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CHICO — Trustees in the Chico Unified School District made it clear they want broad, community participation when it comes to deciding how the recently-passed $78 million school bond will be spent.
Wednesday night, the CUSD board of trustees passed a two-prong resolution that first sets in motion a process to identity projects, and then outlines the makeup of a Citizens Oversight Committee that will be a watchdog panel to make sure the money from the Measure E bond is spent in keeping with the promises made to voters.
The seven-member panel, who will serve for two years without any compensation, will include one member each from a business organization, a senior citizens' organization and a taxpayer association. It will also have two members with children or guardians in district schools. One of the parents is to be active in a parent-teacher organization.
Starting next week, the CUSD will begin advertising for people interested in being part of the committee both in print media and on the district's website at www.chicousd.org.
Each school will also begin internal meetings involving administration, faculty, students, staff, parents and community members to develop site priority lists.
Those lists will then go to the district's facilities and construction staff to develop more formal plans in categories including "student safety, deferred maintenance, technology, modernization, new construction" and others.
Andrea Thompson, president of the board of trustees, wanted to make it clear the district wants to involve the broadest possible number of community members in the process, whether they have kids in the schools or not.
Trustee Kathy Kaiser also pointed out trustees will conduct workshops and hearings along the way to further seek input on potential projects.
Trustee Jann Reed wanted to make sure a verbal promise made about the Measure E bond was formalized in writing.
Before the election, district officials assured the public that the bonds would be paid off with regular principal and interest.
However, there was some concern expressed by the public that the district could issue "capital appreciation bonds." With these bonds, no payments are made for years during which time the interest costs multiply dramatically.
A school district in San Diego County issued such bonds for about $105 million and the final payback was $981 million.
Reed wanted to guarantee in writing that the district would not issue capital appreciation bonds, and added that promise to the resolution that was passed unanimously.


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Does anyone know when main flow starts in California? Is it when almonds start blooming? Is it the fresh white wax combs an indication?
Does anyone know when main flow starts in California? Is it when almonds start blooming? Is it the fresh white wax combs an indication?
Nobody knows exactly when the main flow starts because we have many different micro climate in California. Even a half hour drive to another nearby city the weather changed quite a bit. One side is raining while the other side is sunny. But it seems like the further south is warmer than the further north location. L.A. grow the tropical plants all year long that we cannot grow over here. The warm weather has to do with the flow of things including nectar and pollens. I will keep a closer look at the flows of things this year. But every year is different a bit I think. I know that around March the warmer weather picks up a bit. You can feel the warm breezy Spring air blowing just like early Fall. So I would guess around April to May is the best time for the honey bee season here. Also, we have a late Fall flow too from August to October(last year) then the queen shuts down after that. I started beekeeping early this Fall on 2012 so this part I can monitor. It all depends on mother nature to do her works for us this year.
Talking to a beekeeper today, he said it is harder now. But I did not ask him what is hard maybe he meant the weather here this year. We'll just have to wait to see then. Maybe an experienced commercial beekeeper might be able to help with this answer.
>Nobody knows exactly when the main flow starts because we have many different micro climate in California.
Exactly, every neighborhood is different. Depends on your weather and honey plants. If you are near Eucalyptus globulous it might have started aleady and run for months. In San Mateo the heavy flow months are usually April and May, but there are flows and trickles all year from different plants blooming. Suburban Sacrament might be similar. Ask Ray Marler. I have a site near San Jose where the heavy flow is June and July.
I think once you have been keeping bees for a few years, you'll start to see when the flows are year after year, and that will be a good gauge. Obviously things can vary, but it's a good general window. I keep a log of bloom dates - it's actually pretty fun to go back over and see how things are changing from year to year. Here in my neighborhood in Redwood City, we've got tons of flowering pear which my girls love. When I take the dog on a walk, I look up and see and hear the buzz happening. Love it! Best bet is to have a good general idea and be ready with supers.
This is what ive noticed around Livermore: The mustard should be blooming or is starting to bloom now, ive seen it blooming in some areas already, good pollen plant it seems. Like Ollie said, Eucalyptus with the big white globes are blooming right now and seem to go for a couple months. The privet trees started blooming last year in mid February and were covered in bees. Citrus started blooming in March. Almonds in February. Manzanita was around March or April I believe, rosemary was in April I believe, Wild black berries started blooming in May. Star thistle started blooming in July through September , although it was very sparse, not even enough to feed the bees! September started seeing the tar weed bloom which helped my country bees with pollen and nectar.
City bees are where its at, food all year long from something blooming at all times!!
Coyote Creek Bees
No natural flow yet. Maybe in March or April is the real one. Planting some plants to help them along before then. I try to help them a bit by planting late frost resistant vegetables and herbs like canola, mustard, broccoli, snow peas, kohlrabi, collard and borage. The borage and sunflower I plant them in a pot. The canola and mustard bloom all year long so that will help in the winter time. But not enough compared to a real natural flow. Maybe I am thinking to have acres and acres of canola or mustard that would help a lot.
Here there is some mustard, & eucalypti in bloom. ornamental fruit trees will start in a couple weeks followed by regular fruit trees.
In the summer June July we get some good honey from california privet.
Is there (possible) a honey harvest in July-August within Sacramento city limits (urban)? Given strong hives, of course.
For sure! I may be extracting the first round next month! The bees are packing it away and capping it!
Coyote Creek Bees
I believe I'm zone 9b here. Not sure what's coming in right now.
Watch the landing boards. Fat bees or pollen loaded? I've got pollen coming in here right now. Not sure from what.
Here toward the coast we never stop flowing! The suburban landscape is in full bloom, the wild landscape already did their manzanita coyote bush bloom. Hotter climates are getting ready to go into a dearth. It all depends on where you are and what is around you, watch the bees they will let you know!

subset: commoncrawl


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I took my AMT Backup completely apart, polished everything that moved or rubbed, stoned the hammer-to-trigger-bar contact areas, and polished the finger-contact surface of the trigger to a mirror shine and smoothness.
Its trigger pull is still off the scale (more than 10 pounds) but it feels subjectively much lighter.
The one modification that did the most, all by itself, was polishing the trigger surface! Who would'a thunk?


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To download a free copy of Achieving Educational Excellence for All: A Guide to Diversity-Related Policy Strategies for School Districts, go to www.nsba.org/educationexcellenceforall.
By Arthur L. Coleman, Francisco M. Negron Jr., and Katherine E. Lipper
Education in the U.S. is at an important crossroads. Challenges abound -- ranging from our ability to educate students with the knowledge and skills required of a 21st century workforce to the ongoing challenges of budgets and the need to "do more with less." Amplifying our collective national challenge is a demographic reality: Significantly larger segments of our emerging workforce will come in future years from low-income and racial and ethnic groups that often have been the least well-served by our schools.
With these challenges come opportunities. As a nation, we have clear national and nonpartisan agreement that education plays a critical role in ensuring that we produce citizens who can meet the challenges facing our nation -- and that we must invest, and invest wisely, for those aims to be achieved.
Part of that investment must include a focus on current resources and ways we can leverage those resources to benefit all students. We must ensure we are paying attention to a resource that is a given in many districts -- the diversity of the student population -- and capitalize on this resource to enhance learning, achievement, and success.
Successfully addressing student diversity in public schools is no more about numbers for numbers' sake than it is about diversity for diversity's sake. Meaningful strategies will, rather, focus on leveraging and enhancing existing diversity among students as part of the educational enterprise -- working to promote academic and educational outcomes that school district leaders seek through programmatic efforts inside and outside of the classroom.
We have co-authored a policy guide, Achieving Educational Excellence for All: A Guide to Diversity-Related Policy Strategies for School Districts, to provide school boards, district leaders and staff, community leaders, and parents practical guidance on policy issues associated with student diversity. It is designed to help you frame conversations around diversity, with a particular emphasis on education policy development and community engagement, so that you can help your district meet its educational goals.
Student diversity—then and now
In the two decades following 1954's Brown v. Board of Education, school districts focused on curing problems of the past, acting to end legally imposed segregation of students on the basis of race. Federal courts consistently held that the districts' remedial interest -- remedying the present effects of past discrimination -- could justify these race-conscious considerations in appropriate circumstances.
The most intensive period of school desegregation occurred from 1968 to 1972. During this period, the percentage of black students in severely segregated schools dropped from 64.3 percent to 38.7 percent. Later U.S. Supreme Court cases established scope and time limitations for these remedial policies. Once a district established that it no longer operated separate school systems for white and nonwhite students (achieving so-called unitary status), it had satisfied the remedial purposes of the desegregation order.
School districts are not required to exercise desegregation policies in perpetuity. Said differently, they are not obliged to overcome the legacy of societal discrimination, which is too broadly based for a single district to have a realistic chance of having a positive impact on it.
Perhaps more to the point, the concept of legally mandated racial integration supported by a historical, remedial rationale has significantly less relevance to districts now than in decades past. Much of district energy today focuses on the educational, civic, and economic benefits that often result from well-developed policies and strategies that are mission-focused and forward-looking.
This reflects a major shift in how education leaders think -- and act -- with respect to diversity issues. Notably, although legal issues are never far removed from the conversation (or so it seems), this shift reflects a move from an externally imposed set of obligations -- required by courts or federal agencies to correct for past wrongs -- to institutional choices.
Against this backdrop, districts should ensure that diversity-related policies and strategies are pursued as tools that promote core educational benefits -- not to achieve diversity for its own sake. By doing so, they can ensure that they are on solid footing -- both legally and practically.
Defining diversity
Diversity is a multidimensional, broadly inclusive concept that acknowledges and embraces the richness of human differences. As a practical matter, it is vital that a school board define diversity with sufficient clarity, given the inherent ambiguity of the term and the frequently ill-informed debates that surround it.
Properly understood and used, the term "diversity" is not code for race, ethnicity, or gender by themselves. While a school board's concept of diversity may include these factors, it should be far more comprehensive, encompassing relevant attributes and experiences that can influence learning in and out of the classroom.
Indeed, when addressing the diversity of your student body, multiple factors may be considered. Many district policies across the country include, in addition to race, ethnicity, and sex, references to socioeconomic status, neighborhood, language status, special education needs, academic performance and potential, record of achievement, community or civic engagement or interest, and more.
In California's Berkeley Unified School District, for example, elementary school students are assigned to schools based on parental choice, a diversity index of the student's neighborhood (determined by the racial, socioeconomic, and adult education levels of all neighborhood residents), and priority categories that relate largely to the proximity of their school of choice and siblings attending the school of choice. For assignment to small, specialized programs at Berkeley's one high school, the assignment policy also takes into account special education and English language learner status.
In San Francisco, student assignment factors include parental choice, geographical proximity to school, and a "diversity index" that measures socioeconomic status, academic achievement, home language, and extreme poverty of individual students. In St. Louis Public Schools, the district's interdistrict assignment policy reflects consideration of parental choice, residential address, race, behavioral history, and special education status.
Further, the board's concept of student diversity does not have to remain static. For example, after being released from a mandatory desegregation order, Texas' Ector County Independent School District met the challenge of maintaining diversity head on by redefining it. Diversity now goes beyond traditional classifications such as white, black, or Hispanic to include giftedness, socioeconomics, primary language, special learning needs, and race.
As these examples make clear, a district's definition of diversity should not reflect a one-size-fits-all model, but one that includes specific goals and needs, with consideration of history and present day realities. Ultimately, diversity-related policies should be framed in light of the educational objectives the board seeks to achieve, not around the attainment or maintenance of numerical population-related targets.
Changing the conversation
No serious discussion of diversity in our public schools can or should take place without community involvement. Perhaps more than any other governmental entity, school boards and their decisions directly affect a community's citizens.
This role places your board in a prime position to enlist the input and support of parents and community leaders on a variety of issues, including advancing your district's diversity goals. Community engagement and outreach requires that school boards carefully frame conversations about a diversity-related policy like student assignment so everyone understands its purpose, rationale, and substance.
For instance, the building of new schools and the drawing or re-drawing of attendance zones may elicit strong public comment that centers on the proposed action's potential effect on personal interests. But this issue presents an opportunity for the board to lead the community by shifting the conversation to one about diversity as an educational value.
When established, diversity-related policies should be pursued to advance larger educational goals such as realizing higher student achievement, preparing students to be competitive in a global economy, and inculcating civic and democratic values. School boards must be clear about these larger goals, ensuring that educational and lay communities fully understand your purpose and rationale behind any diversity-related policy.
In the post-integration world, this means helping the public understand that a diversity program is not necessarily remedial and intended to correct past wrongs, nor is it about racial balancing, affirmative action, or special benefits to a particular group. Rather, diversity is about reaping the academic and educational benefits for all students that can flow from a diverse student body. Practices at the school complement and reinforce the policy through curricular and extracurricular offerings and student services that acknowledge and celebrate student differences.
Engaging the community
School boards routinely engage the public in a variety of ways, and many of those avenues of communication are assets for carrying out the diversity conversation.
Many districts conduct regular workshops and hearings with specific time slots on their agendas for citizen input. In fact, because state laws often govern local policymaking, many boards must conduct public hearings before policies are formally adopted. In policy development, boards often rely on citizen advisory committees, with members providing both lay and professional perspectives that can prove invaluable.
Community and business leaders are important voices in the discussion, often offering potential solutions that enrich the public debate and highlight the importance of diversity to the business community. After Wake County, N.C., changed a student assignment plan based on socioeconomic factors to one that favored assigning students to neighborhood schools, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce proposed an alternative that it felt would retain diversity. Instead of basing student assignment on socioeconomic status or race, the chamber's plan proposed using student academic performance. According to the chamber president, diversity by achievement is good for business.
Similarly, citizen advisory committees, especially when a school board is addressing controversial policy areas, can help reduce tensions and garner support. In Rock Hill, S.C., the district sought to minimize racial isolation in its early grades through a student assignment policy targeting new elementary schools. The result was fierce debate, a lawsuit, and a new majority on the school board.
The school district, however, learned a valuable lesson in community engagement. When the board extended its diversity efforts to the high school level, a citizen committee was appointed to inform its work. The result was markedly different. Tensions were reduced, and the district educated community members about how changing the school boundaries would minimize student isolation.
In 2010, the Boston Public Schools faced a challenge when leading civil rights groups charged that the district was not engaging the community about its student assignment process. The group's recommendations to improve engagement included creating a task force to address specific challenges, involving community organizations and local foundations in the diversity dialogue, and expanding media awareness. All of those suggestions are mechanisms that districts nationwide can use.
Additionally, it is a mistake to assume that communities -- particularly majority white communities -- naturally balk at the diversification of their schools. Earlier this year, affluent, predominantly white parents in suburban Fairfax County, Va., objected to the district's proposal to rezone their children out of a highly diverse high school into a less racially and economically diverse one. Importantly, the parents opposing the rezoning cited the original school's diversity as one of its positive influences. One said keeping the school diverse is "the right civic decision, the best policy for future generations."
Legal considerations
School boards also must examine potential legal implications, particularly to the extent that the policies include consideration of race or ethnicity as factors in student assignment. Federal courts use different legal tests for policies, depending on whether the policy classifies persons on the basis of race, ethnicity, and national origin (which requires the most stringent test, strict scrutiny); sex and gender (which requires intermediate scrutiny); or other characterizations (which requires the lowest level of scrutiny, rational basis).
Strict scrutiny requires policies to serve a very significant educational end (a "compelling interest"), one vital to the district's success in pursuing that goal. The methods used must be carefully calibrated ("narrowly tailored") to achieve those ends.
When determining whether to include race and ethnicity as part of a diversity policy, race-neutral alternatives may merit consideration. These include assigning students based on their socioeconomic or achievement status, and establishing magnet schools, lotteries, or multifactor indexes to determine student placement.
Ultimately, your board can employ various means to pursue diversity-related goals that are aligned with evidence-based educational goals. In deliberating about how to properly design your student assignment policy, take these steps to ensure that it is legally sustainable:
• Connect the use of race to educational goals, not just district demographics (which could result in an impermissible quota system).
• Review social science research that examines the interplay between racial diversity and academic achievement or other educational benefits, and apply that research to the district's context.
• Clearly articulate how and when race is employed to assign students. Avoid using blunt categories that ignore important racial and ethnic nuances within a student population, reflecting "a limited notion of diversity" (e.g., "white" and "nonwhite").
• Ensure the use of race or ethnicity in student assignment is necessary to realize a discernable effect on student assignment.
• Consider and, where appropriate, try race-neutral alternatives first.
Remember, conversations around these issues will become part of the record in a legal challenge. Consequentially, the terms used and the purposes stated in meetings (including public meetings) are particularly important because they can demonstrate the board's defensible intent. If questions arise about racial balancing in a discussion, those supporting the particular student assignment policy must be able to rebut racial balancing as a motivation. This shows the board's real focus was not on conferring special benefits based on race, but rather on student achievement goals.
A student assignment plan may face the greatest risk of litigation, and a successful legal challenge, if the district can't explain persuasively the connection between the policy's race- and ethnicity-conscious means and the compelling ends sought. The plan may not satisfy legal requirements if you can't show that race-neutral alternatives have been considered, if determinations are made on an individual (not system-wide) basis, or if the use of race and ethnicity is so minimal that other methods might be as or more effective.
Other considerations
Considering a new or revised student assignment plan also should entail a carefully deliberated process of evaluation. In other words, your board should "do its homework" to ensure the plan's success and sustainability. Ultimately, diversity-related policies must be developed using a transparent process that is understood and followed by everyone.
Before establishing or refining a policy, a school board should gather relevant information about its context and history. This exercise may take weeks, months or, for some large districts, even a year or two. Specifically, the board should examine district demographic information (including race and socioeconomic status), any governing court orders, relevant local or state laws, the educational effects of any current or previous assignment plans (both race-conscious and race-neutral), and political structures. Also, you should give substantial consideration to community values and interests.
Ultimately, the board should scrutinize student assignment, both generally and within the context of its specific needs and circumstances. Public outreach can and should be informed by the background information you collect, and school boards should anticipate criticisms by preparing persuasive responses and by considering public messaging.
Finally, districts periodically must review and evaluate the design and operation of policies to ensure they are achieving the desired results. Periodic review is legally necessary for policies that are race- and ethnicity-conscious. This ensures any consideration of race and ethnicity continues to serve compelling interests in appropriately calibrated, narrowly tailored ways.
The U.S. Supreme Court has not specified how often periodic review should occur, but you should look at student assignment and other diversity-related policies every few years, and more often when necessary. Working with an interdisciplinary team of key district officials, knowledgeable staff, experts in research and evaluation, and lawyers, the board should examine all relevant data -- including student demographics and academic achievement over time -- to determine whether the policy is having its intended effect.
Also, talk to other school districts that have tried different methods, including race-neutral means, to achieve similar outcomes. Hold public hearings and be receptive to public feedback from the community as well as from students and families. Consider whether other design options (including race-neutral alternatives) would be as or more effective at achieving the district's goals, and document the board's rationale for discarding alternatives where appropriate.
Beyond the legal requirement of periodic review, this evaluation is critical in the successful development and implementation of any diversity-related policy. Meaningful evaluation helps your board improve, enhance, or initiate the conditions that must be in place for the policies to be effective, drive continuous improvement, and help you realize your objectives.
Ultimately, a school board must ensure that the goals of the diversity policy are reflected, complemented, and reinforced in the classrooms and hallways. Boards must work with schools to support their diverse student populations through curricular and extracurricular offerings and student services that create a culture in which student difference is acknowledged and celebrated.
Arthur L. Coleman is a managing partner and co-founder of EducationCounsel LLC, an affiliate of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. He served as deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights from 1997 to 2000. Francisco M. Negrón Jr. is associate executive director and general counsel of the National School Boards Association. Katherine E. Lipper is a policy and legal advisor for EducationCounsel LLC. This article was adapted from Achieving Educational Excellence for All: A Guide to Diversity-Related Policy Strategies for School Districts, a joint publication of the National School Boards Association, Education Counsel LLC, and The College Board. To download a copy, go to www.nsba.org/educationexcellenceforall.
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The SBAメs Export Working Capital Program (EWCP) assists exporters seeking short-term export working capital. This program enables U.S. exporters to obtain loans to fund their direct export costs. The EWCP supports single transactions or revolving lines of credit. The maximum dollar amount of an export line of credit under this program is $5 million. SBA guarantees up to 90 percent of a loan amount or $ 4.5 million, whichever is less. Loan maturities are generally for a term of 12 months. The guaranty can be reissued for an additional 12 months through a new application process. The guaranty fee the SBA charges is 0.25 percent of the guaranteed amount of the loan for the initial 12 months. The borrower negotiates the interest rate and all other fees with the lender. The program offers flexible terms, low fees and a quick processing time. For information, see www.sba.gov/exportloans.
Learn More: http://www.sba.gov/exportloans
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Sheriff: Calls about missing jury duty are fake
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho - Calls and messages claiming you have missed jury duty and that there is a warrant out for your arrest are fake, the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.
The message tells the recipient to call (704) 319-7254.
The Jury Commissioners Office in Bonneville County has been receiving telephone calls from people receiving these messages.
It is someone's way of playing a joke on people, or an attempt to defraud people of money, Sgt. Jeff Edwards said.
Bonneville County will not call if you miss a jury duty appearance. It will either mail a letter to your home, or have a deputy come to your home and serve a summons for fail to appear.


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First of all, I would just like to note that this is my 100th post, so that's cool.One think that baffles me is that GM didn't even get a full-size entry in this competition. As far as I'm concerned, there shouldn't have been anything other than full-size trucks in this competition. My question is, what criteria is used for making these decisions. You would think that trucks would be judged on ride, comfort, style, off-road capabilities(these are trucks right), towing, and payload. Well, me and my dad test-drove a Ridgline. It had a nice ride, and it was comfortable, I'll admit that. But, it resembled an Accord more than it did a truck.What do you fellas use your truck for? Hallin' stuff right. That's what trucks are inteded to do...not to give you a spot under the bed to put your tackle box when your going fishing...nobody cares about that. This so called Truck of the Year has a payload capacity of 1500 pounds!!! It has a towing capacity of 5000 pounds!!! The F-150 and Silverdo can tow twice as much, and the Ram isn't too far behind(I believe 9500 lbs).This so called Truck of the Year has more hp than tourqu!!! Only...247 hp and 245 lbs of tourqu. That is pathetic. Those ratings aren't even truck worthy as far as I'm concerned. The title was basically giving to the truck with the best ratios...and that was the Honda. But, truck owners don't look at that. I would say 75% of people who buys trucks want it for the power...not the lack of power, as the Honda Ridgeline.The best feature this vehicle has for a truck is the dual motion tailgate. My dad halls a lot of steel in his truck, and he has to put it on with a fork truck. The only problem is, the tailgate kind of gets in the way. I will say that is a feature that all trucks should have. Oh ya, he halls 1500 lbs, which is the Honda's max capacity, at least once a week. Usually it's 500 to 1000.What is this country comming to when a mid-size, foriegn truck, is being crowned Truck of the Year. The Ridgeline is a very poor excuse for a truck if you ask me. As far as I am concerned, I would have given it to the Dodge Ram Mega Cab, even though it looks rediculous. 610 lbs of tourqu! That's awesome. That is a truck. That Cummins diesle is a tremendous engine and has some huge balls. One more thing. IMO, if it doesn't pull at least 9000 lbs, it's not a truck.
9000lbs of towing to be a truck? that's pretty picky imo. i dont think midsize trucks tow that much, but they're still trucks.dont get me wrong, i think ridgeline is a minivan with a cool trunk.
Trucks have always been made to pull and hall stuff. 9000 lbs may be a little picky, but a real, tough, brute truck can hanlde more than your pop-up camper and fishing gear. Am I the only one that is just furious about this? It really bothers me that they can call a Ridgeline, Truck of the Year.
Quote: One more thing. IMO, if it doesn't pull at least 9000 lbs, it's not a truck.
There's a whole post devoted to this already, "Oh my god" or something along that lines. I think it's a good pick, to reiterate my statements why in the other posts; not a full size, most people don't need that. Transverse mounted motor, more leg room, less hood space. AWD, people rage about 4wd, but in snow/rain at highway speeds AWD makes me smile. It's the perfect truck for people who want a truck, but really should be driving a mini-van.
I completely agree; however, the MT Truck of the Year shouldn't be based on a truck for soccer moms. If that be the case, make a new catagory for mid-size trucks, and they can battle it out in a category where they actually fit in. But to say it is a better truck than an F-150, Silverado, or Ram is just obserd! IMO, the ridgeline does not deserve this specific award. It should be judges with trucks from it's own class: Raider, Colorado, Tacoma, and Canyon.
The reason that GM didnt get a full sized entery is, the truck has to be new or drastically redesigned for it to be elagable.
The Ram 1500 isn't that much different, the only one i can think of right now (besides visual) is the suspension.
Why shoudln't it be based on soccer moms, or tax attorneys, or city folks buy/sell large armoirs; the point is, like it's architecture or not, it's a truck; live with it. It may not be a work truck, but it is a truck. It's like saying Smirnoff Ice isn't a malt-liquor because women drink it and it doesn't taste like poison.
So you are basically implying that Ridgeline is a better truck than Ram 1500, 2500, and Lincoln LT? That is the most far fetched thing I have ever heard. It's nice, but it isn't worthy of MT 2006 TOTY.Lincoln LT is basically the same thing as F-150, right? Other than interior refinements, the two trucks are nearly one in the same, just as Avalanche and Escalade EXT. Correct me if I'm wrong, but F-150 was named MT 2004 TOTY. So why in this instance would it be different. In fact, MT didn't have too much good to say about the LT, which basically contradicts everything they said about the F-150. I'm not saying the LT should have been truck of the year; however, I would've picked Ram 2500 with the newly tuned Cummins Deisle which puts out 610 lbs of touque...more than twice as much as the Ridgeline. It's a nice truck, but it isn't capable of doing what trucks have been built for in the past 60 years.
Transverse mounted engine is a good thing?? I fail to see ANY reason why this is a good thing. It may give you less hood space (so what), but it also gives you an even more crowded engine compartment. Also, explain to me how AWD is better then 4WD at highway speeds? Most new trucks have an automatic 4WD option that the driver can select. When this option is engaged, if a wheel slips, then 4WD engages. Or, you could just keep 4WD High engaged. So how is having AWD better? All that will do is just wear out steering and front suspension components faster, along with tires. Its a joke. The Ridgeline won simply because it has to be the most significant truck in its class because its the only truck in its class.
Take a Ride on the Wild Side
5 stars dude! I agree 110%. AWD sucks!!! It wears out and by the time you get to 150,000 miles, you will start having problems with it. Granted, it will do pritty good in the snow, but it's constently on, therefor it is constantly wearing out your front end.Also, another reason Ridgeline won, was due partially to it's towing ratios. The damn thing only has a 4540 lb curb weight, and it's payload capacity vs Curb weight ration was the highest of the 6 at 33%. Which doesn't mean anything considering it's payload capacity id only 1500 lbs!!!It didn't even have anywhere near the best braking distances loaded and unloaded, nor did it have the best 0-60 times loaded. It's a pathetic truck. I'm sorry. I'm not to sure what is going to happen to this country if we continue to buy foreign vehices. DID YOU KNOW; FOR EVER 5 FOREIGN CARS PURCHASED, 1 AMERICAN WILL LOSE HIS JOB. Up hear in Michigan, in the past 2 years, we have had 3 plants scheduled to close. I'd just thought I would throw that out there.
Here's why 4wd sucks: with 4wd all of the wheel are turning at the same time, even on cornering (inside weel and outside turning at the same rate is bad). AWD uses limited slip differentials to regulate power to the wheels efficiently, not just through brute force. The only time 4 beats A is when pullling ou of muck/DEEP snow/rocks-- slow, grunt-dependant situations. In all other cases AWD is superior. As for the transverse mounted engine giving more in-cab space (though I'm reluctant to call it a cab), you don't have to worry about the bell housing of the tranny, or the transmission itself encroaching either.
It'd be impossible to drive a vehicle if all 4 tires were pulling. That's why one rear tire spins and one front tire spins (in 4WD), unless you have a limited slip rear end, then both back tires spin, with one front tire. Either way, the Ridgeline was a poor choice, even with the weak field. IMO, the Dodge MegaCab should have won. It takes heavy duty trucks to a new level.
Take a Ride on the Wild Side
Everyone seems to forget that just the regular Ram 1500 Quad Cab was included too, because it received an update for 2006. That is a good quality truck, and it could have, and most likely should have won.


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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls
The Health and Human Performance Department offers majors in health and physical education, exercise and sports science, health and wellness management and a graduate degree in clinical exercise physiology. Our students benefit from the university's state-of-the-art technology and modern sports facilities. With experienced instruction from a supportive faculty, we prepare our students for a variety of health-related careers, including: cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and teaching, teaching health and physical education, health management, adapted physical education, coaching, and physical and occupational therapy. More importantly, we foster a commitment to lifelong physical activity and healthy lifestyles that enrich the lives of others.


text:
Aug. 14, 2011
Photo Gallery 1
For UTSports.com
KNOXVILLE - Tennessee Football Media Day is not the cut-and-dry team photo day that you would expect when entering the gates of Neyland Stadium. It's a day where you'll find Justin Hunter turning backflips for the camera. Rajion Neal singing "Rocky Top." Vols from all over the depth chart turning in legendary performances for the camera. Matt Milton attempting to style Tyler Bray's hair. It is a day for local and national media to gather elements that they will use throughout the 2011 season.
CBS Video Shoot - Lauricella Center - 3 p.m.
For some players, the day started a little earlier than others. Bray, Justin Hunter, Malik Jackson, Brent Brewer and others were selected to participate in a pair of video shoots for CBS Sports' coverage of the SEC. Various scenes shot with the players in the first session will appear on CBS broadcasts that the Vols are a part of, while shots from the second will be a part of the opening sequence for CBS's coverage of every SEC game.
For Brewer, in his second year at Tennessee after a stint in Minor League Baseball, the level of attention even on days like this is intense, and an extra level of motivation.
"It's unbelievable," the sophomore defensive back said. "It makes you want to work even harder for the fans. I can't wait for all of this to air for my family to see on national TV."
Senior defensive lineman Malik Jackson agreed as he walked between the two CBS shoots.
"Everybody is watching every Saturday on CBS," Jackson said. "I know my family will be watching every week back in California, but it's great that the whole country sees it. I'm glad to be a part of it."
Team Photo - East Stands - 4 p.m.
In the stands, the team and coaching staff assembled in numerical order for the traditional team photo. To speed the process, the Tennessee Media Relations staff labeled seats for all the players. Two guys that didn't need to consult their seat labels were sophomore kicker Michael Palardy and senior defensive lineman Ben Martin, numbers 1 and 99 in your programs, respectively. Palardy said having the first seat was the only natural advantage his jersey number came with. Martin had a bit more fun with it.
"That's the reason I picked the number," Martin said, tongue planted firmly in-cheek. "I just get to sit at the top and wait for everyone else to sit down."
The team photo also marks the only time all day that every person in attendance, players, coaches, staff and media are all in the same place. Media from every corner of the state assemble near the sideline to get their own shot of the 2011 edition of the Volunteers. From here the team splits between offense and defense, rotating between additional video shoots in the locker room and media interviews on the field.
UT Broadcasting Videoboard Shoot - Peyton Manning Locker Room Complex - 4:15 p.m.
Inside the space where 20 days later the Vols will put their game faces on for the opener against Montana, players were having a bit more difficulty with that game face for Barry Rice and his award-winning UT Broadcasting team.
"We've got to do the `tough guy' look," senior quarterback Matt Simms said.
The up-close video shots are used for starting lineups and other features on the videoboard at Neyland Stadium during home games and for player segments on Vol Network video broadcasts, such as the weekly "Derek Dooley Show." Keeping a serious look is difficult with half the team standing just beyond the camera's view.
"The guys are always behind you trying to say the most obvious thing they can to make you laugh," Simms said after his time in front of the camera had concluded. "Guys have a hard time keeping a straight face. That's why there's a huge line, they're taking their time, enjoying the fun while they can."
Offensive Staff and Player Interviews - Shields-Watkins Field - 4:30 p.m.
Back out on the field, Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney was meeting the media, one of his occasional appearances during fall camp. That is a stance that suits Chaney.
"I prefer one man speak for the program and I'm a big fan of that man's media policy," he said. "I'm popular with the media because I'm fresh, they don't get to talk to me every day. You could get anyone up in front of a camera to say what I say, everyone just loves it because it's different."
Tennessee players that speak to the media frequently relish the opportunity to go a little outside of the box on media day. Sophomore wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers said he loved showing off his more playful side on Media Day.
"It's fun," Rogers said. "We get to come out here and really tell people how we're feeling. These are the kind of interviews you can have fun with and joke around a little bit."
Martin missed Media Day a year ago after undergoing surgery for a torn Achilles two days before. Having the opportunity to participate was another step on his road back this season.
"It feels good just to be back out here with these young guys like this fine young receiver," Martin said, playfully pounding his fist on Rogers' shoulder pads." I'm so excited to play with him now, have him pushing me around."
Junior tight end Mychal Rivera was just hoping that no one in the media asked him to take on a role that his sister Naya is well known for - singer.
"I'm only halfway through the day, so you had better ask me on the way out," he said when asked if there had been any singing requests. "Don't give them any ideas. I know somebody will ask me to. I'm not doing it."
Rivera's sister is one of the stars of Fox's hit musical drama "Glee." Playing for Tennessee, with TV ties to CBS and ESPN means that both Rivera siblings can be found weekly on national television.
"It's real cool for my sister," Rivera said. "She's been an actress all her life and I'm really proud of her. I've played football all my life, that's what I do and she's really proud of me."
One player that didn't mind singing was junior linebacker Grant Jessen, whose performance for a News Sentinel camera will be talked about for Media Days to come. The session with the News Sentinel also featured a full standing backflip from sophomore wide receiver Justin Hunter, no small feat for someone that stands 6'4, and another vocal performance from sophomore tailback Rajion Neal, who belted out a rendition of "Rocky Top" that was uniquely his.
Vol Network Interviews - Wolf-Kaplan Center - 4:45 p.m.
For some at Media Day, it was a game of hurry up and wait. Such was the case for senior tailback Tauren Poole and Voice of Tennessee Athletics Bob Kesling while attempting to get in an interview for the Vol Network's pre-season preview. Across the room, sophomore defensive lineman Jacques Smith was finishing up a video interview with UTSports.com's Drew Edwards. But "finishing up" took a little longer than Poole and Kesling had planned on.
"That's Jacques for you, he talks a lot," Poole said. "We have to tell him to be quiet a lot. He means well."
"He's telling Drew his life story," Kesling said.
Poole said he was willing to wait on Smith, who he not only anticipates being a huge part of Tennessee in 2011, but also is playing a big part in Poole's development in fall camp.
"He's everywhere on the practice field," Poole said. "It's terrible to try to block him, but it makes me better. It makes every running back on this team better to try and block him in practice. You either get embarrassed or you do your job. I hope he plays that way during the season."
Stokely Family Media Center - 6:15 p.m.
Day finally done, Bray walks into the media center, still in full uniform, to grab the sandwich that he discussed coming for more than three hours before.
"Finally get to eat," he said. "Feels great to be done."


text:
Roald Hoffmann
When it comes to the popularization of science, you already know
the answer for some of us. This is a story of a most unusual
intersection of science and popular culture in Brazil, in which I
was fortunate enough to play a tiny part. It is also a personal
picture book.
The Carnaval of Carnivals
Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval is days of raucous celebration before
Lent. The highlight is a ritualized competition between
neighborhood-based "samba schools" that spend a whole year
and a multi-million-dollar budget preparing for a gargantuan,
one-time musical production. Massed 3,000-5,000 strong, the vividly
plumed members of the school dance through the
Sambódromo, an 800-meter-long coliseum devoted to
just this purpose. Each group parades for 90 minutes in a
choreographed fusion of story, song, dance and dress, tied together
by a theme, punctuated with floats, animated by the thunder and
syncopated variety of the bateria ("drum corps"
is an impoverished translation). Sambaing down the central
avenida, the cultural fault lines between favelas
(shantytowns) and affluent districts are momentarily forgotten. All
dancers dress in costumes called fantasias, coordinated
with the theme and the floats, and sing at the top of their voices
the thematic samba of the school, the samba de enredo.
Fourteen schools compete in the top league; the lowest-ranking can
be demoted to the minors.
A Carnavalesque Collaboration
I know you are wondering where the science comes in. Well, in 2003,
a talented young carnavalesco (the designer of a carnaval
parade; yes that's a profession in Brazil) named Paulo Barros
proposed to one of the less affluent samba schools, the Unidos da
Tijuca, a science theme for the February 22, 2004 parade. No one had
gone down this road before—typical Carnaval themes are
Amazonia, African or Portuguese heritage, sex, the sea, television
stars et cetera. Unidos da Tijuca agreed to the plan, and
began preparing for "The Dream of Creation and the Creation of
the Dream: Art and Science in the Age of the Impossible."
Paulo Barros then approached the science-outreach group, called Casa
da Ciência, at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
(UFRJ). The enthusiastic Casa da Ciência crowd loved the idea,
and worked with the samba school for a year to get ready. The
results showed, from the words of the theme samba to the costumes.
So What Was Roald Doing There?
The vast majority of Brazilian scientists, even some who usually
left town during Carnaval, were supportive of this incredible
opportunity for science to interact with popular culture. The United
States equivalent might be a science-themed halftime show at the
Super Bowl.
Yet Barros's show was assuredly carnivalesque—not only in its
traditional suspension of everyday prohibitions, but also in
Bahktin's sense, in its mocking of authority. In some instances,
scientific authority was the butt of the joke: The parade included
floats and dancers that played to the worst stereotypes, such as a
troop of Frankenstein's monsters and a bevy of reanimated mummies.
A month before the festival, the press found a critic who said what
you'd expect—that there was a real risk of reinforcing
misguided stereotypes in the floats. At the same time, some Carnaval
mavens were criticizing the Unidos da Tijuca for their choice of a
"difficult" theme. I suspect that the Casa da
Ciência people sat down for a strategy session and decided
that it might help if a well-known scientist from outside the
country would give them needed support. Richard Feynman, who played
in a bateria 50 years ago, was unavailable, having died in 1988. I
can imagine one of them saying "Who would be crazy enough to so
this?" And my friend Antonio Carlos Pavão from Recife
probably said "I know, Roald!"
So they asked me, three weeks before Carnaval. As you can tell from
the sleek blue denizens of one of the floats (and these are the tame
images), Unidos da Tijuca didn't want me for my body. Not for my
mind either. True, I thought that the shapes around the bottom of
the alchemy and chemistry float were atomic orbitals (the subjects
of my research), but they were pills.
The samba school wanted me for the publicity I would generate and
the good things I would say about the science in the parade. I knew
that, and it was fine—I agreed to be used for a good purpose.
And I would be in Carnaval: The other scientists and I were all
dressed as Alberto Santos-Dumont. Santos-Dumont was the revered
Brazilian aviator who, in Paris, pioneered dirigible airships and
lay claim to the first sustained, heavier-than-air flight (his
biography was reviewed in American Scientist,
September-October 2003). The assertion is arguable—everywhere
except the U.S., of course, which unconditionally deifies the Wright
brothers. The costuming choice made for good newspaper questions for
me, the American.
And the Winner Is…
The star of the parade was one of Barros's floats called
Criação da Vida, or Creation of Life. One hundred
twenty-three young people, spray-painted blue-black, were strapped
onto this pyramid, and they performed a spectacular choreographed
dance as it moved through the Sambódromo. At times their arms
and bodies evoked the helices of DNA and proteins; at times they
just celebrated life.
To the surprise of the Carnaval, Unidos da Tijuca won second place.
It had never ranked higher than fifth in the top league. Much of the
credit goes to Paulo Barros's theme and the Casa da Ciência's
efforts. Science will be back at Carnaval in the years to come.
I am grateful to the Casa da Ciência of UFRJ,
including Fátima Brito and her dedicated gang, to Unidos
da Tijuca (Fernando Horta, president), to Antonio Carlos
Pavão of Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, for
getting me to Rio, and to Cornell University for paying for the trip.
© Roald Hoffmann
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Afflicted and cursed village of the damned. This merchant village on Ireland's west coast is pounded by the wind and rain. There is a large swinger community, and a small but hard-core satanist nucleus in this vision of Hell on Earth.
Don't go to Dungloe, Just kill yourself now.
by Fr Meehan December 31, 2007
The vengeful act of crapping on a lover's chest while they sleep.Buy the plush


text:
Eli: You really think my Sketchers are lame...?
"You wanna see a game winning drive.......to get doughnuts rook?"
You've got three weeks and a day under your belt, and I'm driving you around? Slide over and start driving, Rook!
Eli: Im adopting the new system system really well I think, now if i could only get this cart moving.
He ought to be embarrassed that Eli's got bigger arms than him
Eli: Just to be clear. If i throw a pass 12 feet in the air and you jump and get yours hands 11'11" and tip it into to a defender its your fault...If the ball touches you the int is your fault. If you run the wrong route and i throw it 9 miles away from you its your fault.


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text:
Sorry this competition has now closed.
Tell us the wildest thing you've done and be in to win a Wild at Heart weekend for two.
Explore the NZ International Arts Festival in style in Wellington this year for the closing weekend, 16-18 March. This amazing prize package features:
- A double pass to both Raoul and Beautiful Burnout
- Return domestic flights thanks to Grabaseat
- Accommodation with breakfast included from CQ Quality Hotel Wellington
- VIP meetings with artists
Racing a formula one car, jungle trekking, swimming with sharks? All you need to do is tell us the wildest thing you've done, but let's keep it clean...
Entries close at 8:30am Monday 27 February.


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Brett is the modern take on our original bootcut. It is slightly slimmer through the leg than the traditional cut. Pleasant Creek is a deep, rich blue that has a subtle cross-hatch pattern in the fabric. The hand sanding allows the color of the indigo to pop.
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Lots of things in the software field have been labeled as "breakthroughs." Invariably, they are not! Inspections, on the other hand, have never been labeled as breakthroughs. But the reality is, they nearly are! Here are some surprising thoughts on what inspections are, and how to perform them effectively.
Probably the biggest plague on the house of software is hype. All too many new techniques and technologies are hyped by their advocates as being the most important new approaches to hit the profession. It happened with 4GLs ("Programming Without Programmers"), CASE tools, object-orientation, Java... and the list goes on. Name your recent software concept and someone probably hyped it. It makes you wonder whether any new ideas are worth anything at all.
Meanwhile, quietly, off in the wings, there is one technology that really is worth some of those hyped claims, but no one is making any exaggerated claims for it at all! "What's that technology?" you're probably asking. It's inspections. Yes, inspections. That old-fashioned technology that we've known about for more than thirty years!
What's so great about inspections? Research study after research study shows that inspections are a better, faster, cheaper way of finding errors in a software product than any of the alternatives. Better than testing. Better than fault-tolerant code.
That doesn't mean that, if you do inspections, you don't need to use any other error-removal approaches. Testing still has a very important role to play, as enterprises that have tried to eliminate it in favor of alternatives have learned the hard way.
Now, what do those research studies show us? That by using inspections properly, more than 90 percent of the errors can be removed from a software product before its first test case is run. That's pretty impressive stuff, and though I doubt the researchers can ever be sure that 90 percent of software errors have been found (that implies they know how many errors are present in total, which is unlikely!), it's clear that more errors were found-more cheaply-by inspections than by any other technique.
At one company having problems with multitudes of undetected software errors, I recommended (as you might expect) that they use inspections. When I followed up some months later, I found that they had, indeed, begun using inspections, and that the incidence of errors was way down. But I was not quite prepared for what the cause of that change had been. It wasn't that the inspections were identifying tons of software errors. But the programmers, knowing that their code was going to be inspected, were poring over it in advance of the inspections and finding most of the errors beforehand.
Fine. If inspections cause a reduction in the number of errors, who am I to care whether that happens at the inspection or beforehand?
So how do you conduct an effective inspection? If you're guessing that I'm going to advocate the well-known Fagan approach to inspections…guess again!
The Fagan inspection, as you may know, is a process-focused inspection. Inspectors are assigned roles and are trained in how to play those roles in the inspection meeting. Meeting goals and processes are rigorously defined. There are meeting rules, and the rules are enforced.
I believe that the product rather than the process should matter most in inspections. And that naturally raises the question: Is there a kind of inspection that is product focused?
Product, Not Process
The answer is "yes." For example, Rifkin and Deimel-several years ago in an SEI-funded study-came up with a way of conducting inspections where the pre-meeting training was in code-reading approaches, rather than meeting process. They tested the two approaches against each other and found that there were "spectacular" benefits to the new approach. Code-focused inspectors were finding 90 percent more errors than process-focused inspectors.
Porter and Votta came up with another approach (they presented it at the 1994 meeting of the NASA-Goddard Software Engineering


text:
The First Amendment took two big hits from the Supreme Court on June 25. Freedom of religion lost in Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, while freedom of speech was battered in Morse v. Frederick. That's bad news on its own, but these cases also suggest the disturbing possibility that the newest justice, Samuel Alito Jr. — whom "Freedom Watch," along with many others, has hailed as a true friend of civil liberties — cast the crucial fifth vote against the First Amendment in each decision on the basis of his religious views.
In the first case, an organization of atheist taxpayers argued that federal funding of President Bush's faith-based initiatives and social programs violated the separation of church and state. They relied on a 1968 decision by the high court that allows taxpayers to challenge governmental religious expenditures in court.
But in the wake of this past week's decision, a taxpayer's right to do so will be greatly reduced. Now, future challenges may only target congressional appropriations for religious purposes. When the president uses public funds for religious purposes without an authorization from Congress, taxpayers have no "standing" to sue. In effect, Alito and four other justices licensed presidential subterfuge against the First Amendment when religion is in play.
With this decision, Alito appeared to be beating back atheists while protecting faith-based organizations' right to suckle at the taxpayer teat via the executive branch. (One could make a similar argument about Justice Antonin Scalia.)
The impression that Alito engages in judicial sleight of hand when it comes to religious challenges to the First Amendment was strengthened when, on the same day, he issued his opinion in Morse. Here, Alito refused to protect the speech of a Juneau, Alaska, high-school student, Joseph Frederick. Let out of school early with his classmates to watch the passing of the Olympic torch, Frederick unfurled a banner bearing the message BONG HITS 4 JESUS. The school principal interpreted the banner as a pro-drug message, confiscated it, and suspended Frederick for 10 days. He sued.
In a series of nearly incomprehensible opinions, five justices, including Alito, denied Frederick's free-speech rights. Instead, they chose to limit a 1969 opinion, Tinkerv. Des Moines Independent School District, which declared that public-school students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." Alito's separate concurring opinion argued that, though students' speech might be protected when it is not "disruptive," Frederick's banner was unprotected since it could reasonably be interpreted as advocating illegal drug use, and was therefore disruptive of the school's educational mission.
But neither Alito nor the other justices mentioned the nine-foot-tall gorilla in the living room: linking the Lord's name to bong hits. Blasphemy! While the Court's "liberals" and "conservatives" debated the drug message of the banner, Jesus's name went unspoken.
There is reason to believe, however, that Alito was offended less by the reference to "bong hits" than by the hit, so to speak, against Jesus. As an appellate judge, Alito had decided a case — Saxe v. State College Area School District — that declared a Pennsylvania school district's anti-harassment policy to be overly broad and therefore unconstitutional. In that 2001 case, two public-school students and their father, who described themselves as "Christians [who] believe . . . that homosexuality is a sin," sued to invalidate the school's policy. Though they felt "compelled by their religion to speak out on . . . moral issues," the father believed that his children's speech would be interpreted as harassment of gay students, rather than as religiously motivated free speech.
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Playing With Alternative Visual Styles
Goblinson Crusoe rpg tile-based hex-based turn-based
Occasionally as I have worked on Goblinson Crusoe I've been struck by the need to simplify. As it stands, the engine underpinning things has quite a few limitations. Shadows, for example, as mentioned in my last post. Currently, only blob shadows are supported unless I bake shadowing directly into the sprite textures. Also, the view depends on a heavy amount of re-draw due to the alpha-blending of the terrain splats and sprites. Furthermore, the memory limitations of storing so many frames of animation, and the amount of work required to generate and process them, is a little bit inconvenient. For years now, I've toyed with the idea of switching to a general-case 3D engine and simplifying the pipeline so that it is more manageable for one person to do.
This would, of course, necessitate a change in visual styles. I've always had it in my head to go with a non-photoreal style, high saturation with lots of warm greens and browns. Earlier iterations, when GC was still an action Diablo-clone, held more true to this inner vision than later iterations have, but still it remains fairly cartoony.
Today, I've been doing some more experimentation. GC is hex-based and, now, turn-based. There are elements of tactical to it. I want to emphasize the tactical parts, and that means that maybe I should spend a little less effort hiding the hex-grid, and maybe just make the hex-based nature of it affect the visual style. At the same time, it would be great if I could simplify the pipeline so that I stand a chance of finishing this thing sometime in my lifetime. I really am not an artist, and it takes me an agonizingly long time to even motivate myself to do artwork, much less get any of it done. I iterate and iterate, spending hours on a single thing before importing it into the game only to see that it looks like crap, or at least doesn't quite fit the overall look-and-feel.
Today, I've been tinkering with some 3D-based alternative visual styles. It seems like I've spent the better part of my adult life mucking around with tiles and tile blending, transitions, splatting, yada yada yada trying to hide the grid. Maybe I should embrace the grid instead. One of the problems with general-case 3D engines as opposed to special-case engines such as I have been using for years is that alpha-blending tends to be difficult to get right. My styles have always been heavily skewed toward softly alpha-blending sprites in a layered fashion, as in the traditional 2D engines, but this requires that the draw-order be carefully constructed. In a general-case engine, you typically have to let the engine do the sorting, and it doesn't always (in fact, in my experience, it almost never) gets it right. Especially in the case of my terrain splats. I have been doing my terrain by layering splats of terrain on top of hexes, each splat covering a hex and overlapping its 6 neighbors to some degree with a soft-blended edge. The splats are given a random ordering in the draw order, but are all drawn co-planar. They must be drawn before the object layers. All of it requires a tightly-controlled draw order, but if I just throw some geometry at a general-case 3D engine the sorting is never correct. General-case passes are never constructed so that I can customize draw order of a collection of co-planar polygons. Things flicker madly, things Z-fight, stuff gets drawn in the wrong order. It's just chaos.
I can, of course, go with simple blended terrain as in my old Golem3D project from years and years ago. Most engines have drop-in solutions for that. But I've never really liked heightmap terrain, and in the case of underpinning it with a hex tile system it just gets weird and awkward. I could write my own scene manager for any given library, but that just puts me right back to where I am now, working with inadequate tools because after two decades of this I am just sick of writing that kind of stuff. It becomes kind of a knotty problem.
But what if I changed my style? It's tough for me to change, because I've been doing this for a long time. I'm set in my ways. But for awhile now I've had the idea of doing a more abstract visual style, one that is less concerned with hiding the grid and instead concerned with making the grid an appealing part of the style. You see this a lot in non-photoreal "cartoony" games: tiles that are obviously tiles without any attempt at hiding them. It can be attractive if done right. Look at O-san's isometric project for an example of this. Everything is unabashedly tiles and it looks good.
Here are a couple of my tests from this morning. Everything is hurried, of course; nothing final, crappy artwork, etc... I'm just basically shoveling ideas around here.
This first one suffers from a lot of the alpha-blending issues I mentioned. The base dirt layer is solid, the grass alpha-transparent and blended on top, but if I try to extend it to more than one type of terrain I get the draw order problems. The mountains are 3D, but drawn alpha-blended so that the bottom transition smoothly blends with the terrain. It looks pretty good, but when the view is in motion it can look a little surreal, since the mountains seem to kind of hover above the ground. The portion of the mesh that actually touches the ground plane is fully transparent, so the parts you see are above the ground level and you can see the ground move with perspective behind them. It's a little odd.
This second one doesn't use any alpha-blending whatsoever. Each tile is a solid object. In this scheme, I envision each tile being "decorated" in a fairly detailed fashion to give the player a sense of what that area is like. Dirt ground with little mini cactus for desert, for example. Grass with trees. Little pieces of brush and scrub. Miniature towns and fortresses. And so forth. This idea appeals to me, but scares me a little. Each tile would be almost like a kind of stylized diorama, and that would mean some detail work. But at least it would be straightforward modeling, without having to worry about alpha blending.
One large benefit of switching finally to full 3D would be a simplification of my character pipeline, eliminating the rendering and processing step. A drawback would be the requirement for cleaner re-topology, since I wouldn't be able to get away with using higher-resolution geometry to make silhouette cleaner.
This is all just tinkering at the moment, and obviously either way is going to be a lot of work. I've also been looking at a more Civ V style, but everything I've been tinkering with in that regard is a lot more shader-heavy than I am comfortable with, given how much of my development is carried out at work on a crappy 6 year old XP Dell with integrated Intel that craps itself if you throw too much at it. Maybe, if I can talk my wife into letting me buy another decent laptop, I'll throw off my shackles and really start going crazy with it.


text:
The worst photoshop I've ever seen (Update: Picture killed)
posted at 7:05 pm on August 5, 2006 by Allahpundit
Not the very worst, of course. The worst professional-grade photoshop, I mean. It is, as Charles asserts, laughably bad:
Half the time you spend when you use the clone-stamp tool is spent on undoing those repeating patterns to make the image look more realistic. Rarely are they as noticeable or as numerous as they are here, though, even before retouching. And for such a cheap effect too: generating more smoke. It reminds me of the Greenwald thing — if you're going to lie, why not at least get something out of it?
Since we're on the subject of photos, check out Moonbat Media's series from today's pro-Hezbollah rally — yes, pro-Hezbollah — in the U.K. Their first shot blew me away, and all the more so when I recropped it a bit. Call this one "Londonistan":
I wish those flags were photoshopped in. But they aren't.
Update: Left & Right seals the deal. Nice catch.
Ace thinks this is the straw that breaks the back of whatever credibility the media still has when it comes to the Middle East, particularly with respect to the stringers they hire to cover it. It probably was the photographer, Adnan Hajj, who 'shopped the image, if only because Reuters HQ could surely manage a slicker job than this. Although it's worth noting that there are plenty of other shots of smoke taken by Hajj on the wires right now, and they look pretty realistic to my untrained eye.
I don't think this is evidence per se of bias, either. Like I said: if you're going to gamble your career on a photoshopped image, why do it for something as innocuous as a smoke plume? There are a thousand images of bombs going off on Yahoo News at the moment. No one would have noticed this one if not for the shoddiness of the manipulation. A cameraman with an agenda would be painting bruises on dead kids at Qana, not making a black cloud extra billowy. I bet what happened is that he got sent to cover the airstrikes in Beirut, came away with nothing but bad shots, and made a poor choice in a moment of desperation. Nothing necessarily political about it.
As for Ace's point about painstaking layers of editorial fact-checking and the lack thereof, true enough. Although even there, I wonder: do editors typically review every shot before it hits the wires, especially ones as comparatively mundane as this? Anyone know? Surely they place some degree of trust in their stringers not to manipulate images. Assuming Hajj is, in fact, a stringer and not an employee of Reuters. Which none of us knows.
Whatever the answer, whoever did this can't photoshop worth a crap.
Update: I hope the foregoing doesn't make it sound like I'm letting Reuters off the hook. You can draw a motive matrix here with four possibilities: political bias on the part of Hajj and the Reuters editor who approved the shot; political bias on the part of one and incompetence on the part of the other; or incompetence on the part of both. The last is the least damning — but still pretty damning.
Update: Charles notes that Adnan Hajj was present at Qana and had a ringside seat for the ceremonial presentation of the child corpse by the green-helmeted Lebanese death pimp we've all come to know and love. But that can cut one of two ways. It could suggest that Hajj is cooperating with Hezbollah, which would explain how he got such a plum position for the money shot. Or it could suggest that he's an honest photographer, since the money shot shows no signs of having been doctored. And as I've said, if you're out to tar Israel, a shot of a dead child at Qana is exactly where you'd want to do it.
Update: Bryan at Sanctuary previews Hajj's next photo from Lebanon.
Update: Dan Riehl points to evidence that Hajj has access to Hezbollah. New York Times photographers have access to Iraqi snipers too, though, and that doesn't prove–
Never mind. Bad example.
Update: A search of "adnan hajj reuters" turns up a hit from February 2006 — at MichelleMalkin.com. I won't spoil the surprise. Just go look.
Update: For the benefit of Photoshop neophytes, it took me about two minutes of clone-stamping to extend Hajj's smoke cloud out a bit.
And two more minutes to clean up the original version.
Update: Rusty wonders if another Hajj image was photoshopped. It's an interesting theory, but as always, let's beware of Loose Change-ism.
Update: Charles says he's found the "original" photo and has created an overlay to prove it. What I think he's found is an earlier photo taken from the same spot as Hajj took his shot. Compare the two; note the window that I've circled.
There's something there in the second image that isn't in the first. And I sincerely doubt that a guy who can't figure out the clone-stamp tool would have been attentive enough to detail to add it in. It's possible that the spot is an artifact created by sharpening the image, which generates white speckled distortions if you boost it high enough; there are similar spots in the windows of the buildings next door. But the Hajj image doesn't look boosted to me.
You'll also note that the smoke trail at the far right edge of the first image doesn't appear in the second. It could have been 'shopped out — but why would it have been? They wanted more smoke in the second image, not less.
Anyway, the earlier photo was taken by an AP photographer. Hajj works for Reuters. If Reuters was so desperate as to doctor a shot of the Beirut skyline, would they really risk copyright infringement to do so?
This is getting weird. I'm bowing out.
Update: Apologies to everyone who was kind enough to trackback, but the links are now all busted. This happens every time we move a post over from the Blog to Top Picks; we're working on fixing it. If it's not too much trouble, replacing the old URL with the new one will solve the problem. Thanks.
Update: All right, one more comparison.
Note what appears to be light reflecting off something on the roof in the second photo, but not in the first. The positioning of whatever it is that's in the window on the left side of the oval in each picture also seems to change slightly, but maybe that's just me.
And now I'm really and truly done.
Update Okay, one last thing. You want to drop two tons of shinola on Reuters and become a blog folk hero in the process? Follow the red arrow:
See that? It looks like the corner of a rooftop, and the smoke's originating from it. But it's not in the AP photo Charles found, which means that building's not really there. Hajj, or whoever the culprit here is, photoshopped it in from some other image.
Find the image he got it from and the game, as Bill Paxton once famously said, is over, man.
Five bucks says Dan Riehl digs it up. If he hasn't already.
And now I'm done.
P.S. How long before the first post defending the photo's authenticity hits the front page at Kos?
Update from Michelle: Picture kill!
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text:
Beach Apartment in Cala Gonone
Size70 m²
Floor No.
- Family/child friendly
- Internet/WiFi
- Kitchen
- Pets allowed
- Washer/dryer
- Parking available
- Smoking allowed
Accommodation summary
|Via Codula e Gustui, 08022 Cala Gonone, Italy
|Property type
|Property ID
Parking in front of the villa is conveniently provided for guests looking to further explore the area. Benefit also from a pretty garden, verandas overlooking the sea and a barbecue. Free internet access is available upon request.
Arrive through a private entrance into the nicely furnished apartment. It includes a master bedroom with a comfortable double bed, and a 2nd bedroom with sleeping arrangements for up to 3 people. The bright living room expands to incorporate a kitchenette and contains cooking appliances, a sofa and TV.
Cala Gonone is known for its natural beauty where the crystal clear sea, white limestone mountains and evergreen forests make every corner a sight to behold. Visitors can go trekking, hang gliding and horseback riding among other activities. It is also popular with climbers due its numerous cliffs located only 100 meters from the apartment.
House rulesBed linen, towels and beach towels are available for an additional fee.
|Price for > 2 guests
|$ 92 HKD per guest/night extra
|Check-in after
|On arrangement
|Check-in before
|On arrangement
|Check-out before
|On arrangement
|Cancellation Policy
Reviews of this property
We've stayed for the second time at Valentina her place. Again, we've enjoyed it very much. The appartment is nice, clean an quiet, so perfect conditions for an excellant stay. Valentina and her family our very friendly and hospital. And the landscape, especially the beaches, around Cala Ganone are just lovely. We can highly recommend visiting Cala Ganone und this appartment.
Very nice apartment at the edge of Cala Gonone.
Marias daughter Valentina responded immediately and very friendly to the our booking. During our stay she was a kind host and e.g. helped us to book a typical Sardinian dinner.
The apartment was well equipped and very clean on our arrival.
We can fully recommend this appartment.
It is a super apartment with a super view. It is very nice, new, and very clean. Good hostess, there was lemonade and cookies upon arrival. We were again fresh figs, and a nice bottle of sweet red sparkling wine. You can ask anything and Valentina is very helpful and sweet. The kitchen is fully equipped with pots pans. A kettle would have been nice but a pan of boiling water for coffee is okay. The PpRtement sits atop the hill is 14 min. Walk to the center, and 25 min. Return because it is very steep. The village is nice and cozy. A day away by boat to the beaches is a must. In the evenings there is often a lot of wind but that was I. Sept 2014. Maybe that in other months less. Overall a nice nice location. Really recommended. Thanks Valentina for fine days.
Het is een super appartement met een super uitzicht. Het is erg mooi, nieuw, en erg schoon. Goede gastvrouw, er stond limonade en koekjes klaar bij aankomst. Wij kregen nog een keer verse vijgen, en een lekkere fles zoete rode mousserende wijn. Je kan alles vragen en Valentina is zeer behulpzaam en lief. De keuken is van alle gemakken voorzien potten pannen. Een waterkoker was fijn geweest maar een pannetje water koken voor de koffie is ook oké. Het PpRtement ligt boven op de heuvel het is 14 min. Lopen naar het centrum, en 25 min. Terug omdat het erg steil is. Het dorp is leuk en gezellig. Een dag weg met de boot naar de strandjes is een aanrader. 'S avonds is er vaak erg veel wind maar dat was I. Sept 2014. Misschien is dat in andere maanden minder. Kortom een fijne leuke lokatie. Echt een aanrader. Bedankt Valentina voor fijne dagen.
We had great holidays with Valentina and her family! We will definitely come back! Thank you for the great time and a delicious dinner! Best regards Marco and Max
Wir hatten grossartige Ferien bei Valentina und ihrer Familie! Wir werden auf jeden Fall wieder kommen! Danke für die schöne Zeit und das leckere Abendessen! Liebe Grüsse Marco und Max
We stayed with Valentina & Maria in July 2014 and loved every minute of it... Valentina is brilliant host and really made us feel like an extension of her family. We got engaged on Otto Anna beach during our stay and without Valentina's help I have to say it wouldn't have been possible...
If you're reading this review and are in two minds about booking. Don't! You will not regret it, I promise you!
Before arriving at Cala Gonone, I had been in touch with Valentina about my proposal idea and asked if she could help suggest a nice beach etc. Not only did Valentina agree to help, but she went out of her way to contact friends and family in the town to make the proposal amazing! She contacted a friend who ran a boat hire company, another friend's hotel to provide a beautiful 6 course seafood dinner and even decorated our room with rose petals whist we were out!
Other highlights of the trip was meeting all of Valentina's family. They even invited us to have dinner with them one evening. It was beautiful, with plenty of fresh food, Vincenzo's homemade Spumante and Giany's & Pepe's Porcetto!!!
Thank you so much Valentina and Family. It was brilliant meeting you, and see you at the wedding :-)
Sam & Anna
Dear All,
the apartment is very clean and very well maintained. Valentina and Maria are very helpful and it has been a pleasure staying at there place.
Highly recommended.
We had a very lovely time in the appartment and in Cala Gonone. Our kitchen was very well equipped, the house is designed in a very nice way and the family which owns the house and rents the appartments keeps a very personal and nice relationship with the guests. We can fully recommend the appartment.
The time we spent in the apartment of Valentina, was very nice. The apartment was very clean, the bathroom large and very new and the kitchen also made a very new impression. The view from the balcony was breathtaking. Valentina and her family were very hospitable and accommodating. The climbing area in the immediate vicinity was unbelievable great. We would not hesitate to come back to Valentina and her family. Highly recommended.
Die Zeit, die wir im Apartment von Valentina verbracht haben, war sehr schön. Das Apartment war sehr sauber, das Badezimmer groß und sehr neuwertig und die Küche machte auch einen sehr neuen Eindruck. Der Ausblick vom Balkon war atemberaubend. Valentina und ihre Familie waren sehr gastfreundlich und zuvorkommend. Das Klettergebiet in unmittelbarer Nähe war unfassbar toll. Wir würden jederzeit wieder zu Valentina und ihrer Familie kommen. Sehr empfehlenswert.
Very nicely furnished apartment on a slope, very nice landlord, only to be recommended!
Sehr schön eingerichtet Wohnung am Hang, sehr nette Vermieter, nur zu empfehlen !!!
- Quality assured accommodation
- Every host is verified by telephone
- Secure payment via SSL encryption


text:
Photo: Dana Neibert
For Long Walks
Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina
The semitropical barrier island is bursting with 5,000 acres of pristine beaches, hiking trails, and maritime forests ideal for exploring with your pet. Camp with leashed pups on designated park grounds, or stay at the Days Inn Beaufort/Parris Island ($15 fee per pet per night). Park entrance costs $5 for adults and $3.25 for kids.
Get there: From I-95, take Highway 21 east toward Beaufort. Drive 42 miles. Highway 21 ends at the park.
Around The Web


text: Hello, I have had my super for a lil over a week. Just befor Dusk, 6 30 or so I see the hive getting very busy, evryone seems to want to come out. But Sunday around 630pm They did, and flew out and up. and seemed like they wanted to make a black cloud. I ran to my books and Im am thinking it was a Queen being mated. Please advise. and Ty in adavance for this site and your help. Jim Simmons Jacksonville Florida


text:
Effect of Seminal Fluid on the Colon Wall; Implications for HIV Transmission
This study has been completed.
Johns Hopkins University
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Edward Fuchs, Johns Hopkins University
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: January 20, 2010
Last updated: October 2, 2014
Last verified: October 2014
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Detailed Description:
This research is being done to learn how seminal fluid affects the lining of the colon, and whether this might make it easier for HIV to get into the body and cause infection.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Biological: Autologous seminal fluid with Tc-99m/In-111 radiolabels
Other: Autologous lymphocytes labeled with In-111 in normosol vehicle with TC-99m DTPA incorporated
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Single Blind (Investigator)
Primary Purpose: Basic Science
|Official Title:
|The Effect of Seminal Fluid on Distal Colon Mucosal Permeability and Susceptibility to HIV Infection
Resource links provided by NLM:
MedlinePlus related topics: HIV/AIDSU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Johns Hopkins University:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Epithelial disruption [ Time Frame: One hour ]
- Mucosal permeability to an incorporated radioisotope as measured in plasma and urine [ Time Frame: up to 4 hours following dosing ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- HIV explant challenge [ Time Frame: Up to 14 days following ex vivo challenge ]
|Study Start Date:
|March 2008
|Study Completion Date:
|December 2009
|Primary Completion Date:
|December 2009 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
|Active Comparator: Autologous seminal fluid with Tc-99m/In-111
Biological: Autologous seminal fluid with Tc-99m/In-111 radiolabels
Autologous lymphocytes labeled with 250 microcuries In-111 and 500 microcuries Tc-99m in seminal fluid vehicle.
Placebo Comparator: Normosol vehicle
Autologous lymphocytes radiolabeled with In-111 suspended in Normosol-R vehicle with Tc-99m DTPA incorporated
Other: Autologous lymphocytes labeled with In-111 in normosol vehicle with TC-99m DTPA incorporated
Autologous lymphocytes labeled with 250 microcuries In-111 and 500 microcuries Tc-99m in Normosol-R fluid vehicle.
Detailed Description:
Design of effective rectal microbicides to prevent HIV infection requires an understanding of rectal HIV transmission and the location within the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract (luminal and mucosal) of HIV (cell-free and cell-associated) following exposure to infected seminal fluid. These basic details of HIV transmission have yet to be determined in human subjects, yet they are essential to select microbicide candidates if they are to be rationally designed to achieve effective concentrations at sites of HIV transmission. Rational development of a rectal microbicide also requires an understanding of those factors that may contribute to colonic mucosal injury - potential confounders of microbicidal effect. Such factors include exposure to seminal fluid which has been shown in animal and in vitro studies to cause histologic and permeability changes that might facilitate HIV transmission.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|21 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Able to provide signed informed consent
- Men of 21 years or older.
- Prior history of receptive anal intercourse.
Laboratory values within the last 28 days:
- Negative for HIV antibodies
- Lymphocyte count within normal limits
- Neutrophil count > 1,000 cells/ml
- CD4 > 500 cells/ml
- Platelet count ≥ 150,000 cells/mm3
- PT within normal limits
- PTT within normal limits.
- No childbearing intentions.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Active anorectal disease or recent (3 months) anorectal surgery;
- Diarrhea, defined as three or more loose stools per day, for at least three days prior to admission.
- History of sleep apnea, or airway problems with previous sedation procedures.
- History of significant adverse reaction to sedation medications.
- Other history, including significant occupational radiation exposure, history of inflammatory bowel disease or any other diseases and lab results, such that, in the judgment of the investigator, study procedures are not considered safe for the subject's participation.
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01053741
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01053741
|United States, Maryland
|Johns Hopkins University Drug Development Unit
|Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21287
Sponsors and Collaborators
Johns Hopkins University
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
|Principal Investigator:
|Edward Fuchs, PA-C, MBA
|Johns Hopkins University
More Information
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 24, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|Edward Fuchs, Associate Director, Drug Development Unit, Johns Hopkins University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01053741 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|January 20, 2010
|Last Updated:
|October 2, 2014
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
HIV Infections
Immune System Diseases
Lentivirus Infections
Retroviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Slow Virus Diseases
Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate
Chelating Agents
Sequestering Agents
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 24, 2017