text:
Mobile developer been in the industry for more then 5 year with working experience with IPhone, Android and Blackberry platform.
Hourly Rate: $38/hr
Location: Toronto, Ontario
We are a mid-sized Toronto based company famous for
a) fixing the broken code written by other freelancers / consulting companies. A lot of our clients approach us when their current services providers cannot provide the technology to meet business needs. b) helping businesses scale their systems to meet growing needs c) growing businesses online with eCommerce d) automating business processes to save costs
We operate in the following areas: 1. Social apps and social enabled websites 2. Mobile apps and mobile enabled (responsive) websites 3. Analytics. We have deep expertise in data Extract, Transform and Load and analytical tools like Pentaho, R, Cognos and Google Visualize for web 4. Cloud computing. We routinely create and manage vast infrastructures on Amazon Web Services and rackspace. 5. CRM and ERP deployments - Sugar CRM, SalesForce, Siebel, OpenERP and more 6. eCommerce - magento
Hourly Rate: $37/hr
Location: Toronto, CANADA
Microsoft Exchange migration guru with experience from corporations big players like IBM, EMC & Netapp, I have implemented over 250,000 mailbox migrations to date. Typical projects include the development of project plans, architecture and design, project planning, managing teams, deliverables and service levels. Most of my experience is working with large financial institutions, government and multi-national companies. I am a results-driven, IT professional, with extensive expertise and specialization in the migration to Exchange 2010 Exchange 2013, Blackberry 5 and Lync 2010 & 2013, and O365
Specialties - MCSA - Server 2012 - MCITP ? Server Administrator (Windows Server 2008) - MCITP ? Enterprise Messaging Administrator (Exchange 2007) - MCITP ? Enterprise Messaging Administrator (Exchange 2010) - MCITP ? Microsoft Lync Server 2010 - BlackBerry? Certified System Administrator - BlackBerry? Certified Server Support Specialist
Hourly Rate: $70/hr
Location: Oshawa, Ontario
&& IT provides premium IT consulting services for businesses seeking highly qualified and vendor independent expertise. We have over a decade of experience providing custom tailored solutions to a variety of clients across North America. Our expertise includes assessment, design, maintenance, installation & migration on a broad range of IT hardware, software & services.
&& IT offers a consulting format that ensures your IT assets are deployed in a manner that supports the goals of your business. Simply put we make sure the IT is working for you and not the other way around. Our vendor neutral guarantee ensures that you always get the right advice for your business and not just a veiled sales pitch.
Our experience covers, IP & Storage Networks, Virtualization, Microsoft Server Deployment and Migration, Exchange, SQL, Citrix, Cisco, Brocade/Foundry, HP, IBM, HDS, Cloud Storage, Replication, Archiving, Backup, Systems & Network Management.
Hourly Rate: $110/hr
Location: Orangeville, Ontario
Hourly Rate: $93/hr
Location: Scarborough, Onntario


text:
Litigation Finance 2.0: A Primer
Your department and company can monetize claims not to pay for litigation, but to meet cash needs of the enterprise.
Thank You!
Don't forget you can visit MyAlerts to manage your alerts at any time.
Your department and company can monetize claims not to pay for litigation, but to meet cash needs of the enterprise.
Former Bryan Cave attorney Harvey Newkirk surrendered to authorities on counts of wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft for his alleged role in a conspiracy with Calvin Darden Jr., who was arrested in 2014 for defrauding investors into providing $8 million to buy the magazine.
A murder conviction linked to a heart attack a man suffered while struggling with a burglar in his apartment was vacated by a Rochester appellate court.
Law Firm's Business Interruption Arose From Evacuation Orders Resulting From Flooding
Notice of Pendency Rendered Ineffective As Not Served in Compliance With CPLR 6512
The study debunks some jurists' and lawyers' fears that the review body would wantonly invalidate patents.
The new state budget provides the Judiciary with nearly every penny it sought to fund operations over the next year, but it broadens the commission formed to revise the salaries of state judges every four years and draws the Office of Court Administration into requirements imposed on legislators to disclose their legal clients.
Heinz didn't appropriate a Michigan man's idea for its "Dip & Squeeze" ketchup container, a federal jury in Pittsburgh found Wednesday.
A pawnbroker who claims police harassed the business because it refused to join a law enforcement database used to track down stolen goods can pursue a claim of selective enforcement against New York City, a federal judge has ruled.
Barbara M. Goodstein discusses the issues presented in transferring mortgage loans in the context of current financing structures.
Another development recently surfaced in the Hillary Rodham Clinton private email server controversy. The former secretary of state, who used a private email server located at her personal home in Chappaqua, New York, to conduct official government business, apparently wiped the server clean. The Clinton team also refused to turn the server over to an independent third party for review.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
America Versus the UFO Hacker 452
from the keeping-promises dept.
We've improved Slashdot's video section; now you can view our video interviews, product close-ups and site visits with all the usual Slashdot options to comment, share, etc. No more walled garden! It's a work in progress -- we hope you'll check it out (Learn more about the recent updates).
New Mexico has an Alien problem, Arizona will profile and interrogate any little green men, or Grays they find wandering around, and believe to be in the country illegally.
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos!
I'm not sure Arizona thought this through - the little buggers are expensive to deport.
No, he proved that Apple products are so freakishly different that if an advanced alien computer tried to interface with one, it will blow up in frustration.
system. For the nth time:
WINDOZE [microsoft.com].
Technical note: In order for Microslop
applications to work for ANYONE, they must be HACKED !
Yours in Tashkent,
Kilgore Trout, C.E.O.
That's funny. That's just what they said about you.
We're at war! He's a terrist! We got nucular weapons in thar! Be afraid! Damnit!
You should get your money back from your "psychiatrist". And I put that in quotes because psychiatrists are pretty much drug dealing mental hacks that have about as much business being called a doctor as a naturopath does.
Back in the closet with you Tom Cruise!
I thought the norm was to prosecute, send to prison, then hire them as a security expert.
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes. -- Dr. Warren Jackson, Director, UTCS


text:
'Real Houswewives of NJ' Stars Detained on Vacation
RadarOnline.com reports that Teresa's husband, Joe, was detained by police in the Dominican Republic along with cast mate Caroline Manzo's sons, Albie and Christopher, and the boys' roommate, Gregory Bennett.
After his clan accidentally spilled champagne on fellow bar patrons, a confrontation began, during which Joe Giudice allegedly hit one customer with a glass and beat another. The two men on the receiving end of the beatdown received minor lacerations in addition to one man's arm being fractured and the other man receiving a fractured leg. Chris, Albie and Gregory were allegedly protecting the women in the bar from the fight when they were detained.
A police representative said of the incident, "Usually when there's a fight we take one guy, but this time we took everybody."
On vacation with Teresa, Joe and the Manzo boys were 'RHONJ' staples Caroline and Albert Manzo, the boys' parents; Caroline's brother, Chris; and his wife, Jacqueline Laurita.
While no charges were filed against the involved parties, who came to a verbal agreement, Radar sources say that Teresa and Joe Giudice remained in the Dominican Republic under supervision by their hotel for three days after the rest of their clan flew back to the Garden State.
Watch Teresa Giudice's infamous table flip.
- Filed under:
- Famous Couples -
- TV News -
- Troublemakers -
- Celebrity Scandal -
- Teresa Giudice -
- Radar Online
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy jessi
When television starts having shows like this on,its really getting desperate
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy saraLowest Rank Vote downVote upReport this
Love them, bring them back Bravo!!
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy bigD
I really wish that AOL would stop labelling these stories as "Housewives" and use the correct term "Real Housewives" instead. The term "Housewives" belongs to Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, and Marcia Cross. Stop trying to get people to click on your dumb stories by tricking them into thinking they are about people from Desperate Housewives.
- Thursday 17 MarchBy indy anna
Oh good heavens. Shoot them before they multiply!
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy doc
I thought these low life were bankrupt. I guess they are still charging away with the hopes the courts will let them off the hook. Maybe manzo is using his influence.
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy Gina
I wonder if they got an invitation to the Royal Wedding? LOL
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy dickhead
You should really consider reading something before you reply like an F-ing idiot.
- Wednesday 16 March
The article clearly states The Manzo's and other family members were on VACATION-- these people were not there due to filming the Bravo show.
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy diana
can we say GETTO
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy serina
trailer trash
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy Evie Glodic
These "housewives" from NJ ARE POOR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STATE. I was born & raisede in NJ, I raised my children there & many of my relatives still live there. These "housewives" are "WHITE TRASH" as we say here in NC. The people of NJ that I knew were good hard working & God fearing & church going people. They would give you the proverbial shirt off their backs. I would still be in NJ if it wasn't for the excessively high property taxes.
Evie Glodic
Raleigh, NC
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy lea
Nice display of rich, American trash.
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy Owen
I swear Teresa is a drag queen. On second thought, maybe not. No self-respecting drag queen would go out in public looking like her.
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy therapy
Please, keep them in the D.R. ..... for good!
They're the type of people that give Americans a bad name.
- Wednesday 16 MarchBy Vicki
I don't care what they all do. I LOVE them ALL. I would love to hang out with them and have their backs. Theresa is my chic, and I would love to be related to them. Every one else in the world is jealous. And obviously it is all good entertainment! All of you know who they are and you will continue to watch them. Theresa, email me if you ever wanna hang. I am a REAL HOUSEWIFE OF FORK, MD
- Thursday 17 MarchBy ickymcpooh
The whole bunch is trash.Sure do have an excuse for the way they ace.Just like the girl lied when she pulled that older chicks hair saying she thought she hit her mom was why she did it .I dont like liars and I dont like theifs who file for bankrup and make us pay for it while living it up.
- Thursday 17 MarchBy barb
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text:
Antiques Roadshow
San Jose, CA - Hour ThreeSeries Website »
Episode Guide »
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW host Mark L. Walberg and appraiser Nicholas Lowry visit Stanford University's Hoover Institution and its huge collection of political posters and discuss the origins of Uncle Sam. Valuable find: A collection of three Great Basin baskets made in Nevada and given a conservative auction estimate of $60,000 to $75, 000.
More Full Episodes
Bismarck, ND | Hour 3Bismarck, ND | Hour 2Bismarck, ND | Hour 1Special | Celebrating Black AmericanaAustin, Hour 3Austin, Hour 2Austin, Hour 1New York City | Hour 3New York City | Hour 2New York City | Hour 1Special | Manor House TreasuresSpecial | The Boomer YearsJunk in the Trunk 4, Hour 2Junk in the Trunk 4, Hour 1Jacksonville, Hour 3Jacksonville, Hour 2Jacksonville, Hour 1Knoxville, Hour 3Knoxville, Hour 2Knoxville, Hour 1Vintage Des Moines
Holly is on a mission to get to know more Vermonters, what inspires them, what makes them tick, and to learn how Vermont PBS can better serve. Watch the video...
Did you miss Brothers of the Gut? You can still order the DVD. Check out the documentary page for more info!
Original series, specials, documentaries and web shows produced by Vermont PBS
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PTAQ (Quebec)


text:
Landscaping design
Closed - This job posting has been filled.
Job Description
I need a nice layout design of the attached rough sketch. Which should be editable using Photoshop.
Please make it as much as to the scale.
1. Height of the granite wall - 1.5m
2. Length of the land - 40ft
3. Width of the land - 25ft
there are trees as well as flower pots
Pls ask if you need further clarifications
My budget for the work is $10


text: OK - let's pretend for a moment that it's now a TR about our 2004 trip with both sets of parents to the WDW - cue crazy flashback music.... Now that we are back in 04 I need to explain that we were going to drive with my parents to Florida, until my dad figured out that he had enough credits on American for us all to fly - UH OH. So that's what we do. I haven't flown since 2000 so I'm totally freaked out. What's a girl to do Call the doctor and get some "happy pills" to make flying easier. She gives me Valium and says it'll work - and I believed her! So it's the night before we fly, I think I'll start on the happy pills now as I'm already freaking out and can't sleep and we have to be up at 4am. Well it might have worked, EXECPT that our dog chose that night to become ill, so I was up with her...I think adrenaline wiped out any effects of the pill. I hated leaving her even, but my sister reassured me she would take could care of her and have her at the vet when the opened the next day. So off to O'Hare we go. Hey - I think I'll take another supposed happy pill - afterall, now I'm tired so it should really work. We get through security and everything and I'm not feeling anything....perhaps a drink would help (NOTE - do not try this at home!) EXECEPT - airport bars are not open at 6am - what?! Come one - work with me!!! So DH and my DP's decide to get breakfast and I should eat something...ummm yeah right. I sat and picked at a bagel while they ate and the unhappy pills were still not working! Here's a couple of pics that DH snapped that should set the mood: If you look closely in the above picture you can almost make out the bagel I destroyed by picking out the inside and eating little bites My dad was really amused by me!!! So we board the plane and the sugar pills (which I'm now convinced they are) have not worked and I'm silently freaking out...I'm much worse on takeoff than on landing. My DP's are in front of us and DH is next to the window (so he gets sucked out first of course!) and I'm on his other side. The flight attendants buckle in and we had one next to us in the jump seat. She takes one look at me in my sunglasses and scared to death face and very sternly asks if we have a problem. My Dad starts cracking up and DH wants to try and crawl out onto the wing of the plane. DH simply explains I'm really scared and that I would be fine once we've been in the air for awhile. So the FA still keeps talking about how her daughter is scared and Mark has to tell her politely she can keep talking but I'm just in my own little world of fright and nothing can bring me out. HEY - if Kevin Sorbo came and sat down next to me I'd knock it off instantly, but since that didn't happen - I stayed in my world. OH and my dad is still laughing through this whole thing! So I make it through the flight and we land. We get into the rental car and start driving. We check into our offsite hotel for one nite, gran some food and then drive to WDW to show my parents. We soon see the purple arch we all love so much. DH is expecting me to be bouncing out of my seat, but alas, the stupid pills finally start to work about six hours too late I point and say we're here...DH cracks up and says he knew they weren't sugar pills and look how mellow I am now...yeah lots of good it did on the way there! Cue music moving us back to the present....... So now you know my fun story of my last time flying...darn pills didn't really work on the way home either! So I'm going to have to get something different and much stronger. I think my adrenaline of fear can overcome Valium too easily! Ty


text:
Trying to keep track of a family of four with two working parents and two teenagers is a weekly conundrum. Who has sports practice? When is the ACT prep class? How many of us are going to the school play? Don't even get me started on doctor appointments and orthodontic treatments. I've tried everything from a datebook called the "Momagenda," to a spreadsheet we all keep on our iPads, to a giant marker board in the kitchen. But somehow, something always falls off the list or someone forgets a deadline. Now imagine that level of detail for a metropolitan city planning to widen a major freeway system, or a top-tier healthcare corporation needing document management for their hospital expans … Read more
Fine-tuning Network Security
By JP Blaho The way workers conduct business is rapidly changing, and as a result, there are new demands on network security. To start, users increasingly are relying on Internet-based software applications to conduct business. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) use is up, resulting in an 18 percent increase in worldwide revenues from last year to this year. Facebook use more than tripled (in terms of percent of corporate network bandwidth consumed) and Twitter use on company networks grew 700 percent year-to-year from 2010 to 2011, according to one study. And browser-based file-sharing is now found on 92 percent of company networks. Further, there is a blurring between work and personal life. … Read more
Enterprise-level Security at a Small Business Budget
By JP Blaho As companies embrace the fact that every business is a contender on the Internet, and every company is subject to the same types of vulnerabilities and attacks, they must all realize their network security postures must be advanced and robust. This means that a company of six employees must have network security protections which mirror those of an organization of 6,000 employees. As cost-prohibitive as it sounds, there are ways that non-enterprise-level businesses can implement a security strategy that is comprehensive and effective in protecting themselves from attack just as successfully as enterprise customers. One such solution is called Unified Threat Management ( … Read more


text:
Comfort Suites At Fairgrounds-Casino
4506 Oak Fair Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33610
Phone: (813) 868-7770
Fax: (813) 868-7771
Port of Tampa
Today this facility is one of Florida's top three ports, surpassed in passenger numbers only by Port of Miami and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. The port now three cruise terminals and hosts a variety of cruise ships including Holland America Lines, which has been sailing from here for many years, on cruises to the Western Caribbean and the Yucatan Peninsula. The port also is home to a Carnival Cruise Lines' ship and occasionally hosts visits from other ships. Tampa's Florida Aquarium is minutes from the cruise ship docks, too.
1101 Channelside Drive
Tampa, FL 33602
+1 813 905 7678
Earn valuable points toward free nights.


text:
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Date: date unknown
Description: Colorized view of a tree-lined street in a residential neighborhood. A church is on the left corner. A horse and cart are parked next to the curb further d...
Date: 1915 ca.
Description: Elevated view of Janesville from the School House.
Description: View down a tree-lined street in a residential neighborhood featuring large houses with porches. There is an automobile driving down the street and a man w...
Date: 1909-11-04
Description: Color postcard depicting Arthur Pratt Warner of Beloit flying his Curtiss Pusher for the first time, November 4, 1909. Warner was the first person in Wisc...
Description: The railroad bridge over the Rock River.
Date: 1905 ca.
Description: Exterior view of Eager Free Public Library, Evansville, WI.
Description: Colorized postcard view of a soldier's monument statue in a city park.
Description: Exterior of St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Date: 1906 ca.
Description: Colorized postcard view of the exterior of the Second Congregational Church.
Date: 1910 ca.
Description: Frances Willard School house built in 1853.
Description: Composite image of college buildings: College Chapel, Emerson Hall, and Science Hall.
Description: The dam in Janesville.
Description: Colorized postcard view of the exterior of the Beta House on the Beloit College Campus.
Date: 1911 ca.
Description: Colorized postcard of an elevated view across a dam towards a factory on the Rock River. Dwellings are on the far bank on the right.
Date: 1965 ca.
Description: Photographic postcard of the exterior view of the Colonel Robert H. Morse Library at Beloit College.
Description: An elevated view of a train depot surrounded by a central business district. Horses and wagons are in the street in the foreground.
Date: 1909 ca.
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text: I have read many times on this forum that Ryanair prohibit bookings using third parties. Is it written anywhere in their T&C or elsewhere? I am asking because my employers insist on using only the approved travel agent for business travel. The latest info from the agent has been that they can book with any low cost carrier including Ryanair. Tried to browse the T&C but did not find anything about that.


text:
Dec 2- A federal judge on Tuesday rejected Target Corp's bid to dismiss a lawsuit by banks seeking to recoup money they spent reimbursing fraudulent charges and issuing new credit and debit cards because of the retailer's late 2013 data breach. District Judge Paul Magnuson in St. Paul, Minnesota said Target played a "key role" in allowing hackers to infiltrate its...
Companies making headlines before the bell:
Some of the names on the move ahead of the open.
Some of the names on the move ahead of the open.
The Lightning Round is extended in this CNBC.com exclusive feature.
Commercial real estate—like its much bigger residential cousin—is starting to get hammered by the credit crisis and slumping economy. But for investors, the news isn't all bad.
The Treasury Department's $700 billion bailout plan, also known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), is one of the main U.S. tools to address the financial crisis.
Cramer makes the call on viewers' favorite stocks.Investing can be confusing. Luckily, Cramer has mapped out some road rules for all you Home Gamers trying to navigate the jungle that is Wall Street. Think of it as "Mad Money 101" –- some fundamental advice to keep in mind as you play the market. Whether you're a first time investor or a seasoned financier, it's always good to remember the basics.


text:
Hold down Control (PC) or Command (Mac) key + mouseclick to select more than one option
Home >
Miami and Miami Beach >
Peruvian >
La Mar
Posted by Food Dood on 02/18/2015
The ceviche is amazing. The food is good but over priced. The outdoor seating is wonderful. I would enjoy if I could taste more but things are too pricey to order many dishes.


text:
Israeli court orders privatized kibbutz to compensate fired member
Precedent-setting ruling could have major implications for labor relationships in privatized kibbutzim.
The Nazareth Labor Court ruled on Wednesday that an employer-employee relationship exists between a kibbutz and a member who was fired, so the kibbutz must pay the member compensation. The ruling could have major implications for labor relations in privatized kibbutzim.
The court made its precedent-setting ruling in the case of Avi Ben-Aharon, a member of the privatized Kibbutz Tel Yosef in the Jezreel Valley. Ben-Aharon had been the manager of the kibbutz fishery since 1988. In 2001, he won a tender to operate the fishery and had received a salary as an employee there since that time. In 2011, Ben-Aharon was dismissed, and he sued the kibbutz for compensation.
Judge Vered Shefer noted that similar suits brought over the past decade had been rejected by labor courts because their rulings dealt with kibbutzim that were still collectives and had not undergone privatization.
The judge said Kibbutz Tel Yosef had changed its modus operandi and was now privatized, which constitutes "a far-reaching change in comparison to the traditional kibbutz in which members worked according to their ability and according to what the kibbutz decided, and received equal pay without reference to their work.
"Thus, there is no longer place to test the relations between the member and the kibbutz against the backdrop of the cooperative society where there was complete equality," the judge said, and no longer any basis to claim that employer-employee relations did not exist in the case of a member and the privatized kibbutz.
Another kibbutznik who could be affected by the Nazareth Labor Court's decision is Henry Alkaslasi of Kibbutz Ein Hashofet on Mount Carmel. Ein Hashofet is one of the few kibbutzim that still marks the workers' holiday of May 1. On Wednesday, too, a red flag flew in the plaza in front of the dining room, as it once did at all kibbutzim.
Alkaslasi, a member of the Histadrut labor federation's leadership, has been trying for over a decade to ensure the workers rights of kibbutz members, to get his fellow kibbutzniks to join the Histadrut, and to establish workers committees in kibbutzim. But the results have not been encouraging. At a meeting he called last week at the Afula Labor Council, only 12 people showed up. And so for Alkaslasi, the "Tel Yosef precedent" is an appropriate response to the need for kibbutz members' rights as workers.
'People don't want to fight'
He said that while the problem does not exist in all kibbutzim, there are some "where the kibbutz member can be hurt" by the kibbutz establishment. "He will mostly close himself off in his room and not fight. People don't want to fight the kibbutz and there is no one to protect them. Sometimes they have no power or means. People become transparent and everything is measured by money," Alkaslasi said.
"We made the mistake of thinking that the kibbutz will protect the member all the time. It turns out that every member needs an 'insurance policy' and people who are members of the Histadrut will have proper protection," he asserted.
Alkaslasi said he sees the ruling of the Nazareth Labor Court as the opportunity for kibbutz members to start demanding their rights as employees. However, attorney Miki Drori, head of the Kibbutz Movement's legal department, sees things entirely differently.
"The precedent-setting ruling will be detrimental to kibbutz members, because it might compromise the mutual responsibility kibbutz members have toward each other in very broad areas, such as toward people with special needs, and mutual aid," Drori said. The mutual responsibility standards in effect in kibbutzim are broader than labor laws, he added.
But Alkaslasi said the social safety net in the privatized kibbutzim "changes with the spirit of the times and what's in the till." Members who work for the kibbutz itself do not have all their rights, he said, for example a pension, which members working for employers outside the kibbutz have.
Drori countered that several mechanisms protect kibbutz members, among them monitoring by the Kibbutz Movement itself, and that kibbutzim cannot legally change the conditions of their social safety net without the authority of the registrar of cooperative associations.


text:
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Carrie Prejean Claims She Was Pressured To Get New Breasts
In her new book Carrie Prejean claims that Miss California USA director Keith Lewis pressured her into getting a boob job.
"Have you ever thought of getting a boob job," Lewis asked her days after she won the Miss California pageant. Prejean describes how Lewis ran his hands all over her body, including examining each of her breasts, while she stood in Shanna Moakler's living room in a bikini in front of a handful of pageant representatives.
Prejean [said] in her book: "Actually, the only thing Keith Lewis put to me were his two big hands and an insistent request, bordering on a demand, that I get breast implants."
Prejean, whose new book is advertised as proving what courage she has, and who loves to brag about her courage when she speaks to conservative groups, apparently did, if this is true, courageously go along with getting her breasts done. But, then, maybe that is all part of God's plan:
Subscribe to my premium podcast and get exclusive access to the listener club.


text:
Mastic Tree (Pistacia lentiscus)
Once the weather cools off, I'll be planting a few trees in my yard. One I am seriously considering, but not quite sold on, is the Mastic Tree (Pistacia lentiscus).
If anyone living in the Phoenix metro area has this tree, would you be willing to share your experiences with it? Most sources say it's evergreen - does it really keep its leaves year round? It seems there are many 'evergreen' trees that don't quite live up to the name. :-)
I've read conflicting info regarding the litter, too. Some sources say low, others report moderate. How clean is it? I don't mind some leaf drop, but I really don't want a lot of seeds and flower drop.
What about pests and diseases? Has the tree been relatively trouble free? Or is it always a battle keeping it healthy and looking good?
Would love to hear your experiences growing this tree.
Thank you! :-)
The Mastic tree is a true evergreen, keeping its leaves year-round. It doesn't produce much litter, although keep in mind that all trees lose the previous year's growth every year. They have to or the tree would become too dense. Evergreen trees drop leaves throughout the year - some much more than others. Deciduous trees lose their leaves within a two to three week period and then leaf out again a few months later.
The Mastic tree has small green flowers and female trees produce small blackish fruits. It is drought tolerant and once established should only need a good deep watering once every two to three weeks in the summer tapering to once per month in the winter. It isn't bothered by pests and is well adapted to our desert climate. Keep in mind that one of the most common causes for tree failure is being planted too deep. The soil level of the container must be even with the surrounding soil in the landscape.
Here is a link that might be useful: Mastic Tree
I have a young one, it's been in the ground for one year. It didn't even realize we had winter much less a pretty severe one (zero leaf loss) and I have seen zero litter from it. These are the reasons I put in the tree and it has held true.
good idea to wait. I planted two this summer and almost lost them. Put shade around them and now they have fresh green growth. very pretty trees. I got mine at bakers on 40th st. They did not have very many. I later found that Jackrabbit Nursery on Jackrabbit Road in Buckeye has a very good selection of them, 24 " box and smaller. very nice owners.
I did a lot of prep with the soil, very large hole, mulch, and vermiculite
best of luck
Thank you to everyone who responded to my inquiry. My backyard is about 80-85% desert landscaping. It gravel (no grass) with lots of cacti, yucca and agaves. Many small to mid-size bushes border the walls.
I have two fruit trees in a back corner and three Queen Palms around my pool. The palms are now about ten years old. A local nursery had highly recommended them as an ideal tree for pools that provide shade. Thankfully, I have a sense of humor and can laugh about it now. ;-) If they provide any shade at all, itÂs for my neighbors!
From my experiences with the bushes I planted, I learned the plants donÂt always read the books or the attached tags. ;-) IÂve had to move many that grew much larger than expected, or didnÂt grow large enough! IÂm hoping to avoid that with my future trees.
I want to stay away from messy trees like the Mesquite, am allergic to the yellow pollen dropped by Palo Verde trees and have never been impressed by the Acacias. My ideal tree would be well adapted to our climate, be relatively clean, have darker green foliage and provide shade on the denser side. The Mastic Tree seems like it fits all this criteria  so I kind of wondered if something was wrong with it. :-) IÂm happy to hear everyoneÂs good experiences with it.
Thank you,
CKR (who needs shade)
P.S. billyjt, thanks for the nursery recommendations. Both are a bit of a drive for me, but I always enjoy learning of new places to visit.
Mastic tree is one of the most beneficial trees for human being its fruit uses in toothpastes to keep the tooth clean and strong, it help stomach, liver, and Arabs use it in their Cookies. you should do some research about that great tree.


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Potter appointed to labor council
WORTHINGTON -- Michael Potter of Worthington was recently appointed by the Southwest Minnesota Chief Elected Officials Board to serve as a labor representative on the Southwest Minnesota Workforce Council. Potter is the president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
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Red Crochet Dress
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Strawberry Banana Bread : Comfort Food At Its Finest
Banana Bread has always been a favourite of mine and my boys. Done right it can be the perfect snack for school, a morning bite , a treat for your local school bake sale or family movie night. This recipe is moist , not too sweet , and oh so delicious with a little something extra.
Speaking of movies Netflix has some great titles this month for you and for your little ones. Looking for something for yourself i highly recommend This is 40. I enjoyed it while eating a bit too much of this bread For the kids? here's a couple of shows that they have enjoyed
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups of all purpose or bread flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup of 0% plain greek yogurt
- 2 medium bananas
- 1/2 cup of strawberries
- Preheat oven to 350
- Mash bananas set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar, Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add Banana's until combined.
- Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture 1/3 cup at a time until smooth.
- Fold in greek yogurt and strawberries
- Spread evenly into a loaf pan or mini loaf pans.
- Cook at 350 for 45 mins or until knife inserted in centre comes clean.
- Remove from oven let sit for 10 mins, remove from pan and set on wire rack until cool.
- Enjoy right away or freeze for an easy snack.
- **Add Chocolate chips, nuts or some sliced banana for something different**
*I am a part of Netflix #Streamteam all opinions are my own*


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You can now invite anyone to meet at your favorite Starbucks.
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33 year old man | Atlanta, GA, USA | Seeking women 40-50 within 500 miles of Twentynine Palms, CA
If i have to choose a word (or 2) that describe me i would choose integrity and empathy. i know integrity is a big word, but i honestly
I have to tell you, I'm a little nervous about putting myself on an internet dating site, but here goes...I'm trying to find someone special to share my life with. I'd like to start out as friends and see what happens. It would be great to have someone to hang out with, go to movies or dinner, play tennis, take an evening swim in my pool, or just spend a nice relaxed evening in great conversation.
Aerobics, Auto racing / Motorcross, Baseball, Basketball
I exercise 1-2 times per week.
Don't display my sign
I have Cats, Dogs
Some other viewpoint
Traveling is a priority, whenever i can, i try to make 1-2 trips per year, i couldn't say i have a favorite destination as i never go to a place twice.. too many places in this world to visit! in ny central park is one of my favorite places..........
Sunsets and the smell of a summer rain, thunderstorms and dawn. Grey's Anatomy, Rescue Me, Desperate Housewives... Music ranges from the old Metallica, much into country music. Jazz, Haid Rock, 60's rock Enjoy comedy, classic rock, southern rock
Enjoy comedy, classic rock, southern rock, country music, Law and Order, American Idol, motorcycle rallies, going to the movies, drive-ins, shopping, going to eat, just spending time/conversations with someone special.
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
|What he is looking for
|5'5" (165cms)
|4'7" (139cms) to 8'11" (271cms)
|Body type:
|Athletic and toned
|Slender, Big and beautiful, About average
|Black, Brown, Green
|Black, Light brown, Dark brown
|No Way
|No Way, Occasionally, Cigar aficionado, Yes, but trying to quit
|Social Drinker
|Travel / Hospitality / Transportation
|No preference
|I'll tell you later
|Less Than $25,000, $25,001 to $35,000, $35,001 to $50,000, $50,001 to $75,000
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|Widow / Widower, Divorced
|Have kids:
|Yes, and they sometimes live at home, Yes, and they live at home
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|Christian / Catholic
|Christian / Catholic, Christian / LDS, Christian / Protestant, Christian / Other
|Graduate degree
|High school, Some college, Associates degree, Bachelors degree, Graduate degree, PhD / Post Doctoral


text:
Kerry Washington - Kerry Washington records her scripts
Kerry Washington records her scripts on her phone so she can listen and learn them as she works out.
Kerry Washington learns her lines on a treadmill.
The 'Scandal' actress, who quietly wed NFL football player Nnamdi Asomugha on June 24, records all of her dialogue after she receives her latest script and listens to it as she works out so she has more free time to relax.
The 36-year-old star told Flare magazine: ''You have to think about eating right and sleeping right and taking care of your physical machine because the demands are so intense.''
She added: ''When people come up to me and express their love for [Olivia], I understand it, because I read the scripts and I feel the same way: 'Wow, what a complicated, three-dimensional, interesting, flawed, inspirational human being.'''
Kerry stopped drinking alcohol after graduating from college and refuses to read fiction during the show's nine-month shooting season because she believes it helps her to stay more focused.
She said: ''It was getting in the way of my perfectionism.''
But the Emmy-nominated star admits she is often too busy to enjoy her success.
She said: ''I love those moments that are few and far between, where you're so deeply, deeply invested in an imaginary world that you truly forget yourself for a little while, and the only reality that exists is the reality of that scene. That's like drugs to me. And it is hard to find that high, but that's what you work for.''


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Talley Lightweight 2-Piece Scope Mounts with Integral 1" Rings Marlin 336-1895 Matte Low
Product #: 213496 Talley #: 930336 UPC #: 876430001647
Product Information
The construction of the Talley Lightweight Mount is unique. The rigid design has no joint between the scope and rifle. The Talley Lightweight unitized design eliminates the possibility of an "out of alignment" interface or "loose connection" between the ring and base of traditional two-piece design. CNC machined from 7000 series aluminum, known for its strength and durability.
Technical Information
Material: Aluminum
Ring Height: .400" from bottom of ring opening to rifle receiver
Includes attachment screws and allen wrench
May require drilling and tapping of firearm receiver for installation
Technical Information
Material: Aluminum
Ring Height: .400" from bottom of ring opening to rifle receiver
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Product ships from MidwayUSA, separate from any other products on your order due to its size. Products that are Shipped Alone incur separate "Per Order" and "Per Pound" shipping charges.
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Product is restricted by shipping carriers and cannot be shipped to certain locations or via certain shipping methods.
Additional shipping charge for HazMat products. Carriers charge extra to ship packages with products they consider hazardous, such as reloading powder and primers.
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text:
DEFINITION of 'Debt Bomb'
This occurs when a major financial institution, such as a multinational bank, defaults on its obligations that causes disruption not only in the financial system of the institution's home country, but also in the global financial system as a whole.
INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Debt Bomb'
A debt bomb can occur also if consumer spending is based heavily on debt. For example, if a nation incurred huge credit card debt, individual debt holders could default en masse and create trouble for creditors.
DebtAn amount of money borrowed by one party from another. Many corporations/individuals ...
Credit CardA card issued by a financial company giving the holder an option ...
Default1. The failure to promptly pay interest or principal when due. ...
Consumer CreditA debt that someone incurs for the purpose of purchasing a good ...
Default RiskThe event in which companies or individuals will be unable to ...
BankruptcyA legal proceeding involving a person or business that is unable ...
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text:
Zagat ratings
Zagat calculates ratings on a 30-point scale based on periodic consumer surveys
- 26 - 30
- Extraordinary to Perfection
- 21 - 25
- Very Good to Excellent
- 16 - 20
- Good to Very Good
- 11 - 15
- Fair to Good
- 0 - 10
- Poor to Fair
Numerical cost estimates are for the price of dinner with one drink and tip.
Our Summary Review
This arrival in Far North rural Bulverde delivers a full-on cowboy experience without kitsch, complete with a pro rodeo competition out back and antique Western decor; the kitchen confidently handles campfire fare, weaving family recipes and formal training into a relatively affordable meal; cowboys mosey in after the rodeo, so stick around for a few beers; P.S. open Thursdays–Sundays only. How we get this »


text:
An improved digital communication system, e.g., a CELP code/decoder based system, is improved for use with a wide-band signal such as a high-quality speech signal by modifying the noise weighting filter used in such systems to include a filter section which affects primarily the spectral tilt of the weighting filter in addition to a filter component reflecting formant frequency information in the input signal. Alternatively, the weighting is modified to reflect perceptual transform techniques.
1. A method for coding a speech signal comprising
generating a plurality of parameter signals representative of said speech signal,
synthesizing a plurality of estimate signals based on said parameter signals, each of said estimate signals being identified by a corresponding index signal,
performing a frequency weighted comparison of each of said estimate signals with said speech signal, said weighting relatively emphasizing
perceptually significant frequencies within a band-limited frequency spectrum of said speech signal, and
higher frequencies to a greater degree than lower frequencies within said band-limited spectrum, and
representing said speech signal by at least one of said corresponding index signals identifying said estimate signals which, upon said comparison, meet a preselected comparison criterion.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said comparison criterion comprises a minimization of the difference between said weighted speech signal and each of said weighted estimate signals.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said perceptually significant frequencies are associated with formants of said speech signal.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising representing said speech signal by at least one of said parameter signals.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said synthesizing of said estimate signals comprises applying each of an ordered plurality of code vectors to a synthesizing filter to generate a corresponding one of said estimate signals.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein said parameter signals comprise signals representative of short term characteristics of said speech signal.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said emphasizing said higher frequencies to a greater degree than said lower frequencies comprises imposing a tilt to said band-limited spectrum of said speech signal and each of said estimate signals.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein said frequency weighted comparison comprises filtering said speech signal and each of said estimate signals using a filter which imposes said tilt to said band-limited spectrum of said speech signal and each of said estimate signals, and comparing the result of said filtering of said speech signal with the result of said filtering of each of said estimate signals.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said filter comprises quadrature mirror filter sections having a plurality of frequency bands, and said generating a plurality of parameter signals, said synthesizing a plurality of estimate signals, said performing a frequency weighted comparison, and said representing said speech signal by said index signals, are performed separately for each frequency band.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein said filter comprises
a first frequency weighting section for relatively emphasizing said perceptually significant frequencies, and
a second frequency weighting section for imposing said tilt to said band-limited spectrum of said speech signal and each of said estimate signals.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein said second frequency weighting section is characterized by a transfer function, P(z), where ##EQU5## wherein said coefficients p1 are based on said parameter signals representative of said speech signal, and δ is a predetermined constant.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein said second frequency weighting section comprises a three-pole filter section.
13. The method of claim 10 wherein said second frequency weighting section comprises a three-zero filter section.
14. The method of claim 10 wherein said second frequency weighting section comprises a two-pole filter section.
15. The method of claim 10 wherein said second frequency weighting section comprises a two-zero filter section.
16. The method of claim 10 wherein said transfer function of said second frequency weighting section is characterized by
a first function for the range of frequencies below a predetermined frequency substantially in the center of said band-limited spectrum of said input signal, and
a second function for the range of frequencies above said predetermined point.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said second frequency weighting section comprises a filter section of order greater than 3.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein said second frequency weighting section comprises a filter section of order 14.
19. The method of claim 10 wherein
said speech signal comprises a time ordered sequence of frames of speech signals,
said generation of said parameter signals representative of said speech signal comprises generating a plurality of parameter signals for each of said frames of speech signals, and
said second frequency weighting section comprises an adaptive filter section characterized by a plurality of filter parameter signals, said filter parameter signals being based, for each of said frames of speech signals, on said parameter signals representative of said speech signal for a corresponding frame of said speech signals.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein said parameter signals representing each of said frames of speech signals includes a noise threshold function signal, and wherein said second frequency weighting section comprises a perceptual transform coding filter characterized by said noise threshold function.
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for efficiently coding and decoding signals, including speech signals. More particularly, this invention relates to methods and apparatus for coding and decoding high quality speech signals. Yet more particularly, this invention relates to digital communication systems, including those offering ISDN services, employing such coders and decoders.
Recent years have witnessed many improvements in coding and decoding for digital communications systems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,976, issued on Jan. 9, 1979; RE 32,580, issued on Jan. 19, 1988; 4,701,954, issued on Oct. 27, 1987; 4,472,832, issued on Sep. 18, 1984, and 4,827,517, issued on May 2, 1989, to B. S. Atal, et al and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, all present important improvements in this field.
One area of such improvements have came to be called code excited linear predictive (CELP) coders and are, e.g., described B. S. Atal and M. R. Schroeder, "Stochastic Coding of Speech Signals at Very Low Bit Rates," Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Comm., May 1984, p. 48.1; M. R. Schroeder and B. S. Atal, "Code-Excited Linear Predictive (CELP): High Quality Speech at Very Low Bit Rates," Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. ASSP., 1985, pp. 937-940; P. Kroon and E. F. Deprettere, "A Class of Analysis-by-Synthesis Predictive Coders for High-Quality Speech Coding at Rate Between 4.8 and 16 Kb/s," IEEE J. on Sel. Area in Comm SAC-6(2), Feb. 1988, pp. 353-363, and the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,517. Such techniques have found application, e.g., in voice grade telephone channels, including mobile telephone channels.
The prospect of high-quality multi-channel/multi-user speech communication via the emerging ISDN has increased interest in advanced coding algorithms for wideband speech. In contrast to the standard telephony band of 200 to 3400 Hz, wideband speech is assigned the band 50 to 7000 Hz and is sampled at a rate of 16000 Hz for subsequent digital processing. The added low frequencies increase the voice naturalness and enhance the sense of closeness whereas the added high frequencies make the speech sound crisper and more intelligible. The overall quality of wideband speech as defined above is sufficient for sustained commentary-grade voice communication as required, for example, in multi-user audio-video teleconferencing. Wideband speech is, however, harder to code since the data is highly unstructured at high frequencies and the spectral dynamic range is very high. In some network applications, there is also a requirement for a short coding delay which limits the size of the processing frame and reduces the efficiency of the coding algorithm. This adds another dimension to the difficulty of this coding problem.
Many of the advantages of the well-known CELP coders and decoders are not fully realized when applied to the communication of wide-band speech information (e.g., in the frequency range 50 to 7000 Hz). The present invention, in typical embodiments, seeks to adapt existing CELP techniques to extend to communication of such wide-band speech and other such signals.
More particularly, the illustrative embodiments of the present invention provide for modified weighting of input signals to enhance the relative magnitude of signal energy to noise energy as a function of frequency. Additionally, the overall spectral tilt of the weighting filter response characteristic is advantageously decoupled from the determination of the response at particular frequencies corresponding, e.g., to formants.
Thus, whereas prior art CELP coders employ a weighting filter based primarily on the formant content, it proves advantageous in accordance with a teaching of the present invention to use a cascade of prior art weighting filter and an additional filter section for controlling the spectral tilt of the composite weighting filter.
FIG. 1 shows a digital communication system using the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a modification of the system of FIG. 1 in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a modified frequency response resulting from the application of a typical embodiment of the present invention.
To simplify the description of the present invention, the above-cited publications by Atal and Schroeder, and the cited U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,976 to Atal and Schroeder are hereby incorporated by reference and should be deemed included in the present disclosure as if set forth in their entirety.
The basic structure of conventional CELP (as described, e.g., in the references cited above) is shown in FIG. 1.
Shown are the transmitter portion at the top of the figure, the receiver portion at the bottom and the various parameters (j, g, M, β and A) that are transmitted via a communication channel 50. CELP is based upon the traditional excitation-filter model where an excitation signal, drawn from an excitation codebook 10, is used as an input to an all-pole filter which is usually a cascade of an LPC-derived filter 1/A(z) (20 in FIG. 1) and a so-called pitch filter 1/B(z), 30. The LPC polynomial is given by ##EQU1## and is obtained by a standard Mth -order LPC analysis of the speech signal. The pitch filter is determined by the polynomial ##EQU2## where P is the current "pitch" lag--a value that best represents the current periodicity of the input and bj 's are the current pitch taps. Most often, the order of the pitch filter is q=1 and it is rarely more than 3. Both polynomial A(z), B(z) are monic.
The CELP algorithm implements a closed-loop (analysis-by-synthesis) search procedure for finding the best excitation and, possibly, the best pitch parameters. In the excitation search loop, each of the excitation vectors is passed through the LPC and pitch filters in an effort to find the best match (as determined by comparator 40 and minimizing circuit 41) to the output, usually, in a weighted mean-squared error (WMSE) sense. As seen in FIG. 1, the WMSE matching is accomplished via the use of a noise-weighting filter W(z) 35. The input speech s(n) is first pre-filtered by W(z) and the resulting signal x(n) (X(z)=S(z) W(z)) serves as a reference signal in the closed-loop search. The quantized version of x(n), denoted by y(n), is a filtered excitation, closest to x(n) in an MSE sense. The filter used in the search loop is the weighted synthesis filter H(z)=W(z)/[B(z) A(z)]. Observe, however, that the final quantized signal is obtained at the output of the unweighted synthesis filter 1/[B(z) A(z)], which means that W(z) is not used by the receiver to synthesize the output. This loop essentially (but not strictly) minimizes the WMSE between the input and output, namely, the MSE of the signal (S(z)--S(z)) W(z).
The filter W(z) is important for achieving a high perceptual quality in CELP systems and it plays a central role in the CELP-based wideband coder presented here, as will become evident.
The closed-loop search for the best pitch parameters is usually done by passing segments of past excitation through the weighted filter and optimizing B(z) for minimum WMSE with respect to the target signal X(z). The search algorithm will be described in more detail.
As shown in FIG. 1, the codebook entries are scaled by a gain factor g applied to scaling circuit 15. This gain may either be explicitly optimized and transmitted (forward mode) or may be obtained from previously quantized data (backward mode). A combination of the backward and forward modes is also sometimes used (see, e.g., AT&T Proposal for the CCITT 16 Kb/s speech coding standard, COM N No. 2, STUDY GROUP N, "Description of 16 Kb/s Low-Delay Code-excited Linear Predictive Coding (LD-CELP) Algorithm," March 1989). See also U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/298451, entitled "A Low-Delay Code-Excited Linear Predictive Coder for Speech or Audio," by J-H. Chen, filed Jan. 17, 1989, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, which application is hereby incorporated in this disclosure by reference as if set forth in its entirety.
In general, the CELP transmitter codes and transmits the following five entities: the excitation vector (j), the excitation gain (g), the pitch lag (p), the pitch tap(s) (β), and the LPC parameters (A). The overall transmission bit rate is determined by the sum of all the bits required for coding these entities. The transmitted information is used at the receiver in well-known fashion to recover the original input information.
The CELP is a look-ahead coder, it needs to have in its memory a block of "future" samples in order to process the current sample which obviously creates a coding delay. The size of this block depends on the coder's specific structure. In general, different parts of the coding algorithm may need different-size future blocks. The smallest block of immediate future samples is usually required by the codebook search algorithm and is equal to the codevector dimension. The pitch loop may need a longer block size, depending on the update rate of the pitch parameters. In a conventional CELP, the longest block length is determined by the LPC analyzer which usually needs about 20 msec worth of future data. The resulting long coding delay of the conventional CELP is therefore unacceptable in some applications. This has motivated the development of the Low-Delay CELP (LD-CELP) algorithm (see above-cited AT&T Proposal for the CCITT 16 Kb/s speech coding standard).
The Low-Delay CELP derives its name from the fact that it uses the minimum possible block length-the vector dimension. In other words, the pitch and LPC analyzers are not allowed to use any data beyond that limit. So, the basic coding delay unit corresponds to the vector size which only a few samples (between 5 to 10 samples). The LPC analyzer typically needs a much longer data block than the vector dimension. Therefore, in LD-CELP the LPC analysis can be performed on a long enough block of most recent past data plus (possibly) the available new data. Notice, however, that a coded version of the past data is available at both the receiver and the transmitter. This suggests an extremely efficient coding mode called backward-adaptive-coding. In this mode, the receiver duplicates the LPC analysis of the transmitter using the same quantized past data and generates the LPC parameters locally. No LPC information is transmitted and the saved bits are assigned to the excitation. This, in turn, helps in further reducing the coding delay since having more bits for the excitation allows using shorter input blocks. This coding mode is, however, sensitive to the level of the quantization noise. A high-level noise adversely affects the quality of the LPC analysis and reduces the coding efficiency. Therefore, the method is not applicable to low-rate coders. It has been successfully applied in 16 Kb/s LD-CELP systems (see above-cited AT&T Proposal for the CCITT 16 Kb/s speech coding standard) but not as successfully at lower rates.
When backward LPC analysis becomes inefficient due to excessive noise, a forward-mode LPC analysis can be employed within the structure of LD-CELP. In this mode, LPC analysis is performed on a clean past signal and LPC information is sent to the receiver. Forward-mode and combined forward-backward mode LD-CELP systems are currently under study.
The pitch analysis can also be performed in a backward mode using only past quantized data. This analysis, however, was found to be extremely sensitive to channel errors which appear at the receiver only and cause a mismatch between the transmitter and receiver. So, in LD-CELP, the pitch filter B(z) is either completely avoided or is implemented in a combined backward-forward mode where some information about the pitch delay and/or pitch tap is sent to the receiver.
The LD-CELP proposed here for coding wideband speech at 32 Kb/s advantageously employs backward LPC. Two versions of the coder will be described in greater detail below. The first includes forward-mode pitch loop and the second does not use pitch loop at all. The general structure of the coder is that of FIG. 1, excluding the transmission of the LPC information. Also, if the pitch loop is not used, B(z)=1 and the pitch information is not transmitted. The algorithmic details of the coder are given below.
A fundamental result in MSE waveform coding is that the quantization noise has a flat spectrum at the point of minimization, namely, the difference signal between the output and the target is white. On the other hand, the input speech signal is non-white and actually has a wide spectral dynamic range due to the formant structure and the high-frequency roll-off. As a result, the signal-to-noise ratio is not uniform across the frequency range. The SNR is high at the spectral peaks and is low at the spectral valleys. Unless the flat noise is reshaped, the low-energy spectral information is masked by the noise and an audible distortion results. This problem has been recognized and addressed in the context of CELP coding of telephony-bandwidth speech (see "Predictive Coding of Speech Signals and Subjective Error Criteria," IEEE Tr. ASSP, Vol. ASSP-27, No. 3, June 1979pp. 247-254). The solution was in a form of a noise weighting filter, added to the CELP search loop as shown in FIG. 1. The standard form of this filter is: ##EQU3## where A(z) is the LPC polynomial. The effect of g1 or g2 is to move the roots of A(z) towards the origin, de-emphasizing the spectral peaks of 1/A(z). With g1 and g2, as in Eq. (1), the response of W(z) has valleys (anti-formants) at the formant locations and the inter-formant areas are emphasized. In addition, the amount of an overall spectral roll-off is reduced, compared to the speech spectral envelope as given by 1/A(z).
In the CELP system of FIG. 1, the unweighted error signal E(z)=Y(z)-X(z) is white since this is the signal that is actually minimized. The final error signal is
S(z)-S(z)=E(z)W-1 (z) (2)
and has the spectral shape of W-1 (z). This means that the noise is now concentrated in the formant peaks and is attenuated in between the formants. The idea behind this noise shaping is to exploit the auditory masking effect. Noise is less audible if it shares the same spectral band with a high-level tone-like signal. Capitalizing on this effect, the filter W(z) greatly enhances the perceptual quality of the CELP coder.
In contrast to the standard telephony band of 200 to 3400 Hz, the wideband speech considered here is characterized by a spectral band of 50 to 7000 Hz. The added low frequencies enhance the naturalness and authenticity of the speech sounds. The added high frequencies make the sound crisper and more intelligible. The signal is sampled at 16 KHz for digital processing by the CELP system. The higher sampling rate and the added low frequencies both make the signal more predictable and the overall prediction gain is typically higher than that of standard telephony speech. The spectral dynamic range is considerably higher than that of telephony speech where the added high-frequency region of 3400 to 6000 Hz is usually near the bottom of this range. Based on the analysis in the previous section, it is clear that, while coding of the low-frequency region should be easier, coding of the high-frequency region poses a severe problem. The initial unweighted spectral SNR tends to be highly negative in this region. On the other hand, the auditory system is quite sensitive in this region and the quantization distortions are clearly audible in a form of crackling and hiss. Noise weighting is, therefore, more crucial, in wideband CELP. The balance of low to high frequency coding is more delicate. The major effort in this study was towards finding a good weighting filter that would allow a better control of this balance.
A starting point for the better understanding of the technical advance contributed by the present invention is the weighting filter of the conventional CELP as in Eq. (1). The initial goal was to find a set (g1, g2) for best perceptual performance. It was found that, similar to the narrow-band case, the values g1 =0.9, g2 =0.4 produced reasonable results. However, the performance left room for improvement. It was found that the filter W(z) as in Eq. (1) has an inherent limitation in modeling the formant structure and the required spectral tilt concurrently. The spectral tilt has been found to be controlled approximately by the difference g1 -g2. The tilt is global in nature and it is not readily possible to emphasize it separately at high frequencies. Also, changing the tilt affects the shape of the formants of W(z). A pronounced tilt is obtained along with higher and wider formants, which puts too much noise at low frequencies and in between the formants. The conclusion was that the formant and tilt problems ought to be decoupled. The approach taken was to use W(z) only for formant modeling and to add another section for controlling the tilt only. The general form of the new filter is
Wp(z)=W(z)P(z) (3)
where P(z) is responsible for the tilt only. The implementation of this improvement is shown in FIG. 2 where the weighting filter 35 of FIG. 1 is replaced by a cascade of filter 220 having a response given by P(z) with the original filter 35. The cascaded filter Wp(z) is given by Eq. (3). Various forms of P(z) were studied. They will be mentioned here very briefly. A detailed discussion of these forms can be found in E. Ordentlich, "Low Delay Code Excited Linear Predictive (LD-CELP) Coding of Wide Band Speech at 32 Kbit/sec., " MS Thesis, EE Dept., MIT, July 1990. The appendix to this application includes pre-published portions of this thesis. This appendix is enclosed on an interim basis; when the exact date of publication of the thesis is known, the appendix will be selectively deleted.
The forms studied were: fixed three-pole (two complex, one real) section, fixed three-zero section, adaptive three-pole section, adaptive three-zero section and adaptive two-pole section. The fixed sections were designed to have an unequal but fixed spectral tilt, with a steeper tilt at high frequencies. The coefficients of the adaptive sections were dynamically computed via LPC analysis to make P-1 (z) a 2nd or 3rd-order approximation of the current spectrum, which essentially captures only the spectral tilt.
In addition, one mode chosen for P(z) was a frequency-domain step function at mid range. This attenuates the response at the lower half of the range and boosts it at the higher half by a predetermined constant. A 14th-order all-pole section was used for this purpose.
It was found by careful listening tests that the two-pole section was the best choice. For this case, the section is given by ##EQU4##
The coefficients pi are found by applying the standard LPC algorithm to the first three correlation coefficients of the current-frame LPC inverse filter (A(z)) sequence ai. The parameter δ is used to adjust the spectral tilt of P(z). The value δ=0.7 was found to be a good choice. This form of P(z), in combination with W(z), where g1=0.98, g2=0.8, yielded the best perceptual performance over all other systems studied in this work.
In addition to the P(z) method described above, the first non-P(z) method is based on psycho-acoustical perception theory (see Brian C. J. Moore, "An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing," Academic Press Inc., 1982) currently applied in Perceptual Transform Coding (PTC) of audio signals (see also James D. Johnson, "Transform Coding of Audio Signals Using Perceptual Noise Criteria," IEEE Sel. Areas in Comm., 6(2), February 1988, and K. Brandenburg, "A Contribution to the Methods and the Evaluation of Quality for High-Grade Musi Coding," PhD Thesis, Univ. of Erlangen-Nurnberg, 1989). In PTC, known psycho-acoustical auditory masking effects are used in calculating a Noise Threshold Function (NTF) of the frequency. According to the theory, any noise below this threshold should be inaudible. The NTF is used in determining the bit allocation and/or the quantizer step size for each of the transform coefficient which, later, are used to re-synthesize the signal with the desired quantization noise shape. The idea studied in the work was to use the NTF in the framework of LPC-based coder like CELP. Basically, W(z) was designed to have the NTF shape for the current frame. The NTF, however, may be a fairly complex function of the frequency, with sharp dips and peaks. Therefore, a high-order pole-zero filter is advantageously used in accurate modeling of the NTF as is well-known in the art. Related teachings for selecting a filter having the NTF characteristic will be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 423,088 by K. Brandenburg, et al, filed Oct. 18, 1989, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
A second approach that has been successfully used is split-band CELP coding in which the signal is first split into low and high frequency bands by a set of two quadrature-mirror filters (QMF) and then, each band is coded separately by its own coder. A similar method was used in P. Mermelstein, "G.722, a New CCITT Coding Standard for Digital Transmission of Wideband Audio Signals," IEEE Comm. Mag., pp. 8-15, January 1988. This approach provides the flexibility of assigning different bit rates to the low and high bands and to attain an optimum balance of high and low spectral distortions. Flexibility is also achieved in the sense that entirely different coding systems can be employed in each band, optimizing the performance for each frequency range. In the present illustrative embodiment, however, LD-CELP is used in all (two) bands. Various bit rate assignments were tried for the two bands under the constraint of a total rate of 32 Kb/s. The best ratio of low to high band bit assignment was found to be 3:1.
All of the systems mentioned above can include various pitch loops, i.e., various orders for B(z) and various number of bits for the pitch taps. One interesting point is that it sometimes proves advantageous to use a system without a pitch loop, i.e., B(z)=1. In fact, in some tests, such a system offered the best result. The explanation for this may be the following. The pitch loop is based on using past residual sequences as an initial excitation of the synthesis filter. This constitutes a 1st-stage quantization in a two-stage VQ system where the past residual serves as an adaptive codebook. Two-stage VQ is known to be inferior to single-stage (regular) VQ at least from an MSE point of view. In other words, the bits are better spent if used with a single excitation codebook. Now, the pitch loop offers maily perceptual improvement due to the enhanced periodicity, which is important in low rate coders like 4-8 Kb/s CELP, where the MSE SNR is low anyway. At 32 Kb/s, with high MSE SNR, the pitch loop contribution does not outweigh the efficiency of a single VQ configuration and, therefore, there is no reason for its use.
While the above description has proceeded in terms of wide-band speech, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention will have application in other particular contexts. FIG. 3 shows a representative modification of the frequency response of the overall weighting filter in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In FIG. 3 a solid line represents weighting in accordance with a prior art technique and the dotted curve corresponds to an illustrative modified response in accordance with a typical exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Letter of the Day
Blockade 'petty and infantile'
Re: Native activists 'Idle No More' (Dec. 17). I was one of the many thousands of drivers who ran into the blockade organized by the Sandy Bay First Nation on the Trans-Canada on Dec. 15. If, as I understand, the intention was to garner support for their cause regarding omnibus budget Bill C-45, I can report unequivocally that it failed miserably.
As an educator, I spend a great deal of time inculcating my students with facts about the inequities, atrocities and mistreatment that have befallen, and continue to plague, our First Nations brothers and sisters over the years. The 40-minute delay caused by a detour did nothing to further anyone's understanding of their ongoing plight nor do anything to make us want to look further into the many genuine issues they currently face.
They successfully inconvenienced and annoyed thousands of motorists who wanted to do nothing but get to their destination on time. The delay forced me to arrive at a critical meeting late. If -- as I am sure some of the activists will report -- the intention was to "inconvenience" us as they too have been inconvenienced... well, that's just a plain petty and infantile response.
A more appropriate response would have seen the protesters on the side of the highway with banners hailing their successful outcome regarding the Kapyong Barracks debacle, in which the federal government has clearly ignored the laws of the land to the detriment of -- yup, you guessed it -- Sandy Bay First Nation. Had that been the case, I would have happily slowed down, honked in support of their victory and reported back to my students about not only the plight of First Nations people but their recent success.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 20, 2012 A15
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