text:
Angiotensin converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism and the risk of heart failure in hypertensive subjects
Aims Cardiac angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) activity is influenced by the ACE I/D polymorphism. Evidence suggests that the DD-genotype may be a risk factor for cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, especially in hypertensive subjects. We assessed the relation between the ACE I/D polymorphism and the risk of incident heart failure in normotensive and hypertensive subjects.
Methods and results We investigated 4264 normotensive and 2174 hypertensive participants of the Rotterdam Study, a population based prospective cohort study. All subjects were available for follow-up from 1990 until 2000. Incidence rates (IR) of heart failure in normotensive subjects were the same over all genotype strata (10 per 1000 person-years). In hypertensive subjects, the IR increased with the number of D-alleles present (II: IR=13, ID: IR=18 and DD: IR=20 per 1000 person-years). Hypertensive subjects carrying the II-genotype did not have an increased risk of heart failure compared to normotensive II subjects. However, hypertensive subjects carrying one or two copies of the D-allele did have a significantly increased risk of heart failure (ID: RR: 1.4 (1.1–1.9) and DD: RR: 1.5 (1.2–2.1)).
Conclusion Our findings suggest that the ACE I/D polymorphism may play a modifying role in the development of heart failure in hypertensive subjects.
Keywords Heart failure; Hypertension; Genetics; ACE
Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs adequate ventricular filling or ejection of blood. Coronary artery disease and hypertension are among the most common risk factors. Regardless of the initial cause of cardiac stress, the heart will respond with a set of adaptive mechanisms in order to maintain its pumping function. Both clinical and experimental data suggest that activation of local renin angiotensin system (RAS) in the heart plays an important role in this compensatory mechanism to maintain adequate haemodynamic function.1 Recent studies have shown that cardiac expression of angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensinogen is increased in experimental heart failure.2,3 In patients with chronic heart failure, cardiac expression of ACE was found to be increased up to threefold compared to the hearts of subjects without heart failure.4
An insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism, characterised by the presence or absence of a 287-base pair alu repeat sequence in intron 16 of the ACE gene, has been reported to be responsible for about 50% of the interindividual variability in serum ACE levels.5,6 Both serum ACE levels and cardiac ACE activity were highest in subjects carrying two copies of the D-allele.5–7 The DD-genotype has been put forward as a risk factor for left ventricular remodelling in hypertensive subjects.8,9 Raynolds et al.10 observed an increased frequency of the DD-genotype in patients with both ischaemic and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
We examined the role of the ACE I/D polymorphism in the development of heart failure in a population-based cohort study. Since several studies reported an effect of the D-allele on cardiac disease in hypertensive subjects only, we analysed normotensive and hypertensive subjects separately.
Study population
The study was conducted within the Rotterdam Study, a single-centre prospective follow-up study in which all residents, aged 55 years and over, of the Rotterdam suburb of Ommoord were invited to take part. The baseline examination of the Rotterdam Study was conducted between 1990 and 1993. The Medical Ethics Committee of Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam approved the study. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. The design of the study has been described previously.11 7983 participants were examined (response 78%). In 6869 subjects, the ACE I/D polymorphism was genotyped successfully (86%). In the remaining 1114 subjects, no genotypes were available. We excluded 211 subjects because no information on blood pressure levels was available.
At baseline, information concerning medical history, medication use and smoking behaviour was obtained with a computerized questionnaire.11 Blood pressure was measured twice, after a minimum of 5 min rest, in the sitting position at the right upper arm using a random zero sphygmomanometer. Participants were asked to abstain from smoking and drinking alcoholic or caffeine-containing beverages at least 2 h before blood pressure measurements were taken. The average of two measurements was used for analysis. Hypertension was defined as a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 100 mmHg or higher and/or a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 160 mmHg or higher and/or use of anti-hypertensive medication indicated for treatment of hypertension (grade 2 and 3 of the 1999 WHO/ISH criteria and 2003 ESH/ESC criteria).12,13
Heart failure assessment
Assessment of prevalent heart failure at the baseline examination in the Rotterdam Study has been described in detail earlier.14 We excluded subjects with prevalent heart failure from our study (n=220). All participants of the Rotterdam Study were continuously monitored for the occurrence of heart failure during follow-up from 1990 until 2000, using automated linkage with files from general practitioners. All available medical data, such as hospital discharge letters and notes from general practitioners, were obtained from the medical records in case of possible heart failure. Apart from this systematic follow-up procedure, we used verified hospital discharge diagnoses for case finding, gathered from all hospitals in the Rotterdam area as described above.
The diagnosis of heart failure was classified as definite, probable, possible or unlikely. Definite heart failure was defined as a combination of heart failure diagnosed by a medical specialist and the presence of typical symptoms of heart failure, such as breathlessness at rest or during exertion, ankle oedema and pulmonary crepitations, confirmed by objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction (chest X-ray, echocardiography). This definition is in accordance with the criteria of the European Society of Cardiology.15 Probable heart failure was defined as heart failure diagnosed by a general practitioner, with at least two typical symptoms suggestive of heart failure, and at least 1 of the following: history of cardiovascular disease (e.g. myocardial infarction, hypertension), response to treatment for heart failure, or objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction, while symptoms could not be attributed to another underlying disease.
Two research physicians independently classified all information on potential heart failure events. If there was disagreement, a consensus was reached in a separate session. Finally, a cardiologist verified all probable and possible cases, and all cases in which the two physicians could not reach consensus. If the cardiologist disagreed with the research physicians, the cardiologist's judgment was considered decisive. The research physicians and the cardiologist based their decisions on the same data. Only definite and probable cases were included in the analyses.
After heart failure cases were diagnosed as definite or probable, the date of incident heart failure was defined as the day of the first occurrence of symptoms suggestive of heart failure or the date of the first prescription of a loop diuretic or an ACE-inhibitor.
The II, ID and DD genotypes were detected using the polymerase chain reaction technique (PCR) according to the method of Lindpaintner et al.16 with some modifications. In order to avoid misclassification of ID genotypes into DD genotypes, a second PCR was performed using an I-specific primer.
Statistical analysis
Overall general characteristics of normotensive and hypertensive subjects and those stratified by ACE genotype, were compared using univariate analysis of variance for continuous variables and χ2 statistics for dichotomous variables. Differences in median follow-up between the normotensive and hypertensive group, and between genotypes within the normotensive and hypertensive group were tested using a Mann–Whitney non-parametric test for independent samples. Incidence rates (IR) were expressed as number of cases per 1000 person-years and presented with 95% confidence intervals (CI), based on the assumed Poisson distribution for the observed number of cases. We constructed a numerical variable for the ACE-genotype groups (1–2–3; II–ID–DD) and performed a linear regression in order to test for trend of IR in the normotensive and hypertensive groups. Relative risks of incident heart failure were assessed using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. In the first regression analysis we assessed the risk of heart failure for hypertensive subjects compared to normotensive subjects independent of the ACE genotype. For the second regression analysis we constructed an ordinal variable consisting of six categories, based on the ACE-genotype (II–ID–DD) and hypertension (yes/no). Relative risks for each category were then assessed using normotensive II-subjects as the reference category. Proportionality of hazards was assessed and satisfied by means of a log-minus-log plot. All risk estimates are presented with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We adjusted for age and sex in all analyses. To assess the effect of the ACE I/D polymorphism independent of possible confounding or mediating factors, analyses were repeated adding body mass index (BMI), diabetes mellitus, smoking, myocardial infarction, total and HDL-cholesterol to the model. We tested for statistical interaction between the ACE I/D polymorphism and hypertension or blood pressure by adding different interaction terms to the regression model: hypertension (dichotomous)×ACE-genotype (categorical), systolic blood pressure (continuous)×ACE-genotype (categorical) and diastolic blood pressure (continuous)×ACE-genotype (categorical). All presented p values are two-sided. We performed all analyses with SPSS version 11.0.
A total of 6438 subjects were available for follow-up until 1st January, 2000. Baseline descriptives of the total study population are presented in Table 1. We included 4264 normotensive subjects and 2174 hypertensive subjects in our study. Both groups followed Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium proportions for the ACE I/D polymorphism. Median follow-up was 7.2 (6.7;8.1) years for normotensive subjects and 7.0 (5.3;8.0) years for hypertensive subjects. In hypertensive subjects, median follow-up was significantly shorter for subjects carrying two copies of the D-allele than for subjects carrying two copies of the I-allele. Hypertensive subjects were significantly older and less often male than normotensive subjects. This difference was the same over all genotype strata. Within the normotensive group, DBP was significantly higher in subjects carrying the DD-genotype compared to subjects carrying the ID-genotype. Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and myocardial infarction, mean BMI and total cholesterol levels were significantly higher in hypertensive subjects compared to normotensive subjects. In the hypertensive group, BMI was significantly higher in subjects carrying the II-genotype compared to subjects carrying the DD-genotype. HDL-cholesterol and percentage current smokers were significantly lower in hypertensive subjects than in normotensive subjects. This difference was the same over all genotype strata.
|ACE genotype
|Normotensive subjects
|Hypertensive subjects
|* Significantly different from normotensive subjects, p<0.005.
|** Significantly different from hypertensive DD-subjects, p<0.05.
|*** Significantly different from normotensive ID-subjects, p<0.05.
|Number, n (%)
|4264 (66.0)
|962 (22.6)
|2106 (49.4)
|1196 (28.0)
|2174 (34.0)
|441 (20.3)
|1116 (51.3)
|617 (28.4)
|Median follow-up (years)
|7.2 (6.7;8.1)
|7.2 (6.7;8.1)
|7.2 (6.7;8.2)
|7.2 (6.7;8.1)
|7.0 (5.3;8.0)*
|7.1 (5.7;8.2)**
|7.1 (5.6;8.0)
|7.0 (4.8;7.9)
|Age (years)
|Sex (% male)
|SBP (mmHg)
|DBP (mmHg)
|Diabetes mellitus (%)
|Myocardial infarction (%)
|BMI (kg/m2)
|Total cholesterol (mmol)
|HDL-cholesterol (mmol)
|Smoking (current) (%)
All values are presented as percentage or means±standard deviation, except for follow-up, which is presented as median (interquartile range).
Table 2 shows number of cases, person-years and incidence rates (IR) of heart failure observed in normotensive and hypertensive subjects stratified by ACE genotype. During 44 883.1 person-years of follow-up 543 participants developed heart failure. In normotensive subjects, the IR of heart failure was about 10 per 1000 person-years, independent of genotype status. In hypertensive subjects, the IR of heart failure significantly increased with the number of D-alleles present (p for trend=0.04). In subjects carrying the II-genotype the IR of heart failure was 13 per 1000 person-years (95% CI: 9;17). In subjects carrying one or two copies of the D-allele the IR of heart failure increased up to 18 (15;21) and 20 (16;24) per 1000 person-years, respectively.
|ACE genotype
|Number of cases
|Number of cases
|10 (8–12)
|13 (9–17)
|9 (7–10)
|18 (15–21)
|11 (8–13)
|20 (16–24)
Incidence rate (IR) presented as number of cases per 1000 person-years with 95% confidence interval.
In Table 3, the relative risks (RR) of heart failure for hypertensive and normotensive subjects, overall and stratified by ACE genotype, are presented. Overall, hypertensive subjects had a significantly increased risk of 1.4 (1.2;1.7) of heart failure compared to normotensive subjects. In the normotensive group, the risk of heart failure did not differ between the different ACE genotype groups. Hypertensive subjects carrying two copies of the I-allele did not have an increased risk of heart failure compared to normotensive subjects carrying two copies of the I-allele (RR: 1.2 (0.8;1.8)) (model 2). However, hypertensive subjects carrying one or two copies of the D-allele had a significantly increased risk of heart failure compared to normotensive II subjects (ID: RR: 1.4 (1.1;1.9) and DD: RR: 1.5 (1.2;2.1)) (model 2). Additional analyses including also mild hypertensive subjects in the hypertensive group (cut-off value for diagnosis of hypertension: SBP⩾140 mmHg or DBP⩾90 mmHg) did not show a significant effect of the ACE-genotype on the risk of heart failure. Although the direction of the risk estimates was the same (RR: ID: 1.2 (0.8;1.8) and DD: 1.4 (0.8;2.5)) (results not shown in table).
|Model 1
|Model 2
|* Significantly different from overall normotensive group, p<0.001.
|** Significantly different from II normotensive group, p<0.01.
|*** Significantly different from II normotensive group, p<0.05.
|Risk overall
|1.0 (ref)
|1.6 (1.4;1.9)*
|1.0 (ref)
|1.4 (1.2;1.7)*
|Risk stratified by ACE genotype
|1.0 (ref)
|1.1 (0.8–1.7)
|1.0 (ref)
|1.2 (0.8;1.8)
|0.9 (0.6;1.2)
|1.5 (1.1;2.0)**
|1.0 (0.7;1.3)
|1.4 (1.1;1.9)***
|1.0 (0.7;1.4)
|1.6 (1.2;2.2)**
|1.1 (0.8;1.6)
|1.5 (1.2;2.1)***
Model 1: adjusted for age and sex. Model 2: adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking, diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, total and HDL-cholesterol.
The statistical interaction term between the D-allele of the ACE-genotype and hypertension was borderline significant (p=0.059). The interaction term with blood pressure as a continuous trait (either systolic or diastolic blood pressure) and the D-allele of the ACE-genotype did not reach statistical significance (SBP: p=0.36, DBP: p=0.80).
We observed an increased risk of heart failure in hypertensive subjects compared to normotensive subjects that was dependent on the presence of the D-allele of the ACE I/D polymorphism. Hypertensive subjects did not have a significantly increased risk of heart failure compared to normotensive subjects, unless they carried one or two copies of the D-allele. The incidence rate of heart failure in hypertensive subjects increased with the number of D-alleles present. As the incidence of heart failure marks the end of the follow-up period, this may also explain the shorter follow-up period observed in hypertensive DD subjects compared to II subjects.
Hypertension is the most common condition antedating heart failure in the general population17,18. Especially in the elderly, heart failure is often preceded by long-standing high blood pressure and LVH.19,20 However, the extent of cardiac remodelling does not always seem to correlate with the extent of cardiac stress. In fact, hypertension may lead to severe heart failure in one patient whereas hypertension may be without any perceivable effects on cardiac function in another patient. As a consequence, it has been hypothesised that genetic factors may modulate the manifestation or progression of cardiac remodelling.21
The ACE I/D polymorphism is by far the most frequently studied candidate gene in the development of left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure. Homozygosity for the D-allele has been associated with higher prevalence of LVH and increased heart weight in (untreated) hypertensive subjects.8,9,22–24 Raynolds et al.10 were the first to report an association between the ACE I/D polymorphism and heart failure. They observed an increased frequency of the DD-genotype in subjects with ischaemic and dilated cardiomyopathy. Since local formation of angiotensin II (ANG II) within the myocardium is thought to be involved in the cardiac remodelling process, elevated cardiac ANG II levels in subjects carrying the D-allele, may partly explain the association between the DD-genotype and various cardiac disorders.7 Although cardiac chymase is also an important ANG II generating enzyme in the heart, two studies observed that in failing hearts ACE enzyme gene expression was increased, whereas cardiac chymase enzyme gene expression was not.4,33 This may suggest that in failing hearts ANGII formation is more dependent on ACE than on cardiac chymase and therefore can potentially be modified by the ACE I/D polymorphism. Nevertheless, findings remain controversial and so far positive and negative results seem to outweigh each other.25–27 Many of the conflicting findings on the ACE I/D polymorphism and cardiac disease are most likely due to small sample sizes and large heterogeneity of the populations that were studied. Another reason for the inconsistent findings may be that the ACE I/D polymorphism by itself does not have enough biological significance to exert an effect on cardiac tissue, especially since the RAS is normally under strict negative feedback inhibition. This has led to the hypothesis that an effect of the ACE I/D polymorphism on cardiac function may only become clinically relevant under specific conditions in which the cardiac growth machinery is already activated.28 In line with this hypothesis, Montgomery et al.29 observed increased left ventricular mass after rigorous exercise only in those participants who carried a copy of the D-allele. Another study observed increased adverse cardiac remodelling in subjects with the ACE ID- and DD-genotype after they had experienced a myocardial infarction.30
We believe our findings provide additional evidence for a modifying effect of the ACE I/D polymorphism in the development of cardiac disease. In our study, the D-allele was associated with an increased risk of heart failure in hypertensive subjects only, which may suggest that the D-allele has an effect on the heart merely when local RAS is already activated because of increased haemodynamic load. Since asymptomatic cardiac remodelling usually precedes the development of clinically overt heart failure in hypertensive subjects, we believe our findings are in accordance with the observation that, particularly in subjects with hypertension, the D-allele of the ACE I/D polymorphism is associated with increased levels of various echocardiography measures of cardiac hypertrophy.8,9,31,32
Our study is the largest population based study to date that assessed the role of the ACE I/D polymorphism in heart failure in a relatively homogenous population, as 98% of the participants in our study are Caucasians and they all live in the same area of Rotterdam. In contrast to case-control studies on heart failure that have been conducted so far, the prospective nature of our study makes our results less prone to survival bias. Still several issues still need to be addressed however. We observed a significantly increased risk of heart failure in moderate and severe hypertensive subjects only. Additional analyses, which also included mild hypertensive subjects, did not show a significantly increased risk of heart failure for ID and DD-carriers, although the risk estimates were in the same direction as those for moderate to severe hypertensive subjects. In addition, the interaction term including blood pressure as a continuous trait did not reach statistical significance. We believe this implies a 'threshold' effect of the ACE I/D polymorphism, as its detrimental effects on cardiac function only become present when the heart is already under severe cardiac stress due to substantially elevated blood pressure levels. Second, we did not account for lifestyle or dietary factors that may have influenced our genotype–phenotype relationship. Kuznetsova et al.34 recently observed that the relationship between left ventricular mass index and the ACE I/D polymorphism might be modulated by sodium intake. Finally, we were not able to discern the different aetiologies of heart failure (idiopathic, ischaemic or other) in our study. However, we think that the ACE I/D polymorphism may be more important as a modulator in the way the myocardium responds to cardiac stress ('remodelling') than in the events leading to cardiac stress. The ACE I/D polymorphism may increase the risk of heart failure through an effect on blood pressure or an increased risk of myocardial infarction; however, our results do not support this. On the contrary, our findings suggest that hypertension by itself is not a real strong predictor of heart failure, unless one or two copies of the D-allele are present. Furthermore, correction for baseline and incident MI in our analyses did not change the association between heart failure and the ACE I/D polymorphism. In addition, the prevalence of MI did not differ significantly between the genotype groups in hypertensive subjects.
In conclusion, our findings suggest that the ACE I/D polymorphism may play a modifying role in the development of heart failure in hypertensive subjects, regardless of the initial cause of cardiac damage. We believe these findings may provide an additional genetic clue as to why some hypertensive subjects develop cardiac hypertrophy resulting in heart failure and others do not.
This work was supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Municipality of Rotterdam. A Schut is supported by a grant of the Dutch Kidney Foundation. We thank JR Oskamp and WM Luijten for their help in genotyping.


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UNESCO assists Viet Nam in updating its communications curricula
Ha Noi, 6 October – UNESCO and the Ministry of Information and Communications organized a workshop to share recommended curricula for Viet Nam's National University of Information and Communications (NUIC), to be established in the coming years. In the last 20 years, Viet Nam's media landscape has expanded rapidly in terms of platforms, publications, journalists and audience.
This development brings increased pressure for Viet Nam to raise the quality of its communication and information sector to meet international standards and to provide training capable of producing media professionals equipped to meet growing demands.
Recognizing the importance of the communication and information field to socio-economic progress, the Government of Viet Nam approved the establishment of a new training facility in Ha Noi – NUIC – to be managed by the Ministry of Information and Communications. NUIC will aim to provide industry-focused training and demand-driven education for future professionals.
The development of a set of draft curricula is one of the preconditions for the establishment of NUIC, which has received initial approval from the Prime Minister in 2008. UNESCO has supported MIC by revising the draft curricula to include international best practices from its Model Curricula for Journalism Education and the International Programme for the Development of Communication's Media Development Indicators. This marks an important step towards the establishment of NUIC and enhancing the quality of media training in Viet Nam.
<- Back to: UNESCO Office in Ha Noi

subset: commoncrawl


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A story about a New York City police officer giving a homeless man shoes led to millions of reposts on social media sites a few weeks ago. It's a sweet story, and because we perceive it as rare, we feel compelled to share it. Our increasingly cynical world clings to a reminder that compassion still exists.
So many stories without happy endings are told every day that it can be hard to remember friendliness might be across the parking lot. Just because every act of kindness doesn't go viral doesn't mean we aren't surrounded by good people.
I live in a loft in downtown Birmingham, an area that many people condemn as a hotbed for robberies and shady dealings. The truth is, it's just as safe as any other area with a similar-size population. But I sometimes find myself falling into the trap of assuming the worst about people.
One evening not long ago, my husband and I watched a young man walk up the stairs of the parking deck behind our building. Halfway up, the guy stopped, bent down and picked up something small. I saw it was a wallet as he opened the leather square to reveal its contents. I think we both assumed he was going to pocket his find. But I'm glad we didn't look away, because then we saw him pull out his cell phone and start calling numbers he found in the wallet. I couldn't hear every word he said, but his body language said some sort of solution was reached before he continued the climb to his car.
A lost wallet might not be returned every day, but there are many little ways people show kindness – and to the person on the receiving end, that act might not seem so small. I've seen customers be beyond patient with a new cashier at the grocery store, and I've seen cashiers be more than accommodating to a customer who was a pain. I've seen drivers graciously let others merge in front of them in traffic that could bring out the monster in anyone, and it warms my heart when the merging driver waves a little thank-you. Even a simple smile from a person on the sidewalk brightens an otherwise rotten day.
The world would be a better place if we practiced such kindnesses year-round, but let's start small. Be nice this holiday season. And notice when someone else does something nice. Kindness is all around us – we just have to open our eyes.
AL.com wants to know your stories of kindness – whether you gave, received or witnessed the good deed. No act of kindness is insignificant. Share your stories in the comments section below, and spread some cheer this holiday season.
You'll need a free AL.com account to comment, and you can sign up at al.com/register. You can also email your stories to email@example.com, and we will consider telling your story in our "Be Kind" holiday series.
Look for a kindness column from each AL.com community engagement specialist in the coming days, and keep your eyes peeled for do-gooders around you.


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I came across a pretty nice chessboard wallpaper recently, but I couldn't quite identify the position featured in it...as far as I can tell, it looks like this.
Out of curiosity, does anyone happen to know whether this is a legitimate opening line, or whether the maker just threw some stuff together? It seems somewhat plausible but the pawn structure and the bishop's position look a bit unusual.
I couldn't find that exact position. Maybe someone with a bigger database can locate it. The pawn structure with pawns on c4 and e4 are known as a Maroczy type position. I found many games with that exact pawn formation but with different piece placement. it was usually reached through some variation of the Sicilian or English although I saw a few that reached it from a 1.e4 e5 king's pawn opening.
I'd guess that it's a fairly legitimate, but not very common opening position.
Here's a short blurb from Wikipedia: "The Maróczy bind is a formation White may adopt against some variations of the Sicilian Defence. By placing pawns on e4 and c4, White slightly reduces his attacking prospects but also greatly inhibits Black's counterplay."
Looks like an English (of course). Looks like black's knight on d7 is sorely misplaced... at least for it to be any kind of standard line. White's development is standard-ish. Looks like a position two beginners would reach just developing pieces without any real plan (but like I said, I guess white is ok).
Hmm, thanks, that helps. I didn't think of the Maroczy Bind...I was looking up lines in the Sicilian and the English, but couldn't find anything that really matched. White's bishop and Black's d7 knight seem pretty oddly placed, yes...
Hooray thread bump! (What made you notice this topic suddenly anyways?) Though as mentioned, yeah, the knight on d7 seems rather odd. So it doesn't seem to be any kind of standard opening line?
Heh, okay. I'm vaguely disappointed that the people who made that wallpaper didn't seem to have come up with a proper opening...though the pieces are in reasonably, well, reasonable positions I guess (the knight and bishop look awkward, but at least there's no weird Na3 or white pawn on h6...); suggesting they had some knowledge of chess at least.
^ Yeah, that's a legal move order, but not necessarily a decent one (i.e. reasonably played in the opening). Why would Black lock in his light-squared bishop with Nd7? 3.d3 is also a little passive, and following it with Be2 and Nf3 looks redundant.
Kinda resembles a stone wall type of position. But the position doesn't look to bad for both sides. I'm guessing the creator of the wallpaper had some basic rudimentary idea of the game.
The wallpaper is intended to be a cool-looking graphic, not a positional study or anything. The point is just that the position looks nice from the given angle, so it's legitimacy shouldn't matter, right?
Well tyzer,that's a question the creators would know
But it's not addressing the point of this topic, which was whether such a position is a legitimate opening line. Anyway, it seems I got the answer, which is "it isn't".
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NEW YORK — Police are looking for burglars who stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of bronze from mausoleums at a Bronx cemetery.
WABC-TV says the thefts occurred over the past five days at St. Raymond's Cemetery in Throgs Neck.
The stolen items include door handles, vents and name plates.
Celebrities buried at St. Raymond's Cemetery include singer Billie Holiday and former boxing champion Hector "Macho" Camacho.


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The assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) helps producers plan and implement conservation practices to allow their organic operations to be environmentally sustainable. EQIP is primarily used to provide financial and technical assistance to implement conservation practices to address soil, water, air, plant, animal, and energy resources.
A new organic provision targets organic producers and producers transitioning to organic production:
Through the EQIP Organic Initiative, NRCS provides assistance to eligible producers for installation of conservation practices on agricultural operations related to organic production. NRCS has determined that this definition includes certified organic producers and producers who are transitioning to become certified organic.
Eligible applicants also include producers who fall under the exemption category in the National Organic Program (NOP) regulation. Producers that sell agricultural products as "organic" but whose gross agricultural income from organic sales totals $5,000 or less are exempt from certification. Additional information about the NOP and organic certification requirements administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/nop. Approved land uses include cropland, headquarters, pasture and rangelands.
Experimenting with cover crops and crop rotations, installing intensive grazing infrastructure (grazing plans, internal fencing, walkways, water lines), establishing wildlife and pollinator friendly habitat, and installing seasonal high tunnels are examples of conservation practices for which funding may be available under this program. In addition, Colorado offers Conservation Activity Plans that support conservation planning for organic agriculture.
NRCS accepts applications on an ongoing basis. There will be two application periods in 2013. The first application period ended February 15, 2013. The second application period will end April 19, 2013. Interested applicants should contact the local NRCS Field Office for assistance on completing the program application and associated conservation plan development.
Contact your local NRCS office soon to meet with your conservation planning technician and determine which practices could enhance your farming operation.
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CLEVELAND Today marks the official start of construction of the new John Marshall High School, 3952 W. 140th St.
But as community officials gather at 8:30 a.m. to break ground for the $41.7 million school, Council President Marty Sweeney has questions for school district leaders that have yet to be answered.
Among his questions are whether there will be funding for rebuilding or replacing the 77-year-old athletic stadium. So far, that answer has been "no."
The grandstands were built by the federal Works Progress Administration in 1936, four years after the original JMHS was built, to create jobs during the Great Depression. The athletic field and facilities were last improved in 1969, school district documents show.
At a construction meeting on July 11 with residential neighbors of JMHS, project manager Rich Dopatka from ICON LLC said the athletic field will be restored after it is used for parking by workers during construction of the new school building. However the district has programmed no other funding for new or rebuilt grandstands.
"I'm losing patience," Sweeney said. "We're 14 months away (from opening a new JMHS) and the only thing they've committed to making is a parking lot for construction workers."
District Communications Officer Roseann Canfora did not return phone and email messages prior to news deadline on Tuesday.
Sweeney, who represents Ward 18, said he also wants to know why some of the JMHS construction workers will be paid below prevailing wages.
Of the three high school construction projects now under way — JMHS, Max S. Hayes on West 65th Street and Cleveland School of the Arts in University Circle — JMHS will be the only non-prevailing wage job site, Sweeney said.
"I'm still trying to figure that one out," he said. "My hope is that construction workers will respect the neighborhood."
School districts were exempt from Ohio prevailing wage laws before an Ohio construction reform law was passed in 2011. Since then, they are now expressly prohibited from opting into the prevailing wage requirements for public improvements.
Also under the reform law, companies like ICON are considered "construction managers at risk" because they must bear any cost overruns that occur during construction, according to a fall 2011 summary of the reforms by construction industry law firm Bricker & Eckler.
City ordinance requires that construction be limited to within the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. However, JMHS construction work is scheduled to be confined to between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Dopatka said.
Among those attending the groundbreaking ceremony will be Mayor Frank Jackson, school district CEO Eric Gordon, JMHS Alumni President Ken Tischler, and Sweeney.
The new 207,182-square-foot high school will have a capacity of 1,260 students. Academic programming at the school is still being developed by a district committee, Sweeney said.
See more news at cleveland./com/sunpostherald.
Prendergast is a freelancer from Lakewood. Contact him at email@example.com.


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Happy Halloween! One of our favorite holidays, only second to National Bacon Lovers Day. We had this idea to recreate the famous painting by Gustav Klimt (you know, the poster you had up in your old college dorm room.) We had a blast hand-making all the details and putting it all together. Now, onto next year's costume idea…
Partying it up at the Goat Farm in Atlanta.
And the arduous process…These photos are crappy due to the fact that we had no time to stop and document the project.
Painting the two garbs
The dress, before and after
Spray painting the garland


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Info sheet with phone purchases
AMHERST – Policies to address bullying are a work in progress, according to the Amherst Police Department's crime prevention officer, Const. Tom Wood. But while an overarching provincial strategy hasn't been set in stone, at least one incremental step gets a thumbs up from the policeman.
"It's a good little piece," said Wood of the one-page information sheet cellphone sellers will be required to give to underage purchasers in Nova Scotia when they buy a phone.
The sheet, introduced March 27, instructs users on how to be "good digital citizens," according to a government press release.
Wood said it contains useful tidbits for young people – information he said they may not be aware of – including what to do if you're a victim of cyberbullying.
The policeman acknowledged it's just one part of a large puzzle. It's a challenge for laws to keep pace with technological change. Police are working with schools, he said, to try to provide support to kids.
The old 'sticks and stones' adage no longer holds true, according to Wood. Taunting and words can be as bad as physical attacks. He pointed to suicides in Nova Scotia related to bullying.
Telling kids to evade bullying by avoiding technology is asking them to give away part of their lives, according to Wood. They feel more connected texting than talking, he said.
Wood called bullying a top provincial priority and a top priority for the police department.
"It's still adaption," he said of the effort.
The hope he expressed was that a multi-pronged attempt to reach young people will help, even if it's just a couple of kids at a time.
"Cyberbullying is just a new medium for an old problem," said Education Minister Ramon Jennex in a written statement.
"It's important to know how to be good digital citizens who understand and take responsibility for how our decisions and behaviours affect others in the digital world."
Twitter: @ADNsparling


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Electrolux Design Lab 2014: The future of a smart healthy home
Every year since 2003 Electrolux runs its Design Lab competition where students worldwide are challenged to create a concept that is time relevant and presents what the future of design could look like. There have been numerous themes in the past, including... >>
Electrolux portable air conditioner (EXP09HN1WI)
Summer might be all but over, and that might lead you to ask why we're publishing an air conditioner review on this date. Well, there are a couple of reasons, which will become obvious as we progress. But, let's just say that an air conditioner is for... >>
Hands-on: Electrolux Grand Cuisine range tested
How much do you like to cook? Are you a "throw it in the microwave" kind of person, or someone who actually wants to spend hours labouring in the kitchen to create the best dishes you can? Following the success of TV shows like MasterChef, cooking at... >>
The Cube by Electrolux high tech pop-up restaurant pictures and hands-on
The London version of pop-up restaurant The Cube by Electrolux has been a massive success since it opened at the beginning of June. Not only has it seen a steady stream of some of the country's finest Michelin-star chefs ply their trade inside for limited... >>
Electrolux Grand Cuisine: Appliances to create a Michelin star-quality kitchen in your home
Electrolux has created a super-high-end range of kitchenware and appliances inspired directly by the equipment Michelin star chefs use on a daily basis. Called Electrolux Grand Cuisine, the collection is described as the only professional cooking system... >>
Electrolux: Good design is inclusive design
"Products have to be about both form and function. If only 10 per cent of people can use what you've made, then you're a fine artist, not a designer." So says Adam Szczepanowski, Design Manager at Electrolux, as Pocket-lint picks his brain on... >>
Could the Electrolux Laptop Kitchen be the future of cooking on the go?
The Electrolux Laptop Kitchen may not have been chosen as one of the finalists in the company's Design Labs future tech competition for 2011, but it still has great potential for those wishing to cook when out and about. Designed by Dragan Trenchevski,... >>
Electrolux Design Labs 2011 finalists
If you want to know what the home gadgets of the future might look like, then you should take a peek at the Electrolux Design Labs 2011 finalists' designs, currently on show at John Lewis in Oxford Street, London. This global design competition was... >>
Electrolux Design Labs 2010 finalists
Those who love a bit of home gadget future design should get themselves down to John Lewis, Oxford Street this week for a preview of the Electrolux Design Labs 2010 finalists. This year's theme for the competition is "The 2nd Space Age" and asks... >>
Electrolux aims to vacuum the sea
Electrolux has launched a worthy campaign to clean up some of the many thousands of floating rubbish islands that pollute the seas and oceans around the world. And from the plastic they recover they hope to make a limited edition range of vacuum cleaners... >>


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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama --- Homicides in Birmingham are up 60 percent in the first half of 2011 with 32 murders from January through June, compared to 20 for the same time period last year.
Three of those came in the past week alone: a convicted sex offender beaten to death in Southside; a west Birmingham man ambushed in broad daylight as he got out of his car and an unidentified man found slain in a burning, abandoned apartment building.
Birmingham police Chief A.C. Roper said he doesn't like to see any increase, but said the numbers can be deceiving.
"The truth is we had an exceptional first six months last year, so we have to battle those numbers this year," Roper said. "In fact, the first six months of 2010 ranks as the lowest we've experienced in the last 10 years, so duplicating it has been difficult."
"I've said from the beginning, I'm not that interested in short-term comparisons because crime will ebb and flow," the chief said. "For example, this year still ranks as the third-lowest in the 10 years and is actually tracking closely with 2009 so far. In any other year, that would be great news, but it's higher than 2010."
May has been the deadliest month so far this year with 10 slayings, including 30-year-old Gerronda Hill, who was fatally stabbed in front of her two children as they entered their Ensley home; Classheka Norman, 31, who was found dead after two men and a teen burglarized her home, killed her and set fire to the house to cover the crime; and Levi Razier, 22, who was stabbed to death at the L.R. Hall Auditorium downtown during a party there.
The other breakdowns by month are March, 7, April, 5, January and June, 4 and February, 2. The West Precinct has seen the highest number of homicides with 16, followed by South Precinct, seven, North Precinct five, and East Precinct, four.
Only seven of the slayings happened during the day shift; the rest were in the evenings or early-morning hours.
Birmingham homicide Sgt. Scott Thurmond said investigators did a review at the end of last year to see if there were any instances where there could have been police intervention prior to the slaying.
"The answer was no," Thurmond said.
They have done periodic reviews throughout the first half of this year. "We're trying to look at ways to prevent homicides, to be proactive," he said. "Of the first 12 this year, eight happened inside a residence. How do you prevent what happens inside someone's house? It's frustrating."
Roper agreed.
"The sad reality is we believe most of our homicides involve victims and suspects that know each other very well," the chief said. "As a city, we very seldom experience stranger homicides."
"The trends have remained the same: people often putting themselves in harm's way," Roper said. "I don't believe there is any one thing that has caused the increase."
Police have made arrests in roughly two-thirds of the homicide cases so far this year. "We strive to have a clearance rate above the national average," Roper said.
"I believe that in some cases we have taken suspects into custody so fast that we limited their opportunity to hurt anyone else and that has helped us keep the numbers as low as they have been the last couple of years," Thurmond said.
Roper said the dynamics of the city have changed. In 2006, Birmingham had almost 60 homicides in the first six months of the year. "Thank God we've come a long way from that," he said. "Last year, we started the year extremely well but had all types of homicide issues as the year continued."
"The biggest issue is the fact that in these volatile relationships, conflicts, are resolved by violence," Roper said. "If someone owes a debt or perceives they've been disrespected, they choose a violent resolution which not only affects them and their family but this entire community.
"The bottom line is as a community we have to address the underlying socioeconomic factors that impact crime.
"We have a role to play, but an engaged community makes the difference. I believe as we continue to put violent offenders in jail and take illegal weapons off the street we will see homicides decrease during this year."
Join the conversation by clicking to comment or e-mail Robinson at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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NBA Games
Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks
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Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, jokingly demonstrates the workout he is using while recuperating from knee surgery while speaking to reporters at the American Airlines Center Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012, in Dallas. Nowitzki meet with reporters for the first time since arthroscopic surgery on his right knee that's supposed to sideline him for six weeks. (AP Photo/LM Otero)


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Transportation: World largely relies on bridges
A report in the News-Times concerning the Keystone ferry landing relocation and the size of the boats to be used, included a quote from our district Senator: The department (WSF) says one size fits all and that they are cheaper to maintain, but I think small boats could be interchangeable too.
In my experience, when a politician says, I think..., it usually means I dont know a thing about the subject at hand. I wonder if our senator has actually ever seen the Keystone ferry slip when a boat is docking in a 30-knot tailwind with a 10-knot tide current running along the beach. Its even more interesting after dark.
My purpose in writing is not to belabor the pluses and minuses of ferries. Lets not get out the tunnel vision mode of using ferries exclusively. Why is Puget Sound any different than San Francisco Bay, Chesapeake Bay, the English Channel, Sweden-Norway, and many other bodies of water all over the world? Those locations have bridges and tunnels that go for miles, withstanding earthquakes, hurricanes and ultra-heavy traffic.
Why couldnt an alternate I-5 be routed from Olympia up the west side of the sound with a series of bridges, puddle-jumping here and there, and therefore bypassing the Tacoma-Seattle-Everett bottleneck. On-off ramps could service places along the way. Whidbey would not have to carry all the through traffic we have on our roads now.
Instead of ferries built to last 75 years, what we need are forward-looking legislators (which we dont have now) representing the people of Washington in the U.S. Congress. There always seems to be funding available for everything else. Once built, user tolls can pay for it.
Dick Rose
Oak Harbor
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|[Yaesu] Please Accept My Resignation...
|firstname.lastname@example.com (Brian K. Short)
|Sun, 10 Aug 1997 04:47:20 +0100
Not that it has not been fun and educational, but it is time to focus again... For numerous reasons, I find it desirable to drop out as "admin" for this mailing list. My main interest right now is "classic" Yaesu radios (though I own an FT-1000d and an FT-1000mp...) and that type of discussion was moved to a different list created for the purpose (firstname.lastname@example.com). In all, I admin over 10 mailing lists (this being the only one at contesting.com), so it is time to focus on operating and maintaining my stations and equipment. The best place to look for volunteers is right here (and actually the complainers are probably the ones best suited to step forward at this point). There no bitter feelings or otherwise, it is just a bit of streamlining and downsizing. I suppose volunteers can contact me or Bill (W4AN - I think) who has been a god boss. 73, Brian Brian Short email@example.com http://www.qsl.net/k7on 1994 E Laguna Dr Tempe, Az 85282 (602)839-3484 -- FAQ on WWW: http://www.qsl.net/k7on/yaesu.html Submissions: firstname.lastname@example.com Administrative requests: firstname.lastname@example.com Problems: firstname.lastname@example.com Search: http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm
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Its definitely getting cooler in Brooklyn, but these wedding dresses from BHLDN are HOT, and perfect for a multitude of neighborhood venues.
From the team:
Earlier in the season, BHLDN met with florist, blogger and real-life bride-to-be (now newlywed), Lisa Przystup, in Greenpoint Brooklyn, where she starred in a shoot featuring the brand's favorite reception styles from the fall 2015 collection. The shoot was designed to capture Lisa at real-life hangouts in her Brooklyn neighborhood, wearing versatile, beautiful dresses.
We wanted our model to be someone who was relatable to our bride. Lisa, the owner of James's Daughter Flowers and a contributing style writer for Garance Doré, was the perfect choice because she radiates the easy-going yet sophisticated nature of the BHLDN brand and perfectly captures the beauty of the fall collection.
Photographer Christoper Gabello followed Lisa through a typical day in her life, beginning the afternoon in her flower studio-apartment before heading to grab a cup of coffee at the nearby Milk & Roses Café. Then the two went for a stroll along the Kent Street Brownstones, ending the day in McGolrick Park. Overall, the look and feel of the shoot is candid, natural, open and modern. Lisa's hair was kept very soft with loose texture and volume to mirror her everyday style, while her "barely there" makeup added to the bright and clean elements of the surrounding environment. With her wedding day right around the corner at the time of the shoot, Lisa's genuine happiness and excitement can be felt through every image.
Outfits featured:
Aurore Jumpsuit
Renata Sheath
Iva Crepe Maxi
[images by Christopher Gabello]


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The Cotswold Christmas Fair07/11/2016
Specialising in quality designed pieces from the UK's leading designer – makers and with a range of FREE workshops the Christmas Fair is the ideal event to find a perfect Christmas present or gift for yourself.
Strictly Come Prancing12/11/2016
Pull on your dancing shoes and get those toes tapping, Strictly Come Prancing is back for 2016!
Boot Led Zeppelin20/11/2016
It's been a long time since the rock n roll...
Absolute Bowie09/12/2016
Absolute Bowie: Celebrating the life of David Bowie. IN AID OF TEENAGE CANCER TRUST


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Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj - "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded- The Re-Up [CD+DVD]"
Nov 19, 2012
2012 expanded three disc (two CDs + DVD) edition of the R&B star's Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded album. This edition contains the standard edition of the album, a second disc with eight new songs and a DVD that features the album's music videos and 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage. Minaj worked on the album with a variety of producers such as Hit-Boy, Dr. Luke, Ester Dean, Rico Beats, RedOne and Oak. Includes the singles 'Starships', 'Roman In Moscow' and 'Stupid Hoe'. Nicki's debut album, Pink Friday, achieved commercial success quickly, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200 and being certified platinum a month after its release. Nicki became the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. Since the release of her debut, Nicki Minaj has become a true superstar, accumulating massive amounts of awards and accolades in the process.


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Add Internet Communications, Security, and Messaging to your Apps. Components for every major protocol from FTP to IMAP to SNMP, SSL and SSH security, S/MIME encryption, Digital Certificates, Credit Card Processing, ZIP compression, Instant Messaging, Shipping and Tracking, and e-business (EDI) transactions. Download Now!Sponsored Listing
- OSI-Approved Open Source (21)
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- Linux (22)
- Grouping and Descriptive Categories (17)
- Windows (16)
- Mac (14)
- Modern (12)
- Emulation and API Compatibility (3)
Top Apps
- Audio & Video
- Business & Enterprise
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- Home & Education
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ASCEND modelling environment
ASCEND is a modelling environment and solver for large or small systems of non-linear equations, for use in engineering, thermodynamics, chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology. Solvers for both steady and dynamic (NLA & DAE) problems, are provid101 weekly downloads
Linux GPIB Support
Linux GPIB Driver package (source)133 weekly downloads
ScriptBot is a scriptable IRC bot. Based on PircBot and BSF, it allows to fully customize the bot's behaviour by editing script files in the scripting language of your choice.30 weekly downloads
Eggdrop is the most advanced IRC robot available. It has been under development since December 1993, and unlike most other bots, it is still regularly updated.5 weekly downloads
srvRX live
A simple project for creating hosting server-a-like live distribution1 weekly downloads
Process Visualization Browser
ProcessViewBrowser & ProcessViewServer represent an OpenSource attempt to industrial process visualization. It is based on Qt and is very portable. (Now also available as commercial software)2 weekly downloads
GeoIRC is a stable, customizable, usable, scriptable, good-looking IRC client. The development team hopes to make it the client of choice for a significant portion of the IRC community.1 weekly downloads
GeoIRC is a stable, customizable, usable, scriptable, good-looking IRC client. The development team hopes to make it the client of choice for a significant portion of the IRC community.1 weekly downloads
Instigate GUI Toolkit
Instigate GUI Toolkit is an Abstraction for multiple GUI Toolkits allowing to write single GUI code which can run on multiple platforms and with multiple GUI back-ends. Now it supports QT and gtkmm back-ends on Linux. Work on GTK+ and EWL is ongoing.1 weekly downloads
Sakura HyperMedia Desktop
Sakura is a Knowledge Navigator and User Interface for UNIX, which implements HyperMedia and its own windowing and packing system, both in the main program and in an extensive API for Tcl and other languages.1 weekly downloads
Tools and utilities for IOAnywhere box
The API to the IOAnywhere network appliance is in the public domain. This project aims to create an LGPL'd library which exposes this API to Linux programmers.1 weekly downloads
e4Graph is a C++ library and a Tcl binding providing persistent, reliable, cross-platform storage for graph like structures. Please visit http://e4graph.sourceforge.net for more info.1 weekly downloads
Eggdrop is the most advanced IRC robot available. It has been under development since December 1993, and unlike most other bots, it is still regularly updated.1 weekly downloads
iCamp Codebase
iCamp is a research and development project funded by the European Commission. The project aims at creating an infrastructure for collaboration and networking in Higher Education across systems.1 weekly downloads
Advance lightweight module messaging system - allowing unlimited modules of different languages to interact with each other by hooking and sending events.1 weekly downloads
Mofo is a blanket name for several projects I am developing to help ease the burden of managing WebSphere Application Server.
In the spirit of Doug Bagley's Great Language Shootout, we provide our own, up to date version that we intend to run as an open source project, making it easy to contribute new tests, and easy to run the framework on your own computer.
Tk to HTML converter
The Tk to HTML converter presents a set of standard TCL-level Tk APIs, but instead of creating an X11 window, it outputs HTML forms which reproduce as closely as possible the original Tk user interface. Tk to HTML Is intended to let you "port" existing
dynamide is a dynamic web application framework for handling the presentation and business layers in a traditional web app. See http://dynamide.com
multisetup muli-os server for home nets
Multisetup is a networking application server that provides a multiple os, thin (multimedia) client based, legacy device friendly environment for home networks. Its an alternative to single OS networks and XP Media Center.
iPods, PDAs, and mobile phones are locked down. Thanks to hardcore hackers, you can run Linux-based software on them. Then you can transform them into true read/write tools that free you to create your own gadgets. We are working to make that easy.
svgl is a library for displaying SVG graphics with OpenGL. It is designed to be used in highly interactive graphical applications, in particular with new interactive techniques such as ZUI or see-through tools.


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In Lange v Georg Schünemann GmbH, the ECJ rules that an employee's obligation to work overtime whenever requested to do so by his employer was an essential element of the contract that had to be notified to him in writing.
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National Hot Chocolate Day is today, and Nestle, the company we think about for chocolate bars, chocolate milk powder and Toll House cookies, has a wide assortment of recipes for chocolate drinks inspired by various parts of the globe at its meals.com website.
The site has just been updated with new recipes in honor of National Hot Cocoa Day. Nutella fans will enjoy Hazelnut Hot Cocoa, which has spoonfuls of the popular spread stirred in. Like a little coffee with your hot chocolate? The Mocha Cocoa recipe blends milk, instant coffee and milk chocolate morsels for a mocha sweetened with honey and topped with whipped cream.
Hazelnut Hot Cocoa: Pour 3/4 cup of heated milk into a large mug; stir in an envelope of Nestle hot cocoa mix in Rich Milk Chocolate flavor, 1 to 2 tablespoons hazelnut spread (such as Nutella), a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
Nestle Toll House Hot Cocoa: Blend 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup Nestle Toll House® baking cocoa in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in 1/3 cup milk to make a smooth paste. Stir in another 3 2/3 cups of milk. Warm over medium heat, stirring constantly, until hot (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract. Pour evenly into 5 mugs. Top with whipped cream or miniature marshmallows, if desired, before serving.
Mocha Cocoa: Heat 4 cups of milk, 3/4 cup of milk chocolate morsels, 2 tablespoons Nescafe' Clasico instant coffee granules and 1 tablespoon honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until morsels are melted. Remove from heat. Pour evenly into 5 mugs. Top with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Looking for something more unusual? In addition to recipes for both hot cocoa and hot chocolate, meals.com also has recipes for Latin American chocolaty drinks such as Champurrado, which incorporate masa (corn) flour, and another hot chocolate with quick oats. There is more international flair with options such as cinnamon-infused Mexican-style cocoa, "German Chocolate" hot cocoa flavored with coconut extract and Irish hot cocoa with a touch of cream liqueur.


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|Get 3D-ish!
|It's a Free viewer. Just 99¢ to make your own.
02/12/2013 - The all new 3D-ish is finally here!
Higher quality images.
Works on more phones.
Separate folder of 3D-ish images.
Combined camera and viewer.
Can be used with front facing camera.
Timeframe trimming.
Life is good.
10/20/2012 - 1st mention of 3D-ish, a combined 3D-ish Viewer & 3D-ish Camera
3D-ish Viewer and 3D-ish Camera are getting a long overdue update and mergificationizing thingie action.
Compatible with more phones, better quality images, separate gallery folder, and more.
03/04/2011 - Version 3 of 3D-ish Viewer and 3D-ish Camera released!
Completely reworked and refined interface.
10/11/2010 - 3D-ish Viewer for Web Pages released!
Now you can put 3D-ish Photos on web pages! You're welcome.Learn how To add a 3D-ish Photo to a Web Page
09/23/2010 - 3D-ish Camera and 3D-ish Viewer released!
Today, 3D-ish Camera and 3D-ish Viewer were released as separate apps. Now if you want to take a photo, launch 3D-ish Camera; if you want to look at your 3D-ish photos, launch 3D-ish Viewer.
06/24/2010 - Version 1.1.0 released!
06/18/2010 - A User commented:
"Awesome but does not save multiple 3d images. You have to start over each time you want a new one. Allow for saving on SD card to share with friends."Did they not see the save button or is there actually a problem saving to the SD card?
06/17/2010 - 3 days old. 566 downloads!
06/14/2010 - Launch Date!
Web page and software
copyright © 2001-2013 John Oberschelp


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Congratulations to Kevin Giese, a senior lecturer in the Art & Design department and woodshop technician at Kenilworth Studios East, who recently won 1st place in the 3D category at the MacRostie Art Center's 20th Annual Juried Art Exhibition. Jay Coogan, president of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, served as the juror.
The exhibit will be on display through August 31. For more information about it, click here.


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Coyne's All-Americans: MCLA Division II
by Jac Coyne | LaxMagazine.com | Coyne Archive | Twitter
|Elon didn't make the tournament, but junior Colin
Madden was still one of the best midfielders in the
© Cecil Copeland
Five attackman, four midfielders, two LSM, two FOGOs, a shorty, four poles, a goalie. Ladies and gentlemen, your 19-man MCLA Division II All-America team. Seems a bit much, don't you think?
The America I believe in means only the finest players are recognized for their accomplishments during the year, meaning there can be just one squad.
As such, for the second year, I've put together my own All-America team.
It consists of 12 players – I've allowed for the addition of a faceoff middie and LSM in a nod to the specialization of the game – who I think have earned the distinction
The Coyne MCLA Division II All-America Team
Attack – Joe Costello, Senior – St. Thomas
The numbers were there again for Costello, who scored 56 goals and added 29 assists to lead the Tommies to the brink of their third consecutive national championship. Costello's impact was always felt beyond the numbers, and this year was no different. He was the motivational compass for the Tommies and pushed himself just as hard as he did the rest of the team.
Attack – Cameron Holding, Senior – Grand Valley State
Holding made his return to the MCLA after two years at NCAA Division II Florida Southern, and the results were predictable. He was spectacular, scoring 120 goals and dishing out 35 dimes for a national best 155 points. Holding cracked the double-digit goal barrier on four occasions (all against tourney teams) and had at least six goals 11 times, pacing the Lakers to a 19-1 record and a spot in the semifinals.
Attack – Jordan Richtsmeier, Sophomore – Davenport
Many would say Davenport's Shawn Beer should be in this spot and I wouldn't argue too much, but Richtsmeier was the straw that stirred the drink for the Panthers this year from my perspective. A talented scorer who operated at 'X,' Richtsmeier was a magician feeding both the crease and the wing, setting up the likes of Beer, Dominic Baggiano, Cody Cross and Sam Carlson. Richtsmeier finished with 41 goals and 67 assist for 108 points.
Midfield – Ian Bohince, Senior – Western Oregon
A multi-threat middie from the day he stepped onto the Monmouth, Ore., campus, Bohince finished up his career with another strong campaign. He scored 37 goals and dished out 21 assists, and had at least one goal in all 15 contests this year as the Wolves went 14-2 and advanced to the national tournament. While he has emerged as one of the premier offensive middies, Bohince would also take faceoffs and had the athletic ability to work on the defensive end of the field.
Midfield – John Larkin, Junior – Briarcliffe
The midfield position gets overlooked on the Bulldogs roster because most of the points run through the prolific attack unit, but Larkin was critical for Briacliffe's transition into the upper echelon of Division II. Larkin finished with 13 goals and 12 assists – relatively pedestrian numbers for an offensive middie – but his role as a facilitator for the Bulldog finishers won't show up in the stat sheet.
Midfield – Colin Madden, Junior – Elon
The Phoenix season was truncated by a decision not to participate in the national tournament, but it doesn't minimize the year Madden had. The Georgetown Prep product had a goal in every game, and had three or more markers five times as he finished with 28 goals and 16 assists. In the five games against tournament teams, Madden finished with eight goals and four helpers.
F/O – Marshall Serzen, Junior – Westminster
Because of stat-keeping reasons or website issues (we're still waiting for the final stats from the tournament games to be posted), numbers outside of G-A-P are strictly anecdotal in the MCLA. Some programs, like Westminster, which is an NAIA school and has a dedicated institutional website, makes things a little clearer, opening the door for Serzen to snag my FOGO All-American slot. He went 96-for-147 (65.3%) this season and was second on the team in ground balls.
LSM – Adam Bowers, Junior – Davenport
No (sane) individual argues the fact that Davenport had the toughest schedule in the country, and if the Panthers were going to navigate their way through it and win the national championship, they needed a good LSM. Bowers doesn't take your breath away when you see him on the field, but his ability to match-up with a dangerous offensive player as well as spring the transition game for the champs was impossible to ignore.
Defense – Matt Dowd, Junior – Dayton
Dowd was the best defender in the country in 2011 and showed it every week against some of the top competition in the division. He had the ability to be both a positional or takeaway defender, and was a ground ball vacuum. In the national semifinal game, Dowd gave St. Thomas fits, forcing the Tommies to move personnel in order to isolate Dowd.
Defense – Dan Comite, Senior – SCAD
When SCAD is running hot, it's due to a strong defensive unit. When SCAD keeps its opponents to seven goals are left, the Bees were 12-0 last season. Comite was the lynchpin of the backline and was also quite proficient when the ball was on the ground. He even chipped in with a goal and two assists this spring.
Defense – Jesse Amar, Junior – St. Thomas
At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and possessing the attitude of a former linebacker – Amar played on the Tommies football squad – the junior was a handful for the top attackmen in the country. He isn't a big take-away guy, but he can run with anyone. With his physical style, Amar limited GVSU's Cam Holding to just two goals – the lowest output of the season for the nation's leading scorer.
Goalie – Michael King, Sophomore – St. John's
He's not the most conventional goalie around, but he gets results. Despite daring forays out of the crease – including exhilarating end-to-end sprints – King posted a 62.8 save percentage against one of the tougher schedules in the country. He was also a monster in the big games, including a 24 save performance in the UMLL title game that lifted the Johnnies to the 10-9 victory over St. Thomas in overtime.
Player of the Year
Joe Costello, Senior – St. Thomas
It was tough to pin down Costello as an attackman or midfielder this year. Depending on what the Tommies needed, he would fill the role. In the current age of specialization, Costello's ability to be one of the premier attackman in the country and then get in the crouch for a big faceoff is all you need to know about his credentials. The first thing every team had to do, whether it was at the start of the game or coming out of timeout, was figure out where Joe Costello was. Most of the time, he wasn't where you wanted him.
Coach of the Year
Bob Clarkson - Davenport
Once Davenport advanced to the quarterfinals of the national tournament, the road was pretty clear. If the Panthers were going to win the championships, they'd have to avenge four of their five losses – Briarcliffe, Grand Valley State (twice) and St. Thomas. Thanks to the magic of Clarkson, it happened. He unlocked Briarcliffe's secret in the first round on the way to a 23-10 rout. He came up with a simple strategy to contain GVSU and the Lakers were mystified by it for the entire game. And then he used a brilliant motivational tactic to spur the Panthers to the championship game shocker over St. Thomas. The best coaches are not only versatile, but learn from their mistakes. No one was better at both than Clarkson in 2011.
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Memphis Grizzlies players are roaring through the first two rounds of the playoffs with impassioned play. Key players have wowed those unfamiliar with their prowess and a couple reserves have caught onlookers' attention.
The proudest performances are coming from the Grizzlies' core players, as Lionel Hollins has leaned hard on them. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are causing problems, as they're combining for 39 points per game. Mike Conley had a big first round and is continuing to punch it in the hoop like few knew he could before the Rudy Gay trade.
The Grizzlies' bench has been mostly quiet. Only Jerryd Bayless and Quincy Pondexter have jumped off their seats to score in double figures. Darrell Arthur is the only other Memphis reserve putting in double-digit minutes per game.
Follow along to see grades on every Grizzlies player who has put in significant minutes.
Stats are current through May 14 games.
Advanced metrics come from basketball-reference.com.


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Rank in the world is nothing in how you play.
How come I always win the blitz and lose the bullet? Shouldn't be the other way around? Arrgh!
Yermo also thinks MVL has a good chance to win the Sinquefield Cup.
None of the top 10 are really impressive in the Olympiad...except MAYBE Topalov.
danny won the bullet, but lost the blitz.
Thanks all. Blunders is just getting more and more fun, and (I think) better and better!
The Blitz and Bullet challenges make it exciting... because every time Ben is wrong I have a chance to prove it to him
Thanks for posting the full video - this was great!
WAIT A MINITE,........ Oh yea,GOOD
Go Ben! Lulz. Thank you gentlemen.
Morphy was the greatest......."question marks?" ....who's asking....how can you apply that kind comtempoaray perspective on games played a long , long time ago....the game was different....did Morphy have a "2nd?!?"......did he have engines to analyze....did he have arbitraters....time limits?.....tournamente rules and structure.....he dominated the field ....he did it it in unprecedent , time honored ways that drip validilty and are still worth study....Fischer felt Morphy was the best....Morphy deserves a place in that number...to say that he doesnt is wreaking myopic....New Orleans rules!!!! thank you
this video was awesome
At 05:05, Rensch said that Fischer and Carlsen weren't fairly matched, and I agree. Although Finegold has a point. Morphy was the greatest. Without him, Magnus won't have as much to build on. Pawn structure is important.
Great video. You guys are hilarious.
Daniel made two errors in the beginning, he gave pawns protect its important parts and at this level of the game it does not forgive
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October, 28, 2016
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S. Korea defense minister sorry for conscript death
August 5, 2014, 12:00 am TWN
SEOUL--South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-Koo apologized Monday following the death of a bullied young army conscript, while the presidential Blue House urged a full inquiry.
"I extend my sincere apologies," Han said in a televised statement, describing the death of the 23-year-old private as "an inhumane crime" that should not happen in a civilized society in the 21st century.
He vowed to punish anyone involved in the death and said an army division commander would be dismissed from his post and disciplined, together with other officers under his command.
Private Yoon died in April following an alleged assault by five soldiers, during which he was struck in the chest, causing a chunk of food to get lodged in his airway. He died of asphyxiation.
The five have been arrested on manslaughter charges after an initial investigation showed the private had been repeatedly bullied.
The case came on the back of two separate suicides by army privates last month, and a deadly shooting spree in June in which a sergeant killed five members of his unit for taunting him.
Investigators found Yoon had been the target of regular bullying and assaults, including sessions of crude water-boarding.


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The hard work paid off Sunday, which capped a key weekend of official on-campus visits for the Nittany Lions, as four prospects verbally committed to PSU.
The haul included FOX Sports NEXT four-star linebacker Zayd Issah, who previously committed to Penn State but then backed out when NCAA sanctions stemming from the Jerry Sandusky scandal hit the program in late July.
Issah, from Central Dauphin High in Harrisburg, Pa., picked Penn State over Oregon. He began to regain his comfort level with the Lions when he had a chance to spend time with O'Brien and the rest of the PSU staff in the last couple of weeks, according to his high school coach.
I think Coach O'Brien's visit to us and (Issah's) visit there kind of reminded him of all the things he was excited about this summer, Glen McNamee told FOX Sports NEXT.
Also committing to Penn State Sunday were:
DaeSean Hamilton, a FOX Sports NEXT three-star receiver prospect from Mountain View High in Stafford, Va.
Jonathan Walton, a FOX Sports NEXT two-star linebacker prospect out of Bayside Academy in Daphne, Ala.
Anthony Smith, a prep school (Valley Forge Military Academy) defensive back who will enroll at Penn State in January.
This has been a great day for Penn State because for the first time in a while, people are buzzing about recruiting and there is excitement about what is happening with the program moving beyond the 2012 season, FOX Sports NEXT Northeast recruiting analyst Brian Dohn said.
To me, getting four commitments in a day is great, but the highlights are Issah and Hamilton, Dohn added. That is not to disrespect the other commitments, but Hamilton and Issah are high-profile kids, and their decisions to go to Penn State will send a message to other recruits. Maybe not in the 2013 class, but it certainly gives Penn State some needed recruiting momentum heading into the 2014 class.
The NCAA sanctions limit Penn State to 15 scholarships for the recruiting class that will sign in February. The Lions already have 17 commitments.
But four of them -- FOX Sports NEXT five-star tight end Adam Breneman, three-star running back Richy Anderson, two-star defensive back Jordan Smith and Anthony Smith -- will enroll in January and thus can count against the class that signed in 2012.
O'Brien and his staff have room for two more February signees and one more early enrollee.
In his first season at Penn State, O'Brien led the embattled program to an 8-4 overall mark and a 6-2 record in the Big Ten. Saturday, he was named AT&T ESPN National Coach of the Year.


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Sen. Murray announces bill to boost federal money for ferries
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray announced new legislation Wednesday that could mean an increase of more than $35 million each year for the Washington state ferry system.
Murray unveiled the proposal, called the U.S. Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2009, at a press conference Wednesday.
The proposal would mean $200 million a year in federal funding for ferry systems across the country starting in 2010. It would run through 2015.
"This legislation is going to strengthen the federal investment," Murray, D-Wash., said in a conference call with reporters after the press conference.
"As someone who takes the ferry almost every weekend when I am home to get home, I know how critical this transportation is," she said.
Currently, Washington state gets about $5 million in federal funding for ferries each year, and can compete for grants for additional money.
Under the Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2009, half of the $100 million would be sent to states with ferry systems. The rest would disbursed through a grant process.
Murray, and U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, said the new arrangement would mean a boost in ferry funding to Washington state.
The funding could be spent on capital projects, new terminals and maintenance.
The money could also be spent on new ferries, but due to restrictions on ferry construction under Washington state law, it could not be spent on building new hulls.
Still, the funding — if the bill is eventually signed into law — would help the state ferry system's bottom line, said David Moseley, assistant secretary of the state Ferries Division.
"It provides some certainty to us," Moseley said.
He also noted the funding could increase the possibility that a new 144-vehicle ferry could be built in the coming years. The state Legislature has approved building a new 144-vehicle ferry in its just-approved transportation budget, but has not earmarked money for the vessel.
"It increases the possibilities a 144," Moseley said.
The funding could also be used for new terminals in Mukilteo and Anacortes, he said.
Larsen, a 2nd District Democrat, said the bill could go to the floor of the U.S. House in June, with a possible vote in July.
Murray said it was likely the Senate would take up the bill next year, as part of the reauthorization bill for transportation funding.
"Knowing the full plate we have in front of us, it may well be next year," she said.
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Crestview sets down Clippers
COLUMBIANA – The Crestview volleyball team put in extra work in the fourth set Thursday to beat Columbiana 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 26-24 at Crestview High School.
For the Rebels (1-1), Brooke Harper had 12 kills, two aces, six digs and 11 points. Lauren Harold had 14 kills, Abbie Gallagher had 12 kills, four aces, nine digs and 12 points, and Bri Cope had 48 assists, three kills and 17 digs.
For the Clippers (2-1), Shayla Ray had two aces, 10 digs and seven points. Hannah Hum had one ace, 21 digs and 11 points, Haley Tohm had four dig and five points, and Lauren Schlueter had 20 assists and 12 digs.
Columbiana won the junior varsity match 25-16, 25-15. Dee Dixon led the Clippers with five kills and three aces, while Emma Bailey had five kills for the Rebels.
The Clippers travel to Leetonia on Monday, while the Rebels head to Lisbon on Tuesday.
Salem 3, East Palestine 0
SALEM – The Salem volleyball team improved to 3-1 Thursday with a 25-12, 25-11, 25-5 win over East Palestine.
For the Quakers, Maria Shivers had 12 kills along with seven kills from Mackenzie McKee, and Kelly Barley had 32 assists and six aces.
Salem also won 25-16, 25-6 in junior varsity action. Laci Ewing led the Quakers with seven aces and two kills, along with Allee Davidson-Chuck with five kills.
The Quakers host Minerva on Wednesday.
Western Reserve 3,
Mineral Ridge 0
BERLIN CENTER-Western Reserve blew past Mineral Ridge 25-10, 25-14, 25-18 in volleyball action Thursday.
Rachel Maslach filled up the stat sheet for the Blue Devils (3-0) with 17 points, 10 kills, 13 digs, 18 assists and two aces.
Also for Western Reserve, Alexis Hughes had 14 points and Aleah Hughes had 19 kills.
Peyton Allen had 10 kills for the Rams.
Western Reserve takes on Wellsville Tuesday.
Beaver Local 3, Youngstown East 0
YOUNGSTOWN – The Beaver Local volleyball team had little trouble with Youngstown East on Thursday as the Beavers picked up the 25-8, 25-7, 25-10 win.
For the Beavers (1-1), Tannar Dolhun had four kills and three points, Camryn Jarrett had six kills, Ashlyn Milhoan had two kills, two assists, four digs and five points, and Lynsey Reckner had one kill, nine assists, 24 points, 12 aces and 10 digs.
The Beavers also won 25-7, 25-7 in junior varsity action, led by Kaitlynn Pugliano with eight points, Sam Kendall with seven points, and Carmen Pugliano with five points.
The Beavers also won the freshman match 25-4, 25-3. Megan Buchheit scored 10 points, along with nine points from Mikayla Shulas and eight points from Carsyn Hoppel.
The Beavers host Buckeye Local on Tuesday.
United 3, Lisbon 1
HANOVERTON-The United volleyball team notched its first win for new coach Don Conser, beating Lisbon 25-20, 26-28, 25-18, 25-19 Thursday.
Logan Daggy led the Eagles (1-3) with eight aces, 11 kills and two blocks, while Kassie Chestnut had seven aces and Claudia Rockhold had 12 kills.
For the Blue Devils (0-2) Kimmi Wiggers had eight kills and 24 digs, Taylor Siefke had four aces and 12 blocks and Hannah Hiscox had seven kills.
The Eagles travel to West Branch Saturday for a tri-match with the Warriors and Canton Central Catholic.
Salem JV's
SALEM-The Salem jayvee volleyball team beat United 25-8, 27-25 Wednesday. Elizabeth Aukerman led the Quakers (2-1) with nine aces, five kills and six assists, while Chole Cheresne had six kills and Ashley Foster had 14 assists.
Steubenville 3, Edison 1
STEUBENVILLE-Edison fell to Steubenville 19-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-20 in volleyball action Wednesday.
For the Wildcats, Cassady Jarvis had six points, 20 kills and two aces, Kayleigh Westbrook had 13 points and 13 digs and Caitlin Shannon had 30 assists.


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HUNTSVILLE, Alabama-- The holidays are right around the corner, and with them comes the chance for picture-perfect family photos. Whether the thought of having your picture taken makes you sparkle like a Christmas tree or sends you running for the hills with the pumpkin pie, I've compiled some tips to help you look, and feel, your best in all those family snapshots.
What to wear Whether you're watching the big game, chowing down on turkey, or ripping into presents, casual comfort is a plus. But if you want to look your best in photos, adding some style to that comfort is key. And yes, while this means I should probably rethink my planned Christmas Day ensemble of Santa Claus-printed flannel pajamas, in most cases, chic doesn't have to cancel out comfy. Here are some tips for looking your best.
"Your goal is to make your subject the focal point, not the outfit," said Lois Ann Reed Marin of Personal Couture. "You want the outfit to enhance the subject, so a bright, bold solid in the person's color palette is always a good choice. Be careful of using too many prints that distract from the subject or add unwanted volume."
Bulk is bad. With the camera adding 10 pounds, you don't want to add any more with big, bulky sweaters. Marin reminds us that thin layers that accentuate your best features are always a good look. Sleeves, jackets and wraps can also help conceal problem areas. Pump up your look with a standout accessory, but limit it to one piece. A great necklace or sumptuous scarf is a fun way to perk up your outfit. Sticking to dark colors will help you look thinner, but don't count out other shades; dressing head to toe in one hue can be just as slimming as black or dark blue.
"And of course, wear something that you are comfortable in and that feels like you," said Marin. "That comfort and confidence will come across in your picture."
Strike a pose
Just because you've loaded up on yummy treats doesn't mean you want to look like it in photos. Changing your posture or your angle can make you look significantly slimmer. All of our Huntsville Times photographers agree - angles matter. Whether standing or seated, you don't want to face the camera straight-on. For standing shots, place yourself at a 45 degree angle to the camera, place one foot behind the other with weight on your back leg and swing one shoulder closer to the camera. You'll be amazed at the difference. Aiming for perfect posture, whether seated or standing, will also up the wow factor. When seated, sit up straight, avoid leaning back into the chair, and cross one leg over the other. As Madonna famously, and incorrectly, crooned, "Strike a pose, there's nothing to it." Photos that pop take a bit of work but practice lets you make it look like a snap.
Face the facts
Everyone wants to put their best face forward in photos. One of the most common complaints? The dreaded double, or in same cases triple, chins. Don't be afraid to stick your neck out. Slightly lifting your chin and sticking your neck out makes your face look thinner and more flattering. It feels awkward but photographs beautifully. If your smile is a snooze, practice. Photo experts suggest touching your tongue to the roof of your mouth and, most importantly, keeping it behind your teeth.
Above all, relax and think happy thoughts. Whether it's puppies, football, visions of sugarplums dancing through your head, or how you don't have to see these people again for a year, smile with your eyes and let the happy show on your face.
The gang's all here
Posing a group can be a daunting task. There are often lots of people and you're short on time and space. Here are some tips and tricks for getting the gang together for a picture. Aim to have heads on different levels, with some people standing or sitting. Place some people on stairs or standing on the fireplace - a bunch of folks in a straight line is boring. It's all in the family, so have people scoot close together and pretend they like each other. Make sure no one is covered up, but don't get too creative; we've all seen those awkward family photos.
There's no need to break out the matching turkey sweaters, but it does help if you can coordinate people. Ask your friends and family to avoid extreme colors, prints or logos. Head-to-toe camouflage next to '80s neon pink won't translate well to film. And while I'm not advocating that the family photo shoot turn into a wrestling match, avoid standing on the end. The person on the end always looks heaviest. Top 10 tips for photographers
You don't have to be a professional photographer or have the fanciest camera to get stunning shots of friends and loved ones.
Here's our top 10 tips for taking tip-top photos.
1. Be prepared. Nothing annoys people more than being gathered for a photo and having to wait it out. Check your settings and your light before you call everyone in from watching the game or singing carols. Double-check your settings quickly after the first shot.
2. Notice how I said first shot? Take multiple shots. The larger the group, the harder it is to get everyone looking, smiling, with their eyes open, etc.
3. But be fast. Snap quickly and move on. The longer people wait around and are told to smile, the less the chance of you getting a good pic.
4. Get close. After all, you supposedly like each other, so don't be afraid to shoot close. Get as close as you can without cutting out anything important.
5. Get high. To keep your subjects happy, and looking their best, always shoot at eye level or higher.
6. Get in on the fun. Use a tripod and a camera with a timer or remote to get in on the family fun.
7. Don't go wide. Unless you absolutely have to, avoid using a wide-angle lens.
8. Shoot early. Don't wait until the party is winding down, or up, and crazy Aunt Edna has hit the sherry to start snapping away. People tend to look their best when they've just arrived, and getting the photos done lets people enjoy the festivities.
9. Change it up. Don't be afraid to move around and shoot from different angles.
10. Relax and have a laugh. If you're relaxed and having a good time, everyone else will be as well.


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Jeremi Suri, the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, is an expert on U.S. nation-building, modern international relations, contemporary foreign policy and protest and dissident movements.
The author of "Liberty's Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama," Suri looks to America's history to see both what it has to offer to failed states around the world and what the nation should avoid.
Suri is one of dozens of experts at the university who can speak to issues regarding the 2012 elections.