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Grid computation-OAR1
The source code for the experiments is available at: https://www.grid5000.fr/documents/TPCalcul.tgz. Please copy and unzip it in your working area:
This practice was designed for the old OAR1 infrastructure of Grid'5000. Now Grid'5000 uses OAR2, please refer to the corresponding practice.
- all G5K community that wants to learn how to use MPI in a grid environment
- MPI knowledge is not required, but experiments will fastly evolve from a simple "hello world" to the deployment and communication in a grid environment
Reviewing MPI Principles
- Message passing principles
- processes roles and ranks (SPMD programming)
Basic Skeleton of an MPI Application
A minimal MPI application should include the MPI library and start/finish the MPI environment. Indeed, any MPI operation outside the
MPI_Init and
MPI_Finalize will cause a compilation/execution error.
#include <stdio.h> #include "mpi.h" int main (int argc, char* argv[]) { MPI_Init(&argc,&argv); // your code MPI_Finalize(); }
When the source code does not make distinction between processes roles, it will execute n identical instances of your application.
Fundamental MPI instructions
- The total number of MPI processes in an execution can be obtained through the use of the
MPI_Comm_sizefunction. It generally receives as parameters variable that identifies the communicator (
MPI_COMM_WORLDif we want to count all processes) and the reference to the integer variable
sizewhere the number of nodes will be stored:
MPI_Comm_size (MPI_COMM_WORLD, &size);
- Similarly, the actual rank of a process (related to communicator in use) can be obtained through the call to
MPI_Comm_rank (MPI_COMM_WORLD, &rank);
- Finally, the elapsed time of an operation can be obtained through the use of successive calls to
MPI_Wtime(), which returns a floating-point number of seconds, representing elapsed wall-clock time since some time in the past. Its precision varies according to the MPI distribution and architecture, but in most cases is precise enough at the order of milliseconds.
float start = MPI_Wtime(); ... float end = MPI_Wtime(); float elapsed = end-start;
MPI basic datatypes
In order to transmit data between different processes, MPI defines "standard" datatypes that can be used independently of the programming language (C, C++, Fortran, ...) or computer architecture (big-endian versus little-endian, etc.). Therefore, the following table presents some of these basic datatypes and their equivalence to the C language.
|MPI Datatype
|C type
|signed char
|signed short int
|signed int
|signed long int
|unsigned char
|unsigned short int
|unsigned int
|unsigned long int
|long double
Nevertheless, these types cover only the basic datatypes that can be sent between processes. When specific data structures are needed (such as C structs or C++ objects), we must create derived datatypes before sending them. If time allows, we will see how to declare and use derived datatypes.
Communication among processes
Point-to-Point Communication
- Blocking Calls - Represented by
MPI_Recvfunctions. A blocking call will only return after the communication buffer can be safely modified (message really sent or copied to intermediate buffers from the MPI communication layer).
MPI_Send (void *buffer, int sendcount, MPI_Datatype dtype, int dest, int tag, MPI_Comm communicator); MPI_Recv (void *buffer, int recvcount, MPI_Datatype dtype, int source, int tag, MPI_Comm communicator, MPI_Status *stat);
MPI_Recv accepts the special words
MPI_ANY_SOURCE and
MPI_ANY_TAG to accept messages coming from any source or with any identifying tag.
- Non-blocking Calls - Represented by
MPI_Irecvfunctions. Non-blocking calls return to the execution almost immediately, it is up to the developer to verify if the message was really sent (allowing the buffer to be reused). We can wait until transmission is done (using wait functions such as
MPI_Wait), or simply test if a message was transmitted(using the
MPI_Testfunction). The last option is interesting if we have some computation that can be done in parallel, but it requires a careful evaluation of the message status to avoid inconsistencies.
MPI_Isend (void *buffer, int sendcount, MPI_Datatype dtype, int dest, int tag, MPI_Comm communicator, MPI_Request *req); MPI_Irecv (void *buffer, int recvcount, MPI_Datatype dtype, int source, int tag, MPI_Comm communicator, MPI_Request *req);
MPI_Wait (MPI_Request *req, MPI_Status *stat);
MPI_Test(MPI_Request *req, int *flag, MPI_Status *stat);
Collective Communications
Sometimes we need to transmit data to several processes, or to collect data from different peers. Hence, MPI provides several collective operations that represent almost all data exchange patterns between 1->n, n->1 and n->n processes. The following table lists the most common collective operations:
|Broadcast the same message to all processes
|Sends personalized messages to the processes
|Collects messages from different processes
|Collects messages from different processes, while execution arithmetic/logical operations on the data
|Each process sends personalized messages to the other processes
|Synchronizes different processes
MPI collective communication operations do not depend on
MPI_Send and
MPI_Recv calls. Therefore, all involved processes must call the same collective operation, as in the following example. Indeed, the parameters of the call will determine which process is the originator or the destination of the messages, if needed.
#include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #include "mpi.h" int main (int argc, char* argv[]) { int parameter; int rank; MPI_Init(&argc,&argv); MPI_Comm_rank(MPI_COMM_WORLD, &rank); if (rank == 0) parameter = atoi(argv[1]); MPI_Bcast (¶meter, 1, MPI_INT, 0, MPI_COMM_WORLD); MPI_Finalize(); }
Launching MPI
MPI Distributions
- MPICH - Argonne National Laboratory
- LAM MPI - University of Indiana
- OpenMPI - new distribution - very promising
Compiling an MPI application
mpicc myprogram.c -o myprogram
Deploying MPI processes over GRID5000
Nodes reservation
oarsub or
oargridsub (according to starter-level practices: Cluster experiment and Grid experiment).
Deploying MPI processes
To launch an MPI application over several machines we need a file with the machine list. While the OAR batch scheduler provides an environment variable $OAR_FILE_NODES that can be used, it is sometimes interesting to adapt this list to our need. The syntax depends on the MPI distribution we use, therefore MPICH considers the following syntax:
machinename[:nprocs] machinename[:nprocs] ...
While LAM-MPI uses a slightly different syntax:
machinename[cpu=nprocs] machinename[cpu=nprocs] ...
The machine list is quite simple, and we use the
:nprocs part if we want to indicate a machine with more than one CPU (therefore, the deployment will fill all existent resources in a machine). This syntax is equivalent to listing the same machine name several times.
According to the MPI distribution in use, the machine list will be passed directly as a parameter of the
mpirun call, or through a boot application:
MPICH angelo@node-10:/~$mpirun -np 10 -machinefile <file> toto Hello world 0! Hello world 1! ... Hello world 9!
LAM angelo@node-10:/~$lamboot <file> LAM 7.2b1svn03012006/ROMIO - Indiana University angelo@node-10:/~$mpirun -np 10 toto Hello world 0! Hello world 1! ... Hello world 9! angelo@node-10:/~$lamhalt
heterogeneity problems
Sometimes heterogeneity may cause some problems when working in a computational grid. Most problems are due to the different architectures in use at Grid5000 (Xeon, Opteron, Itanium, ...), which forces applications to be compiled at each different cluster (hopefully we don't have a fully shared filesystem).
The second type of problem comes from the software available at each site, and the compatibility between different versions of MPI. For instance, LAM-MPI does not tolerate different versions when running an application. At the other hand, MPICH does not offers any restriction, and an application compiled with version 1.2.5 can "talk" with another compiled with MPICH 1.2.7. Nevertheless, it is not wise to mix different versions, as some evolutions (such as new collective communication algorithms) may turn versions partially incompatible.
TP #1 - Warming up
To start our exercises session, we'll begin with some basic MPI operations. These operations are indeed fundamental to most MPI programs, as they are used to initialize the environment and "locate" a process.
Hello World
Write a "Hello World" application from the skeleton presented before. Try to use the following operations:
MPI_Comm_size()- to print the total number of running processes
MPI_Comm_rank()- each process can obtain its rank among all processes
- Optionally, call
MPI_Get_processor_name()to print the machine name
Logical Ring
Write an MPI application that simulates the passing of a token in a logical ring among the processes. Try to use blocking communication operations
MPI_Send and
- Advanced exercise: Send useful data between processes. Therefore, try to calculate Pi using the <math> \zeta(2) </math> algorithm from Euler to solve the Basel problem[1].
Collective Communications
Write an algorithm to broadcast a message (for example, one value chosen by the root process). All processes will modify the value (for example, summing it with their ranks) and further will retransmit these values to the root process.
- Initially try to use only
MPI_Recv. Which difficulties have you found?
- Rewrite the application using this time collective communication operations. Please use
MPI_Bcast()to broadcast a message and
MPI_Gather()to collect the results.
TP #2 - Network performance
As we are working with a computational grid, it is important to be aware of the difference of performance levels according to the location of processes.
|SMP Machine <-> Cluster <-> Computational Grid
Further, communication performance depends on the application and transport layers, which sometimes may give us modest results than expected.
To evaluate the communication performance, we will measure the latency and the throughput of a link using the approach from NWS[2].
- Latency - obtained from the round-trip time of an empty message (sndcount = 0)
Latency = RTT(0)/2
- Throughput - obtained from the time needed to send a relatively large message (64KB for NWS) and the acknowledgement of that transmission
TPut = msgsize/(RTT(m)-2*Latency)
Try initially to use blocking calls (
MPI_Send and
MPI_Recv), but if time allows, compare with the performance of non-blocking calls.
Try to compose a reference table with the average latency and throughput between SMP processes, cluster processes and grid-away processes.
TP #3 - Communication cost and granularity
In this experiment we will try to observe the impact of communications on the cost of parallel algorithms. We will work with an algorithm to multiply two square matrix A and B. The experiment consists on identifying the best trade-off between the number of parallel processes and the data granularity.


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Legal Service
Warrantless Arrest & Search: A Police Primer
Note: This speech is originally published in The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online (www.mb.com.ph). Due to its importance to the PNP, this office reproduced it entirely for the information of our policemen in the field.
(Speech of Sen. MIRIAM DEFENSOR SANTIAGO at the Philippine National Police Headquarters, Camp Crame, on March 13, 2006.)
Under the Rules of Court, Rule 113, Section 5, a warrantless arrest, also known as "citizen's arrest," is lawful under three circumstances:
Last Updated (Monday, 30 January 2012 00:52)
Authorities Allowed to Issue Mission/Letter Order Involving the Carrying of Firearms
Pursuant to PNP Circular Number 2000-016 dated December 11, 2000 as amended by PNP Circular Numbers 2002, 2002-A and 2004-A, the following are the only authorized persons who can issue mission orders/letter order with provision which may entitle the bearer thereof to carry his issued/licensed firearm and ammunition:
Last Updated (Thursday, 26 July 2012 05:50)

subset: commoncrawl


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**Moved (Newbie Section)
I dont thing the wii or the software has the compatibility for reading two drives at once.... Maybe invest in a bigger HDD all together...
I was curious has anyone tried using two hard drives under WiiFlow, if so is it hard to change between them..I haven't tried it yet but am bout to add another drive to my external enclosure and give her a whirl. Any tips
Well, there are some very special casings, which combine multiple harddrives using RAID0 (or 5). That would be costly though.
Awesome sig picture does not work
Brick Prevention- Things you should never do | Ignoring advice and bricking | Be a jedi, donate
Guide: Softmod ANY wii | How to post a system check | Loading and Playing Wii Backup Games from USB HDD (softmod only)
System Menu X (IOS150, E) | HBC 1.08 (IOS58) | bootmii/boot2v4 | priiloader 0.7 | cIOSX rev21d2x_v6 (main base IOS 57) | cIOS 223 (IOS 37 + 38 merged) | USB Loader GX 2.2


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Understory Trees
The understory is the group of small trees, shrubs and vines that grow under the taller trees. These plants can grow in the shade of the taller trees. Understory trees usually stay short, even if they are very old.
Serviceberry Amelanchier arborea
Dogwood Cornus florida
Winged Elm Ulmus alata
Greenbrier Smilax tamnoids
Spice Bush Limdera benzoin
Persimmon Diospyrs virginiana
To learn about other plants and flowers in the understory, see Wildflowers and How People Use Wild Plants.


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RATINGS: 330 WEIGHTED AVG: 3.88/5 SEASONAL: Special EST. CALORIES: 285 ABV: 9.5%
Bottle & occasional keg,special
Gently crated by hand in Scotland, this Old World Stout perfectly recreates the imperial beers of years gone by; brewed to the traditional percentage of alc. 9.5% by vol. To avoid freezing during its journey across the Baltic Sea to snowy Moscow.
All full bodied taste, this opulent whirl of hops and malt even rivals the most colourful of imperial faberge eggs.
Originally created to celebrate the Russian royal family, this beer is a fitting tribute with which to toast your own empire.- See more at: http://www.brewdog.com/product/old-world-russian-imperial-stout#sthash.sIclAyxe.dpuf
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Pizza Port Night Rider - Bourbon Barrel Aged 96
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Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break - DeCicco Version 95
Struise Black Damnation III - Black Mes 96
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Adding some more details:
To add:
The deployment descriptor provides option to mention the "isolationLevel" . Might
be I have not understood/interpreted this correctly , If weblogic 4.5.1 uses only
Exclusive locking, then what is the use of mentioning isolation level ? Or might
be what this means is :
Generally weblogic uses mentioned transaction isolation level. Howver, its in
case of concurrent users ONLY it uses pessimistic approach. i.e. say Given two
users accessing the same row (say company based on company_id : we use a separate
primary key class), only one will be allowed to commit at a time, the row would
be exclusively locked by the first user.
Does custom primary key has anything to do with performance or bean locking?
Thanks a lot in advance for answering.
>Agreed. In my case we are using webogic 4.5.1. However, assuming weblogic
>used Pessimistic locking, Is there some way it can be tweaked? (say
>to Optimistic locking), might be change some Transaction attribute in
>Deployment descriptor ?
>Some way?


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Treaties, States Parties and Commentaries
Advanced Search
Treaties and Documents
Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Additional Protocols, and their Commentaries
By date
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Historical Treaties and Documents
By date
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By State
Convention (VII) relating to the Conversion of Merchant Ships into War-Ships. The Hague, 18 October 1907.
(List of Contracting Parties)
Whereas it is desirable, in view of the incorporation in time of war of merchant ships in the fighting fleet, to define the conditions subject to which this operation may be effected;
Whereas, however, the Contracting Powers have been unable to come to an agreement on the question whether the conversion of a merchant ship into a war-ship may take place upon the high seas, it is understood that the question of the place where such conversion is effected remains outside the scope of this agreement and is in no way affected by the following rules;
Being desirous of concluding a Convention to this effect, have appointed the following as their Plenipotentiaries:
(Here follow the names of Plenipotentiaries)
Who, after having deposited their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following provisions:
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text:
Take a sneak peek at the new NIST.gov and let us know what you think!
(Please note: some content may not be complete on the beta site.).
NIST Authors in Bold
|Sang J. Yoo; David E. Cypher; Nada T. Golmie;
|Timely Effective Handover Mechanism in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks
|November 13, 2008
|Next-generation wireless networks should be able to coordinate and integrate different communication systems. It has been a challenging problem to support a seamless handover in these diverse wireless network environments. Link level triggers can provide information about events which can help handover decision and layer 3 entities better streamline their handover related activities. In most conventional layer 2 triggering approaches, a pre-defined threshold for a specific perspective such as the received signal strength is used. This may cause too late or too early handover executions. In this paper we propose a new predictive handover framework that uses the neighbor network information to generate timely the link triggers so that the required handover procedures can appropriately finish before the current link goes down. First we estimate a required handover time for the given neighbor network conditions, then using a predictive link triggering mechanism the handover start time is dynamically determined to minimize handover costs. The handover costs are analyzed in terms of the total required handover time and the service disruption time. The numerical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed method significantly enhances the handover performance in heterogeneous wireless networks.
|Wireless Personal Communications
|27 pp.
|heterogeneous wireless networks,link triggers,prediction,seamless handover
|Research Areas:
|PDF version:
|Click here to retrieve PDF version of paper (1MB)


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Im thinking about doing some 2s with a ret in 5.3, im enhance. Was wondering what you guys think about the comp, if it's viable for 2k-ish. I realy like double dps in 2s and since i play feral disc (i know its nog double dps ) in 2s, the feral has a ret so was thinking of doing 2s with my shaman with him.
2v2: Enhance + Ret 5.3
Started by Lifedroodle, May 24 2013 06:18 AMenhance enhancement ret paladin shaman 5.3 2v2 2s 2x2 retri
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(Photo by Chris Pobst, Staff)
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- In a wild finish, the Sikeston Bulldogs soccer team defeated Cape Central 3-2 on penalty kicks Thursday at Cape Central High School.
Josh Hampton was the hero saving three shots during the do or die situation at goal as well as kicking the game-winning goal.
"It was a very intense, very physical game," Sikeston head coach Doyle Noe said. "Josh came up huge for us. To save three shots during penalty kicks and then turn around and make the winning goal is big.
"It was a well-played game with a great atmosphere."
Sikeston (17-4) gained the early advantage after a goal by Zach Harrison made it 1-0 in the 20th minute. It stayed a one-goal game until halftime.
Cape Central scored back to back goals within the first five minutes of the second half to take a 2-1 advantage.
Sikeston tied the game in the 60th minute with a bit of luck on Cape Central's part after a funny hop off of Sikeston's Tyler McClinton's head touched a Tiger player and ended up in Cape Central's goal on an own-goal. McClinton is given credit for the goal.
After two 10 minute overtimes, penalty kicks were needed to settle the outcome -- Cape Central's second-straight penalty kick finish in the last two games.
Sikeston's Adam Johnson, Brandon Goodwin, Chase Baron and Hampton all made their penalty kicks to give Sikeston the win.
Hampton clinched the game after knocking away a potential, game-winning goal for Cape Central and turned into an offensive player right after to hit the back of the net for the deciding goal. Hampton made his third PK save of the night to seal the deal.
Sikeston, who are 4-0 in SEMO Conference play and chasing their first-ever conference championship, have two games left on their schedule and are off until Oct. 22.
SCAA Tournament
Bernie 25-25, Dexter 19-23
BELL CITY -- The Dexter Lady Bearcats pursuit of the Stoddard County Activities Association tournament championship came to an end on Thursday when the Bernie Lady Mules pulled off a two-set sweep, 25-19, 25-23.
Hannah Noe led the Lady Bearcats effort with nine kills with Paige Patterson and Shyann Jines contributing five and three kills respectively. Patterson Noe tied for the team lead in digs with nine each while Jines and Julia Hahn both had eight.
Alyssa Spear had a team-high 12 assists while adding a kill, an ace and six digs to Dexter's cause.


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J.C. Penney to Shutter Stores, Taps Bill Ackman for Board
Investor Bill Ackman, who has a track record of shaking up companies' strategies and assets, can add another win to his scorecard.
J.C. Penney said today it will add Ackman and an allied investor, Steven Roth of Vornado Realty Trust, to the retailer's board. J.C. Penney also said it will close six stores, wind down its catalog and outlet businesses, and slim down its call center operations and custom decorating business.
J.C. Penney said the moves will plump earnings in 2012 by about $25 million to $30 million, or seven cents a share. One-time charges will be about $30 million, or eight cents a share, for its fiscal fourth quarter, and about five cents a share in 2011.
J.C. Penney shares are pointing about 3.1% higher in premarket trading.
Ackman's Pershing Square Captial Management disclosed in October a 16.5% stake in J.C. Penney. Vornado disclosed a 9.9% stake in J.C. Penney. Ackman said the company was underperforming, and he disclosed in a regulatory filing at the time that he planned to hold discussions with J.C. Penney and other investors about possible changes to strategy or management at the company.
J.C. Penney then put in place a poison pill, an antitakeover defense, to prevent an investor from amassing more than 10% of its outstanding stock, or to block existing large stakeholders such as Ackman from buying even more shares.
Ackman is among a handful of investors, including Carl Icahn and Ralph Whitworth, whose emergence on a company's shareholder roster can send management shuddering. Ackman tends to make noise and push for ways to boost a company's share price by shedding assets or other strategic changes.
J.C. Penney, in its news release about its own planned corporate changes, didn't mention Ackman, and said the moves followed "an extensive review by JCPenney's Executive Board and Board of Directors of opportunities for enhanced profitability and sales growth within the framework of the Company's Long Range Plan."
Ackman was turned away in 2009 from efforts to elect his own directors at retail Target, a company he wanted to spin off its land holdings and boost repurchases of stock. Ackman's investment in bookstore chain Borders Group also has shriveled.
But he has found success in recent months in his investments in then-bankrupt mall-owner General Growth Properties. Fortune Brands Inc., another company in which he owned a sizable investment, agreed to break apart into separate companies, a move Ackman had encouraged.
More In Bill Ackman
- Ackman Thought Johnson Could Turn Around 'Titanic' JCPenney
- Bill Ackman: 'I Don't Need to Be Loved by Everyone'
- Carl Icahn May Buy More Herbalife But Can't Buy it All
- Carl Icahn Had Quiet 4Q, Ends That With Big Herbalife Bet
- Icahn vs Ackman: Waste of World's Time, Or Greatest Friday Ever?
- Icahn vs Ackman Live: The Highlights


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Pain Management Health Center
Chronic Pain: New Research, New Treatments
As recently as 20 years ago, people with chronic pain were too often dismissively told that their problem was "in their heads" or that they were hypochondriacs. But in the last decade, a handful of dedicated researchers learned that chronic pain is not simply a symptom of something else -- such as anxiety, depression, or a need for attention -- but a disease in its own right, one that can alter a person's emotional, professional, and family life in profound and debilitating ways. Today, doctors have yet to fully apply this knowledge.
Some 50 million Americans have chronic pain and nearly half have trouble finding adequate relief. But the outlook is good: Ongoing research is revealing the promise of novel treatments, including new medications, devices and injections, alternative therapies such as biofeedback and acupuncture, and an all-encompassing mind/body approach. The point? If patients' whole lives are affected by pain, the treatment must address their whole lives.
I sat down with Scott M. Fishman, MD, to find out what's new in pain management -- and what doctors still need to learn to help their patients. Fishman is the president and chairman of the American Pain Foundation; he is also the chief of the division of pain medicine and professor of anesthesiology at the University of California, Davis. He wrote The War on Pain: How Breakthroughs in the New Field of Pain Medicine Are Turning the Tide Against Suffering. A University of Massachusetts Medical School graduate, he is board-certified in internal medicine, psychiatry, and pain and palliative medicine.
Q: About chronic pain: have researchers learned anything new about the origins of chronic pain that might lead to better diagnosis or treatment?
A: Absolutely -- we know exponentially more today than we knew even 10 years ago and much more than we knew 50 years ago. For one, we've learned a great deal about how pain is produced and transmitted and perceived. Fifty years ago, when someone hurt, we thought it was just a symptom of something else. But we now know the symptom of pain can become a disease in and of itself, and that disease is similar to other chronic conditions that can damage all aspects of someone's life.


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Perhaps you haven't heard, but there is a site called Kickstarter where people pledge support to their favorite projects.
Each Kickstarter represents the blood, sweat and tears of an individual or a team of people. Will it succeed? Will it fail? Pop some popcorn and grab your mouse. We've got some great Kickstarters to watch.
The Up-And-Comers
Death, Inc
This attractive indie game promises to offer a combination of real-time strategy and business management. The hook? You get to play as the Grim Reaper, CEO of Death, Inc – and business is good, because the game is set in 17th century cities stalked by the Black Death. Death, Inc is one of the most creative games on Kickstarter yet, but has only made about 20% of its goal so far. Any fan of strategy gaming should check this one out and give it the boost needed to succeed.
Desktop 3D Scanner
Okay, so this project could use a cooler name, but what you see is what you get. Its creators are attempting to put together an affordable 3D scanner than people can use at home for the purpose of creating accurate 3D models of real-world objects. Such a product could be a great boon to artists, indie game developers and 3D printing enthusiasts. Backer support has been strong so far despite the fact the project just started, so this low-cost 3D scanner may soon be a reality.
Touch? Bah! That's so outdated! The future of technology is touch-less, wearable tech like Mycestro. With this tiny peripheral strapped to your index finger you can navigate a computer without laying a hand on either keyboard mouse. Just waggle your fingers, swipe them or tap them. Surprisingly, this gadget is seeking to be both revolutionary and affordable – you can snag one with a pledge of just $79.
The Contenders
Yep, MAUZ is still on this list despite appearing twice previously. The project, which promises to turn an iPhone into a do-it-all PC peripheral, was posted with an exceptionally long duration. Yet this may backfire – it appears that funding as nearly stalled and the project is well short of its $150,000 goal. There's still around two weeks to go but, at this point, success seems out of reach.
Stormfly is yet another attempt to create a small, mobile computer that can plug in to an existing PC or display. But there's a twist – Stormfly is designed to be worn as a wrist-band. This means users can take it with them even when packing light. Currently the project is about halfway to its $100,000 goal, but there's less than two weeks left. If you like the idea you'd better pledge quickly.
This project is designed to let people turn spreadsheets into mobile apps. Don't mistake it for an app development platform, however – that's not the point. Instead, STOIC is meant to offer an easy way to view spreadsheet data on a mobile device and use it along other smartphone features like maps and calendars. At the time of this writing STOIC is close to its $25,000 goal and, with two weeks to go, it looks likely to make it.
The Losers
This ambitious project sought to create a network of sensor peripherals that could be used by various applications and home hardware. In theory, these sensors could behave similar to those used by HarvestGeek. They could also be used to detect when a person entered the room or someone's car left or came home. Yet the project came up with just $12,564 of its lofty $100,000 goal. Credibility may have been the problem. Though Sense claimed to be open and compatible with other hardware, the details weren't clear, and the project unrealistically promised to ship less than two months after its closing date.
Wildman did not fail (though it was unlikely to succeed) but instead was cancelled by its creator, Gas Powered Games. It turns out that the struggling studio, which was forced to lay off staff during the duration of its Kickstarter and faced the real possibility of going under, has been purchased by Wargaming.net. You may know them from their free-to-play action game World Of Tanks. What the publisher intends to have Gas Powered Games work on is unclear – it could be Wildman, or it could be an entirely new title.
The Winners
Hurray for utility! Flatlight, a tiny flashlight replacement meant to fit in places a normal flashlight can't, isn't the coolest project on Kickstarter. But it is useful, and it is unique, and now it's successfully funded. The project made about $3,500 more than its goal and plans to start shipping the first Flatlights to backers in March or April of this year.
HarvestGeek has already grown past its goal of $25,000 and is now weaving its way above $30,000. The project, which promises to help gardeners of all types help grow plants with advanced sensors and an intuitive monitoring interface, just might be the best thing out there for geeks with green thumbs. Hurry and you'll still be able to grab one of the project's Early Bird starter kits for $65.


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|Kent Green, Palm Beach County Youth For Christ
Kent is a 20+ year veteran of Youth for Christ. He currently oversees four JAM Club outreach ministries to Crestwood, Western Pines, Wellington Landings and Osceola Creek, and Okeheelee Middle Schools. He also helps coordinate 121 discipleship groups for Middle School/High School boys.
Kent is also an active member here at FBCRPB. He not only provides guidance and leadership in Area 51 Student Ministries, but he also co-facilitates an adult small group with Jim Bass.


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Keri Hilson At Premiere Of "About Last Night," But Who Invited Her? (Just Kidding Mrs Keri) [Video]
- By Bossip Staff Categories: Entertainment, New Movie, News
We love us some Keri… so don't trip!!!
Keri Hilson arrives at "About Last Night" Los Angeles Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals at Arclight Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, Ca USA February 11, 2014
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Lunker City Fin-S Shad
Wounded baitfish action triggers monster strikes.
The Lunker City™ Fin-S® Shad softbait triggers strikes by darting erratically and popping through the surface like a fleeing shad.
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Hey everyone,
This post is mostly for those of you already in Europe. I'm graduating with a BS in Human-Computer Interaction and a BA in Int'l Relations soon, and I'm really interested in just working in Europe for a little bit as a UX/Ix Designer. I have 1-2 years of design experience.
So those of you US citizens working in Europe right now, how did you end up there? How was the visa process?
I'm looking for resources on first finding a UX-related job abroad, and then information on how to do the entire legal process.
The National Design Awards were recently announced by the Cooper-Hewitt Museum (the US's Smithsonian Museum's museum on Design). http://www.nationaldesignawards.org/2010/category/Interaction-Design/
The winner was Lisa Strausfeld (of Pentagram) and the 2 runner ups were Local Projects and Potion.
Looking at these winners, I felt uncomfortable. I have as wide and encompassing a definition of IxD as anyone and yes these candidates have done tremendous work, but there is something missing, or are we missing something here in this organization/community?
Senior User Interface Designer
As a UI designer, you will be responsible for the user
experience of award-winning Citrix Online websites and
applications including GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting and


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Order Reprints
Journal: Sensors, 2008
Volume: 8
Number: 5996
Article: Programming an Artificial Neural Network Tool for Spatial Interpolation in GIS - A Case Study for Indoor Radio Wave Propagation of WLAN
Authors: Alper Sen, M. Umit Gümüsay, Aktül Kavas and Umut Bulucu
Link: http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/8/9/5996
MDPI provides reprints in high quality with convenient shipping to destinations worldwide. The articles are printed in on premium paper with high-resolution figures. Our covers are customized to your article and designed to be complimentary to the journal. These reprints are ideal additions to your portfolio. Copy details: 135g/m2 paper, 2x stitched, full colour and glossy finish, orderable in quantities from 10 to 1000.
If you have any questions, or special requests, please write to firstname.lastname@example.com; we are happy to provide you with the information you need.


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PITTSBURGH -- The Philadelphia Flyers secured third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 4-3 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
Mark Streit's goal with 2:50 remaining gave the Flyers their fourth consecutive win against the Penguins. Streit carried the puck around defenseman Kris Letang before shooting it through Marc-Andre Fleury's five-hole.
Letang tied the game 3-3 with 37 seconds remaining in the third period. He backhanded a shot past Ray Emery from the crease for his first goal since having a stroke in late January. Letang's goal came less than a minute after Claude Giroux gave Philadelphia the lead by wristing a pass from Jakub Voracek past Fleury.
The Flyers will play the New York Rangers, the second place team in the Metropolitan, in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Penguins forward James Neal tied the game 2-2 with 5:07 remaining. Sidney Crosby lost control of the puck but whipped around to backhand a pass to Neal, who sent a wrist shot past Emery, who replaced Steve Mason to start the third period.
Mason sustained an upper-body injury in a collision with Pittsburgh forward Jayson Megna with 3:33 left in the second period. Mason, who made 21 saves on 22 shots, remained in net for the rest of the period but did not return to start the third.
The Flyers needed more than 14 minutes to record a second-period shot but took full advantage by scoring on their first for a 2-1 lead.
Giroux slapped a shot from the boards into the crease, where Jakub Voracek and Scott Hartnell were screening Fleury. Voracek redirected the puck through Fleury's five-hole for his second goal of the game with 5:22 left.
Pittsburgh had 12 shots and two power plays (one 5-on-3) before Philadelphia's goal.
Mason's most impressive save came 2:23 into the period when stopped a few point-blank chances by Neal before the puck slipped out to Beau Bennett to the left of the net with Mason out of position. Mason stretched his right leg to place his skate on the post while reaching back with his glove to stop the puck along the goal line.
The Penguins scored first on Jussi Jokinen's 20th goal of the season.
Neal forced Wayne Simmonds' to turn over the puck in Pittsburgh's zone before carrying it along the left boards through the neutral zone and slipping a pass to Jokinen between the faceoff circles. Jokinen wristed a shot over Mason's rising glove 2:00 into the game.
Jokinen has the second-highest goal total of his career, behind the 30 he scored in 2009-10 for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Philadelphia capitalized on its first power-play opportunity about two minutes later.
Giroux dove in front of the blue line to keep the puck in the Penguins zone and passed it to Voracek. Voracek skated through Penguins forward Craig Adams and diving defenseman Paul Martin to scored his 22nd goal of the season to tie the game with 2:51 remaining in the period.
Philadelphia ends the regular season Sunday at home against the Carolina Panthers. Pittsburgh hosts the Ottawa Senators.


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Category talk:Bridge, Frank
Phantasm for Piano and Orchestra.
Hallo. I'm glad to see some of Frank Bridge's wonderful pieces here. I already have some in actual sheet music, but some scores here are of music I have been looking for for years but never found.
If anyone who reads this has the full score for his Phantasm for Piano and Orchestra, I would be really glad if it could be submitted. This is an intriguing late piece of Bridge's, in his almost atonal style, perhaps rather reminiscent of late Scriabin in some ways, and I have long wanted to study this score.
I would be grateful if it could appear here one day. The only question is whether it was ever published - I seem to have the vaguest idea it was issued by Faber in large format, but I may be mistaken on this. Thanks.
I would also like to see the early tone-poem "Summer".
(Other orchestral works by Bridge were issued by Faber: "Enter Spring", Oration (for Cello and Orchestra), and the Suite for String Orchestra.) M.J.E. 16:17, 1 November 2009 (UTC)
- Please post your request here for a greater chance of success: http://imslpforums.org/viewforum.php?f=8&sid=cbbc2bb55f5fdcda589f8a37f83ebba9. The only thing I see is a 2 piano reduction published by Faber in 1941, which means, should it be uploaded, it will be temporarily blocked due to it being under copyright in the US. Daphnis 16:22, 1 November 2009 (UTC)


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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -- The Denver Broncos have released their depth chart in advance of their preseason opener at Dallas this week and quarterback Tim Tebow is listed as Kyle Orton's backup.
Tebow has been in more of a contest with Brady Quinn for the No. 2 job than with Orton for the starter's role.
Orton has been taking almost all the first-team snaps with Tebow and Orton sharing work with the second and third units.
Von Miller, the second overall pick in the draft, is listed as the starter at strongside linebacker and rookie Rahim Moore is the starter at free safety. Rookie Orlando Franklin is listed atop the depth chart at right tackle.
Rookie Julius Thomas has had a solid camp but isn't listed as a starter at tight end.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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The e-Learning team at the University of Bath produced two guides to support members of staff in their use of the Panopto, the lecture capture platform.
Introducing Panopto is a four page guide which outlines the process that colleagues should follow when thinking about capturing lecture content. In particular, it focuses on five distinct stages — Prepare, Book, Capture, Share and Archive. The PDF guide can be downloaded from: http://www.bath.ac.uk/lmf/download/51820.
The single page flyer 5 Reasons to Capture Your Practice gives sound evidence-based advice on lecture capture and is available as a PDF at: http://www.bath.ac.uk/lmf/download/51821
Both guides are Open Educational Resources and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence (except the Panopto screen image and the LTEO logo).
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Nearly 2,500 Entergy customers were without power Thursday morning on the Westbank.
The outage was in the area of Lapalco Boulevard and Manhattan Boulevard
The cause of the outage was not immediately available.
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Amgen Colon Cancer Setback Delays Competition
Amgen said late yesterday it was halting a closely watched trial of its cancer drug Vectibix for colon cancer. The news is a blow not only to cancer patients seeking new hope, but also to the prospect of competitive pricing in biotech cancer drugs, which can cost thousands of dollars a month.
The trial was in patients newly diagnosed with colon cancer that had spread to other parts of the body. One group of patients received Vectibix and Genentech's Avastin, combined with chemotherapy; another group received only Avastin and chemotherapy. The trial was halted because patients lived longer and tumors grew more slowly in the group that received Avastin but not Vectibix.
When Vectibix was approved last fall, Amgen made news for pricing the drug 20% lower than Erbitux, a similar drug made by ImClone. While Vectibix's price was still high — $8,000 a month — Amgen's move was seen as a possible turning point in the world of biotech cancer drugs, whose high prices have increasingly drawn criticism.
But yesterday's news means Vectibix is not likely to be a strong alternative to Erbitux anytime soon — a fact investors recognized this morning, sending ImClone stock up some 14% in early trading. Amgen, on the other hand, fell 4%.
Correction: The setback for Vectibix gave a boost to ImClone shares. The original post said Erbitux shares went up. Thanks to commenter Brad Crystal for catching our error.


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Definition of ingesta in English:
plural nounMedicine & Zoology
Substances taken into the body as nourishment; food and drink.
Example sentences
- Rapid rate of ingesta passage is well documented.
- Unstretched components were measured before removal of ingesta to reduce variation in measurements associated with elasticity of those organs.
- In this case there was no ingesta found, therefore no further tests could be carried out for toxicology.
Early 18th century: from Latin, 'things brought in', neuter plural of ingestus, past participle of ingerere.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: in|gesta
Definition of ingesta in:
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Soma Cruz
From Castlevania Wiki - Forbidden Library
|Soma Cruz
|Japanese name
| 2035:Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
2036:Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
| High school student
Reincarnation of Dracula
|Weapon of Choice
|Swords and other weapons
|Power of Dominance
|Voice Actor(s)
|Music Theme(s)
|Ruined Castle Corridor
Soma Cruz is a Japanese high school student from the 21st century living in the town of Hakuba and is the protagonist from the games Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow. While going to see the first full solar eclipse of the millennium with his childhood friend, Mina Hakuba, he was teleported to Dracula's Castle. There, he embarked on a revealing adventure where he discovered powers he did not know he had and that he is the reincarnation of Count Dracula. A year later, a cult named With Light tried to eliminate him in an effort to resurrect the Dark Lord by filling that position with another Dark Lord Candidate.
Soma Cruz has a strangely intimidating presence that makes him distant and difficult to approach for others. Despite this, he gets along very well with his childhood friend, Mina Hakuba. Soma is very concerned about his friends' wellbeing, especially Mina. His main motivation for climbing to the throne room in Dracula's Castle was not only to save himself, but her as well. When Yoko Belnades was stabbed by Graham Jones, Soma exhibited clear worry for her. After the events of Aria of Sorrow, Soma admitted that his experience changed him. He displays a more open and welcoming personality.
Soma risked his life for Mina's safety again in Dawn of Sorrow. His reason for going after the cult called With Light was because they threatened Mina's safety. As Celia Fortner deduced, the key to turning Soma into the Dark Lord is killing Mina. This shows Soma's love for Mina, as his main incentive for fighting is her security. Without her, he may descend into madness and become the Dark Lord, as Mathias did when he lost Elisabetha.
Though Soma loves Mina, he does not openly admit it.
Powers and Abilities
Soma has the Power of Dominance, allowing him to obtain the souls of monsters he kills, which, in turn grant him their abilities. This gives Soma a large repertoire of powers, from throwing bones like a skeleton, to using sickles like Death, summoning familiars to fight alongside him, morphing into creatures, and much more. Soma has this power because he is the reincarnation of Count Dracula, which means he can rule over the souls of monsters. Soma can also use Magic Seals; pentagram like symbols he draws that allow him to seal away monsters that would usually be indestructible because of the power they draw from the dark side. Aside from those, he also makes use of a variety of arms, such as swords, pole arms, axes, hammers, and guns.
Soma Cruz has chin length white hair and gray eyes. He wears a black long sleeved shirt and blue jeans that flair out at the bottom and have buttons along the sides of the calf area. He also wears heeled boots with a black design on the toe area. The most recognizable part of his attire is his large white coat that has blue trim, studs along the edges of the collars and sleeves, and white fur going around the uppermost collar. Soma's Dawn of Sorrow appearance is different from his Aria of Sorrow one. He is depicted with greater musculature and a different coat that bears a strong similarity to his first one, but is lacking the fur and is more form fitting than the original. He also wears knee high boots that look as though they're meant for adventuring, which his pants are tucked inside. Hanging from his neck is a talisman that was given to him by Mina.
Events of Aria of Sorrow
On the night of the first solar eclipse of the 21st century, Soma was walking up the steps of the Hakuba Shrine to meet his only childhood friend, Mina Hakuba. As Soma continued, the stairway leading to the shrine felt longer than it usually did for a reason he could not place. He got the strange sensation that something was trying to keep him from reaching his destination. As he went through the shrine gates, his senses began to dim and he and Mina lost consciousness.
Soma woke in a strange courtyard with Mina looking over him. She seemed to be talking to someone else. Soma was unaware what was going on, but he quickly regained his senses. He stood and saw a man wearing a black suit across the way, who greeted Soma. Soma immediately asked who he was, and Mina tried to calm him down. She informed Soma that the man's name was Genya Arikado. Arikado did not want to waste time on introductions and directly asked Soma why he was there. Soma began explaining that he was going to see Mina, but he finally fully took in his unfamiliar surroundings and asked where they were.
Genya Arikado informed him that they stood in a courtyard within Dracula's Castle. Soma wondered how they could be all the way over in Europe, but Arikado told him that they were actually within the solar eclipse. Soma thought that to be a ludicrous idea, but Mina confirmed what Arikado was saying. Soma demanded an explanation from the mysterious man, but as he did, a group of skeletal warriors attacked from behind Arikado. Aridado used a magic ability to slay most of them, but one escaped his attack and rushed toward Mina. Arikado told Soma to protect her, and when Soma struck the creature with his pocket knife, a shining red ball of energy escaped from the creature's dying body and slammed into him, sending the teenager to his knees while Mina fainted.
As Mina lay unconscious, and with all enemies defeated, Soma asked Arikado what the force that entered his body was. Arikado told him that the spirit of the creature he killed entered his body and that Soma had the power to absorb the abilities of slain monsters. When Soma asked Arikado why he had that ability, the dark suited man only said that he had gained it. The mysterious figure told Soma to reach the throne room, and if he did not, both he and Mina would die a painful death from remaining in the castle too long. The throne room was the only means of escaping for them.
Soma did not want to leave Mina in such a vulnerable state, but Arikado said that he would use his powers to put a protective ward around the castle courtyard, which would prevent monsters from entering. Afterward, Aridado told Soma to set off, and he took his leave.
Soma was there when Mina woke up. He made sure she was doing okay and informed her of the protective barrier that had been put in place. Soma was curious about Arikado and asked Mina about him. She didn't entirely know who he was, but she heard he had something to do with national intelligence. He had been going to Mina's family's shrine for many years and said that the whole while he had not aged at all. She also said that his face was impossibly beautiful and he seemed too perfect. After Soma playfully heckled Mina about her taste in men, he told her about his powers, and asked her to wait in the courtyard while he set off toward the throne. Before he left, he promised that he'd get her back home.
Soma traveled the width of the Castle Corridor and at its end he found a man dressed in a white suit. Soma was on edge from fighting through monsters and nervously asked if the man was human. The gentleman told Soma to relax and introduced himself as a missionary named Graham. In conversation, Soma told Graham how he came to be in the castle, and then he asked Graham if what Arikado told him was true; if they were actually in Dracula's Castle. Graham said it was true, and explained to Soma that Dracula's true castle existed somewhere other than Europe, stating that to be a well known fact in the underworld. He asked Soma if he believed in vampires. Soma thought the whole story of Dracula to be a myth, but Graham claimed it all to be true. He said that the Church usually keeps things like that from the outside world, and explained that over hundreds of years, Dracula resurrected many times when people craved chaos and destruction. Soma asked if Dracula had been brought back again, but Graham calmed the boy by telling him that the Count was slain in 1999 by vampire hunters.
Graham asked if Soma was familiar with Nostradamus' great prophecy of 1999, and Soma was. Dracula resurrected just as Nostradumus predicted, but vampire hunters completely ended his regeneration cycle by sealing his castle within an eclipse. It was also predicted that in the year 2035, a new master would come to the castle and inherit all of Dracula's powers. Soma was surprised by that because that was the current year. Graham calmly excused himself while telling Soma to be careful.
Soma's journey eventually led him to an underground library where he met a young woman. She immediately knew who he was, which surprised Soma. She was Yoko Belnades; a member of the Church. Soma wondered how a member of the Church would recognize him. She was told of him by Genya Arikado, who asked her to help Soma if he were to encounter trouble. Soma was a bit surprised to hear that Arikado was concerned about his wellbeing. Yoko said that he may seem cold at first, but he was actually a decent person. She pointed out that he may be anxious about Soma's safety because they share the same dark powers.
Soma was surprised to hear that his powers were dark. Yoko told him that he essentially had the ability to command and rule over monsters, and that it came as naturally as breathing to him. Even though the power was dark, it did not necessarily have to be evil, and Soma could use it for whatever purpose he wanted. Soma felt a bit better after hearing that. Yoko asked if he had met a man named Graham. She told him to be wary of him, because she believed that he had come to the castle to inherit the powers of Dracula. That news surprised Soma, since Graham did not seem like a threatening person. Yoko told him not to be fooled by his appearance and then she set off to find the missionary.
Further in the Study, Soma met a large man named Hammer. The army dispatched him to investigate a shrine, but when he was teleported to the castle, he decided to abandon his mission. He noticed many strange people wandering the castle grounds and decided to collect the weapons, items, and other equipment he found lying around and sell it to them at the castle courtyard where there were no monsters. Soma thought the idea was weird, but left it at that.
He found Hammer in the courtyard and decided to talk to him. The soldier asked if Soma knew Mina, who was standing a short distance away from them. Soma said she was his friend, and Hammer was surprised he was so popular with the ladies. He invited Soma to take a look at his wares.
After Soma was done with Hammer, he went and talked with Mina. He asked her exactly what the Hakuba Shrine was used for. She told him the story of the Amanoiwado shrine, and how in her belief, solar eclipses were used to confine anger and evil intentions. Mina and her family would conduct ceremonies usually only for Japan's eclipses, but in 1999 a ritual was held in Europe, which is when Dracula's Castle was sealed within. That is how she knew everything Arikado was saying was true.
Soma would periodically check up on Mina. She went from being perfectly fine, to feeling a bit tired, and her body feeling heavy. Soma did not want to tell her what the effects of staying in the castle too long were. He continued his quest, determined to reach the throne room and save Mina.
When he entered the Dance Hall he saw a middle aged man. The man said he sensed a dark power within Soma, and immediately asked who he was. Soma said it was rude to ask before introducing oneself. The man said that he could not give Soma his name, but that he went by "J". Soma asked him why he was hiding his name and the man revealed that he had amnesia due to a traumatic accident that happened in 1999. J was filled with terror whenever he heard the name Dracula. He journeyed to the castle because of the prophecy and to see if he could learn anything about his past. He felt his memory returning as he explored the magical stronghold. Soma asked if Dracula was involved in his accident, and J felt that was possibly the case, especially since he had magical powers himself. Soma questioned if he was an exorcist, to which J replied, "Well, you might say that." He made it clear that he worked for no one but himself. After the discussion, J left and Soma continued deeper into the castle.
Soma met Graham Jones again high in the Clock Tower. The mild man told Soma that he was glad to see him unharmed. Soma decided to confront Graham with the accusations Yoko made about him inheriting Dracula's powers. Graham said the term "inherit" was incorrect. He elaborated, saying that he was born on the very day that Dracula perished, and as such, he was Dracula. Soma didn't believe it because Graham was so kind and friendly. Graham admitted that was because he didn't consider Soma a threat to his mission, but he did sense Soma's power and wondered about it. Soma told Graham that his power allowed him to rule. Upon hearing that, Graham lost his composure and became psychotic. He said he would not allow Soma to rule, and that he had to get to the throne. Graham ran off in worry, leaving Soma very confused.
A little further in the tower Soma encountered Yoko. He told her what happened and that Graham was headed toward the throne. Soma also apologized for not trusting Yoko when she initially told him about Graham. He went on about how Graham's attitude completely changed when he told Graham about his powers. Yoko explained that Graham believed everything in the castle was his, which is why he felt threatened by Soma's presence. Yoko said it was better that way, because now Soma would be on her side. Yoko admitted that the missionary had been able to elude her with his cunning mind, but now that he was in a panic, she felt she would be able to corner him. She left to go find Graham.
Deep in the Underground Reservoir, Soma encountered Yoko and Graham in a confrontation. Graham had just stabbed Yoko as Soma was entering the room. When Graham noticed Soma, he used his powers to vanish and escaped. Yoko fell to the ground and Soma rushed to her. She thanked Soma for saving her, and said Graham absorbed the castle's power and had gotten much stronger. After telling Soma to be cautious, she fell into unconsciousness. Arikado slowly entered the room and muttered to himself about how he had underestimated Graham. Soma demanded that Arikado do something about Yoko. Arikado told Soma to go and that he would see to her wounds. Soma wanted to know what was in the throne room. Graham had gone there. Arikado refused to tell Soma. He only said that Soma must go there, or Yoko, Mina, and Soma himself would all die. Soma hated being manipulated by the mysterious man, but he realized he had no other choice.
Soma returned to the courtyard and saw Yoko there with Mina. Mina told Soma that Yoko had been going to the shrine for years, and since Mina was an only child, Yoko was like a sister to her. Soma said that Arikado was confident he could save Yoko, so he believed she would be okay. Hammer revealed that the medicine he gave Yoko wasn't much help, and he wanted her to get better because she was his type.
Mina herself was having problems, too. Occasionally, she would pass out, lose control of her arms and legs, or feel very dizzy. She did not know what was wrong, but Soma did. He hurried toward the throne to save himself and his friends.
After defeating a giant in the Battle Arena, Soma saw J again, who looked pale. J said that all of his memories came flooding back to him. Soma's dark power somehow triggered their return. His real name was Julius Belmont, and he was a descendant of the Belmont Clan, which had fought Dracula for generations. He was the one that destroyed Dracula in 1999.
Julius declared that if Dracula was revived again, as the prophecy said he would be, then it was his destiny to slay the Count once more. Soma asked Julius if he met Graham. Julius said he saw him a little while ago, but Graham ran off when he saw Julius' face. Soma informed that Graham told him he was Dracula. Julius sensed a dark power at work within Graham, but said it was hard to believe Graham was Dracula. He was going to say something else, but stopped himself in mid-sentence, saying what he was thinking was only a hunch. Julius stated that if Graham was Dracula, he would not be able to kill him because he did not have his weapon; a whip named Vampire Killer that was passed down to him. Julius told Soma to pray that his hunch was wrong, and then he left to retrieve his whip, which was placed in the castle to weaken Dracula's spirit.
Soma finally found his way to the throne room where Graham awaited. The mad man told Soma that he was too late; Dracula's power was already his. Soma said he was not interested in Dracula's power; he only wanted to leave the castle with his friend. Graham affirmed that he could get Soma out easily, but Soma had taken some of Graham's property; the souls of his demons. Soma said he would return the souls if he knew how. Graham sentenced Soma to death for stealing the souls, and announced that he would kill Soma himself. To Graham's great surprise, Soma killed him in battle, and the power that Graham absorbed was released. Soon, the dark energy began flowing into Soma violently. Soma could not take it all at once, and cried out.
Afterward, the teenager stood up and his appearance had changed. He finally understood everything. He proclaimed that he was Dracula, and told Arikado to reveal himself. Soma asked Arikado why he forced him to awaken. Arikado explained that Soma wasn't supposed to go to the castle, but his soul and Dracula's were the same. No matter how much Arikado tried to prevent it, he could not. Arikado wanted to awaken Soma someplace where he could use his powers to their full potential. Arikado went on, saying that an evil spirit was still flowing into Soma. Soma admitted that he felt it and was doing all he could to keep it at bay, but he was being consumed. Arikado enlightened that once the power was finished surging into him, Soma would become the evil Count and fully lose himself.
Arikado said that the evil in the spirit flowing into Soma came from those who sought chaos and destruction. They needed to cut off the source of chaos influencing the spirit. A stream of chaos existed within the castle, but only in a place Dracula could go. Soma said he was not afraid, and that he would go if it would make him himself once more. Arikado used his powers to slow the flow of the evil spirit into Soma. Soma thanked him for the help, and left the throne room.
Soma returned to the courtyard. Mina and Hammer realized something about him was different. Mina asked him what happened, telling him he looked scary. He told her that nothing happened, then asked her how she would feel if he was not himself anymore . . . if he became someone else. She told him that she might not like him anymore, and the look in his eyes frightened her. Soma, not wanting to face Mina as he was, quickly left the courtyard.
He went to the Floating Garden where he found a pathway that had once been sealed off before. Unbeknownst to him, Julius Belmont followed him through and confronted him on a long suspension bridge. Julius said he didn't want to believe it was true, but he knew Soma was Dracula, and he would kill Dracula at all costs. Soma told Julius that he did not want to fight, but the Belmont did not listen and attacked.
Soma dealt a heavy blow to Julius and stopped the fight. Julius asked why Soma didn't finish him. The young man realized Julius was hardly using his full strength. Julius admitted that when he battled Soma, he sensed the evil spirit, but he also felt Soma's spirit as well, and that was enough to stop him. Soma told him that he was going on to fight against his own fate, and if he succumbed to the darkness, he asked Julius to kill him. Julius promised he would. Soma then went into the Chaos Realm.
When Soma made his way to the source of Chaos, Mina's voice spoke in his mind, telling him he was not alone. She said everyone in the castle combined their powers to contact him. Arikado told them Soma's entire situation, and they all believed Soma would get through it. Soma received comforting messages from Yoko, Arikado, and Hammer, and with their encouragement, he pressed on to cut off the source of chaos. After Soma defeated the creature, he heard messages from his friends.
Yoko congratulated him. She told him that she must go attend to another job, and that she was shocked to learn he was Dracula. She was very happy that everything turned out well, and she assured Soma she would never forget him and that he was like a younger brother to her. She hoped they'd meet in the future.
Hammer told Soma that he planned to open a shop, and promised Soma a good deal if he stopped by.
Arikado told Soma that the path he took was the most challenging one, and that he did well. He warned Soma that others may follow in Dracula's footsteps in the future, and if that were to happen, they may meet again. Alucard thanked Soma in the name of his mother. Afterward, Soma heard Mina's voice, telling him to wake up.
Soma woke to the sight of Mina's face. He had gone back to normal and they were outside the castle and back at the Hakuba Shrine. She was relieved to see him awake and told him how worried she was. Soma said that he heard all of their voices, and that they saved his life again. He told her that he could never have won the last battle without them strengthening him with their encouragement. Mina was happy that the experience didn't change Soma, but Soma admitted that he was a lot cooler because of it. He warned her that Dracula's power still existed within him, but she told him that it was alright. If anything were to happen, his friends would come rushing to help. Soma thanked Mina once more, and together they watched the end of the eclipse.
Events of Dawn of Sorrow
A year after the events that took place in Dracula's Castle, Soma and Mina were on the streets of Hakuba talking about their experiences there. Mina told him that she got a terrible feeling about it, but Soma reassured her, telling her not to worry. As Soma was going on about how he hadn't been able to use any of the powers he gained in a year, a strange woman suddenly materialized before them. She knew who Soma was, and told them her name was Celia. She summoned monsters to come forth and attack Soma. Arikado soon arrived, whom Celia was familiar with as well. She quickly cast a barrier that separated Arikado from Soma, but Arikado threw a knife threw the barrier for Soma to use against the monsters. Soma killed them and took their souls. After her monsters were beaten, Celia told Soma that she was certain she would eventually see his demise by whatever means and then she disappeared as quickly as she came.
Soma called out for her to wait, but Arikado said she was gone. Soma asked him why his power returned. Arikado explained that his power never left him, but since he had no need for the souls he gained any longer, they were set free. He also explained that the woman who appeared was a priestess of a new and rapidly growing cult that Arikado and his associates had been keeping tabs on. Their goal was to resurrect the Dark Lord. Their intention was to create a new lord by destroying Soma, since he did not become the Dark Lord himself. Arikado told Soma not to get involved, and then he left.
Several days after the incident, Soma found himself at the cult's base in the snowy mountains. He had acquired directions from Hammer, who suddenly appeared on the scene, as well. Soma asked Hammer why he was there, and Hammer answered that he wanted in on whatever Soma was up to. Hammer asked about Yoko. Soma told him that she wasn't coming, much to Hammer's disappointment. Soma told Hammer to leave for his own good, but the former soldier refused. He went to scope out the area and look for a good place to set up his shop.
Soma explored a hidden village in the hills that was right next to the castle that the cult used as a base. At the drawbridge of the castle, Soma found Yoko Belnades and Julius Belmont, to his surprise. Soma asked Julius why they were there, but Yoko responded, telling him that they heard about the cult from Arikado. They were investigating themselves. Julius warned Soma that if the darkness drew him in, the hunter would be forced to destroy him. Soma understood, and Julius said there was no reason for the young man to be there. Yoko agreed; she felt Soma was unnecessarily putting himself in danger. Soma made it clear that he wasn't going to leave, because Celia was not only threatening him, but also Mina. When Julius saw his determination, he did not try to change Soma's mind. The old hunter began to take his leave and Yoko tried to join him. Julius told her to stay behind since they would need a contact there. Yoko protested but Julius made a high leap over the draw bridge and entered the castle despite her complaints.
After muttering more objections, Yoko turned and gave Soma a magic seal. Soma questioned what it was, and Yoko explained that Celia appeared to create gates that drew from the power of darkness, making the monsters indestructible. Soma would need to draw the pattern of the seal to destroy the monsters. Afterward, Soma began escorting Yoko to a place where she could get shelter from the wind and rain and set up a good contact spot. After defeating a monster back on the way to the Lost Village, Yoko set off on her own, and Soma tried to find another entrance to the castle.
Soma eventually found a path leading inside through the Wizardry Lab, where he encountered Celia again, but she was accompanied by two men. Celia made it known that she predicted Soma would come, and one of the men was surprised that Soma was the Lord of Darkness, shrugging him off based on his look. The other man chastised him for judging everything on his outward appearance, and the two got into a short argument. They were revealed to be Dario Bossi and Dmitrii Blinov. Soma asked Celia why she was expecting him, and Celia responded by asking Soma if he feared he would imperil innocents because of who he was.
Soma admitted that he fell for Celia's trap, and asked why they wanted to resurrect the Dark Lord. Celia explained that she did not necessarily want to resurrect him, but reasoned that for God to be perfectly good there must be a being of complete darkness. Soma responded that if the world needed such a being, then one should emerge. Celia said that perhaps he was right, or perhaps he wasn't, but what she did know was that the power of darkness was growing faint and that a lord of darkness needed to be enthroned quickly. Dario got tired of all the talking and offered to rip Soma apart right there. Celia and Dmitrii admonished their compatriot to have patience since Soma was already in their hands. Celia said that destroying Soma would serve as a test for both of the other men; whoever destroyed Soma would become the Dark Lord. Dario left after making threats to Soma, and Dmitrii did not see any significance in his presence, and also took leave.
Soma asked if those two men were Dark Lord Candidates, and Celia confirmed they were. They were born at the same time as Dracula's death, and as such, they inherited Dracula's dark powers. Celia told Soma that she would be waiting for him at the top of the castle if he wished to stop her, and if he survived her traps, she may even change her mind. After that, she left again.
Soma eventually made his way to the Chapel of the cult's castle where he saw Dmitrii killing a monster with its own attack. He asked Soma to excuse him for such a brutal scene. Soma asked him if he forsook Celia because he killed the demon. Dmitrii told him that was only a ritual to gain power. Soma deduced that Dmitrii's power was to copy magic attacks. Dmitrii was ready to begin their battle but Soma stopped him, telling him he had no reason to fight him. He asked Dmitrii why he was going along with Celia's scheme, to which Dmitrii revealed he didn't have a reason. He had his powers and he wished to know their significance, nothing more. After Soma defeated him, he decided to spare Dmitrii's life and told the man to give up. Dmitrii was insulted that Soma was showing pity to him, and he told the young man that soon he would be the one being pitied upon. Suddenly, Dmitrii died. Soma couldn't believe that the man died because he never administered a finishing blow. Without warning, Dmitrii's soul flew into Soma. Soma wondered if he gained dominance over a human soul, but he gained no power from it, leaving him confused. He pressed onward, regardless.
While exploring the pathways of the Garden of Madness, Soma came across the man called Dario. He told Soma that he had really stepped out of bounds because of what happened to Dmitrii. Soma told him that he didn't mean to kill his friend, but Dario made it clear that he wanted to pummel Dmitrii himself. Soma asked if Dmitrii's death meant anything to him, but it didn't faze Dario at all. Soma then asked him why he wanted to become the Dark Lord. Dario gave Soma and exhibition of his power by burning all the plants around him with his pyrokinesis ability. He told Soma that he wished for even more power. Soma was winning the fight and told Dario that he could give up trying to become the Dark Lord. Dario wasn't going to let it end there and was getting ready for another attack. As he was about to unleash his power, Celia appeared and stopped him.
Dario told her to let him preserve his pride by destroying Soma, but she was not ready to lose her last candidate. She told Dario she had another plan and teleported him away. She challenged Soma to come for her at the uppermost floor of the castle, then she, too, vanished.
Soon after, while wandering the halls of the Demon Guest House, Genya Arikado approached Soma. Soma wanted to know why the agent was at the cult's base instead of protecting Mina. Arikado assured him that Mina was under the protection of his colleagues, and that keeping Soma under observation was top priority. Soma was annoyed that Arikado persisted in treating him as though he was the Dark Lord. Arikado reminded Soma that he was considered extremely dangerous. At any rate, Arikado decided that he couldn't stop Soma from investigating the cult, and conceded that the fanatics couldn't continue on the way they were. Arikado handed Soma a talisman and a letter that Mina wanted him to have. Soma turned away from Arikado to read the letter, which stated:
Dear Soma,
If you're reading this, you've probably gone after that cult. I had a feeling you would when you disappeared after that incident. I know that you worry about me, Soma. But I worry just as much about you, too. I won't ask you to come back right away because you're way too stubborn. But please promise me that whatever happens, you'll come back unharmed. Oh, and don't forget about the talisman! I'm sure it'll come in handy. I'll be praying for you.
Always, Mina
After Soma read the letter, he briefed Arikado on the situation, who was a bit worried that Celia mentioned that she had a plan. Soma said that all he could do was keep climbing toward the top to confront her. Arikado decided to try to track down Dario, and the two separated.
Within the Condemned Tower, Soma found Julius standing at an odd portal. He asked the Belmont what he was doing there. Julius said there was a barrier that sealed it and something very bad was beyond. Julius went on to say the barrier was too strong to break through. He decided it would be best to contact Yoko and await help. Soma described what he had learned and seen in the castle, and Julius decided to join Arikado and hunt Dario.
Soma met Celia again in the Clock Tower. She taunted him for moving at such a slow pace. She let Soma know that Dario had grown stronger by fusing with a fire demon that she summoned. Suddenly Arikado and Julius appeared on the scene. Celia told all of them that there was nothing they could do. It was certain Dario would soon emerge as the new Dark Lord. With that said, she disappeared again. Arikado sensed a strong magical surge coming from the river, which he believed to be Dario. He told Julius to head that way while he went after Celia. Before departing, Julius told Soma to stay out of the matter.
Soma met up with Julius again in the Silenced Ruins. The older man was injured. He assured Soma that he was fine. Across from Julius was Dario, who mocked Julius for being weak. He told Soma that he planned on getting pay back for what happened in the Garden of Madness, but said it would have to wait since he wasn't at full power. Before leaving, he challenged Soma to follow him to the Top Floor. Julius warned him about Dario's power, which was especially great to Julius since he could not use magic seals like Soma. Soma asked Julius how he was able to defeat some of the monsters in the castle without the aid of magic seals. Julius only said he was able to destroy them before they could reconstitute, which surprised Soma due to the amount of power that would require. However, Julius did not know if that would work with Dario. Julius told Soma that he would be fine, and to continue after Dario.
Soma went to the Top Floor where he expected to put an end to the entire ordeal. There, he found Dario waiting. Despite Dario's brash attitude, Soma told him that his power was nothing if he didn't know how to use it, and that he would never lose to the candidate. Soma saw the fire demon in a reflection of a mirror that was in the room, and instead of focusing on defeating Dario, he destroyed the demon instead. Dario was surprised why he could no longer use his powers, and Soma clarified that he destroyed the demon that was fused with Dario, leaving him helpless. When Dario realized he had no power, he ran off and abandoned the cult.
After Dario left, Celia entered the room. She said that Soma was much more than she had thought. Soma was tired of chasing her, and wanted to stop the whole thing. Celia said there was more than one way to make a Dark Lord. Soma told her to finally give up, as there were no more candidates left. The priestess admitted that, but held that the game was not over yet, and she invited Soma to the center of the castle, telling him that there was something she wanted him to see. Afterward, she disappeared again.
Soma found Celia in the Garden of Madness. To his shock, he also found Mina tied to a strange tree like object. Celia told him to watch as she destroyed the life of his loved one. Celia shot a beam through Mina, killing her. Soma became enraged and began floating in the room while the dark power of chaos began forming and entering his body, as it had when he defeated Graham a year earlier. Celia encouraged him to hate her. She said the birth of the new Dark Lord was at hand, but then Genya Arikado entered the room and told Soma that wasn't the real Mina that had been killed. Arikado revealed that Celia had used a Doppelganger instead. The dark power stopped flowing into Soma, and he dropped to the ground in pain. Soma's power began streaming out of him and into the Mina Doppelganger, which turned into Dmitrii. Celia was surprised to see the candidate. Dmitrii was thankful for being able to escape, and revealed that he was able to loosen himself when Soma's emotions shifted. Celia thought he was dead. Dmitrii enlightened that he gambled on shedding his former body to enter Soma and copy the Power of Dominance. He was also lucky to find the Doppelganger, a suitable replacement for his body. He knew Arikado's true identity, as he scanned memories of Dracula's past lives while he was within Soma. He said that if Arikado made a move toward him, he would kill the weakened Soma. Soma asked why becoming the Dark Lord meant so much to Dmitrii, and the man reminded him that he wished to know what his power signified. He told Celia that he needed to gain dominance over more powerful demons to surpass Soma. She said that death was Soma's only destiny, and with that the two vanished.
Soma asked Arikado where he believed they were headed. The agent figured it was the basement of the Condemned Tower, where an unearthly energy emanated. He believed there was a portal to the dark side that powered the existence of the entire castle. Arikado told Soma to let him handle it, but Soma said that he must be the one to defeat Dmitrii, since they both had the same power. Arikado agreed, but told him to let Julius and himself go in first. Arikado left Soma and headed toward the Condemned Tower.
When Soma arrived at the barrier, Arikado and Julius were already there. Julius was saying that it was possible to break the barrier, but he couldn't guarantee he'd have any energy left to fight. Arikado said that without Julius' power, it would be impossible to get through. Julius broke the barrier but was very weak from the exertion. Arikado went through and Soma followed, while Julius convalesced.
Soma found Dmitrii and Arikado in the Abyss, a netherworld beyond the barrier. Aridado was kneeling on the floor, injured. Soma asked him what happened, and Dmitrii responded that Arikado had arrived too late. Arikado's power wasn't enough to overcome the power Dmitrii gained from the sacrifice. Soma looked up and saw Celia crucified and dead. Dmitrii confidently said that she always dreamed of seeing the Dark Lord and that she should be honored in helping him achieve that status, and for assisting in defeating Arikado.
As Soma was about to battle Dmitrii, the other man became unstable and got worse and worse. Arikado explained that his dominance wasn't the same as Soma's and that he could not contain the soul of the calamitous demon that he absorbed. Dmitrii was angry at Arikado's words and cast him out of the Abyss.
Dmitrii fell to the ground and a massive demon appeared. The souls under his control fused as one to form the monstrosity known as Menace. Soma knew he had to destroy the creature, for letting it leave the Abyss would be disastrous.
After Soma killed the beast, all the souls Dmitrii absorbed went into him and he saw flashes of images in his head. Arikado suddenly appeared again and told Soma they needed to leave, as the entire castle was crumbling.
Outside the castle, Soma asked Arikado what the Dark Lord was. He confirmed what Celia had said; that the Dark Lord was an entity opposite of God. Soma said there was need for a Dark Lord. Arikado offered that perhaps there was, but there was no reason for Soma to become that person. The mysterious man reminded Soma that he's neither god nor a demon, just a human. Soma did not want to become the Dark Lord, and Arikado told him to stay true to that.
After their short discussion, they reunited with the others that had been in the castle. They all congratulated Soma. Mina was also there waiting. She began to sob and tell Soma that she was worried. When Soma told her not to cry, she lowered her hands and jokingly told him "Welcome back". The others playfully jested at their romantic involvement, and Mina and Soma told them all that they weren't like that.
Arikado said that if the world needed a Dark Lord, it would emerge.


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VENICE, FL — Theodore J. (Jerry) LeBlanc, born September 10, 1936, passed away November 5, 2012, after a brief illness. He was the husband of Brenda of 56 years.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his 4 children, Steven of Munich, Germany, Sharon Cleveland of Venice, FL, Tim of Lake Forest, CA and Ted of Fairhaven, MA, 8 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brothers Joseph of Sarasota, FL, and Charles of New Bedford, MA. Sisters Monica Ward of Sarasota, FL, and Rosemary Losert of Ocala, FL, and the late Paul LeBlanc and Louise Corderio.
Jerry was an independent business man for over 40 years fondly known as "The Milkman." After his retirement, Jerry enjoyed splitting his time between his summer cottage up North and his winter residence in Venice, FL. Not being the type to waste away in retirement, he reentered the workforce at Venice Regional Medical Center helping to care for patients requiring special attention.
Jerry excelled in sports during his high school days, earning an exclusive spot in New Bedford High School's Hall of Fame. He was a diehard fan of all New England sports teams especially his beloved Red Sox.
Jerry loved to cook and was the center of many family gatherings. He enjoyed golfing, heated political discussions and spending time with his family.
Location, ST | website.com


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Vytorin Languishes as Cardiology Meeting Looms
Sales reps have been pounding doctors' doors on behalf of Merck and Schering-Plough's beleaguered cholesterol drug Vytorin, but their pleas aren't getting them very far.
It's been two months since the results of the controversial Enhance trial suggested Vytorin was no better than a cheap generic at slowing the progression of cardiovascular disease. The hullabaloo appears to have quieted down, but the calm probably won't last long. A deeper dive on the data is slated for the annual meeting of American College of Cardiology at the end of the month. The sessions could spark another round of questions.
In the meantime, despite the companies' sales efforts, new prescriptions for the drug haven't recovered from their decline after the results came out Jan. 14.
Data on sales reps' encounters with primary care doctors who write the most prescriptions show that Vytorin commanded a 26% share of chats about cholesterol drugs last week. That's right behind Lipitor, the share leader, at 27%, the data from research firm ImpactRx show.
But Vytorin's share of new prescriptions written by these docs was 6%, less than half the 14% share just before the Enhance trial's results were released. Prescriptions for Zetia, a sister drug of Vytorin and the part of the combo Vytorin pill besides the statin, were 4% compared with 7% before Enhance. By comparison, generic simvastatin led the pack with 36% of new prescriptions written last week, followed by Lipitor with 24%.
The doldrums for Schering-Plough come despite a sales blitz code-named the "49 plan." According to the blog Pharmalot, Schering-Plough reps are spending 49 days (seven weeks) intensively schmoozing doctors — preferably over lunch or dinner — to warm them up to Zetia. (It didn't take long for the Senate to get interested in the plan.)
The chatter isn't very favorable on Cafepharma, a site for sales reps. "I hate having extra $$ that I have to spend on Drs that I can barely see," complains one on a chat board there. "I have a hard time spending all my lunch/dinner $$ now." Another writes that "this is not how gain back the lost business – good, unbiased evidenced based medicine (as stated before) is the only way to go. And if we have to wait for it – we'll have to wait. And the share holders will have to wait as well. Any other approach, especially if it comes from the Marketing Dept, will only loose (sic) us more credibility in the eyes of our customers."
Schering-Plough spokesman Lee Davies confirmed there is a program called "49," but wouldn't provide details. Sales reps' "responsibility is to provide accurate information on Vytorin and Zetia," he told the Health Blog. "That's what they're doing, and that's the extent of it here." As for the sales figures, Davies wouldn't offer any new projections but said the companies are "actively engaged in an ongoing dialogue with health-care professionals about the [cholesterol]-lowering benefits of Vytorin and Zetia." (Here's Schering-Plough's latest information on sales of the drugs.)


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Do you feel safe online? Keep yourself up-to-date with online security and PC performance with the ParetoLogic Online Safety and ParetoLogic Performance Solutions. These monthly publications, delivered by email, are chockfull of interesting news stories, tips for protecting yourself online, ways to make your PC faster and more stable, and product information.
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Want to get up to speed and be more secure? Past editions of the ParetoLogic Online Safety and ParetoLogic Performance Solutions email newsletters are filled with interesting stories and great tips to enhance your computing experience and improve your PC's performance and optimization. Now you can check out past issues through our archives and never miss another edition!
Ever worry about what your children might be doing online? Of course you know they're good kids, but you are concerned about the other users and the inappropriate content that is online.
The new, free ParetoLogic PGsurfer gives parents a powerful tool that they can use to guide their children's Internet usage. This sophisticated software lets parents establish custom profiles for their children and set parameters for computer and Internet usage.
Two other valuable assets to help parents in keeping their children safe online are the PGsurfer Forum and the exciting, innovative website www.safesurfer.org. This site is a safe place for children to play and converse, as well as learn more about the online world.
Depending on the settings parents choose, ParetoLogic PGsurfer blocks websites containing content such as pornography, illegal activities, drug and alcohol use and gambling. It can also restrict the use of chat rooms and applications for instant messaging, email and peer-to-peer file sharing.
As well as protecting your children, ParetoLogic PGsurfer can help keep your computer safe. It can stop the downloading of music, video, games and other files that could contain viruses or spyware.
Please click on the links to learn more about ParetoLogic PGsurfer. To find out more about ParetoLogic's other great products, click here »
Tip of the Month
When using online finance sites or submitting private information, check to make sure your browser shows https and also make sure your browser has high security settings.
Q. I was using ParetoLogic Privacy Controls and came upon the term "Advance Shred." What is it?
Signed: "Curious"
A. Dear "Curious"
The Advanced Shred tool effectively "shreds" your computer files - more than once if you wish. It is like running a piece of paper through a paper shredder, except that you have the option of running the paper through more than once. This is a great way of eliminating your private information, but please keep in mind there is no way to recover shredded items. Please verify what items you want to permanently remove before shredding.
Gone? Have your files really disappeared forever?
This is a frightening thought! Is all that hard work and hours spent working on projects all gone to waste with just one wrong click?
Maybe not! ParetoLogic, which has established itself as a leader in online security, is launching ParetoLogic Data Recovery and ParetoLogic Data Recovery Pro this December. These exciting new software programs save you countless hours of work.
"There is nothing more frustrating than losing important documents or files," James Addison, ParetoLogic's project manager, said. "That is why we are so excited to launch Data Recovery and Data Recovery Pro. The team here has worked very hard on it to create a powerful, easy-to-use product that we are proud of."
Whether it be Data Recovery or the powerful Data Recovery Pro, these sophisticated software programs will scan deeply for deleted files and bring them back to life. They can recover all types of files, including recycled, encrypted and compressed.
Spider-Man swinging to a computer screen near you
Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man and his friends are making themselves at home in cyberspace. In November, Marvel Comics launched Digital Comics Unlimited where fans can catch their favourite webhead and the company's other stars in digitized versions of back issues. While as of late November there were some free samples, a pass to read issues that are at least six months old will cost you $9.99 US a month or $4.99 US monthly if you sign up for a full year, according to a Nov. 13 Associated Press story. The comics are available only for viewing and cannot be downloaded.
In Victoria, B.C., where ParetoLogic is proudly based, comic book sellers are welcoming the initiative. Bill Rice of Curious Comics, which has three Vancouver Island locations, and Gareth Gaudin of Legends Comics don't see the website having a negative affect on their businesses.
"As owner of a comic shop, I love that Marvel has put their back catalogue online," Gaudin wrote in an email interview with the ParetoLogic newsletter. "Back issue prices, especially those of 1960s Marvel, are way too high for any newcomers to afford. This probably leads to the vast majority of potential new readers avoiding jumping onto current titles like The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, etc. Anything that Marvel does to increase sales of new books is all right with me."
France threatens no Internet for illegal downloaders
France is looking to hit illegal downloaders where it hurts - their Internet connection.
Although the country currently has a system with fines and jail sentences in effect, the French government and affected industry leaders announced a new tactic in late November. According to the plan, users will receive a warning for each illegal download (usually a music or movie file) detected. If action persists, more warnings will come. If the third warning is ignored, the service providers can cut off the Internet access, according to a Nov. 26, 2007 ITPro website article.
"We run the risk of witnessing a genuine destruction of culture," French president Nicolas Sarkozy said in a speech endorsing the deal according to a Nov. 25, 2007 PCMag.com story. "The Internet must not become a high-tech Far West, a lawless zone where outlaws can pillage works with abandon or, worse, trade in them in total impunity. And on whose backs? On artists' backs."
Consumer group UFC Que Choisir disagreed with the move, according to PCMag, arguing in a statement the plan is "very tough, potentially destructive of freedom, antieconomic (sic) and against digital history." According to a Nov. 26, 2007 Agence France-Presse article, the current maximum fine is 300,000 euros (about $445,230 US) and a sentence of five years in jail.
Does it all sound Greek to you?
Don't worry! Each month we will explain a word or phrase connected to the Internet. As well as giving you a better understanding of the Internet, you will also be able to impress your friends with your newfound knowledge.
You will not find this kind of worm in the ground. Computer worms are self-replicating, fast-spreading Internet threats that are similar to viruses. Worms are different from viruses as they do not attach themselves to existing programs. While viruses usually corrupt programs, worms cause their harm, even if it is just consuming bandwidth, to the network.
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Here is your opportunity to get to know a member of Team Pareto!
Each month we feature a different member of the ParetoLogic team. As well as telling you about their role in helping make your PC safer, we provide a little insight into the away from work lives of our team members.
William Wu is an intermediate analyst with ParetoLogic's great Quality Assurance team. Wu, a fan of Victoria's own Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns, enjoys the challenges his job presents and playing his role in QA.
"A new software product is like a new life. Many people have worked hard to create it. I am enjoying being one of the team to make it happen. In QA, for me, the most interesting thing is 'Defect has been fixed.'"
How he plays
Current favourite song: Chrysanthemum Terrace by Jay Chou
Current favourite reading material: Traveler magazine
Current favourite movie: Pirates of the Caribbean
Where he plays
Favourite websites:
William uses ParetoLogic Anti-Spyware, ParetoLogic Privacy Controls and ParetoLogic PGsurfer to keep his computer safe and protect his privacy.
Read the Internet Security Tip of the Month » in the sidebar to your left to see the featured member's tip for you!