text:
The joke that was originally here has been removed. It was of poor quality.. Even for my standards :D
Edited by LugBug1 - 2/3/13 at 1:40am
The joke that was originally here has been removed. It was of poor quality.. Even for my standards :D
Gee what a lovely post! But I'm sure the standard will improve over the coming year.
I know we were a bit offtopic..big oops back to business then
was your question answered ? Like you, I have the HE 400 and just bought the LCD 2.2. To top it off, I also run a Schiit stack at home. If you have a reply, let me know.
I have Schiit Lyr/Bifrost and LCD 2.2, too and just ordered HE-400. David Mahler replied in this thread (http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-57-headphones-compared-update-hifiman-he-400-added-12-24-12/2550#post_9087120 and http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-57-headphones-compared-update-hifiman-he-400-added-12-24-12/2550#post_9087147) that the both headphones can be good compliments as they are "tuned differently".
Also have the LCD2 Rev2 and sold my HE500 a few weeks ago(too unengaging)and should receive a HE400 any day!!!
At the mercy of New Zeland customs!!!
Please post a comparaison when you receive the HE400! It's intriguing you are basically "downgrading" to get the sound signature you appreciate more.
I don't know yet if I like the HE400 more;I just think after David's review it can't be as boring as the HE500(which has a beautiful sound but doesn't get you "going",if you know what I mean).
No, I don't know what you mean. Please explain, if I may ask.
I briefly auditioned the HE-400 at a local Head-Fi meet (I think it was on a Peachtree Audio setup?) and didn't think too much of it, but again, briefly.
It is interesting to see so much being talked about the HE-400, mostly good things. Is it because it's an "affordable" planar magnetic headphone? Tyll at Innerfidelity didn't like the HE-400 enough to do a full-on review for it, and the measurements do look kind of wonky, especially the 300 Hz sine wave response, THD+n, and impulse response. I know measurements don't tell the whole story, so it's intriguing to me to see this discussion.
Wow..ur the first one saying the he500 is boring..for me its like people saying i am not Smart with my iq of 140..
t seriously..what amp u used to drive the he500 if i may ask.
Did you use velour pads with the HE500, back when you owned it? Their sound signature and engagement depends heavily on the earpad choice.
^ this
ninjas with opinions speak softly in shadow


text:
quote:crazy game of poker
quote: eta: it is O.A.R. doofus not BDP.
quote:They played 3 songs in 2 hrs and did a bunch of coke in between.
quote:no way no one believe you
quote:why does it bother you its not on the music board? why not just not click on the thread?
quote:that's a good cover of benjy davis
quote:I bet no chick has done it with the lights on with you huh?!?!?!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fixed prices per vehicle NOT per person & one way only Free of charge baby & booster seat 7/24 Telephone support Flight monitoring No credit card required Free waiting time All cars & drivers are non-smoking
Istanbul Airport Transfer, Sabiha Gokcen Airport Transfer, Ataturk Airport Transfer, Istanbul Airport Shuttle. Istanbul Airport Transfer, Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Ataturk Airport Taxi, Sabiha Gokcen Taxi From to Sabiha Gokcen Ataturk Airport Cheap Transfer
Your reservation will be confirmed within 8 hours. Please check your e-mail address for confirmation. Please give us detailed information about your request so we can best serve you If your route is not listed please contact us via email or phone.


text:
Beal Slough Stream Stability East of 56th
- Contact Person:
- Rock Krzycki
- 402-309-5936
- Type of Project:
- Design and Construction
- Stream Channel Stabilization
- Project Description:
- The stream banks east of S 56th Street along Beal Slough are eroding and causing damage to adjacent properties. Stormwater runoff from area streets and parking lots carries pollutants, such as car fluids, fertilizer from area lawns, sediment from construction activity, and sediment from stream bank erosion, directly into Beal Slough. The solution is to reshape and stabilize the stream banks in this area and build two water quality wetlands that will store and remove some of these pollutants before they reach Beal Slough.
- Project Status:
- Construction Complete
- Consultant:
- E&A Consulting Group
- Contractor:
- LeGrande
- Video:
- Download Project Video (1:49)
- Photos:
- Prior to Construction:
November 2004
SW corner of London Rd. Park, downstream
November 2004
SW corner of London Rd. Park, bank cutting
November 2004
SW corner of London Rd. Park, bank cutting
November 2004
SW corner of London Rd. Park, upstream- Construction:
August 2007
Stream Bank Stabilization
August 2007
Inlet to East Water Quality Wetland
August 2007
East Wetland- Map of Project:
- Download Project Map (326 K)
- Rain to Recreation


text: Howard Bank Duo Names 'Dream Team' July 15, 2013 The Baltimore Business Journal has announced that Howard Bank President & CEO Mary Ann Scully and CFO George Coffman have been selected as 2013 CEO/CFO Dream Team honorees. The duo was among six selected in a competition to recognize "dynamic leadership teams that are transforming business," according to the BBJ. A panel of judges selected the honorees based on their organizational revenue growth, innovation and new products, stock appreciation, new income growth, corporate philanthropy and overall leadership style. The CEO/CFO Dream Team honors will be presented at an awards breakfast July 26, 7:30-9:30 a.m., at the Hilton Baltimore. To register, contact firstname.lastname@example.com, 410-454-0500. Howard Bancorp is a bank holding company with total assets of $402 million as of December 31, 2012. Its principal operating subsidiary, Howard Bank, located in Ellicott City, MD, is a growth-focused community bank serving businesses, professionals and individuals in the Greater Baltimore area through five full service branches and also a regional office in Annapolis, MD. It most recently announced an agreement, subject to regulatory approval, to purchase a branch in Harford County from Cecil Bank and announced plans to open another regional office in Towson, MD with a full service branch. Howard Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Howard Bancorp (NASDAQ: HBMD). For information, call 410-750-0020 or visit www.howardbank.com Howard Bancorp, Inc. Source: Howard Bancorp, Inc. |


text:
Welcome to the Brady Urological Institute more..
James Buchanan Brady"Diamond Jim Brady"
Opened in January 1915, The Brady Urological Institute was the only one of its kind in the country. Number One Urological Institute in USA for 22 years
• History
• Faculty Listing
• Faculty Directory
• Awards and Honors
Residency applicant interviews will be held on December 2 and December 11, 2014. Please click here for more details.
• Urologic Oncology
• Basic Research
• Minimally Invasive & Endourology
• Pediatric
Johns Hopkins Urology
Innovation in Urology
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon Biology major, Chemistry minor. Senior Research - Enzymology (Dr. S. A. Bernhard), Univ. of Oregon
Teaching & Research Instructor - Department of Biochemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo. Postdoctoral training in Clinical Chemistry, Dr. Max Chilcote, Erie County Laboratories, Meyer Hospital, Buffalo, New York. (American Board of Clinical Chemistry approved program.)


text:
Dworshak Reservoir
full; July 4 outdoor fun awaits visitors
Dworshak Reservoir reached its
full-pool elevation, 1,600 feet, on Thursday, and recreation facilities are
ready for Fourth of July visitors, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park managers
announced this week.
Dworshak Dam and Reservoir
offers a variety of outdoor summer fun opportunities during the July 4 holiday –
boating, camping, water sports, swimming, fishing, hiking and more.
"All campgrounds and boat
ramps are open for use," said Paul Pence, Dworshak natural resources manager.
"And, the bass and kokanee fishing have been great!"
Dent Acres Campground sites
are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors can call
Dworshak recreation staff at
The Corps invites visitors to
come use the recreation facilities at Dworshak Dam and Reservoir, but it's
important to remember to leave some things behind, according to Corps recreation
officials -- fireworks of any kind are prohibited in all the Corps' parks and on
its lands across the Walla Walla District. Restrictions aren't intended to limit
visitors' ability to celebrate, but rather to help all visitors enjoy an
incident-free occasion.
The Corps and law enforcement
officials will be patrolling facilities through the holiday, according to Deb
Norton, Lead Park Ranger for Dworshak Dam and Reservoir. "The last thing our
rangers want to do is to have to issue citations to fireworks-policy violators,
but they will if necessary in order to keep all of our visitors safe. We hope
everyone will recognize the very real risk that fireworks pose in a forested
environment and appreciate that safety is everybody's responsibility."
In addition, the reserving of
mini-camp sites along the Dworshak Reservoir shoreline is prohibited.
Early placement of camping equipment at mini-camp sites in an attempt to save a
spot for the July 4 holiday can result in the removal of the camping equipment
or a citation.
Please, enjoy the reservoir
safely this weekend by taking the following precautions:
Changing weather conditions
can create unsafe situations on open water. Know the weather and have a
float plan.
Keep life jackets on children
while on or around the water.
Don't let small children out
of your sight.
Check the serviceability of
your boat.
Ensure properly fitting,
accessible and serviceable life vests are available for each occupant on your
boat. Better yet, wear them.
Before proceeding at higher
speeds, familiarize yourself with the area you will be boating as there may be
floating woody debris or rocks, stumps and shallow areas not visible from the
When boating on the reservoir,
please use caution because lake levels can change quickly – anchor your boat in
water deep enough to avoid beaching and leave enough slack in your anchor line
to avoid sinking should lake levels fluctuate up or down.
Campfires should be made using
established fire rings only.


text:
WAR PAINT Series
These paintings are an expressive exploration of strength, masculinity, and courage. I am inspired by the variety of ways in which people summon their inner strength to prepare for battle, and through this body of work, I hope to expand upon the notion of what "being tough" really means.
War Paint will be featured in a two-person exhibition this summer at the Lyman-Eyer Gallery in Provincetown along with the work of Kevin Peterson. The exhibit coincides with P-Town's Carnival celebration, and the opening reception will be Friday, August 22.
Visit my website for more details and purchase information: paulrichmondstudio.com


text:
Professional bowlers bowl not forcefully but gingerly, lending the ball spin and preserving the unhatched robin eggs inside every pin. Strike softly with this Groupon.
$24.99 for a Bowling Package for Up to Six (Up to $56 Total Value)
- Two hours of candlepin bowling (a $44 value)
- Shoe rental for each person (up to a $12 value)
Harvard Bowling Lanes
Time travel might not be possible yet. But that doesn't mean you can't turn back the clocks at Harvard Bowling Lanes, an old-fashioned alley offering 14 candlepin lanes, vintage decor, and the tactile joys of paper-and-pencil scoring. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the old-school facility does a complete 180, transforming itself into a futuristic cosmic bowling alley saturated in colorful lights and music. After any cosmic or traditional bowling session, the alley invites guests to continue the competition in a vibrant onsite arcade that, unfortunately, does not feature old-timey games such as hoop-and-stick and stick-without-hoop.
82% of 127 customers recommend
"This place is like stepping back in time but it was a fun time to play some Candlepin bowling and it was affordable so I could give the family a fun afternoon. I..."
"This place is like stepping back in time but it was a fun time to play some Candlepin bowling and it was affordable so I could give the family a fun afternoon. I would go back "
"Great fun! Not the high tech alley, but that made it more fun. My 8 and 10 year olds were very pleased and enjoyed their prizes from the arcade tickets. Good fun"
"Nice place. Take advantage of the information from the ones working there as the scoring is different than standard ten pin bowling. Great place and friendly staff."


text:
Attorney General Plans to Sue Drug Manufacturers
Updated: 06/03/2004 - The state attorney general is accusing drug makers of violating the state's wholesale pricing laws.
Updated: 06/03/2004 - The state attorney general is accusing drug makers of violating the state's wholesale pricing laws.
Updated: 06/02/2004 - Dentists monitor patients for physicall abuse.
Updated: 06/02/2004 - A new case of West Nile Virus turns up in Winnebago County.
Updated: 06/02/2004 - A three-term state representative who sits on the Legislature's powerful budget-writing committee has decided against running for re-election in November.
Updated: 06/02/2004 - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today released a study produced by his own staff that portrays his recent legislative record as being in accord with many of the official positions taken by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Updated: 05/31/2004 - A missing unit from the Memorial Day Parade.
Updated: 05/31/2004 - Sunday's heavy rainfall is causing concern for some residents along the Rock River.
Updated: 05/31/2004 - Tornadoes and severe weather cause concern.
Updated: 05/30/2004 - High water levels make residents prepare for the worst.
Updated: 05/30/2004 - It's a dream come true for those involved in World War II.
Updated: 05/28/2004 - For the second year, an Oregon couple is turning heads.
Updated: 05/28/2004 - Police are looking for a Janesville man accused of murder.
Updated: 05/28/2004 - State Senator Donne Trotter questions how Gov. Rod Blagojevich could hire 1,900 people for "critical" positions from December through April and then suggest firing 5,000.
Updated: 05/28/2004 - Legislation banning the slaughter of horses for human food was rejected Friday by the Illinois House.
Updated: 05/28/2004 - Police across the stateline are increasing patrols for the holiday weekend.
Updated: 05/28/2004 - A new poll shows the number of Illinois voters who think Governor Rod Blagojevich is doing a good job has plummeted since February.
Updated: 05/28/2004 - Poll says voters oppose increasing the number of casinos.
Updated: 05/27/2004 - Unruly students are forcing some teachers out of public schools.
Updated: 05/26/2004 - State labor officials say unemployment decreased in all but one of Wisconsin's 11 largest metro areas in April.
Updated: 05/26/2004 - The jackpot in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery drawing grew to $42 million Wednesday.
Updated: 05/26/2004 - A 20-year-old Rockford man who authorities say kept a hit list of politicians and celebrities will remain in federal custody pending explosives charges.
Updated: 05/26/2004 - A 22-year-old Janesville man is shot to death after a domestic dispute. Janesville police say the shooting happened around ten last night in the 200 block of Madison St.
Updated: 05/26/2004 - Police in Madison, Wisconsin believe a man already behind bars is a serial rapist responsible for at least two dozen attacks including one in a Roscoe parking lot.
Updated: 05/26/2004 - A new road extension is paving the way for concern.
Updated: 05/25/2004 - Getting rid of the fat on our bodies can also mean getting rid of the fat in our pocketbooks.


text:
- Maternity Leave as a Feminist Flashpoint
- …my vision of more flexible workplace policies that would allow us all to be healthier, less crazed people has very little to do with some kind of quid pro quo with my child-bearing sisters. While I will admit to occasionally being annoyed when one workplace colleague on Facebook (who gave birth a few months ago) posts statuses like, 'hmm, soap opera or nap?' I'm mature enough to recognize that my twinges of jealousy in no way negate that she probably spent three months locked indoors with no adult conversation for her pains, and also, like, pushed a watermelon out of her hoo-ha. Which! Annoying as my job is, I did not do. So probably she's entitled to more quality Price is Right time than I am.[…] First of all, while I am totally on the moms' sides here as detailed above, I can't help but feel, viscerally, devalued in this debate. This has a lot to do with how parental leave tends to get framed as a 'women''" issue – as though it were of universal concern to us. This is of course a second-order question – in some sense it is a women's issue because it affects a large number of women, and that needs to be enough, a lot of the time. […]And of course I find all too often that maternity leave has become the sum total of 'women's issues' in the workplace. At my own workplace, for example, the women's committee spends almost all of its time talking abou how to balance motherhood and career. On Meet the Press this weekend, parenthood was discussed as the major feature of womanhood without much challenge. Other issues – sexual harassment, coping strategies for mansplainers and male silencing techniques (which I think are HUGELY important if women are to become equals and yet are almost never addressed) – are treated as less important, less crucial to womanhood in the workplace. […] I do think, for a variety of reasons that are no fault of their own, mothers are valued in a way that single, childless women are not. Motherhood is viewed as definitionally selfless, when I think, in fact, it is more complicated than that, and I think most women know that, but I don't know how to get beyond this place where women continue to clutch at their roles as parents. To make it central to female identity. Obviously one of the solutions is to have men become more involved in parenthood, granted equal leave – I am personally of the opinion that nothing will be better for women than the day when men are expected to share equally in the care of progeny. But then, as far as the childless go, we are still at square one. We [the childless] are still [seen as] the people missing some fundamentally human feature.
- Helpful Terms, Unhelpful Tips?
- We got a nifty link from reader Hill Rat yesterday (thanks, brah) that's right in my wheelhouse: its about a research project focusing on gender bias, particularly as it relates to the academy.First, check out this Gender Bias Bingo Card. Not funny, like the original Anti-Feminist Bingo Card, but worth a gander. The card sums up the four major patterns of bias that this Center for Work-Life Law at the University of California at Hastings has identified: Prove it Again, Gender Wars, Double Binds, and the Maternal Wall […]If you wander around the site, you can see concepts explained, watch role-plays, take a quiz, and watch short clips of women offering 'strategies' of varying helpfulness. […]It seems a leetle 101 to me (especially for what appear to be women a generation older than I), but I suppose that's still necessary, even at the university, which I like to think of as something of a haven from the wall-to-wall sexism you might find in a less (generally speaking) liberal working environment. One of the contributors made a good point that the university tenure system actually works against women, because sexist dinosaurs will stick around until they're forced to leave,and their attitudes can set the tone for an entire department.
- What Happened and Why?
- Nate Silver quickly covers the various elections on Tuesday. Re the Maine defeat for marriage equality:
…I think I'll need to look whether the urban-rural divide is a significant factor in a state in addition to its religiosity: Maine is secular, but rural. At the end of the day, it may have been too much to ask of a state to vote to approve gay marriage in an election where gay marriage itself was the headline issue on the ballot. Although the enthusiasm gap is very probably narrowing, feelings about gay marriage have traditionally been much stronger on the right than the left, and that's what gets people up off the couch in off-year elections.I certainly don't think the No on 1 campaign can be blamed; by every indication, they ran a tip-top operation whereas the Yes on 1 folks were amateurish. But this may not be an issue where the campaign itself matters very much; people have pretty strong feelings about the gay marriage issue and are not typically open to persuasion. There's going to be an effort by many on the left to blame Barack Obama for his lack of leadership on gay rights issues; I think the criticism is correct on its face, but I don't know how much it has to do with the defeat in Maine. A more popular Democratic governor, for instance, who had been a bit quicker on the trigger in his support of gay marriage, might have helped more.
- Independent Voters and Empty Explanations
- Nate Silver takes other pundits to school:Why did Democrats lose in Virginia and New Jersey on Tuesday? Because independent voters moved against them, say the pundits.This is true, insofar as it goes […] But it doesn't really tell us very much. It's a lot like saying: the Yankees won the Game 6 last night because they scored more runs than the Phillies. Or: the unemployment rate went up because there were fewer jobs. […] in politics, it's not the proximate cause we're interested in but the ultimate one. […] what caused the independents to move against the Democrats? That's what we're really interested in…
- The Happiness Hat
- Behold Lauren McCarthy's amazing Happiness Hat. It's knitted hat that digs a spike into the back of your head when it senses that you're not smiling. [Video embedded.]It's amazingly creepy and perturbing. I was reminded of how women in particular are often expected to smile or look actively happy. But further than that, a sort of relentless pressure for self-improvement. McCarthy's video of the Happiness Hat didn't make me think, 'Oh, if I smile more I might be happier'. Instead it reminded me of the concept of hegemony as 'the gun inside your head'. Police your thoughts… or else your conscience will prick you – along with the scary hat spike!
- Quote of the Day
- [Trigger warning.]"Battered Presidents Syndrome: It's like Battered Wives Syndrome, except President Obama is the bride with the black eye and Ayatollah Khameini is the abusive husband. And Obama keeps coming back for more."—Michael Goldfarb, online editor for the conservative rag The Weekly Standard.Oh HELL no.
- Fabulous
- Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin to Host the Oscars.For a moment there, I thought there wouldn't be a misogynist asshole involved, but luckily they were able to secure someone who called his then-11-year-old daughter "a rude, thoughtless little pig" who doesn't have "brains" or "decency," and then "joked" two years later (on Letterman's show, ahem)…
- Made In Iran
- "Not one thing was marked Made in Iran. Know why? Because most trade with Iran is prohibited. So why include this mendacious little moment in the commercial? Aside from trying to connect with racist, jingoistic douchnozzles who may be your target audience?"
- Mental Health Coverage Makes Economic Sense
- "A study of an individual employer-based insurance policy found that the savings from decreasing coverage of mental health were entirely canceled out by increased physical health costs. Additionally, untreated behavioral health problems create significant costs for employers in terms of short-term disability absences."
- Jie Qi loves to make things
- "Jie Qi is majoring in mechanical engineering at Columbia University, and as her website says, she loves to make things. […] I love how hardware hacking can be so beautiful. I'll bet that's not the first thing some people think of when they think of neat hardware projects, but I've seen a lot of really lovely things out there. Feel free to show off your own stuff in the comments: complete, incomplete, or even not quite started."
- earlgreytea68: THE GREAT STORY OF WHY AIRTRAN IS MADE OF ENORMOUS FAIL
- "The woman who sat next to me on the connecting flight out of Atlanta had started her day, hours earlier, in Charlotte. She, too, had been told weather was the issue, although she'd been told weather in Atlanta. She said she'd been doing a survey, and every passenger had been told weather, but the weather seemed to drift around the country, never really in the same location twice."
- And the Healthcare Reform Disaster Continues…
- '…a little-noticed provision in the healthcare overhaul bill would require insurers to consider covering Christian Science prayer treatments as medical expenses.' […]
Anyone here want their tax dollars to fund gay conversion therapy? Yeah, me neither. […]I can't even begin to imagine the clusterfuck this would create. And, frankly, I'm none too pleased knowing that insurance companies deny experimental ("unproven") treatment all the time, even when the procedures are known to be effective, on the basis they just haven't yet been done enough. (There's a snake eating its tail for you: We can't approve it because it's not been done enough yet!) But in the event this passes, they'll be compelled to pay for scientifically unsound procedures for patients, who, if their claim is denied, have a constitutional basis on which to challenge the denial: Freedom of religion.
Elsewhere, Amanda Marcotte observes,
It's not just the immediate issue of paying for Christian Scientists to do nothing, because while that's offensive to thrift and decency, it's not really all that expensive. It's also that this sort of thing opens the door to all sorts of charlatans who charge a lot more than $20 a pop to do nothing, using what amounts to magical arguments about healing. "Religious or spiritual" healing is a nice way to dress up the claim that you're going to be healed by some sort of supernatural cause outside of science. If you're going to allow that prayer is a form of healing you're willing to finance, then where do you draw the line?
- How Could a Feminist Even CONSIDER Not Voting Democratic?!
- "My vote is mine, and I've always used it to vote Dem, but I'm getting pretty goddamn tired of giving my vote to a party whose members are reluctant to give their votes to me."
- The mystery of the right wing freakout becomes a bit more clear
- This is why the mantra for Republicans has been 'god, guns, and gays'—all three are actually about one thing, maintaining not just a specific image of masculinity, but suggesting those who fit it are better than everyone else. […]They're getting nuttier because time is demonstrating that their argument—which boils down to arguing they deserve power because they're more competent—is being disproven, and they don't have a back-up plan.
- Recommended Reading for November 4
- Disability and Loss
If you are born differently abled, the state of your body is absolutely normal to you but if you come to this identity after being fully abled, it is a loss.Torchwood 2×11: Adrift
Do not start with 'but she's not mad, she's autistic'. This is not the moment for comparing isms and/or deciding that neurological disabilities deserve more or less stigma than psychiatric ones. For the moment, please, let's lump them all in the same category, under 'things causing one to be locked in a loony bin so that no one has to see us'.
This episode disrespects people like Amanda. Do not argue that it's different because this is a special space madness that doesn't follow the normal rules of psychiatry or neurology. It's not, it's playing on the same tropes human beings have been playing with since madness was invented. They made it a special space madness so they had an excuse to drag out those tropes and wallow in them without conflicting with contemporary knowledge of the realities of mental illness, post-traumatic stress, etc.
- rm: I hate my stupid celiac disease
- "It's not important. And it's not a big deal. I'm sitting here eating a nice little lunch, in fact. But today I really hate my disease, and I'm blogging about it, because even for a no big deal chronic illness, I think it's important to for people to know how the background noise feels."
- Reclamation: thoughts from a fat hairy uppity lame bitch
- "This post started with me suggesting a FAQ on reclamation for the "Finally, a Feminism 101 Blog" blog: "But there's a whole feminist magazine called Bitch and a book called The Ethical Slut, so why can't I call you a slutty bitch?" I tried to write a one-paragraph answer, but things snowballed a little. Here's my attempt at answering; I welcome yours, and have put in a few questions at the end."


text:
A day in the life of an accidental seer.
Dear Alexandra
I am twenty years old and have been practicing witchcraft for around six months, so I'm still a bit of a pup! I have many books, mostly by the acclaimed writer Silver Ravenwolf. I have researched and practiced witchcraft with the information and guidelines that she has helped to give. I have worked and researched with different kinds of magick; elemental, angelic etcetera. I am now studying crystals, however there is one query that is bothering me that, as far as I can see, Silver Ravenwolf doesn't seem to mention in her books. Basically, can I cleanse,consecrate, and empower and charge all my crystals in one ritual or do I have to perform a ritual for each individual crystal? With my time constraints, I fear that if I can't do the latter then I cannot possibly be giving my studies the attention they deserve. Thanks for your time! Also, I'm wondering if you were ever going to release a book, because if you do I would definitely purchase it!
Inquisitive in England
Dear Inquisitive,
In general, you can cleanse, consecrate and empower quite a few crystals all in one ritual. Your only consideration might be whether they are all being charged for the same purpose. For example, if you had a lot of different crystals that you were planning to use for protection rituals, you could prepare all of them in one ritual because the energy you raise in that ritual will be attuned to the powers of protection, and so the date and time correspondences for your ritual would align. But if you try to prepare crystals for all sorts of purposes, your energies may or may not be scattered, correspondences may not be ideal, and you may not be able to give the best possible focus to all of your crystals. I hope that helps! It had never really crossed my mind to write a book about some aspect of WitchCraft, but after your statement I would certainly consider it for some day in the future!
31 Mar 2003


text:
The view from one of the home's two bedrooms highlights the setting's appeal. The chair is a Salvation Army find, dressed up with Rose's handmade cushions and a cashmere throw. She also made the linen window dressing.
The home (on the right) abuts an inlet of the San Francisco Bay in San Rafael, CA.
Rose made the two ceiling lamp shades from crab nets that she lined with a remnant of ombre fabric.
To make the 9-square-foot kitchen work, Rose put a sideboard under the window for storage. Nailed to the wall is a scrap of corroded metal she found underneath an old water heater.
"My office is 30 inches by 71 inches," says Rose. Here it's reflected in a mirror hung by another crab net. "It's just big enough for a computer and a chest of drawers and me in the middle."
Rose framed a plain mirror with found driftwood, which she also used to create the legs of the side table. The tabletop is the end of a wine barrel, which she embellished with a scrap of rope. Salvaged galvanized buckets serve as wastebaskets throughout the home.
"I don't know why more people don't use glass backsplashes," says Rose. Here, she painted the back of a sheet of glass to match the wall and hung it with mirror mounts.
The waterfront room pictured here used to be a porch. On a beam over the sliding door, she and her husband have mounted a retractable movie screen. "At night we lie around on the couches and watch movies projected onto it," she explains.
"I had this wood for a long time and thought about it for a long time," says Rose. She created this headboard with the help of a nail gun in about 20 minutes. "If I get tired of it, I'm going to take it down," she adds.
"I've planted absolutely everything here," says Rose, listing fig trees, olive trees, lemon trees, grapes and more. They moved the entrance to the side of the home for privacy.
"I wanted to have rope handles, so I drilled four holes in every drawer I could find," Rose says. The pile on top is coral, driftwood and other beach detritus, onto which she tosses her jewelry to create the enticing look of a found heap of treasures.
The dining table where Rose creates her in-demand linen bedding by hand. She bought the rug in Istanbul. "You can't go to Istanbul and not come back with a rug."
The bedding pictured here is part of a series she created with dyed linen, based on nautical flags. She keeps the miniature bed around for no reason other than because she likes it.
Here, an old brass porthole that was in the house when she bought it is repurposed as a plant stand of sorts. Rose notes that there is a raccoon skull tucked somewhere in the current display.
In the bathroom, Rose mounted an Ikea sink on a teak double-layer sideboard. The cabinet fronts were created from bench tops she also purchased at Ikea.
"I cut up an old gate-leaf table to make that rack," Rose says. Hanging in the center is the key to a home in France she and her husband used to own.
"That stove is the only heating we have," Rose says. "And it's just never cold." When they moved in, she took out the ceilings, insulated the underside of the roof and planked it to make the home more temperature-efficient.
"This is the view from my bed," Rose says. "I wake up and watch the raccoons tap-dancing on my neighbor's dock." The small table, with a marble top and a carved wood base, came from her grandmother's home in Scotland.
Rose notes that it was thoughtful of the neighbors to choose a red boat so that her view would be prettier.
More: 20 Spectacular Beach Houses | Browse beach-house photos
More: 20 Spectacular Beach Houses | Browse beach-house photos


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Barceloneta Lifestyle
The lively maritime district of Barcelona was once a barrier island called Maians, which over centuries became a peninsula: the Barceloneta. Artists, fishermen, travellers, bar flies, and local merchants have built a unique community here that combines a laid-back Mediterranean beach culture with the cosmopolitan lifestyle of one of Europe's most dynamic cities. From this colourful setting comes Maians, a thoroughly unique line of plimsoll that fulfils the Spanish requisite of casual yet chic.
100% hecho a mano en España.
Detailed craftsmanship meets urban street style: this is the Maians formula, and it's what characterises each deftly assembled pair of our unabashedly good-looking shoes. Created by one of Barcelona's most consummate designers, Alfonso De La Fuente Rey, each pair of Maians is handmade in the Rioja region of Spain using regional material and vulcanised natural rubber: a painstaking process that results in a unique brand of footwear that is dashing, durable, and incomparably comfortable.


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3 I Am MediocreTrefusis | 28/06/2008 | See all Trefusis's reviews (243)Top 10 Reviewer Top 10 DVD Reviewer Top 10 Games Reviewer Top 10 Music Reviewer Top 100 Books Reviewer Top 10 Sport and Outdoor Reviewer The film starts well, building up tension and the deserted street scenes are very atmospheric. As we learn about why Will Smith is on his own, the film keeps our interest. The infected, while not the most scary interpretations of zombies we've seen recently, are effective enough to be scary. Then it all gets a bit naff; a woman and child turn up unexpectedly and cook Will's bacon, there's a bit of a chase and apparently everyone is saved. With a bit more effort put into the last half hour this could have easily been a four star film.
5 omega man i loved as a kidplantrock | 28/03/2008 | See all plantrock's reviews (1)and as this is the remake, i have to like it, especilly with a dog in it, i think the man dog love relashionship made the film, it gaves it weight. a film that makes you think about it after you have seen it, is a winner. how many times have you and your partner came out of the moves , looked around for the car ,and then asked what did we just go and see? yes films that will never stick in your mind but this will.
1 Argh! Is one way of putting itSerin24 | 01/09/2008 | See all Serin24's reviews (7)This is the quintessential Will Smith movie. In this he is playing an intelligent, bold, gun-toting, zombie-slaying hero-cum-messiah. Yay. That's a first.It is everything Will Smith. It is typical Will Smith yarn and he loves it, you can tell. It's just a pity that it is so awful. It truly is shambolic. I do not care about Will Smith's character. I care about the Will Smith dog more than him. I don't care about any of the other Will Smith secondary characters, because they're so contrived for Will Smith, boring for Will Smith and predictable for Will Smith.Two words sum up this film rather nicely: Will Smith. If you absolutely love him, you'll love this because it has everything to feed your obsession. If you love a good sci-fi film, I recommend watching the new release of Dark City instead. If you don't care about either, just avoid it. You'll be gravely disappointed.
5 A Will Smith Masterpeice!!lamby20 | 05/11/2008 | See all lamby20's reviews (1)In response to the many people who have left negative comments to this film, you obviously know nothing about good acting and cinema. I Am Legend is one of Will Smiths top 3 films, the CGI isnt amazing but thats not what its about! How many other films have nothing else in for 90% of it except 1 character and a dog and keep you utterly glued to the screen for an hour and a half??? The acting is absolutely mindblowing and the plot is interesting and beleivable. Dont listen to all those film idiots who just want action action action, this is an intense and very well acted film, trust me!
5 outstandingemmat87 | 20/03/2008 | See all emmat87's reviews (1)although people might think that the film was week in different parts i think you need to step back and see it as the big picture it was a fantastically and well played character from will smith ( and the dog ) but also it is about a man who belived so much in the human race that he sacrificed himself for that belief it is very clever how you see him start to lose his mind a little bit and give up and then bounces back with the cure i thought the ending was good and for me if the film went on for any longer i think it would of ruined it its a quick film that has been done very well there are a few quick films that did lack explernations of subjects ( jumper for an example ) where as this you understood how the virus happened what happened after and what happened to his family top marks for all the cast and directers who i think did a fantastic job !!!!!


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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act), signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010, amends the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) to create an abbreviated licensure pathway for biological products that are demonstrated to be "biosimilar" to or "interchangeable" with an FDA-licensed biological product. This pathway is provided in the part of the law known as the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCI Act). Under the BPCI Act, a biological product may be demonstrated to be "biosimilar" if data show that, among other things, the product is "highly similar" to an already-approved biological product.
Health care professionals and consumers can be assured that FDA will require licensed biosimilar and interchangeable biological products to meet the Agency's exacting standards of safety and efficacy.
What's New
Related Information
Implementation of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 Sections 7001-7003 (Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law No. 111-148) (PDF - 122KB)U.S. FDA Considerations: Discussion by National Regulatory Authorities with World Health Organization (WHO) On Possible International Non-proprietary Name (INN) Policies for Biosimilars [ARCHIVED]- FY 2013 BSUFA Financial Report (PDF - 221KB)


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El Dorado Lake, Kansas
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El Dorado Lake
El Dorado Lake Fishing
El Dorado Reservoir has been stocked wth a variety of sportfish, including walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie and bluegill. Other species include flathead catfish, white crappie, white bass, black bullhead, drum and carp. The lower half of the la...
El Dorado Lake
Trout Fishing
El Dorado Lake Trout Fishing
From October 15 to April 15, rainbow trout are stocked in the Walnut River channel below the dam. The trout are stocked on a bi-monthly rotation and have become a favorite of many local anglers. A trout permit is required to fish in the area and anglers may take a limit of five trout per day. The...
El Dorado Lake
El Dorado Lake Hunting
The Flint Hills area surrounding El Dorado Reservoir offers excellent opportunities for quail, prairie chicken, dove, turkey and deer. Pheasants are present but their numbers are low. A substantial number of waterfowl is attracted to the reservoir and the department has established a flock a giant C...
El Dorado Lake
El Dorado Lake Camping
A variety of campsites are available in El Dorado State Park. Nearly 1,100 campsites in four campgrounds offer visitors utility hookups or primitive sites. Primitive camping is restricted to designated sites; please take your trash with you. The Walnut River Campground is locat...
El Dorado Lake
El Dorado Lake Cabins
El Dorado State Park is providing log cabins as an alternative camping opportunity. The cabins are availbale to all visitors year-round. They are especially beneficial for individuals who enjoy the facilities provided by the park but would rather not "rough it." You can experience the beauty of t...
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El Dorado Lake Hiking/Biking Trails
A variety of trails are available at El dorado State Park. In the Walnut River campground are the Teter Nature Trail, the Walnut Ridge Trail and the Double Black Diamond Mountain Bike Trail. - The Teter Nature Trail is a 3/4 mile long hiking trail which meanders through the scenic F...
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El Dorado Lake Equine Trail
In Loop One of Boulder Bluff is a campground dedicated to the horse enthusiast. Several sites with hitching posts are available and a 12 mile trail parallels the shoreline of El Dorado Lake....
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El Dorado Lake Fishing Report
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT ACCURATE FISHING REPORTS: This is just to remind you that fishing reports are given with the best intentions to help you catch fish. And do remember fishing reports given a few hours ago can change due to a whole list of circumstances. But ---- they are sti...
El Dorado Lake
Kansas Walleye Association
http://kansaswalleye.org/ You are invited to the five scheduled tournaments at some of the finest lakes in Kansas. The KWA welcomes anglers of all ages. It is tournament fishing for fun. Many of our teams consist of men and women, parent and child, grandparent and grand...
About El Dorado Lake
El Dorado Reservoir is located in an area of rolling terrain made up of croplands, prairies, woodlands, and marshes. The lake provides many attractive areas for water oriented activities such as camping, picnicking, swimming, fishing, boating, and hunting. Four recreational areas located near the lake are -- Boulder Bluff, Shady Creek, Bluestem Point, and Lost Lake. The reservoir at conservation pool is 8,000 surface acres of water with approximately 98 miles of shoreline. The average depth of the reservoir is 19 feet.
The U.S. army Corps of Engineers has granted responsibility to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to manage the fisheries and wildlife resources of the area. There are approximately 4,000 acres of land available for public hunting and approximately 2,000 acres of park land for hunting waterfowl and upland game.
There are roads and parking, boat launching ramps, a potable water supply, fireplaces, picnic tables, shelters and showers that are all available to the public.
An overlook structure constructed of native limestone is located on the left bank of the lake adjacent to the buildings and provides an excellent view of the dam and lake. The approach to the overlook is a bridged ramp designed for easy access and use by the handicapped.
Stones and a date block from a local school, constructed in 1897, have been incorporated in the structure and walkway. The schoolhouse was located on a tract of land about one mile NW of the overlook site. The land inundated by the lake was given to the school district by George and Elizabeth Parker, pioneers of Prospect Township. The date block over the door to the old "School District 94" was placed in an approach pillar at the ramp entry. The pillar on the opposite side of the entry contains a metal plaque with a tribute to the pioneers of the area and an inscription about the school.
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Button reckons Ricciardo will challenge Mercedes
© Red Bull Racing, Getty Images
18 April 2014 by TF1T Staff | M | Tweet
Jenson Button believes Mercedes might not have things all their own way this weekend after witnessing Daniel Ricciardo's long-runs during practice.
The McLaren driver believes Ricciardo could be quick enough to muscle in on the action upfront, despite being almost half a second slower during FP2.
The Red Bull driver was behind the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, but Button doesn't expect the Spaniard to mount much of a challenge.
"I would say that the Ferrari probably isn't the car that will take it to Mercedes," said the Briton. "In qualifying maybe, but in the race, Ricciardo in the Red Bull looks very strong.
"He's [Ricciardo] a lot quicker than his team-mate and also able to do seven more laps I think on the long run. So he looks very good, the car is obviously working reasonably well in his hands so it's going to be a bit of a mix-up I think.
"A lot of it I think is that some people are getting the tyres working and some people aren't. You can see the big differences up and down the pit lane with graining and not graining."
Speaking of his own fortunes this weekend, Button admitted McLaren are currently off the pace.
"There are a few things we can do overnight but I'm not sure we are quite as competitive as the last race here. But then again, in Bahrain we also struggled in P2 on the long run so maybe it will be better in the race."


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We want to ensure that making a return is as easy and hassle-free as possible! If for any reason you decide that your purchase just isn't for you, simply return the item within 30 days of receipt and we'll cover the return shipping when you choose our FREE Pre-Paid Return Shipping Label. Learn more about our return policy.
Shop now and get Free Value Shipping on most orders over $49 to contiguous 48 states, DC and to all U.S. Military APO/FPO/DPO addresses.
Bausch & Lomb 3 1/4" 2x round magnifier 81-33-03 as many other Bausch & Lomb magnifiers offers lens design technology, providing superior optical quality across a wide field of vision, patented stabilizing edge for second hand steadying and high-power inset lenses for detailed viewing.
Specifications for Bausch and Lomb 3 1/4" round magnifier:
Package 81-33-03 Contents:


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Activities Scheduled for the 2014 Season:
Activities Scheduled for the 2014 Season:
April 4-6: OPENING WEEKEND & EASTER CELEBRATION
Saturday morning in Rec Hall – Coffee & Doughnuts.
April 18-20 EASTER CELEBRATION
Enjoy the day with the Easter Bunny! Easter Egg Hunt, Egg Coloring, Piñata, & Hayride. Children's Craft ($) & Jelly Bean Jar guessing. Easter Dinner Saturday Night. Campground supplies the ham, you bring a side dish and dessert to share. Sign up at office by Friday night April 18th.
April 25-27: POTLUCK DINNER-
Bring your favorite dish and dessert for the dinner.
May 9-11: " World's Best Mom Weekend" Mothers Day Breakfast!
Bingo* Begins for the Season
Saturday Breakfast ($) sign-up by Friday Night,
May 9th. Accompanied Moms are FREE.
May 23-26: MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
** Swimming Pool opens! **
Rootbeer Floats ($),
Ice Cream Sundaes ($) - Midday Madness Sale,
Various children's activities,
Glowing Hayride Campsite Yard Sale –
set up table at site or use the Pavilion.
June 6-8: STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL ($)
Come enjoy Bucks County's locally picked Strawberries over delicious Vanilla Ice Cream – Sign up & purchase tickets at store.
June 13-15: " World's Greatest Dad Weekend"-
Saturday Breakfast ($) sign-up by Friday Night June 13th. Accompanied Dads are FREE. Mountain Pie and Smore Bake- Saturday Night.
June 27-29: BBQ POTLUCK
Bring your favorite BBQ Items and a dessert to share.
July 3-6 : RED, WHITE, & BLUE WEEKEND (A 3-night minimum)
Hayrides, Rootbeer Floats ($),
Banana Splits ($), Midday Madness Sale
Various Children's activities, Water gun wars, Nighttime hayride.
Campground Yard Sale- set up a Table at site, or the Pavilion.
July 11-13: COUNTRY TIME PIG ROAST($)
Join us on Saturday night for a delicious
meal. Dinner Reservation Must be made by Sunday July 6th.
July 12-13: Tinicum Park Annual Arts Festival
July 25-27: Potluck dinner - Bring your favorite dish and dessert to share.
August 1-3: Bingo, Bingo Weekend
Morning Bingo - with coffee and doughnuts.
Evening Bingo - bring a dessert to share.
August 1-10 - MUSIKFEST in Bethlehem
August 8-10: CORN AND HOT DOG ROAST-
Come and enjoy Two of summer's favorite foods; Corn on the Cob and Grilled Hot Dogs! Plus other favorites. ($) Dinner Reservations must be made by Wed August 6th.
August 15-17: FAMILY TENTERS APPRECIATION
10% off base camping rate for tenters. Potluck dinner Saturday night.
August 22-24: PEACH FESTIVAL
Come and enjoy Bucks County Peaches over delicious vanilla ice cream ($). Sign up and pay at the store.
Aug.29-Sept. 1st: LABOR DAY WEEKEND –
Magic Show with Magic by Stuart- Sat. afternoon
Children's Activities, Root beer Floats, Banana Splits ($), Midday Madness Sale, Nighttime Hayride, Campground Yard Sale – set up a table at site, or the Pavilion.
September 12-14: SOUP POTLUCK DINNER-
Bring your favorite soup and dessert to share.
September 26-28: CHILI POTLUCK-
Bring your favorite pot of chili and a dessert to share.
October 10-13: COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND & AUTUMN DAYS
A relaxing afternoon hayride, bobbing
for apples, Caramel Apple making, watch Apple Cider being made and Scarecrow Making. The Campground supplies the wood & straw- YOU bring
the clothes & imagination.
POT LUCK DINNER - bring your favorite dish and dessert.
October 24-26 :HALLOWEEN SOCIAL &
Farewell Weekend
Halloween site decoration for fun, Craft, Piñata, Trick or Treating and Costume Parade. Pumpkin Carving-bring your own pumpkin. ALL children who wish to carve their pumpkins must have Parent Supervision. Social in the Rec. Hall. Nighttime Hayride($)- Weather permitting.
Beaver Valley Campground
The Weinrich Family
80 Clay Ridge Rd. • Ottsville, PA 18942
(610) 847-5643
Every Weekend we have:
Friday Night - Movie Night
Saturday - Hayrides and Bingo
Weekday Activities for
July and August:
Monday & Thursday - Hayrides


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Nellymoser created an extensive library of business logic to enable the fast development of even complex campaigns. While your campaign never needs to look like any other campaign, the business logic is extensively tested and reliable on a wide range of devices. Some of the capabilities include:
- Sweepstakes: Everything needed for operate a legal sweepstakes in the United States is available from Nellymoser. Technically, the business logic includes branded welcome pages, data capture forms, mandatory check boxes for legal requirements, optional check boxes for opt-ins, rules pages, privacy pages, and thank you pages. If there are multiple ways of entering a sweepstakes, Nellymoser can also remember information entered into a form and automatically complete the next form.
- Data Capture and Sign-Ups: Lead capture is key for any print-to-mobile campaign. Nellymoser has a complete set of forms and form logic with mandatory fields, check boxes and opt-in capabilities. Information can be delivered electronically to the client database.
- Find a Store: The Nellymoser store locator works with the phone's built-in GPS or location service to find the stores closest to the mobile user. If location data is not available, the user can enter the appropriate data. Nellymoser can list the stores and provide information to built-in mapping apps to make it easier for the reader.
- Interactive Magazine or Catalog Pages: Photos can be the best way to show or demonstrate an item. Photos can also be used to replicate a page in the magazine, a catalog or a movie set. Nellymoser can hot spot the photo to create an app-like experience or to enable commerce by touching the item in the photo.
- Social Sharing: Compound the reach and effectiveness of a mobile campaign by enabling the reader to share the video via Facebook, Twitter and email. Capabilities include a PC video player because mobile videos will not ordinarily play on a PC. Capabilities also include support for Facebook Like.
- Mobile Commerce Connection: Nellymoser can integrate a mobile campaign with your e-commerce store and shopping cart.


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Contact Us
The world's eyes turn to WHOI for leadership and innovation in ocean exploration and science. No other institution has the expertise and the experience to attract and retain the most curious minds in oceanography, develop the next generation of research vessels and instruments, and analyze the vast amounts of data produced by robust exploration.
For more information about Access to the Sea programs and opportunities, please contact:
Robert Munier
Vice President for Marine Facilities and Operations
Priya McCue
Chief Development Officer
Last updated: June 20, 2012


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Microsoft wanted PDC10 to be the best-attended developer conference in its history, with attendees representing a truly global developer community. It wanted to deliver an immersive and engaging online experience that met and exceeded the onsite experience. And it wanted to accomplish this with current Microsoft technology, demonstrating the capabilities of that technology to deliver highly innovative and even unprecedented solutions, and to do so cost effectively.
Microsoft accomplished all of these aims with the PDC10 player and application.
Just about everything that used to be done in person—such as buying consumer goods or industrial supplies, chatting with friends or collaborating with colleagues, watching movies or training for a new job—seems to happen increasingly online. But there are exceptions.
Business and industry events and conferences are still largely, if not entirely, onsite affairs. True, "conferencing" is a standard component of business technology, but such conferencing is mostly confined to bringing together a limited number of people, at a limited number of endpoints, for peer-to-peer audio, video, and web content. Also, some "virtual conferencing" solutions put organizers and attendees into the equivalent of a virtual world, forcing them to deal with distractions from the purpose of their online gathering. Today's conferencing solutions aren't designed to support the thousands of people who attend large-scale business conferences. They don't provide the interactivity that is a hallmark of such meetings. They can't juggle the simultaneous sessions that comprise these conferences. And they certainly can't do all of this at the same time, in real time, for conference participants located anywhere around the world.
So, when Microsoft needed a conferencing solution, it set out to build one that overcame these limitations.
Microsoft had several motivations for its move into unprecedented, large-scale virtual conferencing. First, it wanted to multiply the impact of its Professional Developer Conference (PDC). The PDC is the company's periodic opportunity to demonstrate and evangelize Microsoft platforms and technologies that help developers to be successful building their own solutions. That event typically was attended by 5,000 to 7,000 developers, mostly from the United States, with significant representation from around the world.
Perhaps tens or scores of thousands of others would have liked to attend, but were prevented by the increasing costs of travel and lodging, particularly in a difficult economy, and by the limit that Microsoft had to put on attendance. The conference was typically held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, to accommodate the several thousand attendees. But that also limited the participation of Microsoft speakers, who had to make the time to travel to Los Angeles and back, and it limited the interaction of attendees with Microsoft personnel.
For PDC10, the PDC held at the end of October 2010, Microsoft decided to address these concerns, and more, by taking the conference onto the Internet. An onsite conference would still be held, limited to 1,000 attendees and conducted on the Microsoft campus. But this would be secondary to the online conference, which would be the focus of Microsoft activity. A virtual conference would immediately lift the limit on attendees, allowing any developer anywhere to attend, merely for the price of an Internet connection.
But it would do more. Beyond providing traditional "talking heads" and linear video that would replicate a traditional conference experience, Microsoft wanted the virtual conference to enrich and surpass that experience with capabilities that only an online version might offer, capabilities that Microsoft believed had not been offered previously. The company's goal was to raise the bar for online conferences beyond anything that people had seen on the web before. Some of the ways in which Microsoft hoped to achieve this were the following:
The global conferencing solution that Microsoft envisioned would also differ from traditional solutions in subtle ways. Traditional conferencing solutions generally require participants to be authenticated. The virtual PDC solution, in contrast, would enable anyone, anywhere to access conference content anonymously, and to interact with that content in real time. Presenters would be able to modify their presentations—again, in real time—based on direct, global feedback during their sessions. They could answer far more questions from the global audience than could ever have been answered before. And attendees would be able to share video content and chat with other attendees, in ways that reflect traditional conference conversations.
Beyond addressing the needs of PDC attendees, the online conference solution would also demonstrate the viability, and desirability, of using Microsoft technologies for a level of communication, education, and interaction that had never, as near as company executives could tell, been attempted before.
Technology, until recently, had been insufficient to realize this vision. Within the last few years, that's changed, with the introduction and maturity of the Microsoft Silverlight 4 platform and Silverlight Media Framework 2, Internet Information Services (IIS) Media Services with Smooth Streaming, and the Windows Azure cloud-computing platform and its Windows Azure content delivery network (CDN).
Was Microsoft prepared for the sheer global scope and scalability required for the envisioned solution? Microsoft had powered NBC Sunday Night Football (NFL Experience), the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2010 Winter Olympics, March Madness 2009 and 2011, and the 2010 Wimbledon tournament on the web. Microsoft executives believed they were ready for PDC10.
And they were right. The multifaceted solution that eventually achieved all of these aims consisted of the following:
This white paper describes these components and how they worked together to realize the unprecedented vision of a rich, live, large-scale online conference. The potential applications of this solution to global needs other than annual Microsoft PDC conferences should be apparent to all major corporations and organizations.
The core of the PDC10 virtual conference solution was the conference player and application, which served all the conference content (speakers' audio and video, slide decks and demonstrations, audio translations and closed captioning, schedule information, and video on demand) and interactive features (polling, question and answer, in-conference tweeting), and provided a variety of ways to navigate through, view, and share content. The player and application, as well as an application for Windows Phone 7, was designed and built for Microsoft by Vertigo, an award-winning design and development firm.
Read the full whitepaper…


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By US News Agency / Asian
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Marines Corps (PMC) are set to post a new battalion in Palawan as part of its strategic posturing in the Kalayaan Islands Group (KIG) and to reach out to more communities in terms of civic military operations.
Newly-installed Western Command Headquarters (Wescom) spokesperson Maj. Neil Anthony Estrella, in an interview Tuesday, said Marine Battalion Landing Team 12 would arrive here by the next quarter to boost the conduct of more civil military operations in the northern and southern parts of Palawan, particularly in municipalities where the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) had an active presence.
"After seeing the good effect of the many medical and dental missions accomplished by the Marine Battalion Landing Team 8 in Roxas, San Vicente, and other barangays here in Puerto Princesa, the AFP thought they could be augmented to reach out to more people," Estrella said.
In Palawan, the Marine Battalion Landing Team 8 led by Lt. Col. Yuri G. Pesigan, has been praised in the rural communities of Roxas and San Vicente, and Puerto Princesa for accomplishing nearly a dozen medical and dental missions for residents who have no access to primary health care services.
On strategic posturing in the KIG, Estrella said part of the mission of the Wescom is external defense, as well as support to the province of Palawan's goal to protect its marine environment from foreign and domestic poachers.
The MBLT 12, he said, will be part of a composite unit that the Wescom regularly sends in the KIG in the following months. The battalion is currently organizing in Metro Manila, according to Estrella.
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