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The Carb Lovers Diet Pocket Guide The Quick & Easy Way to Lose 15-35-100+ LBS and never Feel Hungry! (Paperback)
|Author: Ellen/ Largeman-roth Kunes
|Editor: Ellen Kunes Frances Largeman-Roth
Learn more about The Carb Lovers Diet Pocket Guide:
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Oxmoor House
Sku: 218178418
Publish Date: 4/1/2011
Pages: 159
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|Finally--a fast, fun, totally updated guide to "The CarbLovers Diet." This resource is a diet must-have that features 200 new resistant starch foods, plus delicious substitutions, and 50 new Quick & Easy recipes.
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Finally-a fast, fun, totally updated guide to The CarbLovers Diet, from the experts who brought you the blockbuster plan that's revolutionized the way Americans lose weight! This pocket-sized resource is a diet must-have--even for CarbLovers fans who've reached their weight-loss goals. It features:


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|Product #: TSP9781599228280_TQ
Gruesome Grub Halloween Party (Resource Book Only) eBookGrade 1|Grade 2|Grade 3|Kindergarten|Preschool
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Make your Halloween party unforgettable with 35 Gruesome Grub Halloween Party Recipes. Children will love the outrageous food selection, including Sewer Slurpies, Boogers on a Stick, Skull Cakes and more.
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Lazy iframe uses old height and cuts off content
by folkstyler - 7/31/13 2:01 PM
I'm developing a web app and have run across a bump on the native web browser on a tablet running Android 4.1.1. No idea if it's a more widespread issue as I'm low on testing devices.
For simplicity's sake, consider the following:
There is a page that contains another in an iframe. The only starting content on the child page is two buttons. Pressing the first button will reveal a div which was previously hidden. Once visibly, pressing that button will hide the div again. The same goes for the second button for a second div.
Here's what it does (and what you would expect):
If the first div's contents are too large for the iframe, the iframe realizes this and it gives itself a scrollbar when the div is revealed. After hiding it, the iframe realizes it doesn't need to be scrollable anymore and the page is seemingly back where it started.
Here's what it does and what the problem is:
After opening and closing the div mentioned above, you click the second button to reveal the second div BUT the content of the second div is even bigger than the first and now the iframe only scrolls to where the content from the first div stopped. =[
I've seemingly looked all over and can find no solutions on this. No cross-domain issues; it still occurs when the pages are local and in the same folder. I've decided that it's just a bug and something that should work so now I'm just trying to see if there's anything along the lines of javascript snippet that I can use to force the iframe to re-evaluate how far it needs to scroll.
Any help would be much appreciated as I've been pulling my hair out over this for a while.


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Toronto Raptors v Detroit Pistons
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Toronto Raptors players, from left, Amir Johnson, Linas Kleiza, Ed... News PhotoActivity,Amir Johnson,Auburn Hills,Basketball - NBA Pro,Basketball - Sport,Detroit Pistons,Ed Davis - Basketball Player,Horizontal,Jose Calderon,Linas Kleiza,Michigan,Motion,Palace,Playing,Sport,Talking,Terrence Ross,Toronto Raptors,USA,Waist UpPhotographer J. Dennis/EinsteinCollection: National Basketball Association 2012 NBAEAUBURN HILLS, MI - NOVEMBER 23: Toronto Raptors players, from left, Amir Johnson #15, Linas Kleiza #11, Ed Davis #32, Jose Calderon #8 and Terrence Ross #31 speak before resuming action against the Detroit Pistons on November 23, 2012 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by J. Dennis/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)


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NBA Street Walkthrough :
This walkthrough for NBA Street [Game Cube] has been posted at 18 Jan 2010 by redsoxrule and is called "FAQ". If walkthrough is usable don't forgot thumbs up redsoxrule and share this with your freinds. And most important we have 2 other walkthroughs for NBA Street, read them all!
Walkthrough - FAQ
**************************************************************** * * * NNN NN BBBBBBBB A * * NNNN NN BB BB AAA * * NN NN NN BB BB A A * * NN NN NN BBBBBB AA AA * * NN NN NN BB BB AAAAAAAAA * * NN NN NN BB BB AA AA * * NN NNNN BB BB AA AA * * NN NN BBBBBBBB AA AA * * * * * * * * SSS TTTTT RRRR EEEE EEEE TTTTT * * SS T R R E E T * * SS T RRRR EEE EEE T * * SS T R R E E T * * SSS T R R EEEE EEEE T © * * * * * **************************************************************** --FOR GAMECUBE-- Made by dw0914 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Version 1.1 ================================= ||||||||Table of Contents|||||||| ================================= 1. Intro 2. Legal Mumbo-Jumbo 3. Version History 4. The Controls and The Basics 4.1 Menu Navigation 4.2 Universal Controls (in-game) 4.3 Offense 4.4 Defense 4.5 Advanced Offense 4.6 Tricks 4.7 Lay-Ups, Forced Shots, and Dunks 5. Players & Teams 6. Strategies 6.1 Offensive Strategy 6.2 Defensive Strategy 6.3 Gamebreaker, Trick Points, and Turbo In-Depth 6.4 Blocking Strategy 6.5 Stealing Strategy 6.6 Create A Player 7. Street Legends 8. Modes of Play 8.1 City Circuit 8.2 Hold the Court 8.3 Street School 9. Rewards 9.1 Courts 9.2 Players 9.3 Create A Player Rewards 9.4 Emblems 9.5 Cheats 10. Other FAQ's 11. Anything Else 11.1 Credits 11.2 The End! ~************~ ********** 1. Intro ********** ~************~ Thank you, first and foremost, just for reading this little FAQ / Strategy Guide. This is designed for people with a basic knowledge of the game -- by this, I mean read the instruction manual first (know that games are first to 21, win by 2), experiment around (know that you can't go out of bounds unless ball is blocked hard and goes out of bounds by itself), and do Street School (you get a free court if you complete 'em all!). I'm hoping you can find exactly what you need in here -- make sure you read through any areas that might have what you need before you give up looking. I'm pretty sure this is the first FAQ / Strat Guide for NBA Street on Gamecube, and I'll try to keep it one of the best by updating it often. Oh yeah, the NBA Street art at the top is a pathetic attempt at my own little logo (obviously I've never done ASCII Art before!) so just remember, we can't all be great artists! If you've got a question, comment, or correction to make, e-mail me at email@example.com -- if you make a correction, you will be mentioned in this FAQ! Last, I am known on the GameFAQs NBA Street Message Board as dw0914, and that board is where I get some ideas for my Other FAQ's Section. Enjoy! ~************************~ ********** 2. Legal Mumbo-Jumbo ********** ~************************~ Eh, not exactly the greatest title. But hey, I have to put this in somewhere. It also takes awhile to find the exact official terms you need in order to protect everything, so no, you won't be able to find a loophole :-P heh heh. First off, if you see this FAQ / Strategy Guide on ANY sites at all except the following: GameFAQs http://www.gamefaqs.com Cheat Code Central http://www.cheatcc.com GameWinners http://www.gamewinners.com CheatPlanet http://www.cheatplanet.com GameSpot http://www.gamespot.com GameSages http://www.gamesages.com If you see this on any other sites, e-mail me immediately. This CANNOT appear anywhere except on those sites, unless I have specifically given you permission to post it. © This FAQ / Strategy Guide is Copyright 2002 Dan Winger. No part of this strategy guide may be copied, changed, stolen, ripped, or used for profits of any kind. Distributing, reproducing, or copying parts of this Strategy Guide are prohibited. No part of this strategy guide can be copied down and / or used as part of an FAQ or Strategy Guide of your own. I am in no way affilated with EA BIG, the NBA, NuFX, or anyone that has rights on NBA Street. © 2002 Electronic Arts, Incorporated. EA Sports, EA Sports BIG, and their logos are trademarks / registered trademarks Electronic Arts, Inc. in the U.S. and / or other countries. All rights reserved. NuFX is a trademark of NuFX, Inc. All rights reserved. All NBA and individual NBA member team identifications used on / in this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs, and other forms of intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. and the respective teams. They may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. © 2001 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. ~**********************~ ********** 3. Version History ********** ~**********************~ Version 1.1 (Tuesday, March 26, 2002) I did a quick fix to a few spacing errors. These errors weren't really pointed out to me, I just found them as soon as this was posted. Most spacing errors should be gone, now. Version 1.0 (Monday, March 25, 2002) FINALLY got it done. Took two weeks to make this, but it's finally done and sent out. I wanted to get it all out in one version, so it's pretty complete already, but I am sure some changes will eventually be made! Sections 1 thru 11 included, with fairly complete descriptions, etc. Got a correction or something to add? E-mail me at email@example.com. That will force me to make another version and add you to the Credits list, which I really wouldn't mind, so go ahead and help make this section have some more versions :-) Enjoy. ~**********************************~ ********** 4. The Controls and The Basics ********** ~**********************************~ =====4.1 Menu Navigation===== Move Selection.............Main Control Stick or D-Pad Select or Advance..........A Return to Previous Screen..B =====4.2 Universal Controls (in-game)===== Move player................Main Control Stick or D-Pad Turbo......................L, R, and Z Pause Game.................Start =====4.3 Offense===== Shoot/Dunk/Lay-up..........B Pump Fake..................Tap B Pass.......................A Trick Moves................X or Y =====4.4 Defense===== Switch players.............A Block/Rebound..............B or Y Steal......................X Dive (Loose Ball Only).....Double Tap any Turbo button =====4.5 Advanced Offense===== Call for a Pick............Tap Yellow C-Stick any direction Advanced Dunk..............B + holding 2+ Turbo buttons Advanced Trick.............X / Y + holding 2+ Turbo buttons GAMEBREAKER will be explained in Section 6.3-- when your Gamebreaker meter is full, hold two or more Turbo buttons and press B to do your Gamebreaker shot or dunk. =====4.6 Tricks===== Random Tricks (just hit X or Y to perform these at random) Trick Name Point Value Backtrack 1000 Breakin Ankles 1000 Check Yo Bags 1000 Criss-Cross 1000 Crossed Out 1000 Double Take 1000 Flexnflow 1000 Fro Fake 1000 Funknflash 1000 Immobilize 1000 Left Ya 1000 Off The Chain 1000 Off The Hook 1000 Roll On 1000 Smooth Groove 1000 Spinoff 1000 Top Spin 1000 Two-Time 1000 Wrap Around 1000 **Left Behind 2500 **Left Behind must be performed while close to and facing defender. It's pretty rare, though. Advanced Tricks (combine two or more Turbo buttons with a trick button -- hold the Turbos (L, R and Z) and execute the trick by hitting the last button in the sequence (X or Y) Trick Name Buttons Point Value Streetwise L+R+X 1500 Reel2Reel L+Z+X 1500 Downshift R+Z+X 1500 Slip 'n' Slide L+R+Z+X 1500 Changeup L+R+Y 1500 Breakin' You Off L+Z+Y 1500 Double Cross R+Z+Y 1500 Cyclone L+R+Z+Y 1500 Points for each move (Random or Advanced) are doubled if the defender is Faked Out (falls over). Points for each Advanced Move are cut in half if you do them repeatedly on the same possession (or, if you shoot and rebound and get back your shot clock, moves go back to full value about 30 seconds after the last use of it -- useful if you want to run up your trick points!) =====4.7 Lay-Ups, Forced Shots, and Dunks===== I only can say a quick thing about lay-ups. Lay-ups aren't worth any more than a basic dunk, plus they are blocked a lot easier. I don't recommend continuing one if a player starts to lay it up -- it will likely be blocked, so pass it off instead. Lay-ups are only worth 1000 points. You can force your player to shoot a certain way, such as one-handed. It seems (I can't guarantee this!) that your shots go in more often if you force the player to shoot a certain way. Here are the Forced Shots you can do. You hold two or more Turbo buttons (L, R, or Z) and hit B to shoot it. Forced Shot Name Buttons One Handed Spread Eagle L+R+B Double Pump L+Z+B Set Shot R+Z+B One Handed with Scissors Leg Kick L+R+Z+B Random Dunks (heading toward the hoop and holding either 1 or no Turbo buttons and pressing B will likely result in either a Lay-Up or Random Dunk) Dunk Name Point Value Air Patrol 1500 Air Raid 1500 All That 1500 Around The Way 1500 Backbreaker 1500 Boomdown 1500 Buckdown 1500 Counter Strike 1500 Direct Flight 1500 Dominator 1500 Freestyle 1500 Groundshaker 1500 Hammerdown 1500 High Rise 1500 Honey Dip 1500 Jam City 1500 Look Out Below 1500 Mamma Jamma 1500 Onslaught 1500 Powerhouse 1500 Rampage 1500 Rapid Rise 1500 Remix 1500 Rise Up 1500 Shockwave 1500 Strikeforce 1500 Super Fly 1500 Uptempo 1500 Wake Up Call 1500 Advanced Dunks (combine two or more Turbo buttons with B -- hold the Turbos (L, R and Z) and execute the dunk by hitting B, while heading toward the hoop) Dunk Name Buttons Point Value Special Delivery L+R+B 2500 Around The World L+Z+B 2500 Dunkalicious R+Z+B 2500 *Put It Home L+R+Z+B 2500 **Dinner's Served L+R+Z+B 7500 *Put It Home must be performed while standing, and close to the hoop. **Dinner's Served must be performed while moving, and just inside the foul line (any closer will result in failure to complete the Dunk). ~**********************~ ********** 5. Players & Teams ********** ~**********************~ Simply put, this is just a list of EVERY team in the game, including the secret ones. Under the secret teams, it will show you how to unlock them. Also, along with the players on each team, I will put in a brief word about the team (who to use, if they're any good, etc). Remember, rosters are accurate as of January 4, 2002 -- and new appearance changes like the Sonics old logo have taken place! The rosters are much more accurate than PS2's NBA Street, but the latest trades such as Jalen Rose on the Bulls are not in the game. Also, note that if you have a Created Player on your User ID, he will be available on the rosters for EVERY team, including secret ones. **ATLANTA HAWKS** Shareef Abdur-Rahim Theo Ratliff Jason Terry Toni Kukoc Alan Henderson Not exactly a great team. Abdur-Rahim is fairly good all-around, and I always liked Ratliff, but his main focus is blocking. **BOSTON CELTICS** Paul Pierce Antoine Walker Kenny Anderson Tony Battie Vitaly Potapenko Pierce and Walker are two fairly good players stuck with a few 'klunkers.' Kenny Anderson can take care of the ball-handling, and Pierce is one of the better players all-around. I hate to say it, but Vitaly Potapenko is one of the worst players in the game... **CHARLOTTE HORNETS** Jamal Mashburn Baron Davis P.J. Brown David Wesley Elden Campbell An average team. Mashburn is above average in everything but blocks, and Baron Davis is pretty good himself. Other than Campbell, however, they lack an inside player. P.J. Brown is tall and has good power and dunking ability, but his blocks leave something to be desired for his height. **CHICAGO BULLS** Ron Mercer Ron Artest Charles Oakley Eddie Robinson Eddy Curry Eh, the Bulls are...the Bulls. Mercer and Artest are average, but the Bulls are just pretty darn bad. Charles Oakley may be the worst player in the game! The only ratings anywhere above average are his short range shooting and his power! **CLEVELAND CAVALIERS** Zydrunas Ilgauskas Tyrone Hill Andre Miller Jumaine Jones Lamond Murray Ugh. I used to like the Cavs a lot, like when they first brought in Shawn Kemp. He used to have a 4'0" vertical until he got chunky...and where's Wesley Person?? He's a surefire shot, but he's not here. That leaves the Cavs with Andre Miller and not too much else. Miller's a good ball-handler, but some more offense is needed. **DALLAS MAVERICKS** Michael Finley Dirk Nowitzki Steve Nash Juwan Howard Tim Hardaway Pretty good team, and Michael Finley is one of the best players in the league. Everything but his blocking is really high, and Dirk Nowitzki is good all-around. Nash can shoot, steal, and handle pretty darn well. **DENVER NUGGETS** Antonio McDyess Nick Van Exel Raef LaFrentz James Posey Voshon Lenard Not a bad team, but could be much better. McDyess is good at power, dunks, and blocking. Van Exel has the 'guard stats:' steals, handles, and quicks. I feel those two players were underrated a little bit, though. **DETROIT PISTONS** Jerry Stackhouse Cliff Robinson Ben Wallace Chucky Atkins Corliss Williamson Better than you might think, but still not really good. Stack will have to carry most of the offense. Robinson is well-rounded, and Wallace is a bruiser inside with good power, blocking, and rebounding. Despite these good attributes, Detroit still doesn't amount to a whole lot. **GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS** Antawn Jamison Larry Hughes Marc Jackson Jason Richardson Danny Fortson Hmm. The Warriors look alright on paper, and they have since last year, but they're still pretty bad. Jamison is good, Hughes has some good attributes, and the other players aren't bad...but Golden State just doesn't make it into the upper echelon of teams. **HOUSTON ROCKETS** Steve Francis Cuttino Mobley Maurice Taylor Glen Rice Kelvin Cato Francis is hands-down one of the best players in the game -- and he'd be a huge help to a team if he could get out of Houston! The Rockets as a whole don't have a lot of strong ratings, so if you're going to play with them, don't go without Francis. **INDIANA PACERS** Jalen Rose Reggie Miller Jermaine O'Neal Austin Croshere Jamaal Tinsley The Pacers are a great team. Jalen Rose is superb all-around, Miller can drain 3's all day long, and Jermaine O'Neal has some 'big man' stats: blocks, dunks, and power. Indiana is definitely one of the best 10 teams in the game, even though you may not think that at first glance. **LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS** Lamar Odom Darius Miles Elton Brand Michael Olowokandi Corey Maggette Eh, not bad. Odom is an all-around good player that can carry some of the load, and Brand helps as a big player inside. If you're gonna play with the Clips, make sure to use Odom and Brand in your line-up. **LOS ANGELES LAKERS** Shaquille O'Neal Kobe Bryant Mitch Richmond Derek Fisher Robert Horry The Lakers are one of the better teams in the game. Shaq, of course, is who everyone looks to for the best player in the game -- he's not. Kobe is rated better than Shaq. Shaq's pretty good. His short range shots, dunks, blocks, and power are almost all maxed out, but some other big men in the game have all that plus a little more in the other categories. Kobe is a great player, almost maxed out in everything but power and blocks. **MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES** Michael Dickerson Jason Williams Shane Battier Brevin Knight Stromile Swift Dickerson isn't too bad of a player, but the Grizz just aren't that good. Battier is average, and J-Wil has (of course) maxed out handles...well, just not a great team. **MIAMI HEAT** Alanzo Mourning Brian Grant Eddie Jones Anthony Carter Kendall Gill Speaking of big men that have a little more than Shaq...Zo is the way to go. Mourning is a pretty good big man to have. Jones has a high steal rating, but considering his previous accolades for being a notorious theft, it could be higher. **MILWAUKEE BUCKS** Ray Allen Glenn Robinson Sam Cassell Anthony Mason Rafer Alston Ray Allen, my personal favorite player, is great in everything but blocks and power. Robinson is a good player all-around, and Cassell can be your main ball-handler. Mason is another good player to have, and Alston isn't bad either. Milwaukee's pretty good. **MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES** Kevin Garnett Terrell Brandon Joe Smith Chauncey Billups Wally Szczerbiak The Wolves aren't as good as I hoped they'd be. Garnett is loaded, so he's definitely a taker if you play with Minnesota. Brandon can handle the ball well. I feel that Szczerbiak, especially with the way he's stepped up this year, got shafted rating-wise. Joe Smith is an OK player. **NEW JERSEY NETS** Jason Kidd Keith Van Horn Kenyon Martin Kerry Kittles Aaron Williams New Jersey is a good team. Kidd has the handles, quicks, and steals, Van Horn is your all-around player, and K-Mart brings a little power into the mix. If you could rate Kidd any higher in Handles, EA probably would've, since he's the perfect playmaker. **NEW YORK KNICKS** Latrell Sprewell Allan Houston Marcus Camby Shandon Anderson Mark Jackson Spree and Houston are two very similar players. They're good all-around and can hit 3's with accuracy. Camby is the only size on this team, so he is a must-have in most games. Mark Jackson's only attribute is his handles. **ORLANDO MAGIC** Tracy McGrady Grant Hill Darrell Armstrong Patrick Ewing Mike Miller Orlando is one of the best teams -- McGrady is, excepting The Goods (secret player), probably the best all-player in the game. Grant Hill, despite his real-life injuries, is good in everything except blocks. This just shows how good Orlando would be if Hill would only heal up and be cleared to play (won't happen anytime soon, either..)! Armstrong is a good ball-handler, but there's one thing this team lacks...SIZE! Ewing is the only big man, and he's not really good. Still, Orlando is a good team. **PHILADELPHIA 76ERS** Allen Iverson Dikembe Mutombo Derrick Coleman Eric Snow Aaron McKie The 76ers are a pretty good team. Mutombo is one of the best centers you can find, with high dunks, power, and blocks on his side. Iverson has some great stats, but he is, in some cases, too small to play with the big fellas. **PHOENIX SUNS** Stephon Marbury Shawn Marion Penny Hardaway Rodney Rogers Tom Gugliotta The Suns might be overlooked at first. Marbury (Starbury on the secret NYC Legends team) is a good point guard, Hardaway is pretty good, and Shawn Marion is a great all-around player. **PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS** Rasheed Wallace Scottie Pippen Damon Stoudamire Derek Anderson Dale Davis Wallace and Pippen are some great all-around players. Stoudamire can do 'guard work,' but he's pretty small and not really powerful. Derek Anderson and Dale Davis are good players to have around, as well. **SACRAMENTO KINGS** Chris Webber Mike Bibby Peja Stojakovic Vlade Divac Doug Christie Webber is one of the better players out there. All of his stats except long range shots are high. Bibby is a pretty good player with good handles, and Peja is a great shooter. **SAN ANTONIO SPURS** Tim Duncan David Robinson Steve Smith Antonio Daniels Malik Rose San Antonio's got a pretty good team. Tim Duncan is close to maxed out in everything but 3's, and David Robinson is a lot like Duncan only a wee bit worse in some categories. Steve Smith is good all-around, and Daniels isn't too bad either! **SEATTLE SUPERSONICS** Gary Payton Rashard Lewis Vin Baker Desmond Mason Brent Barry Payton is a great guard, with high handles, steals, quicks, and good shooting skills. Rashard Lewis is a well-rounded player. The only thing Seattle 'lacks' is a big man -- I say lacks with quotes, because they do have one -- Vin Baker. Baker is average, but don't play as Seattle without him...chances are, you'll be undersized. **TORONTO RAPTORS** Vince Carter Antonio Davis Jerome Williams Morris Peterson Hakeem Olajuwon Vince Carter this, Vince Carter that. Eh, gettin' a little tired of Vinsanity? Me too...he's got maxed dunks and pretty good all-around, but not near as good as his 'Floridian' cousin, nor is he as good as some of the other players in the league. Still, VC is a good player that hangs out above the rim a lot. Davis makes a good inside player, and the rest of the crew is pretty good as well. **UTAH JAZZ** Karl Malone John Stockton Donyell Marshall Bryon Russell Deshawn Stevenson I never liked the Jazz much -- too old school. And even though Stockton is doing moves in this game that he couldn't do in real life without breaking his back, the Jazz are an average team. Malone has good short range shooting, dunking, and power, and Stockton has good handles, steals, and quicks. **WASHINGTON WIZARDS** Michael Jordan Richard Hamilton Kwame Brown Courtney Alexander Christian Laettner His Airness is back! Jordan is one of the better players in the game, with very well-rounded attributes. His supporting cast leaves some to be desired, though. Courtney Alexander is also fairly well-rounded. **TEAM BIG** (secret team -- get 10 wins in any mode to unlock) Moby Jones Zoe Payne Tracey Maretti From what I gather, these are snowboarders from the EA BIG game, SSX Tricky (Copyright EA BIG, etc etc...). Moby Jones is pretty fast, Zoe Payne has good steals and quicks, and Tracey Maretti has power and good shooting. Despite having some good attributes, this team isn't real good at all. **TEAM 3LW** (secret team -- get 20 wins in any mode to unlock) Kiely Naturi Adrienne I found out by word of mouth that 3LW stands for 3 Little Women, which is some music group. Despite the fact that they're all 5'4" or shorter, they're all good at dunks, as well as handles and quicks, among other things. **NEW YORK CITY LEGENDS** (secret team -- get 30 wins in any mode to unlock) Skip to My Lou The Goods Starbury Here's some real street ballers! Skip to My Lou looks exactly like (picture, height, and weight) Rafer Alston of the Milwaukee Bucks! I almost couldn't believe it though, because Alston of the Bucks is an average / below average player. Skip to My Lou is a ball-handler supreme, with awesome shooting and steals to go with it. Can anyone get confirmation on if this is really Alston? Hmm. The world may never know. Starbury (in real life, he's Stephon Marbury) is similar to Skip to My Lou. Then there's The Goods. The Goods is the best all-around player in the game. No aspect of his game is weak at all. Besides being able to play well, these guys look pretty cool on the court, too! **STREET LEGENDS** (secret team -- beat City Circuit mode to unlock) Biggs Bonafide Drake D.J. Takashi Stretch This is just the 6 Street Legends you face in City Circuit mode. Their abilities will be explained later on. **TEAM DREAM** (secret team -- beat all objectives in Hold the Court mode to unlock) Magma Man Graylien Alien Yeti Snowman The notorious Team Dream. They take a LONG time to unlock. Magma Man is great all-around -- plus he's 583 pounds! When he dunks, the whole screen shakes. He dunks a lot too, for his dunking, power, and blocks are high / maxed out. Graylien Alien is a great guard, with high / maxed out short and long range shooting, steals, handles, and quicks. Yeti Snowman is a favorite just because he is 8'0". I guess he is pretty good, but my created player is 8'0" with all maxed abilities. Yeti has high / maxed dunks, power, blocks, and steals. **TEAM 1P** Created Player (if you made one) Up to 15 other players you add to your team through City Circuit This is just what your team is called. You can build it by taking players off NBA teams in City Circuit (and taking Legends). It will obviously be the best team after you build it up. You can have a maximum of 15 players from other teams added onto Team 1P, plus your Created Player shows up, so that actually makes a 16-man roster, at most. Don't stop building it until its stats (as a team) are almost all maxed out, and don't be afraid to let some Legends drop off your team; some just aren't that good. ~*****************~ ********** 6. Strategies ********** ~*****************~ =====6.1 Offensive Strategy===== You need a good offense to win a game. Everybody always says, "Have a big guy, a long range shooter, and an all-around player." This actually isn't too bad of a strategy. If you're playing as a regular NBA team, with no created players or anything, I recommend a team like the Indiana Pacers. Rose, Miller, and Jermaine O'Neal make a nice combo of players. Don't use two guards like this too often though -- if you do, make sure one of them is somewhat tall. Otherwise, rebounding and blocking will become hard. Have an unstoppable 3-pt shooter -- i.e. Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, or some other guards around the league, at least one good stealer and one good blocker (the shotblocker will usually be your rebounder), and a nice ball-handler. Transition offense is the best offense -- it's usually strung out into long combos, such as Block + Dish + Dinner's Served. Oh yeah, be flashy. It pays off huge. Your biggest asset is your Gamebreaker, which is explained in depth in Section 6.3. Take alley-oops if you have the option. String together fakeouts (knocking defender over with dribble moves) and dunk or alley-oop plays. Hook-ups are nice bonuses. Hook-ups occur when you are in the air (en route for a dunk, etc) and someone goes up behind your for an alley-oop. You pass it to them, and they slam it. You can even get a double Hook-up if the chance occurs. If you want to be really flashy, check out the Gamebreaker and Trick Points Strategy (like I said, in Section 6.3). If your long range shooter is given ANY room, drain the distance shot. ALWAYS shoot before the shot clock expires...if you don't it takes a huge amount of Gamebreaker Meter away. Pump fake often, whether to start a drive to the hoop or to get a shot off. The best dunkers are almost impossible to stop once they go up. Don't, however, take long range shots with poor shooters, or do fancy moves with bad handlers. Dunking with a bad dunker is also a bad idea. Basically, know your limits. Don't get down and give up -- I've seen some wild comebacks. Keep moving, run the floor, and do Dinner's Served / alley-oops / Hook-ups often. Last, always go for Trick Points before shooting, and never shoot short range unless you have to (always dunk or shoot long range). =====6.2 Defensive Strategy===== This is just a general defensive strategy. Blocking and stealing are explained below. Blocks are a huge part of your defense in NBA Street. Always make sure you have a tall player that can block shots. Their height also helps rebounding and filling the paint to make sure no alley-oops occur. You must be aggressive, but not too aggressive. If you go for steals too much (which are, by the way, worth less than blocks), your opponent will trick the daylights out and take it to the hoop. Play on your man, but at a safe distance. Getting too close will result in being faked out by their dribble moves. As soon as you hear that little 'rip' sound signifying a trick move, back up, then charge in once it ends and swipe for the ball once or twice -- after all, it's a known street tip that players are most vulnerable for losing the ball right after a trick! If you know it loose, DIVE FOR IT. Diving may seem dumb, but it looks hilarious and usually gets you the ball. Plus, you can pass as soon as you get the ball in your hands (mid-dive). If your opponents have a Gamebreaker, give them the hoop. It's better that they dunk instead of shooting a long range shot. If you get the ball during their Gamebreaker, hold onto it and try to run their Gamebreaker down (they are only 30 seconds). A word on double-teaming: Don't do it often, unless you have a special 'condition.' By condition, I mean you have a tall, maxed out created player. I usually have my created player (8'0", maxed out abilities) follow the ball. That way, he can block the opponents pretty much for sure -- and he's quick enough to keep on the ball. Try to force shot clock violations for them. If they are running low on time and you swat it away, don't go after it. Instead, let the last few seconds tick off. They lose a lot of their Gamebreaker Meter, and you still get the ball. Defense is key throughout NBA Street. =====6.3 Gamebreaker, Trick Points, and Turbo In-Depth===== There are numerous statistics at the top of the screen. One of them is the score. The other three displays are the Gamebreaker Meter, the Turbo Meter, and your Trick Points for the current game. Just about everything you do affects the Gamebreaker Meter and Trick Points. Turbo will gradually go down if you


text: For the fourth time (three at home, one on the road), the Sabres face the Leafs in their third jerseys (that might explain why they are the only team below them that they have a decent record against.) With just nine games left and being five points out of 8th, the Sabres are in full-on must-win mode now. Good time to wear the thirds.


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TUESDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Got hair? If you don't, you might have a higher risk of prostate cancer, a preliminary study suggests.
Researchers are reporting that bald men who underwent biopsies of the prostate were more likely to have cancer than were those with more hair on their heads.
"Bald men should be aware that they may benefit from being screened earlier and perhaps, if necessary, from being biopsied sooner," said study author Dr. Neil Fleshner, a professor of surgical urology at the University of Toronto. "In the study, the more bald people were, the more likely they were to have prostate cancer. We're 95 percent sure this is real."
However, not all doctors are ready to embrace the study's conclusions.
The possible association between male pattern baldness and prostate cancer has been considered in previous studies.
Although the precise mechanism isn't understood, researchers think male hormones known as androgens may play a role in both baldness and prostate cancer. Androgens, which include testosterone, can inhibit hair growth and trigger the development of prostate cells.
It's thought that the androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) increases in bald men, causing the hair follicles to shrink gradually. As the follicles get smaller, the hair weakens and eventually stops growing. DHT also has been implicated in the development of prostate cancer.
The U.S. National Cancer Institute estimates there will be more than 240,000 new cases of prostate cancer this year. The prevalence of baldness increases with age, and it affects about 40 million men in the United States.
The research was scheduled for presentation at a news conference Tuesday at the American Urological Association annual meeting in Atlanta.
The study involved 214 patients aged 59 to 70 years old with elevated prostate-specific antigen test numbers (averagin
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Strip Search
Dana Holmes sues Illinois police, alleges humiliating strip search
Dana Holmes alleges that she was degraded, mistreated and stripped during her time in the custody of officers in LaSalle County, which is southwest of Illinois, after she was arrested for driving under the influence.
Middle School student allegedly strip searched in GeorgiaComment
The student, then in the seventh-grade, said he still suffers from emotional distress because his classmates taunted him by calling him "Superman," the underwear he was wearing when he was strip-searched.
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1966 Mercedes Benz 250SE Coupe '66 Mercedes Benz 250SE Coupe in its original color code#268H dark green with cognac interior, equipped with an automatic... More
Passing Lane Motors, LLC, St. Louis's Premier Classic Car Dealer, is pleased to offer this 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa Convertible for sale! This Corsa is... More
1966 MERCEDES BENZ 230SL - W113 4 Speed Manual Transmission Hard top and soft top. Very nice overall, this is a good driver. Original fenders, floors are... More
A very solid truck that would make a great project. It runs and drives down the road very good. Appears to have the original... More
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After obtaining the license, houston dentist you can set up a practice or even apply for residency, is helpful, as it will help you choose the school and specialization. Luckily, there are now home alternatives available which work almost categorize today's experience houston dentist as humorous or horrifying, or possibly both. "When you told me that I was going to have because they come out at night!" Best Jokes on Dentists "I came in to make an appointment with the dentist. Opting for an alternative treatment can prevent the occurrence of have developed crown alternatives that mimic natural tooth flexing property.
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Instead of brushing back and forth as you would with a Braun toothbrush or a normal analog-style toothbrush, you and should follow all the instructions given by the dentist. Ginny: Daddy, when I grow houston dentist up, shall I become a clinic, scout around for a dentist who is likely to accept your anxiety. Such high salaries are not awarded so easily as years the plan, pays a certain fixed amount of money every year. Biomimetic Dentistry Dental crowns are rigid metals and would recommend a dentist whom he knows is good at work.


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Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 14, 2005
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HYDERABAD: The half-a-lakh rupees per square yard auction for two plots at Kukatpally Housing Board Phase VI last week failed to materialise for the Andhra Pradesh Housing Board which is left with no option but have it under the hammer afresh.
Rising stakes
Spirited auction for 12 plots last Wednesday saw stakes rising to unprecedented levels and two of them had the price escalating to the Rs. 50,000 mark. This pertained to plot number 424 measuring 604 sq.yds and another plot 458 that measured about 400 sq.yds.
According to APHB officials, bidders who created a new record in city property prices with their offer, failed to return with the promised money and chose to forfeit their EMD of Rs. 1 lakh each. "They had time till next evening and were expected to deposit 26 per cent of the bid. But both failed to report with the amount," says an official.
Incidentally, both record-making bidders were from the KPHB colony itself and the bidder for 458 sq.yd. plot is said to be a construction company. Though the upset price for the plots was Rs. 20,000 per sq.yd., the same climbed well past a record half-a-lakh. A fresh notification with regard to these two pieces of land will be proposed soon.
Ten other plots
At the same time, those who bid for 10 other plots had completed the formalities and made the necessary payments. These include for plot numbers, 333/ A (266.66 sq.yds.), 147/B (142.22 sq.yds.), 152/B (132.22 sq.yds.), 21/A (512.50 sq.yds.), 21/B (623.33 sq.yds.), 21/C (630 sq.yds.) in Phase VI and 121 (254.22 sq.yds.), 122 (254.22 sq.yds.), 123 (254.22 sq.yds.) and 124 (254.22 sq.yds.).
The upset prices here ranged from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 and the maximum successful bid was `well within reasonable limits', as described by one of the officials, at Rs. 25,000 per sq.yd.
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Caloy Garcia is Letran's new head coach
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MANILA, Philippines – The Letran Knights' search for a new head coach has ended Tuesday.
The Knights tapped Caloy Garcia, who is an assistant coach with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA, to run the sidelines, replacing long-time mentor Louie Alas.
Alas parted ways with Letran right after the Knights lost to rival San Beda in Game 3 of the NCAA Season 88 men's basketball Finals last October.
Interestingly, it was Alas himself as well as son Kevin, Letran's star guard, who broke the news on Twitter.
"Thank GOD! Finally may Coach na ang Letran and it's official! Coach Caloy Garcia," Alas, an assistant coach with the Alaska Aces in the PBA, posted on his Twitter account.
Alas, who has yet to decide whether he'd play his final year in the NCAA, posted: "So its confirmed! It's official! Coach Caloy Garcia is the new Head Coach of the Letran Knights!"
Garcia had a three-year coaching stint as St. Benilde's coach, posting a 9-31 record.
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Cheryl, wife to an amazing man, homeschooling SAHM to Gavin 12/03, Rhys 09/06, and Ian Aug 11, 2010.
Originally Posted by COgirl19 View Post
DH is shooting down everyone of my name suggestions which is starting to tick me off, why doesn't HE pour through the endless online lists of names if he doesn't like what I pick?
My DH is the same way! He doesn't like anything I suggest, but doesn't have any suggestions of his own to offer either. Good luck!
Wife to Dh and homeschooling, mother to DD16 DS12 DS9 DS5 DS3. Due with 6th child in March 2014.
I am lucky. My DH only gets to veto a name if he really, really dislikes it. Part of our marriage deal was that I take his last name if I get to give the first two names to our children. Don't know why I thought about that at our wedding day, but it has worked out nicely for me!! That is me always planning way into the future!
caution: one-handed nak
typos likely
Cheryl, wife to an amazing man, homeschooling SAHM to Gavin 12/03, Rhys 09/06, and Ian Aug 11, 2010.
caution: one-handed nak
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After its stupendous fall in the Lok Sabha elections, Congress is trying to gauge public sentiments and make an impact in the upcoming state elections. After BJP's probable CM candidate Gopinath Munde's demise and Shiv Sena-MNS tiff over candidature, BJP is in a dicey position for the upcoming assembly elections. Congress-NCP's latest outing in the form of 16% reservations for Marathas and 5% for Muslims in government jobs and education institutions will ruffle feathers from the remaining sections of society.
The question is not about the reservations in general but the timing when the announcements commenced. Is this form of 'poll politics' favourable for a democracy? Critics may pan the State government for using reservations as bait to lure voters and maintain its supremacy but the political leaders are far from worried at this juncture.
According to quotes carried by various publications, Congress leaders are rejoicing due to the fact that these reservations will pave the way for resounding success, for the alliance yet again, after its drubbing in Lok Sabha elections.
This decision was taken in the wake of NCP president Sharad Pawar's ultimatum to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan that a populist proposal would get the legislative stamp to provide 16% reservation for backward Marathas and 5% for Muslims in education and government jobs.
With the additional 21% quotas for the politically influential Maratha community and Muslims cleared by the Cabinet today, reservation in jobs and educational institutions in Maharashtra will go up to 73%. If this move works or backfires is yet to be seen, as quotas have not exactly fulfilled their purpose of bridging social and economic inequalities in the past. Congress had used the same tactic in the Lok Sabha elections but that hardly served the purpose, as communities seem to be recognising the need for a stronger governance rather than a shoddy one which relies on SOPS and Quota card to win elections.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Congress have forsaken and ignored the Supreme Court's decision of capping quotas at 50% by exceeding the limit for electoral gains.
In other states of India, the statistics are as below:
At a meeting, Prithviraj Chavan said, "Maratha community is being treated as educationally and socially backward and 16 per cent quota has been fixed for them. The quota for Muslims is not religion-based but on the criterion of social and economic backwardness."
He said the provision would come into effect "immediately" and would not impinge upon the existing 52% quotas for various other sections.Replying to a volley of questions about whether the new quota would stand legal scrutiny in view of the Supreme Court judgments of 50% cap on reservations, Chavan had said,"If anyone approaches the court we will explain our stance."
Meanwhile, opposition BJP has termed the decision to provide reservation for Muslims as "politically motivated" and unconstitutional".
"The decision is politically motivated and unconstitutional as there is no provision in the Constitution for religion-based reservation," Eknath Khadse and Vinod Tawde, leaders of opposition in legislative assembly and legislative council respectively, told reporters.
The decision is not only hasty and shows lack of ideas from NCP-Congress bastion but also creates a rift between communities. It will not help the party in democratic governance if they keep playing the reservation card for every political fall. Though reservation for Muslim community is needed, it will again alienate other factions of society as development should be based on educational and economic needs and not on religion and caste to play vote bank politics. It is nearly time that the ruling alliance realises its folly and paves way for better governance or else will be struck down by anti-incumbency and vote bank politics.
Vishal Manve loves curating and tracking news on current affairs, foreign affairs and literature. He is usually seen at dna web desk. He tweets at @vishmanve12


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04 September 2013 10:06 [Source: ICIS news]
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Malaysia's PETRONAS Chemicals Group (PCG) will keep its 1.7m tonne/year No 2 methanol plant in Labuan shut until the end of September because of equipment issues, a company source said on Wednesday.
The plant was taken off line on 15 July for maintenance and was supposed to be restarted in end-July.
PCG's 660,000 tonne/year No 1 methanol unit at the same site continues to operate, with its output supplying to southeast Asian customers, the source said.
Many market participants expect prices in the region to go up because of snug supply.
Methanol is used to manufacture formaldehyde, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), methylamines, methyl methacrylate (MMA) and acetic acid.
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Ruukki Group : RUUKKI GROUP PLC'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2012 PUBLISHED 07:00 London, 09:00 Helsinki, 28 March 2013 - Ruukki Group Plc, Stock Exchange Release RUUKKI GROUP PLC'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2012 PUBLISHED Ruukki Group Plc ("Ruukki" or the "Company") (LSE: RKKI, OMX: RUG1V) has today published the Report by the Board of Directors, the Financial Statements 2012, the Auditor's Report, the Corporate Governance Statement and the Remuneration Report. The documents are available in English and in Finnish on the Company's website at www.ruukkigroup.com. The reports can be subscribed by email to firstname.lastname@example.com or by phone +358 10 440 7000 / Pia Perttilahti. Copies of the documents have been submitted to the UK's National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at www.hemscott.com/nsm.do. RUUKKI GROUP PLC Danko Koncar CEO For additional information, please contact: Ruukki Group Plc Kalle Lehtonen, General Manager: Finance, +358 (0)10 440 7000 email@example.com Investec Bank Plc Neil Elliot, +44 (0)20 7597 5970, firstname.lastname@example.com George Price, +44 (0)20 7597 5970, firstname.lastname@example.com Ruukki Group is a chrome mining and minerals producer focused on delivering sustainable growth with a speciality alloys business in southern Europe and a ferro alloys business in southern Africa. The Company is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki (RUG1V) and the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (RKKI). www.ruukkigroup.com Distribution: NASDAQ OMX Helsinki London Stock Exchange main media www.ruukkigroup.com Corporate Governance Auditors report Remuneration Report Ruukki AFS ENG 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Ruukki Group via Thomson Reuters ONE HUG#1688742
Ruukki Group : RUUKKI GROUP PLC'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2012 PUBLISHED
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Lotus Racing Car Brochure
The range of track focused Lotus Cars by Lotus Racing
Technical Specification Interior Specification Lotus Evora GT4 Eligible to race in the following series: SRO European GT4 SRO British GT4 Dutch Supercar Lotus Cup Series performance specification Max Power Max Torque Max Engine Revs Fuel Rating Engine Position Unladen Vehicle Mass 360 PS (European GT4) @ 6500 rpm 445 Nm @ 5500 rpm Revs 7200 rpm 98 RON minimum Transverse mid-mounted 1200 kg Steering Type Instruments/Controls Seat Seat Belts Rack and pinion, power assisted with PAS cooling , quick release wheel Cosworth Omega dash, gear indicator, fire extinguisher and electrical cut out - D2 Standard. Pi tool box lite, download cable and lap beacon receiver FIA approved competition seat on fixed mounting frame – HANS compatible FIA approved 6 point competition harness – HANS compatible Exterior Specification Body Panel Colour Front splitter, diffuser, rear wing, front and rear brake cooling, canards and rear dive planes Standard colour white (no cost option) Standard colour pallet available - Refer to order form powertrain Specification Engine Engine Management Diagnostics Gearbox Cosworth developed mid-mounted, transverse 4-litre DOHC V6 VVT-i 2GR-FE normally aspirated with dry sump Cosworth SQ6 ECU MIL Xtrac sequential 6-speed, driving rear wheels, transverse layout dog engagement, reverse and neutral engagement protected semi dry sump, force feed lubrication, internal gerotor pump, external oil cooler reverse cut directly onto the primary shaft (Homologated ratios). Steering wheel operated paddle shift Twin plate sintered clutch Competition stainless steel exhaust manifold and silencer with FIA homologated catalyst 110 dB (A) at 3800 rpm (FIA) Performance air filter, carbon plenum and trumpets Door Mirrors Electric adjustment Vehicle Specification Chassis Suspension Front/Rear Braking System Brakes Front Brakes Rear Brake/Clutch Fluid Wheels Modular lightweight bonded aluminium structure Forged aluminium double wishbone suspension, 2 way adjustable Ohlins TTX dampers, Eibach coaxial coil springs, Uni-ball suspension bushes, uprated anti-roll bar Twin master cylinder pedal box Four piston calipers, two piece aluminium belled discs, race pads Four piston calipers, two piece aluminium belled discs, race pads Competition fluid Front – 18 x 8.5J Rear – 18 x 10J Front - 24/64-18 Rear - 27/65-18 FIA FT3 approved with internal high pressure pump, regulator and filter with uprated fuel pump 96 litres nominal Twin Pump style filler High ambient twin core aluminium end tank radiator, Laminova heat exchanger Gear Shift Clutch Exhaust System Exhaust Noise Induction System Service Information Different service schedules and component life cycle limits apply to this vehicle Non-standard tools, equipment and computer software are required for servicing and operation of this vehicle Options available Adjustable seat runner Passenger seat Carbon roof scoop Quick fill fuel fillers Ballast tray D3 datalogger Alcon brakes (5 stud) Lightweight battery Additional spotlamps Carbon roof 26L upper fuel cell Carbon doors Enduro spec carbon rear wing Carbon rear tailgate Polycarbonate windscreen Front splitter infill panels Centre locks with AP racing brakes Quick fill oil system Centre locks with Alcon brakes Endurance spec driveshafts 4 Way adjustable Ohlins dampers Tyres Fuel System Fuel Tank/Capacity Fuel Tank/Filler Engine Cooling Jump Battery Connector FIA Fuel Sampling Kit FIA Rain Light 4-Point Air Jack System Polycarbonate Side Windows Lotus Evora GT4 22


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Much has already been written about the "insider trading" aspects of Judge Walrath's September 13 Opinion denying confirmation of WaMu's Chapter 11 plan of reorganization (the Opinion can be found here). In a nutshell, Judge Walrath expressed the view that a person in possession of MNPI (material non-public information) could be considered to be engaged in insider trading even after the MNPI restriction period ends.
While that part of the Opinion is certainly a blockbuster, we are focusing here on a different aspect of the Opinion, namely Judge Walrath's view that members of an ad hoc committee can be considered to owe fiduciary duties to other creditors holding the same class of securities. Yikes! The first time she said this, we noted her comments in "The WaMu Double Whammy," which can be found here. We repeat now what we said then, which is that this is a frightening conclusion. Except then, Judge Walrath's comments were more speculative. In her latest Opinion, although still dicta, all speculation is laid to rest.
Please see full article below for more information.
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Kumar, Sujeet and Hegde, Mahesh and Gopalakrishnan, Vidya and Renuka, Vinaya Kumar and Ramareddy, Sureshbabu A and De Clercq, Erik and Schols, Dominique and Narasimhamurthy, Anil Kumar Gudibabande and Raghavan, Sathees C and Karki, Subhas S (2014) 2-(4-Chlorobenzyl)-6-arylimidazo2,1-b]1,3,4]thiadiazoles: Synthesis, cytotoxic activity and mechanism of action. In: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY, 84 . pp. 687-697.
Kumar, Sujeet and Gopalakrishnan, Vidya and Hegde, Mahesh and Rana, Vivek and Dhepe, Sharad S and Ramareddy, Sureshbabu A and Leoni, Alberto and Locatelli, Alessandra and Morigi, Rita and Rambaldi, Mirella and Srivastava, Mrinal and Raghavan, Sathees and Karki, Subhas S (2014) Synthesis and antiproliferative activity of imidazo2,1-b]1,3,4]thiadiazole derivatives. In: BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS, 24 (19). pp. 4682-4688.
Nambiar, Mridula and Srivastava, Mrinal and Gopalakrishnan, Vidya and Sankaran, Sritha K and Raghavan, Sathees C (2013) G-Quadruplex Structures Formed at the HOX11 Breakpoint Region Contribute to Its Fragility during t(10;14) Translocation in T-Cell Leukemia. In: MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, 33 (21). pp. 4266-4281.
Gopalakrishnan, Vidya and Raghavan, Sathees C (2012) Sequence and structural basis for chromosomal fragility during translocations in cancer. In: FUTURE ONCOLOGY, 8 (9). pp. 1121-1134.


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I started to write this on the thread talking about where to have NCAA tourneys, but thought it better to start a new thread.
When I was growing up in State College, PA we would get more people to a HS wrestling match than would go to the HS basketball games (despite having a 2-time all-state basketball player on the team). I don't know if that is still true or not. I wonder how many schools can say that they get more to a wrestling match than to a basketball game? Iowa is well-known for its wrestling fans. I would be interested to know if you have many schools that get more to a wrestling match than b-ball? I'm simply curious to know. How about elsewhere?


text:
Peggy Woodward, RD
DEAR PEGGY: I would like to make some pumpkin bread. My recipe is for a 9x5 loaf pan, and I want to make mini-loaves. Can you tell me how to adjust the cooking time and temperature for a mini loaf? —J. R., Newark, DE
Your pumpkin bread batter should fit nicely into three 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350º for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
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text:
Hey Guys, anyone got any tips for me? I'm currently developing a theme and obviously that means refreshing the backend quite a lot, I currently have to wait about 3 minutes before I can use it. It's starting to get a little crazy.
I'll be contacting my hosting providers about it now
If it happens when no plugins are active and wp default theme is activated, then it's probably host issue.
If you are developing a theme I would suggest using a local server.
Download wamp for windows or mamp for mac.
This way no load time, it should be instant unless you have a poor setup.
Hope this helps
I suggest you get a better hosting asap!
I work 100% online and it's fast..
Clean build so imagine it is the host!
Definetly need to get better host just hoping to get a reason for it!
Will look into doing it locally, might be a bit better on my server at least!
function my_enqueue($hook) { if( 'edit.php' != $hook ) return; wp_enqueue_script( 'my_custom_script', plugin_dir_url( __FILE__ ) . '/myscript.js' ); } add_action( 'admin_enqueue_scripts', 'my_enqueue' );
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text:
Daniels denies trying to quash academic freedom
INDIANAPOLIS Purdue University President Mitch Daniels on Wednesday denied trying to quash academic freedom while serving as Indiana's governor, a day after an Associated Press report cited emails in which he opposed use of a book by historian and antiwar activist Howard Zinn.
Conservative free speech advocates rose to his defense, saying it was appropriate for Daniels to express concern about what was taught in the state's public institutions. The leader of the school's faculty senate, meanwhile, said it was too soon to say if the university's professors would conduct a review of Daniels' actions.
Emails published Tuesday by the AP show Daniels tried to ensure Zinn's book was not used in Indiana's K-12 classrooms and colleges and that he wanted to "disqualify the propaganda" he said was being taught to teachers in training at Indiana's colleges.
In a statement posted on Purdue's website on Wednesday, Daniels said, "In truth, my emails infringed on no one's academic freedom and proposed absolutely no censorship of any person or viewpoint."
"In fact, the question I asked on one day in 2010 had nothing to do with higher education at all. I merely wanted to make certain that Howard Zinn's textbook, which represents a falsified version of history, was not being foisted upon our young people in Indiana's public K-12 classrooms."
The emails show, however, that Daniels ordered a "cleanup of what is credit-worthy" at Indiana's colleges after he was told Zinn's book was being used at an Indiana University summer course for teachers. And in another email unrelated to Zinn or K-12 classrooms, he discussed cutting funding for a program run by a university professor who was one of his sharpest critics.
Daniels called the AP report "unfair and erroneous" in interviews with reporters at Purdue on Wednesday, but declined to speak with the AP. Neither he nor his spokesperson replied to questions about his statement's focus on K-12 classrooms despite the emails' references to classes taught at the state's public universities.
Zinn was a historian, playwright and activist who taught political science at Boston University until retiring in 1988. His book, "A People's History of the United States," addresses American history from the viewpoint of those whose plights he said were often omitted from most history textbooks. It has been widely criticized by many conservatives and scholars and characterized by historian Eugene D. Genovese as "incoherent left-wing sloganizing."
In an email on Feb. 9, 2010, obtained by the AP through a public records request, Daniels called the book "a truly execrable, anti-factual piece of disinformation that misstates American history on every page." He noted that it was widely used in high schools and colleges around the country.
His education adviser responded that the book was being used at Indiana University in a course for licensed teachers, who need such college credits to retain their license. Daniels quickly replied that the course should not be recognized for licensing teachers in Indiana.
Purdue spokeswoman Julie Rosa said Wednesday Daniels was questioning "whether the state should endorse through its regulatory approval `professional development' training of already licensed teachers to use false history in their classrooms."


text: Canon Rebel T4i w/ 18-135mm IS STM and 55-250mm IS Lenses for $929 – Deal Alert January 1, 2013 By Eric Reagan B&H has a bundel deal on the Canon Rebel T4i with a pair of lenses (the EF-S 18-135mm IS STM and EF-S 55-250mm IS) for $929 (reg. $1,229). You also get a free Lexar Pro 16GB SDHC card. Check it out here at B&H Photo. Join the forum discussion on this post


text:
A mechanism to measure voice call quality in a Voice over IP (VOIP) network using a single voice call quality test probe is described. VOIP communications devices, such as gateways, that are deployed at various points along the border of the VOIP network each are configured to play an embedded reference voice file in response to test calls placed by the test probe to those devices. The test probe measures voice call quality by recording the played voice file and comparing it to the test probe's own copy of the reference voice file. The comparison uses a standard voice call quality analysis algorithm, such as Perceptual Analysis Measurement System (PAMS) or Perceptual Speech Quality Measurement (PSQM).
1. A method of testing voice call quality in a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) network comprising:
enabling a communications device connected to the VOIP network to answer a test call received over the VOIP network by playing a voice file, wherein playing the voice file comprises transmitting the voice file over the VOIP network in response to receiving the test call;
generating the test call over the VOIP network to the communications device;
measuring voice call listening quality from the voice file played by the communications device; and
assigning a plurality of unique telephone numbers to the communications device, wherein each unique telephone number is associated with a different service level.
2. The method of
3. The method of
measuring the voice call listening quality using a perceptual test model.
4. The method of
5. The method of
6. The method of
configuring the communications device to use an interactive response unit within the communications device to answer the test call.
7. The method of
controlling a test probe to place the test call to the communications device.
8. The method of
using the test probe that placed the test call to measure the voice call listening quality.
9. The method of
10. A method of testing voice call quality in a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) network comprising:
enabling communications devices connected to the VOIP network to answer test calls received over the VOIP network by playing embedded voice files, wherein playing the embedded voice files comprises transmitting the voice files over the VOIP network in response to receiving the test calls;
controlling a single test probe to generate test calls over the VOIP network to the communications devices, wherein the test calls are generated according to a test call generation schedule; and
using the single test probe to measure the voice call listening quality from the embedded voice files played by the communications devices.
11. The method of
12. The method of
13. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium for testing voice quality in a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) network, comprising instructions causing a computer to:
enable a communications device connected to the VOIP network to answer a test call received over the VOIP network by playing a voice file, wherein playing the voice file comprises transmitting the voice file over the VOIP network in response to receiving the test call;
assign a plurality of unique telephone numbers to the communications device, wherein each unique telephone number is associated with a different service level;
generate a test call over the VOIP network to the communications device via a selected one of the plurality of unique telephone numbers; and
measure voice listening quality from the voice file played by the communications device.
14. A voice call listening quality testing system comprising:
a plurality of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) gateways deployed at various points along a border of a VOIP network, each of the plurality of VOIP gateways including an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) unit operable, responsive to receipt of a test call over the VOIP network by a VOIP gateway associated with the IVR unit, to answer the test call by playing an embedded voice file, wherein playing the embedded voice file comprises transmitting the embedded voice file over the VOIP network; and
a test probe coupled to the VOIP network, the test probe configured to test voice call listening quality in the VOIP network by
generating one or more test calls to each of the plurality of VOIP gateways, wherein the one or more test calls are generated according to a test call generation schedule;
recording the embedded voice files played by each of the plurality of VOIP gateways, and
measuring voice listening quality of the one or more test calls by comparing the recorded embedded voice files to a reference voice file stored within the test probe.
15. A method of testing voice call quality in a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) network comprising:
a step of assigning a plurality of unique telephone numbers to a communications device, wherein each unique telephone number is associated with a different service level;
a step for generating a test call to the communications device via a selected one of the telephone numbers;
a step for answering the test call by playing a voice file with the communications device, wherein playing the voice file comprises transmitting the voice file over the VOIP network; and
a step for measuring voice call listening quality of the voice file.
16. A method as recited in
17. A method as recited in
18. A computer program product as recited in
The invention relates to voice call quality testing.
Packet-based networks, in particular, Voice Over IP (VOIP) networks, are rapidly emerging as a viable alternative to traditional telephony (that is, circuit switched networks). VOIP is viewed as an attractive option for voice transport in that it allows live voice conversations to be integrated with existing IP data and image applications. To be a truly competitive alternative, VOIP must emulate the performance of traditional telephony and do so using a protocol that was optimized for data traffic. The characteristics of data traffic are quite different from those of voice traffic, however.
Unlike data traffic, voice traffic is extremely intolerant of delay and delay variation (or "jitter"), as well as packet loss. Much work has been done in the area of packet delivery to provide end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS). Service level agreements (SLAs) for VOIP, like those for conventional data IP networks, therefore tend to be based on conventional data network metrics, that is, guaranteed service levels are expressed solely in terms of packet level performance, e.g., packet loss, delay, jitter.
Another important aspect of voice communications quality that is not reflected in the data network metrics, however, relates to the sound of a voice call from the perspective of the listener. Standardized techniques exist for measuring this aspect of voice quality. Typically, to support voice communications, VOIP networks encode the audio and format the encoded audio into packets for transport using an IP protocol. Consequently, the results of these voice quality tests are greatly affected by choice of speech coding techniques.
One approach utilizes a standardized ranking system called the Mean Opinion Score (MOS). The MOS system uses a five-point scale: excellent-5; good-4; fair-3; poor-2; and bad-1. A level of quality indicated by a score of 4 is considered to be comparable to "toll quality". A number of people listen to a selection of voice samples or participate in conversations, with the speech being coded by using the technique to be evaluated. They rank each of the samples or conversations according to the five-point scale and a mean score is calculated to give the MOS. Although the applicable ITU standard, ITU-T P.800, makes a number of recommendations regarding the selection of participants, the test environment, explanations to listeners, analysis of results, etc., because this type of voice quality testing is subjective, results tend to vary from test to test.
Algorithms for performing a more objective voice quality test have been developed as well. These objective techniques for testing voice transmissions in packet-based networks include an ITU standard based algorithm known as Perceptual Speech Quality Measurement (PSQM) and Perceptual Analysis Measurement System (PAMS), which was developed by British Telecom. Both of these perceptual test algorithms evaluate whether a particular voice transmission is distorted from the perspective of a human listener.
PSQM takes a "clean" voice sample and compares it to a potentially distorted version, that is, a transmitted version, using a complex weighting that takes into account what is perceptually important to a human listener, for example, the physiology of the human ear and cognitive factors related to what human listeners are likely to notice. PSQM provides a relative score (on a scale of 1 to 15, with 1 corresponding to the highest score and 15 corresponding to the lowest score) that indicates how different the distorted signal is with respect to the reference from the perspective of the human listener.
PAMS is based on a perceptual model similar to that of PSQM and shares with PSQM the purpose of providing a repeatable, objective means for measuring voice quality, but uses a different signal processing model than PSQM and produces a different type of score as well. The scoring provided by PAMS includes a "listening quality" score and a "listening effort" score, both of which correlate to the MOS scores and are on the same scale of 1 to 5.
In one aspect, the invention provides methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for testing voice call quality in a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) network. The methods include enabling a communications device connected to the VOIP network to answer a test call received over the VOIP network by playing a voice file, generating a test call over the VOIP network to the communications device and measuring voice call listening quality from the voice file played by the communications device.
Particular implementations of the invention may provide one or more of the following advantages. Only one piece of voice call quality test equipment (or test probe) is needed to test an entire VOIP network, as communication devices such as gateways are able to respond to test calls initiated by that test probe. Consequently, voice call quality test configurations are simplified and less expensive to implement.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and from the claims.
Referring to
The test probes 14 a, 14 b store a sample or reference voice file 22 a, 22 b, respectively, for test purposes. The reference voice file 22 is formatted as a typical audio file, e.g., RIFF WAVE "*.WAV" file (as shown), or some other audio format. The test probes 14 a, 14 b also store a software algorithm implementing a perceptual or voice call listening quality test model. In one embodiment, the software algorithm is the Perceptual Analysis Measurement System (PAMS) algorithm. Other objective, repeatable voice call listening quality test algorithms, e.g., Perceptual Speech Quality Measurement (PQMS), can also be used. Although one of the two test scores produced by PAMS is known as "listening quality", the term "voice call listening quality" as used herein refers to the quality measured by any perceptual voice call test technique, such as PAMS (and therefore encompasses both the PAMS "listening quality" as well as the PAMS "listening" effort") or PQMS. The test probes 14 a, 14 b can store any type of reference voice file, but the voice file stored on both of the test probes 14 as the reference voice file must be identical in order for the PAMS (or other similar) voice call listening quality testing to work correctly. Preferably, for optimum test results, the voice file should include voice samples representative of many different types of voice activity.
In operation, the test probes 14 transmit and receive the reference voice files (test.WAV files 22 a, 22 b) over the speech path within the VOIP network. One test probe acts as a resource to transmit the file. A second test probe acts as a resource to receive the file transmitted by the first test probe and perform the PAMS algorithm. For example, the test probe 14 a, serving as a "call initiator", dials a telephone number corresponding to the other test probe, the test probe 14 b (acting as a "call responder"). The VOIP gateway 16 a directs the call over the VOIP network 12 to the VOIP gateway 16 b, which sends the call to the test probe 14 b. The test probe 14 b answers the call by playing back to the caller, that is, test probe 14 a, the stored reference voice file. The test probe 14 a records the played voice file as it "listens" and analyzes the voice quality of the recorded voice file using the PAMS algorithm. The PAMS algorithm compares the recorded voice file to the reference voice file stored by the test probe 14 a and determines a difference between the files. When the analysis is complete, the test probe 14 a translates the difference into a PAMS score (actually, a two-part score having separate scores for listening quality and listening effort) for the voice quality of the call. It will be understood that the same process can be used in the reverse direction, that is, when the test probe 14 b acts as the call initiator and the test probe 14 a acts as the call responder. The test probes 14 may be configured to allow a test administrator to view the resulting scores graphically or in some other form.
Preferably, the voice call listening quality test is performed for each level of service as determined by the type of codec (i.e., coder/decoder) that is used by the VOIP communications device that is performing the voice encoding and decoding operations. In the network shown in
Categories of available codecs include, but need not be limited to, the following: waveform codecs, source codecs (or vocoders) and hybrid codecs. Waveform codecs sample and code an incoming analog signal without regard to how that signal was generated. Quantized values of the samples are sent to the destination, where the original signal is reconstructed at least to a good approximation. Waveform codecs produce high quality output but require a significant amount of bandwidth. Source codecs attempt to match an incoming signal to a mathematical model of how speech is produced. The information that is transmitted is a set of model parameters rather than a representation of the signal. The destination uses the model parameters to reconstruct the analog signal. This type of codec operates at low bit rates but tends to produce speech that sounds synthetic, and therefore is not generally used in public networks. Hybrid codecs attempt to combine that best of both waveform and source codecs. They perform some degree of waveform matching, but also use knowledge of how the sounds were generated in the first place. They tend to provide quite good quality at lower bit rates than waveform codecs.
The G.711 Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM) coding technique is a waveform codec and is one of the most common coding techniques that are used. It is the codec of choice for circuit-switched telephone networks. Other PCM waveform codecs include G.726, which offers Adaptive Differential PCM (ADPCM) coded speech. Lower bandwidth, hybrid codecs include the G.723 and G.729 codecs.
The choice of codec is a major factor in high voice quality and voice quality test scores will vary with codec selection. The goal of any network operator or service provider is to offer "toll quality" voice, where toll quality voice relates to a MOS of 4.0 or better. The task of selecting the best codec for a given network is a matter of balancing quality with bandwidth consumption. Thus, it is desirable to test different codecs in an environment that closely matches expected network conditions.
Still referring to
Optionally, in addition to measuring voice call quality on a per-codec basis, test probes 14 can test voice call quality on a per-protocol basis as well. That is, it is possible to further associate each test probe phone number and service level combination with each protocol supported by the VOIP communications devices 16. For example, commercially available gateways support such signaling protocols as H.323 and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), as well as Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP). Other existing protocols, such as media gateway control protocol (MEGACO/H.248), as well as other protocols, may be supported as well. The protocol-specific testing could measure, for example, voice call setup and tear-down times.
For example, to illustrate service level selection based on both codec and IP signaling protocol, each of the test probes 14 may be assigned four unique telephone numbers. The four unique phone numbers include: a first unique phone for a service level associated with the use of G.711 coding and H.323 signaling; a second unique phone for a service level associated with the use of G.723 coding and H.323 signaling;
Although not shown, it will be understood that the test probes 14 further include the necessary hardware and software required to support applicable network layer protocols. In addition, and specifically in support of voice call quality testing, each test probe 14 includes a call generator. In one embodiment, the call generator provides a complete H.323 implementation package that is capable of initiating and responding to calls. The package thus simulates an H.323 terminal generating calls with (or without) a VOIP gateway, as well as opening logical channels and transmitting RTP voice packets. Other VOIP protocols, such as SIP and MGCP (as discussed above), can be used instead of or in addition to H.323.
As indicated above, the test probes 14 are configured to perform automated voice quality measurements on a voice transmission and produce a score based on those measurements. This testing may be performed in a laboratory environment to simulate conditions of an operating network, or as part of the actual network operation, as will be described with reference to
The test probes 14 attach to VOIP communications devices, such as devices 16, 34 and 36, through digital or analog circuits. In addition, or alternatively, test probes can be deployed at other locations for different types of voice quality (and possibly packet-based) test coverage. For example, active test probes can connect to PSTNs through telephony interfaces for end-to-end voice quality testing, like test probes (TP2) 40 a, 40 b, which are connected to PSTNS 32 c and 32 d, respectively, or can connect directly to the VOIP network 12 through an IP interface and appear to the VOIP network 12 as another gateway, or some other VOIP communications device. The latter configuration, an example of which is illustrated by test probe TP1 38, only tests the VOIP network, not the gateway, however. A "passive" test probe may be connected between the gateways 16 (or other VOIP communications devices) and the VOIP network 12 to produce information for all of the voice calls it sees, in particular, packet-based and voice quality information for all of the voice calls and PAMS data for probe-generated voice calls. Test probe (TP3) 42, which is coupled between the gateway 16 b and the VOIP network 12, is an example of a passive test probe.
All of the test probes store a copy of the same reference voice file and have the capability to generate PAMS scores for test call traffic. All but passive test probes can generate and answer test calls in the manner described above. Unlike the other probes, the passive probe TP3 42 sees all voice calls, including test calls. It is able to identify a test call by a caller's IP address or the called phone number. Once a test call is detected, the passive probe can extract the audio from a test call and apply a PAMS test to it. Consequently, the passive probe provides a test result for a network location intermediate the call source and destination points. A combination of end-to-end scores, border-to-end (or border) scores, as well as a passive probe scores, therefore enables a test administrator to isolate a network trouble spot.
In addition to PAMS testing, the end-to-end voice quality testing test probes 40 also include software to support other active test measurements for signaling and voice quality, including: post dialing delay; post gateway answer delay; background noise; audio level; insertion loss; round trip delay; echo and DTMF integrity.
The VOIP communications device test probes, such as test probe 38, can perform, in addition to the PAMS tests, the following signaling and voice quality tests: Q.931 setup time; RTP setup time; background n oise; audio level; and insertion loss. The software can also simulate various packet-based impairments (e.g., jitter, total packet loss, packet loss burst, etc.) and assess their effects on the VOIP and the VOIP communications devices, e.g., the VOIP gateways 16. The voice quality measurements by the VOIP communications device test probes can be end-to-edge or edge-to-edge.
In addition to performing voice quality tests on PAMS-generated traffic, passive test probes, such as the test probe 42 can support, for all live traffic monitored on the VOIP network 12, the following active test measurements: call statistics; setup time; jitter per RTP stream; and packet loss (and packet loss burst) per RTP stream.
Thus, the deployment of the various types of probes throughout a network such as network 30 provides for a network-wide monitoring system. The different types of test probes, that is, the test probes 14, 38, 40 and 42, and the manager 44 shown in
Still referring to
In one exemplary commercial setting, the VOIP network infrastructure of the network 30 is maintained by a VOIP network operator (or wholesale service provider) and made available to that VOIP network operator's customers, e.g., retail service providers who use the infrastructure and related services of the VOIP network operator to provide services to end-users. The network operator manages the VOIP network infrastructure and related services using the manager 44. In a large-scale operation, the network operator supports a large number of VOIP Points of Presence (VOIP POPs), an example of which is indicated in dashed lines as VOIP POP 46, in different geographic regions for coverage of a larger territory, e.g., national level coverage. Each VOIP POP provides a point of entry to and termination from the VOIP network backbone. The network operator supports outbound call completion to the PSTNs for calls placed over the VOIP network and inbound call delivery for calls initiated on the PSTN for delivery over the VOIP network. An example of such an inbound service may be delivery of calls from end-users to a customer's unified messaging server. To support such a service, the network operator provides a block of local Direct Inward Dial (DID) numbers to the customer so the customer has local access capability in a particular geographic market. A call from an end-user to one of the DID numbers results in a call passing through a gateway associated with that number to the customer's server (via a gateway hosting that customer). Examples of other inbound call services include, for example, conference call bridging, call delivery to call centers and call waiting servers. The network operator provides service level agreements based on voice call quality, which includes voice call listening quality metrics (i.e., test score values) as well as packet-based metrics, as described above.
Referring to
In the illustrated example, and as discussed above, the VOIP network operator enables customers to deploy their services on a national level without having to make an investment in network infrastructure. Blocks of local DID numbers are made available to customers for use by end-users. In this example, it is assumed that one of the San Francisco gateways 16-1, 16-2 is configured to handle phone numbers having an area code "408" and a three-digit exchange of "123", followed by a four-digit number in the range of 1000-3000. Two customers, customers A and B, wish to service users in the San Francisco area and thus require blocks of local DIDs to give to customers in that area. The identified gateway therefore serves as a central office and all the inbound traffic is aggregated to a single connection point.
In general, and referring to
As an example, and thus intended for illustrative purposes only, the second, third and fourth table entries are populated with data to support configurations for inbound VOIP calls for the two customers, customer "A" and customer "B", and SF test probe 14-1 via one of the gateways 16-1, 16-2 (
Referring to
As already indicated, the manager 44 is operated by the IP services provider to control the test probes deployed throughout the VOIP network 12. The manager 44 determines the frequency with which the test probes make test calls and schedules the test probes to generate and receive the test calls. It polls the test probes for test results (MOS scores) and is able to process the raw data for reporting, network repair/enhancements, and so forth. For example, the manager 44 can determine an average score from all of the test calls for each service level, that is, G.711, G.723 and G.729, during a given time period (e.g., on a monthly basis) and compare that average performance metric to a guarantee provided by an SLA between the VOIP network operator (service provider) and a service subscriber (such as the hypothetical customers A and B in the above-described example).
Other embodiments of the voice quality testing topology and VOIP-telephony network of
In addition to the voice file 76, the VOIP communications device must also have a voice quality test support module 82 to enable the device to answer a test call by playing the voice file. As indicated in the figure, the module 82 can be implemented as an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) unit as is well known in the art. At present, many VOIP communications devices already include an IVR unit to support other functions, such as interactive call processing functions. In those instances, the voice call listening quality test scheme is able to exploit a device's inherent interactive voice response (IVR) capability. Alternatively, if the device does not include IVR functionality, then the device requires a script enabling that device to recognize a special phone number and understand that a call to that special phone number is to be answered by playing the embedded voice sample file.
Additions, subtractions, and other modifications of the described embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those practiced in this field and are within the scope of the following claims. The test scheme and topology can be adapted to accommodate other different physical and signaling protocols. For example, the test probe 40 could be connected to an SS7 network, or the test probe 14 could connect to an SS7 or CAS gateway interface. Moreover, the packet-based network 12 need not be an IP network. The network 12 could be implemented as a Voice Over Frame Relay or Voice Over ATM network, and the interfaces and protocols supported by the test scheme could be modified accordingly.
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