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The transformation of John Perkins and his work at transforming the world.
Today John travels the world and encourages business execs, students, and everyone who comes to his talks to "create a world our grandchildren will want to inherit." For example at an Istanbul conference of 4000 leaders in the communications field he said: "Today for the first time in history everyone on this planet has the ability to talk with everyone else. You are the leaders in the industry that makes it possible. You have to ask yourselves: what is it you want communicated? Do you want us to focus on the sex lives of celebrities, the latest fashions and sports scores — or do you want the discussion to center on the ways we can work together to create a sustainable, just, and peaceful world where all beings can thrive – a world your grandchildren will thank you for establishing?"
1968-71. Peace Corps volunteer in the Amazon and Andes, he learned that "the world is as you dream it." The teachings of the head-shrinking Shuar of the Amazon and Quechua of the Andes totally changed and saved his life.
1971-80. Became an economic hit man – official title was Chief Economist at major international consulting firm. His job was to identify countries with resources corporations covet, like oil and arrange huge loans to those countries that were used to hire US companies to built big infrastructure projects that benefit a few wealthy people (as well as US companies) and leave the rest of the people (who do not benefit) in deep debt. When the loans defaulted he and other EHMs would go back and "asset strip" the country.
1980. He had an epiphany while sailing in the Virgin Island. He rowed ashore, climbed a hill to the ruins of an old sugar plantation, sat among bougainvillea, watching sun set over the Caribbean – it was very idyllic. Suddenly he was struck by the realization that the plantation was built on the bones of thousands of slaves. Then it occurred to him that the entire hemisphere is built on the bones of millions of indigenous people and slaves. Finally he had to admit that he was the modern equivalent of a slaver, using his power with financial institutions to exploit natural and human resources around the world. He committed to never doing it again and instead to using his knowledge to create a more sustainable, just, and peaceful world.
1980-90. Quit his job as Chief Economist. Founded and was president of an alternative energy company that did ground-breaking work, built a power plant in PA that demonstrated that coal can be burned without producing acid rain, leading to a major change in US energy laws.
1990-2000. Sold energy company and returned to the Amazon to help the Shuar, who had changed and saved his life, preserve their rainforests and culture. They told him that to do so he'd have to change the dream of his people. Founded the non-profit Dream Change, wrote 5 books including The World Is As You Dream It and Shapeshifting. Also co-founded The Pachamama Alliance, an NGO that today has "Awakening the Dreamer" programs in 70 countries and has partnerships with Amazonian tribes. Began to write Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. He contacted other EHMs and jackals (who go in when EHMs fail to corrupt government officials and either overthrow or assassinate the leaders). He received threats on his life and his infant daughter's life. Taken out to dinner by the CEO of Stone & Webster, he was offered a legal "bribe" of $500,000: they would use his resume and he would not write the book. He agreed. Donated much of the money to writing more books and doing and supporting non-profit work.
September 11, 2001 – Now. He was in the Amazon leading a trip of people who had come to learn from the Shuar about how to change the dream to a more sustainable one. When he returned to the US, he went to Ground zero and had another epiphany. The world had to know what he had done, how this global economic system that today is failing, was created. He committed to writing Confessions but this time in secret. Once he completed the entire manuscript and his agent sent it to major publishers it was his best insurance policy. Killing him would sell books and make him a martyr. The book was on the NY Times bestseller lists for 72 weeks, is translated into more than 30 languages with sales of over a million. Also, put him on the speaking circuit, including Harvard, Wharton, Princeton and other universities around the world, and many business conferences (incl a recent one in Istanbul for 4000 leaders in the communications industry and another for CEOs and CFOs of stock exchanges and trading companies). Also featured on ABC, NBC, CNN, NPR, A&E, the History Channel, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Der Spiegel, and many other publications, as well as in numerous documentaries including The End of Poverty?, Zeitgeist Addendum, and Apology of an Economic Hit Man.
John's books have sold over 1 million copies, spent 72 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists, and are published in more than 30 languages. As Chief Economist at a major consulting firm, his experiences advising the World Bank, UN, IMF, US government, Fortune 500 corporations, and heads of state convinced him to devote his life to facilitating changes in consciousness and in social, political, and economic systems. He is founder and board member of Dream Change and co-founder of The Pachamama Alliance, nonprofits dedicated to creating a sustainable, just, peaceful, and thriving world.
Lennon Ono Grant for Peace, 2012
Rainforest Action Network Challenging Business As Usual Award, 2006


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Admissions Requirements
Select what type of student you are...
Visit Campus - Experience Cloud first hand. On your personalized visit you'll get to meet with an academic advisor in your major, tour campus, meet an athletic coach or activity sponsor, and visit with an admissions counselor. You can schedule a visit anytime Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Take the ACT - Some colleges require it, some don't. The ACT is not part of Cloud's admission requirements; however, if you take it and score a 26 or higher, you are eligible for our ACT scholarship.
Apply for Admission - There is no application fee, but you will need to send a copy of your transcript(s) and ACT scores if available.
$$$ - Nearly 90% of Cloud students receive some financial assistance to pay for college. In addition to athletic and activity scholarships, Cloud students can receive academic and foundation scholarships. The deadline is April 1, but you can apply as early as November. For more information on these scholarships or how to apply, contact an admissions representative.
Complete the FAFSA - The Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Priority deadline is April 1. Cloudӳ Federal School Code is 001909.
Apply for Housing - Residence Life contracts will be available online in the early spring semester. Personal preference will be granted on a first come, first serve basis.
Sign Up for Freshman Enrollment - Make an appointment to attend a Freshmen Enrollment Day. Once dates have been set you will receive a letter in the mail. It is crucial that you call Admissions and reserve a spot to enroll. Get in as early as you can so you can enroll in the classes you want!
Non-traditional students should follow these steps to apply and enroll in classes:
- Complete the application for admissions online.
- Request an official high school transcript, including final grades and graduation date, or GED examination results to be sent directly to the Admissions Office, 2221 Campus Drive, Concordia, KS 66901.
- Request official transcripts from all previously attended post-secondary institutions to be sent directly to the address stated above.
- Students who do not meet the requirements of college English or Math will be required to take the ASSET/COMPASS placement test.
- Students who are admitted as non-degree seeking are not required to submit transcripts. Should the student status change to "degree seeking" all transcripts must be received.
In order to apply and enroll for Online Classes, please follow these three steps:
- Complete and submit the Admissions Form, and choose "Internet" as your primary campus. You will receive a confirmation email when you submit your application.
- When your application has been processed, you will receive an email with your iCloud login username and password. If you have a Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail address, monitor your junk/bulk email folder. In addition to the email, you will receive a letter in the mail with the same information.
- Login to iCloud to complete the Enrollment Data Update form and select your classes.
How do I Apply for Admission?
- If you do not have a completed Admissions Form on file with Cloud County Community College, your first step is to complete and submit the online Application for Admission form.
- Make arrangements to have required transcripts and test scores forwarded to the college. This is especially important if you intend to enroll in courses having pre-requisites - Examples: Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra and English Composition I.
Transcript and test scores should be routed to the following address.
Cloud County Community College
Attn: Student Records
P.O. Box 1002
Concordia, KS 66901
You may proceed with enrolling courses that do not have prerequisites while your transcripts and test scores are enroute to us.
- If you plan to utilize federal financial aid, gather any information necessary to complete federal financial aid application forms. Use the Cloud Online Shortcuts links above to access the Financial Aid Office page.
How do I enroll in classes?
- Preview the Tech Requirements page for updated minimum technology requirements. Submission of the enrollment form implies your agree to provide for yourself the minimum technology requirements identified.
- When you receive the email with your iCloud login credentials, follow these steps:
- Login to iCloud.
- Complete the Enrollment Data Form update.
- Select your courses. Use the Online Student Enroll Guide (~317KB PDF) if you need a walk-through of how to select courses.
- The Online Clerk will send to you an e-mail invoice for tuition, fees, and textbooks. You will have 10 business days to respond, or to contact the Online Clerk to make other payment arrangements. The ways by which you may make payment are described in the materials linked to the Payment Options section.
- If you chose to purchase your textbooks through our bookstore, your books will be mailed within a few business days. Your instructor(s) will contact you with instructions for beginning the course.
To be considered for admission to Cloud County Community College, international students must have graduated from the equivalent of a U.S. high school (12 years of education) and submit the following documents:
- Application for Admission: Please be sure to include your foreign address under "permanent address" and include your country of birth and country of citizenship.
- Academic Transcripts (secondary school and university level): Official copies of academic records for all course work completed in secondary schools, colleges and universities within and outside the U.S. must be submitted. All documents must have English translations. Make sure your full name is on each document. All records become Cloud County Community College property and will not be returned. Records should give detailed information including courses studied and grades earned. The grading scale and number of course hours attempted should be noted when possible. Transcripts from U.S. institutions should be sent in a sealed envelope directly from the institution to Cloud's Admissions Office. Students who wish to have foreign coursework accepted for credit at Cloud, must have their foreign credits evaluated by an accredited, independent agency such as World Education Services, Educational Perspectives, or Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
- Financial Support Letter: A hand-signed letter or statement from the student's sponsor verifying financial support. The statement must be in English and the student's name must be included in the statement. This letter must be dated within six months of the start of classes and signed by the student and the sponsor.
- Bank Statement: A certified bank statement dated within six months of the start of classes showing the equivalent of $11,000 USD. This verifies that the sponsor has sufficient funds for sponsoring one year of study at Cloud. This is the estimated, one year cost for tuition, books, fees, housing and living expenses.
- English Proficiency: Students whose country's official language is not English must document their English proficiency in one of the following ways:
- A minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 61 (IBT, internet based) or 500 (PBT, written test) is required.
- Academic credit of 12 hours or more from a U.S. college or university.
- SEVIS Fee: The U.S. government now requires the payment of a non-refundable $200 SEVIS fee for all international students before issuing a visa. This fee is paid to the U.S. government NOT Cloud County Community College. There are three methods of payment:
- Electronically, by completing Form I-901, through the Internet (www.FMJfee.com) using a credit card. Print your receipt before you exit this website, as it will not be available after you exit.
- Through the mail, by submitting Form I-901, together with a check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank and payable in U.S. currency. (To obtain Form I-901, please go to www.ice.gov. )
Submit the fee at least three business days before the scheduled visa interview if you are submitting it electronically. If you are submitting by mail please allow 4 or more weeks and send it to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security address listed on the Form I-901.
Students must bring a paper receipt (Form I-797) with them to the visa interview. This receipt can be printed off after internet payment or will be mailed to the student from the U.S. government. Although some embassies may be able to verify payment electronically, students are encouraged to bring paper receipts (Form I-797).
- Transfer students from within the U.S. :
Transfer students must complete items #1-6 and have a "transfer request form" from the previous school on file.
- What is a "Transfer Request Form? This form verifies that the student is eligible for transfer. The form must be completed by an International Advisor from the previous school. Cloud's Transfer Request Forms are available in the Admissions Office.
- What if I am Out of Status? You may request to have your previous school transfer your SEVIS record as needing reinstatement, OR you may request an initial entry I-20 from Cloud, depart the U.S. and then reenter the U.S. on Cloud's initial entry I-20 before the start of the semester. This reentry allows the student to become eligible to be a Cloud student. (If the student's visa is expired, a new visa will need to be obtained before reentering the U.S.)
- When is my transfer complete? Under U.S. law, transfer procedures are not completed until the student enrolls in classes and Cloud registers this enrollment in SEVIS.
- Permanent Resident Aliens:
A student with permanent residence approval by the U.S. government may establish Kansas residency in the same manner as described under the General Admissions section of the Cloud County Community College Catalog. In addition, he/she must present their resident alien card (green card) to the Director of Admissions/PDSO for documentation at the first time of enrollment.
Cloud County Community College welcomes undergraduate veteran, active duty, and reservist students.
What you need to know
- To be eligible for VA educational benefits you must be a degree-seeking student with a declared major.
- Veterans are paid according to the number of credits they are enrolled in and the length of term and/or course.
Commonly Asked Questions:
Q. May I apply for financial aid even though I am receiving VA benefits?
A. Yes, veterans are also eligible to receive financial aid along with VA benefits. To apply for financial aid please contact Cloud's Financial Aid Office.
Q. Will I receive VA benefits for any course I enroll in?
A. If the course you enroll in is required for your degree, you will receive payment. There are some courses that are not required for a degree with Cloud County that considered "hobby" courses; for example, Ceramics, Woodworking, and Painting. Once you have reached the maximum credit hours to complete an associate degree, any courses eligible for benefits must be required for your program of study.
Q. Will VA pay for internet courses?
A. Yes. You have to enroll through our web site. Advisor approval and payment in full are required before a student is considered officially enrolled. These courses are considered to be "distance learning" by the VA.
For more information contact:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Education Service
1-888-GI Bill-1
Patti Elliott
VA Representative
Cloud County Community College
1-800-729-5101 ext. 207

subset: commoncrawl


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As the media so politely let us know, Keith Urban has recently left rehab for alcohol addiction and is looking to spend a little R & R with wife, Nicole Kidman in Tennessee for Valentine's Day. Nicole is getting ready for the event and has purchased about one dozen Northern Light Candles to set the mood.
Northern Light Candles are are made from organic Australian beeswax, feature chemical-free cotton wicks and cosmetic grade macadamia nut oil. The Aussie connection is not coincidental as both Kidman and Urban grew up in the land down under. Not only are the candles sustainable, the business and energy behind the product is also eco-friendly. From the site,
"We at northern light eat from our own garden and use and drink from our own rain water supply. The candle studio grounds include a pocket of remnant lowland subtropical rainforest, an area being replanted, maintained, protected and sustained with rainwater run-off from the studio. All packaging is made from recycled cardboard, and printed with non-toxic, renewable soy-based ink. Outer boxes are secured with water-based gum Arabic and recycled paper, we do not use any sticky tapes or glues. All of our candles come with its natural golden honey color and scent as we do not use any artificial coloring, bleaches or toxic fragrances. We also abstain from the use of other toxic waxes such as palm oil, soy wax and paraffin."
Makes you frown upon the candles you have in your home now, right? The only problem I see is that these candles are being shipped to the U.S. from Australia; increasing the carbon footprint substantially. But, shipped in cargo jets — and considering their near-zero impact in creation — such worries are eased. For some customer comments or to order, check out this site. To go behind the scenes, check out the company site here.
Have a nice Valentine's Day you two….
About Michael dEstriesMichael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.
View all posts by Michael dEstries →


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onyx leather 'Laila' snap closure shoulder bag
designer's notes
Stand apart from the crowd with a beautifully crafted handbag by Furla. Classic sophistication never goes out of style.
color: Onyx (Black) Supple grained leather with polished silvertone hardware Front slip pocket; side snap pocket Magnetic snap closure 16�'' top handle with 6'' drop Removable logo embossed charm Logo jacquard lining with one zip compartment and two organizational pockets Five protective metal feet at base Measures approximately 16'' at widest x 14'' tall at center x 5�'' deep; weighs lbs. Leather; Imported; style# 316335801


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I'm just plain tired of hearing him speak. It's always another excuse or more blame or just the same buzzwords over and over. Overall, he hasn't made anything better in 5 years. Well, maybe for gay people, but not for most of us.
May never vote again..........
All talk no action. You are an EPIC Fail President Obama!! My business has been hounded, the banks have changed the terms of my loans, my premiums have gone up 25%, I can't afford to hire full timers. We are sick of hearing your lies.
The Headless Horseman of Speechy Hollow
He speeches when he wheezes and he speeches when he sneezes;
He speeches when he snores and he speeches when he bores;
He speeches when he weeps and he speeches when he sleeps.
Someone please, please, please pass the duct tape.
I was wondering when Obama was going to take the million dollar Canadian built, touring buses out on the road.
Please, can somebody please make him shut up? Michelle? Anybody?
He should take the millions of tax dollars he's using to "tour" and do something thats "actually" progressive with it for once. All the money supporting him and his staff during their trips could finish lining the entire southern border and employ patrol workers for years.
Would somebody please tell our arrogant, inept, incompetent, dishonest, partisan, divisive, failed President that he one the election and he can stop campaigning? Its just so annoying. After 5 years of Obama we have the worst economic growth, and the worst UNEMPLOYMENT, for the longest period of time, since the Great Depression. Over 70% of the jobs created this year, and there aren't that many, are Part Time. That's is historic folks! Its never happened before. Obama is turning us into a nation of Part Timers that depend on our Part Time Jobs and Food Stamps to just squeeze by. Yet Obama refuses to compromise or change his failed policies. Nope...he's out campaigning for more DEBT, MORE Government, more disaster. That is when he's not playing Golf at Martha's Vinyard. We've never had a President who was less a President than Obama.
From the distant past:
"Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome who have so enthusiastically acclaimed and adored him and rejoiced in their loss of freedom and danced in his path and given him triumphal processions. Blame the people who hail him when he speaks in the Forum of the new wonderful good society which shall now be Rome's, interpreted to mean more money, more ease, more security, and more living fatly at the expense of the industrious." -- Marcus Tullius Cicero
Haters of the President of the United States are in for a LONG four years. I'm loving it!
alas--are there any families in america who do not know someone living on unemployment insurance, food stamps, relatives or part time work while the pres carries on his last campaign.?Its all so depressing, isn't it?
Please stay out of the Philly area-you make traffic awful on the way to work
Is he still running for President? I would have sworn we had the election already.
Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what's happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.
Sign up for Capital Journal Daybreak


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- Filed Under
The Elsmere Holiday Parade -- in its 25th year -- is set for this Sunday.
The parade, which will start at 2 pm., beings at N. DuPont and New roads. It will then proceed west on New Road to Kirkwood Highway, where the reviewing stand is set up in front of the Elsmere Fire Company.
The parade then ...


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Businesses can save around 30% on their water and sewerage bills by taking some easy actions to improve their water efficiency.
The 'Rippleffect' is a free water efficiency support package for businesses offered by WRAP that contains online training modules and free advice. This one stop shop for water efficiency is tailored to the needs of business and can help you realise these savings.
So, whether your business is an office, hotel or restaurant, with washrooms or kitchen facilities, or a factory with processing lines, the Rippleffects free advice can help you use water more efficiently, saving money and reducing the carbon footprint of your organisation.
Simply click on the link below to find out more and register. You'll then be given access to the modules needed to take action and make savings. The modules will be available for you to use whenever you like so that you can proceed at a pace which is right for you.
Dŵr Cymru Cyf, a limited company registered in Wales No. 2366777.
Registered office: Pentwyn Road, Nelson, Treharris, Mid Glamorgan CF46 6LY.
© Dŵr Cymru Cyf 2015.


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Vern Breland is mayor of Sterlington, a community that has shown remarakable growth in recent years.
- Filed Under
Residents in the Frenchman's Bend subdivision have Monroe mailing addresses, but they don't live in Monroe.
Those same residents are greeted by a Sterlington welcome sign each time they drive north into their neighborhood, but they don't live in Sterlington either.
Officials from both places want Frenchman's Bend residents to call their municipalities home and would welcome annexation. ...


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Email information for this cal endar several weeks in advance of the event to email@example.com.
United States Marine Corps Birthday Ball: 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at York Expo Center, White Rose Room, 334 Carlisle Road. Tickets: $35. Res ervation deadline: Oct. 28. Information: 764-3706 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Autumn Independent Living Wine Social: 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Senior Commons at Powder Mill, 1775 Powder Mill Road. Reg istration deadline: Today. Information: 741-0961.
Apprise Program: Personalized counseling during Medicare's Enrollment Period, 4-6:30 p.m. Wednesday at South Western High School, 200 Bowman Road, Hanover; 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday at Susquehannock High School, 3280 Fissels Church Road, Glen Rock. Appointments: 771-9042 or (800) 632-9073.
AARP Driving course: Noon-4 p.m. Thursday at Red Lion Area Senior Center, 20-C Gotham Place, Red Lion. Cost: $12-$14. Information: 244-7229.


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Ramblings from another nerd on the grid
Gadget Links
Virtual Stuff
Windows Sites
Other Diversions
PowerShell is hot. The Windows PowerShell team announced that PowerShell is going to be in Windows Server code named "Longhorn". In the same post they also exclaimed, "That's right, every version of Windows Server will ship with PowerShell!"
Several of the readers of the blog picked up on that and asked the question that immediately popped into my head... Is PowerShell also going to be installed by default or as an optional feature installation for Windows Server code named "Longhorn" Core?
Server Core (which is much easier to say) is the version of Longhorn server that doesn't have all of the shell UI installed. Prior to Beta 3 (which isn't done yet), when you install Server Core, you get a cmd.exe console when you login. That's it. No Start button, no GUI. It's easy enough to install roles, promote a core server to a DC or RODC, etc. Remote administration is a snap.
But what about PowerShell?
It's interesting that the blog entry hasn't been corrected and it's been over 24 hours. It was posted early Wednesday morning and now it's early Friday morning. Frankly, I'm hopeful it doesn't need to be corrected and would like to see PowerShell in Server Core. What about you?
[UPDATE] As expected, the PowerShell team made an edit to the post and it now says, "That's right, Windows Server will ship with PowerShell!" <grin> Last time I checked, Windows Server Core was part of Windows Server so although an edit was made, it's still ambiguous but I think we know it isn't going to happen. Now it's time for the PowerShell team to drill down on the explanation of why not. I'm sure they'll get to that on their blog.
Apparently Dell has decided to start offering desktop and laptop machines preinstalled with Linux. The models have not been announced. The Linux distros that will be tested and certified have not been announced. They actually used the word certification at http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/ideastorm/ideasinaction?c=us&l=en&s=gen. I'd like to know what that means. I know what certification means to me.
Anyway, this is going to be interesting to say the least. I have been watching from the sidelines, as usual, to see how this shakes out. It would appear from some of the comments I've seen, that the Linux advocates expect a pretty significant price drop if they select Linux versus Windows. It will be very interesting to see if that's true.
Competition is good. I really believe that. It will make Windows better, OS X better and Linux better.
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, the next evolution of Live Communications Server, delivers streamlined communications for your users so they can find and communicate with the right person, right now, from the applications they use most – like Microsoft Outlook. Without expensive infrastructure and network upgrades, your organization can deliver these benefits on an extensible VoIP foundation. At the same time, your IT department can deliver these enhanced capabilities and provide operational control alongside your existing Exchange and Active Directory infrastructure.
Microsoft Office Communicator is a unified communications client that helps people be more productive by enabling them to communicate easily with others using a range of communication options, including instant messaging (IM), voice, and video. Office Communicator 2007 Public Beta introduces a wide range of new features, most notably enhanced presence and enterprise voice capabilities, enabling users to place computer-to-computer calls and to place outbound calls to, and accept incoming calls from, traditional (PBX/PSTN) phone users. Office Communicator 2007 Public Beta also introduces robust call-forwarding features, support for USB audio devices, automatic setup of audio and video devices, and the ability to add Active Directory Domain Services distribution groups to your Communicator Contact List.
Office Communications Server 2007 Public Beta is available for download in two editions: Enterprise Edition and Standard Edition.
Office Communications Server 2007 Enterprise Edition Trial VersionDownloadable file name: OCS_EE_Eval.msiConsists of a one or more Enterprise Edition Servers connected to a separate, shared Microsoft SQL Server database that form an Enterprise pool providing IM, conferencing, and audio-video functionality. This two-tier architecture, delivers substantial improvements in availability, scalability, and performance over the Standard Edition.
Office Communications Server 2007 Standard Edition Trial VersionDownloadable file name: OCS_SE_Eval.msiConsists of single, standalone server together on the same computer with an SQL Server Express Edition database for storing user data and providing IM, conferencing, and audio-video functionality. Standard Edition Server is the appropriate choice in small or pilot deployments where enterprise-level capacity, availability, and performance are not required.
Download @ http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=F7D34DF9-29CF-4BFC-824F-7A382CE8BA8B&displaylang=en
The Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool checks your Internet router to see if it supports certain technologies. You can use this tool on a PC running either the Windows Vista or Windows XP operating system. If you're planning to run Windows Vista, this tool can verify whether your existing Internet router supports advanced features, such as improved download speeds and face-to-face collaboration using Windows Meeting Space.
The tool is intended to be run from a home network behind a home Internet (NAT) router. Running this tool from behind a corporate firewall or on operating systems other than those specified above won't produce accurate results. This tool requires administrator privileges to run.
The tests can require up to 10 minutes to complete and do not make any permanent changes to your router. For the most accurate results, your computer should be connected directly to your Internet router, using a wired connection.
Note Although it is unlikely, testing might interrupt your Internet connectivity or cause your router to stop responding. If you require uninterrupted Internet access at this time (for example, if you are in the middle of downloading a large file, bidding on a time-sensitive Internet auction, or playing an online game), you should wait and do this testing at another time.
A Brief Overview of the tool
The tool is downloaded and installed as an ActiveX Component and can be invoked through the tool specific web pages. It runs through 6 basic connectivity tests consisting of, basic ipv4 connectivity, NAT-type determination, Vista TCP options (ECN and WS), UPnP Support and Concurrent TCP streams.
The complete test should take about 10 minutes.
We recommend running this from a machine directly connected (via Ethernet) to your router at home.
Download @ http://www.microsoft.com/windows/using/tools/igd/default.mspx
[Note] : Be sure to check out the detailed report after it runs. Network nerds need only apply. :)
There are a number of tools on the market to capture screen input and produce demonstrations and courseware. When you start looking at tools, you'll obviously evaluate them against a number of criteria like performance, features you need, and the operating systems supported.
During my teams testing, we discovered TechSmith's Camtasia v3.x was an excellent product and we have been using it pretty extensively for the past couple of years. Most of that testing was exploring what types of demos work well from blogs and other publishing media server types. Camtasia v3.x worked great with Windows XP and our virtual technologies so it became our preferred tool for capturing those demos.
Well, Windows Vista side tracked our focus a bit and also threw a monkey wrench into our plans. Camtasia v3.x wasn't compatible with Windows Vista and the version 4 product had some issues as well. However, I am happy to announce TechSmith has released a Windows Vista compatibility update.
You can download the trial from http://www.techsmith.com/download/camtasiatrial.asp. If you purchased Camtasia v4, you can download the trial and use it to update from v4 to v4.01 and pick up the Windows Vista fixes.
Several members of my team have tested the v4.01 beta versions. I just installed the v4.01 RTM product and thankfully I thought ahead and brought my headset to Orlando. I'll be doing some demo captures over the next couple days so I'll let you know if I hit any snags.
For those of you interested in a cool new tablet PC, check out the latest model from Motion Computing. The LE1700wt uses a pen or lets you flick on the touch screen capability. This looks like an excellent platform for a variety of interesting applications. Here's the blurb from the motioncomputing.com website:
The LE1700WT Tablet PC combines all the features and power of the standard LE1700 Tablet PC with our new WriteTouch™ technology. WriteTouch from Motion Computing® is a dual-mode display which allows the ease and convenient use of capacitive finger touch and active digitizer pen and inking capabilities combined in a single tablet PC. With WriteTouch, you no longer have to decide between a touch screen and an active digitizer – you can have both. Use the digitizer pen for signature captures, extensive handwriting, notes, and ink-to-text conversion. Use your fingertip to drag and drop with ease, take advantage of Windows Vista™ flick gestures and quickly and easily navigate the web, forms-based and button-driven applications, and your system applications.
The LE1700WT Tablet PC combines all the features and power of the standard LE1700 Tablet PC with our new WriteTouch™ technology. WriteTouch from Motion Computing® is a dual-mode display which allows the ease and convenient use of capacitive finger touch and active digitizer pen and inking capabilities combined in a single tablet PC. With WriteTouch, you no longer have to decide between a touch screen and an active digitizer – you can have both. Use the digitizer pen for signature captures, extensive handwriting, notes, and ink-to-text conversion. Use your fingertip to drag and drop with ease, take advantage of Windows Vista™ flick gestures and quickly and easily navigate the web, forms-based and button-driven applications, and your system applications.
Looks like the loaded Windows Vista model at http://www.motioncomputing.com/buy/buy_le17wt.asp is a cool $3248. They have some interesting options like the Field Case which integrates a keyboard nicely. See the high rez pics at http://www.motioncomputing.com/about/news/image_bank_le1700.asp.
The Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) starts next Monday in San Diego. I'd love to be there, but I'm headed to Orlando for TechMentor and Windows Connections. It should be interesting to see what gets announced next week at MMS. I'm guessing there will be a lot of information on System Center Operations Manager, System Center Data Protection Manager, and System Center Configuration Manager.
If you are a mid sized business you might want to review the information on System Center Essentials 2007. Essentials 2007 is a new management solution in the System Center family of IT systems management products specifically designed for midsized businesses. Essentials 2007 provides a unified management solution that enables IT professionals in midsize organizations to proactively manage their IT environment with increased efficiency. Marketing... gotta love em.
Next week is going to be a great week on the management front. While I'm thinking about it, make sure to check out our webcasts in May. We are doing a boat load of System Center content. They aren't posted yet on http://www.microsoft.com/events/webcasts/upcoming.mspx.
Process Monitor is an advanced monitoring tool for Windows that shows real-time file system, Registry and process/thread activity. It combines the features of two legacy Sysinternals utilities, Filemon and Regmon, and adds an extensive list of enhancements including rich and non-destructive filtering, comprehensive event properties such session IDs and user names, reliable process information, full thread stacks with integrated symbol support for each operation, simultaneous logging to a file, and much more. Its uniquely powerful features will make Process Monitor a core utility in your system troubleshooting and malware hunting toolkit.
Process Monitor runs on Windows 2000 SP4 with Update Rollup 1, Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2003 SP1, and Windows Vista as well as x64 versions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows Vista.
See http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx for more information on the Sysinternal tools. Get the new version of Process Explorer directly at http://download.sysinternals.com/Files/ProcessMonitor.zip
[UPDATE] Wes Miller has published a nice article in TechNet magazine. See http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2007/03/DesktopFiles/default.aspx for more information on the "Ps" tools.
HDTV is interesting. Especially when watching the Discovery channel in HD. It's all to easy to just veg out and watch the splendor. Maybe it's because this planet is pretty spectacular when we aren't screwing it up. I mean come on, mother nature rocks. If you are into nature and the world around you, you'll probably want to check out the "Planet Earth" series that starts this Sunday at 8pm EST.
Here's the description of the series:
More than five years in the making, PLANET EARTH redefines blue-chip natural history filmmaking and continues the Discovery Channel mission to provide the highest quality programming in the world. The 11-part series will amaze viewers with never-before-seen animal behaviors, startling views of locations captured by cameras for the first time, and unprecedented high-definition production techniques. Award-winning actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver is the series' narrator.
PLANET EARTH airs on consecutive Sundays from March 25 through April 22, 2007, on Discovery Channel and in high definition on Discovery HD Theater. Get an email reminder!
More than five years in the making, PLANET EARTH redefines blue-chip natural history filmmaking and continues the Discovery Channel mission to provide the highest quality programming in the world. The 11-part series will amaze viewers with never-before-seen animal behaviors, startling views of locations captured by cameras for the first time, and unprecedented high-definition production techniques. Award-winning actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver is the series' narrator.
PLANET EARTH airs on consecutive Sundays from March 25 through April 22, 2007, on Discovery Channel and in high definition on Discovery HD Theater. Get an email reminder!
That isn't all. The folks at Discovery have a Planet Earth Game so check it out. And if for some reason you don't have cable tv and don't get the Discovery Channel, you can always buy the complete Planet Earth BBC HD DVD set at amazon.com or the regular DVD set at the shopping.discovery.com website.
Now that my team is cranking up the air cover for Windows "Longhorn" Server, the topic of Group Policy, Central Store, ADMX templates and such are going to come up more frequently. With that in mind, I'll start posting relevant information, even if it's something that happened a few months ago. For instance, back in November when football, beer and turkey were popular, we released the ADMX Migrator.
The ADMX Migrator enables you to convert ADM files to the ADMX format and take advantage of the additional capabilities that it provides. The new XML-based format includes multilanguage support, an optional centralized datastore, and version control capabilities.
You can select multiple ADM files for conversion. The ADMX Migrator creates a unique namespace which you can rename and will display a warning if a collision is detected due to duplicate names. Also, any items that cannot be validated against the ADMX schema are preserved in an Unsupported section. Please note that any annotations in ADM files are removed during the conversion process.
Additionally, the ADMX Migrator provides an ADMX editor with a graphical user interface for creating and editing Administrative Templates. You can select settings from menus rather than entering them manually in a text file, speeding template creation and reducing the chance for error.
Get it @ http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=0F1EEC3D-10C4-4B5F-9625-97C2F731090C&displaylang=en
Do you get a little queeezy when you are ten feet off the ground? Well, cure your fear of heights at the Grand Canyon Skywalk attraction opening in a few more days. Skywalk is a partnership between the Hualapai tribe and entrepreneur David Jin of Las Vegas . The design team includes Las Vegas-based MRJ Architects, Lochsa Engineering, LLC and APCO Construction. The glass is being manufactured in Germany and Austria by Saint Gobain, a European company that specializes in designing architectural structural glass for unique building projects worldwide. The steel was manufactured by Mark Steel in Utah .
See some pics of the steel being welded at http://mrjarchitects.com/MRJ%20Architects%20skywalk%20Alert.html. Head on over to the website for a video and more information at http://www.destinationgrandcanyon.com/indexe.html.
COMING SOON - Windows Server, Code Named "Longhorn"
Build your business on a solid foundationThe next generation of the Windows Server operating system helps organizations maximize control over their server infrastructure with new management and configuration tools, task automation, and enhanced diagnostics. Security and reliability are also improved with hardened services and policy-based network access protection.
Register to be notified when the Windows Server, code name "Longhorn," Beta is available and to get beta updates in your TechNet Flash »
I've been reading and participating in some interesting internal Microsoft debates. I'm doing my own research and thinking on the subject of HDTV recording. There are many questions and few answers. One question that popped into my head is, "Does anyone care about their HDTV recording device?"
Obviously some people care. HDTV enthusiasts certainly care, but they don't count because until really recently, we weren't mainstream. Tivo certainly cares, but they are in the business to care. Tivo also knows that in order to survive, then need to sell more boxes. Here's a question for you, "Is Tivo a Microsoft partner or competitor?"
As you know, Microsoft produced a really kewl version of Windows XP called Media Center Edition 2005. MCE 2005 has done really well from a sales perspective. Of course it helps that many of the big OEM's offered it as the default OS for the machines they were selling. But what percentage of those machines actually record a TV signal, much less a high definition TV signal for later playback?
I would venture to guess that most people that own a HDTV, also have cable, fiber or satellite feeds of HDTV programming. I think it's a fair bet that of those HDTV owners that have a subscription, many have a HD DVR of some kind. A high percentage will be a crappy DVR from the local cable, telco or satellite provider.
I use the word crappy for one reason... small hard drive size. It's rare to see a HD DVR from the local provider that offers a large hard drive, or is extensible with an external hard drive. Sure, some people complain about other aspects of the DVR like the menus, search, scheduling, etc. but the hard drive is going to become a focus for the mainstream very soon. You see, as people get hooked on DVR capabilities, they get used to the creature comfort of having a couple of weeks or more of their favorite programming. Several weeks is easy on most DVR's when recording standard definition. Not with high definition bit rates. Kiss that hard drive space good bye.
When do people watch video?
I took a look at Mark Cuban's blog this evening to see if he has an opinion on high definition recording and where the market is headed. Low and behold, he has a post on online video viewing that struck me as interesting, but it isn't really the same question. Or is it?
Mark talks about peoples viewing habits, or more accurately how content providers might control that, and thus control advertising revenue.
That's precisely why DVR's are becoming more and more mainstream. People don't want to be controlled. They want more control. That's also why the set top box is morphing. Mark talks some about it in his post on the future of personal computing.
So why the big debate inside Microsoft?
Ok, big debate is a stretch. But there are a lot of passionate enthusiasts on this subject. Like all companies, we want to see a product or feature succeed and help make the product sell, thus generating a good revenue stream. Enter from stage left, Windows Vista. As you might imagine, we'd like for the product to be successful. One of the features I thought would help drive that success is the OCUR feature. You'll notice this link takes you directly to the area on the CableLabs website.
OCUR gives Windows Vista the ability to record HD content from a cable or fiber optic feed. There are strings attached. CableLabs decides who can hook up to the various cable systems, and what type of device is allowed. In the case of Windows Vista, you have to have a special machine only sold by approved OEM suppliers. So far, the machines that have shipped with that capability are pretty pricey. That's part of the concern and debate. The other part of the concern and debate revolves around digital rights management (DRM).
I think we see the potential for Windows Vista to be the killer HD DVR. It already has the capability right now. No longer are we stuck only recording over-the-air. Now we can record a series like Rome or Entourage, or a movie off Showtime, HBO, etc. This is also the reason CableLabs has the platform locked down. They want to make sure you don't record a HD movie and burn DVD's for sale on eBay. I don't blame them for that. The restrictions do hamper you from building your own machine. You cannot do that and use the OCUR feature with Windows Vista, unless of course someone hacks a way in.
So do people care about their HD DVR? How does Microsoft make money on it?
Now that's the question... Sure, we'll sell the high end version of Windows Vista and a few people will buy the pricey PC's that support the feature, but what we really need is a box sitting in the entertainment center that has a great interface like Media Center, a big fat hard drive, wired to the internet, and lots of other stuff like Xbox gaming. We need the ability for you to get a kewl box like that at a great price (buy or rent).
People will care about that. They don't know it yet, but they will. My current HD DVR gives me about 20-30 hours of HD recording space. An OCUR based Windows Vista PC gives me unlimited recording space. Get the picture?
The real question boils down to cost and a special purpose device versus a general purpose device. How special is your HD DVR? Do you care?
I went green. Ok, not in the hybrid sense, but as in I'm saving lots of green. I traded my high testosterone, high horse power, high payment, premium gas, low miles per gallon Infiniti G35 Coupe for a Honda Civic.
Ok, pick yourself up off the floor. Before you tell me, as Charles has done, that I'm totally crazy, consider the following:
Oh well, I thought you might be interested in how I'm spending my vacation time. Spending money as usual. Well, not really spending. Besides, this will allow me to save some money for my next sports car... :)
Ok, the writers of "Lost" have obviously been on the island of Maui Wowee a little bit too long.
Windows Help (WinHlp32.exe) is a Help program that has been included with Microsoft Windows versions starting with the Microsoft Windows 3.1 operating system. However, the Windows Help program has not had a major update for many releases and no longer meets Microsoft's standards. Therefore, starting with the release of Windows Vista, the Windows Help program will not ship as a feature of Windows. If you want to view 32-bit .hlp files, you must download and install the program (WinHlp32.exe) from the Microsoft Download Center.
Download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=6ebcfad9-d3f5-4365-8070-334cd175d4bb&displaylang=en.
Time equals money. Does it really? As you IT Pros know, time is an extremely precious commodity. You never seem to have enough time to do what you are supposed to, let alone what you want to. With the pervasive influx of networking and IT into our lives, it's all too easy to burn time.
So how do you deal with it?
I mean seriously, how many of you are actually able to work a 40 hour work week and achieve the objectives set by your organization and company? If you are able to do that, I want to know how you manage.
2007 has been a extraordinary amount of fun. Huge product launches and the associated activity will do that. But like many marathons, you run on adrenalin for a while. I blogged about the hamster wheel before. What happens when the adrenalin runs out?
Reality sets in!!!
Reality hit me about the end of January. You see, I have this crystal ball that no one knows about and I can predict the future. My crystal ball told me then that I was going to get hit with a TSUNAMI wave of stuff requiring my attention. My crystal ball is never wrong.
Ok, I don't really have a crystal ball. But I do have a sixth sense about such things. I have years of experience working on small, medium and enterprise level projects. Planning and forecasting was etched on my brain very early and those organizational skills come in handy. The problem is, that those skills were honed around a 40 hour work week. Starting to get the picture?
I'm not complaining. Microsoft pays me very well for what I do. I have great managers and like all good managers, they do their best to provide the tools, environment, training, support, goals and stretch goals so that we can exceed expectation.
However, the last week was a pretty interesting eye opener. You see, we have another quarter coming up that starts April 1st. No fooling. Time is marching that direction and although DST may make it zig a bit, it's still going to march on. As the content lead for our Longhorn Server content, you might expect that I have some deadlines. Shocker, right?
Critical Success Factors
I love that phrase. Lets dissect it. Factors critical to our success. Factors can be in or out of our control. Success can be measured numerous ways. And critical has all types of meaning. Life threatening, it's a prerequisite, etc. As the content lead, it's critical I review the content coming from our corporate developers and assess the quality and messaging for you, my audience. This is a leveraged role meaning it's critical I do this so that my other peers don't have to. It saves man hours (time) and thus saves money.
In this quarters scenario, my crystal ball said back in January, "Danger Will Robinson". My sixth sense was itching and that isn't good. As it turns out, the content was late, lacked the quality I wanted, and was based on old builds of Longhorn Server and Windows Vista. Now I could have said screw it and we could have had the discussion based on the old builds, or I could fix things. How the hell am I going to fix things? I received the content the end of the week of 2/12, I have launch events the week of 2/19 and 2/26 and vacation scheduled for the week of 3/5 and 3/12.
Time is the most precious commodity
Anyone out there figured out how to get more than 24 hours out of a day? No? Me either. That being the case, I am going to need some time to fix this problem. A week of vacation gets sacrificed.
To give you an idea, leading up to that decision meant I had to unpack close to 60GIG in virtual machines (11 of them), setup the execution environment, and go through the demos for six different sessions. It's equivalent to doing six webcasts or two live TechNet events. My peers know exactly what I am talking about. And for new products and technology, you can't just blow through it at break neck speed.
The assessment took some time. Being the detailed person I am, I documented my likes and dislikes with the content I received. I put on my IT Pro hat and decide if I were you, would I want to see this? My verdict was to toss the VM's. That meant a rebuild.
So last Saturday I started building a new set of virtual machines. I consolidated the eleven vm's to three. They are based on the Windows Longhorn Server Feb 2007 CTP and Windows Vista Enterprise. There were a number of learning hurdles as you might expect. After all, the new "Core" server doesn't have a GUI. I worked pretty long hours this week. Longer than usual and people that know me know I am not understating that effort.
Something has to give
The end result is that we have some really fun content to demonstrate. It should drive a very healthy discussion with you, our audience. Unless I made a serious error somewhere, my peers will be happy with the content and their ability to learn from it, and deliver it.
However, today is essentially the last day I'm going to work on Microsoft business for a while (until about 3/19). I am wrapping the demo script and slide deck today, then I pull the plug. I have vacation scheduled next week, and I'm taking it. I have a lot of stuff I want to do around here. Sleep is one of them. :)
So, I have about 30 unanswered emails that came in directly or via my blog. Sorry. I have stuff my manager(s) wanted me to do by yesterday. And I still have requests for my time coming in by the minute from other people and organizations.
Time marches on and it doesn't care about your plans...
Don't think for a second this is a cynical or mad post. It's quite the opposite. Spring is my favorite time of year and I am going to enjoy it for the next few days. Time to get out and get a good whiff of the pollen, clean the pool, do stuff for my honey, ride the Harley, drink margaritas with Mongo, etc.
See ya when I get back...
I've been watching http://www.dellideastorm.com/ for the past few weeks to see what bubbles to the top and what action Dell would take. As you know, Dell has sold a couple of Windows machines since the company was founded in 1984.
I'm interested because the lion share of the ideas are pro Linux and anti Windows Vista. So I guess I'm wondering why that is? Maybe that's the wrong way to view this. I'm assuming from looking at the posts that people simply want a check box when purchasing a machine as to what operating systems they want. It might be more accurate to say they want to buy a machine with no operating system at all.
So what happens when your Mom buys a machine and forgets to check off Windows or Linux and it arrives exactly as ordered? If you were Dell, would you force at least one operating system to be installed and shipped so the machine at least boots and connects to the internet?
I'm sure Dell is weighing their options carefully. For instance, lets say they decide to put a check box for Linux. Which Linux do they decide to sell and support? I would imagine the top three or four distros might make the list.
This is going to get interesting. Competition is good.
I'm back in the speed zone. Thank heavens for Verizon Wireless EVDO Broadband as an interim solution. I have successfully transitioned from a static business fiber account to a residential dynamic account. This was no small undertaking and it included shutting down my Small Business Server (SBS). So what benefit was derived from all of this?
Now that I am on Verizon FIOS (residential), I also have FIOS TV. With that change, I have twice as many channels as I did before. Ok, it may not be exactly twice as many but I do have many more channels than was offered by the cable provider I previously had. The standard def assortment of premium movies channels is mind boggling. The biggest benefit came from the HDTV channels I now receive via FIOS TV. I have several new HD channels like the NFL network, National Geographic HD, TNT HD, MTV HD, TMC HD and Starz HD.
And wouldn't you know, before I knew what happened, my wife grabs the remote and switches to the new Starz HD channel and starts watching, "The Shaggy Dog". Grrrrrrrrr. :)
What's next?
Now I am all set for some exciting new Windows Vista developments, some of which are already announced. First, my connection and programming will allow me to use the new digital cable PC tuners from ATI. I may need to purchase a new machine with the supporting BIOS. We'll see later on that. I expect to have that running in the next two to three months assuming Dell, HP, etc. get their goodies out the door.
I have a few other things up my sleeve but I won't spill the beans on that until later... lets just say I'm wondering if I have enough hard drive space.
The Net Net on my Outages
I had set my cancellation date for my business account to be 3/2/2007 (Friday). Verizon canceled my service on 2/27. I assume to sync with the billing cycle. Of course I was out of town and it impacted the family. The planned and actual start date for my residential service was 3/5. The installer arrived on time and we were done very quickly. It helps to already have all of the hardware in place.
I took an unexpected outage on my voice over IP provider. I neglected to check it before the installer left (bad doggie). Apparently the ATT CallVantage telephone adaptor is incompatible with the Verizon FIOS ActionTec router. No measure of port forwards and DMZ action would solve that. ATT confirmed they were aware of it. So, I released the ip address on the ActionTec WAN interface and plugged in the trusty D-Link router I received two years ago on my original FIOS install. This of course worked but since I didn't have the needed FIOS TV NIM, I placed a call to VZ and opened a trouble ticket.
I called this trouble ticket in at about 9pm yesterday (3/5) and they said the next available appointment time was for 8-10am today. Huh? Could you repeat that? Yea, next morning arrival of a tech and NIM.
Anyone skeptical that would actually happen?
Low and behold, at about 9:30am, knock knock. A very nice VZ tech comes in and assesses the situation. He hands me the NIM and we start plugging stuff in. A quick firmware update to the D-Link and we're in business. Data, video and voice are all working included on demand and pay per view.
Rock and roll !!!
Everyone is familiar with the fictitious element of the planet Krypton. Strangely, this element is poisonous to a native of the planet. But what about Viridian? What is it? Is it powerful?
First of all, Viridian isn't a fictitious element. It is in fact a color or city in Pokemon. I find that amusing. Pokemon freaks in the Windows Server product group... who would have guessed. <grin>
Viridian is also the project name for the Windows Server hypervisor technologies now on display.
Display? Where?
During the Microsoft geek/nerd training event known as TR4, a number of technologies were paraded out. One of the more fascinating demonstrations was conducted by Jeff Woolsey of the Windows Server Virtualization team. You pretty much need to see the demo for yourself.
Head on over to Arlindo Alves blog post at http://blogs.technet.com/aralves/archive/2007/02/28/longhorn-hypervisor-demo.aspx since he scored the video first. Very kewl stuff.
Is Viridian powerful? Judge for yourself...
Many users of desktop operating systems have been happy with 512MB, 1GB and 2GB memory configurations. As memory prices continued to drop it was typical to see someone bump their memory from 1GB to 2GB. Many laptops have been sold with 2GB RAM configurations. Considering the cost of a 2GB SoDIMM, this was a reasonable trade off.
Now that laptop memory has started to become even more affordable, loading up a laptop or desktop with it's memory capacity seems to be in vogue. For most desktop and laptop configurations, this means 4GB of memory. The thinking is that the added memory will improve performance and provide a better user experience. The problem is, that most people are in for a rude awakening when they do this.
A recently published support article at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605/en-us does a great job of describing the issue. You'll also notice in the article, that various chipsets supporting 4GB and higher are documented. Here's the punch line from the article:
For Windows Vista to use all 4 GB of memory on a computer that has 4 GB of memory installed, the computer must meet the following requirements: The chipset must support at least 8 GB of address space. Chipsets that have this capability include the following: Intel 975X Intel P965 Intel 955X on Socket 775 Chipsets that support AMD processors that use socket F, socket 940, socket 939, or socket AM2. These chipsets include any AMD socket and CPU combination in which the memory controller resides in the CPU. The CPU must support the x64 instruction set. The AMD64 CPU and the Intel EM64T CPU support this instruction set. The BIOS must support the memory remapping feature. The memory remapping feature allows for the segment of system memory that was previously overwritten by the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) configuration space to be remapped above the 4 GB address line. This feature must be enabled in the BIOS configuration utility on the computer. View your computer product documentation for instructions that explain how to enable this feature. Many consumer-oriented computers may not support the memory remapping feature. No standard terminology is used in documentation or in BIOS configuration utilities for this feature. Therefore, you may have to read the descriptions of the various BIOS configuration settings that are available to determine whether any of the settings enable the memory remapping feature. An x64 (64-bit) version of Windows Vista must be used.
For Windows Vista to use all 4 GB of memory on a computer that has 4 GB of memory installed, the computer must meet the following requirements:
Like I mentioned in some previous articles, the desktop and laptop configurations coming in a few months will be specifically designed to support 8GB of memory. So should you upgrade your memory right now? If you have some available memory slots and are sitting at 512MB or 1GB of memory, then the answer is probably yes. This will certainly allow more head room for Windows XP and of course any upgrades to Windows Vista will be happier as well. I would not consider going above 3GB on a laptop or desktop until you've confirmed support for 4GB of memory. If on the other hand you don't have any available slots, then the decision gets even tougher. It would mean pulling existing working memory for newer higher capacity memory. I really hate to do that. You end up having a memory grave yard like I do.
Join the chatroom at: http://www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions/chatroom.aspx.
I logged in a little while ago and it appears to be a very lively chat area right now (for some reason). There are lots of Microsoft support personnel helping to answer your questions so check it out!!!
After two years, my fiber connection is dark. Verizon is switching my account from business to residential so this is one of the steps toward that end. My cable provider has also been canceled and they picked up my television set top boxes.
So I am without a cable tv feed or high speed internet access for the first time in over eight years. Insert video of Keith twitching from withdrawals... :)
Don't worry, I have backups of course. I have my Verizon sponsored EVDO wireless card for posting witty blog posts and if I need a high speed fix, I can go to my honey's retail store and use her DSL connection.
TV isn't totally cut off. I still receive the over-the-air high definition signal to my media center pc which records the major networks. Of course after that happens, we can view the HD goodness on the DLP HDTV via the magic of Xbox360 integration.
All is supposed to be fixed Monday. Verizon is supposed to re-light my fiber and install FIOS HDTV.
Ok, you can start the snide comments about me being in the dark now. :)
I was on the road this week delivering the final Windows Vista/Office 2007/Exchange Server 2007 launch events. As I'm catching up on email, I shifted gears to blogs.technet.com to see what my peers are up to.
Low and behold, I spy a new blog was created at http://blogs.technet.com/dst2007/default.aspx. Someone, in their infinite wisdom posted 2 posts on Wednesday (probably a test), then posted 213 posts on 3/1. It pretty much dominated the RSS feed for the day and I don't know about you, but I hope they back off soon. If someone from the blog reads this, you might consider turning on commenting. Blogs are more fun that way...
See, told ya I was opinionated.
[UPDATE] I spoke with Anthony Tsim about his blog. The 213 posts is supposed to be a "one off" so I don't think we'll see him trying to best the record. I also asked for the comments to be turned on. All of this was done to promote the DST chat room at http://www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions/chatroom.aspx. If you have questions on DST, check their chat room out. I logged in easily with my Passport account.


text:
Damn, this case of krabs is relentless.
Why is she rubbing her gash in every goddamn photo?
Because low rent babes think it's "oh so sexy". Oh it's to draw your eyes away from that fivehead.
Tinea cruris
It's probably her classy upbringing and humble demeanor.
Vaginal itching is a non-sectarian issue, Belfast!
Belfast says thanks. Throw a jumper on there and give us a song.
Masterbating in front of audiences is also considered a compliment in Barbados.
Hasn't Northern Ireland suffered enough.
"Damn tampon…"
Maybe she wishes she had a dick????????
I think it's stuck there
"Eh, mon, tha' potato itches!"
Damn, I check every day and still no penis.
can we all just agree, rather than picking on her for constantly masturbating in public, that we should all be allowed to? not that i'm feeling the urge lol–but i'd like to reserve the right.
"Who's Yo Mammy??!!
Rhianna's putting on a ghetto production of Greese
If you are going to call someone ghetto, you should probably make sure your spelling is correct.
It is Grease, not Greese.
And heavin forbid we shood offind the speling poleece.
While all eyes are on Ri-Ri's ri-ri, the lone black gay dancer is looking longingly (and a bit aggressively) at the sequence. Everything is still right in the world.
sequins not sequence
I meant to spell it that way, officer.
it burns when I pee
She needs to stop.
agreed. way too over exposed, extremely over rated.
Performing. Right. Is that what we're calling 'that' now? I am so behind the times.
This Aunt Jemima makes my pancakes smell like rum and butt.
+1. Unexpected direction.
Blue waffle?


text:
Who we work with : Relocation Agents
I'm fortunate to have worked with Clarendon a number of years and placed numerous clients in their serviced apartments, in particular at Wraysbury Hall, Kew and Richmond. I'm always impressed with their professional approach and helpful manner and have total peace of mind in the knowledge my clients will be well taken care of during their stay'UK Relocation Manager
Serviced Apartments for Relocation Agents
Clarendon understands relocating is not always straightforward and can be a stressful time for those involved. It's a time when people need reassurance, peace of mind in the knowledge every element of their move is being managed effectively.
Clarendon works closely with national and international relocation agents supporting their services and providing its serviced apartments in London as temporary accommodation.
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text:
Rafalca gave it the old stable try today.
The now-famous horse from California that walks sideways — part of the dressage drill — made a graceful showing in London's summer games.
Yet the horse part-owned by Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Ronmey, placed 13th in her Olympic debut — with a score of 70.243 — and will await results from Friday's events to determine if she advances to the Grand Prix Special on Tuesday.
American swimmer Michael Phelps scored Gold, his 20th Olympic medal.
The horse's "hallmark is obedience and accuracy," as one of the announcers explained.
Still, equestrian Jan Ebeling, rider of the 15-year-old mare wearing a "trucker cap," acknowledged the second pirouette started "large" — though his "piaffes were really nice."
"Rafalca took a while to settle at the start," Bloomberg's Thomas Penny and Daniel Rossingh reported — "lacking in contact with the bit and her rider's reins in the extended trot. In the passage — an elevated, powerful trot — the German-bred bay mare made some uneven steps. Halfway through the performance, she settled down to show accurate flying changes, or lead changes at the canter in the air between two strides."
Rafalca had become the subject of some political ridicule, with late-night comedians lampooning Romney's "dancing horse" — a theme that the Democratic National Committee seized upon briefly in a video parody of Mitt Romney's stance on the issues, until some complained that it was in poor taste. Ann Romney has taken to dressage as therapy for multiple sclerosis.
"There certainly was a lot of media attention going on," Ebeling said, "but I think it turned out to be a good thing for the sport. And I don't really get distracted by these things.'
Ann Romney had this to say of the competition: "It was awesome."
"Elegant, consistent, fantastic," she said of the performance at Greenwich Park.
There were some who suggested that the candidate was keeping his distance from the competition involving one of his more visible tax exemptions — saying in a television interview from London before the games that he wasn't sure what day Rafalca would be riding. His wife declined to comment on her husband's European tour, which included that interview in which he spoke of "disconcerting" security preparations for the games.
"I'm just here to see the horses," she said today.


text:
WELCOMING: Alayna Bennert leads the Pledge of Allegiance for Veterans Day at Fort Gratiot Middle School.
- Filed Under
Marc Polack sees Veterans Day as a way to teach.
The fifth grade social studies teacher at Howard D Crull Elementary School in Port Huron has for at least 20 years made his class a part of local Veterans Day ceremonies.
Tuesday was no exception as Polack's students participated in a ceremony at the Allied Veterans Cemetery in Port Huron, reciting the history of the holiday, presenting wreaths and making rubbings of veterans' grave markers. ...


text: Whitechapel - Jokes 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/ Lussumo Vanilla & Feed Publisher Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=348880#Comment_348880 2013-02-23T22:45:56-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Alan Tyson http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1299 So, a friend recently asked how I was liking my new haircut. I told him, "well, it's growing on me." Your move, Whitechapel. I told him, "well, it's growing on me."Your move, Whitechapel.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=348881#Comment_348881 2013-02-23T23:24:43-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 brittanica http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2296 One of my favorites, I heard at a gig by a steampunk band. I may have been the only person in the audience to laugh at it: How do you make a soul singer out of a duck? Put him in the oven until ... How do you make a soul singer out of a duck?Put him in the oven until his Bill Withers.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=348884#Comment_348884 2013-02-24T00:47:20-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 taphead http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2284 How many soundguys does it take to change a lightbulb? "Sorry man, I don't do lights." "Sorry man, I don't do lights."]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=348887#Comment_348887 2013-02-24T01:34:53-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Dextra http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=279 A dyslexic man walks into a bra. I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=348890#Comment_348890 2013-02-24T02:41:54-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 curb http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1334 How many therapists does it take to change a lightbulb? Well, first the lightbulb must want to change. Well, first the lightbulb must want to change.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=348891#Comment_348891 2013-02-24T03:24:20-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Purple Wyrm http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6726 What do you call a man with a shovel in his head? An ambulance. Seriously guys, he's got a freaking shovel embedded in his head! An ambulance. Seriously guys, he's got a freaking shovel embedded in his head!]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=348892#Comment_348892 2013-02-24T03:42:57-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Cat Vincent http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=447 Since this is Whitechapel, here's one of the filthiest jokes I know, said to be a favorite of Alyson Hannigan of Buffy fame: How do you stop a dog humping your leg? Pick him up and suck him off. How do you stop a dog humping your leg?Pick him up and suck him off.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=348898#Comment_348898 2013-02-24T04:59:19-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 BadBeast http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=10877 What do you call a black man who flys a Jumbo Jet? A Pilot! What are you, some kind of fucking racist? A Pilot! What are you, some kind of fucking racist?]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=348965#Comment_348965 2013-02-25T00:21:44-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 J.Brennan http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1028 How many Nice Guys does it take to change a light bulb? None. They'll just compliment it and get pissed when it won't screw. None. They'll just compliment it and get pissed when it won't screw.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349051#Comment_349051 2013-02-25T19:56:11-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 arcaner http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2374 And now a filthy joke for your enjoyment. Rumor has it that the formula of Crisco is being changed. Fisters everywhere are up in arms. Rumor has it that the formula of Crisco is being changed.Fisters everywhere are up in arms.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349056#Comment_349056 2013-02-25T22:22:11-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Birds_Use_Stars http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6144 What did the deaf, dumb, blind, quadriplegic boy get for christmas? Cancer. Cancer.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349057#Comment_349057 2013-02-25T22:37:04-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Kay Orchison http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=10078 How many flies does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Two, but I could never figure out how they got in there in the first place. Two, but I could never figure out how they got in there in the first place.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349059#Comment_349059 2013-02-25T23:37:43-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Morac http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=10266 I'm just going to leave this here. ]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349074#Comment_349074 2013-02-26T07:40:02-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 magnusisasillyname http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=10358 What's the difference between a truck load of sand and a truck load of dead babies? You can't pick up sand with a pitchfork. You can't pick up sand with a pitchfork.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349075#Comment_349075 2013-02-26T07:40:22-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 magnusisasillyname http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=10358 What's got two legs and bleeds? Half a puppy! Half a puppy!]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349079#Comment_349079 2013-02-26T08:26:10-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 RenThing http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=155 A man walked into a bar. Ouch. Ouch.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349081#Comment_349081 2013-02-26T08:59:06-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 oldhat http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=75 The Bartender says "We don't serve Tachyons here!" A Tachyon walks in to a bar. A Tachyon walks in to a bar.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349083#Comment_349083 2013-02-26T09:18:58-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 RenThing http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=155 A piece of string walks into a bar. The bartender shouts, "Oi, we don't serve your kind here!" The string walks outside and twists itself into a bow before walking back in. Pissed, ... The bartender shouts, "Oi, we don't serve your kind here!"The string walks outside and twists itself into a bow before walking back in.Pissed, the bartender shouts, "Aren't you that string I just kicked out?""No, I'm afraid not!" the bow replied.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349089#Comment_349089 2013-02-26T12:16:57-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Alastair http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=287 oscar pistorious wanted to change his bathroom door but his girlfriend was dead against it Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349095#Comment_349095 2013-02-26T13:17:13-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 StefanJ http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=961 A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm. "One for me," he tells the bartender, "and one for the road." "One for me," he tells the bartender, "and one for the road."]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349096#Comment_349096 2013-02-26T14:09:34-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 kmcleod http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=191 A grasshopper walks into a bar. Bartender says: "Do you know we have a drink named after you?" Grasshopper says: "You have a drink named 'Schlomo'?" A baby seal walks into a ... Bartender says: "Do you know we have a drink named after you?"Grasshopper says: "You have a drink named 'Schlomo'?"A baby seal walks into a club.How many old people does it take to screw in a lightbulb?Ten. One to screw it in, one to hold the chair they're standing on while they screw it, and eight to stand around reminiscing about how nice the old bulb used to be.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349099#Comment_349099 2013-02-26T14:41:31-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 mister hex http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4411 Robot walks into a bar. Bartender says "we don't serve robots." Robot says - "Someday you will." Robot says - "Someday you will."]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349101#Comment_349101 2013-02-26T15:29:30-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Ben Klumaster http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2723 How many Freudians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Two. One to screw it in, the other to hold the peni-fathe--shit. Two. One to screw it in, the other to hold the peni-fathe--shit.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349104#Comment_349104 2013-02-26T16:40:01-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 G. Foyle http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=3863 What's brown and sticky? A stick. A stick.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349122#Comment_349122 2013-02-26T21:01:37-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Mark R http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=198 Why did the monkey fall out of the tree? Cause it was dead. Cause it was dead.]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349127#Comment_349127 2013-02-26T22:29:25-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Lazarus99 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=3143 What's grey and comes in buckets? Elephants. Why do elephants have four feet? Because, when you come in buckets, 8 inches just isn't going to cut it... Elephants.Why do elephants have four feet?Because, when you come in buckets, 8 inches just isn't going to cut it...]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349132#Comment_349132 2013-02-27T01:24:42-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Purple Wyrm http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6726 Why did the possum fall out of the tree? It was stapled to the monkey It was stapled to the monkey]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349178#Comment_349178 2013-02-27T14:55:30-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 cjkoger http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7065 @mark and @purple work. Haha. Oh God, thank you for instantly transporting me back to 7th grade. Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349395#Comment_349395 2013-03-02T01:40:26-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 curb http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1334 "Doctor, I'm having trouble with my hearing" "Hmm, can you tell me more about the symptoms?" "Well they're a yellow cartoon family, Homer is the father ... ... "Hmm, can you tell me more about the symptoms?""Well they're a yellow cartoon family, Homer is the father ... "]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349429#Comment_349429 2013-03-02T19:47:59-06:00 2013-03-02T19:49:50-06:00 Paul Sizer http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=44 Told to me be Ramona D. Flowered (# 7exb, get it?), one of the Killamazoo Derby Darlins... What did one tampon say to the other tampon? Nothing! They were both stuck up bitches. I know, ... What did one tampon say to the other tampon?Nothing! They were both stuck up bitches.I know, I'm sorry...]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349446#Comment_349446 2013-03-03T06:16:50-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 Finagle http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5254 So one day a hunter goes into the woods, looking for bear. Lo and behold, he manages to bag one. When he gets up close to the bear feeling triumphant, he feels a tap on his shoulder. A huge ... A year passes. The hunter has trained and passed the year recovering from his trauma and becoming a badass. He ventures into the woods once more. Spotting the trail of his prey, he carefully and quietly stalks his trail, revenge on his mind. When he feels a tap on the shoulder. The grizzly is standing there. "Well, buddy, back for revenge are you? Well I'll tell you what, same deal as before...I open up your throat right now, or you turn around and bite the tree." Gritting his teeth, the hunter does so.More years pass until the hunter has trained and equipped himself to Batman-like levels. Returning to the woods once more, he stalks his tormentor in the shadows for days, doubling back and laying many traps. As he places the last one, a tap on his shoulder. Mr. Bear once more. The grizzly looks down at the hunter and shakes his head."Say buddy, you don't really come here for the huntin', do ya?"]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349458#Comment_349458 2013-03-03T12:21:56-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 mister hex http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4411 So Sister Mary Wonderful is a nun in a small village and each day, she takes a stroll through the town, waving at everyone, smiling at the children and the shopkeepers and all who dwell under the ... One day, as she's on her walk, she passes by an alley and a drunk jumps out as she passes and punches her RIGHT IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD and says "YOU'RE NOT SO TOUGH, BATMAN!"]]> Jokes http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=10996&Focus=349461#Comment_349461 2013-03-03T13:30:50-06:00 2015-12-01T23:17:26-06:00 vandalhandle http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4586 did you hear about the magic tractor? it turned into a field it turned into a field]]>


text:
Embark on an adventure to explore the countries in Central America
Enjoy a Central American odyssey on this adventure from the chaos of Mexico's capital to the heady heights of San Jose. Journeying through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, this epic adventure takes in the tantalising highlights of the region. Get acquainted with Central American cultures, spectacular landscapes and fascinating histories as you explore the wealth of ancient ruins, spot the range of unusual wildlife, dive into the unique underwater worlds and relax on idyllic Caribbean beaches. Get to know the friendly locals and discover why Central America is an adventurer's delight on this epic overland adventure from Mexico to Costa Rica.
- Dance to a mariachi beat in Mexico City
- Try traditional mezcal in the Oaxaca region
- Travel to the 'White City' of Merida on the Yucatan Peninsula
- Chill out by the sparkling Caribbean
- Swim within the beachside ruins of Tulum
- Eat tamales in Antigua
- Learn some lingo during a San Jorge La Laguna homestay
- Bag a bargain at Chichicastenango's vibrant markets
- Discover the bizarre landscapes of Ometepe Island
- Chat with the friendly locals of San Jose
This itinerary is valid for departures from 01 January 2015 to 31 December 2015. View the itinerary for departures between 01 January 2016 - 31 December 2016
Day 1-2 Mexico City
Day 3-4 Puebla
Day 5-7 Oaxaca/Overnight Bus
Day 8-9 San Cristobal de las Casas
Day 10-11 Palenque/Overnight Bus
Day 12-13 Merida
Day 14-15 Chichen Itza/Playa del Carmen
Day 16-17 Tulum
Day 18-20 Caye Caulker
Day 21-22 San Ignacio
Day 23 Tikal
Day 24-25 Rio Dulce
Day 26 Antigua
Day 27 Chichicastenango/San Jorge La Laguna
Day 28 Panajachel
Day 29-30 Antigua
Day 31-32 Copan
Day 33-35 Roatan Island
Day 36 Comayagua
Day 37-38 Granada
Day 39-40 Ometepe Island
Day 41-42 Monteverde
Day 43-44 La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano National Park
Day 45-46 San Jose
Meals1 breakfast1 dinner
TransportBoat, Bus, Ferry, Metro, Overnight bus, Taxi
AccommodationCamping (with facilities) (1 night), Homestay (1 night), Hotel (41 nights), Overnight bus (2 nights)
There are currently no departures for this trip.
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Contact us to arrange an alternative departure for you
Next season dates
If you can't find the dates you're after here, click on the button below to find options for the next season. Please bear in mind that some of our itineraries can change from year to year, so this trip may differ slightly next season to the information shown on this page.Next Season Dates
Important notes
There will be a change to the Antigua to San Jose section of this trip for all departures in 2016. It will also apply to all departures of this combination trip after 5 December 2015.
Please note that this trip won't visit Roatan in 2016, instead the itinerary will be as follows:
Day 30 Antigua, Guatemala
Day 31 Copan, Honduras
Days 32-33 Suchitoto, El Salvador
Days 34 El Tunco, El Salvador
Days 35-36 El Cuco, El Salvador
Days 37-38 Granada, Nicaragua
Days 39-40 Ometepe Island, Nicaragua
Days 41-42 Monteverde, Costa Rica
Days 43-44 La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Days 45-46 San Jose, Costa Rica
Please contact us for more information.
A Single Supplement is available on this trip, except on the nights when we travel by overnight bus.
Trip notes
Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Your trip notes provide a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.View trip notes
Our Central America Explorer trips score an average of 4.25 out of 5 based on 4 reviews in the last year.
Central America Explorer , August 2015
Caitlin Anderson
A great trip that covers so much ground in a short time!
Review submitted 26 Nov 2015
Central America Explorer , February 2015
Meryl Williams
Learn some of the language.
Review submitted 31 Mar 2015


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The History of the DCC Foundation
The DCC Foundation was incorporated on April 11, 1975, during the tenure of the College's second president, Dr. John Connolly. In 1992, the Foundation became a 501.c.3. corporation. During that period, there was no paid staff and only a few directors. Today, the Foundation is guided by a 33 member board.
In 1992 the Foundation began a fifteen-year period of sustained growth. In 1992, assets totaled $280,069. By 2007, assets had grown to more than $5 million. This growth has allowed the College to provide scholarships and grants in excess of $300,000 each year. From 2001-2008, more than $1.9 million has been distributed in scholarships and grants.
In addition to scholarships, the Foundation annually provides grants of approximately $50,000 to support special programs. The faculty mini-grant program provides small grants to faculty in support of projects related to academic programs.
The Dutchess Community College Foundation has become an integral part of the College's drive to maintain excellence and to improve the educational experience for present and future students.


text:
Exercise Secrets For Losing Cellulite
Being fit is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. That said, there is a lot of fitness advice out there, making it hard to determine what actually works. At times, you may feel discouraged, but you must not allow yourself to give up without a fight. Follow the tips provided here to enable a fit and healthy lifestyle.
Consider unique ways to get fit. There are a multitude of exercises that don't require you to hit the gym. Find an activity that you truly enjoy. This will keep you motivated, especially when you are first starting out.
A helpful tip you should keep in mind is that, as you do crunches, you should press your tongue against the roof of the mouth. This position engages your neck muscles and gives you the correct alignment while working your abs. This way you avoid harmful strains and accidental injury.
To make sure you don't waste time washing your workout gear, only purchase clothing in neutral colors, and store dirty items in the same hamper. That way all of your clothes match and are easy to put together and throw on in a time crunch. When your designated workout clothing hamper is full, you can just empty it into the washer, wash everything together, and have it all ready to go at the same time in one easy wash-load.
Make sure that your diet is well balanced in order to gain the most out of your fitness routine. Your target should be about approximately 45% protein, along with 35% carbohydrates, as well as 20% fat. Protein gets the top spot because it is essential unlike most other nutrients, it cannot be stored by the body so it must always be included in your daily diet.
Before you use machines at a gym, clean them. You want to be conscience that other people leave germs behind on gym equipment. Working out should make you healthier, not get you sick.
Do not worry. Biking is a fantastic alternative for those seeking another way to improve their fitness. Your daily commute to your job can be cheap, fun and offer a great workout through biking. Ten miles a day round trip will give you two good workouts in a single day.
A few sessions of one-on-one coaching from a personal trainer can get you on the right path to an effective workout routine. The trainer will tell you how to reach your goals and you will be able to focus on areas you need help in. It can be quite intimidating going to the gym if you are new, or haven't been in a while. A trainer can help give you the confidence you need. Training with a pro will give you the knowledge and confidence you need to get your fitness plan off on the right foot.
Smoking should be one of the first things to cut when becoming fit. Even if you're getting older, quitting smoking can bring huge health benefits. Smoking reduces your overall lifespan and puts you at risk for heart disease. Treat yourself well and drop the nicotine habit.
Check the padding's thickness with your fingers before you exercise on a bench. If the wood can be felt under the padding, choose a machine that has more padding. If you can feel the support structure you may sustain bruising or other injury.
There are many different opinions about fitness that could be a bit conflicting at times. Regardless, there are things that you should be focused on and some things you should be avoiding. You will be on the right track to living a healthier and more fulfilling life.


text:
|Recurrent duodenal diverticulitis after surgical resection of the diverticulum: a case report and literature review.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 21980677 Owner: NLM Status: In-Process
|Duodenal diverticulitis has been considered a rare entity. The diagnosis with computed tomography has become a fast and noninvasive means of detection and guide to management. Cases of surgically resected duodenal diverticula reforming and reinfecting are rarer yet, often presenting with similar symptoms. Duodenal diverticulitis can present with a wide range of symptoms mimicking anything from gastritis to acute abdomen, or as in the case of our patient, as mid abdominal pain with newly developed liver abscess. According to the literature, duodenal diverticula are incidentally discovered at a rate of 5% to 10% in living adults and in up to 22% at autopsy.
|Rishi Razdan; Kristi Oatis; Neil Specht
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Publication Detail:
|Type: Journal Article
Journal Detail:
|Title: Connecticut medicine Volume: 75 ISSN: 0010-6178 ISO Abbreviation: Conn Med Publication Date: 2011 Sep
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2011-10-10 Completed Date: - Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 0372745 Medline TA: Conn Med Country: United States
Other Details:
|Languages: eng Pagination: 469-72 Citation Subset: IM
|St. Vincents Medical Center, Bridgeport, USA.
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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