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Asus ENGTX260 Matrix Review
Reviewed by: ccokeman
Reviewed on: May 26, 2009
Price: TBD
The GTX 260 216 SP is a tried and true performer that offers excellent results for your performance dollars. With prices dropping and everyone becoming more value conscious, the video card manufacturers are releasing updated models of 2008 cards to fill the price performance gap between the big dogs and the now mid range performers. Some manufacturers just slap a new cooler on a reference PCB and call it 'new', while other manufacturers take a different approach and redesign the whole thing from scratch. This is the approach ASUS seems to have taken with the ENGTX 260 Matrix. Asus has put together a good looking card that does indeed have an improved cooling solution, but it's what's underneath that seals the deal and makes this a little bit better than the average GTX 260. As part of the ROG (Republic Of Gamers) series of products, the expectation is that this card will deliver stunning performance. However the card is sent out the door with reference clock speeds of 576/1000/1242 MHz that just don't lead you to think the card is much more than a cooling and software package. Lets see what kind of result the ASUS ENGTX260 Matrix delivers.
Closer Look:
The front panel of the ASUS ENGTX 260 Matrix shows the video card as part of a sword on top of a shield showing the Matrix as the weapon of choice. The fact that this is part of the Republic of Gamers is highlighted at the top of the front panel. The rear panel lists some of the features the software included as well as the minimum system specifications.The front panel flips open to display the special attributes of the ENGTX 260 Matrix. These features include the Super Hybrid Engine with multi level voltage adjustment and auto phase switching. The Hybrid Cooler+ works with Advanced Dynamic load detection to help determine the cooling capacity to use. iTracker is a new monitoring and overclocking utility that is used to get the most from the Matrix, be it energy saving or seeking out the last bit of performance through voltage and fan speed adjustments.
Inside the box you get something a little different with a black box containing the ENGTX 260 Matrix. The only marking on this inner box is the ASUS logo in gold. Popping this box open you are greeted with much of the same as the logo continues to the inner packaging. This box contains the documentation and driver disk while the smaller box to the right holds all of the connectivity hardware. Digging a little deeper you get to the Matrix sealed in an anti-static bag.
What you get for bundled accessories are a manual, driver disk, a disk containing the manual, power adapter, HDTV-out dongle, S\PDIF input for sound out via HDMI, DVI to D-sub adapter and a DVI to HDMI adapter. All in all, a pretty decent amount of accessories to get you connected so you can enjoy the Matrix.
Let's take a little closer look at the Matrix before I put it through its paces to see if it belongs in the ROG line up.
Closer Look:
Right from the start the Matrix looks to be a little something special. The Hybrid Cooling solution is the biggest tip-off externally. The Matrix is designed to be used in a 16x PCIe slot and is PCIe 2.0 compliant. The card comes in at 10.5 inches in length. The PCB used on the Matrix is black, which gives the card that sinister look. 2 fans are used on the Hybrid Cooler that uses 4 heatpipes dispersing heat into aluminum fin arrays to keep the card and component temperatures in check. The clock speeds read just like any run of the mill GTX 260, 576MHz on the GPU, 1000MHz on the GDDR3 memory and 1242MHz on the Shader processor cores. Surely this is more than just a software and cooler package?
The front end of the Matrix is pretty much standard fare with 2 dual link DVI ports and an HDTV out. The retention bracket is vented to allow airflow through the fin array for discharge outside the chassis. The rear end is dominated by one of the two cooling fans and sits right over the power regulation circuits.
Power to the ENGTX 260 Matrix is again pretty much standard on the GTX 260 216SP cards with two six pin PCIe power connections. Next to the power connections is the S\PDIF in connection for use when sending sound out via HDMI. The ASUS ENGTX 260 Matrix is Tri SLI capable as evidenced by the dual SLI bridge connectors.
The cooling solution used on the Matrix is a Hybrid copper aluminum piece that contains two YStech fans. The contact patch on the heatsink assembly really looks bad when you compare the cooling capacity it delivers. Just about everything on the PCB is passively cooled by the airflow coming through the cooler. This cooling solution uses four heatpipes that attach to two circular and one square fin array. The solution looks like it could be quite effective.
Once you remove the cooling solution you can see the revision of the GPU. When compared to the core on an ATI GPU the core is just massive. The GDDR3 memory used on the Matrix is from Samsung and carries part number K4J52324QH-HJ1A and are rated for use at 1000MHz. With that said, these modules have delivered speeeds in excess of 1200MHz many times. Surprisingly the power regulation circuits and memory are all passively cooled and do not have any heatsinks, so they rely on the air flowing past them to stay cool.
Enough looking - let's she what she can do when pushed.
Closer Look:
Just because you put that shiny new graphics card into your computer does not mean that it will work as intended right off the bat. For that to happen you need to install the drivers to make it work correctly. To do this, insert the supplied driver disc, or better yet, go on over to nVidia's website to download the latest drivers for your specific operating system and hardware. This way you have the latest game and performance fixes. Start the install by choosing the auto run feature if using the disc or double clicking the file you downloaded from nVidia and it will run. Make the choices that are applicable and then click finish and you will need to restart the computer to finish the installation process.
Once the drivers are installed you have access to the nVidia control panel. Here is where you can adjust the performance and visual quality settings to the level you like. The first tab is labeled "3D Settings." The first section "Adjust image settings with Preview" offers pretty granular adjustments for performance vs quality. The second section allows for fine adjustments by and adjusting by application. A new feature in this section is Ambient Occlusion. This feature is added with the 185 series drivers. What this feature does is simulate shadows where ambient lighting should be blocked by an object. Something as simple as a pay phone on a wall will have its shadow cast on the wall when rendered with this option enabled. You can see examples of this in use on the Extras page. The last part of this section is the option to enable or disable PhysX.
The second section is strictly about managing the display. Setting the resolution, flat panel scaling, custom resolutions and managing the color profiles are all done here.
Last in line on this installation is the video and television settings. If you had the Geforce 3D Vision installed on your system this option would be available to you.
Asus has included a couple of handy applications to make the experience of owning the ENGTX2260 Matrix a little more satisfying. The first is iTracker, which allows you to not only monitor temperatures, but power consumption. Another of its uses is for overclocking the Matrix. For this it is well equipped, allowing clock speed adjustments for the memory, shader cores and the GPU. Fan speed adjustment can be set up using defined temperature profiles or you can manually adjust the speed. Additionally there are several predefined overclocking profiles but these offer little in the way of a really measurable performance increase. One thing that we all do is up the voltage to stabilize the overclocks on the CPU and system memory so it makes sense that the GPU can benefit as well. Under the user defined tab you can adjust the clock speeds fan control and adjust the voltage to suite your needs.
Gamer OSD is a handy little tool to let you record in game video or screen shots. There are three distinct tabs. The first is capture mode that allows you to capture or record a video in game. The second tab allows the user to setup hot keys for common tasks used with the app.The last tab is used to view the movies and screen shots you have captured.
There are a few technologies that can be used with nVidia graphics cards to take advantage of the massive performance potential designed into the company's cards. First off there is CUDA, a programming language that takes advantage of the parallel computing power of the nVidia GPU. There are already many applications that take advantage of this technology. Badaboom from Elemental Technologies uses the technology to reduce the time it takes to convert media files between different formats. There is Arcsoft's Total Media Theatre that uses CUDA technology to upscale video to HD levels by leveraging the performance of the GPU to increase the frame rate to a steady 30 plus FPS. When run in the compare mode, CPU usage peaks in the high 80+ percent range and offers reduced performance. When using CUDA technology to get the GPU to do the work, the CPU load drops to the 2 to 3% range, resulting in far superior performance.
One of the other application that uses the technology is one that is near and dear to our hearts, [email protected] What this program does, is use the parallel computing power of the nVidia GPU to simulate protein "folding." What is this, you ask? Well, when proteins don't fold correctly the result is some really heinous diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, BSE (Mad Cow), and Cystic Fibrosis. By simulating how chains of amino acids fold or misfold, researchers hope to find cures for these diseases and more. You can find more information here. If you decide to join the ranks of the people looking for a cure, make sure you select team 12772.
One enhancement that nVidia has had success with is PhysX technology. This technology is used to enable a more realistic gaming experience. Glass that shatters and stays in the environment instead of just fading away into the floor, curtains and cloth that move realistically and react to impacts and the wind, realistic smoke and bullet fragments and ricochets that do more than just flash on a wall. All of these things are visual enhancements that PhysX acceleration brings to the table. As of the end of 2008, there were three major game manufacturers committed to developing games using PhysX technology. These manufacturers are Take Two Interactive, Electronic Arts and THQ. As time goes by there are even more jumping on the Physx bandwagon. One of the latest is Cryostasis from 1C games. Developed by Action Frames and distributed by 505 games, this game takes Physx effects to a new level with water that is simulated using smoothed particle hydrodynamics.
Graphics Engine
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
Bus Standard
PCI Express 2.0
Video Memory
Engine Clock
576 MHz
Shader Clock
1.242 GHz
Memory Clock
2.0 GHz ( 1.0 GHz DDR3 )
Memory Interface
CRT Max Resolution
2048 x 1536
DVI Max Resolution
D-Sub Output
Yes x 1 (via DVI to D
DVI Output
Yes x 2 (DVI-I)
HDMI Output
Yes x 1 (via DVI to HDMI adaptor x 1 )
HDTV Output
HDCP Support
TV Output
Yes (YPbPr to S Video and Composite)
Adapter/Cable Bundled
1 x DVI to D-Sub adaptor
Software Bundled
ASUS Utilities & Driver
ASUS Features
Matrix Series
The card size is 4.376 inches x 10.5 inches
- Second Generation NVIDIA Unified Architecture:i Second-generation architecture delivers 50% more gaming performance over the first generation through 240 enhanced processing cores that provide incredible shading horsepower.
- NVIDIA PhysX-Ready: ii GeForce GPU support for NVIDIA PhysX technology enables a totally new class of physical gaming interaction for a more dynamic and realistic experience with GeForce.
- NVIDIA SLI and 3-way SLI Technology:® iii Industry-leading, 3-way SLI technology offers amazing performance scaling by implementing 3-way alternate frame rendering (AFR) for the world's fastest gaming solution under Windows Vista.
- Microsoft DirectX 10 Support: DirectX 10 with full Shader Model 4.0 support delivers unparalleled levels of graphics realism and film-quality effects for today's hottest games.
- NVIDIA CUDA™ Technology: iv CUDA technology unlocks the power of the GPU's processing cores to accelerate the most demanding system tasks—such as video transcoding—delivering up to 18× the performance of traditional CPUs.
- PCI Express 2.0 Support: Designed for the PCI Express 2.0 bus architecture offering the highest data transfer speeds for the most bandwidth-hungry games and 3D applications, while maintaining backwards compatibility with existing PCI Express motherboards for the broadest support.
- GigaThread™ Technology: Massively multi-threaded architecture supports thousands of independent, simultaneous threads, providing extreme processing efficiency in advanced, next-generation shader programs.
- NVIDIA Lumenex™ Engine: Delivers stunning image quality and floating-point accuracy at ultra-fast frame rates.
- 16× Anti-Aliasing Technology: Lightning fast, high-quality anti-aliasing at up to 16× sample rates obliterates jagged edges.
- 128-bit Floating Point High Dynamic-Range (HDR) Lighting: Twice the precision of prior generations for incredibly realistic lighting effects—now with support for anti-aliasing.
- OpenGL 2.1 Optimization and Support: Provides top-notch compatibility and performance for OpenGL applications.
- Dual Dual-link DVI Support: Able to drive the industry's largest and highest resolution flat-panel displays up to 2560 x 1600 and with support for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP).v
- NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology:® vi The combination of high-definition video decode acceleration and post-processing that delivers unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for movies and video.
- Discrete, Programmable Video Processor: NVIDIA PureVideo is a discrete programmable processing core in NVIDIA GPUs that provides superb picture quality and ultra-smooth movies with 100% offload of H.264 video decoding from the CPU and significantly reduced power consumption.
- Dual-Stream Hardware Acceleration: Supports picture-in-picture content for the ultimate interactive Blu-ray movie experience.
- Dynamic Contrast Enhancement & Color Stretch: Dynamically provides post-processing and optimization of high definition movies for spectacular picture clarity.
- NVIDIA HybridPower Technology: Lets you switch from the GeForce GTX 280/260 graphics card to the motherboard GeForce GPU when running non graphically-intensive applications for a quiet, low-power, PC experience.
i. The number of processing cores varies by model. GeForce GTX 280 has 240 processing cores. GeForce GTX 260 has 192 processing cores.
ii. GeForce GTX 280/260 GPUs ship with hardware support for NVIDIA PhysX technology. NVIDIA PhysX drivers are required to experience in-game GPU PhysX acceleration. Refer to www.nvidia.com/PhysX for more information.
iii. NVIDIA SLI certified versions of GeForce PCI Express GPUs only. A GeForce GTX 280 GPU must be paired with another GeForce GTX 280 GPU (the graphics card manufacturer can be different). SLI requires sufficient system cooling and a compatible power supply. Visit www.slizone.com for more information and a listing of SLI-Certified components.
iv. Requires application support for CUDA technology.
v. Playback of HDCP protected content requires other HDCP-compatible components
vi. Feature requires supported video software. Features may vary by product.
vii. Requires an NVIDIA HybridPower-enabled motherboard.
- Super Hybrid Engine: Multi-level GPU and Memory voltage adjustment for extreme power save and performance boost!
- Hybrid Cooler+: Innovative Hybrid Cooler offering 2D silent cooling and 3D extreme cooling
- iTracker: Intelligent hardware monitoring and adjustment application with preset profiles for easy user selection
- Auto Phase Switch: Optimizing power supplied from Power Phase to provide maximum power efficiency!
- Advanced Dynamic GPU loading Detection: More active protection against overheating by automatic fan speed adjustment via GPU loading when temperature increases
All information courtesy of ASUS @ http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=UcYfkNA6tbq7MmgQ&templete=2
Testing the ASUS ENGTX 260 Matrix will consist of running the card through the Overclockersclub.com suite of games and synthetic benchmarks to test the performance of the Matrix against many popular competitors to gauge its performance. The games used are some of todays popular titles to give you an idea on how the cards perform relative to each other. The system specifications will remain the same throughout the testing. No adjustment will be made to the respective control panels during the testing with the exception of the 3DMark Vantage testing where Physx will be disabled in the Nvidia control panel. Clock speeds on each card are left at the as delivered speeds.I will test the ASUS ENGTX 260 Matrix at both stock speeds and then overclocked to see how much additional performance is available.
- Processor: Intel Core I7 920 150x20
- Motherboard: MSI X58 Eclipse SLI
- Memory: Mushkin HP3 12800 7-7-7-20
- Video Card(s): ASUS ENGTX 260 Matrix
- Power Supply: Mushkin 800 watt Modular power supply
- Hard Drive: 1 x Seagate 1TB SATA
- Optical Drive: NEC DV5700
- OS: Windows Vista Ultimate Edition SP1 64bit
Comparison Video Cards:
- Sapphire HD 4890 1GB
- Sapphire HD 4870 2GB Vapor-X
- Sapphire HD4870 1GB Toxic
- Diamond HD4870 1GB
Overclocked settings:
- ASUS ENGTX 260 Matrix 754/1235/1593
There are several ways you can overclock the ASUS ENGTX 260 Matrix. You can use currently available tools like Riva Tuner, the controls in the control panel, or the iTracker software utility that ASUS has packaged with the Matrix. I used both Riva Tuner and iTracker to see which method would yield the best clock speeds. The Matrix starts of with the stock clock speeds of 576MHz on the core 999MHz on the GDDR3 memory and shader clocks of 1242MHz, pretty much standard fare. This in itself was a bit confusing. The first round I found the maximum stable clock speeds for the GPU, Memory and Shader cores. Then came the task of finding the best combination of clock speeds. After some trial and error I ended up with GPU clock speeds of 749MHz, memory clock speeds of 1237MHz and a Shader Clock speed of 1501MHz. All of these were pretty substantial improvements above the stock speeds the Matrix is delivered with. The second round I used the iTracker software. After a few failed attempts at increasing the clock speeds I went right to the voltage controls and started upping the voltage to reach higher clock speeds. I was only able to increase the clock speed on the GPU by an additioanl 5MHZ but the Shader clock speeds responded well to the voltage and gave up another 92MHz worth of clock speed, giving me final numbers of 754/1235/1593. These are the highest clock speeds I have ever gotten on a GTX 260-216sp card hands down. Fan speeds were kept constant at the 100% mark throughout the overclocked testing as the Matrix was not audible over the Scythe Kaze fans used on my heatsink.
- Video:
- Far Cry 2
- Crysis Warhead
- BioShock
- Call of Duty World at War
- Dead Space
- Fallout 3
- Left 4 Dead
- 3DMark 06 Professional
- 3DMark Vantage
Far Cry 2:
Featuring a new game engine named Dunia, this game looks to be another one to stress your video card. Built especially for Far Cry 2, this engine allows for real time effects and damage. This next generation First Person Shooter comes to us from Ubisoft surprisingly - not from Crytek. The game is set in a war-torn region of Africa where there is a non-existent central government and the chaos that surrounds this type of social environment. If you have seen the movie Blood Diamond, you know the setting. Ubisoft puts the main storyline of the game into focus with these statements: "Caught between two rival factions in war-torn Africa, you are sent to take out "The Jackal," a mysterious character who has rekindled the conflict between the warlords, jeopardizing thousands of lives. In order to fulfill your mission you will have to play the factions against each other, identify and exploit their weaknesses, and neutralize their superior numbers and firepower with surprise, subversion, cunning and, of course, brute force." In this version of the game, you don't have the beautiful water, but instead the beauty and harshness of the African continent to contend with. Most games give you a set area that can be played through, while Ubisoft has given the gamer the equivalent of 50km2 of the vast African continent to explore while in pursuit of your goals. The settings used are just a few steps below the maximum in-game settings and offer a good blend of performance vs. visual quality.
- Anti-Aliasing: x2
- Game Settings: Very high
- VSync: Off
The Asus Matrix GTX 260 performed between the stock GTX 260 and the Palit Sonic GTX 260. When overclocked the Matrix really shines by equaling or besting some of the upper-end cards in the comparison group. Overclocking nets anywhere from a 12% to 16% performance bonus in Far Cry 2 if you take the time to push the Matrix. Not a bad start!
Crysis Warhead is a standalone expansion pack situated in time with the story line of the original Crysis. As Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes, you have a secret mission to accomplish on the far side of the island. Along the way there are EMP blasts and aliens to contend with, as you hunt down the KPA chief. This game uses an enhanced version of the CryEngine 2.
- Anti-Aliasing: x2
- Game Settings: Enthusiast
- Ambush
Overclocking the Matrix GTX 260 brings the level of performance closer to that of the GTX 275 and HD 4890.
BioShock is one of the creepier games you can play. The building of a perfect Utopian society undersea gone horribly wrong. Its inhabitants driven mad with the introduction of tonics and genetic modifications. Now Rapture is just a shadow of its former glory with little girls looting the dead of what little they have left while being shadowed by guardians known as "Big Daddies" It is a demanding game that will make your hardware scream for mercy. This First Person Shooter allows for an infinite number of weapons and modifications to provide a unique experience each time it is played. The environment as well as the story line will wrap you up for hours on end.
Video Settings:
- Game Settings: Maximum
- VSync: Off
The performance of the Matrix is similar to that of the stock GTX 260, as it should be with the Nvidia specified clock speeds. Once again when overclocked the performance of the Matrix scales nicely with FPS increases of almost 20% at 1680x1050. This gives it the power needed to run with the big dogs in this comparison.
Activision's Call of Duty: World at War goes right back to the bread and butter of the franchise - WWII FPS action. In this rendition, you start off in the South Pacific and move through a series of missions that flip back and forth between the Russian front and the island hopping advance toward the Imperial Japanese homeland. Included is a mission on Peliliu Island, arguably one of the more difficult and costly battles in the Pacific theater. The gameplay in the single player mode is rather short, but the game makes up for this shortcoming in online gameplay. If you thought CoD4 looked nice, this game is amazing with the graphics maxed out playing at a high resolution. This game just may be my reason to move to a 30 inch monitor. I will use Fraps to measure a section of gameplay in the Semper Fi map on Makin Island to compare the performance of these video cards.
- Game Settings: Maximum
- FPS measured via Fraps
With stock clock speeds equal to that of the standard GTX 260 the Matrix performs right where it should. Now, when overclocked, it plays outside its price range topping all comers at 2560x1600.
In Dead Space, as part of the crew of the USG Kellion you are headed on a repair mission to repair a ship in distress. Things go from bad to worse, starting with the crash landing and seemingly silent and "dead" ship, the USG Ishimuru. Offering a non-traditional over the shoulder viewing angle, the game gets right into the action as soon as the ventilation systems are activated. From there things get worse with the appearance of the Necromorphs. Survival now becomes a primary concern for the primary character Isaac Clarke. Survive and you may find the loved one that was aboard the Ishimuru.
- Game Settings: Maximum
At stock settings the Matrix performs as expected, no surprise there. When pushed thee Matrix delivers a substantial performance increase across the board.
Fallout 3 takes place after the nuclear holocaust that nearly wipes out civilization and leaves the world an irradiated mess. The vault, or fallout shelter, you are born in is Vault 101, situated in the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia area. The premise of the game is that the Vault has been sealed for 200 years, and now your father has opened the vault and escaped without a trace. The Overseer believes you are involved, so you must escape as well into the wasteland that was once our nation's capital. I find myself looking for landmarks since I am familiar with the streets of Washington DC.
- Anti-Aliasing: x4
- Anisotropic Filtering: x15
- Game Settings: Maximum
There is not much of a performance difference separating the video cards in this comparison. The GTX 260 Matrix holds its own and delivers performance slightly better than the stock version in all four resolutions.
Left 4 Dead is a new release from Valve that leaves you as part of a group of survivors in a world where an infection has rapidly turned the populace into a zombie horde. You goal is to make it to a rescue point, all the while fighting what seems like overwhelming odds. Along the way there are safe houses where you can replenish your weapons and health. The movie 'I Am Legend' comes to mind to set the stage for this game. But unlike the movie, there are four characters and not just a lone gun and his faithful companion. The horde is not at all like the typical slow walking, foot shuffling zombie. These zombies are quick and work with the pack mentality. Your job: survival!
- Anti-Aliasing: x4
- Anisotropic Filtering: x16
- Game Settings: Maximum
The Matrix delivers performance above that of the stock card in each of the four resolutions and when overclocked outshines the GTX 275.
3DMark06 is one of the benchmarks that always comes up when a bragging contest has begun. 3DMark06 presents a severe test for many of today's hardware components. Let's see how this setup fares. The settings we will use are listed below.
- SM2.0 Graphics Tests: GT1- Return to Proxycon, GT2- Firefly Forest
- CPU Tests: Cpu1- Red Valley, CPU2- Red Valley
- HDR/SM3.0 Graphics Tests: HDR1- Canyon Flight, HDR2- Deep Freeze
When overclocked, the Asus GTX 260 Matrix delivers performance above the HD 4890 in all four resolutions and out steps out ahead of the GTX 275 at the top end. It performs as it should at stock clock speeds.
Featuring all-new game tests, this benchmark is for use with Vista based systems. "There are two all-new CPU tests that have been designed around a new 'Physics and Artificial Intelligence-related computation.' CPU test two offers support for physics related hardware." There are four preset levels that correspond to specific resolutions. 'Entry' is 1024x768 progressing to 'Extreme' at 1920x1200. Of course, each preset can be modified to arrange any number of user designed testing. For our testing, I will use the four presets at all default settings.
- Settings (each preset): Default
- Entry: 1024x768
- Performance: 1280x1024
- High: 1680x1050
- Extreme: 1920x1200
When run at stock speeds the Asus Matrix really does not distinguish itself from the GTX 260 pack. When overclocked the Matrix however does exceed the stock scores by a large margin allowing it to deliver performance equal to or better than the GTX 275.
Asus has built a winner with the ENGTX 260 Matrix. At stock speeds there is not to much to distinguish itself from the GTX 260 crowd other than the fact it is quiet under load. When you put the screws to it and start overclocking the Matrix it really starts to shine. Improvements ranged from 12 to almost 20 percent over the stock results. This put the performance delivered, up into stock GTX 275 territory for the price of a GTX 260. You can't ask much more from a card than being able to play in a deeper pool than they were meant to. There is no doubt that the ASUS ENGTX 260 Matrix overclocks like mad. The core clock speed showed an increase of 30% or 177 MHz, while the shader clock speed showed an increase of 351Mhz or a 29% increase, with last but not least, the GDDR3 memory gave an increase of 23% or 238Mhz. All of these increases were just huge compared to any of the other GTX 260 cards I have worked with. That alone is worth the price of admission. Once you factor in the cooling performance, the package just delivers. For overclocked temperatures I would idle between 37 and 38 degrees Celsius and load at 52 degrees Celsius. The non-stock heatpipe cooling obviously works and helps push this card to excel, while still remaining cool. Usually, great cooling comes with the price tag of increased noise. Not so with the Matrix GTX 260 as it was not audible over the rest of my case fans.
What helps make all of the overclocking possible is the design of the Matrix. The Super Hybrid Engine allows for better voltage control so that the Matrix provides the power to the GPU and memory as efficiently as possible. Dynamic load detection is used to predict the GPU temperatures and adjust the fan speeds to ensure that the Matrix is kept cool and quiet. This it does quite well. If you really want to get the most from the Matrix you will need to use one of the bundled utilities called iTracker. This little utility has predefined profiles you can use for a slight performance increase or you can go whole hog on the user defined settings where you can control the cloxk speeds, fan speed or profile and best of all the voltage control much like the utility included with EVGA cards. Playing with the voltages did not help much on the GPU core speed or memory, but helped tremendously on the shader clock speeds with an 92MHz jump over what I could get with traditional overclocking methods. The only thing I can find on this card that I was disappointed with, was the fact that the GDDR3 memory modules were cooled only by the airflow exiting the heatpipe assembly.
If you are looking for a card that offers excellent performance when pushed to the limits with exceptional cooling as delivered, the ASUS ENGTX 260 Matrix has got to be on top of or close to the top of your shopping list. When overclocked, it performs to the level of hardware that surely will be much more expensive than the ENGTX 260 Matrix.
- Overclocking
- Cooling performance
- Functional Utilities
- Huge overclocked performance incerease
- Memory passively cooled


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Atlanta, GA 30334
You may complete the course at your own pace. The course can be completed in one sitting or completed a little at a time over several days. Log in and out at any time, and we'll keep track of your progress.
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This hunter safety course is designed to work on your smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer. It's easy to study the course material from any place at any time.
Made in the USA
This hunting education safety course is proudly made in Dallas, Texas, USA, and our servers and data storage facilities are located within the USA.
How do I get my state hunting license?
Depending on your age, you may be required to have a hunter education certificate in order to purchase the Georgia Hunting License. For more information, see the Georgia Hunter Laws and Regulations page.
Did you lose your certificate? Replace it here.

subset: commoncrawl


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- 40Promote
Art Print
Project Books!by Corrine Cueto
Collect your choice of gallery quality Giclée, or fine art prints custom trimmed by hand in a variety of sizes with a white border for framing.
stunning piece...
Thank you so much!
You're work is so stunning! Love it :)
Thanks, everyone!
Cheers! :)
Cheers! :)
Awesome work!
Gracias, missema :)
cool work!
Thank you!
Amazing work of art!
gorgeous xo
Thanks for the kind words! x
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Neon Tetra possibly breeding?
I just went to feed my fish for the night and while doing a nightly head count I found one Neon to be missing. I looked all over only to find "her" hiding in the Cory's cave. Its being very still and not coming out what so ever. Nothing has tried to enter so I don't know if its being territorial. It has all its color and doesn't seem to be sick in any way. From online research on sexing, I've determined that most likely I have 2 males and 3 females. I can't really find anything on their breeding behavior. I just get " difficult to breed". Can anyone tell me if this is a possible breeding sign? I've included a pic but its difficult to see. Any help is appreciated.
Update: This morning I found her slightly tilted on her side in the cave. I was almost certain she was a floater only to get a message from my fiancee that she was out and about with the other four an hour or so later. She came out and ate fine tonight and now keeps swimming in and out of the cave. A majority of the time is spent in the cave. I look for eggs all the time because I read that the entire breeding to laying egg process could over rather quickly. What color would the eggs be if she were to lay any?
Most tetra, being characins, are egg scatterers. If the females are ready, the males will chase them and drive one into a thicket of plants. The eggs are expelled and fertilized, and fall among the plants. Being sticky, they adhere to the leaves. The fish in the aquarium, recognizing what is going on, will usually then devour the eggs as fast as they are expelled. The parents too, when their spawning frenzy is finished, will readily eat any eggs they find.
What you describe would seem to be some health issue. I won't even try to guess what. Monitor the fish's behaviours, and check for any obvious signs of causes. A partial water change often helps.
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The Power of Play describes the importance of play to the growing child, outlines typical development of play through age 3, provides tips on what parents and caregivers can do to encourage and enjoy children's play, and explains what young children are learning through their play.
Topic: Play
Play: Importance Of Play, Play Therapy
in Child Development
Research-based and practical information on children and play. Material covers the importance of play in children's lives, play therapy, play patterns, and more. Information is intended for parents and educators.
Practically informative "Children and Play" article profiles age-specific patterns in children's play. Covers infant, toddler, and early school age play as well as the importance of play in these stages. Includes play resources. Information is geared toward educators and parents.
The segment on play on the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources website focuses on how play helps children grow and develop. Articles explain the importance of play during different stages of infancy and toddlerhood.
The Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative at the University of Illinois sponsors a variety of projects related to parenting and education. The segment on play explores the impact play has on a child's cognitive development.
Zero to Three is the "nation's leading resource on the first years of life." Find information for both parents and professionals on educational toys for children. The article "Importance of Play," provides information for parents on educational toys for children and what makes a good toy.
in Child Development
- Anger Management
- Attachment
- Brain Development
- Cultural Identity
- Developmental Delays
- Developmental Milestones
- Disobedience
- Friends/Peers
- Intellectual Impairment
- Language Development
- Peer Pressure
- Play
- Puberty
- Self-esteem
- Sleep
- Social & Emotional Development
- Teen Issues
- Toilet Training


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Key Quotes:
"The ECB this week can deliver much the same statement as last time including the forward guidance that rates will be left at present or lower levels for an extended period of time".
"We still believe the threat to cut interest rates will not be followed through, at least not over the next few months, as the data is gradually improving, albeit gradually, and the focus is on SME credit provision scheme coming in the fall".
"But Draghi's press conference, while continuing to suggest the second half recovery remains on track, will also continue to keep the threat of interest rate cuts alive".
"While this would simply maintain the status quo, reinforcing this language can also move the market as EGB yields moved sharply higher on the second half of July and are now right back to where they were for the July 4th meeting that saw the ECB introduce the forward guidance in the first place".


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Gator 99.5 Brings Rodney Carrington to Rosa Hart Theater on October 10
Gator 99.5 is bringing funnyman Rodney Carrington to Lake Charles on Saturday, Oct 10 -- get all the details on the when, where and how much!
Gator 99.5 is bringing funnyman Rodney Carrington to Lake Charles on Saturday, Oct 10 -- get all the details on the when, where and how much!
Well it's better than being number one in this case. Louisiana ranks 11th on the list of states where you are most likely to get a ticket while driving.
The Lake Charles Police Department has been checking for speeders on Lakeshore Drive just south of Interstate 10.
I have been on the New Orleans Saints ticket waiting list for three years now. The average wait is ten years! The good news is that I got an email about some tickets available now.
The Cowboys are almost a lock for the playoffs. It will be their first playoff appearance since 2009. They take on the Lamar Cardinals this Saturday and Sunday the playoff pairings will be announced.
The McNeese Cowboys have one more regular season football game left. The Pokes travel to Beaumont Saturday to take on the Lamar Cardinals. It should be an easy win for the Cowboys and set the team up for a home p[layoff game. tickets for that playoff game can be reserved now.
Joshua Ledet did it! He is in the Final 3 and coming home!
Last night, around 7:45 p.m. I was watching the results on American Idol to see if our own hometown guy would make it into the Top 3. As we reported earlier in the day, if he did make the Final 3, tickets for his homecoming concert would be given out at two locations for his concert Saturday night at the Burton Coliseum.
Once it was official, I jumped into my truck and headed down to the McNeese ticket office to see if there was a line. Little did I know what I was about to see!
If Joshua Ledet survives this round of elimination tonight on American Idol, the Lake Area will explode into full Josh Mode. And it will start with free tickets to his 6 p.m. Saturday show at Burton Coliseum. Tickets will be available starting at 8 p.m. tonight.
The Louisiana Swashbucklers season kicked off last week in the Lake Charles Civic Center. The Bucs won their first game of the year beating the Alabama Hammers 56-49. The Swashbucklers will have another home ame this Saturday March 24th, 2012.
The Bucs will take on the Albany Panthers this Saturday night in the Civic Center. Want to win your tickets to the game?
The LSU Tigers baseball team is making a rare trip to Lake Charles to take on the McNeese Cowboys in baseball at Cowboy diamond this Wednesday February 29th, 2012.
McNeese athletics has sent out a press release that tickets for the game are now on sale for the big game. Where can you get your tickets?
Wayne Toups is coming back to Lake Charles this Friday night January 20th at Yesterdays Night Club and we have your tickets here.
Just listen to me this week from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. to win your tickets on the air! Are you one of our Facebook friends? Well we will be giving away tickets on our Facebook page too.
The Louisiana Throwdown featuring Damon Troy, Horace Trahan, Keith Frank and R.J. & Jay Paul from the Swamp People" is getting close.
The Throwdown is next Saturday November 19th, 2011 inside the Isle Of Capri Event Center. The doors open at 5:00pm and the Music starts at 6:30pm. Meet R.J. & Jay Paul from the "Swamp People" beginning at 5pm.
Why should you get advanced tickets? Well it will save you some money because they are only $12 plus you wont have to wait in line. We have a special entrance for people who purchase their tickets in advance to get you right in the Throwdown!
Here is the line up:


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Very Good fit.
Reviewed By Shamar W (Bremerton, WA) Reviewed for a 2002 Hyundai Elantra —4/23/2016 2:39 PM
The mats fit just as factory ones would. Really like them.
Reviewed By Mark H (Mayfield Heights, OH) Reviewed for a 2012 Hyundai Sonata —12/27/2014 5:58 AM
I am very happy with the fit and quality of my Covercraft trunk mat. It fit the trunk of my 2012 Hyundai Sonata like a glove. It is much nicer than the mat that came with the car. Items in my trunk do not slide around like they did with the previous mat. For the price, in my opinion it is a very good trunk mat.


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A Guide to the Paul B. Ragsdale Papers, 1972-1987.
Biographical Note
Born in 1945, Paul B. Ragsdale was one of the first African American legislators in Texas since Reconstruction. Growing up the son of a barber in a rural area near Jacksonville, Texas, Ragsdale went on to earn a sociology degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He was elected to represent Dallas as a democrat in the 1972 state elections. A champion of African American and Hispanic rights, Ragsdale fought racial bias in the workplace and played an active role in state politics. In 1973 he applied for food stamps to protest his $4,800 annual pay as a legislator.
Scope and Contents
Papers of Paul B. Ragsdale consist of classified files assembled when he was state representative from Dallas (1973-1986). Ragsdale served on the following committees, among others: Regions, Compacts, Districts (1977-1984); Public Education (1983-1986); and State, Federal, and International Affairs (1981-1982, chairman 1985-1986). Files document state government and legislative issues including educational reform (1984), public safety, redistricting of election constituencies (1981), and issues pertaining to blacks such as equal opportunity employment and constituent discrimination claims; minority business enterprise; the Black Legislative Caucus; the Texas Black Legislators before 1900 Project; and the East Texas Project, a series of lawsuits regarding reapportionment of county commissioner precincts in 48 East Texas counties. Materials include legislative bills, press releases, correspondence, statistical employment records, reports, campaign materials, newspaper clippings, and maps of state and local election districts.
Access Restrictions
Portions of this collection are stored remotely; advance notice required for retrieval; contact repository for retrieval.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Paul B. Ragsdale Papers, 1972-1987, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
Detailed Description of the Papers


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Loading Vacation deals...
Baymont Inn & Suites Peoria
Traveler Comments
We arrived in Peoria and were searching all the hotels in and around that area. You had the best value for the money and included wireless internet without charging MORE money compared to other hotels.
good value for the price
Terrible service, dirty carpet in room and sink in bathroom, would not recomend
I liked it, but the room promised by hotels.com was different than what we were given and it smelled smoky.
Good hotel for the price. The room was clean, close to where we needed to go and the breakfast was good.


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I doubt it will ever be tried here. There's too much money to be made off "The War On Drugs".
I also doubt it will be tried here.
For one thing, America always does things the best way in the world. We are number one. Nobody ever has any ideas or ways of doing things as good as ours. Or at least that is what the loud talkers keep telling us.
We criminalize drug sale and use to a huge extent. Our criminal justice system is the "envy" of the entire world!!!!!! The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population. But it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html
Want to cut government expenses? How about prisons, huh? What about that, huh? Doesn't cater to the sense of morality enough, huh?
Our health care and education systems are the best in the world, and we can't learn a damn thing from the many other developed countries with longer life expectancies, less expensive health care systems, and higher literacy rates and general test scores than the Good Old US of A!
Oh, but wait.... What if that mindless little "USA is always #1" rant is incorrect?
What if some other country actually does something better than we do? Would we (meaning America) have to admit we are not the best at everything, that maybe somebody else has a better idea?
Not really. Maybe we could get our damn heads out of the freaking sand and actually take a sober look at reality. Shut down the political PR firms and the rampant propaganda, and actually look at reality.
Why is it, for example, that the US Internet infrastructure is so antiquated (meaning slow)? Why is it that Europe and most of the rest of the world uses advanced GSM cell phone technology, whereas the US by and large is stuck on CDMA and TDMA technology? Oh, is it because we are the best? No, absolutely not.
We need to face it. But there are powerful forces afoot to assure that we will NOT face it. Why? One guess. And if you need a hint, try the sayings of Gordon Gekko. Kudos, Rick.


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Top Definition
Going skating while drinking or doing it already drunk.
Hey, let's go skaboozing. Alright sounds good, I'll bring a 6-pack of beer to the rink.
by wintersports December 29, 2011
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RISMEDIA, August 20, 2007—Psst. It's a secret to many, but one company is sharing why plenty of people are still buying houses and finding success in residential real estate investing across the U.S. despite the fluctuating economy.
HomeVestors of America, the company famous for its "We Buy Ugly Houses®" billboards, has released a free special report entitled "The Seven Secrets of Successful Real Estate Investing" and announced for the first time that it will make the HomeVestors e-mail newsletter and national property listing reports available to all interested real estate investors who wish to sign up at no charge.
The release of these materials to the public supports HomeVestors' position that real estate investors have been successful in all economies and follows the recent purchase of the franchise network's 30,000th house in the U.S.
"In all the years that we've been in business, certain real estate investors have been continually successful regardless of the market," said John Hayes, president and CEO of HomeVestors. "So we set out to identify the common characteristics that separate the superstars from every other investor in the field."
Research pinpointed the following traits or, as HomeVestors renamed them, "seven secrets" among top performers in the industry. All successful real estate investors:
1. Expect the unexpected
2. Build a winning team
3. Emphasize selling
4. Never stop buying
5. Have an exit strategy
6. Have an eye on key indicators
7. Have a passion and drive for the business
"You can take two real estate investors in the same market, in the same neighborhood, even on the same street, and have two very different outcomes depending on who possesses these seven traits," Hayes said.
For more information , visit www.homevestorssevensecrets.com.
Have a comment on this article? Share on Facebook!
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Content on this website is copyrighted and may not be redistributed without express written permission from RISMedia. Access to RISMedia archives and thousands of articles like this, as well as consumer real estate videos, are available through RISMedia's REsource Licensed Content Solutions. Offering the industry's most comprehensive and affordable content packages. Click here to learn more! http://resource.rismedia.com


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HONG KONG, January 2, 2012 /Stanford Who's Who/ — Stanford Who's Who names Andy Suh among the newest members of the prestigious league of professionals as per his dedication and abilities in the field of finance and business management. Andy has never failed to demonstrate the outstanding capabilities required to be appointed as one of the most proficient specialists, not only as Regional Treasurer for Styron LLC but also throughout his 15 years of impeccable occupational experience.
Styron LLC is a world leader in producing and supplying a broad spectrum of plastics, synthetic rubber, and latex technologies dedicated to customers operating in diverse industries. The industrial markets which Styron targets incorporate home appliances, automotive, carpet and turf, sheet and profile extension, tires and rubber goods, medical, packaging, consumer electronics, consumer goods, and building and construction.
Andy is responsible for the treasury operations in the Asia Pacific region. He is in charge of managing the bank relationships and financial projects as well as venture operations. Andy has a long history of business and financial management experience, combining the managerial skills with the financial knowledge in a unique and balanced blend which confers him the appreciation of his colleagues and employers. With a great passion for hiking and working out, Andy Suh is among the most modest, yet respected individuals, always looking for ways to bring improvement to his occupational tasks.
Andy Suh holds a Bachelor's of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Korea as well as a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Virginia. A member of various societies in the management and financial field, Andy is a constant presence in the market, lecturing in financial trading as well.
To view more information on Andy Suh click here
To visit the Styron LLC website click here


text: (Vatican Radio) Ex vigilantes have been disarming and applying to join a rural Police Force in the ongoing campaign against the drug cartels in the troubled Western Mexican State of Michoacan.With the start of the official demobilization campaign, members of the Self Defense Forces, which have evolved from vigilantes combatting marauding drug cartels, have handed over more than 500 guns. They were finger printed and the weapons were fired to establish forensic identification. The Special Commissioner for Michoacan, Aldredo Castillo was there to oversee the process. He was sent to the region, following the resignation of the State Police Chief and the State's Attorney General. The final deadline for handing in weapons is May 10th. Anyone carrying a gun after that will be arrested. More than 600 people have already applied to join a rural Police Force, which will patrol under the direct supervison of the Mexican Army. Its aim is to continuing to curb the illicit activities of the Knights Templar and the rival New Generation drug cartels. Listen to James Blears' report:


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Barclays Bank first half profits fall
Originally published August 2, 2011 at 1:11 a.m., updated August 2, 2011 at 4:19 a.m.
LONDON(AP) — Britain's Barclays PLC saw its profits fall by a third in the first half of the year as the bank's earnings were hit by a charge related to the mis-selling of products to customers.
But Barclays shares remained steady, up 0.6 percent at 218.25 pence (US$3.55) as analysts said the results showed steady progress.
Chief executive Bob Diamond insisted that the bank's capital, liquidity and funding position is "rock solid."
But Diamond also said the bank had cut 1,400 jobs this year and that more were to come.
"You should assume this trend to continue and increase somewhat," he said.
Diamond added the economic conditions across Europe would remain challenging until at least the end of the year.
Richard Hunter at Hargreaves Lansdown stockbrokers said the results "reflect steady progress towards the bank's medium term goals." He said the group's investment banking unit would have a weak second half of the year, but said the bank's underlying financial strength had improved.
The bank said Tuesday that first half net profits fell 38 percent to 1.5 billion pounds ($2.4 billion). Profits were dented by a 1 billion pound charge set aside to compensate customers for mis-selling them some financial instruments, and losses on acquisitions and disposals. It maintained its dividend at 2 pence a share.
British banks, including Barclays, could be forced to pay customers billions of pounds in compensation over the mis-selling of payment protection insurance that was supposed to cover the repayment of people's loans if they experienced a fall in income because of illness or job loss. Barclays has set aside one of the largest funds to pay possible compensation claims.
The industry has been accused of mis-selling the policies on a wide scale, raking in profits as many customers were unaware they were even paying for them — or could ever have claimed on the policies.
Barclays said that without the provisions for PPI compensation claims, pretax profits at its retail and business banking units worldwide would have risen 33 percent to 1.446 billion pounds. Instead, they fell 63 percent to 446 million pounds.
Its corporate and investment banking division saw profits before tax fall by 22 percent, hit by losses on acquisitions and disposals. Pretax profits at its wealth and investment management business fell 36 percent.
Barclays and other British banks are bracing themselves for new regulations when Britain's Independent Commission on Banking — a government backed body — publishes its report on ways to reform Britain's banking sector in September. Britain's chancellor George Osborne has said the report will force banks to separate their retail operations from their more volatile investment banking. The move is intended to help prevent a repeat of the financial crisis of 2008 and to keep banks from becoming too big to be allowed to fail.
Diamond said in his statement that "a final regulatory outcome will provide a clearer backdrop against which we can judge how much we continue to invest in our business and in the broader promotion of economic growth, versus how much we retain in higher levels of capital, or distribute to shareholders by way of a dividend."
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MATSON 24Kt Gold Plate ORNATE Birds Dogwood? Soap Tray
- Sold for: Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
- Item Category: Jewelry
- Source: eBay
- Sold Date: May 06, 2010
- Channel: Auction House
MATSON 24Kt Gold Plate ORNATE Birds Dogwood? Soap Tray Search
Offered is a MINT condition MATSON (signed) very ornage soap tray, dish, holder.The heavy 24Kt gold plated metal piece is quite heavy. The porcelain dish is MINT as well and is ORIGINAL to the piece. Overall measurements are 4" tall at the back of the metal holder. Dish measures 5 7/8" x 4 3/8". WE ARE OFFERING THE MATCHING CUP HOLDER AND TUMBLER ON ANOTHER AUCTION!!! You will want them both, I'm sure. We are happy to combine winning bids to save you on shipping charges. Mandatory insurance is included in the shipping quote. We welcome all bidders..... HOWEVER , if you are new to eBay and have less than 10 feedback, you MUST contact us before bidding. We have had many non-paying bidders recently and are forced now to finally protect ourselves from this sort of person. Sad......things, they are a' changing. Please check out our other treasures! ************************************************************** We describe ALL our auctions to the best of our ability. We ALWAYS point out any flaw, no matter how small or insignificant. We ENCOURAGE YOU to ask any questions you may have. As we are only human, we may make an error or simply overlook something that may be of importance to you. We do not give refunds for any reason. We take many many photos of all our auction items, from every angle imaginable, so that t is nothing to be overlooked. If an item is fragile, breakable or vulnerable, it WILL be insured and it WILL be included in the shipping quote. Tracking and delivery comfirmation is always FREE to the buyer. (The seller always pays for this luxury, it's another forced fee by eBay and PayPal) We do not claim to be experts on anything. We find our items at estate sales, garage sales, flea markets, antique auctions, resale stores or they may be from our own collections. We cannot gaurantee that these items are not from a smoke free or pet free invironment, although we will always point out any strange odors that may be on an item. We do wash our items and give a quick cleaning or polishing as needed, but we do not spend hours buffing and shining items. This we leave to the new owner, as some do not want their sterling items buffed to look new. Antique items are just that.....old. They will generally not be perfect and if this is the case, we will absolutely point this out to you. While it definately is fun buying and selling on eBay, selling is not free. The fees involved with each and every item we list (whether it sells or not), generally runs the seller an amount equal to or greater than 20% of what any item may sell for. Sellers no long have the right to add shipping features that protect YOU the buyer in case of an unfortunate mishap in the mail. We cannot even use the WORD that refers to buyer protection. How unfortunate! SO, I will probably get into a bit of trouble with eBay over this, but if anyone agrees with me, maybe we should start grading eBay as well as the seller? It is not only the rights of sellers that are lost, but also the rights of buyers. Ebay suggests that we roll any and all USPS, FedEX, UPS costs into your shipping quote....automatically! This drastically increases YOUR final shipping cost. It that the sellers fault? The sellers demand? The sellers responsibility? No, no and No. Only the sellers gets "dinged", with a lesser "star" rating, not eBay. Very unfair. Shouldn't this be directly related to the organization from which it sells? Come on buyers! Lets let eBay know how we feel! Then, in the end, YOUR costs will go down....and sellers will no longer have to take the blame for a simple right that was taken from them. Do you really want all these expenditures added to YOUR final invoice? I didn't think so.


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|->Home > scouting > scnetwork > scnetwork04
Sweet Corn Pheromone Trap Network for Western New York,
This is a seasonal scouting report giving growers in the Western New York area information on the presence of sweet corn pests and recommendations on scouting and thresholds. The report is written by Abby Seaman, NYS IPM's Area Extension Educator for Vegetables.
For 9/28/04
Only a few CEW and FAW moths are still being caught at the remaining trapping locations. A processing field in the Penn Yan area was found to have large CEW and FAW worms in the ear tips today, reinforcing the need for short spray intervals in fresh market corn when CEW and FAW flights are high.
This is the last trap network report of the season. Many thanks to all the cooperators who faithfully check traps and call or email me every week. As you know, I couldn't do it without you.
The future of the trap network is in jeopardy. For the past 10 years I have funded the network through a combination of grants from the IPM program and in-kind and financial support from industry. As many of you know, the IPM program was not able to fund grants this year because of the line item veto of supplemental funding ($289,000) designated for the Program. The network was only possible this year because I was able to buy the lures with savings from previous years' funding. My little reserve of funds is now exhausted, and I'll need to come up with another source of funding if the budget situation for the IPM program does not change.
If your organization permits it and you would like to contact NY State Legislators and express your support for full funding of the NYS IPM Program, please let me know. We would provide you the necessary contact information. Letters and phone calls to legislators are important and would be appreciated.
To keep an eye on trap catches in the larger region go to Penn State Pest Watch.
Split field demonstrations have shown that applying insecticides to corn for worm control before tassel emergence does not produce better results than waiting until the usual tassel-emergence timing. Corn started under plastic or row cover is an exception to this rule.
Fields should be first scouted for ECB and FAW larvae at early tassel emergence. Even at a location with high ECB populations, insecticide applications in bare ground fields to whorl stage corn did not result in improved control when compared with one or two well-timed applications at tassel emergence. Larvae feeding in the whorl are protected from insecticide applications and mortality will not be as high as at tassel emergence, when larvae feeding in the emerging tassel are exposed to the spray. Larvae will leave the tassel as it opens up and no longer provides a moist, protected feeding environment, and move down the plant looking for protected places to feed. Insecticide applications need to be timed to kill larvae before they bore into a new feeding location where they will be again protected from sprays. In fields with very uneven development, two applications may be necessary, one when approximately 25-50% if the tassels have emerged, and again after 75-100% of the tassels have emerged, if the field is still over threshold.
The threshold for ECB and armyworms at tassel emergence is 15% infested plants. For corn borers, look down into emerging tassels for tiny larvae or frass (white to brown material about the size of fine sand). For armyworms look for ragged feeding holes and frass pellets the texture of coarse sawdust.
Before any insecticides have been applied, scouting is fast and easy because any sign of feeding is an almost sure sign of live larvae, so it's not necessary to spend time finding the larvae. After the initial insecticide application, feeding damage may be from a larva that has already been killed, so finding the critter is more important for an accurate estimate of the number of infested plants.
Once a field is silking, the threshold drops to 5% infested plants. Scout the ear zone (roughly from two leaves above and one leaf below the ears) for ECB egg masses and ECB or FAW larvae. Egg masses are found most frequently on the underside of leaves near the midrib, and consist of approximately 10-20 flattened eggs overlapping like fish scales. Eggs are white when first laid, turning cream colored after a couple of days, and show the black head capsules of the tiny larvae through the surface of the eggs when within 1 day of hatching (the "black head" stage). Egg masses can also sometimes be found on the flag leaves of the ears or on the husk itself. Eggs take approximately 100 base 50 degree days to hatch. When temperatures are in the 70's during the day and the 50's at night egg masses will take about a week to hatch. When temperatures are in the 80's during the day and the 60's at night, they could hatch in only 4 days.
Look down into the tops of the silks for newly hatched larvae, and pull the ear away from the stalk slightly to look for larvae feeding between the stalk and the ear.


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User Comments
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I would send this in to Summit or similar. Would make a superb cover shot. The setting is beautiful, for what is a scruffy crag but brilliant climbing.
Sean Kelly - 08/Jun/10
Sean Kelly - 08/Jun/10
Millstone. A scruffy crag??? A super photo, climb and location.
Mike421 - 08/Jun/10
Mike421 - 08/Jun/10
cool photo, i cant believe he climbed it! it was such a sweaty day!
willoates - 25/Jun/10
willoates - 25/Jun/10
Waw... doesnt even look like Millstone, looks like it could be in America.
Blake - 18/Feb/14
Blake - 18/Feb/14
Is that Ryan E climbing?
Jonny2vests - 10/Apr/14
Jonny2vests - 10/Apr/14
Dan McManus that is
Mr Lopez - 11/Apr/14
Mr Lopez - 11/Apr/14


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A good-luck charm exerts a positive effect on the lives of four seventh graders at a Chicago magnet school for the performing arts. Cynical and lonely since her mother's untimely death, 13-year-old Bette feels "empty and still, inside and out" until she finds a charm embossed with an angel. Gradually Bette starts singing again, earns a role in the school musical and addresses her grief. Her angry, disillusioned classmate Joe lives in a small apartment with his overworked, sickly single mom. Lately Joe's resorted to extorting cash from Andy, a timid, wealthier classmate, to supplement his income. Then Joe takes Bette's charm from her desk, and his luck changes as he channels his energy into designing sets for the musical. In a gesture of recompense, Joe gives the talisman to Andy, who passes it to his reclusive, asthmatic sister, Vivi, who dreads returning to school since gaining weight from her medications. Armed with the charm, Vivi recasts her self-image and accompanies Andy in the musical. Tracking the school production from fall tryouts through the final performance, the plot shifts in third-person voice from Bette to Joe to Andy and Vivi as they learn to believe in themselves, one another and the angel in their pockets. As their lives intersect, four credible, contemporary, creative preteens find faith to move forward. (Fiction. 10-14)Copyright Kirkus 2011 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.
Cooper (The Golden Rule) composes a quiet story set in Chicago that leavens the realistic problems of four near-teenagers with a hint of magic. Bette is grieving over her mother's death and her sister's recent departure for college ("n the part of her where belief might have been there was only a void") when she finds a coin with an angel on it. Soon after, things take a turn for the better. Then Bette's hostile classmate, Joe, who is dealing with economic stress at home, steals the coin, and the luck seems to transfer to him. Finally, fraternal twins Vivi and Andy, also from Bette's school, receive the talisman. All four seventh-graders are artistic, yet are bogged down by self-pity and pain. When a school musical and several unexpected visitors draw them out, they are given the chance to recover and shine. Cooper's introspective novel gently circles around themes of overcoming pain and applying one's talents. The characters and setting are lovingly crafted, and readers will be left contemplating the roles of luck, magic, and inner strength in the kids' transformed lives. Ages 10-14. (Mar.)[Page ]. Copyright 2010 PWxyz LLC
Gr 5-8--Bette is still grieving over the death of her mother two years earlier and is struggling with other changes in her life when she finds a coin with an angel engraved on it. Her life begins to improve when a mysterious woman moves into her building, helping her work through her feelings. The coin then falls into the hands of three other classmates, and they find their lives changing for the better while meeting ethereal and enigmatic characters. The children all go to a performing-arts school and are preparing for a major production. Bette hasn't sung since her mother died, but finds the courage to sing again. After troubled and angry Joe gets his hands on the coin, he meets Mike, who encourages him to help build the sets for the play. Twins Vivi and Minkus also experience growth and somewhat miraculous occurrences after possessing the coin--Vivi's asthma improves enough for her to return to school, and Minkus develops the confidence to stand up to Joe's bullying. The children form an unlikely foursome, and each one develops as a character and a friend, though perhaps the resolutions to their issues are too simplistic. Vivi's segment seems a bit didactic, and the chapters about Joe are somewhat repetitive. Also, the angel theme is perhaps too subtle, which may cause all but the most astute readers to miss the connection. While Cooper's foray into middle-grade fiction could be enjoyed by readers wanting a story about angels or friendship, those seeking more substance may want to keep looking.--Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA[Page 158]. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


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Logie Parish Records
Church History
- Logie Parish Church:
The church of Logie, formerly known as Logie-Murdoch, was dedicated to St Luag and formerly belonged to the Abbey of Balmerino. Ministry of the session is first recorded from 1562 in the person of Archibald Keith. The present day church was erected in 1826. In 1972 the congregation of Logie, which sat within the Presbytery of Cupar and Synod of Fife throughout its existence, was dissolved.
- Logie & Gauldry United Free Church, Gauldry Church of Scotland:
The minister of Logie came out of the Church of Scotland at the Disruption in 1843, and a church was built in the Fife village and opened in 1844. A separate station was maintained at Gauldry from 1843. In 1848 the Free Church General Assembly sought the union of the charges, but the union did not occur until 1852 as a suitable site for the united charge could not be obtained. The majority of the congregation was in Gauldry where a converted building was opened as a church in 1867. The congregation joined the United Free Church in 1900, on the union of the Free Church of Scotland and the United Presbyterian Church. After the union of the United Free Church and the Church of Scotland in 1929, the charge's designation became Gauldry, within the Presbytery of Cupar and Synod of Fife; and it united with Balmerino, under the designation Balmerino, in 1937.
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Church Records
At the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library, with digital copies of the earlier volumes at the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh:
Logie Kirk Session (Cupar)
Minutes, 1710-1803, 1833, 1844; Accounts, 1710-1787, 1916-1925; Collections, 1942-1961; Minutes and accounts concerning church and vestry improvements (1902-1903), organ installation (1910); Certificates of transference of membership, 1920; Logie manse and school water supply papers, 1911-1915; Report on condition of church and manse of Logie parish to Presbytery, with plans, 1926.
At the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library:
Logie & Gauldry United Free Church, Gauldry Church of Scotland
Minutes, 1848-1901; Deacons' court minutes, 1843-1901; Communion rolls, 1852-1920; Register of baptisms, 1873-1892; Collections and cash book, 1843-1904; Cash book, 1847-1909; Sustentation fund cash book, 1854-1890; Collections, 1848-1853; Copy of presentation album to Rev G R Sommerville, 1902.
At the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh:
Logie & Gauldry United Free Church, Gauldry C. of S.
Minutes, 1902-1938; Deacons' court minutes, 1910-1938; Communion roll, 1919-1937.
Included in the Old Parochial Registers on microfilm and at the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh but not online:
- 446/1
Logie Kirk Session
Collections, 1660-1710
At the National Records of Scotland, Edinburgh:
Logie parish heritors' records
Minutes, 1846-1928; Accounts, 1846-1930; Cash book, 1900-1930; Papers relating to buildings, 1902-1930; Papers relating to transfer of property to Church of Scotland, 1927-1929; Letter books, 1900-1930.
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Public Records
Parochial Boards and their successors, Parish Councils, administered many local functions including poor relief.
At the Fife Council Archive Centre, Kirkcaldy:
Logie Parish Council
Minute books, 1895-1930.
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School Records
At the Fife Council Archive Centre, Kirkcaldy:
- Logie School
Log books, 1873-1970; Admissions Registers, 1935-1969; School Board Minute Books, 1873-1919.
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Data provided by the Scottish Archive Network (SCAN)


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Unfortunately in more recent years there have been an increasing number of warnings given to travellers by their respective governments — here is a brief overview of some of the major issues. Please bear in mind that the following should be regarded as background information only and there is no substitute for keeping informed before and during your stay.
Thailand: The troubles of far southern Thailand
Over the past couple of years, the far southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and Songkhla have seen a resurgence in violence ostensibly related to the desire of a vocal Muslim minority for a larger degree of cultural, political and religious independence from the central government in Thailand. This issue has been a long running sore and for an in depth analysis of both the historic and more contemporary situation, we strongly suggest you read this excellent paper by the International Crisis Group.
With the exception of Songkhla, these southern province do not attract a large number of tourists — primarily due to a general lack of tourist infrastructure and the plain fact that there really isn't that much to see there. Of course for those who are interested in getting well off the tourist track, they hold their own special appeal, but for the vast majority of visitors to Thailand, these southern provinces are nothing more than a blur out of their train or minibus window. Most visitors who do come here are transiting north from the Malaysian border to the southern transport hub of Hat Yai, and for all intents and purposes, this route appears to be largely safe.
The province of Songkhla gets far more tourists than the above-mentioned provinces — mainly heading to the bustling town of Hat Yai. In Hat Yai's case there have been a couple of bombings (including of the international airport) and random shootings, but with the exception of the airport bombing, attacks do not appear to have been primarily directed at western tourists. Realistically if you are planning on visiting the islands off rang and Satun, then chances are you'll need to pass though Hat Yai, and at this stage we would not suggest altering your plans to avoid Hat Yai.
In summary, the violence in the far south has not, so far, exhibited a particular focus on foreign tourists. If you are considering heading to this part of the country, keep informed — read the newspapers, watch tv news and talk to others who have been there.
Laos: The Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang road
The road running north from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang, particularly around the village of Kasi was once a hotbed of robbings, mayhem and murder and was not considered a safe route to take. This was in the mid to late 1990's, and it is now regarded as being largely safe. While there is still the occasional robbery on this road and buses sometimes still carry armed guards, the route is considered safe by most and it has been some time since a westerner was killed on this road. In fact you're more likely to get injured due to an accident tan any kind of armed conflict along this route.
Cambodia: Landmines
Cambodia remains one of the most mined countries in the world, yet the vast majority of these landmines are nowhere near the tourist track. The most likely areas that tourists would face an obvious risk of landmines is around Anlong Veng, Pailin, Preah Vihear and pretty much any regional area in the country. Well-touristed areas such as Angkor Wat, Battambang and Phnom Penh should all be regarded as ok. Nevertheless caution is always a good idea, and Cambodia is never a country where unguided bush-whacking is a good idea. Stay on well-worn tracks, always use a guide if in rural areas and never enter an area marked as a minefield.


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Forward Looking Statements"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Some of the statements contained in the Press Release and certain oral statements made by our representatives from time to time regarding the matters discussed herein are or may be forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management's current expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, events and developments to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These statements and other forward-looking statements made from time-to-time by HGI and its representatives are based upon certain assumptions and describe future plans, strategies and expectations of HGI, are generally identifiable by use of the words "believes," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "seeks," "estimates," "projects," "may" or similar expressions. Factors that could cause actual results, events and developments to differ include, without limitation, the risk that closing of the acquisition of the residential hardware and home improvement business of Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries by Spectrum Brands, Inc. or HGI Energy Holdings, LLC's joint venture transaction with EXCO Resources, Inc. ("Energy Transaction") to create a private oil and gas limited partnership (the "Partnership") will not occur, will be delayed or will close on terms materially different than expected, including, in the case of the Energy Transaction, (i) as a result of title and environmental diligence of properties to be acquired, commodity price risks, drilling and production risks, (ii) financing plans for the Partnership and the Energy Transaction, (iii) reserve estimates and values, statements about the Partnership's properties and potential reserves and production levels. Other factors could cause actual results, events and developments to differ include, without limitation, the ability of HGI's subsidiaries (including, following the closing of the Energy Transaction, the Partnership) to generate sufficient net income and cash flows to make upstream cash distributions, capital market conditions, that HGI may not be successful in identifying any suitable future acquisition opportunities, the risks that may affect the performance of the operating subsidiaries of HGI and those factors listed under the caption "Risk Factors" in HGI's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements described herein are qualified by these cautionary statements and there can be no assurance that the actual results, events or developments referenced herein will occur or be realized. HGI does not undertake any obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operation results.
Harbinger Group Inc. Announces Launch Of Tender Offer And Consent Solicitation For Its 10.625% Senior Secured Notes Due November 15, 2015
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text: Login Copyright (c) 2016 by Conditions of Use • Privacy Policy Return to Blogmeister -- Blogmeister by Teacher Assignments Teacher Entries The Express response 3/3 Building Self Confidence 2/10 Obama's speech reflection 1/21 I Have a Dream Response 1/19 COUGARS VICTORIOUS!!!!! 1/15 Mystery object #4 11/20 In The News 10/29 Mystery object #2 10/23 Mystery Object #2 10/22 Treaty Four 9/26 Show All 7 random things 9/16 Big Honking Fish 9/5 Misa my Japanese friend 9/3 Keeping The Planet Green 6/2 Light Graph Reflection 5/8 Earth Poem 4/30 Jump Into Spring! 4/29 T.A.G Response 4/24 Hello to Chimacum Middle school 4/4 Math Digital Story Response 4/4 Earth Hour Response 4/2 basketball mania 3/6 My thoughts on Telemiracle 2/14 Cougars Rock! 2/12 Surviving the Cold! 1/30 Power Skating 1/15 Spelling Catastrophy 1/11 Student Entries 20 seconds left until the final buzzer...the Regina Cougars and the Manitoba Bisons were tied 2-2. The puck was droped and BAM! Addie Miles scored leaving the Cougars with another victory! My article headline is, "Cougars Give Bisons a Good Fight." This great article is about the University of Regina womens' hockey team and how they beat the Manitoba Bisons. My article is about how the Cougars' season is going and how they beat a good team. The game was played in the Sherwood Ice Sports Centre. The game took took place on Saturday, January 11th. I chose this article because I like the Cougars and their win reminded me of my hockey teams winning streak. I hope the wins continue for the Cougars and I hope their season ends well. -Baker Article posted January 15, 2009 at 11:40 AM • comment • Reads 115 • see all articles Login Copyright (c) 2016 by Conditions of Use • Privacy Policy Return to Blogmeister


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During travel in Japan I would like to have internet in my laptop and Ipad. What is not very expensive solution to do that? Is there any prepaid internet in Japan? I Think I will need 1GB
Not 'prepaid' per se, but Starbucks in Japan now offers free Wi-fi and an English log-in page. I've found many of the FON hotspots to be inaccessible even though I have a FON router at home as many are sponsored by Softbank and hence need to be accessed through a Softbank 3G connection to add the appropriate profile / cookies.
There are several different companies in Japan that rent or sell pre-paid SIM cards and portable Wifi Routers:
If you would install a FON router at home, you have free access to FON spots in Japan. The coverage seems okay in some regions.


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I grew up in the Chicagoland area, so I never saw "The Floppy Show", but I relate it to "Bozo the Clown", which I watched everyday, so I totally understand the passion behind wanting to save the Floppy exhibit at State Historical Building.
This is Cal…he works in our building. He's a fan…and this is AWESOME
I heard so many people angrily disagreeing with the decision, and I definitely side with them.
To replace it with a Ragbrai exhibit? C'mon…is it just going to be a shrine to the cheater Lance Armstrong? Hey look, there's the cheater's bike, and there's a pair of his sunglasses. Then, throw in some vintage bikes?
Ragbrai is a great event, but I don't think it shares such a warm place in people's hearts like Floppy evidently does.
I was doing a little bit more research on the Floppy Show, and even though the news just broke the other day about the exhibit being moved, the Wikipedia page has already been updated. That shows passion.
The Correct Way to Eat Oreos
Hands are over-rated!
It is a Treasure
Bruno Mars' new hit "Treasure"? Definitely a treasure. Great song!
The Internet's New Obsession
I can't seem to get through three celebrity tabloid pages without running into photos of Alec Baldwin's daughter, Ireland, and what she's up to. She's swimming…she's at graduations…she's sitting. It's riveting stuff?
A FB Page for You to Like
"Mal and the Van Man"
My good friend Malinda & I have started a new Fantasy Football "advice" Facebook page. Malinda filled in for Colleen while Colleen was on maternity leave, and we're hoping that other fantasy football players will have some fun with us!
"We Didn't Start the Viral"
What I Learned Yesterday
That if you take the kids to the Saylorville Dam when the water is pouring out…it will make them scared. I thought they'd think it'd be pretty neat…they eventually did, but wow, not at first.
You Deserved The Booing
60 year old man…running over two 10 year-olds at the Iowa Cubs game on Monday to grab a foul ball was despicable…and you deserved the booing you received.
AWESOME is as AWESOME does!


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Health roundupNow that summer has finally arrived, here are some tips for protecting skin from insect bites and sunburns:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just a few sunburns during childhood can increase the chance of skin cancer later. To avoid skin damage:
• Plan indoor activities or time in the shade between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the sun's rays are strongest.
• Encourage kids to wear clothing as protection—in addition to sunscreen—such as a T-shirt or long shorts. Be sure they wear a hat that covers their face, ears and neck. Find sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays.
• Find a sunscreen that contains an SPF of 15 or higher and offers both UVA and UVB protection.
• Research sunscreens carefully. According to the Environmental Working Group, many sunscreens contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don't adequately protect skin from the sun. Check out www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens2008/ for more information.
To keep the bugs away:
• Dress your children in light-colored clothing that covers as much skin as possible.
• Avoid using scented soaps or lotions, since fragrances can attract insects.
• Bug repellent with DEET can be used, as long as the concentration is less than 30 percent.
• Since DEET is absorbed through the skin, try to apply much of it to clothing. Avoid open cuts and the hands of small children who may rub their eyes or put their fingers in their mouths. Wash off the repellent as soon as possible.
• Natural repellents can be made from plant oils like citronella or lemongrass, or even soybean oil. These may need to be reapplied more often than DEET repellents.
What to do with your weekend, delivered every Thursday.
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Company of Heroes
Operation Market Garden Day 1
Operation Market Garden Day 1 is a four player map that is based on the first day of Operation Market Garden: Holland 1944, Us and British Airborne are moving into Holland to capture towns and
Show All
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bridges to clear the path to the Rhein, an industry land for Germany. Although, this map is quiet inaccurate with the terrain, but that can be explained due to the lack experience this new time mapper has. Constructive criticism would be nice. Check it out!
- File Name:
- operationmarketgarden.rar
- File Size:
- Date Added:
- 02-22-2009
- Download Last 2 Week:
- 3
- Downloads All Time:
- 889
- Popularity:
- 0.2%


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Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Folding Bucket
The Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Folding Bucket is an ideal way to quench your water needs for the night. It's made from lightweight 30d siliconized Cordura Nylon, which is waterproof and leak proof. This bucket is compact and weighs only 1 oz. so that it is easy to pack and carry around. There are fully taped seams all along the bucket which make sure that water does not seep out. Its great design makes this the ideal bucket to carry water back to camp from a spring or river nearby, eliminating the need for multiple trips. You can neatly pack your folding bucket in the micro stuff sack included in the package. Wherever you set camp, fresh water is not out of reach with the all new Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Folding Bucket.


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Early Symptoms of Throat Cancer
By Tyler Christopher
First signs of throat cancer
Early symptoms of glottic throat cancer (Vocal cord cancer)
For glottic throat cancer, the main symptom is hoarseness, that means the voice changes and sounds hoarse. The hoarseness is the not only early symptom and but also first sign in this type of throat cancer. Early symptoms of hoarseness can be mild or serious, often intermittent. With its development, the hoarseness gradually becomes severe. For people over 40 years of age, if they have an unexplained hoarseness Ł¨A known hoarseness, for example, he knows, he recently have a cold.), may also accompanied by throat discomfort, foreign body sensation in throat, painful throat, then, the suspected throat cancer must be investigated.
Early symptoms of supraglottic throat cancer and subglottic throat cancer
The early symptoms of supraglottic throat cancer and subglottic throat cancer are absent or mild and not typical. For supraglottic throat cancer, the first signs of throat cancer are just foreign body sensation, pharyngeal discomfort; Later, sore throat occurs. These throat symptoms are not typical, similar to the symptoms of pharyngitis. So, the disease is ignored, and the condition is delayed. For supraglottic throat cancer, it is more insidious and even can not be discovered by the laryngoscope. There are often no throat cancer symptoms in early stage. Later, the hoarseness, cough, bloody sputum may occur. Still later, in the late stage, the patients usually have difficulty in breathing.
How do you do for a possible throat cancer?
If symptomatic treatment has no effect in patients with these symptoms of suspected pharyngitis, and/or the hoarseness, sore throat, pharyngeal foreign body sensation, or even difficulty swallowing repeatedly last more than one month, it is recommended that you'd better go to hospital for investigations in your throat, pharynx, neck and esophagus as soon as possible.
The early detection of throat cancer is not difficult. If the hoarseness is persistent, and those symptoms are not improved even eating anti-inflammatory drugs, you should have an examination for the suspected throat cancer, especially for high-risk groups, who have a long-term smoking, drinking.
Furthermore, In most throat cancers, the prognosis is good and the survival rates are higher. Therefore, you do not have to worry about throat cancer. What you should do is in accordance with the above-mentioned symptoms, do go to your GP or ENT specialist and get a check up.