual routers;
the braided trie represents a combination of a plurality of original tries, each original trie representing a packet-forwarding table for a different one of the virtual routers;
step (b) comprises identifying a virtual router associated with the data packet;
step (c) comprises the identified virtual router accessing the braided trie to retrieve next-hop information for the data packet; and
step (d) comprises the identified router routing the data packet based on the retrieved next-hop information.
8. The invention of
the network-equipment element comprises a plurality of search engines;
the braided trie represents a combination of a plurality of original tries, each original trie representing a classification table for a different one of the search engines;
step (b) comprises determining a set of characteristics about the data packet, each characteristic associated with a different search engine;
step (c) comprises each search engine accessing the braided trie based on the associated characteristic to retrieve classification information for the data packet; and
step (d) comprises processing the classification information from the different search engines to classify the data packet.
9. The invention of
10. A network-equipment element comprising:
at least first and second processing elements, the first processing element associated with a first trie and the second processing element associated with a second trie; and
a memory storing a braided trie corresponding to a combination of at least the first and second tries, wherein:
at least one processing element is adapted to access the braided trie to process a data packet;
the braided trie comprises a plurality of nodes representing the combination of at least the first and second tries;
the plurality of nodes comprise a root node and one or more levels of child nodes;
the root node has a pointer pointing to one or two child nodes at an adjacent lower level;
each child node has zero, one, or two pointers pointing to zero, one, or two child nodes at an adjacent lower level;
each pointer corresponds to either a �0� branch or a �1� branch in the braided trie;
at least one node in the braided trie has a pointer pointing to a child node, wherein the pointer corresponds to a �0� branch for the first trie and to a �1� branch for the second trie; and
for at least one trie represented by the braided trie, for each node having at least one pointer pointing to at least one child node at the adjacent lower level, the node comprises a corresponding braiding bit that identifies whether the at least one pointer corresponds to a straight mapping to the at least one child node or to a twisted mapping to the at least one child node.
11. The invention of
12. The invention of
in the straight mapping, a left branch is a �0� branch and a right branch is a �1� branch; and
in the twisted mapping, a left branch is a �1� branch and a right branch is a �0� branch.
13. The invention of
the first processing element is a first virtual router, wherein the first trie represents a first packet-forwarding table for the first virtual router;
the second processing element is a second virtual router, wherein the second trie represents a second packet-forwarding table for the second virtual router;
when the first virtual router processes the data packet, the first virtual router accesses the braided trie stored in the memory to retrieve next-hop information used to route the data packet; and
when the second virtual router processes the data packet, the second virtual router accesses the braided trie stored in the memory to retrieve the next-hop information used to route the data packet.
14. The invention of
the first processing element is a first search engine, wherein the first trie represents a first packet-classification table for the first search engine;
the second processing element is a second search engine, wherein the second trie represents a second packet-classification table for the second search engine; and
the network-equipment element processes the data packet by:
the first search engine accessing the braided trie stored in the memory to retrieve first classification information for the data packet; and
the second search engine accessing the braided trie stored in the memory to retrieve second classification information for the data packet, wherein the network-equipment element classifies the data packet based on the first classification information and the second classification information retrieved by the first and second search engines.
15. The invention of
16. The invention of
17. The invention of
Description 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to data and telecommunications networks, and, in particular, to the processing of data packets in such networks. 2. Description of the Related Art The growing need to satisfy diverse networking requirements, such as application-dependent packet handling, customer-specific policy-based routing, disruption-free new protocol deployment, etc., has led to increased interest in building virtual network infrastructures that can satisfy these diverse needs, while sharing a common physical network for cost efficiency. Deploying these virtual network infrastructures involves the use of virtual routers that act as stand-alone routers despite sharing a common physical platform with other virtual routers. An ideal virtualization goal is to achieve good isolation amongst the virtual routers, while also achieving high scaling in the sense that a large number of virtual routers can concurrently run on the same physical platform. However, these two goals of isolation and scaling typically have conflicting system needs. Isolation sets limits on the sharing of scarce physical router resources, whereas scaling requires that scarce resources be efficiently shared. Another example of the need for differing routing functions on the same platform, akin to virtualization, is the case of IPv4-to-IPv6 migration. Since an overnight conversion to IPv6 will not happen and any migration will be slow, routers have to support both IPv4 and IPv6 routing simultaneously. In each such router, packets are classified based on the IP version and then forwarded using the corresponding forwarding tables. This is similar to having two virtual routers on the same platform. Another example of the need for differing routing functions on the same platform is for the case of Layer 3 MPLS Virtual Private Networks (L3 VPNs). L3 VPNs allow enterprises to securely achieve any-to-any reachability amongst all their sites while outsourcing their routing needs to the service provider. The service provider's edge router, which performs the routing for each VPN customer, needs to simultaneously handle a large number of VPNs and needs to maintain a private routing table for each VPN customer. With the rapid growth in the VPN market, the memory required for storing VPN routing tables has become a critical resource and a key bottleneck in provisioning new customers. As virtual network infrastructures become more and more popular, a physical router will be expected to support a few tens and possibly even hundreds of virtual routers with each having its own forwarding table and routing protocol instances. For example, Juniper routers from Juniper Networks, Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., are currently reported to be capable of supporting up to 16 virtual routers. Scaling to these numbers poses a challenging problem, especially if complex packet classification and deep-packet inspection functions need to be performed by the virtual routers. A critical resource that limits scaling is the limited amount of high-speed memory available for caching the packet forwarding and filtering data structures. It is straightforward to partition the available memory and allocate a fraction to each virtual router. This simple partitioning has the benefit of isolating the memory usage of the virtual routers. However, it is not memory efficient and severely limits scalability for the following reasons. First, it is difficult to determine the right fractions to allocate to each virtual router when each virtual router has different forwarding-table sizes that change dynamically. Consider the IPv4-to-IPv6 migration example. Currently, the IPv6 forwarding table is small (e.g., a few thousand prefixes), and the IPv4 forwarding table is large (e.g., a few tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands prefixes). Clearly, these sizes will change over the time. Both tables may continue to grow for a while. Ultimately, it is possible that the IPv4 table may actually shrink if large numbers of IPv4-capable hosts migrate to IPv6. The virtual router dynamics make static provisioning inflexible and inefficient. Second, the overall memory consumption is linear in the number of virtual routers as well as in the size of the memory required for each virtual router. For example, forwarding tables are typically stored in static random access memories (SRAMs) or ternary content-addressable memories (TCAMs), which account for a large portion of the system cost and power dissipation. An 18 Mb TCAM can store 500K IPv4 (or 250K IPv6) prefixes. This is hardly sufficient for two unique Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) tables, which already contain about 300K prefixes. When algorithmic solutions for longest-prefix matches are used, just 10 moderate-sized forwarding tables, stored separately, use up to 120 Mb of SRAM. Scaling to larger numbers makes the memory requirements prohibitive. Static partitioning of the available memory with each router maintaining independent data structures, though desirable for isolation, imposes a severe constraint on scaling. If the isolation requirements can be relaxed and sharing is permitted, memory usage can be considerably reduced by combining the individual packet forwarding and filtering data structures of the virtual routers into one combined data structure. Combining the tree data structures for performing different packet-related functions, such as longest-prefix matching and packet classification, can provide advantages over the prior-art partitioning of memory. IP forwarding tables consist of a set of prefixes and their associated next hops. To determine the next hop for each incoming packet, the longest-prefix match of the destination address in the packet is found, and the associated next hop in the forwarding table retrieved. There are many fast and memory-efficient algorithms for performing this longest-prefix matching (LPM) operation. The majority of these algorithms, including all variants of multi-bit trie and the pipelined architecture, use so-called trie data structures derived from the basic binary tree. Packet classification, used for policy-based routing and network security, performs a range-matching operation on several fields of an incoming packet's header. The matching operation is used to retrieve a matching rule and an action to be performed on the packet. Because of the need to match on multiple fields, packet classification is inherently more complex than the LPM operation. Numerous efficient algorithms have been proposed for packet classification, and many of these algorithms also use the trie data structure. Since packet classification is known to be very memory intense, sharing the memory among the different header fields in one classifier and across the classifier data structures for different virtual routers can have substantial scaling benefits. A scheme for reducing the amount of memory used for LPM in virtual routers is presented in J. Fu and J. Rexford, �Efficient IP address lookup with a shared forwarding table for multiple virtual routers,� ACM CoNext, 2009 (referred to herein as �Fu and Rexford�), incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In that work, the tries maintained by each virtual router for longest-prefix matches are combined into one trie by exploiting prefix commonality and overlaps between virtual routers. The memory reduction gained through the overlap is largely due to the similarity between the tries. However, when the tries are structurally different, the gains using this scheme are limited. The disclosed subject matter in this patent application is related to trie braiding, a mechanism that can be used to build a far-more-compact data structure. Trie braiding enables each trie node to swap its left child node and right child node at will. Although, by doing this, the trie's shape is changed, a bit stored at each trie node is enough to recover the original trie from the changed one. This extra degree of freedom when combining tries enables the opportunity to achieve better memory-sharing performance than the scheme in Fu and Rexford. The disclosed subject matter includes two optimal dynamic programming algorithms for combining multiple tries into a single compact trie, as well as a faster heuristic algorithm. Trie braiding leads to significant savings in high-speed memory used for maintaining classification and longest-prefix match data structures, and hence enhances scaling by allowing more virtual routers to be run on the same physical platform. In one embodiment, the present invention is a network-equipment-element-implemented method for processing data packets. The network-equipment element (a) receives a data packet, (b) determines at least one characteristic about the data packet, (c) accesses a braided trie stored in memory based on the at least one characteristic to determine a processing mode for the data packet, and (d) the network-equipment element processing the data packet based on the determined processing mode. In another embodiment, the present invention is a network-equipment element comprising at least first and second processing elements and a memory. The first processing element is associated with a first trie, and the second processing element is associated with a second trie. The memory stores a braided trie corresponding to a combination of at least the first and second tries, wherein at least one processing element is adapted to access the braided trie to process a data packet. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals identify similar or identical elements. Background Trie-Based Longest Prefix Matching The root node has one or two pointers pointing to one or two child nodes at the first level, while each child node has zero, one, or two pointers pointing to zero, one, or two child nodes at the adjacent, lower level. For example, in When inserting a prefix into a trie, the prefix bits are examined in order, and the bit value is used to traverse the trie from the root. The left pointer is followed if the bit value is �0,� and the right pointer otherwise. If a corresponding child node does not exist in the trie yet, it is dynamically created. This process is continued until all the prefix bits are consumed. The final trie node is then labeled as a valid prefix node. In The lookup process uses the packet's destination IP address to traverse the trie. Again, the value of the current address bit determines which trie branch is to be taken. During the traversal, the last-matching prefix node along the path is recorded as the current best match. When the path ends, the lookup process is completed, and the recorded prefix is returned as the longest-matching prefix. Its associated next hop is therefore used to forward the packet. In tree-based packet classification algorithms, search tries are similarly constructed and traversed. Problem Statement When multiple virtual routers are hosted on the same physical router, with each virtual router needing its own packet filtering and forwarding-table look-up capabilities, the physical router's memory is shared or allocated amongst the virtual routers. For trie-based algorithms, the number of trie nodes can be taken as a measure of the memory needed. If packet-forwarding data structures are stored separately in partitioned memory, the memory needs can become prohibitive, preventing significant scaling of the virtual router capability. If memory partitioning is applied to the example of To find a better scheme to make the memory needs less prohibitive to scaling, the disclosed subject matter addresses the following problem: How can a number of binary tries be compactly stored in a combined data structure that reduces the overall memory consumption and still allows correct lookups into each of the individual binary tries? Related Work As mentioned previously, Fu and Rexford describe a scheme that inserts all the prefixes belonging to the different virtual routers into one single trie. This scheme is referred to herein as the (prefix) overlap scheme since it exploits prefix overlaps between the multiple prefix tables to reduce memory needs. To perform correct lookups in each individual trie, each prefix node in the trie needs to store a bitmap that indicates which virtual router's trie the prefix belongs to. With trie combining, since many trie nodes are shared, the final trie size can be significantly smaller than the sum of the overall sizes of the individual tries (which would be the case if the tries are individually maintained for every virtual router as in memory partitioning). However, the overlap scheme does not necessarily lead to memory savings, since each trie node that is a valid prefix for any virtual router needs to store the next-hop information. The large trie-node sizes resulting from this overlap scheme can offset the gains stemming from the reduction in the total number of trie nodes. To mitigate this problem, Fu and Rexford propose the use of leaf pushing, where all valid prefixes are pushed to be at the trie leaves (i.e., nodes that do not point to any child nodes), so that only the leaf nodes need to store the next-hop information, and the internal trie nodes do not incur this storage overhead. The overlap scheme in Fu and Rexford works best when the original tries have a similar structure. In the worst case, this scheme might not lead to any memory reduction. Consider the following example where, for one virtual router table, all prefixes start from �0,� while, for another virtual router table, all prefixes start from �1.� For this case, the overlap scheme does not lead to any gains over storing the tries separately. The algorithms in the disclosed subject matter use dynamic programming-based techniques like the ones used for computing edit distance between trees as well as isomorphism-detection algorithms. The objective as well as the performance criteria (storage-memory efficiency) used by the algorithms are different from the typical performance metrics used in literature. Trie Braiding Trie braiding is a mechanism that accomplishes a more-compact combining of the individual tries, even when the individual tries are not initially similar. By using a single braiding bit in a trie node, the meaning of the node's child pointers is reversed (�twisted�). In one implementation, the normal (�straight�) mapping has a node's left pointer corresponding to a �0� branch and a node's right pointer corresponding to a �1� branch. If a braiding bit of a node is set (i.e., equal to �1�), then the twisted mapping applies, in which the nodes's left pointer corresponds to a �1� branch, and the node's right pointer corresponds to a �0� branch. This mechanism is called braiding because the left and right sub-tries of any trie nodes can be freely swapped. Trie braiding enables the shape of dissimilar tries to be adjusted to make them as similar as possible so that the number of shared nodes is maximized (thereby reducing memory needs) upon merging. In Once the values of the braiding bits are determined, to insert a prefix in the combined trie (or to look up a given IP address), start from the root node and compare each prefix bit sequentially with the corresponding braiding bit at the current trie node. If the prefix bit and the current braiding bit are equal, then the left pointer is followed; otherwise, the right pointer is followed. The braiding bits are unique to each virtual router. When tries from multiple virtual routers are merged, the trie-braiding process provides a useful tool for reducing memory usage by increasing the node sharing. Trie-Braiding Algorithms Problem Formulation The problem of designing a data structure for minimizing the amount of memory to store k tries is now considered. First, the problem of minimizing the amount of memory for storing two binary tries T1 and T2 is considered. The notation used in this subsection to describe the problem formulation and the solution methodology is shown in the following Table III, where the index i=1,2 corresponds to tries T1 and T2, respectively.
Since there are only two tries, one trie (say T1) is kept fixed, and the nodes in trie T2 are mapped onto trie T1. We use |T1|=n(r1) to represent the number of nodes in trie T1 and |T2|=n(r2) to represent the number of nodes in trie T2. Definition 1. A mapping M of trie T2 to trie T1 is a function that maps a subset of nodes in trie T2 one-to-one to a subset of nodes in trie T1. Therefore, for every node v2εT2, we have: Permitted Mappings We want to find a mapping that maintains precedence relationship. The term �precedence relationship� implies that, if two nodes from two different tries are mapped together, then all of their ancestor nodes at higher levels are also mapped together. Towards this end, we now define the set of permitted mappings that preserve precedence relationships. Definition 2. A mapping M from trie T2 to trie T1 is permitted if the following Equations (1) and (2) are both true:
The set of permitted mappings will be denoted by M. The constraint that root r2 maps to root r1 represented by Equation (1) is strictly not necessary for maintaining precedence relationships. The root r2 can be mapped to an arbitrary node in trie T1 as long as the precedence conditions represented by Equation (2) holds. However, the additional constraint that root r2 maps to root r1 reduces the computational complexity of determining the optimal mapping and did not seem to affect the solution quality in the test data sets. Cost of a Mapping For a given (permitted) mapping M, we define:
Lemma 1. Let T2�T′2, then:
Lemma 2. Given two tries T1 and T2 with n1 and n2 nodes, respectively:
Proof. Let n1≧n2. Even if all the nodes in trie T2 are mapped to trie T1, there will still be (n1−n2) nodes in trie T1 that will not be mapped. The same argument holds if n1≧n2, and the result follows. The problem of determining the minimum-cost-permitted mapping can be formulated as an integer linear-programming problem but it does not lead to an efficient solution procedure. We use a dynamic programming-based mapping algorithm (BRAID) to determine the minimum-cost feasible mapping in the section entitled �BRAID.� In the section entitled �FAST-BRAID,� we give an algorithm that cuts the running time as well as memory requirement for running the BRAID algorithm by identifying isomorphic subgraphs. BRAID: An Optimal Trie-Braiding Algorithm BRAID is a dynamic programming-based mapping algorithm that determines the optimal trie-braiding pattern that minimizes the amount of memory to store two tries. The inputs to the BRAID algorithm are the two tries, and the outputs from the algorithm are:
Lemma 3. Let M represent a feasible mapping from trie T2 to trie T1. Then:
Proof. We prove this lemma using induction on the depth of the node. Since M(r2)=r1, the depths of the root nodes of the two tries are the same (depth 0). Assume that the result is true for all nodes up to depth δ. Consider a node v2 in trie T2 that is at depth δ+1. Since d(P(v2))=δ, by the induction hypothesis, d(M(P(v2)))=δ. From Equation (2):
Note that: δ=d(M(P(v 2)))=d(P(v 1)). Since d(v1)=d(P(v1))+1, we have: δ+1=d(v 2)=d(v 1). Therefore, if M(v2)≠�, then node v2 is mapped to some node in trie T1 that is at the same depth as node v2. Computing Mapping Costs Given trie T1 rooted at root r1 and trie T2 rooted at root r2, we want to determine distance Δ(r1,r2). Since any node in the trie has at most two children, we can compute the value of distance Δ(v1,v2) by considering the following two possibilities for mapping the children:
In addition to computing the value of distance Δ( , ), we also keep track of whether the straight mapping or the twisted mapping attained the minimum. Let:
We can start computing the values of distance A from the leaves and work our way up to the root. Computing Leaf Weights First, we use a depth-first search on each trie separately and compute the depth of all the nodes in both the tries. Let h1 denote the maximum depth of trie T1 and h2 denote the maximum depth of trie T2. Let hm=min {h1, h2}. From Lemma 3, we know that nodes with depth greater than hm will be mapped to �. We compute the weight of the leaves of the tries as follows. For i=1,2:
Iterating from the Leaves Once the leaf weights have been computed, we can assume that both tries T1 and T2 have a depth of hm. We compute the values of distance Δ(v2,v1) for all leaf-node combinations from Equation (11). We now move to depth hm−1 and, for every node v2εT2 with depth d(v2)=hm−1, we consider every node v1εT1 with depth d(v1)=hm−1 and compute distance Δ(v2,v1). Since these nodes are only one level away from the leaves, we just need to evaluate the combinations shown in Outline of the BRAID Algorithm In the third phase, the algorithm determines the mapping for each node in trie T2. For this phase, the algorithm starts from root r2 and uses S( , ) to obtain the optimal mapping. In addition, the algorithm outputs the braid indices B, where B(v2) is either zero or one and represents the bit that is set at node v2. If B(v2)=0, then the straight map is optimal at node v2, and, if B(v2)=1, then the twisted map is optimal at node v2. The running time of the optimal trie-braiding algorithm is dominated by the second phase where we have to compute the value of distance Δ(v2,v1) for all nodes v2 and v1 that are at the same depth. Theorem 1. The running time of the optimum trie-braiding algorithm is: If the tries are not too large, then this running time might be acceptable, but, for the tries that typically arise for packet lookup, the running time as well as the amount of memory consumed in storing the intermediate results might not be acceptable. We improve the performance of the BRAID algorithm significantly, both in terms of running speed as well as memory requirements, by identifying isomorphic subgraphs during the course of running the algorithm. This algorithm FAST-BRAID is described in the next section. FAST-BRAID: Trie-Braiding with Isomorphism Detection The motivation for developing the FAST-BRAID algorithm is the result in Lemma 1. Consider the computation of distances Δ(v2,v1) and Δ(v2,v1′), where node v2εT2 and nodes v1,v1′εT1 are at the same depth. Note that:
Therefore, if we can identify the fact that subgraphs t(v1) and t(v2) are equivalent (���), then we need to compute the value of distance Δ( , ) only once. The performance improvement with this modification is determined by:
Generating Labels We use the technique developed by Hopcroft and Tarjan in their linear-time algorithm for trie isomorphism to keep track of the nodes with isomorphic sub-tries. See pages 84-86 of A. Aho, J. Hopcroft, and J. Ullman, The Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms, Addison-Wesley (1974) (�Aho et al.�), incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This is done using a labeling scheme. Since we have binary tries, we use a simple indexing mechanism to determine the labels instead of the lexicographic sorting algorithm described in Aho et al. We first process each trie separately. The routine COMPUTE LABEL (Ti,h) shown in In other words, two nodes will be given the same label if and only if the sub-tries rooted at those two nodes are isomorphic. Consider the labeling of nodes in trie T1. We start off at the bottom-most depth (depth hm). All leaves get a label of 1. If there are missing leaves, then these leaves get a label of 0. We now move up to the next level. In this level, we consider one node at a time. We first initialize an array A of size 4. In general, the array at a given depth will have the square of the number of labels at the next level. We process one node at a time and consider the labels of its left and right children denoted by L1 and L2, respectively. This would have been computed at the previous step. We arrange these two labels in increasing order and use this to compute the index into array A. The reason for sorting the children's labels in increasing order is that, if, after ordering, two nodes have the same children's label vector, then the sub-tries from the two nodes are isomorphic. Let Ui(h) represent the number of distinct isomorphisms at depth h of trie Ti. The array index for node v denoted by p(v) is:
Determining the Distance In addition to computing the value of distance Δ( , ), we also keep track of whether the straight mapping or the twisted mapping attained the minimum. Let:
The rest of the algorithm is almost the same as the BRAID algorithm. The only difference is that, when we determine the braid index for a node v2, we consider the following three factors:
Theorem 2. The running time of the optimum trie-braiding algorithm is: k-BRAID: A k-Step Look-Ahead Heuristic for Trie-Braiding In cases where determining the optimal trie-braiding solution is time consuming, we can use a k-step look-ahead heuristic to compute the braiding. The look-ahead scheme starts off at the root of the trie and truncates the trie to a depth of k from the root. For i=1,2, we set:
Combining Multiple Tries So far we have dealt with the problem of combining two tries. If we want to combine more than two tries, then the running time of the optimal algorithm grows exponentially with the number of tries. For example, if there are three tries T1, T2, T3, we want to map tries T2 and T3 onto trie T1. At depth h, we have to consider the cost of mapping every pair of nodes (v2,v3) to every node v1, where node v1 is at depth h in trie T1, node v2 is at depth h in trie T2, and node v3 is at depth h in trie T3. This makes the optimum algorithm prohibitively expensive to run. Therefore, we use an incremental approach where we first merge trie T1 and trie T2 into an intermediate combined trie and then merge trie T3 onto that intermediate combined trie. Though it is not optimal, the running time only goes up linearly in the number of tries. The choice of the order in which the tries are merged can make a difference to the solution, but we find that the difference in the merging order is negligibly small for all our tests (the difference on resulting trie sizes is smaller than 0.01%). Discussion Three trie-braiding algorithms�BRAID, FAST-BRAID, and k-BRAID�are discussed in the previous sections. These and other trie-braiding algorithms are used to determine a braiding bit at each original trie node such that the size of the combined trie is reduced. BRAID is an optimal algorithm that uses a dynamic programming technique. The BRAID algorithm is based on the fact that, if we overlap two tries, we define the cost to be the number of nodes that are not shared by both tries. For two identical tries, the cost is 0. The goal in the BRAID algorithm is to minimize the cost by reducing the number of nodes that are not shared by both tries. This can be achieved through a bottom-up search. At the deepest trie level, each trie node in the first trie can map to any trie node in the second trie. The mapping cost is 0. If a trie node maps to a NULL node, then the cost is 1. Now let's go to one level higher. Again, at this level, each node in the first trie can map to any trie node in the second trie. There are two possible cost scenarios when mapping node x in the first trie to node y in the second trie. In the first possible (straight) cost scenario, the left sub-trie rooted at node x maps to the left sub-trie rooted at node y (the minimum cost of this mapping has been derived in the previous step), and the right sub-trie rooted at node x maps to the right sub-trie rooted at node y (the minimum cost of this mapping has also been derived in the previous step). When we add the two costs together, we get a cost U for mapping node x to node y. In the second possible (twisted) cost scenario, the left sub-trie rooted at node x maps to the right sub-trie rooted at node y, and the right sub-trie rooted at node x maps to the left sub-trie rooted at node y. Now we add the two sub-trie mapping costs together to get another cost v. Now the smaller value of cost U and cost v is kept as the cost of mapping node x to node y. We keep the costs of all the possible mappings at this level. When a level is finished, we go up a level and repeat the previous process to get the node mapping costs for this level. We repeat this until we reach the root nodes to get the minimum cost. We then trace back to learn how this minimum cost is derived so we can set/reset the braiding bit at each trie node. The only issue about this algorithm is that it may consume excessive memory. If, for a level, the first trie has m nodes and the second trie has n nodes, we need an m�n matrix to store the costs for all possible mappings. For large tries, this might be prohibitively large. This leads us to find the second algorithm FAST-BRAID. The FAST-BRAID algorithm is also optimal and also uses dynamic programming. The FAST-BRAID algorithm can consume much less memory and run much faster because the number of unique isomorphic sub-tries at each trie level is much smaller than the number of trie nodes at that level. We need only keep track of the mapping cost between each unique isomorphic sub-trie pairs and label each trie node with the isomorphic sub-trie ID. This way we need less memory to store the intermediate cost matrix. We use the same bottom-up process to calculate the costs. Each mapping cost can be derived from the costs we derived at the level below. The k-BRAID algorithm is fast but not optimal. First, we look at only the first k levels of both tries. For the node mappings at level k, we get estimated costs by simply overlapping the sub-tries together. We use these cost values as the starting matrix for the dynamic programming algorithms for the k levels above so we can determine the braiding bits for all the nodes in these k levels. Since all the mappings at level k have been determined, we get a set of sub-trie pairs. For each pair of sub-tries, we run the similar process recursively and finally we have all the braiding bits set. For all trie-braiding algorithms, since each virtual router (except possibly the one virtual router having a fixed trie) incurs one extra bit in each trie node, one may argue that, for a large number of virtual routers, the braiding bits may result in large trie nodes that consume too much memory. In other words, the reduction in the number of nodes in the combined trie is offset by the increase in the sizes of the nodes in the combined trie. Hence, the overall memory consumption, calculated as the product of the number of nodes in the trie and the average trie-node size, can be even larger than the memory-partitioning scheme or the overlap scheme. A possible solution is to use only a one-bit vector for each original trie. With this, a bit at position i determines the braiding action for all the nodes at the depth i. Clearly this will not achieve the same trie-node reduction effect as the optimal algorithm in which each trie node can make its own decision independently. Alternatively, one can selectively deploy the full trie-braiding bitmap in some critical trie nodes that can maximize the trie-size reduction. In practice, the memory used to store the trie data structure works in burst mode. For example, the fastest quad data rate (QDR) SRAM runs with burst sizes of 2 or 4. Given the typical bus width of 36 bits, this means that each memory access retrieves 72 bits or 144 bits of data from the memory. If the information stored is not sufficient to fill the burst data, then the unused bits are wasted anyway. However, the unused bits are enough to store the braiding bits for 16 or 32 virtual routers. When the number of virtual routers is so large that one data burst cannot accommodate all the braiding bits, one can use two (or more) bursts of data to store the braiding bits. By carefully distributing the bits into two data bursts, for each trie node access, one needs to read out only one data burst according to the virtual router ID. Another solution is to partition the virtual routers into groups, with each group containing 16 or 32 virtual routers. The trie-braiding algorithm is then applied to each group of virtual routers. From the above evaluation, we observe that this method can achieve at least a two-fold gain in storage compared to the overlap and memory-partitioning schemes. For example, a 36-Mbit QDR SRAM can store the trie data structure for 16 virtual routers using the trie-braiding algorithm. However, if the simpler overlap scheme is used, then a 72-Mbit SRAM is needed for the same set of virtual routers. If the tries of the virtual routers are separately stored as in the memory-partitioning scheme, then a 144-Mbit SRAM is needed. These savings in high-speed memory needs directly translate into lower system costs, lower power dissipation, and smaller board footprint. All these are highly desirable characteristics for high-performance routers. Another issue to be considered is throughput. Since multiple tries are merged into a single trie, all lookups in the original tries need to be now performed on one trie. In general, if a router does not have a separate memory module for each virtual router (and this is the most-likely case), then the memory bandwidth will be shared by the virtual routers regardless of the data structure used. When the packets from different virtual routers are served in some interleaved fashion, the aggregated packet-lookup rate is determined by the overall memory bandwidth. A fully pipelined architecture can support one lookup per clock tick. The shared lookup data structure with a smart packet scheduler not only guarantees the minimum lookup rate for each virtual router but also is flexible enough to adapt to fluctuation of the packet arrivals without wasting the memory bandwidth. This is another advantage of trie braiding over the memory-partitioning scheme. Another question that arises is incremental insertion and deletion of prefixes for different virtual routers in the combined trie. A solution to is apply incremental inserts and deletes directly to the existing trie. Like other trie-based solutions that require trie-topology optimization, the braided trie can then be re-computed over a longer period of time in order to minimize the trie size. As mentioned before, there is a conflict between the needs for isolation and the sharing needs for scaling. For the lookup example, a concern is that forwarding-table sharing among different virtual routers may compromise resource isolation among virtual networks, which is one design goal of network virtualization. This can be alleviated if the system enforces an upper bound on the number of prefixes and filters each virtual router can support. Then, one virtual network will not grow arbitrarily and deprive memory resource of others. Note that such bound can be adjusted dynamically, adapting to the actual system requirement. Applications As described previously, trie braiding can be implemented to combine routing tables and other data structures for different applications, such as prefix matching by virtual routers and packet classification. In operation, each packet to be routed arrives at shared port 1102 from a corresponding upstream node (not shown) and is distributed to the appropriate virtual router 1104 (determined, e.g., by inspecting the packet header). The virtual router accesses the braided trie stored in shared memory 1106 to perform longest-prefix matching to retrieve the next-hop information for the packet. The packet is then transmitted from shared port 1102 to the downstream node (not shown) indicated by the retrieved next-hop information. Although the embodiment of In operation, each packet to be classified arrives at input decomposition block 1202, which identifies n different characteristics of the packet (determined, e.g., by inspecting the packet header). Examples of different packet characteristics include source IP address, destination IP address, source port, and destination port. Each of the n different packet characteristics is applied to a different search engine 1204, which accesses the braided tree stored in shared memory 1206 to retrieve corresponding classification information for the packet. The resulting n sets of retrieved classification information are applied to result composition block 1208, which processes the retrieved classification information to determine a classification result for the packet. Braided-trie applications, such as physical router 1100 of In addition to the virtual-router lookup and packet-classification applications, trie braiding can also be used for other trie-compaction applications. For example, it can be used to compress a single binary prefix trie. For this, one uses a deterministic method to partition the prefix set into multiple subsets. A binary trie is constructed for each subset. Then the trie-braiding algorithm is run over these tries to generate a single shared trie. To perform a lookup in this trie, the address is first classified using the same method to determine its subset ID. During trie traversal, the subset ID is used to address the trie-braiding bit. A very simple case is where the first address bit is used to classify the prefixes into two subsets. This effectively enables us to collapse the trie's left and right sub-tries together. This simple compacting can lead to a significant memory saving. While so far in this specification we have considered combining tries from only root nodes, nothing precludes us from mapping the root node of one trie to any node of another trie. This means that we can attach a fixed prefix to all the prefixes in a table. In some case, this can result in better memory savings. In general, the sub-trie at any node in one trie can be mapped to the sub-trie at any other node in another trie, even when the two nodes are at different depths and even when neither node is a root node. The present invention may be implemented as (analog, digital, or a hybrid of both analog and digital) circuit-based processes, including possible implementation as a single integrated circuit (such as an ASIC or an FPGA), a multi-chip module, a single card, or a multi-card circuit pack. As would be apparent to one skilled in the art, various functions of circuit elements may also be implemented as processing blocks in a software program. Such software may be employed in, for example, a digital signal processor, micro-controller, or general-purpose computer. The present invention can be embodied in the form of methods and apparatuses for practicing those methods. The present invention can also be embodied in the form of program code embodied in tangible media, such as magnetic recording media, optical recording media, solid state memory, floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. The present invention can also be embodied in the form of program code, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a machine, or transmitted over some transmission medium or carrier, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code segments combine with the processor to provide a unique device that operates analogously to specific logic circuits. The present invention can also be embodied in the form of a bitstream or other sequence of signal values electrically or optically transmitted through a medium, stored magnetic-field variations in a magnetic recording medium, etc., generated using a method and/or an apparatus of the present invention. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, each numerical value and range should be interpreted as being approximate as if the word �about� or �approximately� preceded the value of the value or range. It will be further understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims. The use of figure numbers and/or figure reference labels in the claims is intended to identify one or more possible embodiments of the claimed subject matter in order to facilitate the interpretation of the claims. Such use is not to be construed as necessarily limiting the scope of those claims to the embodiments shown in the corresponding figures. It should be understood that the steps of the exemplary methods set forth herein are not necessarily required to be performed in the order described, and the order of the steps of such methods should be understood to be merely exemplary. Likewise, additional steps may be included in such methods, and certain steps may be omitted or combined, in methods consistent with various embodiments of the present invention. Although the elements in the following method claims, if any, are recited in a particular sequence with corresponding labeling, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence. Reference herein to �one embodiment� or �an embodiment� means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase �in one embodiment� in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments. The same applies to the term �implementation.� Patent Citations
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spring colours for autumn !
Apr 20, 2013, 10.59 PMby freaky-philomeen
my…all your projects are so beautiful!
May 4, 2013, 09.04 AMby kapuscin
Thank You ;)
Sep 3, 2011, 11.19 PMby fashionfreek
Lovely colours. Very nice:-)
Sep 3, 2011, 06.06 PMby shockoloco
Again, fabulous! You have got a gift, girl.
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- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release Date: Feb 1, 2010
- Summary:
- Developer: T&E Soft
- Genre(s): Sim
- # of players: 1 Player
- Cheats: On GameFAQs
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Great for single-players. [Jan 2010, p.81]
Graphically it looks good, the audio isn't bad either and it's hard to see where it puts a foot wrong. The removal of its big brother's multiplayer mode knocks it back, limiting this to a totally solo pursuit, but in DSiWare's limited sporting library you'll struggle to find a more enjoyable game of golf.


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Love this mitt! Purchased one at a local BBQ store and wanted more for gifts. Difficult time finding them locally, so happy to see them online at the same price. The BEST for keeping fingers safe when BBQing and holding hot foods for carving.
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A win for your Marlins is as crucial to your happiness as having a house and a car. Keep your keys secure and your hopes high with the Miami Marlins lanyard. This super soft strap features the new Marlins logos alternating for a solid display of your devotion and dedication to the best ball club out there! In addition, the detachable buckle at its neck lets you remove your keys quickly and easily.
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The new year will mean nothing if you're still in love with your comfort zone.
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At least most of them aren't snickering about the blood clot.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was recently hospitalized after doctors found a blood clot in her head, a condition that ABC News reported was "potentially 'life-threatening.'" The hospitalization came in the wake of the news in December that Clinton had suffered a concussion after catching a virus, becoming dehydrated, and fainting.
The news of Clinton's blood clot condition simply highlighted the cavalier and uncaring way her critics reacted to the concussion news, insisting it was fabricated to keep her from testifying before Congress about the terrorist attack in Benghazi. But the blood clot disclosure has done little to spark introspection or remorse among her detractors.
Maybe they're still busy laughing about Clinton's head trauma?
It's true. That story was marked by an unusual amount of laughter and merriment among conservatives. It's not often (ever?) that news of a United States cabinet member suffering a concussion elicits widespread delight in partisan media offices. But that's what happened when the State Department revealed the facts about Clinton's condition: right-wing guffaws.
The unhinged concussion response seemed to mark the unofficial return of the Clinton Crazies, that marauding mindset among conservatives who spent the 90's launching endless attacks against the Clintons; vicious and wildly personal attacks that went far beyond partisan debate. (i.e. Accusations of killings and mass murder.)
With Bill Clinton out of office and Hillary Clinton retreating from domestic politics in her role as Secretary of State, the Clinton Crazies temporarily shelved their hate of the former First Couple and focused their misguided attention on President Obama and his family.
But with Hillary Clinton's overseas term coming to an end and growing speculation about her future political plans in America, we're witnessing the unsightly resurrection of the Clinton Crazies, or Clinton Derangement Syndrome. Now there seems to be a conservative competition to see who can be the most offensive while operating under the guise of "political debate."
What else explains the conservative media's decision to treat Clinton's head trauma as being side-splittingly funny? There's something very disturbing about how it coalesced around its strategy to make fun of her health. I'd suggest there's also something very distasteful about gleefully mocking the health of a woman in her mid-sixties.
But boy, Fox News' Laura Ingraham thought the story was a hoot:
Fox News has continued to accuse President Obama of covering up the U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi, now claiming emails that allegedly linked the attack to a terrorist group challenge the administration's story. But the information being used by Fox appears to be unreliable, proving the point that information released in the middle of an attack needs to be corroborated.
CBS News and other outlets released State Department emails sent during the Benghazi attack, which reported that militia group Ansar al-Sharia had allegedly claimed responsibility. Fox seized on the emails to claim that the administration knew about the group's participation in the raid and therefore was hiding the truth by discussing the influencethat an anti-Islam video had on the raid. To back up the attack, Fox News contributor Liz Cheney appeared on the October 24 edition of America's Newsroom and claimed that "it is unusual for Al Qaeda-related groups to claim responsibility for attacks that they are not involved in":
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton responded to the story in an October 24 press conference, explaining that "[p]osting something on Facebook in and of itself is not evidence." Fox responded by accusing Clinton of "dismissing the significance" of the emails in an on-screen graphic.
But Clinton is right: Terrorist organizations often claim responsibility for attacks they did not commit. In fact, the information linking the attack to the Libyan group Ansar al-Sharia is reportedly wrong.
Today on Your World with Neil Cavuto, guest host Stuart Varney had highlighted pictures of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enjoying a beer and dancing at a Cartagena bar during a trip to Colombia for the Summit of the Americas. One of Varney's guests, Heritage Foundation's Nile Gardiner launched an attack, claiming that the pictures made Clinton look "as though she's auditioning for the sixth series of Jersey Shore rather than representing America on the world stage as Secretary of State."
This attack was so over the top, it was called out by Republican strategist Dee Dee Beinke, who called out Gardiner's attack as unfair and sexist.
From the August 2 edition of CNN's Reliable Sources:
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Terry Krepel, a senior web editor at Media Matters and founder and editor of ConWebWatch, has a great piece up at Huffington Post about the reemergence of the Western Journalism Center. Be sure to check out the entire piece.
Here's just a taste:
How is Barack Obama's birth certificate like Vince Foster?
To answer that, we must go back to the very beginning. After leaving the Sacramento Union in 1991, Joseph Farah and former Union publisher James Smith founded the Western Journalism Center -- under whose aegis Farah later founded WorldNetDaily. (After WND was spun off as a for-profit subsidiary in 1998, the WJC's share of of it was gradually transferred over the years to Farah.)
Farah likes to peddle the story that the WJC was founded "to fill a growing void in my industry's commitment to investigative reporting" and that its "mission was not ideological." In fact, the WJC didn't do all that much actual investigating; its main function was to attack the Clinton administration by promoting conspiracy theories surrounding the death of deputy White House counsel Vince Foster -- it accepted $330,000 in donations from then-Clinton-hater Richard Mellon Scaife toward that end, and other conservative foundations contributed as well -- and it went dormant as soon as Clinton left office.
Now that there's a Democrat in the Oval Office again, guess who's back?
The first hint of the WJC's resurrection came last August with a WorldNetDaily commentary by Andrea Shea King touting Jerome Corsi's factually dubious anti-Obama book, asserting that the book contains "legitimate questions about Obama that the author meticulously documents in the book's nearly 700 footnotes." The article contained the tagline, "This column was commissioned by the Western Journalism Center."
After undergoing a slight name modification -- it now prefers to call itself the slightly more highfalutin'-sounding Western Center for Journalism -- the WJC website is functional again, if only as a blog linking to other articles trashing President Obama and the so-called "liberal media" in general while offering no original commentary. According to its archives, blog posts began sporadically last September, but the blogging efforts have ramped up over the past few months. All posts thus far are anonymous.
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MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell: "I daresay that if there had been three or four IRS audits of the Clintons' tax returns or all of the Bill Clinton money raising, maybe she still wouldn't be secretary of state."
It's tempting to see this is nothing more than an obnoxious and baseless suggestion that the Clintons are crooked. But it's more than that: it's a stunningly clueless statement, because we would surely know already if the Clintons had failed to pay their taxes.
See, the Clintons have released their tax returns to the public. It was kind of a big deal, with the media -- Andrea Mitchell included -- endlessly clamoring for the returns (and showing no comparable interest in John McCain's.) A big enough deal that it's incomprehensible that a national political reporter like Andrea Mitchell wouldn't know that the Clintons released the returns.
(Thanks to S.P. for the tip.)
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On his radio show, Lou Dobbs baselessly suggested that Hillary Clinton and James Carville "ratcheted up" the federal investigation into business and government dealings in New Mexico: "What, an investigation into the New Mexico governor [Bill Richardson]? Maybe he messed with Senator Hillary Clinton one time too many. When James Carville calls you 'Judas,' look out -- things tend to happen. They ratcheted up an investigation."
After asserting that John F. Kennedy Jr. "was supposed to run" for Senate before his death in a plane crash, Michael Savage stated: "And to this day, people wonder why he died in a plane crash, and then suddenly, enter from ... stage left, the carpetbagger Hillary Clinton, who moved to Chappaquiddick [sic], and next, you know, she's running for the presidency."
On Hannity & Colmes, Dick Morris revived the myth that Sen. Hillary Clinton became a New York Yankees fan only after she decided to run for the Senate, saying: "What I've always hated about Hillary is the phoniness. 'I'm from New York.' 'I'm a Yankee fan.' 'Oh, I love to chug-a-lug.' 'I'm a hunting -- or a hunter.' You know, all of this absolute garbage that you know isn't true."
In a Washington Times column, Armstrong Williams claimed that secretary of state nominee Sen. Hillary Clinton's "antics and brokering of deals on how many times she gets to stand with Mr. Obama have signaled the beginnings of a rogue element." Williams then asked: "Does she see her powerful position as some shadow Oval Office when it comes to international diplomacy?" Williams also asserted: "I fear the incoming Obama White House will be forced to engage in hours upon hours of groveling and hand-holding down in Foggy Bottom."


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Cell Broco - 'Little Bit In Love' Out Now, New Animated Video
The debut single from Cell Broco is out now - you can pick up your copy from the Big Dada Shop, iTunes and Amazon.
Read MoreBig Dada are very pleased to announce the signing of Cell Broco. A 22 year old singer and producer from Manchester, Cell Broco has come up through the roots of bassline and funky and now makes his way into the city's unique house scene, producing nostalgic and futuristic 4/4 house like it should be - sparse, low-slung and full of funk.
If you were lucky enough to make it to Sala BeCool in Barcelona on Sunday you will have caught Cell Broco's debut appearance for the label alongside Machinedrum, Letherette, Illum Sphere, Martyn and Lapalux. If not, then check out this new mix he's dropped for a taste of what's in store from Big Dada's fresh new talent.
The debut single from Cell Broco is out now - you can pick up your copy from the Big Dada Shop, iTunes and Amazon.
Read MoreThe debut single from new Big Dada signing Cell Broco is out now - pick up your copy from the Ninjashop, iTunes and Amazon
Read MoreCell Broco will release his first single for Big Dada Little Bit In Love, on 23rd September 2013!
Read MoreKutmah lays down a mix of classics, collabs & unreleased heat from Steve Spacek's epic catalogue, ahead of this week's Record Shop Residency from Drift Records featuring Romare, Four Tet, Oneohtrix Point Never & more.
Read More
Head to XLR8R to hear Ghostly-regular Fort Romeau turn in a strictly four-to-the-floor rework of Gold, the new single from Andreya Triana's upcoming album, Giants, released later this year on Counter Records.
Read MoreTune into Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards on demand tonight from 7.30pm GMT featuring live performances from Dorian Concept, Seven Davis Jr & Taylor McFerrin.
Read MoreWerkdiscs boss-man Actress remixes Wiley's Snakes & Ladders track, From The Outside; listen on The Wire. Meanwhile physical LP, CD & T-shirt bundles are in - order yours here.
Read More
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Need I say more? The Bernardus Lodge is everything you may want for a romantic Carmel getaway. The grounds are beautiful, the staff are the ultimate in professionalism (without being stuffy) and the whole place just "screams" relaxation!
We've stayed in so many ramshackles calling themselves hotels in downtown Carmel by the Sea that we were happy to upgrade to the more relaxing atmosphere, better weather and beautiful scenery of Carmel Valley. We only stayed one night in the Fall (so no pool activity) and the hotel was not entirely full but the vibe was definitely serene.
The rooms are spacious and immaculate but could use a bit of "contemporizing". The bed, linens and towels are top notch. The snacks and welcome wine are a very nice touch.
It was nice to walk to dinner at Marinus rather than have to drive into Carmel Valley or downtown. It was an OUTSTANDING meal with service to match!! It was fine dining at it's finest without being pretentious or stuffy.
We will return!
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- Lodge is widely recognized as one of the top winemaking estates in California. Founded by celebrated winemaker Bernardus Pon, the Lodge resembles a classic European country inn, with 57 suites, a luxurious spa, award-winning restaurant and the Bernardus Winery and Vineyard. For a relaxing getaway, an off-site retreat, or romantic wedding, discover why Bernardus has become the luxurious heart of Carmel Valley. ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with T4B, Expedia, Hotels.com, Orbitz, TripOnline SA, Priceline, Cheap Tickets and Despegar.com so you can book your Bernardus Lodge & Spa reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Bernardus Hotel Carmel Valley
- Bernardus Carmel Lodge Valley
- Bernardus Lodge


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Friday 28 April 2006
Whatever Nintendo decided to call its next-gen console, it was always going to be a talking point, but its choice of Wii has been met with a /huge/ response.
No more so than on our GamesRadar forums where Wii has been on the lips of nearly every poster since Nintendo revealed the curious moniker.
So, to give you an idea of what people think about the new name, here's a collection of some of the comments posted on the GR forums:
"Revolution was great. This is like the [GameCube's] purpleness and handle all over again."
"Sigh... Nintendo, you had so long to pick the coolest, sleekest, most awesome name ever to fit your new console. Why did you have to choose Wii of all things!"
"Wii = please take the piss, pretty please, you know you want to, go on."
"That you need to be told how to pronounce 'Wii' means it is a bad name, period."


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The Holliswood Center for Rehabilitation and Health Care on July 17 hosted a carnival for its residents, staff and family members.
Arcade games, food, music and a few clowns provided a festive atmosphere.
At top, a patient tries her luck at basketball. Above, Havana Renee Franco, 3, shows off her amazing prowess at knocking cans off a platform for a prize.


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Cover | Book | Actions |
The young ranchers or Fighti...Edward S. EllisEllis was an American author who wrote hundreds of "dime" novels under his own name and many pseudonyms. |
The young ranchers or Fighting the Sioux |
Dance of SeductionElle Kennedy
Average wait: 97d, 15h
Tracking her was easy. Staying out of her bed—that's the hard part. On the run from her past and her overprotective brother, Ellie has had a taste of freedom—and likes it. Nothing can make her go home. Not even when the man she's always lon… more |
Dance of Seduction |
Angelfire (Angelfire Trilogy...Courtney Allison MoultonFirst there are nightmares. Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.Then come the memories. When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyon… more |
Angelfire (Angelfire Trilogy (Quality) Book 1) |
Circle : An Erotic Fairy TaleBen Schrodinger
Average wait: N/A
Erotic gender swap/body swap story intended for mature audiences only. Over 10,000 words. Three wanderers on Ilkley Moor accidentally offend a malevolent fairy by eating his house. The fairy is pissed off and curses John and his childhoo… more |
Circle : An Erotic Fairy Tale |
Becoming His Sex Slave (Tabo...Pandora Box18-year old Ellie has recently learned that her role is to pleasure men sexually. Whenever and wherever her housemate needs her, it's her job to make sure that he gets off. Every morning, she wakes him up with a blow-job, right before he ch… more |
Becoming His Sex Slave (Taboo Sex/Mind Control Erotica) |
Oboe (Cal Rogan Mysteries Book 2)Robert P. French
Average wait: N/A
Cal's first case back on the force is the death of a boy about the same age as his daughter, Ellie. The murder looks ritualistic and when Cal investigates, he discovers that the murdered boy had some very unusual abilities. Oboe takes Cal i… more |
Oboe (Cal Rogan Mysteries Book 2) |
ThreadsBeth Brown
Average wait: N/A
When Ellis and her grandmother walk to the neighborhood bookstore the last thing Ellis expects to do is visit a parallel timeline. Until now Ellis thought her parents died in an accident when she was four, so when she learns that they disap… more |
Threads |
MAKE BELIEVE GIRL (Titillati...Sandy Thomas
Average wait: N/A
MAKE BELIEVE GIRLSummer vacation in the Big City. Not much room for a guy to run and jump but plenty of room to swish and prance! A summer in the city with an Aunt turns a guy's life upside down! Why would any Aunt want to take her nephe… more |
MAKE BELIEVE GIRL (Titillating TV Tales Book 14) |
Wherever Nina LiesLynn Weingarten
Average wait: N/A
KIRKUS called this heart-pounding YA mystery "gripping…Sibling loyalty, quirky characters, misplaced trust and the very questionable kindness of a stranger guarantee a riveting read."Nina was beautiful, wild & adored by her younger sister… more |
Wherever Nina Lies |
Dream Angel #4 Battle for th...Jennifer Rash
Average wait: N/A
Dream Angel tries to take a day off and just be a normal girl. As Arora and her best friend Ellie are relaxing in the local mall enjoying a little peace, they actually encounter a normal problem: a former classmate and school bully doing wh… more |
Dream Angel #4 Battle for the mall: Battle for the mall |
Ellie and the Kitchenettes "...Jennifer Speanburgh
Average wait: N/A
The Kitchenettes surprise Ellie with her favorite breakfast for her birthday. I wonder what it is?! |
Ellie and the Kitchenettes "Happy Birthday Ellie" |
SeagirlH. L. Blake
Average wait: N/A
"There it was again. Always there, waiting, a bottomless well ready whenever she looked for it. Guilt, it might be called, if such a small word could mean anything compared to how she felt. Her mind looked, found, sorted the emotion that wa… more |
Seagirl |
Murder at the AltarVeronica Heley
Average wait: N/A
Recovering from the devastation caused by her husband's early death, and bullied by her ambitious daughter, Ellie struggles to find her own identity. When a body is found in the church opposite her house she cannot help but ask questions. |
Murder at the Altar |
The Knot MonsterJennifer Hazen Buss, Danielle Buss
Average wait: N/A
A school-aged girl named Ellie hates to have her hair brushed in the morning. Her mother tells her stories of a little purple monster called The Knot Monster who parties in her hair while sleeping, causing all the knots! Ellie sets out to c… more |
The Knot Monster |
Roses of Blood on Barbwire VinesZ.A. Recht
Average wait: N/A
Zombies have devoured mankind. And the few survivors would be better off dead because a clan of vampires, bloodthirsty and vicious, have captured the remnants of humanity for livestock. In an apartment building barricaded with wrecked cars… more |
Roses of Blood on Barbwire Vines |
His Wife, Her FriendCJ Jaxx
Average wait: N/A
Andy wants to be dominated by his wife, Ellie, but she's not aware of this desire. However, Kilo, the new neighbor down the street, notices Andy as she walks her dog each day, and sees not only his submissive side, but she sees something i… more |
His Wife, Her Friend |
A Matter Of PassionAllison KnightClay arrives at the home of his older brother's mistress to claim their love child. However the mistress who died giving birth insisted her sister, Ellie, raise the infant.Ellie flees with the babe but Clay follows. Circumstances force them… more |
A Matter Of Passion |
Shadow Touch (A Shadow Touch...Erin Kellison
Average wait: 1d, 23h
MagicIt is bleeding into our world, bringing with it banshees, wraiths, fae from the twisting forests of Twilight. But Elllie's problem is a very different kind of phenomenon … ShadowIt ought to be attached to her;instead it has a life… more |
Shadow Touch (A Shadow Touch Novella) |
Coming with Angels (Cuckold Book 1)Jeff White
Average wait: N/A
A hardcore adult book, not for sale to minors. Coming with Angels tells the story of Ellis, whose fantasy is for his girlfriend to go with another man and then tell him all about it. Frida is that girlfriend and eventually she agrees, but s… more |
Coming with Angels (Cuckold Book 1) |
34 Pieces of YouCarmen RodriguesA dark and moving novel—reminiscent of Thirteen Reasons Why—about the mystery surrounding a teenage girl's fatal overdose.There was something about Ellie…something dangerous. Charismatic. Broken. Jake looked out for her. Sarah followed her … more |
34 Pieces of You |


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The handsome Cuisinart Burr Grind and Brew DGB-900 Thermal coffeemaker grinds its own beans courtesy of a fancy built-in burr grinder.
Smarter Coffee is a Wi-Fi-enabled bean-to-brew machine with an app for remote access to your next caffeine fix.
Whether its the best drip you can make at home or robotic smarts there's a slick coffeemaker here for you.
A new all-cotton hydrophobic shirt from Threadsmiths runs a liquid gauntlet full of coffee, tea, soy sauce and wine.
After months of anticipation, World of Warcraft-maker Blizzard has brought its popular card-battling game to Google gadgets.
Did you just get a gift card for something you'll never use? There's a site for that.
The ride-sharing service, which looks to be valued at roughly $40 billion, says its missteps over the past few weeks are driving it to become "smarter and more humble."
Even the darkest corners of your home can get a dose of fresh, free sunlight with this simple device now making a run on Kickstarter.
A specially designed "space cup" would let astronauts sip their espresso in Zero-G style aboard the ISS.
Somabar's automated craft-cocktail appliance on Kickstarter wants to put a robo-bartender in every home.


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Father, Sons Paddle 72 Days Around Lake Superior
Posted: 08/09/2011 - They returned Monday, about two weeks ahead of schedule.
Posted: 08/09/2011 - They returned Monday, about two weeks ahead of schedule.
Posted: 08/09/2011 - People fishing found the body part Sunday afternoon.
Posted: 08/09/2011 - Nearly 60 people work there.
Posted: 08/09/2011 - It plans to start producing castings there next year.
Updated: 08/09/2011 - About 1,900 Lansing Board of Water & Light lost power early Tuesday.
Updated: 08/09/2011 - How many of you are willing to brave the orange cones and traffic to get to a certain Saginaw business? Apparently not enough, because some say the construction is costing them major business.
Posted: 08/08/2011 - Claims state shouldn't approve signatures until his appeal of the petition language is finished.
Updated: 08/09/2011 - We checked in with an MSU retail expert about how best to save some dough during back-to-school shopping.
Updated: 08/09/2011 - You've heard about the troubles on Wall Street and the credit downgrade, but what does it mean for you?
Posted: 08/08/2011 - Disgraced former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's memoirs go on Sale Tuesday.
Updated: 08/09/2011 - Local doctors explain what they're seeing in their offices this week.
Posted: 08/08/2011 - Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine has 50 students in its inaugural class.
Posted: 08/08/2011 - The company wants to put vacant Detroit land to use for farming.
Posted: 08/08/2011 - The auto club says drivers in and around the capital city are paying $3.65 a gallon.
Posted: 08/08/2011 - A woman and four children jumped onto bedding being held by people below.
Updated: 08/08/2011 - Students must show a "true need" for reaping the benefits of food assistance program.
Posted: 08/07/2011 - Said the agency's decision to downgrade the U.S. credit rating showed a "stunning lack of knowledge"
Posted: 08/07/2011 - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner joined the emergency conference call
Updated: 08/08/2011 - More bad news for Wall Street after Standard & Poor's downgraded the United State's credit rating for the first time in history.
Posted: 08/07/2011 - Many in Washington blame the tea party
Updated: 08/09/2011 - The men were alive but unresponsive when pulled out.
Posted: 08/07/2011 - Four Michigan communities won a national contest, the problem is they're still waiting on the promised prize.
Updated: 08/08/2011 - A knife attack at an apartment complex leaves a young woman in critical condition
Posted: 08/06/2011 - Mid-Michigan teens had the opportunity to learn defensive driving techniques from state police.
Updated: 08/07/2011 - At least the ninth drowning in mid-Michigan in the past two months


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February 4th Moonlight Snowshoe Hike - Water Canyon
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Recent Donations Thank you!!!
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Plan your next adventure with Destination Recreation!


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recipe reviews for:
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This casserole is everything you love about breakfast in one dish.
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It's like a fully loaded baked potato, casserole-style, for brunch or dinner.


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The fight against cancer is one State Fair Lady Roadrunners guard Adella Randle-El takes personally.
Three years ago her grandfather was diagnosed with brain cancer.
"He's very strict, but he made me get the job done," she said. "He taught me a lot."
On Feb. 13, Randle-El and the rest of the Roadrunners and Lady Roadrunners took cancer head-on with the "Think Pink, Bleed Blue" game at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center. The Lady Roadrunners wore pink jerseys and many of the men's players had pink socks. The visiting Crowder College women's team wore pink shoelaces. Even the officials got involved with pink whistles.
With T-shirt sales and a silent auction, the game raised $2,651.50 for Bothwell Regional Health Center's Susan O'Brien Fischer Cancer Center, which provides comprehensive treatment including radiation and chemotherapy. A silent auction raised $1,363. The rest came from shirt sales, a bake sale, tickets to the game and a 50/50 raffle.
"There are other big causes besides basketball," said Lady Roadrunners coach Kevin Bucher. "There are so many people that have been lost to cancer and there are so many people who are fighting cancer now. We said a prayer before the game for those who are battling and those who died from it."
Bothwell spokesperson Lisa Church said the funds will go toward improvements to the center, education for doctors and nurses, patient needs and equipment.
"I think a lot of times if you don't know someone who has received treatment here you may not be aware of what services are available locally," Church said. "In this case where it's hitting that college mark, that does a lot to increase awareness."
In past years, the "Think Pink game" has raised money for national organizations, but this year State Fair wanted to help out locally.
"One of the things I really like to see is for people to recognize they can help their friends and family members right here," Church said.
State Fair presented the check to Bothwell during halftime of the women's basketball game against Jefferson College on Wednesday.


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HSBC pledges £15bn in mortgage lending for 2012
HSBC has pledged to lend at least £15bn in mortgages this year, with £3bn set aside specifically for first-time buyers.
It says this represents a market share of 11 per cent, the largest share it has ever had.
In the first half of 2011, HSBC lent £6.7bn in residential mortgages, 35 per cent more than a year previously.
HSBC head of lending Martijn van der Heijden says: "In 2011 we offered UK borrowers some of the most competitive rates around and we plan to continue this in 2012.
"While some estimates suggest mortgage lending in the UK will fall this year, HSBC has no intention of closing its doors to customers, nor will we compromise our reputation for responsible lending.
"Today's announcement to make at least £15bn available to UK homeowners with £3bn explicitly for first-time buyers demonstrates HSBC's commitment to continuing to help people move up or indeed take the first step onto the housing ladder."
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Critics use the adjective "Michelangeloesque." What does this adjective mean to you? Please give an all-inclusive definition of the term.
1 Answer | Add Yours
In considering the art produced by Michelangelo, critics and the public alike for hundreds of years have used the same types of descriptions. Michelangelo's work is marked by painstaking detail, incredible acccuracy in depicting the human form, and filled with intense portrayals of emotion and action. His works are dramatic and large-scale, but very personal and presented in a manner that draws the viewer into intimate involvement with the scene being displayed. "One of the qualities most admired by his contemporaries was his terribilità, a sense of awe-inspiring grandeur..
When a critic uses the adjective "Michelangeloesque" to describe a contemporary work of art, the critic is saying that the work has these same characteristics.
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