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The Malik Report
Red Wings-Blackhawks game-day updates: Ericsson's slated to return for Wings; Hawks didn't skate
by George Malik on 01/27/13 at 01:30 PM ET
Comments (8)
Updated 2x with likely lineups at 1:47 PM: In theory, anyway, the Detroit Red Wings' uphill battle against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight (7 PM EST, FSD/CSN Chicago, AM 1270) was supposed to yield very little in terms of game-day news as NHL.com's Brian Hedger reported that neither team would hold a morning skate (the Blackhawks will be playing their sixth game in nine nights this evening, and the Wings aren't far behind as they'll be playing their second game in three nights and their fifth game in nine nights), but I rolled over this morning, checked RedWingsFeed's Twitter page on my phone, and could only shake my head at the following Tweet from Ken Kal:
Hockey players are hockey players, and while this late-riser's idea of a pleasant way to wake up for a hockey game does not involve 20 minutes of strapping and taping on one's hockey gear, skating for 20 minutes, spending 10 more minutes peeling off one's hockey gear, and then riding a bike for 30 minutes, the Red Wings' players seem to be pre-programmed to do just that, even if they've been told that they can sleep in. As such, the Red Wings' Twitter feed offers some pertinent game-day information...
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Red Wings-Blackhawks set-up and overnight report: and now things get much more difficult
by George Malik on 01/27/13 at 05:13 AM ET
Comments (6)
A little under 48 hours after finding their footing against the Minnesota Wild, the hockey team in progress known as the Detroit Red Wings will find themselves in less comfortable surroundings. Tonight, the Wings will tangle with the Chicago Blackhawks (7 PM EST, FSD/CSN Chicago, WXYT AM) in the "Madhouse on Madison," and while the Hawks will be playing in their second game in two nights...
The Hawks are coming home after having secured a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night, which translates as follows:
The Wings spent Saturday attempting to avoid aggravating injuries to Darren Helm (recovering from a back issue) and Valtteri Filppula (still bothered by a healing MCL), and hoping that Jonathan Ericsson (stepped on a puck, hurt his back) will return to the lineup tonight, talking about their goals of playing simpler, smarter hockey while taking fewer trips to the penalty box with the Wings media before flying off to Chicago.
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Red Wings evening gabba: on the hands-off crackdown and sticking to simpler puck possession hockey
by George Malik on 01/26/13 at 08:47 PM ET
Comments (1)
The Detroit Red Wings took part in a light practice at Joe Louis Arena before spiriting off to Chicago, where they hope to catch the Blackhawks a little tired tomorrow night (7 PM, FSD, WXYT AM) as the as-yet-unbeaten Blackhawks will play in Columbus against the Blue Jackets this evening.
Wings coach Mike Babcock seems to have learned his lesson from the groin and shoulder injury-inducing unscheduled practice he held last Sunday. He kept Valtteri Filppula (sore knee, still recovering from sprained MCL) off the ice, he chose to send Darren Helm (recovering from a back injury) to the locker room early, and he told the Wings' beat writers that he plans on not holding a morning skate tomorrow to attempt to avoid unnecessary wear and tear, so we're going to hear a decent amount about the following parallel storylines over the next 24 hours:
First, as the Detroit News's Gregg Krupa notes, the Wings have taken far too many penalties over the first four games of this 2013 season, but they're not exactly alone in scratching their heads as to what constitutes a penalty under a revised "crackdown" on obstruction penalties--a literal "hands off" policy, this time around--that always seems to turn early-season games into special teams affairs (before fading away come playoff time):
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Red Wings alums to lend a charitable hand to Salvation Army tonight
by George Malik on 01/26/13 at 03:35 PM ET
Comments (0)
Via RedWingsFeed, if you happen to have your evening free, the Detroit News's Lauren Abdel-Razzaq recommends that Wings fans might want to head out to the Troy Sports Center to catch the Red Wings Alumni team lending a hand to the Salvation Army's Bed and Bread program tonight at 7 PM:
Detroit Red Wings Alumni and members of three youth hockey leagues will take to the ice Saturday to raise money for the Salvation Army.
"Some people always dreamed of playing in the NHL and they didn't make it," said Major Monty Wandling of the Salvation Army Royal Oak. "But to get a chance to play with a lot of their heroes, it's a lot of fun."
Members of the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, Troy Sting and Troy Youth Hockey Association have been gathering pledges for the event. On Saturday they will be joined on the ice by former Red Wings Ted Lindsay, Dino Ciccarelli, Joey Kocur, Ed Mio, Dennis Hextall and others.
Wandling says in years past, the event has raised as much as $30,000 for the Salvation Army Bed & Bread program.
"When you think of the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies and the Troy Sting, which are both travel groups, and the Troy Youth Hockey Association, there's hundreds of kids," said Wandling. "It's a win-win. They know they are doing something great and helping us feed something like 5,000 people a day, about 1.8 million people a year, and they are having a great time doing it."
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Red Wings Saturday practice post in progress: resting bumps and bruises
by George Malik on 01/26/13 at 01:43 PM ET
Comments (11)
Updated 6x with lots of video at 3:45 PM: Red Bird III is scheduled to take off at 3:12 PM today to ferry the Red Wings to Chicago, where they'll meet the Blackhawks on Sunday evening (7 PM on FSD and AM 1270). The Wings will have a wee bit of an advantage in terms of rest as the Blackhawks are playing in Columbus tonight, but the Hawks are also 4-and-0 going into their Saturday night tilt.
Thus far, it appears that little news is good news at Joe Louis Arena:
Update: Via RedWingsFeed, this is good news regarding one Jonathan Ericsson:
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Red Wings-Wild wrap-up and overnight report: Wings slowly finding their footing?
by George Malik on 01/26/13 at 04:11 AM ET
Comments (6)
Grumpliy updated 2x at 9:53 AM: If you only watched the Minnesota Wild out-shoot the Red Wings 11-6 in the first period of what turned out to be an ugly but livable-withable 5-3 Red Wings victory, or watched the Wings take two of their eight(!) penalties within the first ten minutes of said first period, you would have been forgiven for assuming that the Wings were on their way to yet another predictable 2013 season defeat--in which they were out-shot, out-chanced, out-penalized and plain old out-played.
That had indeed been the case over the course of the team's first three games, with a team that didn't look anything like itself registering exactly one shootout win while chasing the puck and chasing play. But somewhere during Friday night's game, a Wings team strengthened by the returns of Darren Helm (back) and Todd Bertuzzi (flu) seemed to straighten up and fly right when it remembered a Red Wings axiom: regardless of the personnel that the team may or may not have in its lineup, when the Detroit Red Wings possess the puck and skate up the ice with speed, they dictate the pace of play, and tend to out-score their opponents.
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The 'one who got away' going the other way: Brunner picked Red Wings over Wild
by George Malik on 01/26/13 at 01:11 AM ET
Comments (4)
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Michael Russo offers a story that's more than just cold comfort for Red Wings fans who still feel jilted by Zach Parise and Ryan Suter's collective decision to spurn offers from the Red Wings to play for the Minnesota Wild.
According to Russo, a certain Swiss Wing who scored a goal in Detroit's 5-3 win over Minnesota on Friday was more or less set up on a platter to sign with the Wild by his agent, Neil Sheehy, but instead, Damien Brunner decided to wait a year before hopping from the Swiss National A League to the NHL, and the Wings are reaping the rewards of Brunner's deicsion:
Two years ago, Brunner had a high ankle sprain and traveled to Minnesota to see a doctor with whom his agent Neil Sheehy set up an appointment. Blair Mackasey, the Wild's director of pro scouting, was a big fan, so the Wild invited Brunner to St. Paul for a meeting. General Manager Chuck Fletcher was willing to sign Brunner right on the spot.
"They said they had been following me for a year and I met with Chuck, but it was just too early for me back then," Brunner said. "I wanted to have a strong year in Switzerland and prove I was ready. It was great to meet with them. It was a good switch for my head, like realizing that there's an NHL team interested and it makes you think about it a little more. It made me work harder and made me more focused on that goal to make the NHL."
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Red Wings-Wild quick take: it wasn't pretty, but it was good
by George Malik on 01/25/13 at 11:15 PM ET
Comments (12)
The Detroit Red Wings played like two different teams--or was it three or four?--en route to a slightly sloppy but particularly satisfying 5-3 win over the Minnesota Wild on Friday. I'll write more about the game I described as, "Dating a fat girl who 'tries harder'" on Twitter in a minute, but I'd like to hear what you thought about what may or may not be an identity-finding effort by a team that seems to have learned that its personnel matter a little less than playing the puck possession system no matter what...Though Helm and Bertuzzi sure helped a helluva lot.
My more general take: The Wings were out-shot 11-6 in the first period, if we are to believe the statisticians at the Joe, they blocked a ridiculous 24 shots (9 in the first period alone!), and displayed a serious case of, "Stand around and watch-itis" over the first 20 minutes or so. They also took 9 frickin' penalties, and, after scoring 2 goals in 47 seconds, quickly surrendered that lead...
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Radon Thoughts regarding the state of the Wings
by George Malik on 01/25/13 at 07:26 PM ET
Comments (3)
I've been out of the loop for a couple of days, first due to my illness flaring up on Monday night and then due to a familial issue, but it's been suggested that I offer my opinions on Wings-related issues a little more regularly, so here are a few "radon" thoughts...
- Now that Tomas Holmstrom's retired, I sure as hell hope that the Wings hire him to coach their power play. Holmstrom did two things particularly well, and the first may have been more important than the second:
a) Holmstrom had an uncanny ability to out-race and out-compete his opponents to rebounds or shots fired wide of the net, almost inevitably getting his stick or skates into a battle for the puck and coming out on top, retrieving the puck and shoveling it to a waiting teammate along the half boards or on the point;
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Will Wings fans boo Suter and Parise?
by George Malik on 01/25/13 at 04:34 PM ET
Comments (12)
Updated at 5:40 PM: As noted in the game-day update post, we're going to hear a significant amount of chatter regarding Ryan Suter and Zach Parise playing at Joe Louis Arena after having spurned the Red Wings' offers to come to Detroit this past summer, and while I don't really hold a grudge against Parise, and am...Mildly annoyed...at Suter, I didn't think that Wings fans would boo either player. The Detroit News's Terry Foster thinks differently, and he's endorsing a hearty booing of the pair every time that they touch the puck:
It will be interesting to see if Detroit continues to play the long standing role of jilted lover when the Red Wings play host to the Minnesota Wild tonight at Joe Louis Arena.
This will be the first time former free agent stars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter come to town since turning down Red Wings money to play together in Parise's old hometown of Minneapolis. They were two free agents the Red Wings were hot after and expectations were for them to come here and become the spark that eased the franchise into the post Nick Lidstrom era.
Parise is a power forward in the stratosphere of former Wing Brendan Shanahan and Suter is the blue liner Red Wings fans have long coveted. Although Suter is off to a shaky start, the Wings certainly could have used him during that season-opening 6-0 loss to St. Louis that still is hard to swallow.
They are the difference from the Wings remaining Stanley Cup contenders and being playoff pretenders.
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About The Malik Report
The Malik Report is a destination for all things Red Wings-related. I offer biased, perhaps unprofessional-at-times and verbose coverage of my favorite team, their prospects and developmental affiliates. I've joined the Kukla's Korner family with five years of blogging under my belt, and I hope you'll find almost everything you need to follow your Red Wings at a place where all opinions are created equal and we're all friends, talking about hockey and the team we love to follow.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Red Wings buy out Stephen Weiss after all
Nicklas Lidstrom discusses 'life after hockey'
It can't hurt to try: OHL's Firebirds draft rights to Vili Saarijarvi
Brendan Smith Back In The Fold
Per Pierre LeBrun, Wings Have "Some Interest" In Mike Green
It appears that the NHL has reached a settlement in the antitrust case against Center Ice/GCL
Morning news: On the 'Hall of Fame team,' retiring #91, Lidstrom and the development camp
The overnight report: Mike Green an unlikely fit; on Lidstrom's 'prospects'


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VIEWS: 7 PAGES: 9 POSTED ON: 1/7/2013 Public Domain
Time Management Concepts to Help You Manage Your Schedule • Use a planner. Or use your cell or iPod calendar function. • Put aside time for studying. Really. Schedule time for studying. An Overview • Assume to have 2 to 3 hours of studying for hour you spend in class. – This may not be the case for every class, but is a good guideline. • Build a routine, find a time that works for you and try not to change it. – If you make studying a regular habit it will no longer seem as a chore. – Location is important, too. • Use small pieces of time. – Not all studying has to be done in hour long blocks. Even just fifteen or twenty minutes of focused studying can be very helpful. – Consider this…what do you ever do for four hours straight? – Shorter, focused, quality studying is better than lengthy, poor quality studying. • Do not procrastinate. – Deadlines can approach very quickly. Once you fall behind, it generally takes more work to catch up than originally studying would have required. Simple Scheduling Exercise Try to keep a DAILY schedule. • Should be similar to a "to do" list. • Assign priorities to each activity and then make sure that you finish your most important items. Directions: • Make sure to continue to add to it as new items come up. Spend some time plotting your day, then your week, then your semester. MONTHLY Schedule The goal is to obtain a better • Spread large tasks over understanding of how day-to-day multiple study periods. activities relate to semester • Read 10 pages a night for a accomplishments, and vice versa. week instead of 70 pages all at once! • You can visualize when your Use that understanding to PLAN busiest times will be, and plan MANAGE your time. accordingly. With a little panning, you CAN find time to get everything done! SEMESTER Schedule • Mark down tests and quizzes. • All this information should be on COURSE syllabi. • Plot out what weeks will be the most demanding. • Semester or Holiday Breaks? • Refer to this schedule if you are having difficulty prioritizing tasks. How to Get the Most Out of Your Time • Start projects as soon as they are assigned. – You should try to start large assignments as soon as possible so you do not have to rush through them as the due date approaches. – This approach will be less stressful because it will allow you the time to complete the work to the best of your ability. • Divide a large task into smaller, manageable "chunks". – Working a half hour a day on a project for eight days is easier than trying to do it all in a four hour block. Getting the Most Out of Your Time (cont.) • You should attend all your classes. – Listening to lectures from a real person is more helpful than simply reading information from the text. – Remember, you are paying for lecture time…get what you pay for! • Use your time wisely. – Try to use breaks in your schedule to accomplish tasks (errands, review notes, relax). – Make sure you set aside enough time to finish schoolwork and other tasks. – Consider your workload…is working 25 hours a week and taking 16 credits reasonable? – What is the best use of your time? – What is a poor use of your time? How to Find Even More Time • Examine your preferences and priorities. – What you want to do versus what you need to do. – You want to achieve a manageable balance between the two. • Do not let social activities cut into your class work time. – While having a life outside of classes is important, remember that activities are the secondary reason you attend college. • If you have trouble finding time to study it might be because you have over-extended yourself. – Too many extra-curricular activities.? It might be best to limit the time spent in clubs and groups if you truly cannot find time to study. – If possible, take a week off from such activities and see if your newly opened schedule gives you time to study. • You can also decrease work hours during finals, midterms or other high stress times. • How about a Sunday evening "prep" session? – What does your week look like? – Can you prepare something now to save time later in the week? • Also consider shorter breaks. – Would coming back from Spring Break a couple days early help you? Avoiding the Pitfalls of Procrastination • Start assignments NOW. • Go to class TODAY…and tomorrow. • Don't wait until "later". What if something else is happening "later"? • Organize projects into simple tasks. – Do the harder tasks first while your motivation is high. – Easier tasks take less time and energy! • Set a deadline for yourself…stick to it. – Be specific. "Next week" isn't good enough. – Recruit your friends/family. They'll ask you about progress. Resources To Get You Started • Weekly Scheduling Grid – Take an honest look at how you spend your time. – Don't forget to add Facebook and Xbox time. • "HOW TO" create your Microsoft Outlook calendar. – Use your laptop to keep you on task. • Sample week schedule – How does yours compare? This PowerPoint presentation is the property of Northern Michigan University's Academic & Career Advisement Center. It may not be reproduced without written consent. www.nmu.edu/acac
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subset: commoncrawl


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They feel bad, so they found you these other deals to make up for it.
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Fort Cherry Golf CourseRead MoreDraped over the verdant Washington County countryside, Fort Cherry Golf Club's 18-hole course spans 6,205 yards of rolling, player-friendly terrain. The course's relatively open layout invites players to blast tee shots with their drivers or T-shirt cannons at nearly every non-par 3, as sparse tree lines offer little impediment to shots that find the rough, and the course's multiple sand bunkers loom by the greens—not the fairways. An adjacent driving range loosens up swings to perfection, and a practice green sharpens up putting strokes and helps players get a feel for how to read the course's subtle slopes and metaphorical flagsticks. With its own motel and a gourmet bar and restaurant, the club hosts all-day and overnight golf-outing packages for a restful pin-hunting vacation. Course at a Glance: 18-hole, par 70 course Length of 6,205 yards from farthest tees Course rating of 69.6 from farthest tees Slope rating of 122 from farthest tees Four tee options80 Fort Cherry RdMc Donald, PA US
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Stop N SockRead MoreStop N Sock's owners have transformed their corner of New Brighton into a family-friendly labyrinth of golf-inspired games. Their expansive outdoor facility—with 43 acres of rolling greens—allows adults and kids to putt and ricochet balls around the 18-hole golf course lined with trees, shrubs, and spouting fountains, or toss tiny saucers into metal baskets at disc golf. With short links and wide fairways, their pitch-and-putt course lets kids develop interest in golf, and challenges experienced club swingers to hone their short game. Stop N Sock's driving range, however, gives everyone the opportunity to work on their long game, with 27 stations equipped with grass practice areas and automatic ball dispensers. To mix it up, the golf-centric center's batting cages lets individuals solidify their stance, perfect their focus, and keep the rust and barnacles off their swing.100 Wises Grove RdNew Brighton, PA US
Cherry Creek Golf ClubRead MoreAlthough conservation is important to the course managers at Cherry Creek Golf Club, it never comes at the expense of challenging play. Throughout the scenic 18-hole course, golfers will come face-to-grass with meticulously planned layouts that incorporate ponds, bunkers, and vistas bordered by gentle rolling hills. The first two holes epitomize the club's course design; hole one's curving terrain and four sand bunkers require precise aim to avoid, and hole two's flowing stream adds an extra level of difficulty to an already nerve-testing approach. Course managers also take care to protect the natural setting and wildlife that inhabit the grounds, taking eco-friendly measures such as building blue bird nesting houses and improving water quality by reducing the use of harmful chemicals. Their efforts have earned the course Audubon International's Cooperative Sanctuary certification, an honor awarded to a select group of earth-minded golf courses around the country. Course at a Glance: 18-hole, par 70 course Total length of 6,147 yards from the back tees Four sets of tees per hole Scorecard1311 Spyglass HillGreensburg, PA US
Tanglewood Golf CourseRead MoreThe 18 holes at Tanglewood Golf Course careen through a natural terrain characterized by rolling hills and densely wooded acreage. Before a single fairway was mown, a single hole was cut, or a single gopher was moved in from the local zoo, the course was the vision of the Clingan family, who saw the land's potential in 1963. Today, more than half a century later, players continue to challenge themselves on the 6,070-yard layout. Course highlights include a birdie-prone par 5 ninth hole, just 425 yards, and a 330-yard par 4 13th hole, which might be reachable in one shot for long hitters and golfers who play uplifting music for their golf balls when they're not playing.318 Tanglewood Rd.Pulaski, PA US
City of Massillon Parks & Recreation DepartmentRead MoreThe City of Massillon Parks & Recreation Department takes great pride in ensuring that the Western Stark County community has safe and enjoyable leisure spaces and programs that improve the lives of all their residents. Their programs range from preschool age to seniors, and include indoor recreation spaces such as a 69,000-square-foot rec center, fitness area, and aquatics center. Outdoors, the department maintains 30 parks and open spaces, highlighted by the award-winning, 27-hole golf course, The Legends of Massillon.505 Erie St NMassillon, OH US


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NOTE: At long last, it's here. I know so many of you looked forward to the final game in the Falconwing Trilogy. Well, here it is. Falconwing 3. The game I've been waiting so long to bring to you is finally here. Consider it like Duke Nukem Forever, only it took less time and is a lot better. I know it's a lot better because I made it. Also, it's going to be even better because I've managed to rope Lady Mintaka in to helping me since my schedule right now is so uncertain. Any and all in-game messages you would send to me should also be sent to her. If you don't send them to her, it's your own loss. Just saying.
But now, since I've got that little introduction out of the way... the game!
Falconwings Vs. The New Kingdom of Mallamer
Long ago, there existed a world inhabited by eight races of great power. They were mighty people, skilled in many different talents. However, there was one talent they all shared. The talent for making war.
For many decades, the great races fought with each other. The fighting was brutal, and the Great Mages felt they must act quickly to ensure the survival of these distinct cultures.
The Mages forged swords for each of the races. Eight magic swords of incredible power. They were meant to be weapons of peace. Weapons to ensure the wars could not sanely continue.
They were oh so very wrong.
This is the legend of this land. The great mythos the shaped the future of these peoples. Yet there is one more tale hidden amongst this that is rarely spoken of.
The human race was united under the kingdom of Mallamer. It was a proud and noble kingdom, expanding from the eastern shore to the west, by far the largest of all the kingdoms. It was led by a wise and good king named Ephraim.
However, when the wars began, a new champion stepped into the spotlight. He was a young and ambitious general named Lyon, and through his growing popularity, he overthrew the king and set about killing any of the bloodline so that he may assume power and wield Havour, the sword of fire.
Lyon's coup was successful. Mallamer fell within hours. He was celebrated as the new king of a land he named Lyondra. Lyon still rules to this day, gifted with the power of immortality and a wickedness that has darkened his vain heart.
But Lyon made a mistake.
In the process of ending Ephraim's bloodline, he missed one young girl, a princess. She was spending the day with her betrothed and when the hammers fell, he spirited her away to safety where she could never be found.
As the centuries passed, Lyon's grip over the land tightened, and the people suffered for it. There was hunger, and disease, and uncontrollable bandits. The land was sick. Lyon was killing it.
Finally, the time had come. From the depths of the hell that Lyondra had become stood three young men. They were the last Princes of Mallamer. They were called Jonathan, Tannen, and Helseth.
You have heard their story. They struck down the king. They destroyed the Empire of Lokanai. And now all the remains is to march on the old capitol of their homeland and reclaim it for their own. It is time for Mallamer to return to its former glory...
Or is it?
Can the Falconwings reclaim the crown? Or will Mallamer withstand this newest attack on its walls and allow the reign of Lyon to continue?
Or will there be no one left to tell the story of what really happened?
As the host, I claim the right to add, edit, or delete rules as needed in this game.
#1 CLAIMING/HINTING BASED ON YOUR ROLE'S NAME. You can claim who your role is based on. You can even flat out say your role's name.
#2. Warnings and/or Modkills for…
- POOR SPORTSMANSHIP. Do not be rude to players or the host. It's a game.
- REVEALING YOUR ROLE PM. Enough said. Not even among 'mafia' players. No photos, no to anything. If this happens, immediate removal from the game.
- FAKING A ROLE PM. Do not try it.
- INACTIVITY. Unless you tell me before absence (up to five days at most), I will replace you or if not possible, remove your role from the game. If you think you can't remain active…you might not want to sign up.
After three phases without any posts, or contacting anyone, I shall take action for the inactivity. If you want to stay low (meaning you aren't contacting anyone or posting in any threads), give me a Personal Message so I know that you're there.
Keep in mind that if you're leaving under my permission, you are still in the game but can be lynched or killed.
- POSTING AFTER DEATH, INFORMATIVE STYLE. I don't mind joke posts or light conversations, but if you're dead, don't be informative. It ruins the game, and I will take every measure I can to prevent those posts from ruining the game any further. If I find any proof that a living player is involved in the mischief, then I will take action.
#3. Rules regarding PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS
Feel free to share copies of private messages (OTHER THAN ROLE PMs) however you want, via PMs, QTs, or in the public thread. You can take screenshots if you wish.
About faking IMs/PM conversations, make use of your abilities to create a fake screenshot of a personal message if you want to.
You can even fake mine if you wish. Editing what you actually received and sharing it, making up one completely, etc. However, I will not assist.
Be aware that all consequences are yours. Don't trust information hastily. I'd appreciate if you tell me what's fake. Also, obvious is obvious, but I don't recommend to the mafia players that they share their QuickTopic.
#4. I would like copies of your PMs. Mintaka would like them too. Conversations, planning, anything. Add my name to the list of recipients when sending a PM. If you make a QuickTopic, please give me the link. If you use a name other than your username, tell me what name you're using in the QT. If you're using IM, at least tell me what kind of conversation you had with another player if you cannot give me a log.
I will not intrude in your plans unless I need to; this process is to make sure that I'm aware of what's going on and what's being faked.
#5. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me via PM.
#6. If you change your username, please announce it in the thread! It's confusing for the players and me if you don't do this.
#7. For voting, say "Vote: name". To cancel that, just post "Unvote: name" and then post a new name if you want to.
You can vote "No lynch", but in a tie between lynching a player and "no lynch", lynching will win. There will be only ONE lynch per day.
#8. About night actions, you can change the target, as long as it's before I am updating the phase.
Some night actions will take effect upon the moment that I read the PM, so keep that in mind.
#9. UPDATES: Each phase will last for 24 hours.
I will update at 8 PM in my time (Pacific Standard Time).
Just a note; if there is no update after two hours passed since the deadline, it will mean I could not come in to update, and in those cases, the phase will be extended to the next day. I apologize in advance if this occurs.
To elaborate. The Mafia and town victories are traditional. They operate under the usual system of Town (Mallamer) wins if they eliminate the mafia (thus they survive). The Mafia (Falconwings) win if they make up the majority of living players (as they have survived to the point that it becomes pointless to continue playing as they will always be able to eliminate the competition faster than the competition can eliminate them). For third parties, they win if they survive the game, be it a town or Mafia victory. Essentially, the winners are the survivors.
I hope this clears up any confusion.


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Trend Lab Cocoa Mint Diaper Stacker
Trend Lab Cocoa Mint Diaper Stacker
Weights & Dimensions
|Product Type: Diaper stacker
|Color: Brown / Tan
|Pattern: Polka dot
|Gender: Unisex
|Country of Manufacture: China
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Trend Lab also offers products created through licensing partnerships with Dr. Seuss, Waverly home décor, and most recently Paddington Bear - arriving Fall 2014. Their collaboration with mom inventors includes the CribWrap Rail Cover solution which protects your teething baby, and your convertible crib.
Since 2001, they have designed, manufactured, and delivered fresh, creative, quality merchandise that is safe and on-trend. Shop for their products at a variety of retailers including on-line, chain stores, and in specialty boutiques. Trend Lab is Minnesota based, privately held, and certified as a women owned business by the WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council).
Trend Lab Cocoa Mint Diaper Stacker
Customer Reviews
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OUR SKU # TLB3028Cocoa Mint Diaper Stacker is also sometimes listed under the following manufacturer numbers: 110202


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Pronunciation: Issaquah
Added on: 2009-12-25 Listened: 1.4K timesin: place names, Washington
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The man who would be president. Zardari is Benazir Bhutto's widower and the head of the country's most popular political party, which she led and her father created. He was once called "Mister 10 percent," accused of skimming off the top of every deal he touched. Today he would be in charge of the country's third attempt to transition from military to civilian leadership.
If he becomes president, as many analysts predict, "it would be an executive presidency," as Rais put it. The prime minster, officially the head of the government, would not hold significant power. Zardari would need to insulate himself constitutionally from judges throwing out the National Reconciliation Order, which gave Zardari amnesty from corruption charges late last year.
Nawaz Sharif, Chairman, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
The head of the country's second-largest party, he was the driving force behind the move to remove Musharraf from power. Sharif was on his second tour as prime minister when Musharraf took power in a 1999 coup.
His party has repeatedly threatened to leave the coalition government if the PPP does not agree to reinstate the 60 judges who Musharraf fired late last year. His support of Zardari depends on an agreement on the judges.
"He's already indicated to Zardari, 'We will support you," says Rais. "His only condition would be that the judiciary is restored."
If Sharif chooses to leave the coalition, the PPP could still lead a coalition without the PML-N.
General Ashfaq Kiyani, Chief of Staff, Pakistani Army
The military is still the most influential and powerful institution in the country, and Kiyani is by some measure the most influential and powerful man in the country. But unlike Musharraf, who installed him in this post last year, Kiyani is trying to stay out of politics and wants the politicians to take ownership of the government.
He has made 2008 "the year of the soldier," an attempt to improve Pakistanis' opinions of the military, opinions that have dropped as Musharraf blurred the line between army and government. And it is an attempt to refocus the military itself on an incredibly difficult problem: rooting out the Taliban, so long as that's what it is asked to do.
"The military realizes its own limitations," Masood says. "Because of the rise of militancy within Pakistan, and at the same time the strong alienation of the people of Pakistan against the military. This is why they're even prepared to tolerate a weak civilian dispensation, provided they feel eventually, it will start delivering."
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan
Last year was the most violent in Pakistan's history since its bloody partition from India in 1947. Fifty-six bombings killed more than 600 people, most notably, Benazir Bhutto. It was after the military's operation against radical, religious students in Islamabad when the Tehrik-e-Taliban -- the Movement of Pakistani Taliban -- launched a violent campaign under the leadership of a militant from Waziristan named Baitullah Mehsud.
A wave of attacks -- Pakistan's first repeated use of suicide bombings -- targeted police, the military and politicians. The attacks largely stopped when the current government signed peace deals with various factions, but in the last few months the Taliban has resumed its attacks on Frontier Corps soldiers, and as the military has responded, the suicide bombings have returned.


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1911 Ford Model T Convertible Touring Brass Era CarThe Model T Ford is a classic car from the early 19th century and was built... More
One of three known to exist. Ex-Harrah's, completely restored and documented in 1996 issue of "Automobile Quarterly." Outfitted for safe, reliable, fast touring. Amazing! This... More
CADILLAC: 1914 30, 4-cylinder 365.8 cu in (6.0 L) engine, 3-shift gearbox and 2-shift Timken rear axle, on the 6th of February 1915 the... More
This 1914 Cadillac Touring Convertible . It is equipped with a 4 Speed Manual transmission. The vehicle is Green with a Black interior. -... More
1913 Hudson Touring green. This is an absolutely beautiful older restoration that just came out of an estate in CA. An extremely rare car... More
1911 Buick Model 26 Roadster. Runabout. Convertible. Excellent. Off frame restoration to exacting standards. The previous owner loved and cared for this great automobile for... More
1911 Cadillac Model 30 Standard Five-Passenger Touring. Restored. Stan Hywet Hall Award Winner. Exceptional Brass Era Automobile. Known History. Cadillac only built 10,018 automobiles... More
1914 Cadillac Five-Passenger Touring Beautifully restored 1914 Cadillac 5-Passenger Touring! Purchased from the previous owner of 50 years! Restored over that time to an exceptional... More
From the prestigious Eugene Beardslee collection. Former Concours d'Elegance winner at Fisher Island in Florida. From the extensive Beardslee collection that included a Pebble Beach Best... More
1916 Cretors Model D Popcorn Wagon, **REDUCED PRICE** EXCEPTIONAL VALUE! A rare oportunity in the Northeast US for an original older restoration Cretors Model... More
CADILLAC: 1911 30 touring convertible, 2014 award winner, $150,000; Buick 1911 26 roadster, exceptional, great history, $67,500. 419-668-1884, OH.... More
Additional images and a complete description of this vehicle will be available closer to the auction dates. Please check back for more information.... More
Additional images and a complete description of this vehicle will be available closer to the auction dates. Please check back for more information.... More
STANLEY: 1917 Model 728 touring, reconditioned engine, 20 horsepower, reconditioned 30 horsepower boiler, new tires, $60,000 obo. 732-240-2488, 732-277-4911, NJ.... More
1911 Cadillac 30 Touring, We have interesting history from new, nice brass, new top, good leather seats, very complete with belly pan, brake 40HP,... More


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A small CPS-style utility library for node.js
This module implements an asynchronous job queueing system with the WorkingQueue class. Jobs are processed concurrently up to a given degree of "concurrency" ; of course, if this degree is 1, then jobs are processed sequentially.
The basic use case of this module is when you want to perform a bunch (hundreds or thousands) of I/O related tasks, for instance HTTP requests. In order to play nice with others and make sure the I/O stack (file descriptors, TCP/IP stack etc.) won't be submerged by thousands of concurrent requests, you have to put an artificial limit on the requests that are launched concurrently. When this limit is reached, jobs have to be queued until some other job is finished. And that's exactly what WorkingQueue is for !
This class is instanciated with a single parameter : the concurrency level of the queue. Again, if the concurrency level is 1, then it means that all jobs will be processed sequentially.
var WorkingQueue = require'capisce'WorkingQueue;var queue = 16;
You can then launch jobs using the perform method. If the current concurrency limit has not been reached, then the job will be scheduled immediatly. Otherwise, it is queued for later execution.
Jobs are simple function that are passed a very important parameter : the over function. The job MUST call the over function at the end of its process to signal the WorkingQueue that it is, well, over.
queueperform console.log"Hello, world !"; over;;
The over function can be passed around inside your job. In fact it's the only way to perform interesting things : since I/O are asynchronous, you have to call over once the I/O request is over, that is to say in an event handler or completion callback.
var fs = require'fs';queueperform console.log"Reading file..."; fsreadFile'README.md' console.log"Over !"; iferr console.errorerr; else stdoutwriteresult; over;
When queuing a bunch of jobs, it is often required to wait for all jobs to complete before continuing a process. For that you use the whenDone method :
return var duration = MathfloorMathrandom * 1000; console.log"Starting "+name+" for "+duration+"ms"; setTimeout console.logname + " over, duration="+duration+"ms"; over; duration; var i;fori=0;i<1000;i++ queueperformmyJob"job-"+i;queuewhenDone console.log"All done !";;
The whenDone method can be called multiple times to register multiple handlers, and the handlers will be called in the same order they were added. Maybe I should have used the EventEmitter pattern for this.
This is just a wrapper around WorkingQueue that do the very common task of collecting result of each job. When using CollectingWorkingQueue, the over function takes the err, result of the job as parameters, and the wellDone handler receive the array of job results (as [jobId, err, result] sub-arrays). It is your choice to sort this array if you want to have results in the same orders the jobs where submitted.
var queue2 = 16; return var duration = MathfloorMathrandom * 1000; console.log"Starting "+name+" for "+duration+"ms"; setTimeout console.logname + " over, duration="+duration+"ms"; overnull "result-"+name; duration; var i;fori=0;i<1000;i++ queueperformmyJob"job-"+i;queuewhenDone console.log"All done !"; console.log"Before sorting : " console.logresults0; console.logresults999; resultssort console.log"After sorting : " console.logresults0; console.logresults999;;
capisce exports the sequence and concurrently function, as well as the then method in order to provide a small DSL for asynchronous workflows, without exposing the gory details of WorkingQueue. See tests/test2.js until I write some proper doc for this.


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October 26, 2012
The Immaculate Confection print from Jason Freeny illustrates how a gummy bear is made. Freeny is a graphic designer and artist that specializes in fictional anatomy. Some of his other food inspired prints Goldfish Sashimi and Gingerbread Man Dissected. You can purchase the Immaculate Confection for $85 online.
Image Sources:
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River Reimagined: A Land and Water Tour
- Hobbies & Special Interest
- 640 Waterworks Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
The Musical Language of Water: A Concert, Film Preview, Conversation & Reception
presented by the Fairmount Water Works
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (EDT)
Join us for a FWWIC first – a live concert and preview of the short film, "A-E-I-O-U Water," followed by a conversation about water quality with Dr. Julie Becker, founder of the Women's Health & Environment Network and program director, University of the Sciences; and Joanne Dahme, public affairs manager, Philadelphia Water Department, and author of Contagion, The Plague, and Tombstone Tea.
Directed by Emmy-award winning composer and filmmaker Rodney Whittenberg, "A-E-I-O-U Water" includes a music video, with music composed Dan Kleiman, performed by Phyllis Chapell & SIORA and featuring Paul Jost. It is dedicated to the late Dan Kleiman, co-founder of SIORA, and will become part of the FWWIC's educational programming.
Phyllis Chapell is recognized as a vocal treasure: "One of the top jazz vocalists of all time." —Jazz Times. "Phyllis Chapell is an elegant singer who will steal your heart away if you let her....tasteful, eclectic and real." —The Philadelphia Inquirer.
For more information, call 215-685-0723.
In order to purchase these tickets in installments, you'll need an Eventbrite account. Log in or sign up for a free account to continue.


text:
IMF Says South Africa Vulnerable to Capital Outflow Risk
Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- South Africa is vulnerable to escalating labor tension and capital outflows that may be triggered by a global repricing of risk or domestic shocks, according to the International Monetary Fund.
South Africa's economic growth slowed this year because of labor strikes, low private investment, and weak consumer spending and confidence, the Washington-based lender said in its World Economic Outlook today.
"South Africa needs decisive progress in implementing structural reforms to strengthen education and the effectiveness of government services, ease infrastructure bottlenecks, and increase product market competition and labor market flexibility," the IMF said.
The threat of further strikes after work stoppages this year in the carmaking, building and mining industries and the risk of capital outflows are among the dangers for South Africa, according to the World Bank Africa's Pulse report released yesterday. Speculation about when the U.S. Federal Reserve will start tapering its $85 billion-a-month monetary stimulus program has helped weaken the rand by 15 percent against the dollar in 2013, the most of 16 major currencies tracked by Bloomberg.
South Africa needs short-term capital inflows to help finance the deficit on its current account, which widened to 6.5 percent of gross domestic product in the second quarter.
The IMF kept its July forecast of 2 percent economic growth this year and 2.9 percent in 2014 unchanged. Expansion will probably not meet the government's 2.7 percent forecast made in February, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said in a Bloomberg TV interview yesterday.
"In South Africa, growth is forecast to improve gradually in 2014 and beyond as global growth improves and infrastructure bottlenecks are alleviated," the IMF said.
GDP in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to expand 5 percent this year, less than the July projection of 5.1 percent, before growth accelerates to 6 percent in 2014, the IMF said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Rene Vollgraaff in Johannesburg at email@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nasreen Seria at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
1 bed, 1 full bath. Fully remodeled, spacious 1/1 featuring hard wood and tile floors, and stainless steel appliances.More info
, 1 full bath. Turne Key and move in ready large studio 25 steps away from Lincoln Rd. Unit was recently renovatedMore info
1 bed, 1 full bath. This apartment is conveniently located in the heart of south beach, three blocks from the beach andMore info
2 bed, 2 full bath. Back on the Market!!! Designer kitchen, Stainless Steel appliances, granite counter tops. Updated bMore info
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1 bed. Great remodeled waterfront building with pool and deck facing canal. Very spacious updated unit witMore info
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2 bed, 2 full bath. Vacant ready to move, 2 bedroom, 2 Bath balcony,good rental area, low maintenance fee, $273,63, NicMore info
1 bed, 1 full bath. Assessments paid in full by Seller. Building all newly renovated. Gated community. Valet service. LMore info


text:
The Dead Killer a game that i used to make until i lost the source code.
Its only a bugfix! I does not have anything new.
I will try to make a youtube video of it!
Did you make one?
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text:
Review: BlackBerry Z10 for Verizon Wireless
Form Performance Basics Extras Wrap-Up Comments
Top message: I always wanted a good reason to go to Blackberry. by sic
Replying to: Re: I always wanted a good reason to go to Blackberry. by sic
Probably all relies on what they plan on doing after they launch these initial phones and if they want to continue doing hardware+software or just be strictly software and license it out. Hopefully they continue to make hardware, because their previous phones were rather tank like and could take a beating. I wonder if they can find a way to input drop tests in their review as well.
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text:
Keyword: landfill gas ×
Eco2 Ltd
based in Cardiff, UNITED KINGDOM
Eco2 is a creative and open-minded renewable energy company with a practical vision for the future. We specialise in initiating, developing, financing and operating renewable energy projects throughout the UK and Europe. Our current activities encompass Biomass, Wind and emerging technologies such as Tidal Power.
B9 Organic Energy Limited
based in Larne, UNITED KINGDOM
B9 Organic Energy has evolved from the B9 family and has been set up specifically to develop the vast reserves of renewable energy embedded in organic matter. This organic matter is more commonly known as organic waste, and the energy potential can be harnessed using a natural process called Anaerobic Digestion. This process is the action of naturally occurring bacteria ...
Ribble Enviro Ltd
based in Gisburn, UNITED KINGDOM
With over 80 years combined experience, Ribble Enviro is at the forefront of the gas detection market. Based in a beautiful countryside location near historic Clitheroe , the company has grown in stature through the provision of excellence - excellent service , excellent products and the building of strong customer relationships that brings customers back to us when ...
Environment World Company (EWC)
based in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, KUWAIT
The Environment World Company strives to help protect Kuwait`s environment by constantly providing services that monitor and analyze the quality of Kuwait`s air, land and water. Our goal is to help create a Kuwait that is fully aware of its environmental problems and capable of protecting its environment.
CLP Envirogas Ltd
based in Bolton, UNITED KINGDOM
We have a professional staff of engineers, project managers and legal and financial experts of unrivalled experience, which enables us to perform all aspects of project development in-house. This integrated approach allows us to provide a comprehensive service in renewable energy beginning with site investigation and following through to turnkey design, build and ...
Highland Energy (N.S.)Inc.
based in Bedford, NOVA SCOTIA (CANADA)
Landfill Gas to Energy Systems - Landfill Gas Collection System. Highland Energy (N.S.) Inc., is a privately owned Canadian Corporation solely committed to the recovery and utilization of landfill gas for the purpose of creating environmental and financial benefits. Highland accomplishes this by creating emission reductions of CH4 (Methane) and utilizing the recovered ...
based in Leamington Spa, UNITED KINGDOM
Geotech is the market leading manufacturer and supplier for portable landfill gas and biogas analysers. Our analysers are used worldwide and are rapidly becoming even more important with the growing global focus on energy from waste (EfW).
based in Kalogreza, GREECE
Plexscape is a software startup company developing innovative solutions and services in the fields of civil and environmental engineering. Our services are relying on the "Software as a Service" model of software deployment. Plexscape is participating in the Microsoft BizSpark program.
Aerzener Maschinenfabrik GmbH
based in Aerzen, GERMANY
Worldwide industrial plants are being provided with gaseous media by the use of AERZEN blowers and compressors. The innovative AERZEN machine technology benefits from experiences of 150 years company history. The entire product range comprising rotary lobe compressors, positive displacement blowers, turbo blowers, screw compressors and gas meters. AERZEN blowers, ...
Gas Data Ltd
based in Whitley, UNITED KINGDOM
Gas Data have 20 years of experience in designing and manufacturing an extensive range of portable and fixed instrumentation for a wide range of applications including Anaerobic Digestion and many others. The instruments are used in the control of landfill gas, biogas, contaminated land remediation, food storage, security, odour control, biofuel and many more. Our GFM ...


text:
Sweet Potato Pie With Pecan
26 Oct 2009
|Pie pastry
|1 (For 1 Crust Pie)
|1⁄2 Teaspoon
|1⁄4 Teaspoon
|Cooked mashed sweet potatoes
|1 1⁄4 Cup (20 tbs)
|2 , well beaten
|3⁄4 Cup (12 tbs)
|Brown sugar
|1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs), firmly packed
|Melted butter
|1 Tablespoon
|Pecan halves
|1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs)
Prepare pastry and line an 8 inch pie pan.
Chill while you make the filling.
Combine sweet potatoes, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
Mix together eggs, milk, and butter and stir into sweet potato mixture thoroughly.
Pour into chilled pastry shell and arrange a circle of pecans around the edge.
Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 45 minutes or until a knife comes out dry when inserted in the center.
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Sweet Potato Pie With Pecan Recipe


text:
Minus entire line, Blues stay in playoff hunt
Updated: March 15, 2013, 12:53 PM ETAssociated Press
ST. LOUIS -- This was not the team Ken Hitchcock expected to coach. Yet minus an entire line for an extended stretch and with an All-Star goalie benched indefinitely, the St. Louis Blues have answered the challenge.
Vladimir Tarasenko was among the top rookies early but has missed 10 games with a concussion. Two-way standout Alex Steen returned from a shoulder injury with a goal and two assists Thursday, but speedy Andy McDonald remains out.
It's anybody's guess when Brian Elliott, ...
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Tall order for new Greenbrier football coach
Updated: 06/26/2015 - It may be the toughest high school football coaching job in the CSRA, Greenbrier. One winning season since 2003 and a handful of coaches during that stretch. Heck, the seniors on this year's team have had three different coaches with Tony Kramer now in charge of the Pack.


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In a distribution network system delivering services to customers, convergence of internet and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) protocols provides common distribution of data and real time communications services in the network.
1. A method of transporting connectionless packet traffic together with connection oriented traffic over an asynchronous broad band (ATM) network comprising a non-switching access network incorporating a plurality of access units (11) each coupled to a switch or core (12), the method including, providing permanent virtual channels in the core network between said access units, multiplexing traffic from a plurality of users into a single minicell connection wherein each said user's traffic is carried in minicells each provided with a header identifying that user's channel, establishing a communication path for said minicell connection over one of said permanent virtual channels via an adaptation negotiating procedure (ANP), and switching the multiplexed traffic at an ATM adaptation layer associated with the ATM network.
2. A method as claimed in
3. A method as claimed in
4. A method as claimed in
5. A method as claimed in
6. A method as claimed in
7. An asynchronous broadband (ATM) network for transporting connectionless packet traffic together with connection oriented traffic, said network comprising a non-switching access network incorporating a plurality of access units each coupled to a switch or core, the network including means for providing in the core network permanent virtual channels between the access units, means for multiplexing traffic from a plurality of users into a single minicell connection wherein each said user's traffic is carried in minicells each provided with a header identifying that user's channel, means for establishing a communication path for said minicell connection over one of said permanent virtual channel; via an adaptation negotiating procedure (ANP), and means for switching the multiplexed traffic at an ATM adaptation layer associated with the ATM network.
This invention relates to distribution networks and in particular to a method and arrangement for facilitating communication in such networks.
Data networks based on packet protocols, such as Internet protocol (IP), use addressing information in the packet header to determine the destination of individual packets. Since each packet is treated independently of any other packet, the networks are connectionless. Packets pass individually through the network between router nodes which determine to which router the packet should be sent next. The processing power required to interpret packet header information and determine the route to the next network node limits the capacity of the router.
A description of an arrangement and method for transporting connectionless traffic is given by Grovenstein et al. in IEEE Network, the Magazine of Computer Communications, vol. 8, No. 6, Nov. 1 1994, pages 18 to 22.
In many instances, a communication between two terminal nodes in a communications network involves transmitting many IP packets in sequence. This is commonly referred to as a 'flow'. When a flow is identified by a router, a temporary link 'connection' can be set up through the network to carry this flow. All packets with the same header information can then pass over this connection avoiding the need to process the headers on an individual basis. This technique is known as IP switching.
Distribution networks for providing multimedia services to subscriber terminals are currently being introduced. One proposed form of distribution network employs ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) as a transport mechanism, and such a network is described in our co-pending United Kingdom patent applications Nos 9602808.9 9602807.1 and 9602809.7. While ATM is suitable as a transport in the core network, the low cost integration of services is at present enabled in the access and customer premises networks by the use of Internet technology for the integration of voice and data. However, the Internet is not adapted to real time communications because of its connectionless paradigm, multiple routing hops and minimum packet length. This can introduce end to end delays thus impairing the quality of service.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method of delivering services in a distribution network.
It is a further object of the invention to provide Internet real time communications services.
According to the invention, there is provided a method of transporting connectionless packet traffic together with connection oriented traffic over an asynchronous broad band (ATM) network comprising an access network incorporating a plurality of access units (11) each coupled to a switch or core (12), the method including, providing permanent virtual channels between said access units, multiplexing traffic from a plurality of users into a single minicell connection wherein each said user's traffic is carried in minicells each provided with a header identifying that user's channel, establishing a communication path for said minicell connection over a said permanent virtual channel via a adaptation negotiating procedure (ANP), and switching the multiplexed traffic at an ATM adaptation layer associated with the ATM network.
We have found that the eveloving definition of a composite user ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL-2) in ITU SG13, may be used to provide an effective solution to the integration of real-time communications and Internet service. We address the issues of end-to-end connection control, and integration of Internet, telephony and legacy services according to the relevant sections of CFP6.
A feature of our approach, is the ability to provide real-time communications services with a quality equal to that of existing PSTNs over ATM. These services may be multiplexed in the same connections in the access and core networks with Internet protocol packets. The network model is in essence both a switching network for real-time communications, and a router for Internet packets, handling both types of service in a single integrated connection oriented manner. Additionally this obviates the need to perform Internet protocol routing in the ATM network.
ATM is used herein purely as a transport technology with the use of permanent virtual connections (PVC) in the core and access networks. The services are switched in the adaptation layer (AAL-2), rather than in the ATM layer, in a so called adaptation layer switch (ALS), which equates to the LE (local exchange) in the core network in the DAVIC reference model. The ALS responds to standard adaptation negotiation procedures (ANP) of I.363.2 to control connections, and requires no other signalling interface. A Network Adapter, which corresponds to the Access Node in the DAVIC reference model, provides end-to-end connectivity across the core network by using the ANP to control AAL-2 connections in the core that are switched by the ALS.
The Network Adapter responds to proxy signalling and may perform a concentration function. The Network Adapters perform adaptation of real-time communications and Internet to and from the AAL-2 format. Alternatively the adaptation may be performed in the STB by back-hauling the AAL-2 format to the Service Consumer System (SCS).
Further, we have found that AAL-2 can be distributed in MPEG-2 frames, allowing it to be multiplexed directly with MPEG-2 based transport in the access network. This extends one uniform technology from the core network through to the subscriber.
In our arrangement, the AAL-2 adaptation layer of ATM provides a new paradigm for communications and packet transfer. The adaptation layer has been optimised to cope with the demands of low-bit-rate communications, representing the increasing move towards greater compression. In particular, the adaptation layer is a multiplex of users in a single ATM connection, where each user's information is carried in a short packet, with a header identifying the user channel with ancillary control information.
There are several benefits of this approach, the two main ones being
low-delay—ATM cell assembly delay is a problem that becomes more and more pronounced with lower bit-rate, as it represents a significant chunk of network end-to-end delay budget which is planned to avoid unpleasant voice echo and good performance from interactive services. By having a multiplex of short packets in the payload of a cell, so called mini-cells, the length of those mini-cells can be tailored to the bit-rate of the service, and in general not suffer the ATM cell assembly delay.
high link bandwidth utilisation—by multiplexing several users in a connection oriented manner over a single ATM PVC, and taking account of the statistics of the service type and user call model, allows for a concentration function that ensures a high utilisation of link bandwidth with small or no padding overhead. The ATM connection is effectively an asynchronous dynamic trunk group.
In our arrangement, AAL-2 handles all mobile and compressed voice standards with or without Speech Activity Detection down to bits rates as low as 4 kb/s. It is also designed to handle long data packets by segmentation and re-assembly to and from the short mini-cell format, such that mobile packets can be carried along with the voice.
Essentially, AAL-2 is suitable for all legacy telephony and circuit switched wire line traffic, and all wireless services.
AAL-2 minicells may operate equally over a Switched Virtual Circuit (SVC), or in view of the connection's "trunk group" behaviour, over a permanent or semi-permanent ATM VCC. To establish user channels through an AAL-2 based VCC, a straightforward handshake protocol called Adaptation Negotiation Procedures (ANP) is defined in the standard. The ANP operates end-to-end over the VCC, and may be tailored to the user service type. Call establishment and maintenance, and control over the minicell length and other service specific parameters is provided. An F7 OAM flow is defined in the standard to monitor link or end-to-end performance through multiple AAL-2 connections with intervening relay nodes. The OAM can be tailored to the service type rather than being a part of the transport layer.
To establish user channels through an AAL-2 PVC, a straightforward handshake protocol called Adaptation Negotiation Procedures (ANP) is defined in the network standard. The ANP operates end-to-end over a VCC, and may be tailored to the user service type. Set-up, tear-down and modification are available operations, with control of the mini-cell length and other service specific parameters. An F7 OAM flow is defined in the standard to monitor end-to-end performance through multiple AAL-2 connections with intervening switching nodes. The OAM can be tailored to the service type, rather than being a part of the transport layer.
In particular, we exploit the generic capability of AAL-2, which is an asynchronous connection-oriented short packet protocol, where ATM provides virtual connectivity in the transport layer. This allows real-time traffic to be easily integrated on the same links with data and to be switched. For example, the real-time traffic may be a free statistical mixture of voice and video at any compression ratio, allowing full multicast video conferencing to be readily implemented.
A further benefit of the use of AAL-2 in the present arrangement and method is that, because of its multiplexed packet capability, mini-cells can be switched between ATM connections. Thus only PVC capability in the ATM core network is necessary, as all switching and concentration of a service can be performed at the adaptation layer. Adaptation layer switching allows a network to be scaled, and to be managed on a service basis. An ATM based network with adaptation layer switching means that ATM is retained as a transport technology, or as a switching technology for services not addressed in this manner.
The technique is applicable to distribution networks such as the network protocol defined by the DAVIC standard, but it is of course in no way limited to that application.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communications network according to one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates the way in which the network of FIG. 1 is arranged to distribute services to customers;
FIG. 3 illustrates the AAL-2 multiplexing of minicells into ATM;
FIG. 4 shows an end-to-end connection path through the network of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 illustrates the application of AAL-2 to the network of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 shows the network adapter and control planes;
FIG. 7 shows an AAL-2 end-to-end connection for real time and cut-through Internet service; and
FIG. 8 shows the way in which AAL-2 is multiplexed over an MPEG2 transport stream.
The network of FIG. 1, which serves a plurality of terminal stations (not shown) comprises two portions. A number of network access units 11 forms a passive access distribution network, and a core 12 performs a switching function for carrying traffic across the network between access units. The general connection of the network to a service consumer system is illustrated schematically in FIG. 2.
FIG. 3 shows the way in which the AAL-2 adaptation layer provides for communications and packet transfer. This adaptation layer has been optimised to meet the demands of low bit rate communications. The adaptation layer is a multiplex of users in a single ATM connection where each user's information is carried in a short packet with a header identifying the user channel with ancillary control information.
FIG. 4, which depicts an end-to-end minichannel connection in the network of FIG. 1, shows two types of AAL-2 network nodes. These are a relay function or Adaptation Layer Switch (ALS) that performs no segmentation and re-assembly (SAR), but simply switches at the adaptation layer; and a Network Adapter (NA) that is the AAL-2 termination, and performs adaptation, SAR and concentration. The nodes are connected by ATM permanent virtual channels (PVC) and traffic is switched at the adaptation layer. An ATM negotiating procedure (ANP) is used to set up communication channels. As each VCC link is managed by ANP to control user channels in a robust manner, the ANP can be cascaded to form minichannels end-to-end across the network. We term such a cascade a wormhole. Once a wormhole connection has been established by ANP alone, AAL-2 mini-cells can be transparently routed in a connection-oriented based on the channel identifier and associated priority or traffic class. A more detailed description of this routing technique is given in our co-pending United Kingdom patent application No 9614138.7. In this technique, routing is determined from the network periphery by defining a succession of nodes and virtual channels (VCs) to be used to reach the destination.
An important part of this end-to-end connectivity is the Grade of Service (GoS). By providing permanent virtual channels that contain a multiplex of users, the ATM traffic contract for the PVC can be specified as a discontinuous bit rate (DBR) service, and the bandwidth reserved and re-negotiated over an interval of time that reflects changing aggregated demand on any given link. This essentially creates a low blocking probability for the an AAL-2 network. A network adaptor can therefore route an individual call by ANP alone, with minimal interaction with the ATM layer, with a high degree of success. The low-delay and high connectivity success rate yield a high GoS. Further, by using soft PVCs (SPVC), the network can be designed to be resilient to failure conditions.
In this network topology, ALSs are fully meshed by PVCs; these PVCs are contained in PVPs to aggregate and smooth traffic by containing it inside a larger envelope. The PVPs link the ALSs to ATM VC cross-connects; this simplifies the connectivity as the network scales, and by having more than one cross-connect provide physically diverse path routing. The capacity of the VPs can be re-negotiated on a slowly changing basis, according to time variations of network load. By applying load-balancing and soft PVCs (SPVC), the network can be designed to be resilient to failure conditions.
Each ALS has a complete picture of the utilisation of the VPs, such that between them have a complete view of internal network congestion. ALS connection control can provide cell based adverts, economically throughout the network, to the network adapters when congestion exceeds certain thresholds. The network adapter uses these congestion indications when constructing a wormhole connection to achieve a high GoS.
A network adapter plans a minicell channel connection or wormhole path from the end-points of the call provided by a routing agent. End-to-end ANP connectivity also allows multicast connections to be set up. The network is a generic model that allows routing decisions to be made at the network edge. Thus, call admission control (CAC) is a feature of the network adapter providing a high GoS by reserving band width according to traffic demand. The wormhole path takes into account a dynamic picture of network congestion, and aims to load balance traffic to avoid congestion conditions from occurring. The same congestion indications can be use to reliably predict the likely success of connecting a path through the network, which allows blocked traffic to be rejected at source, thus ensuring network stability.
Wormhole connectivity also permits multi-cast connections to be set up. A network adapter can optimally choose the branch points for economy and from congestion indications, such that the branch point is selected to be closest to the receiver, minimising the bandwidth requirement for the multi-cast, but also taking into account the dynamic picture of the network behaviour.
The Delivery System
In the network of FIG. 1, the delivery system comprises core and access networks, i.e. the switching core 12 and the network adapters 11. The access network does not perform switching but may, as illustrated in FIG. 5, perform concentration and multiplexing in an access node (AN) which interfaces at A4 to the core network, and via a network termination at A1 to the Service Consumer System (SCS). The core network is outside the scope of the DAVIC specification, but is assumed to provide switching and end-to-end connectivity. The connectivity is controlled via the network related control over an A7 interface to the access node, and the A5 interface to the core network.
FIG. 5 further illustrates the positioning of the two AAL-2 node types in the DAVIC reference model. The ALS (or relay) would be located in the core network, and therefore its exact operation is outside the scope of DAVIC. However, the principles on which it operates, namely to provide end-to-end connectivity through the ATM based A4 interface with a guaranteed GoS, demonstrates that AAL-2 its appropriate and sufficient for this purpose. Here we show that the network adapter has a one-to-one correspondence with the DAVIC access node.
DAVIC defines an access node (AN) to perform adaptation to the access network technology, concentration and proxy signalling. In the user plane, a network adapter may perform adaptation to AAL-2, or it may simply concentrate AAL-2 traffic connections (relay), thereby extending AAL-2 back through the access network to the SCS. In the latter event, the adaptation function would then be performed by the STB. This allows ATM PVCs to be configured between the AN and SCS, alleviating any demand for switched virtual circuit (SVC) capability in the access network and achieving simplicity. It is in the distribution network between the A2 and A3 interfaces, where AAL-2 achieves the greatest benefit from its low-delay and high bandwidth utilisation.
In the control plane, the network adapter may accept proxy Q.2931 signalling from the network related control (NRC) as connection requests over the A7 interface, and use them to establish minicell channel connections by ANP, both backwards through the access network (A3 interface), and end-to-end across the core network (A4 interface). Such a mechanism can achieve connectivity of STB to STB across a global network, or to the legacy narrow band network via interworking units (IWU) in the core network. The A5 interface between the NRC and core network need not be used.
Referring now to FIG. 6, this illustrates the protocol stacks of the network adaptor user and control planes. The connection control (CC) terminates the Q.2931 signalling and initiates the ATM negotiating procedure (ANP). Parameters such as NSAP addresses can be determined from the Q.2931 signalling message. ANP is in the formative stage, and will evolve to handle GoS and traffic class issues, but currently may exploit Q.2931 to re-negotiate the bandwidth requirement as necessary. In a further embodiment, ANP may determine these connection parameters from the signalling and handle them directly.
ANP is in the formative stage, and will evolve to handle GoS and traffic class issues, but a solution exists in the network configuration of the ALS described earlier, and using Q.2931 to re-negotiate the bandwidth requirement as necessary. In future, ANP may inherit these connection parameters from the signalling.
Distribution of Communication Services
Here we describe how AAL-2 technology may be used to distribute communications services in the reference model of the previous section. We illustrate the method with an example call walk through.
The call request may be initiated at the STB using the existing DSMCC UN signalling stack, but which must be extended in any event to provide specification for communications service as a new S1 flow. To satisfy the call request, the DSMCC proxy can use the S3 flow to the service related control (SRC) of the delivery system, which performs the necessary end-point address resolution for routing, and which forwards the connection request to the network related control (NRC) using the existing Q.2931 protocol over SAAL signalling stack. The NRC establishes the connection by signalling to the access node (network adaptor) via the A7 interface. The connection is established as described in the previous section. The end-point access node using appropriate means to connect through to the called party's STB, or and end-point IWU can interwork with existing narrow band networks. In this manner it is possible to provide full legacy interworking. Any existing telephony service can be applied to this model and still operate with legacy networks. Voice quality is preserved, since the AAL-2 is tailored to provide a low-delay interconnect, and is a fully effective technology for keeping to established network delay budgets. The call admission policy of the access node and the connection-oriented behaviour of AAL-2 ensures the GoS for 64 kb/s, P�64 kb/s, and even when sophisticated compression algorithms incorporating speech activity detection (SAD) are used. Furthermore, the AAL-2 standard automatically handles the holdover delay of ATM cells when fewer than the requisite number of calls to fill the cell payload are in progress. This effect would be potentially more prominent in the access network rather than post-concentration in the core, but the slight waste of bandwidth disappears as more calls are added to the connection, which can generally sustain N�bit-rate connections with no further overhead.
This approach can also be extended to conferencing capabilities. The previous section described how the wormhole can branch connections in the network, which can be controlled incrementally over the course of a call or at the outset. The multi-cast is handled in the ANP and adaptation layers, and only requires point-to-point connectivity of Q.2931. The DSMCC definition would of course need to be extended in any event to support point-to-multipoint signalling.
Distribution of Internet Services
Whilst ATM may be suitable as a transport in the access and core network, low-cost integration of services is enabled in the customer premises network by using Internet technology as an umbrella for the integration of voice and data. However, Internet does not readily lend itself to real-time communications because of its connectionless best-effort paradigm, multiple routing hops and rather long minimum packet length. Some of these issues are being addressed by development of the RSVP bandwidth reservation protocol, but essentially reserving bandwidth is turning the Internet into a connection-orientated network, since it is applied at routing nodes.
We have found that AAL-2 is suitable for carrying Internet real-time communications services, and operating transparently to those services, yet providing the necessary low-delay and synchronisation. We illustrate this by the following description of an Internet based call walk through.
The STB can use RSVP to effectively establish a connection in the adaptation layer. DSMCC would need to be extended in any event to proxy or to direct the RSVP as an S2 flow to the Service Related Control (SRC). The SRC has access to the address resolution protocol (ARP) to determine the Internet routing and to provide translation to and access node and STB end-point. The SRC can then signal using the Q.2931 signalling protocol as for the communications services to establish a connection through the network. Further RSVP during the course of the connection may be initiated to control the bandwidth, and the SRC can elect to forward these as Q.2931 signalling messages.
The Internet routing is performed outside the domain of the ATM network. ATM and AAL-2 are transparent to the Internet, and vice-versa; the network functions as a super-router. However, the benefit is that the GoS can be guaranteed for the real-time Internet services in a manner identical to that of the general communications distribution.
Internet services can be interfaced at the network termination (NT) or the STB, with LANs in the customer premises. There is no change to treatment of Internet traffic by LAN based equipment, although this could be extended in due course to ATM based technology.
The concept may be further extended to handle certain connectionless Internet data packets as illustrated in FIG. 7. In certain transactions the packets, although connectionless, can represent persistent connections such as file transfer. These packets, which represent a flow, put an inordinate load on routers, and would benefit from a connection-orientated paradigm. If the traffice is directed to an IP switch, than that switch can form a proxy signalling agent to the Network Related Control (NRC) and elect to "cut through" the connection to the AAL-2 reference model by establishing a connection end-to-end through access and core, and use the long packet segmentation and re-assembly service specific convergence sub-layer of I.363.2. An IP switch can instruct an STB to act as the proxy agent to tear-down the connection when the flow ceases.
A further possibility is to use JAVA applets to extend the use of browser software in the STB for example. If the applet graphically represents a menu of service provision locations or communications destinations, then it can be pre-loaded to issue the necessary signalling messages to act as a proxy to the access node to establish end-to-end AAL-2 connections.
Complete Service Integration
AAL-2 can make efficient use of all the DAVIC part 8 access distribution transport layers. DAVIC has recommended a range of access technologies, and in particular hybrid fibre coax (HFC), and various radio access systems, which are specified to be MPEG-2 TS or ATM based. In this section we demonstrate how AAL-2 may be multiplexed directly into MPEG-2 TS type frames, such that it may be multiplexed with MPEG-2 delivery in the access network, when ATM transport is not provided.
Since an AAL-2 VCC is intrinsically a multi-user connection, when operating on a point to point link with no ATM switching, (there being no switching in the DAVIC access reference model), the ATM header VP and VC are effectively redundant. We note that to further maximise bandwidth utilisation, the ATM headers could be suppressed. However the point is that the AAL-2 flow forms a self-delineating adaptation layer as it is already asynchronous to the ATM cell boundary.
FIG. 8 shows the assembly process of MPEG-TS frames with AAL-2 minicells. Because a minicell is limited in length by the standard to maximum of 64 octets, the first minicell boundary can never be further than this from the start of the frame. Consequently, the existing definition for the Start Field (STF) of AAL-2, which contains an offset to the boundary, can be used as the first octet in the frame to delineate this boundary in a manner equivalent in mechanism and robustness to the current AAL-2 standard.
It will be understood that the above description of a preferred embodiment is given by way of example only and that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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