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Speakers Corner
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On Line Buying
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 9:02AM
This could be in Consumerwatch, but it's an observation rather than an experience.
Like many, I suspect, I find myself doing more and more online shopping, even for the more mundane everyday items, but delivery times do vary greatly.
No-one expects every small seller to achieve the "next day" standards of Amazon, but neither should "Allow 28 days for delivery" become the norm.
I find myself increasingly waiting ten days or a fortnight after "Your item has been despatched" or after the money has gone from my account before the goods actually appear.
In today's competitive market they are unlikely to keep my business even if the cost is marginally lower, unless they can deliver in a week
I know most of them say "We have no control after the goods have been despatched" but they do – use a more efficient carrier.
I know, it would cost more, but on the other hand they wouldn't lose so many potential customers. I could also, in many cases, opt for expedited delivery, but in many cases it's a fairly big premium.
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 9:54AM
The only online retailer I have a problem with in regards to delivery is 7 Day Shop, who seem to take their name as a starting point for delivery times. I've never had anything from them in less than 7 days (similar to More Than insurance, who's quotes are always More Than just about everyone else).
Other retailers usually deliver in less than 7 days, I got an item recently from More Computers in a shade over 12 hours.
I've ordered two things from Vistaprint recently, and as neither order was urgent (2012 calendar & xmas cards) selected the Slow Delivery option, both arrived well within the 28 day quoted time.
This isn't limited to online sellers though. I deal with a number of large CCTV manufacturers at work, spending around £250k a month, and delivery times vary massively. Far Eastern suppliers can be forgiven, as they normally wait for a full UK container before despatching, but the US company I deal with has a 4 week delivery lead-time, and this is airfreight for goods in stock.
Two European companies have vastly different policies, one despatches next day for any order, so we get the kit in three or four days, another only despatches twice a week, and then only if we've accumulated €3,000 of order, or we have to wait for the next shipping slot. Once despatched they obviously take the long way round, as delivery takes 5 days from Scandinavia...
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 10:31AM
The argument that 'you get what you pay for' may apply in some instances, but for any retailer that wishes to retain a good reputation and turnover customer satisfaction must be high on the list.
My attitude to suppliers is that if they are good I recommend them and use them, if not I pass my experience on.
As Alan14 indicates, location of a supplier also comes into the equation, but within the UK there is little excuse for failing to deliver within a week of ordering.
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 11:40AM
I tend to buy everything on-line do to one reason or another, most of the time delivery is within 2 or three days or with the likes of Scan and Ebuyer less than 24 hours. I myself always post items I have sold on Ebay and the like as soon as I receive payment.
I think it comes down to good customer service which all to often it is way down the list of company priorities along with paying refunds in a timely manner.
If a company is putting on their website a up to 28 days delivery I quite simply do not shop with them.
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 12:07PM
I ordered a mouse on Amazon on 9th October. Only when it failed to arrive in a reasonable time did I discover it was coming from Hong Kong.
The seller told me she had sent it Royal Mail Shipping Service: Register Airmail, with a Hong Kong Post tracking number. This told me it had left Hong Kong on 18th October.
Amazon refunded me on 10th November.
It still hasn't arrived.
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 12:26PM
You have to allow a reasonable time for a mouse to operate the exercise wheel all the way from Hong Kong, it can't be easy being a mouse.
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 12:27PM
I thought 'allow 28 days for delivery', had gone by 1976.
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 1:35PM
What a coincidence, I've just had delivered two bear root fruit trees that I ordered in early October supposedly for 1st November delivery. The invoice makes apologies for the delay due to the exceptionally warm autumn delaying despatch times.
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 1:37PM
...even bare root, no bears were sent by post, they have to be delivered within 24 hours...
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 1:39PM
Royal Mail still insist you wait for 28 days before making a claim...
Likes # 0
Posted November 11, 2011 at 2:00PM
"Royal Mail still insist you wait for 28 days before making a claim..."
Ah yes, but they still operate to Roland Hill's original requirements of 1850. ;-))
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FULLERTON - Is it really possible for Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets Jan. 26, to return to Cal State Fullerton to finish her master's degree this fall?
Suleman, 33, is on leave this semester from finishing her Master of Science in counseling, a program observers say can be grueling, regardless of any additional issues - such as, perhaps, caring for 14 children younger than 7.
She told NBC in a Feb. 5 televised interview that she plans to return to Cal State Fullerton this fall.
"She is going to have to plan very carefully," said Nancy Segal, a Cal State Fullerton professor and expert on raising multiple-birth children. "If she's not going back until the fall, then she has time to find volunteers to help her, maybe students who are interested in child development."
Segal, who has authored two books on twins and studied multiple births, said the students in her Fullerton class are fascinated with the details and want to talk about it every day.
"Everyone is talking about it, all the time," Segal said.
Suleman's professors declined to comment, citing privacy concerns.
But a veteran social worker who's been through the mill herself - finishing her master's degree at Fullerton after having six kids - said it's plenty difficult to study and still find time to care for your children.
"It was hard, but nothing like what this woman is going to go through," licensed social worker Laura Chiara said. "That grandmother is going to have to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
Suleman, who is divorced, lives with her parents in a modest house in Whittier. Born in Fullerton, she graduated from high school in La Puente and then earned her undergraduate degree in child development at Cal State Fullerton, according to published reports. She apparently paid for the fertility treatments that resulted in a total of 14 children through lawsuit settlements. She receives food stamps and helps support herself through student loans, disability payments and help from her parents.
The master's program in counseling at Cal State Fullerton runs nearly three years, though some students take up to five years to complete it, department chairman Leah Brew said. The program starts with classroom studies, then students are evaluated for how much they've learned in their academic training.
When they're ready, they move onto the practicum phase, which involves performing therapy under supervision 15 to 20 hours per week. Students are unpaid - and, in fact, must pay fees to the university. Students must also complete a research project before graduation, Brew said.
After students earn their degrees, they must complete 3,000 more hours of internships, mostly unpaid, before they can sit for their exam to become licensed therapists.
Brew said she learned from Suleman's interview with "Dateline NBC" that she planned to return to finish her degree.


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"Mindanao and Eastern Visayas will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms," the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.
Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.
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text: Bill Allombert writes ("Re: Can we require build-arch/indep targets for lenny?"): > In 3 years and a half, I had the time to try all of that... > So I will try something new: an online petition: > > If you would like bug #229357 to get an answer, please > send a signed email to the buglog. Please, this is no way to carry on. > At least, I would feel less alone. FWIW, I agree with you. I think the proposed `Build-Options' source control field is a sensible addition and the bug should be implemented immediately. Obviously the dpkg developers are rather busy at the moment. I think that the right thing to do is to offer to NMU. While we are at it we should write a specification for Build-Options, something like: The Build-Options field appears (only) in the first stanza in debian/control. It gives a whitespace-separated list of options. The meanings of these options is defined in policy. Any package processing tool may act only on options which it recognises. Unknown tokens must be ignored. Currently only the following token is defined: * build-arch Declares that the package supports all of the following build targets: `build-indep', `build-arch', `binary-indep', `binary-arch'. Ian.


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Life 'on the edge' shattered by cannon blast
Potrero man arrested for setting off explosive device that killed woman
The couple knew each other as children growing up in Rancho San Diego and connected again later in life. They had been together about 11 years, according to Sandra Barrañon, one of Jeanette's best friends and the godmother to Vanessa.
"All she cared about was being a great person and a great mom," Barrañon said. "She was the most incredible, the most helpful person you would ever want to meet. She didn't like to see anybody unhappy. Everybody liked her."
The couple were known around town, partly because almost everybody knows everybody there but also because their looks were striking — he is tall and thin and tattooed, and she had dark hair and a skin tone that gave her an exotic beauty.
And because they always had Vanessa in tow.
"Everything was for Vanessa," Barrañon said. The trailer had a playhouse built next to it.
Arnold said Fox "adores Jeanette and Vanessa. They mean the world to him. I can't imagine how he feels right now. He probably doesn't want to live."
Tuesday night, Jerry Fox was on his way to San Diego to pick up Vanessa. He said the girl will stay with him and his wife.
Staff writers Debbi Baker and Susan Shroder and staff librarian Merrie Monteagudo contributed to this report. firstname.lastname@example.com


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Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Walkthrough :
This walkthrough for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz [WII] has been posted at 17 May 2010 by jffk and is called "FAQ/Walkthrough". If walkthrough is usable don't forgot thumbs up jffk and share this with your freinds. And most important we have 3 other walkthroughs for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, read them all!
Walkthrough - FAQ/Walkthrough
_ _ _ _ _ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ ( S | U | P | E | R ) \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/ __ __ ___ _ _ _ _________ __ ____ _ _ _ | \/ |/ _ \| \ | | |/ / ____\ \ / / | __ ) / \ | | | | | |\/| | | | | \| | ' /| _| \ V / | _ \ / _ \ | | | | | | | | |_| | |\ | . \| |___ | | | |_) / ___ \| |___| |___ |_| |_|\___/|_| \_|_|\_\_____| |_| |____/_/ \_\_____|_____| ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _ ___ _____ _____ | __ ) / \ | \ | | / \ | \ | | / \ | __ )| | |_ _|_ _|__ / | _ \ / _ \ | \| | / _ \ | \| | / _ \ | _ \| | | | | | / / | |_) / ___ \| |\ |/ ___ \| |\ |/ ___ \ | |_) | |___ | | | | / /_ |____/_/ \_\_| \_/_/ \_\_| \_/_/ \_\ |____/|_____|___| |_| /____| ******************************************************************************* System: Wii FAQ/Walkthrough by: Ricardo Alvarez [aka SuperYoshiMaster] E-mail: sym.faqs [at] gmail.com Version: 2.0 Copyright 2007 Ricardo Alvarez ******************************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version changes: 1.0 Submitted walkthrough up to World 8. 1.5 Added walkthrough for Worlds 9 and 10. 2.0 Added FAQ and Party Games section. Edited permited websites for the FAQ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== CONTENTS =============================================================================== #.SECTION._____________________________________________________________[CTRL+F] I.Introduction_________________________________________________________[NRT.1.] II.Basic Information___________________________________________________[BNC.2.] A.Controls__________________________________________________________[BNC.A.] B.Characters________________________________________________________[BNC.B.] III.Main Game Walkthrough______________________________________________[GMR.3.] A.Overview_________________________________________________________[GMR.A.] B.World 1 - Monkey Island__________________________________________[GMR.B.] C.World 2 - Jumble Jungle__________________________________________[GMR.C.] D.World 3 - Smooth Sherbet_________________________________________[GMR.D.] E.World 4 - Detritus Desert________________________________________[GMR.E.] F.World 5 - Pirates Ocean__________________________________________[GMR.F.] G.World 6 - Cobalt Caverns_________________________________________[GMR.G.] H.World 7 - Volcanic Pools_________________________________________[GMR.H.] I.World 8 - Space Case_____________________________________________[GMR.I.] J.World 9 - Sinking Swamp__________________________________________[GMR.J.] K.World 10 - Ultra Heaven__________________________________________[GMR.K.] IV.Crowning Worlds_____________________________________________________[CWM.4.] V.Party Games__________________________________________________________[TYG.5.] VI.FAQ_________________________________________________________________[PFP.6.] VII.Contact____________________________________________________________[CDT.7.] VIII.Legal Information_________________________________________________[LIN.8.] IX.Credits_____________________________________________________________[SIB.9.] =============================================================================== I. Introduction [NRT.1.] =============================================================================== Hi! Welcome to my guide for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Bliz, the new game of the Monkey Ball series. In this title you control one of several monkeys on a ball, racing through several courses. The main objective in each of this courses is to collect all the bananas you find and make it to the finish. It sounds simple, but it is fun to control your monkey with the intuitive Wiimote controls. Although it isn't the most difficult game of all time, it can be challenging to get a COMPLETE score on the latter levels. If you want a change on the adventure mode, it has a mini-game mode too. This mode has 50 party mini-games accesible from the very beginning, which can be pretty amusing thanks to the multiplayer feature. Anyway, now about the faq... =============================================================================== II. Basic Information [BNC.2.] =============================================================================== ----------------------- II.A. Controls [BNC.A.] ----------------------- The main aspect of Banana Blitz is the use of the Wiimote's motion sensing features. In the main game you move your monkey by tilting the wiimote (with this you control the field, not the monkey per se). Also, controls may vary depending on which mini-game you play, but that is covered later. Tilt the Wiimote: Select a menu option/Tilt the field in order for your monkey to roll. D Pad: Change selected monkey on stage select screen/Zoom in or out the stage map (accesible from pause menu). A Button: Confirm selection/Jump. - Button: Cancel selection. + Button: Confirm selection/(HOLD) Pause the game. B Trigger: Confirm selection/ (While pulling the wiimote up) Jump. 1 Button: Confirms number of players in mini-game mode. 2 Button: Used in few party games. ------------------------- II.B. Characters [BNC.B.] ------------------------- There are six different monkeys to choose from. Each of them has different attributes, changing gameplay a bit (on main game, that's it). Here is a chart of each monkey's abilities, covering Size of ball, Acceleration, Weight, Speed and Jump. * is the lowest a stat can be, while ***** is the highest. AiAi Size of Ball: *** Acceleration: *** Weight: *** Speed: *** Jump: *** MeeMee Size of Ball: *** Acceleration: *** Weight: ** Speed: ** Jump: **** Baby Size of Ball: * Acceleration: **** Weight: * Speed: * Jump: **** GonGon Size of Ball: ***** Acceleration: * Weight: ***** Speed: ***** Jump: * YanYan Size of Ball: ** Acceleration: ** Weight: ** Speed: ** Jump: ***** Doctor Size of Ball: *** Acceleration: ***** Weight: *** Speed: *** Jump: * Note: This chart is based on the stats shown at the game's official japanese site (www.supermonkeyball.com/character/) =============================================================================== III. Main Game Walkthrough [GMR.3.] =============================================================================== ------------------------ III.A. Overview [GMR.A.] ------------------------ As explained before, the objective of the main game in Banana Blitz is to race through several different stages to the finish. There are a total of 10 worlds (two of them have to be unlocked), each of the first 8 worlds consists of 8 normal stages, a bonus stage and a boss stage. The last two worlds have 9 normal stages and a bonus stage, lacking a boss fight. **Thanks to Clark Bowman for correcting this part** Every normal stage has a different map layout. You have to clear it by passing your monkey through the goal gate before the time, or your lives, run out. Also, there are bananas scattered all around each map, which you can collect to rise your score. For every 20 bananas you get, you gain an extra live. Note that there are hidden bananas on this stages, which you have to find in order to get a COMPLETE score instead of a X/X one. Once you clear any four stages in a world you will get a bonus stage. This stages are a truly monkey dream, as they are filled with bananas and you don't lose a life if you fail. When you finally clear all eight stages in a world you will fight that world's boss. In these fights you will have to find your way to hit the boss' weak point. It requires a few hits, usually 3, to take them down. Once you beat the world's boss, the next world is unlocked and you get what seems to be a Golden Banana. **A little note on Hidden Bananas** For a time, I considered the idea of putting their locations as part of the walkthrough. The thing is, there is already a FAQ dedicated entirely to that matter, and my research (read as: the ones that I found by myself) was not even near of what has been put on it. Why don't just put them in my FAQ and give credit were credit is due? Well, because I think Tsunekazu made a great job putting together all of the board's findings and he deserves to get some hits in his own FAQ. --------------------------------------- III.B. World 1 - Monkey Island [GMR.B.] --------------------------------------- [Stage 1-1] Time: 60 Bananas: 7 Being the first stage of the game, it is obviously the easiest to beat. Just roll in straight line until you see the stage goal. The last two bananas are in to the right and left of it. [Stage 1-2] Time: 60 Bananas: 25 A "S" shaped level. Again, it isn't difficult by any means. Just follow the path of bananas through the bridge and get to the goal. [Stage 1-3] Time: 60 Bananas: 8 No big difference from Stage 1. The only challenge here (it you consider it one) is you have to jump for the first time to continue your path. Last two bananas are behind the stage goal, so don't miss them. [Stage 1-4] Time: 60 Bananas: 17 This stage is just a little floating island. You can see the goal right away, and can make your way to it by jumping quite easily. Just be sure to get all the bananas first. [Stage 1-5] Time: 60 Bananas: 16 The first level in which the bananas can be a little (I can't stress that enough) trouble. Instead of following a straight path, you will find several bananas laying around a bumpty field. Those bumps in the ground can be a pain to pass without proper speed. A tip for this, jump like crazy... you have more chances of getting on top of them that way. [Stage 1-6] Time: 60 Bananas: 28 Ok, the first taste of monkey speed you get in the game. This stage features some big slopes (3 actually) that will make your ball roll up really fast, so be prepared. The last banana of the level is behind the goal ring, remember to get it before finishing. [Stage 1-7] Time: 60 Bananas: 20 This one is a curvey stage. As you aproach the wooden bridge, be careful not to fall out when the fence ends (specially with a high speed monkey like GonGon). Be sure to get through the middle of the bridge, as any bump in the fenceposts will take you out of control. Notice you will have to jump at the end of the bridge to continue. [Stage 1-8] Time: 60 Bananas: 15 By far, this is the most difficult stage in this world (still easy, though). You start normally with a narrow path, but you will encounter some weird birds along the way. They will try to blow you out of the path, so try to roll in the opposite direction. The bigger your monkey ball is, the farther you get blown out (weight doesn't appear to make a difference). It may help if you pass them at high speed. [Bonus 1] Time: 60 Bananas: 50 This is your first Bonus Stage. It consists solely of a circle island full of bananas. You will probably get 2 or 3 extra lives if you collect them all. The only danger you have here is to be smart enough to jump the fence and fall down. FYI, that was plain sarcasm. [Boss Stage 1] Time: 120 Bananas: None After a little introduction, you will get to fight a big green bird. The only thing you should avoid here is its enourmous wings, as they can easily make you fall out of the stage if you get near. Its weak spot is in its head, and it has only two attacks. The first one is to flap its wings around, which will probably make you fall if you jump. After a bit, the bird will get tired and will need to catch its breath, giving you time to jump and attack its head. The second attack isn't difficult to avoid. It will start pecking the ground trying to hurt you. Fortunately, after a couple of times, it will get stuck, giving you the perfect opportunity to hit him. After 4 hits, this giant bird will be ready to be cooked for the monkey holidays and will give you the first Golden Banana. --------------------------------------- III.C. World 2 - Jumble Jungle [GMR.C.] --------------------------------------- [Stage 2-1] Time: 60 Bananas: 51 First time you probably will end up losing a life. Start rolling normally until you see the first moving platform. You should watch your timing and get on it. There are two static platforms aside the "main" path with several bananas. You can use the moving platform you are in to reach them and then continue rolling through the main path. Beware, the moving platforms move kind of slow, so watch your remaining time. [Stage 2-2] Time: 60 Bananas: 38 Start by turning to the right. Follow the bananas until you get pass a speed bump (ignore the first path to the left). You will see a stomp followed of a high fence. Get some speed, jump to the stomp and jump on it to pass the fence. This will get you two banana bunches. The tricky part is to return... if you have YanYan you can easily jump the fence again, since she has the highest jump in the game. However, if you are rolling a different monkey...may I suggest committing suicide? No, really... You can try to jump to the other side of the track, doing a great shortcut (but missing some bananas in the process). If you decided to sacrifice one of your extra lives, you will start the stage again, but with all the bananas you collected before. Now take the first left turn, that one I told you to ignore) and follow the path. It is prety straight foward, just jump those speed bumps and fences to continue. You may notice the last banana is BEHIND the goal ring. To take it simply enter the goal with enough speed so you get it after completing the level. [Stage 2-3] Time: 60 Bananas: 30 Roll down through the slopes watching your speed. You'll soon find some rotating blue and red fence-like things. Time your jumps to pass them, or else they will push you to a fall out. Shortly after you will see a similar blue fence with bananas on it. Be patient, jump into it and carefully collect the bananas in it. Now make your way back (or try a crazy jump ahead) to the track. Continue rolling to the goal. [Stage 2-4] Time: 60 Bananas: 12 After the last two stages, this one is a breeze. Just follow the path, watching out for the rotating hazards again. Beware however, those have a banana above each side. After the third obstacle, you will have to perform a small jump to continue. Get to the goal and finish the stage. [Stage 2-5] Time: 120 Bananas: 75 Roll down the slope and turn right. Instead of following the normal path, continue forward. This will get you on some kind of steps FILLED with banana bunches. Once you reach the end, you have two options: a) Slowly make your way around and return to the main path or b) Sacrifice a monkey (yet again). If you chose option a, remember you have plenty of time to do so. Assuming you are on track again, you will see an odd platform with some moving bars. Jump those bars to continue your way. After that, go down the steps and you'll find another platform. This time it has some holes in it, and bananas mortally close to them. Make your way jumping and collecting the fruits, after this platform you will find the goal. [Stage 2-6] Time: 120 Bananas: 30 This one has a narrow path, so watch your speed. Soon you'll come across a moving bridge. Wait for it to line up with your path and cross it. When you get to the end of the bridge, wait for it to line again with the following part of the track and get going. After that it is pretty simple, with some speed bumps around, but easy enough to cross the goal gate without troubles. [Stage 2-7] Time: 120 Bananas: 39 Ok, this stage seems tricky (at least, when writing about it) so bear with me. Start by rolling straight forward, ignoring the turn you see, to get a banana bunch. Return and go through the turn, which is a downhill slope. Now you will have to choose a path. I recomend taking the right one, so take it and grab the bananas you encounter. Once you get down to another turn, get enough speed and go forward in order to get back UP. That way you will get the bananas you missed by following the right path. Chech the map on the pause menu if you get disoriented. Now that you have the bananas from both paths, make your way down and you will have to choose a path yet again. This time it really doesn't matter which you follow, since both of them have the same slope. Just make sure to go up the path you didn't choose before continuing down. Once you pass that, the rest of the stage is pretty linear. Just watch out your jumping while passing the moving bridges and you'll be find. [Stage 2-8] Time: 120 Bananas: 44 No, the bananas of this stage weren't stolen if that is what you think. They are just off the track. Roll your way until you find a donut-like platform to the side of the path. Jump and roll on it. There are five bananas on the outer ring of the platform, and a banana bunch on the center. You better watch your jumps, or you may fall out quite easily. Once done with the fruits, return to the main path until you find another donut platform. This one is a lot smaller, so it will be kind of difficult to jump to it. Once you get on it, grab the four bananas on the outer ring and the banana bunch on the center. Get back to the track and follow it till the last (big) donut platform. Be sure to grab the 9 bananas on the outer ring, and the 6 bananas on the inner rings before getting to the goal in the center of the platform. [Bonus 2] Time: 60 Bananas: 50 This bonus is as simple as the past one. This time you will roll on a spiral pattern getting as many bananas as any monkey could dream. If done perfectly, you will get at least two extra lives from this stage. [Boss Stage 2] Time: 120 Bananas: 49 This monkey-robot-or-animal-of-sorts boss is quite strange. The only way to attack him is by jumping on rockets that he fires at you. Unlike World 1's boss stage, this one has some bananas laying around. From your starting platform, look for a bridge, this will lead you to a path of bananas. Get them while avoiding and jumping on the enemies rockets. This is more easily say than done, since those rockets combined with the almost non-existant barrier at the edges of the platform may get you several falls. Once you drain half of the boss' health, he will start to launch from 3 to 5 consecutive rockets at you (yes, because he is THAT hardcore). This only means even more chances for you to hurt him. Once you hit him 6 times, he is gone. --------------------------------------- III.D World 3 - Smooth Sherbet [GMR.D.] --------------------------------------- [Stage 3-1] Time: 60 Bananas: 19 A simple straight forward stage. Catchy music may I say... anyway, there isn't much with this stage. Jump the above the stump-like obstacles you find to get the bananas. This obstacles kind of explode if you touch them, bumping you away. This isn't a problem right now, since you are fenced. There are more of these stomps around the goal gate. Be sure to pick every banana above them before you finish the level. [Stage 3-2] Time: 60 Bananas: 34 This stage consist almost entirely of a big slope. I highly recommend you select a monkey with above average jump. I only managed to get all the bananas of this stage with YanYan. Roll down the slope, jumping around everytime you find a banana in order to grab it. Slow down as you approach the goal gate, because you will have to jump over it to get the last bananas bunches of the stage. Once done, return and finish the level. [Stage 3-3] Time: 60 Bananas: 13 This level is fairly simple if you don't mind completing your banana collection. There are several icy steps you must jump to get to the goal gate. The problem is that every of these steps has a banana on it. Not particularly hard to achieve, but you must be patient enough to do so. Once you get the last banana make your way up and cross the gate. [Stage 3-4] Time: 60 Bananas: 22 Remember those stump obstacles from Stage 1? Well, they're back... but the fences aren't. Cross the first bridge and you will find in an islet with rotating explosive stumps. Take the bananas and make your way out of there. I recommend keeping a low profile and jump unless it is absolutely necessary. Continue your way in a similar manner, but be careful in the fourth and fifth bridges. You will have to jump a gap in each one of those. Pass the last bridge and get the last banana that is behind the goal gate. [Stage 3-5] Time: 60 Bananas: 16 Once again, a slippery narrow stage. Make your way as normal, but notice those rotating sticks moving around. Well, you must jump them to continue rolling on track (or time your movements when they are out of the way). The thing is, they have bananas on both of their sides. Try to get the bananas on the first try, or else you will have to wait for the stick to turn around, wasting precious time. The last one of this sticks have two bananas per side, so you have a lot of jumping to do. Once you pass this rotating hazzards continue your way, jump the gap at the end of the bridge and get the last banana before finishing the stage. [Stage 3-6] Time: 60 Bananas: 28 This one has big, and I mean big slopes. After the first fall, each of the downhill paths will have one or two threes in your way. Avoid bumping with them, or your high speed will get you off the path. Near the end of the stage you will see a banana bunch floating around, you can catch those with the following strategy mailed to me by Gerard: "I figured you need to be going pretty fast, since none of the monkeys can jump that high, though I did use the monkey with the highest jumping ability. The general idea is to be able to hit the top of "wooden hurdle" that moves up and down. You must hit it at the right speed and at the right angle. By doing so, this allows you to bounce higher to reach the floating bananas. Again, this all depends on timing, so I usually wait 1-2 seconds after the stage starts. Then, I just try to go full speed into the first "snow hill". Aim towards the right, and if you hit the "snow hill" right before its apex, you should bounce high enough to reach the apex of the next snow hill. Continue full speed into the third "snow hill". If you timed it right, and kept going full speed forward, you should have enough momentum to reach the "wooden hurdle" and if timed correctly, you can hit the top of it, which gives even more momentum to reach the bananas." [Stage 3-7] Time: 60 Bananas: 10 Start jumping into the banana in front of you. After rolling down the bridge, you will have to avoid the balls coming at you. The best way is to roll and jump only if it absolutely necessary. Otherwise you will proof true the mathematical equation (High Speed Monkey + Collision)(Air) = Fall. After you pass those tubes where the balls come from, take your time to get the three bananas and move forward. The next bridge has a big gap in the middle, so jump to avoid a fall out. Keep rolling to the goal. [Stage 3-8] Time: 60 Bananas: 41 This is fairly similar to Stage 2. You will get rolling through a big slope with jump-to-get bananas along the way. Pay attention to the track, as there are two big gaps on it, and they are easily missed. At the very end you will se a banana bunch floating above the path. Jump to get it and cross the goal. [Bonus 3] Time: 60 Bananas: 50 This bonus stage is bowl shaped. The bananas are arranged like the first bonus stage, but the field isn't. If you get down to the bottom of the "bowl", jump your way up and get those sweet extra bananas. [Boss Stage 3] Time: 120 Bananas: None Well, this has to be the second Wii game with a Yeti boss (that's it...if this is a Yeti at all). As you probably notice, his weak spot is his bellybutton. Avoid the snowballs he throws at you and the exploding stumps from past stages. This isn't hard, since the snowballs travel in a simple pattern. He will get quite mad when you approach him, and start spinning around trying to bump you out of the track. Since his attack has a relatively long duration, I suggest to do anything you can to avoid a fall out. After a while he will get tired, giving you enough time to jump into his weak point for MASSIVE DAMAGE (had to do it). After each hit, he will do the spin attack again. Endure as long as possible and wait for him to get tired again, jump on his bellybutton, rise and repeat. 3 hits will take him down. After finish him, you'll get your third golden banana. ---------------------------------------- III.E World 4 - Detritus Desert [GMR.E.] ---------------------------------------- [Stage 4-1] Time: 60 Bananas: 26 As a traditional first stage, this one is (mostly) a straight path. Keep rolling ahead until you get into a pyramid. Watch the closing gates, they can cause a mess if bumped at high speed. After each pyramid you will have to go down some stairs. I recommend to slow down a bit to get the bananas easily. After the third pyramid you'll see an exploding stump right in the middle of the track, so beware. Slow down when falling through the next set of stairs, you don't want to enter the goal gate yet. Instead, carefully go around it and circle the big pyramid. Behind it you will see a lot of missing bananas. Get them quick and return to the gate before the time runs out. [Stage 4-2] Time: 120 Bananas: 46 Start rolling straight to the pyramid. Its gate won't open until you get near, so don't worry. After it, you'll have to cross some hanging bridges. Be sure to stay centered on the track to avoid falling out. Avoid the exploding stump ahead and follow the turns on the path. Notice the gap after you cross the big bridge. Jump it and turn to its right to get a lonely banana, then go to the opposite side and climb those stairs. Once you get to the pyramid, you have to choose one of three paths. Left or right, PLUS straight into the pyramid (which can only be accesed with Baby, mind you*). Each side of the pyramid hold a single banana, and there are plenty on the inside. I suggest to suicide, again, if you run out of time. This is not a hard stage, and you probably need to get to the alternative paths to get all the bananas. The gate is behind the last big pyramid. *This may take me to implement a suggested monkey feature for each stage [Stage 4-3] Time: 60 Bananas: 8 Wow, an easy one. Have been a long time, right? Well, I was still using Baby after the last stage, so his small ball was perfect to finish this one. Just roll straight forward. There are hardly any obstacle that make you fall out of the main track. The bananas are all in the path, so no big deal until you cross the gate. Then again, for the hidden bananas hunters... [Stage 4-4] Time: 120 Bananas: 19 This stage has a lot of mini bowls in it. Each has a banana on the center, so you will hardly miss one. After the first couple of bowls, you will see split paths. Follow either one and backtrack with the other one, get the bananas and move along. Jump your way to the first bridge, avoid the exploding stumps and continue. Those mole enemies you come across are better left alone, but if you want, you can jump on them to avoid trouble. Your path will split again after the second bridge. Do as before, taking one and backtracking on the other to get all the bananas and cross the goal gate near you. [Stage 4-5] Time: 60 Bananas: 42 This stage is pretty linear too. All you have to do is keep rolling on the center of the track and let the speed booster do the job. Now here is the first challenge. You see that floating row of bananas? Good, because you have to speed through the ramp, get some air, and QUICKLY hold vertical your wiimote. With some luck you will fall in a perfect straight line getting all your bananas. You may need to miss some of the speed boosters in order to get it right (depending which monkey you use). After that may want to speed down, or else you will cross the gate without all the yellow fruits of the level. Get rolling on either edge of the track and roll up with the speed boosters. I hope you have fast reflexes, because you will have to control your landing just after you pass to either side of the goal. If you did it well, you will get to the top of the level, taking three banana bunches with you. Fall through the gate when finished. [Stage 4-6] Time: 120 Bananas: 32 Start following the path of what seems to be a easy (it isn't) level. After you climb the first set of stairs you will have to jump to a silver swing. Fortunatelly it has an edge barrier (sort of). Continue your way to the second set of stairs. This time you will have to jump from swing to swing. Notice the banana bunches at the sides. Jump to get those and return to your swinging. The goal gate is in a little isle after that. [Stage 4-7] Time: 120 Bananas: 32 Another linear path. I'm growing to like these ones after the last lives- draining stages. Follow the track at medium speed, avoiding the closing gates in the pyramids. There are several lenghty set of stairs which I recommend to climb with a slow but steady rhythm. The third of this sets have exploding stumps on it...so watch out. Don't enter the gate just yet, go behind the pyramid to get the last bananas and finish the level. [Stage 4-8] Time: 120 Bananas: 7 Even though it seems a large level, it is not (again, if your aren't hunting hidden bananas). Just roll straight forward taking the speed boosts you need and you'll soon cross the gate. Watch out, as you can fall out easily if you get too much speed. The paths at the sides have hidden bananas in them, it's your choice to get them or not. [Bonus 4] Time: 60 Bananas: 50 The first bonus stage than can actually be a challenge to complete. There are bananas on each side of the pyramid. Roll down the stairs you see, then roll around all the pyramid. You can climb the sides you left behind with the help of those arrow displays in the ground. They will boost you up some stairs, collecting the bananas along your way. Again, this stage is quite difficult to master with the little time you get. [Boss Stage 4] Time: 120 Bananas: UNCONFIRMED This one is a mecha dinosaur of sorts. You will have to cross several of its "sections" like a normal level. The second section (the first being where you start) has a lot of mole enemies. The third one will trap you until you jump on the right mole, which has a flashing weak spot on its head. Get the bananas before moving forward. The fourth section has two rocket launchers. Deal with them as you did with the second world boss (hint for those with memory problems: jump on the rockets). The fifth section won't trap you, just be sure to roll in the gap between boxes to get the bananas. After that just avoid any enemy contact and you'll get to the head of the boss. Jump on the bubble-like shield to beat it and claim yet another golden banana. NOTE: Apparently, with this boss the bananas left behind by the enemies DO NOT count towards the stage total. The first time I fought the boss, I didn't collect any of the bananas that the moles and the rocket launchers spawned. However, I did get the bananas between the boxes and got a Complete status for the stage. Any tip on this would be highly appreciated (and credited too). -------------------------------------- III.F World 5 - Pirates Ocean [GMR.F.] -------------------------------------- [Stage 5-1] Time: 60 Bananas: 51 Holy, this starts to get really difficult beyond this point. Remember NOT to throw the wiimote when you get irritated, each one worths 40 bucks! Now, into the stage. First of all, I bet you will fall the main center track on the first try. If you do, do NOT return to the starting point right away. Continue the lower path to the end and you will see a banana bunch after the last column. Try returning, but odds are you will run out of time before finishing the stage. Once you are in the starting point (again or not), roll straight forward, jumping when necessary. There is a single banana below this main track, you will have to fall before continuing, then jump from below and get it. When you are on top again, choose the right path when the track splits. Be extremely carefull, this is the narrowest path you have rolled yet. Cross the gate to finish the stage. [Stage 5-2] Time: 120 Bananas: 33 Wow, fences... I missed ya'! A nice break from World 4. This stage has (at least some) of them so you can relax a bit about falling from the main track. Anyway, after the first ramp you will get to a rail track. Hop on it and roll to the other side. Remember those deadly swings from before? They are back, and this time deadlier. Wait for the first swing to come for you, get in it and control you


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In this study we compared different statistical procedures for estimating SNP effects using the simulated data set from the XII QTL-MAS workshop. Five procedures were considered and tested in a reference population, i.e., the first four generations, from which phenotypes and genotypes were available. The procedures can be interpreted as variants of ridge regression, with different ways for defining the shrinkage parameter. Comparisons were made with respect to the correlation between genomic and conventional estimated breeding values. Moderate correlations were obtained from all methods. Two of them were used to predict genomic breeding values in the last three generations. Correlations between these and the true breeding values were also moderate. We concluded that the ridge regression procedures applied in this study did not outperform the simple use of a ratio of variances in a mixed model method, both providing moderate accuracies of predicted genomic breeding values.
The development of appropriate methods to detect a large number of DNA sequence variations in the genome has launched a series of studies [1,2] attempting to associate such alterations with phenotypic variation in complex traits. High-density panels for genotyping thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) are now commercially available and their costs are likely to decrease over time. If the number of markers in such a panel is large enough that it covers the entire genome, then it may be assumed that most of the quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with a given trait will be in linkage disequilibrium with at least some of these markers. The use of this new source of information in selection programs requires accurate estimation of the effects of QTL associated with the markers, or alternatively the effects of the markers themselves, on traits of interest. Genome-wide estimated breeding values (GEBV) can then be calculated by taking the summation of these effects across the whole genome. Here we compared different statistical approaches to estimate SNP effects using the simulated common data set provided by the XII QTL-MAS workshop.
The approach adopted here followed the implementation of genomic selection described in [3]. Selection candidates have their GEBV calculated from a prediction equation. This prediction equation is derived and tested in another sample of animals, not necessarily related to the selection candidates, called the reference population. The reference population comprises a discovery data set, from which the prediction equation is derived; and a validation data set, in which the equation is tested to assess its accuracy. Animals in the reference population must then have both phenotype records and marker genotype information available.
The available simulated population consisted of 5,865 animals from seven generations. Animals from the first four generations had both phenotypic records and genotypes for the 6,000 SNP loci and therefore were used to form the reference population. The discovery and the validation data sets were defined as the animals belonging to the first three (3,165 animals) and the fourth (1,500 animals) generations, respectively.
Two genetic evaluations were performed: one for the animals in the discovery sample only (GE1); and another for all animals in the reference population (GE2). In both cases, an animal model with a fixed effect of gender was used. Variance components were estimated using VCE [4]. Estimated breeding values (EBV) from GE1 were used as the response variable in the derivation of the prediction equation, in the discovery data set. Then correlations between GEBV and EBV, from GE2, were computed for the animals in the validation data set, and used as reference for comparison among the statistical procedures.
A multiple linear regression model [2,5] was employed to estimate single additive SNP effects on the estimated genetic merit of animals. The model equation is described below:
yi is the EBV of the ith animal;
μ is an overall mean;
xij is an indicator variable for the jth SNP genotype of the ith animal;
bj is the slope on the jth SNP genotype;
p is the number of genotyped SNPs;
ei is a random residual term.
The coefficients xij were defined as -1 for genotype A1A1, 0 for genotype A1A2 and +1 for genotype A2A2. Here we did not make any assumption about the positions of the QTL and assumed strictly additive effects for the markers. Therefore the genomic region represented by a given marker was treated much like a QTL and bj was actually an estimate of the QTL allele substitution effect.
Statistical procedures
If the number of markers is greater than the number of genotyped animals, ordinary or weighted least squares cannot be used to estimate the regression coefficients, unless some variable selection strategy is adopted, which may lead to unsatisfactory results [1]. This lack of degrees of freedom can be overcome if SNP genotype is treated as a random effect and mixed model methodology is employed to obtain best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) of SNP effects. Another alternative/interpretation is the use of ridge regression (RR) or another form of Bayesian procedure. Consider the following system of equations:
ι is a (n × 1) vector of ones, where n is the number of genotyped animals;
W is a diagonal matrix with wii equal to the reliability of the EBV of the ith animal;
X is the (n × p) matrix of coefficients xij;
Φ is a square matrix of order p.
The key point in the estimation process here is the definition of Φ and this is the parameter that characterizes the departure from weighted least squares to the following statistical procedures:
In this method equal variances were assumed for all segments and the ratio of the residual to the segment variances was assumed to be 1, regardless of the heritability of the trait.
Here the variances of all segments were also assumed to be equal, but the information on the residual and additive genetic variances, estimated from the discovery sample, was used.
VIF stands for Variance Inflation Factor and is defined as:
where is the coefficient of determination obtained when the ith covariate is regressed on all other covariates in the model. This is a RR procedure similar to the one implemented in [5]. Here we tested different values of θ, starting from 1.0 with increments of 1.0, and picked the value that yielded the highest correlation between EBV and GEBV, while in [5] a combination of bootstrap with cross validation was used to choose a value of θ that minimized the mean squared error of prediction. Each VIF was calculated as the product of the diagonal element of the left hand side of the equations, by the corresponding diagonal element of its inverse, following [6].
where abs(ti) is the absolute Student-t statistic for testing the null hypotheses that the value of the ith parameter is zero. The criterion for choosing the value of θ was the same as above.
RR2*: a variant of RR2 to be done in two steps only (i.e., without testing different values for θ): i) estimate SNP effects with BLUP1; ii) use the t-values of estimates to define the weights. In the second step, ϕi was set either to zero if abs(ti) exceeded the mean abs(ti) by more than 3 standard deviations, or to λ (used in BLUP2) otherwise.
Results and discussion
Estimated residual and additive genetic variances were 3.17 and 1.23 within the discovery sample, and 3.12 and 1.36 in whole the reference population, respectively. Within the discovery sample, reliabilities on the EBV ranged from 0.48 to 0.86, with average and standard deviation of 0.50 ± 0.05. The mean (± SD) of the EBV in the validation sample was 0.185 ± 0.844.
The means (± SD) of the GEBV and correlations between EBV and GEBV, in the validation sample, from all procedures are presented in Table 1. Estimates of regression coefficients against the marker position on the genome for the first four methods are presented in Figures 1 and 2.
Table 1. Means of GEBV and correlations between EBV and GEBV in the validation sample (Generation 3), from each procedure.
Figure 1. Marker effects, estimated from alternate BLUP procedures, against position (cM) on the genome.
Figure 2. Marker effects, estimated from alternate ridge regression (RR1 and RR2) procedures, against position (cM) on the genome.
In both BLUP procedures, equal variances were assumed for all markers. Therefore, the difference between them was due to the amount of shrinkage imposed. In BLUP2, the assumed variance for each marker was very small, which resulted in a large value for the ratio, and a much stronger shrinkage on parameter estimates (Figure 1). The BLUP2 would therefore be closer to a prior assumption that marker effects are expected to be close to zero, not allowing some of them to deviate from this expectation. A more realistic assumption would be that QTL effects follow a Gamma distribution, where many have a small effect and few have a large effect, as suggested in [7] and used in [1,2]. In our study, a prior distribution of variances of markers was not formally defined. Instead, the different weights in the RR1 and RR2 procedures were derived from the data, in the form of VIF and t-values.
When different levels of shrinkage were allowed by the weighting factors in the RR1 and RR2 methods some discrimination among marker effects could be made (Figure 2). This feature was more pronounced in RR2, where weights were functions of t-values. These two ridge regression investigative procedures (i.e., testing different values of θ) were used in an attempt to identify one possible parameter to be used in a simpler and faster way. Since RR2 seemed more promising, the t-values were picked as the parameters to be used in the two-step procedure RR2*.
Methods BLUP2 and RR2* were then used to estimate SNP effects again using data from the whole reference population. Correlations between GEBV and the true breeding values in the last three generations ranged from 0.40 in generation 6 to 0.52 in generation 4 (table 2 in [8]). The lower correlation with the true breeding values can in part be explained by the use of EBV as a proxy for breeding values in the analyses performed here. Notice that the average reliability on the EBV in the discovery sample was only 0.5. In a real application, one would likely use highly accurate EBV to derive the prediction equation.
Methods BLUP2 and RR2* were then used to derive prediction equations, using the phenotypes as response variable. Correlations between true breeding values and GEBV predicted with these equations for the last three generations are presented in Table 2. Correlations were slightly higher than when using EBV.
Table 2. Correlations between GEBV and true breeding values, when the response variable on the estimation step was the phenotype.
Results from other methods presented at the Workshop indicated that the definition of priors in a full-fledged Bayesian framework may provide higher accuracies of genomic breeding values.
The ridge regression procedures applied in this study did not outperform the simple use of a ratio of variances in a mixed model method, both providing moderate accuracies of predicted genomic breeding values.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
ECGP designed and carried out the statistical analyses of the study. SK, FSS and HS contributed to the interpretation and discussion of results and took part in writing the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version.
This study is part of the project FUGATO-plus GenoTrack and was financially supported by the German Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF, the Förderverein Biotechnologieforschung e.V. (FBF), Bonn, and Lohmann Tierzucht GmbH, Cuxhaven.
This article has been published as part of BMC Proceedings Volume 3 Supplement 1, 2009: Proceedings of the 12th European workshop on QTL mapping and marker assisted selection. The full contents of the supplement are available online at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1753-6561/3?issue=S1.
Meuwissen THE, Hayes BJ, Goddard ME: Prediction of total genetic value using genome-wide dense marker maps.
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Goddard ME, Hayes BJ: Genomic selection.
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Lund MS, Sahana G, deKoning D-J, Carlborg Ö: Comparison of analyses of the QTLMAS XII common dataset. I: Genomic selection.
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text: 24 May 2013 Cannes 2013: Festival fashion round-up Style Cannes Film Festival Film industry Hollywood Share this page Share this with Digg Facebook Google LinkedIn Reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Copy this link http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130524-cannes-2013-no-stone-unturned Read more about sharing. Snake charmer Sharon Stone stole the show at the 20th annual amfAR gala, in a white Roberto Cavalli number with a daringly low back, embellished with a gold snake. (Getty) Stoned again At the premiere of Behind the Candelabra, Stone had made another show-stopping appearance on the red carpet, in beaded electric blue, by Cavalli. (Getty) Bride should be so lucky Kylie made it a hat trick for Italian designer Cavalli - choosing this dramatic, almost bridal gown and Chopard ring for the premiere of Les Salauds (The Bastards). (Getty) Cut it out Announced as the face of the fashion house's fragrance, Manifesto, Jessica Chastain wore a ruby Saint Laurent gown with a cut out front and Bulgari jewellery. (Getty) Feeling blue Kristin Scott Thomas looked elegant at the premiere for her new film, Only God Forgives, in a plunging electric blue Armani Privé dress. (Reuters) Hi-ho silver! Audrey Tautou turned up at the amfAR gala in a cute, silver lace Lanvin dress with a tiered horse-hair hem and Lanvin clutch. (Reuters) Overboard? Hawn put on the shades for her trip down the (blue) amfAR carpet. Perhaps her canary Halston Heritage dress was a little dazzling. (AFP) What a Teese Burlesque star Dita von Teese was looking rather more demure in a black velvet Ulyana Sergeenko Couture gown. (AFP) Second hand Jury member Nicole Kidman caused a stir in the fashion world at the Nebraska premiere, wearing a Valentino gown rumoured to have been Anne Hathaway's original choice for this year's Oscars. (Getty) Pretty in pink Model Selita Ebanks had the wow factor at the amfAR event with the combination of a barely-there bodice and billowing lengths of pink tulle. (Reuters) More Slideshows Giddy up: Ten great horses in art Sex on legs: The stiletto Fashion's first lady Happy Camper: Wheels of style Absinthe: A literary muse Hungry for an Oscar As the film festival nears its close, take a look at the stars' glamorous gowns from the Cannes' red carpet. Start your day with our morning email Sign-up today


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Example sentences for swelter
Museum curators often open their best shows in the fall, when the cooling off from the summer swelter seems to spark energy.
But he also knows that he is going to swelter, and maybe stumble, and possibly snag a sleeve in a car or bus door.
Act now be sure you won't swelter and suffer during the hot humid days and nights.
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Unreal 'optimization' a non-issue?
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 597
Originally posted by Matthyahuw
You guys haven't gotten it by now? I'm just trying to play devil's advocate as everyone else is playing the "bash nvidia" game. I always root for the underdog, even if it's wrong...
Someone else has to play the other side, you can't have a one-sided arguement, it would just make a big forum full of rants, who wants to read a bunch of rants? I know I don't...
A few months ago I used to read EVERY post here (as I used to be a mod), but I can barely bring myself to read 5% of the posts now, it's all the same thing: nVIDIA cheated, they are 'teh suck'
It's old, and just like no one in the real world cares about not finding the WMD as long as saddam's gone, no one cares about 'optimizaions' as it looks just fine to 99.99999% of us...just like Brent and Kyle, they came to the same conclusion...
What is happening is what pushes better hardware. I am sure that is what you want right?? I get excited when technology advances. Right now Nvidia is behind Ati, they are trying every little trick to "simulate" that they are hand and hand. Even getting to some of the review sites. Forums are the best place to find out these little tricks and discuss them.
A statement like you made does not help nvidia but actually just damages your image. I know that a lot of posts here are pro-ati, but it's because facts back them up. We all wish nvidia would get back into the game to have something to brag about as well.
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Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find products on the Amazon site as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify products for later recall.


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The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are preparing an environmental assessment (EA) for the proposed Benning Road and Bridge Multi-Modal Transportation Improvements per the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The project will also include evaluation of historic resources, per Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The study area is on Benning Road NE, from Oklahoma Avenue to the Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road Metrorail Stations.
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text: Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images [ "The People of Montana Have Spoken and Their Voices Have Been Heard" – Steve Daines Gave Victory Speech After Defeating Democratic Candidate Amanda Curtis By Sarah Yovetich November 5, 2014 As the final votes are counted, candidates can rest a little easier tonight, particularly Montana candidate Steve Daines who has locked in his title as United States senator. Read More|Comment Category: Bozeman News Tags: elections, Speech, Steve Daines, voting Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog:
Late last week, the FCC's Media Bureau granted Cablevision Systems Corporation's request for a waiver of the FCC's prohibition on encryption of a cable system's basic service tier for its New York City systems (which cover the Bronx and the majority of Brooklyn) after Cablevision completes its transition of those systems to an all-digital delivery format.1
Cablevision argued that allowing it to encrypt its basic tier would enable it to leave its New York City cable systems "hot." This would allow Cablevision to improve customer service by implementing remote activation and deactivation of accounts, saving its subscribers the aggravation and cost associated with setting up service and installation appointments; to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions; and to alleviate traffic. Cablevision asserted that the waiver would have virtually no negative impact on its cable customers.
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Red Catscratch Hat (Any)
Available From: Ruby's Rack
Store Price:
2,900 gold
or 48 Gaia Cash
Store Sellback Value: 1,450 gold
Lowest Buy Now Price: 2,200 gold
Average Buy Price: 2,334 gold + 210%
What do you think about this hat? .... Whats the matter? Cat got your tongue?!?!
Tags: red catscratch hat pink cat furry
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I have determined pretty surely the name of my ancestor and that he was born in S. Fronto, Piemonte,Italy in Sep 1755. Also that he was later "naturalized" in England and served in a military capacity for the East India Trading Company in India 1781. At that point he had his anglicized name, Joseph Jeffery Finch.
His given Italian name was Giuseppe Goffredi de Finis.
Is there much hope of finding records from Piemonte region that far back?


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OpenID Login
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GamerDNA Login
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Winter!: Prepare for holiday gaming!
Game Night!: This weekend! https://www.facebook.com/events/317792721696252/
New Releases: What upcoming games are you looking forward to?
Answer this question....: Eyup or Nope?
So Gamers...: how is it going?
Fercberk...: Ask us a question or two on our Facebook Page! http://www.facebook.com/gamerDNA
Need Help?: Ask us a question or two on our Facebook Page!
Facebook!: Gamers! Check out our Facebook page!
Youtube!!!: Check out our Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/smg1170?feature=mhee
Gamers......: meh
Closing in:
A very humorous game where you play Sauron. The humor is very similar to the Fable series.
Game Traits applied to Overlord (PC) by Norikue
Member actions:
Game is offline again. I beta tested for them but didn't continue playing. It's too bad such a...
This is a very strange "game". It's very artistic and it does play into your own psyche by only...
Fun co-op game! It's button smashing at it's finest with silly humor intertwined.
I've been very curious about this game for a long time now. It was worth the wait! So far I'm...
As a female gamer, I'm actually surprised at how much I really like this game! Yeah, there are...
The number of games that have the "FPS" trait on gamerDNA.
gamerDNA®, Contents are Copyright 2006–2015 PLAYXPERT LLC and Live Gamer Inc. gamerDNA and the gamerDNA Logo are trademark and property of Live Gamer Inc.


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Samsung launches epic TV spot for curved TV
By James Swift, campaignlive.co.uk, Monday, 19 May 2014 08:55AM
Samsung has released a dramatic TV spot set in a Roman coliseum to promote its curved, UHD television set.
CHI & Partners created the ad, which opens on a packed coliseum in ancient Rome. As gladiators file out of the gates, a father and young son, in a dressing gown and a onesie, appear in the centre of the action.
After a "thumbs down" from the watching emperor, the gladiators charge at the pair, but before they get too close it is revealed that the man and boy are just watching the action on a new UHD television. A voiceover then kicks in, describing the product.
The 60-second spot, which was shot in New Zealand and used 350 cast and extras, was written by Micky Tudor, art directed by Monty Verdi and directed by Nathan Price through Park Pictures.
The ad breaks today and will run on TV and online. The wider campaign also comprises outdoor and press executions.
Yoonjung Lee, Samsung's vice-president of TV global marketing, said: "We wanted to create a commercial that involved and surrounded the viewer, to dramatise a TV innovation that allows an immersive viewing experience like never before."
Samsung kicked off a review of its global advertising and media agencies, as revealed by Campaign in April.
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
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Hello to you all!
We just launched some 48 hours ago our first theme at ThemeForest. Before submission we had a strong internal discussion on the main demo and its structure. Now that our theme is live on ThemeForest, we are curious what you guys would have done differently. Or perhaps some suggestions of what you think we should improve.Link: http://wave-themes.com/demo/raw/main/
We're eager to find out what the ThemeForest community has to say!
The WaveThemes Team
WaveThemes said
We're eager to find out what the ThemeForest community has to say!
It's a great theme. I really like it. Congratulations!
Thanks imangm for your comment! If you have any suggestions for impovement, feel free .
Hi WaveThemes,
What happened to this theme? It's not sold anymore on TF :-/
Best regards, Flo'
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Human Resources
From employment law to compensation and benefits, FMLA and hiring and firing and more, Business Management Daily provides comprehensive Human Resources updates.
Discover how your colleagues – and competitors – are dealing with discrimination and harassment, employment law, benefits programs, and more.
As a small business owner, you want to reward your top performers. But there's a drawback to doling out stock to highly valued employees: You're diluting your ownership interest.
Say you want to open another office or relocate to a more modern space, but you can't afford to lease or buy a new location. One possible solution: Contract for a "virtual" office.
Hugh Panero did not give up. The chief executive at XM Satellite Radio spent two years recruiting investors to support his plan for becoming the world's largest subscription radio service. He nearly saw it slip away when the backers set a make-or-break deadline.
Here are a few precepts, drawn loosely from the Lewis and Clark expedition, of maintaining a realistic optimism while leading your team into the unknown:
Many people associate Billie Jean King with the overhyped "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match she won in 1973 against Bobby Riggs, who'd proclaimed himself the world's biggest "male chauvinist pig." What most people don't realize is that, in an era when women athletes were treated like ornaments or freaks, King almost single-handedly forced the U.S. Tennis Association and tennis promoters to pay them on a par with their male counterparts.
Executive misconduct costs organizations an average of $900,000 a year: more than six times the cost of manager misbehavior. Harassment and other gender-related misconduct lead the list. So, what do you do?
Nobody talks about it, and it's against the rules of virtually every employer, yet the practice thrives: It's called making "homers": items or work produced on company time for personal use. Harvard Business School assistant professor Michel Anteby has explored the practice by interviewing retired French metalworkers. He found that leaders of all stripes—managers, supervisors, executives—know about homer-making, and most ignore it. But why?
Problem: Disaster-relief agencies and the United Nations are flooded with donations to help the victims of natural disasters, but none has a quick way—an army, say—to deliver the supplies to where they belong.
Solution: The folks who brought you overnight shipping.
Solution: The folks who brought you overnight shipping.
Is sexual harassment beyond managers' control, or can you take steps to prevent it? Here are some points to consider:
Title VII requires employers to post a notice of employees' rights under the law. Failing to adhere to these posting requirements will result in more than a slap on the wrist. You could get slapped with a late discrimination lawsuit that is filed after the 300-day statute of limitations has passed, when you otherwise would have been safe.


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Heritage and Culture
"Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit." (Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of independent India)
Immerse yourself in history and culture - from the traditional custodians of the land, the Wardandi people to the first sightings of Cape Leeuwin by the Dutch in 1621, the Margaret River region is as culturally diverse as it is intriguing. Learn about the European settlement of Augusta in 1830, and the history of the timber, agriculture and dairy farming industries - the foundations of the region's colonisation. Surf culture, wine culture and tourism are the basis of the region's modern history. Search for relevent businesses below.
Arts Margaret River
51 Wallcliffe Rd, Margaret River Wa 6285, Australia
Arts Margaret River facilitates visual and performing arts as requested by our community. Movies are screened on Friday evenings at 7pm & Sunday evenings at 6pm and there are school holiday matinees and special showings. Go to artsmargaretriver.c...
Basildene Manor
187, Wallcliffe Road, Margaret River Wa 6285, Australia
Margaret Rivers finest - Basildene Manor is an elegant country estate amidst the rich tapestry of Margaret Rivers acclaimed vineyards. The location is enviable, just minutes from the bustling townsite of Margaret River with its busy cafes and rest...
34 Degrees South Photography
Margaret River, Wa 6285 Australia
Improve your skills in landscape photography and portraiture. Learn how to better understand light and composition. Pick up tips on the art of visual storytelling. Learn about what's in our bags as we discuss the tools of our trade and our approa...
Wine Tourism Showroom
100 Bussell Highway, Margaret River
The Wine Tourism Showroom is located inside the Margaret River Visitor Centre at 100 Bussell Highway, MARGARET RIVER, WA
Sensei Pots
17 Huntington Court, Quedjinup Wa 6281
Master Potter Ian Beniston is renowned for his lustrous copper red glazes and for producing decorative art pieces and sophisticated functional pottery, with a distinct oriental influence. Working from his Sensei Pots studio and gallery near Yalli...
Yallingup Shearing Shed
Lot 1442 Wildwood Road, Yallingup
Leeuwin Lighthouse Cafe
1 Leeuwin Road
Fresh warm scones baked daily on the premises. Homemade Soup. Light lunches cakes and slices.Great coffee & hot chocolate. Coaches & group bookings catered for. Seating 50pax.
Margaret River Theatre Group
Margaret River
The Margaret River Theatre Group is an amateur group who performs a range of productions throughout the year from variety nights, pantomimes and full scale dramatic plays and musicals. We are always looking for new members and welcome any enquiries!
Koomal Dreaming Pty Ltd
Yallingup Caves Road Wa 6282 Australia
Based in Dunsborough, Koomal Dreaming is your opportunity to experience Wadandi and Bibbulman country through their eyes. You'll taste native foods, learn about bush medicine, and meet the animals, plants and Dreaming spirits that have enriched th...
Margaret River Exposed
Margaret River, Wa 6285, Australia
A tour to stimulate your senses.. Whether its Scenery, Birds, Fauna and our beautiful wildflowers and native orchids. Free Photography tuition is included to capture that special photo. Tour takes you to the wildflower and orchid hot spots in the ...
Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse
1267 Cape Naturaliste Road, Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park, Western Australia
Visitors to the top balcony of the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse are rewarded with breathtaking panoramic views of the Indian Ocean, Cape Naturaliste, Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and the beautiful Geographe Bay coastline. Easier than most lig...
Busselton Museum in the Heritage Butter Factory
Peel Terrace, Busselton
The museum displays everything from agriculture to whaling; from crockery, clocks and cameras to sewing machines, travel and transport is included. Special features include: 1850 - bedroom and nursery 1850 - 1950 kitchen furniture and utensils 1...
Busselton Jetty
Busselton Beachfront, Busselton Wa, 6280
Jump on board and take the leisurely train ride along the jetty. Sit back and relax while the driver takes you on a journey across the calm, clear waters of Geographe Bay. With 50 seats available and trips leaving throughout the day, the Jetty Tra...
Augusta Historical Museum
Blackwood Avenue, Augusta
A fascinating collection of artefacts, photographs and books documenting the rich history of the Augusta-Margaret River Region. Displays include details of families involved in the settlement of Augusta in 1830, which was the third European settle...
ArtGeo Cultural Complex
4 7 Queen Street, Busselton. (Corner Of Queen St And Marine Tce)
For locals and visitors alike, the Artgeo Cultural Complex offers the best in art, heritage, and culture. Located within walking distance to the historic Busselton Jetty and the magnificent Geographe Bay, there is something for everyone. Built ...


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Bahrain Public Prosecution on Sunday extended the period of detention of Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab by 15 days, citing a need for further investigation. According to Rajab's wife, the activist was arrested on April 2 for tweets he posted about torture practices in Jau prison. At ...[read more]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement on Thursday denouncing as a violation of the laws of war an airstrike led by the Saudi Arabian coalition that led to the destruction of a humanitarian warehouse in Yemen earlier this month. The attack was said to be executed by the Saudi coalition, ...[read more]
Reforms in Bahrain have failed to end serious human rights violations, Amnesty International (AI) reported Wednesday. The 79-page report claims that activists are still being jailed and detainees have been mistreated and tortured. The government implemented the reforms four years ago after anti- ...[read more]
A Bahraini court found 11 Shiities guilty on Thursday of an attack carried out against police last year and sentenced three to death. The other eight defendants were sentenced to life in prison and will be stripped of their citizenship. The case centered on the country's deadliest attack since ...[read more]
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior initiated a criminal investigation on Tuesday into alleged criminal content posted by the country's main opposition group, Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society. Al-Wefaq regularly publishes content to its website and Twitter account, including pictures of protests ...[read more]
A group of UN human rights experts on Wednesday urged the Bahrain government to release the peaceful politician Sheikh Ali Salman. The religious figure serves as the main political opposition to the Bahraini government, the Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society. He was charged in January for inciting ...[read more]
The Bahrain Ministry of Justice on Wednesday commenced the trial of prominent Shiite leader Sheikh Ali Salman for his role in promoting an overthrow of the current Bahrain political system. The current Al-Wefaq Islamic Society secretary general faces charges of inciting a change of government by ...[read more]
The defense lawyer for prominent Shiite leader Sheikh Ali Salman said Sunday that his client is facing four charges from Bahrain prosecutors carrying sentences that range from three years to life in prison. Salman's lawyer reported that the charges include inciting a change of government by force, ...[read more]
A Bahrain court on Tuesday ordered the country's main Shiite opposition group, Al-Wefaq to suspend all activities. Bahrain's Ministry of Justice filed the lawsuit in July. The ruling means that Al-Wefaq cannot operate for three months in the Gulf island kingdom. The group cannot organize rallies ...[read more]
Shiite muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was convicted Wednesday of sedition and other charges in Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court and sentenced to death, raising fears of unrest from his supporters in neighboring Bahrain. Al-Nimr has been a vocal critic of the majority Sunni government ...[read more]


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Charlene Pryor
vandalia, Illinois
Because Charlene is the best friend you could ever wish to meet and a dear kind sweet lady. She can get you the information you need when you need help. I have known her longer than most and she is the genuine article. She has certainly helped me many times over the years.
Charlene aka Pokie is the wind in our sails for us Parkinson's people. Her kindness, generosity, and shear tenacity gets people moving, which in our community is no small feat. I will never forget last Christmas morning getting a call from Pokie. It made my day. Pokie is about doing for others, and this is in spite of her own pain.
Charlene should win this award because of who she is and what she represents. She is the voice of so many people, and she does all she can to make her voice heard-she does this because she knows it will help others. And that she does...she makes you feel warm and safe when you are with her and that any problem you may have, you can handle-with courage, just like she does. When you read her blogs, you know that you are not alone, giving you the strength to keep fighting. I am honored to know her and be a part of her life.
Pokie has put PD as the priority in her life. ALmost to the point where she was going to be incapacitated totally.
From doing her blogs to writing informing articles in different publications to attending conferences and walks, etc. to bringing awareness to PD thru many different venues, this farm girl from Illinois has done what would be considered the impossible.
Her heart is as big as a corn field and she always has time to chat with other PD patients and help them to be a bit more comfortable w/ having PD or she can talk to a large group of medical personnel and teach them something about how it feels to live with PD.
Pokie singlehandedly planned, organized, and held a very successful PD conference in her home town. She organized it down to talking a friend into opening a restaurant so the attendees would have a closely located place to eat.
Pokie is definitely "WONDER WOMAN" without the cape.
Charlene, better known to all her friends as Pokie, is a very inspirational person. She loves all her friends and is always one of the first to offer any assistance she can give.


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Some towns try to loosen reins on food producers
PORTLAND, Maine Towns in several states are adopting local ordinances that exempt farmers from state and federal regulations if they sell their products directly to consumers, despite warnings that the ordinances are invalid.
Residents in Livermore and Appleton, Maine, approved so-called local food and community self-governance ordinances at town meetings this month, joining six other Maine towns that did the same thing last year. Residents in Fayette, however, voted down a similar proposed ordinance.
The votes should send a message that Maine residents want more local say on how to regulate small farms that process food ranging from poultry and milk to cheese and jam that are sold to people in their area, said Douglas Wollmar, a small-scale produce farmer in Blue Hill, which passed a similar ordinance last year.
Ultimately, supporters would like to see a state law passed that addresses their concerns.
"We're trying to get more towns to pass the ordinance, because at the state level we're not getting any attention," Wollmar said. "The response we got from legislators is it's nice you got five or six towns, but what you need is 50 towns before we'll listen."
The situation isn't unique to Maine.
Towns in Massachusetts, Vermont and California have all passed so-called food sovereignty ordinances or resolutions in the past year or so.
In Sandisfield, Mass., Brigitte Ruthman, the owner of Joshua's Farm, proposed a resolution at last year's town meeting after she received a cease-and-desist order from the state saying her dairy operation was illegal. Ruthman sells shares of her small dairy herd to people in the region, who then get a share of the raw milk from her cows.
To comply with state demands, she would have had to invest tens of thousands of dollars for a new cooling system, septic system and other equipment, she said. That might be reasonable if she were a commercial dairy, but the state was coming after her for milk from a single cow that was shared by three people, she said.
"On a micro level, this is really the aggravation we have with government," she said. "You can't control our lives, you can't control our food choices that are very personal. Stop it."
Pete Kennedy, president of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, said he expects more towns to follow suit.
"Right now Maine is way ahead of the curve as far local food ordinances, but the trend is going in that direction,' Kennedy said.
Blue Hill, Sedgwick, Penobscot, Trenton, Hope and Plymouth last year passed ordinances proclaiming that federal and state regulations hinder local food production and usurp people's rights to foods of their choice. Supporters say the ordinances promote family farms, sustainability and healthy eating.
But state agriculture officials say the ordinances don't hold legal muster and that regulatory oversight is essential for food safety and public health.
Agriculture Commissioner Walt Whitcomb, who co-owns a dairy farm, said he's supportive of local food producers, but his department has to ensure the products are safe.
The department strives to work with food processors, and licensing requirements aren't as onerous as some people make them out to be, he said. Licenses require some basic common-sense requirements to ensure the public's health.


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Here's our 2014 trip (there are seven videos in all)
For a limited time I am offering to host your group in 2015 – details here
Inspiration, Information and Ideas for Scout Leaders
By Clarke Green
For a limited time I am offering to host your group in 2015 – details here
Clarke has worked with thousands of Scouts and Scouters as a director at his local Scout Camp (Camp Horseshoe), and as a Scoutmaster for 30 years. He is the recipient of a number of awards recognizing his service to Scouting, including the B.S.A.'s Silver Beaver, District Award of Merit, and is a Vigil Honor member of Octoraro Lodge 22. He is author of the blog and podcast at Scoutmastercg.com, The Scouting Journey, and Thoughts on Scouting. An avid outdoorsman and amateur actor, he lives in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania with his wife Teddi.
Comments are closed.


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The summary data provided is a sampling of ERI's Salary Assessor® database. ERI's Salary Assessor® & Survey desktop software and database reports up-to-date competitive base salary, wage, incentive, and total compensation means, medians and ranges for 5,400 non-management job titles, 8,200 US and Canada geographic locations, and 1,350 industry sectors; an added 500 executive jobs' salary, bonuses and total pay remuneration may complement. This is employer provided and verified data. To download the Salary Assessor Demo, click here.
Job Description: Compiles data and records changes in insurance policies. Determines premium, commission adjustments, and new reserve requirements, using computer software, rate books, statistical tables, and knowledge of specific types of policies. Transcribes data to record or enters data into computer for use in preparing documents and adjusting accounts. Corresponds with insured or agent to obtain supplemental information or to explain how change would not conform to company regulations or state Laws.: Examines letter from insured or agent, original application, and other company documents to determine how to effect proposed changes, such as change in beneficiary or method of payment, increase in principal sum or type of insurance. May write abstract or enter data into computer to prepare new policy or rider to existing policy. May underwrite changes when increase in amount of risk occurs. hide...show full eDOT descriptions
Average Salary Data By Location
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Outstanding point about DeRosa, how soon we forget about smaller moves when one of this stature comes along. I wonder if Houston now signs Carlos Lee if so then we better get busy signing yet another solid pitcher. The good news however is that if Lee does sign with Houston, then their LF defense is as bad or worse than ours. I actually say Dunn is better than either but Soriano can still get better.
BTW doesn't Chicago get to keep their early 1st rounder, even though they have signed Alfonso? Due to the fact that their pick is in the 1st 16.


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Ivy League to limit full-contact football workouts
The committee also found that research suggests that concussions not only have acute consequences, but also more long-term aftereffects. The multiple hits sustained in football, as distinct from those causing concussion, may have a role in the development of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in some individuals.
"Given the lack of data regarding the number or type of hits that may cause long-term consequences in certain individuals, the committee concluded that it is important to minimize the likelihood and severity of hits to the head," Kim said. "Based on current and available data, we have taken appropriate steps to help ensure the safety of our football players, but as this remains an evolving area of study, future research must be monitored, and our recommendations could then be revisited and revised."
Skorton said student-athletes need to recognize symptoms of concussion in themselves and their teammates, understand the severity of such injuries and the need to relay that information to medical personnel.
"Our goal is to emphasize that a concussion is a serious injury that requires immediate and proper treatment," Skorton said, "including physical and cognitive rest, to promote healing."
Surace said the coaches were kept abreast of the committee discussions and were not blindsided by the new rules. He also said he was impressed by the fair play in the league last season, noting there were only a few head-to-head hits that were brought to the league's attention.
"Our guys have been able to avoid the bad hits, the targeted hits for the most part," Surace said. "Sometimes there are bang-bang plays. I think very few are intentional but we have confidence they will be able to determine when they are."
The Associated Press