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AMD Completes Its GCN Lineup With Impressive Mid-Range 7850/7870 Cards
Jason Mick
March 5, 2012 3:10 PM
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New cards offer a lot of bang for their buck, testing shows
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (
) today pushed out yet another graphics processing unit design. This hard launch means that the chipmaker has produced 3 launches in the last 3 months -- an alacritous release pace, to be certain.
There are plenty of pressing questions surrounding the latest launch -- the 78xx series. How does it perform? Does it suffer the same
overpricing issues
as its most recent
Southern Islands
But for a moment AMD's critics and proponents alike should pause and appreciate the solid launch it has put together at the 28 nm node.
I. Meet
The latest hardware, unsurprisingly, is the Radeon HD 7850 and 7870. Code-named
, after the tiny British island located far to the west of Chile in the South Pacific, the 78xx cards join the lower-range Radeon HD 7750/7770 and
the high-end Radeon HD 7950/7970
With the latest addition
Southern Islands
-- the lineup that introduced AMD's new
"Graphics Core Next" architecture -- finally feels like a true family. And there's a nice symmetry to the offerings. If you take the Radeon HD 7750, 7850, and 7950, each step bumps the core count by a factor of two; likewise for the Radeon HD 7770, 7870, and 7970. For those interested, the '50 cards are dubbed "Pro" in their extended code-names, while the '70 cards are dubbed XT.
Pricing is also rather periodic, with each model towards the higher end commanding an extra $100 USD. The family members, from Radeon HD 7750 to Radeon HD 7970, are priced at $109, $159, $250, $350, $450, $550.
While everyone appreciates new technology, buying it is a distinctly different tale. To sell, graphics cards must be priced right.
The $250 USD Radeon HD 7850 falls somewhere between rival NVIDIA Corp.'s (NVDA) GeForce GTX 560 Ti and Geforce GTX 570 in price. The GTX 560 Ti is
currently $200 USD
at best, while the GeForce GTX 570 can be found
for $305 USD
. Price-wise, the card is closest to NVIDIA's lesser known GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores, a GPU computing-centric card with 14 SMPs, which
retails for $270 USD
The new Radeon HD 7850 from AMD [Image Source: Tech Report]
Meanwhile the $350 USD Radeon HD 7870 HD has a tougher lot in life, falling midway between the aforementioned GeForce GTX 570 ($305 USD) and the
$415 USD GeForce GTX 580
In other words, 7800 series cards are priced at a rather interesting pair of points, directly straddling its rival's major prices. So do the cards split the difference in performance between the GeForce high and low comparables, the bear minimum to recommend a purchase?
II. The Specs, and First Thoughts
Let's find out, beginning with the specs (past generations and other Radeon HD 7xxx series models included, for comparison).
1 2
In power and temperatures
and its peers are model citizens, easily outdoing their hot, power hungry predecessors. This shows the merits of the move to the 28 nm process, but may be disappointing (a bit) to those hoping that the new architecture would bring an even greater leap downwards. You won't find miracles here, but things have improved slightly.
Noise is somewhat of a holding pattern as the cooler is still similar to the last generation. OEM cards will obviously vary greatly in terms of noise (and temperature), as past generations have shown. The good news here, is that the already low base temperatures in the somewhat noisy stock cooler, mean that likely you will be able to find a quieter OEM solution, hence winning on all fronts -- power, temperature, and noise.
While the Radeon HD 78xx series is seemingly a successor to the Radeon HD 68xx (
) in name and core count, its transistor count and price hint that its true comparable is the Radeon HD 69xx SKUs (
), hence we'll use that comparison, from here on out. (If you prefer a comparison to the Radeon HD 68xx, you can jump to
(CLICK to enlarge)
(1 "Real world" Power, Noise, and Temperature levels taken
courtesy of AnandTech
(2 All 7000 series GPUs are produced
on processes by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
Comp., Ltd. (
In general terms the latest GCN cards -- like their
Southern Islands
peers offer less of almost everything, at least at face value. Core counts, texture units, etc. are all chopped down. However, the increased transistor count hints that the smaller counts may be more due to differences in how these units are structured in the GCN architecture.
(CLICK to enlarge)
Thus reserve your judgment until we come to actual real world performance -- AMD's older Terascale 2 (Radeon HD 5xxx, 6xxx series) architecture is not an apples and oranges comparison to the new and different Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture.
In Graphics Core Next's architecture (see below) cores are arranged in blocks called "Compute Units" (CUs). Each compute unit packs 64 stream processors and 4 texture units. The 7800 cards use the same 4 CU block as the 7900 cards. The Radeon HD 7850 has 4 such blocks, while the Radeon HD 7870 has five. Each 4 CU block has its own L1 instruction and an L1 read-only cache (NVIDIA CUDA users will recognize this as similar to constant memory).
A 512 KB L2 cache pool is shared by all the CU blocks, which works out to 32 KB per CU on the Radeon HD 7850 and 25.6 KB per SP on the Radeon HD 7870. This sounds worse than NVIDIA's Fermi architecture from a compute perspective as Fermi currently offers 48 KB per computing unit. However, it's important to consider than even the compute-centric GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores only has 14 streaming multiprocessors (SMPs). In other words, AMD's CU is a bit smaller than NVIDIA's SMP and has a bit less memory --
AMD has more CUs in comparable cards.
Versus the 7900 series, which received a nice memory bump, the 7700 series sees a small drop in memory clock, which affects the bandwidth. FP64 performance is also more limited that in the previous generation.
(CLICK to enlarge)
III. Real World Performance Reports, New Features
Aside from its stock performance AMD's new cards do offer some nice perks. Among the biggest is support for Direct3D 11.1, which will air inside the upcoming Windows 8. PowerTune and Fast HDMI are appreciated perks as well, with the former allowing easier power management and the latter allowing faster connections to your displays. The new Video Codec Engine (VCE) is supported, but AMD has yet to deliver this feature, which looks relatively exciting, in providing acceleration for standard video codecs.
Performance wise,
looks very good, based on
's thorough benchmarking. In most titles the Radeon HD 7850 trades blows with the GeForce GTX 570, while the Radeon HD 7870 is competitive with the GeForce GTX 580. The cards tend to perform better at higher resolutions, but are overall right where AMD wants them to be -- nearing the performance of its competitors' cards that are currently $55 USD or more extra.
The Radeon HD 7870 outperforms the GeForce GTX 580 on
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
, on "ultra" settings. [Image Source: GameRant]
This is a strong turn around from the Radeon HD 77xx launch, which saw AMD struggling to justify the higher price point of cards that lost, in many cases, to cheaper NVIDIA cards. It's consistent, though with the initial Radeon HD 79xx, which saw high prices -- but also a new industry high-mark in single-card performance.
IV. To Buy?
With the Radeon HD 79xx launch AMD gave gaming high-end enthusiasts notice -- buy AMD or buy an inferior card/wait months for an alternative.
With the Radeon HD 77xx launch, AMD's pricing was laughably bad. There was really no reason for budget buyers to even consider the card, unless they were hugely biased AMD/Radeon fans.
The Radeon HD 78xx launch sees a return to pricing that may leave one a bit unsatisfied, but which at least can't be beat by anything in the current field. At the end of the day AMD's $250 USD Radeon HD 7850 card performs
to NVIDIA's $305 USD card, and AMD's $350 USD Radeon HD 7870 performs
to NVIDIA's $415 USD card.
In other words,
is a winner. If you're in the market for a $250-300 or $350-400 USD card, you should consider these models your best buy.
AMD has done well to get a head start on NVIDIA. NVIDIA's 600/700 (
) series announcement is rather tardy. At this point AMD is capitalizing on the mid-to-high end. That's both good and bad news for enthusiast gamers -- good news because they get superior product, bad news because they suffer higher prices.
On the other hand, reportedly yield difficulties are contributing to AMD's poor pricing on the bottom end. The Radeon HD 7850 and Radeon HD 7750 are night and day in terms of bang for your buck. The former card is a great deal -- the latter is a horrid deal.
In terms of general profits, high-volume parts often drive a major percentage of total revenue. Thus NVIDIA may not be suffering that much, even with
missing-in-action, as AMD and TSMC have been unable to capitalize on the low end.
That said, it's hard to be too cynical with AMD's lone miss (the Radeon HD 77xx) -- the chipmaker has delivered 3 new chips in 3 months, and more are on the way. And it's important not to underestimate the tremendous value add that these GPUs cores are to AMD's accelerated processor units (APUs), chips that proved
a smash sales success in 2011
AMD may see even greater gains by incorporating GCN into its
APU (middle) and future chips. (The Radeon HD 79xx
chip is seen on the left.) [Image Source: Jason Mick/DailyTech]
In that sense GCN cards may be exciting to enthusiasts. But their greatest value may come when the architecture's improvements are incorporated into APUs. AMD's
the new Trinity APUs
will incorporate pieces of GCN, and
their next-generation 2013 successor, Kaveri
will dive even deeper. With our own polling showing strong interest in AMD's promised sub-$500 ultrathin laptop solutions,
's GCN "little brothers" inside APU dies may in time bring AMD far more revenue that it's first 28 nm discrete graphics push, which is currently completing its rollout.
"People Don't Respect Confidentiality in This Industry" -- Sony Computer Entertainment of America President and CEO Jack Tretton
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GOP Lawmakers Want to Ditch Healthy School Lunch Rules
Now that we're all officially back to school (yes, we're looking at you, Chicago), the 32 million students who participate in the National School Lunch Program have probably noticed a change in what's on their lunch plates.
More fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and a cap on the number of calories being served. Kids in kindergarten through fifth grade are limited to 650 calories. For seventh and eighth grade, that number bumps up to 700 calories, and high school students are capped at 850 calories. Why? It's part of the updated guidelines called for in the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.
One in three American children today is overweight or obese. Many health experts agree that limiting the calories on the plate is a good starting place to address the epidemic, particularly when we know that many children consume nearly half their daily calories at school.
RELATED: Obama and Romney's Food Policy Priorities: In Their Own Words
But U.S. Reps. Steve King, R-Iowa, and Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., are trying to repeal the calorie cap with their No Hungry Kids Act, H.R. 6418, introduced by King last week. Never mind that the calorie recommendations are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and studies done by the Institute of Medicine, and are similar to recommendations made by the Mayo Clinic, the American Heart Association and others.
They argue in part, that athletes, like football players, aren't getting the calories they need, and show up at after-school practice hungry. Regan Hopper, a spokesperson with the USDA Food & Nutrition Service, says that's not the case.
"Local schools do have flexibility in the meal patterns to make available more fruits and vegetables or a second carton of milk. There are also after-school snack programs that schools can look into for students," Hopper tells TakePart. "We have an obesity epidemic; we must address it."
But King's bill specifically would eliminate the new calorie limits.
"The misguided nanny state, as advanced by Michelle Obama's 'Healthy and Hunger Free Kids Act,' was interpreted by Secretary Vilsack to be a directive that, because some kids are overweight, he would put every child on a diet," King says in a statement that sounds more politically motivated than it does concerned over what kids are being served for lunch.
In fact, the jab at USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack is likely a poke at his wife too. Christie Vilsack is running for office, vying for the very seat King is hoping to keep, and her prospects look good.
"GOP internal polling shows a single-digit race, with King picking up less than 50 percent of the vote. This week, one plugged-in national Republican privately named King as one of the five GOP incumbents most likely to not return to Congress next year," writes Shira Toepliz for Roll Call. And according to Politico, Pete Sessions, the National Republican Congressional Committee chairman, had a "Come to Jesus" talk with King recently.
We don't know if that scolding had anything to do with King's No Hungry Kid bill, or if it was related to some of his other policy moves, like the midnight egg amendment he slipped into the 2012 Farm Bill. But what we do know is King has a seat on the powerful House Agriculture Committee, and that this congressional race is one to watch closely if you're concerned with critical food issues.
And for the super-wonks in the crowd, King isn't the only Ag Committee member whose reelection is uncertain. Keith Good over at FoodPolicy.com has the list of races that include committee members embroiled in several tight races. Will inaction on the 2012 Farm Bill revamp the House Ag Committee? We'll know come November.
More on food politics and the 2012 elections:
Farmers and Hungry Families Wait for Help as Congress Dithers on Farm Bill
New Food Safety Rules Delayed by Election Year Politics

subset: commoncrawl


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The Building Blocks for any Music Producer
The Alesis V49 is a powerful, intuitive MIDI controller that lets you take command of your music software with a series of pads, knobs, and buttons. With 49 full-size velocity-sensitive keys and Octave Up/Down buttons, you can expand the keyboard to the full melodic range and play bass lines, chords, and melodies. V49 also features four assignable knobs and buttons for manipulating effect plugins and virtual instruments: open and close filters, adjust volume levels, activate effects, tweak parameters, and more. Eight velocity-sensitive backlit pads allow you to launch clips or finger drum with exceptional response, and pitch and modulation wheels expand the expressive capabilities of your performing.
Plug-and-Go Software
V49 was designed to seamlessly and effortlessly integrate with your music software. A single USB connection to your Mac or PC provides both power and MIDI functionality, allowing you to plug right into your computer and start making music. All the knobs, buttons, and pads illuminate to provide real-time visual feedback and are laid out for an intuitive workflow. Plus, V49's slim design makes it easy to implement this powerful MIDI controller into any sized studio.
Ableton Live & XPAND!2
V49 is bundled with Ableton Live Lite 9 and Xpand!2 by AIR Music Tech, two dynamic pieces of software that enable you to record, produce, and perform with your computer. Ableton Live Lite 9 is a fluid audio/MIDI environment that enables you to spontaneously record, remix, improvise, and edit musical ideas on the fly. Xpand!2 is an advanced virtual instrument that comes with a collection of premium sounds, ranging from acoustic instruments to futuristic synthesizers. Together, these powerful music platforms allow you to create or perform music with V49 right out of the box.
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text:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Drive
Reader Gary Anderson asks a question that has crossed the minds of just about anyone who has parted ways with a used computer: I plan on giving my old laptop to a colleague but am nervous about the sensitive data that may inadvertently be left behind. How do you suggest I effectively clear my computer of this information?
This seems to be a subject that people worry about either too much or too little, blithely discarding computers without concern for the data still on them or else becoming paranoid about scrubbing away all traces. The problem is that merely deleting files from a hard drive doesn't remove the contents from the disk. Until new content saved to the drive overwrites the old files, they remain readable with relatively little trouble.
Various software steps can make the contents progressively more expensive and more difficult to retrieve. But unless the disk is physically destroyed, the contents can be reconstructed, if necessary by examining the disk platters bit by bit with a scanning electron microscope. Fortunately, even relatively modest recovery efforts can cost thousands of dollars, and the most extravagant ones can run into the millions. Most of us have nothing on our hard drives worth anywhere near that much.
The National Institute of Standards & Technology has just issued a report, "Guidelines for Media Sanitization" that advises government agencies on how to clean up digital storage media for disposal or reuse. It examines techniques ranging from simple clearing of the data to ones that involve the terms "disintegrate, shred, pulverize, or incinerate."
The happy news: "Studies have shown that most of today's media can be effectively cleared and purged by one overwrite using currently available sanitization technologies," according to the report.
This still calls for something more than simply deleting the files. On Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows, you'll need some software that systematically overwrites the contents of the drive. Eraser is a free tool (you can find it on www.download.com) that will do the job. If you're an Apple (AAPL) Mac user, the built-in OS X Disk Utilities has a feature that will safely overwrite file contents.


text:
(Helen Branswell - StatNews) Representatives of countries from around the globe will
Constitutional debate heating up in Somalia
Last month, the proposed draft constitution for Somalia was published. It is due to be presented to a National Constituent Assembly next month to be voted on, and traditional elders are beginning to gather in Mogadishu in order to select 825 members for the Assembly which will consider the draft for two weeks and then vote on its provisional ratification. The Assembly will then choose the 225 members of the new post transition parliament. An Al –Shabaab spokesman has now announced that Al-Shabaab will target any of those involved in the process of adopting the new constitution which he described as 'anti-Islamic'.
In the meantime while the government is bringing traditional elders together to organize the Assembly, some changes have already been made in the draft to accommodate some of the criticisms. After the draft was published, President Sheikh Sharif was among those who indicated that he wasn't entirely satisfied with it. He said there were still some errors that needed to be rearranged. Last week, the Minister of State for the Constitution, Hassan Mahmud Jim'ale said some changes have been made to clauses that had already caused some concern. The clause relating to conditions for presidential candidates now indicates that candidates cannot be a citizen of any other country and that if they hold another nationality it must be cancelled six months prior to the declaration of their candidature. Other changes relate to the clauses on nationality. There have been claims that the language of the draft is imprecise and could lead to disputes of interpretation, and that the Independent Federal Constitutional Commission and the Committee of Experts failed to clarify key issues.
Among other things, the draft constitution lays down strict guidelines for the creation and acceptance of new states for the Federal constitution. Puntland is given the status of a recognized state but it is the only one. Galmudug is recognized as a state but only as one that will be able in the future to fulfil all the requirements for a full federal state as stipulated in the charter. These requirements include holding a sustainable reconciliation process and being made up of two regions which have come together. There are now a multitude of smaller administrations claiming the status of a potential or actual state. It appears none can currently fulfil these proposed constitutional requirements.
Irrespective of the activities of Al-Shabaab, the TFG will still need to do a good deal of work to accommodate opposing views and bring disaffected parties into the process. Nevertheless it remains confident that it will be able to carry the process through. Somalia Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed recently told VOA that the government had a 'road map.' "Why previous governments failed was because they never had a framework that guides them, that takes them from where they were and to where they want to be. Now we have a framework. The road map has benchmarks, timelines and deadlines of doing specific jobs. That's why we've succeeded."
The UN, the AU and IGAD have warned that they will impose sanctions on anyone trying to disrupt the constitutional process. A joint statement on Tuesday said Somalia was at a critical juncture and it was imperative that the peace process could not be allowed to backslide. In an interview, Ambassador Mahiga, the UN Special Envoy to Somalia, said the warning was, in part, aimed at some Somali MPs. He said there were still elements in Parliament threatening to form their own government outside the roadmap and extend their own terms of office. The new constitution will sharply reduce the number of MPs from 550 to 225. Ambassador Mahiga said there were some former warlords in alliance with MPs, and there were also groups bent on sabotaging the whole exercise around the constitutional process: "We want to engage them in constructive dialogue instead of their just obstructing and being diversionary." The same day, a TFG spokesman underlined the TFG's determination to carry the process through, saying that politicians against the August deadline for the end of the transitional period could be sanctioned or even possibly tried. The spokesman was quoted as saying that they needed to be added to the 'spoiler' list.
Meanwhile at the beginning of last week, Uganda announced it had deployed an additional 1,700 troops in Mogadishu, bringing the total number of Ugandan troops in AMISOM to 8,000. A Ugandan military spokesman said the Ugandan forces would now take charge of security in Mogadishu while the troops from other countries in AMISOM moved out of the capital to other towns. A new commander has been appointed for AMISOM. Lt. General Fred Mushiga handed over to Lt. General Andrew Gutti on Wednesday at a ceremony in Mogadishu. He has two deputies, a Burundian Deputy Commander and a Kenyan Director of Operations. The new AMISOM commander said that AMISOM's military progress was critical to the future of peace in Somalia. AMISOM, he said, would continue to work with the Somali Army and affiliated groups to train its soldiers and advance the National Security and Stabilization Plan, an ongoing process parallel to the approval of the draft constitution.
Source: A Week in the Horn May 5, 2012 issue.
Check the Somalia archive for previous and forthcoming posts.


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The Weinhard Hotel
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- Wireless internet connection in public areas
- Non-smoking hotel
- Wireless internet connection in room (free)
- Continental Breakfast
- Free High-Speed Internet
- Non-smoking rooms
Photos of The Weinhard Hotel
Travelers also recommend:
- Reduced mobility rooms
- Wireless internet connection in public areas
- Non-smoking hotel
- Wireless internet connection in room (free)
- Free High-Speed Internet
- Non-smoking rooms
- Air-Conditioning
- Wheelchair accessibility
- Free parking
- Pets allowed
- Continental Breakfast
- Business Services
TripAdvisor Reviews The Weinhard Hotel Dayton
Travel Blogs from Dayton
One big leap for Southern Sun
... airport at 5am to fuel and be up by 6am, with a sunrise of 7.30am. That plan came to a grinding halt when I found the plane had quite a layer of frost all over it. I don't have a lot of experience in ice conditions, but I knew that was pretty much bad. So once fuelled it took me another hour and a half to slowly get all the ice off with buckets of warm water retrieved from the airport bathroom and then ...
Town day
... sell interesting assortments of old antiques /junque on consignment. Lewis and Clark camped overnight in Dayton in May 1806 on their return trip back from the Pacific coast. There is a sculpture park that demonstrates what the campsite looked like, and represents each person in the explorers' party, right down to the dogs and Sacagawea's (sp?) toddler son, with the flamboyant name of Pompy ...
To the Palouse River Falls
... itself. We're camping about three miles south of town. Starbuck itself, has seen better days, but still sports the Rawhide Bar and Grill. We stopped there and got an ice cream bar for our dessert.
We had rain on our trip, but the temperature was in the eighties, so the moisture didn't do much for this arid ground. It' a great place for a hearty grass fire.
Back in camp we relaxed and did such as this. Thanks again for stopping by...
Lewis & Clark 5 day 1-7
... very high prices. There was also a prison display as the Washington state prison is located here. We then travel to Sacajawea State Park where the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers meet. This is where Lewis and Clark saw the Columbia river that was very clean and had incredible numbers of salmon in the river. We were able to make a third stop at a overlook of the Columbia river, it was difficult to find, but we basically stumbled upon it, this was uninspiring and it was ...
Dayton Has a Dingle's and two Tingles
... The last surviving Boldman daughter left the home to the city of Dayton. The home has been totally restored and all the belongings kept in place. These folks didn't throw anything away and was a true time capsule, much like the Chinese store in John Day. Also, in Dayton, we visited a brew pub and had lunch and sampled some local brews. At the pub we met some folks who had lived in Alaska and they provided some great tips for our travels.
Signing out, ...


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MicroCotton: Towel Sets Ala You!
You've got towel and washcloth needs. We're too busy to listen to them. No, no, don't take it personally. Just figure it out all on your own. Who's better at taking care of you than you, right? Right.
Ends on November 29 at 9AM CT


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A delegation dispatched by Chinas new leader, Xi Jinping, met with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday, North Korean state media reported, amid signs that North Korea is stepping up its nuclear and long-range missile programs.
The allies pledged to bolster their ties as Kim met with Li Jianguo, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress, and other officials of the Communist Party of China in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, according to the reports.
Li delivered a letter from Xi to Kim, the North's state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported. South Korean media speculated that Xi might have invited Kim to visit China for the first time since assuming power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, last December.
North Korea's dependence on China as its main trade partner and source of aid has deepened in recent years as US-led UN sanctions have tightened after its recent ballistic missile and nuclear tests.
Washington has urged China to use its influence to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program. But while supporting international efforts to end North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Beijing has often been seen by analysts as being more interested in keeping a stable Communist regime on its border.
On Thursday, the United Nations top nuclear official said that North Korea had made additional progress in the construction of a new nuclear reactor, which the country could use to expand its capacity to produce fuel for nuclear weapons.
Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told its governing board that North Korea has largely completed work on the exterior of the main buildings of a new nuclear reactor under construction in the North's main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, satellite photos indicated that North Korea had moved two sections of a long-range rocket in possible preparation for a launch, the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies said on its website.
The North launched a rocket in April, but it disintegrated shortly after takeoff, failing in its stated goal of putting a satellite into orbit. Washington believes North Koreas true purpose in conducting the launches has been to master intercontinental ballistic missile technology.
The New York Times


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The water itself must be extracted, bottled and transported to the shops, while the bottles, too, have to be manufactured (usually from petroleum derivatives) and disposed of. To cap it all, research shows European standards for factory-bottled water to be lower than for ordinary UK tap water, and that harmful toxins (phthalates) can leach from plastic into water if stored for too long or at warm temperatures.
There's a well-publicised move to ask for tap water in smart restaurants instead of the fancy blue or frosted glass bottles we've learned to love, but this is taking a while to trickle down - restaurateurs will be loth to lose that hefty profit margin. So all power to the likes of Carla Carlisle at the excellent Leaping Hare in Suffolk, who is pulling the plug on bottled water in her restaurant and spending many thousands on a borehole and purification system.
If you worry about the quality of water in your home, a domestic tap filtration system can cost as little as £128, plus £50 a year for cartridges. I got ours (from www.freshwaterfilter.com) four years ago when I was pregnant and my main motive was not wanting to lug those two-litre torpedoes back from the shops. I wouldn't be without it now.


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Armenia ratifies Optional Protocol on Sale of Children
UNICEF APPLAUDS ARMENIAN RATIFICATION OF CRC OPTIONAL PROTOCOLYEREVAN, 19 March 2005 – President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan today signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, ratified by the National Assembly of Armenia on 28 February 2005.
"The commercial sexual exploitation of children is a horrific crime and an intolerable violation of child rights," says Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative in Armenia. "The ratification of this Protocol is a major step forward in the campaign to protect the children of this country from sexual exploitation and abuse. With its ratification, Armenia joins a transnational partnership to tackle this global crime."
The Protocol applies to children under the age of 18 and obliges ratifying countries to take measures to prevent, investigate and punish cases of sexual exploitation and sale of children and provide victims with proper counseling and rehabilitation.
For more information:


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Popular property highlights
Located within a mile (2 km) of Keys Golf Course, Americas Best Value Inn - Lake Erie Sandusky is within 2 miles (3 km) of Sandusky Mall. This 100-room hotel has an outdoor pool, free in-room WiFi, and free self parking. In central Sandusky, the hotel is also close to Osborn Recreation Area and Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve.
Savor a meal from the comfort of your room with room service.
All 100 air-conditioned rooms provide free weekday newspapers, free local calls, and laptop-compatible safes. Guests can expect free WiFi and cable TV. Bathrooms have hair dryers and free toiletries. Rooms also include ironing boards.
Guests of Americas Best Value Inn - Lake Erie Sandusky enjoy an outdoor pool, free WiFi in public areas, and a seasonal outdoor pool. You can take advantage of free parking if you drive. The front desk is staffed 24/7 to help secure valuables, and answer any questions about the accommodations. Other amenities at this family-friendly hotel include coffee/tea in a common area, an arcade/game room, and express check-out.
Property features
- Free WiFi in rooms and public areas
- Free parking
- Outdoor pool
- Laundry facilities
Americas Best Value Inn - Lake Erie Sandusky
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Americas Best Value Inn - Lake Erie Sandusky features an outdoor pool, an arcade/game room, and coffee/tea in a common area. Public areas are equipped with complimentary wireless Internet access. This family-friendly hotel also offers a fireplace in the lobby, laundry facilities, and room service (during limited hours). Complimentary self parking is available on site. The property may provide extended parking privileges to guests after check-out (surcharge).
- 24-hour front desk
- Arcade/game room
- Total number of rooms - 100
- Number of floors - 2
- Coffee/tea in common areas
- Fireplace in lobby
- Express check-out
- Free WiFi
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Free self parking
- Outdoor pool
- Outdoor seasonal pool
- Laundry facilities
- RV, bus, truck parking
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Use of nearby fitness center (discount)
Family Friendly Amenities
- Family Hotel
- Outdoor pool
- Free Wi-Fi
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Laundry facilities
- Arcade/game room
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking, RV, bus, truck parking
Room Amenities
Americas Best Value Inn - Lake Erie Sandusky offers 100 air-conditioned accommodations with laptop-compatible safes and complimentary weekday newspapers. Televisions come with premium cable channels. Bathrooms include shower/tub combinations, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers.
This Sandusky hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include phones along with free local calls (restrictions may apply). Additionally, rooms include irons/ironing boards and blackout drapes/curtains.
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Free weekday newspaper
- Air conditioning
- Phone
- Free local calls
- Premium TV channels
- Free toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Shower/tub combination
- Cable TV service
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Free WiFi
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Private bathroom
- Room service (limited hours)
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Iron/ironing board
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Free dial-up Internet access
- In-room safe (laptop compatible)
Where to Eat
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
Nearby Things to Do
Recreational amenities at the hotel include an outdoor pool.
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
- In-room accessibility
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-in time ends at 7 AM
Minimum check-in age is 18
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Kids stay free! Children 17 years old and younger stay free when using existing bedding.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available.
- Cribs (infant beds) are available.
- Pets allowed for an extra charge of USD 20 per pet, per night
- Restrictions apply
- For more information contact the property at the number on the booking confirmation
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- Minimum Spring Break check-in age is 18 years old.
No elevators
Optional extras
Hotel Name
- Americas Best Value Inn Lake Erie Sandusky Hotel
- Americas Best Value Inn Lake Erie Hotel
- Americas Best Value Inn Lake Erie Sandusky
- Americas Best Value Inn Lake Erie
We should mention
Children 17 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation. Guests can arrange to bring pets by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation (surcharges apply and can be found in the Fees section).


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An ominous chord, such as you might hear as some unsuspecting victim is about to open the Box Of Things Man Was Not Meant To Unleash.
GoooD, Man!
It's an 'Om'... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om
Great sound!
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Digital Plant Asset Management
A power plant, offshore drilling facility or oil refinery is a large and complex assembly of high-value long-life assets and systems created by multiple engineering disciplines. Assets include mechanical equipment, piping and instrumentation, electrical fittings, steel structures, civil engineering, process automation systems and others. Many stakeholders require access to information concerning these assets for different purposes throughout the life of a facility. As an asset undergoes design and engineering changes, maintenance, upgrades, revamps or replacement throughout its life cycle, its status and attributes change. These changes need to be reflected in the asset life cycle history and available for viewing digitally on-line and in up-to-date documentation. During a project life cycle, if changes and modifications impacting assets are not meticulously reflected in the revision history, delays in facility information handover from project teams to owners / operators are experienced. The cost associated with delays in transferring facility information from project team to owner / operators for start-up and commissioning can cost a company millions of dollars in unearned revenues.
Dassault Systèmes (DS)' Integrated Plant Engineering as well as Efficient Plant Operation Industry Solution Expriences both provide configuration management processes, enabling secured access to all authorized stakeholders to manage asset information digitally and the processes governing it throughout its life cycle. DS PLM system dynamically updates information relating to all asset changes and stores the revision history, including relationships and associated processes. Operations and maintenance personal may receive new assignments; managers may enter comments or markup work submitted for approval; teams can collaborate on tasks or assignments. It is a single source of reliable up-to-date asset information including the processes governing it that can be explored and viewed graphically on-line.
DS provides the technology to allow users gain control over information, cut tedious administrative tasks and work more effectively in the highly competitive energy jungle. While design-oriented companies manage documents, CAD and engineering data applicable during the construction phase of a facility only, DS provides a system to manage asset data that is relevant throughout a facility's entire life cycle, including operations, maintenance and decommissioning. Moreover, DS PLM system is open, scalable and flexible so it can be customized to meet the requirements of many customers.
Digital Plant Asset Management solution includes:
- GBS / PBS geographical and functional Bill of Materials (BOM) navigation
- Automated workflow and process management
- Maintenance scheduling and shutdown planning
- Operation work instructions and documentation
- Issue management enabling hazard and risk mitigation
- Equipment and systems inspection reports
- Equipment replacement
- Engineering document and specifications management
Supporting Brand: ENOVIA
It's important to follow the evolution of a plant over a long period of time and ENOVIA is flexible enough to adapt over the years as the needs of the plant evolve.
Lars-Martin Arendal CAD System/Design Engineer, Preem Petroleum


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A Rotorua childcare centre has done the seemingly impossible - they've turned pre-schoolers off junk food.
Kidz World on Rutland Street has introduced an award system to encourage children to bring healthy food in their lunchbox and it's a huge success.
Teacher Kim Anderson said the "Healthy Lunchbox Award" began in June and had been so successful children were now educating their parents about the benefits of healthy food.
"We sit down at lunchtime and compare lunchboxes. The children all want to win the Healthy Lunchbox Award so they monitor what their parents pack for them. Some even take responsibility for packing their own lunchboxes with food they know is healthy and take the junk food out. No more lollies," she said.
Mrs Anderson said the difference before and after the award was introduced was great to see.
"Before the award children were bringing along lots of processed junk food in packets. Some didn't have sandwiches, some brought in chippies, biscuits, lollies and even coke," she said.
"Now children are bringing along little containers filled with healthy food like seeds, fruits, carrot sticks, sandwiches and yoghurt."
Mrs Anderson said it was great to see the children getting excited about how different foods helped them grow.
"The children say things like 'this will make me see better or this will make my bones stronger'," she said.
Mrs Anderson said parents attitudes had also changed.
"I don't think the parents were too excited when we first introduced the Healthy Lunchbox Award but the children were so enthusiastic the parents became really supportive too," she said.
Teacher Sarai Marshall said she was delighted to see the change from parents.
"It's the easy option to fill a child's lunchbox with processed foods, but it's not the healthiest," she said.
"Some of the worst things we see are those lunch packs filled with biscuits, chippies, a muesli bar, a packet of lollies and a drink. They have no goodness in them. Even some of the muesli bars which looked healthy, weren't. Parents should check the nutritional details and make sure food isn't more than 10 per cent sugar," she said.
Miss Marshall said the process hasn't just been about what kids can't have though - it's all been about balance.
"We follow the Ministry of Health guidelines and teach children about the food pyramid.
"We have a little phrase we teach the kids, 'It's ok to have sometimes foods - sometimes'," she said.
The most popular lunchbox foods at the centre were mandarins, bananas, sandwiches and yoghurt.
Healthy Lunchbox Tips:
Involve your children in lunchbox decisions and preparation and be a role model prepare your own healthy lunch at the same time
Cut large fruit and vegetables [seasonal] into smaller pieces
Vary the shape of sandwiches: triangles or use a cookie cutter
Experiment with different breads, for example wraps, pita, fruit bread
Water and milk are the only drinks recommended for children
Freeze a drink bottle for the lunchbox to keep food cold and safe
Keep it interesting. Left overs are great - or try sushi, corn thins, tuna or potato salad etc.
Make sure snacks come from the four food groups.
- Heart Foundation of NZ


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The first few hours of CES 2013 have dazzled us with a deluge of delicious devices so far, with dozens of new Android tablets weird and wonderful Smart TVs stealing the show so far.
But while the big guns have given us plenty of tech to chew over so far, a number of smaller companies have also impressed with some innovative "intelligent" products that no one was quite expecting.
Intelligent Cutlery
Hidden away amongst the likes of Samsung, LG and Lenovo, a small French outfit by the name of Hapifork has offered up one of the most inspirational new devices we've seen so far – the Smart Fork.
That's right, a fork.
Admittedly it's one of the wackiest of "smart" products we've seen anyone come up with so far, but it might just hold promise for those who have tried every diet and exercise regime under the sun and still failed to lose weight.
See all CES coverage here!
Hapifork describes its product as "Intelligent cutlery", and basically what it does is to try and make you eat your meals more slowly. It works by keeping count of the time you take to eat your dinner or lunch and calculating how many mouthfuls of you wolf down per minutes. It's capable of measuring the interval between bringing the fork up to your mouth and back to the plate again – should it decide you're doing this too quickly, a gentle vibration will warn you to slow down.
The vibration feels much the same as your smartphone vibrating when it's been switched to silent.
Once you've finished eating, the Smart Fork can then upload your 'dinner data' to the Hapifork web portal via USB to your PC or by Bluetooth, allowing you to share this and keep track of your meal times.
It remains to be seen how much of a help Hapifork can provide, but perhaps it will appeal to desperate dieters with nothing else to lose. The company plans to launch its device at next March's Kickstarter event, with products going on sale this April.
The Android Oven
Wouldn't it be great if someone designed and developed an oven that knew how to make any meal you ever wanted – preparing all the ingredients, dicing them up, slicing and mixing in the right amounts, adding seasoning and then cooking it to perfection?
Well, Dacor's Android-powered oven isn't quite capable of doing all that, but it is a step in the right direction.
It's new, 30-inch Discovery IQ Wall Oven is certainly capable of lending a helping hand in the kitchen, allowing budding cooks to surf the net, look at recipes and, for those who are less than confident in their cooking abilities, providing step-by-step guidance as they prepare their meal.
Its usefulness extends to calculating various food-related queries too – for example, if you're not sure how long that rack of lamb is supposed to take, simply key in its weight and the Discovery IQ Controller will do the hard work, adjusting itself to the optimal temperature whilst setting a timer for you. There's also a corresponding smartphone app that syncs with the cooker, allowing you to keep track of what's cooking whilst outside the kitchen.
The Android oven ain't cheap though – when it's released later this year, it'll set you back a cool $4,499 for a single oven or $7,499 for a double.
Throwaway Fitness Tech
Technology has progressed to the point that we can now just throw it away once we're done with it. In fact, that's exactly what Bodymedia wants you to do with its latest new gadget – an adhesive patch that's worn on your arm or leg for up to seven days before being disposed of.
Once your time is up, simply rip of the patch, tear it open, plug the small internal device into the USB port on your laptop and download all of the data it's collected.
The stick-on gadget records information about how active you were over the last week, as well as how many calories you burned off (and what time you did so), your sleeping habits and more. From all of this data, it's able to come up with suggestions that can help you lead a healthier lifestyle.
Bodymedia plans to sell its new adhesive devices "less than $50", with the hope being that they will appeal to those who might be curious about their products but unwilling to shell out over a hundred dollars on one of their longer-lasting products, reports MobileHealthNews.


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La Fonda Latino Grill
426 Hawkins Ave. Lake Ronkonkoma, NY 631-467-3278
$ (Inexpensive)Description:
This restaurant, tucked away in a strip mall, has a new name and new owner, but basically the same menu that includes marinated, juicy rotisserie chicken. Platters run about $9 to $12, with the most expensive thing on the menu at $14.50. It also specializes in six varieties of Colombian hot dogs -- some topped with steak and chicken. They run about $4 to $6 each. All entrees come with rice, beans, sweet plantains and salads. Takeout for La Fonda is almost as popular as dining in.
Lunch, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday; dinner, 3-11 p.m. Sunday-Saturday.Reservations:
AcceptedCredit cards:
Wheelchair accessibleParty size:
Small groups (4-6 people)
Newsday.com now uses Facebook for our comment boards. Please read our guidelines and connect your Facebook account to comment.


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Ok, so many wallpapers for dear daniel, here it's another wallpaper about dear daniel, but not dear daniel himself, he will standing with hello kitty: it's hello kitty and dear daniel wedding wallpaper.
We can see dear daniel is very handsome and like a gentleman, and hello kitty is very beautiful, she is a cute princess. Good hello kitty desktop wallpaper, enjoy it.


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white and best
- Size: 360px
- Quality: High
- Size: 2.67 MB 112.56 KB
This Gif entitled white and best was created from the youtube video 3 years ago by SAmiCheTo-i. It uses 18 frames per second and is displayed at 360px resolution. This animated image plays for 3 seconds, was built with high quality and an estimated weight of 2.67 MB for download. This animation was originally created from the Weezer - Island in The Sun (Cover) by Daniela Andrade & Sarah Lee video from 01:56 to 01:59.
Flag This GifSend


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The governor of Andhra Pradesh, ESL Narasimhan, on Thursday ordered a magisterial inquiry into Wednesday's clash between Sikhs and Muslims in Kishanbagh area of Hyberabad here.
The clash had broken out after the Nishan Sahib (religious flag) of a gurdwara was burnt; and three persons from the other community were killed reportedly in police firing later. Curfew remained in place within the Rajendranagar police station limits of Hyberabad Police Commissisonerate, even as an uneasy calm prevailed.
The governor, who reviewed the police firing incident with senior cops, also announced an ex gratia of Rs 6 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the grievously injured, besides free medical treatment. At least 17 persons, including 10 police personnel, were injured in heavy stone-pelting in the clash.
"The curfew is continuing...situation is peaceful and under control...no untoward incidents have been reported," Hyberabad joint commissioner of police Y Gangadhar told PTI. A large number of police personnel, including central paramilitary forces, were deployed in the area to maintain law and order. Some troublemakers were taken into custody and were being questioned about their alleged role in the incident, police sources said. (with PTI inputs)


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This is a thin cloth mask that contains two parts in one packet: One cloth fits over your forehead, nose, and eye area (the mask has eyeholes so your eyes aren't covered), and a second cloth fits over the bottom half of your face, with an opening for your mouth.
Before use, you're directed to remove the film backing, which exposes the serum-like portion of the mask. Next, you place the serum side over your face and leave it on for up to 30 minutes, after which time you simply remove and discard the mask and then massage the remaining product into your skin.
Is it worth the time and trouble? Hardly! The formula is little more than water, slip agents, and plant extracts, some are helpful, some have no established benefit for skin, and some are fragrant and potentially irritating.
At best, this mask will make slightly dry skin feel smoother and softer, but it contains nothing to reduce pore size, help breakouts, or control oil. If anything, the slip agents may leave your skin feeling moist and a bit tacky, not matte and refined. None of the plant extracts in this mask have research proving their benefit for oily, breakout-prone skin (Source: www.naturaldatabase.com). If you have oily, breakout-prone skin, you'll find much better masks on our list of
Best Facial Masks.
This easy-to-use mask tightens pores and controls oil, leaving skin smooth, clear, and refined. For normal, oily, or acne-prone skin, its natural extracts work to clear out pores without irritation. Its hydrating ingredients deliver oil-free moisture while ensuring that skin is not over dried.
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Castanea Sativa (Chestnut) Shell Extract, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Betaine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glycerin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Hydroxide
Dr. Jart+ At-a-Glance
Strengths: The BB creams (Beauty Balms) provide broad-spectrum sun protection and are fragrance-free.
Weaknesses: Expensive; BB creams are little more than tinted moisturizers with sunscreen; the masks are gimmicky and minimally helpful for skin.
Dr. Jart+ is a line of skin-care products based in Korea. Its most popular products are the Beauty Balms, known in the United States as BB creams. Before we discuss this brand's contribution to the BB cream craze, we want to state that at this time we are reviewing only the Dr. Jart+ products that are available at U.S. Sephora stores. If you visit the Korean Dr. Jart+ Web site, you'll see several other skin-care products are offered. We might review those in the future, but it's clear that the questions we've received about this brand have to do with the BB creams.
No information is available about an actual Dr. Jart, and our Korean friends tell us there is no actual Dr. Jart, so it is a made up name to help give the line some credibility. According to the company's English Web site, the brand is supposed to be the brainchild of multiple dermatologists as well as 21 "medical specialists." That's a lot of cooks for one product line, but as we've reported before, and as many of you know from experience, there are plenty of doctors' products that are terribly formulated and that come in bad packaging. All that really counts is whether or not you should give this line a closer look, despite the marketing claims
It didn't take much review to discover that there is nothing particularly medical or dermatologist-oriented about these products. The people behind Dr. Jart+ don't have access to any special ingredients other cosmetic companies can't use, and their products contain no unique ingredients that have any research showing that they improve skin. U.S. Sephora stores sell two BB cream options from Dr. Jart+; one of them is great and the other is lacking in too many areas to make it worth purchasing. But the question remains, should you purchase a BB cream at all? They are not must-have products, and most are far from being the "new idea in skin care" they're made out to be. Essentially, whether they're called BB creams, Blemish Balms, or Beauty Balms, all of these products are little more than tinted moisturizers with sunscreen. Some include a helpful amount of beneficial ingredients like antioxidants or skin-lightening agents (vitamin C, arbutin) to improve brown spots. Such discolorations are considered a blemish in Asian cultures, but that's the only distinguishing feature. Compared with standard tinted moisturizers, BB creams typically provide slightly to moderately more coverage. In that sense, they fall between tinted moisturizers and foundations, but many BB creams go on sheer also; so, ultimately, it comes down to the individual products. If you're happily using a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen, there's no reason to forgo it in favor of a BB cream, but there's no harm in testing them out to see if you prefer their effect. Most won't notice much difference between them and a tinted moisturizer.
For more information about Dr. Jart+, visit http://www.drjart.co.kr/global/eng/.
Note: The company does not publish a phone number on its Web site, which doesn't bode well for building consumer trust or obtaining any help from customer service, so buyer beware.
The Beautypedia and Paula's Choice Research teams have one mission: To help you find the best products for your skin, whether they're from Paula's Choice or another brand. By combining efforts, we're able to share scientific research and remain committed to the highest standards based on our decades of experience objectively reviewing thousands upon thousands of skincare and makeup formularies in all price ranges.
Beautypedia cuts through the hype to bring you product insights and recommendations you won't find anywhere else!


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This full website whois and analysis report on Kwantulindawo.co.za was ran on May, 24, 2017.
We include detailed information like the server IP Address which is 22.214.171.124. Kwantulindawo.co.za resides at HETZNER (Pty) Ltd in Durbanville, 11, South Africa.
The official title of Kwantulindawo.co.za is: Kwa-Ntulindawo Guesthouse
The official description of Kwantulindawo.co.za is:
a tranquil, elegant guesthouse in the heart of Vryheid
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Get an overview of this hotelRockport hotel in Fulton with free breakfast and outdoor pool
Popular property highlights
Located in Fulton, this hotel is 1.6 mi (2.5 km) from Fulton Mansion and 2.9 mi (4.7 km) from Key Allegro Marina. Rockport Center for the Arts and Texas Maritime Museum are also within 6 mi (10 km).
Along with an outdoor pool, this smoke-free hotel has a spa tub and laundry facilities. Free continental breakfast, free WiFi in public areas, and free self parking are also provided. Additionally, a 24-hour front desk, express check-in, and express check-out are onsite.
Hotel Features
Room Amenities
All 55 rooms feature kitchenettes with refrigerators and microwaves, plus free WiFi and sofa beds. Satellite TV, room service, and free local calls are among the other amenities available to guests.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!Opens in a new window
Sportsman Manor Motel
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Sportsman Manor Motel features an outdoor pool and a spa tub. Wireless Internet access is complimentary. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast. This Rockport hotel also offers barbecue grills, a picnic area, and laundry facilities. Complimentary self parking is available on site.
Sportsman Manor Motel is a smoke-free property.
- Outdoor pool
- Spa tub
- Total number of rooms - 55
- Express check-in
- 24-hour front desk
- Express check-out
- Laundry facilities
- Picnic area
- Barbecue grill(s)
- Number of floors - 2
- Smoke-free property
- Free self parking
- Free breakfast
- Free WiFi
Family Friendly Amenities
- Outdoor pool
- Free Wi-Fi
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Kitchenette
- Laundry facilities
- Sofa bed
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Room service (limited hours)
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Access via exterior corridors
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Air conditioning
- Free local calls
- Kitchenette
- Refrigerator
- Microwave
- Shower/tub combination
- Satellite TV service
- Daily housekeeping
- Sofa bed
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Partially open bathroom
- Free WiFi
Where to Eat
Guests are offered a complimentary continental breakfast.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
Nearby Things to Do
An outdoor pool and a spa tub are on site.
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 1 PM
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available.
- Pets not allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No cribs (infant beds) available
Hotel Name
- Sportsman Manor
- Sportsman Manor Motel
- Sportsman Manor Motel Rockport
- Sportsman Manor Rockport
- Sportsman Manor Hotel Rockport
- Sportsmans Manor Hotel


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DH LABS T-14 Silver Sonic Speaker cables
DH LABS T-14 SILVER SONIC speaker cables
Pcc Copper strands with a mirror finish of silver on each strand.
Silver Sonic T-14 High Resolution speaker cable was designed by D.H. LABS to provide the highest quality sound at a much lower price than competing cables. It uses the finest materials available, including silver, oxygen-free copper and a pure Teflon dielectric. Silver Sonic T-14 speaker cable has a very low capacitance of 21.5 pico-farads per foot. The inductance is also very low, which allows consistent performance with a wide variety of speakers. In fact, A ten foot length of this cable has less inductance than the output stages of many amplifiers! Vibration damping spacers and a tensioned wrap under the jacket hold the conductors tightly in place, and the cable is completely free from resonances and microphonic effects that cause a loss of resolution. From the deepest bass to the highest treble, T-14 provides the most transparent sound possible, with precise imaging and a large, deep sound stage.
A used set of these sold last on ebay for over $11 per foot (in pairs)!
I'm selling...
6 foot (~76") pair w/ bananas at each end... $65
8.5 foot (~103") single length w/ bananas at each end... $45
...get everything for $100
If you have monster cable of any sort these will blow that away and simply amaze your ears! I have used this wire for a short period in a second system.
I also have wall outlet connectors and such if you are building/wiring a room.
These high quality audiophile cables will not disappoint.
these are great cable... someone grab these before I put them on ebay.
still available
pending payment
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Copyright ©1999-2017 diyAudio


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What is the status of the U.S. nuclear industry?
Did you know?
On December 2, 1942, under the bleachers of the football stadium at the University of Chicago, Dr. Enrico Fermi initiated the first controlled nuclear chain reaction. The experiment, conducted as part of the wartime atomic bomb program, also led to peaceful uses of the atom, including construction of the first U.S. nuclear power plant at Shippingport, Pennsylvania, in 1957.
Annual nuclear generation in the United States has remained relatively steady in recent years.
Did you know?
The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington has the most electricity generation capacity of any electric power plant in the United States, at 7,079 megawatts (MW) net summer capacity. The Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Arizona ranks second in the nation with a capacity of 3,937 MW. Nuclear plants use more of their capacity on an annual basis than hydropower facilities. In 2014, Grand Coulee generated about 20,262 gigawatthours of electricity, while Palo Verde generated about 32,321 gigawatthours.
The United States has 100 operating commercial nuclear reactors at 60 nuclear power plants. The average age of U.S. nuclear reactors is about 35 years old. The oldest operating reactors, Nine Mile Point Unit 1 and Oyster Creek, began commercial operation in December 1969. Thirty-four reactors began commercial operation between 1985 and 1996. Four reactors were permanently shut down in 2013, and one reactor was taken out of service in 2014. The newest reactor to enter service, Watts Bar Unit 2, came online in June 2016 and is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of 2016.
Since 1990, the share of total annual U.S. electricity generation provided by nuclear power has averaged about 20%. Nuclear generation has generally increased through power plant modifications to increase capacity (known as uprates) and by shortening the length of time reactors are offline for refueling.
Thirty states have at least one commercial nuclear reactor
Most of the commercial reactors in the United States are located east of the Mississippi River. Illinois has the largest number of commercial reactors (11) and, as of December 31, 2015, had the largest nuclear net summer electricity generation capacity at about 11,590 megawatts (MW). The largest reactor in the United States, with a capacity of more than 1,350 MW, is the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, located in Port Gibson, Mississippi. The smallest reactor, with a capacity of 478 MW, is at Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.
Four reactors were permanently shut down in 2013:
- Crystal River Unit 3 in Florida
- Kewaunee Power Station in Wisconsin
- San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Units 2 and 3 in California
One reactor was removed from service in 2014:
- Vermont Yankee in Vermont
One reactor began initial operation in June 2016:
- Watts Bar Unit 2 in Tennessee
Four new nuclear reactors are actively under construction:
- Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Georgia
- Virgil C. Summer Units 2 and 3 in South Carolina
Many plants have more than one reactor
The term power plant refers to an entire facility. A power plant may contain nuclear as well as non-nuclear electricity generating units. Each nuclear reactor located at a commercial nuclear power plant is unique and has its own personnel and equipment. The reactor provides heat to make steam, which drives a turbine and, in turn, drives the generator that produces electricity.
Thirty-six U.S. nuclear power plants have at least two reactors. Although some foreign nuclear power plants have as many as eight reactors, only three U.S. plants have more than two operational reactors: Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona, Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama, and Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina.
Nuclear power plants are generally used more intensively than other power plants
For cost and technical reasons, nuclear power plants are generally used more intensively than coal units or natural gas units (see capacity figure at right). In 2015, the nuclear share of total U.S. electricity generating capacity was 9%, while the nuclear share of total electricity generation was about 20%.
Recent U.S. nuclear construction activity
In June 2016, the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Watts Bar Unit 2 in Tennessee became the first new U.S. reactor to come online since 1996. Watts Bar Unit 2 is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of 2016.
In February 2012, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted to approve Southern Company's application to build and operate two new reactors, Units 3 and 4, at its Vogtle plant in Georgia. The Vogtle reactors are the first new reactors to receive construction approval in more than 30 years. In March 2012, the NRC voted to approve South Carolina Electric & Gas Company's application to build and operate two new reactors, Units 2 and 3, at its Virgil C. Summer plant in South Carolina.
When will new reactors in the United States come online?
Although four nuclear reactors were retired in 2013 and one was retired in 2014, nuclear generation capacity at the end of 2015 was about the same as nuclear capacity in 2002, when there were 104 operating reactors. Power plant modifications to increase capacity (uprates) at existing power plants have made it possible to maintain the same nuclear capacity. These uprates, combined with high capacity utilization rates, have allowed nuclear power to consistently maintain a share of about 20% of total annual U.S. electricity output since 1990. With many nuclear plants operating at or near capacity, maintaining the current share will depend on new reactors being built, as electricity demand increases.
Four new reactors that are now under construction (Vogtle Units 3 and 4, and Summer Units 2 and 3) are expected to come online between 2019 and 2020. The related Today in Energy article of June 14, 2016, explains more about these new reactors.
As of May 2016, the NRC had about 20 applications for new reactors in various stages of review. The NRC application review process can take up to five years to complete. Under current licensing regulations, a company that seeks to build a new reactor can use off-the-shelf reactor designs that the NRC has previously approved. The design certification the NRC issues is independent of approvals of applications to construct or operate a new nuclear power plant. When the applicant uses an NRC-certified reactor design, that means that all safety issues related to the design have been resolved, and the focus of the NRC's review is the quality of construction. Construction of a nuclear power plant may take five years or more. EIA projects that new nuclear electricity generation capacity will be added through 2040, but that capacity retirements and derates will result in only a small net increase in generation capacity from nuclear power by 2040.


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"Dear God. I know I'm gorgeous, and have the biggest and sweetest ass ever, and I thank you for that. But, no pun intended, please make my boobs stop growing! I just can't handle having ginormous boobs. Amen."
At least that's how I imagine Kim's prayer to God when like. Who knew that Kim Kardashian was a religious woman?
PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian Lets Justin Bieber Take A Bite Out Of Her Flower
Here's an excerpt from PopEater's interview with Kim Kardashian, seen here at the nail salon in Beverly Hills yesterday, and her sister regarding Kim's boobs:
Kim, you write in 'Kardashian Konfidential' how you had a hard time with your body as a young girl.
Kim: Kourtney used to torture me and think I was odd because I had big boobs. I was 11 when I got my period and I started developing. I would sit in the bathtub, take a washcloth, put it under really hot water and put it against my boobs and pray to God, please don't make my boobs grow any bigger. And Kourtney would be like, "Your boobs are so big and ugly!" She was so mean and then I would have to wear a bra and she would say, "Who wears a bra? That's so disgusting." It was so embarrassing.
So Kim was trying to burn boobs off? I guess she finally accepted them.
Please use the social bookmarking buttons below to share this story! While you're in a social mood, why don't follow us on Facebook and post it to Twitter.


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Ezio Auditore's Gift History
You can give away your own Rosettes or Stars by subscribing to DogsterPlus or by purchasing Zealies. Learn more about Rosettes and Stars or DogsterPlus.
Stars Received (2)
|October 2011
Stars Given
Ezio Auditore has not given any Stars yet.
Rosettes Received (1)
|March 2012
Rosettes Given
Ezio Auditore has not given any Rosettes yet.
Special Gifts Received (1)
|April 2012
Special Gifts Given
|Ezio Auditore has not given any Gifts yet.


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Posted by Steve
I had hoped to post an extensive series preview, but I just haven't had the time. I figure a few random thoughts are better than nothing.
The Brewers are considering starting Zack Greinke for Game 2. This would be the second time in a row he'd start on three days' rest. I can't say I'm crazy about that idea. It would be different if they hadn't thrown him for six innings on Wednesday. Carlos Gomez's three-run homer came in the bottom of the fourth. I wanted them to take out Greinke as soon as that happened; a 5-1 lead on the Pirates should have been plenty at that point. Instead, they kept him in for two more innings. If they had taken him out after the fourth, I'd feel much better about throwing him on Sunday. As it is, I'd just hold Greinke back until Game 3. It's frustrating to wait until the third game to start your best pitcher, but it's better than starting him when he's less that 100% rested. Gallardo-Marcum-Greinke-Wolf is just fine for the first four games.
Yovani Gallardo vs. Ian Kennedy is a great matchup. Kennedy is getting some play for Cy Young, which is mainly because of his win-loss record and not because he's been one of the three or four best pitchers in the league. Still, he's been one of the ten or 12 best in the NL, much like Gallardo.
Overall, these teams are quite similar in their makeup.
They are both above-average offensive teams with no clear edge to one over the other. They are within ten runs scored of each other on the entire season, and within six points of wOBA.
Judging by defensive metrics and staff ERAs compared to xFIPs, Arizona has the stronger team defense (the eye test also tells us it shouldn't be surprising that someone is better defensively than the Brewers).
The Brewers have a slight edge in the starting rotation, although once again, both teams are above average. Both teams' 1 and 2 starters are just about a wash, but the DBacks don't have a third starter on the level of Shaun Marcum.
The bullpen is where the Brewers pull away a bit. Brewers relievers had an ERA of 3.32 and an xFIP of 3.43. Diamondbacks relievers have an ERA of 3.71 and an xFIP of 3.92. That's a fairly large difference. The DBacks have a good closer who is comparable to John Axford (J.J. Putz), but the Brewers have better depth after the closer. The bullpen has been such an asset all year, and I expect them to continue that against Arizona.
The Brewers are a very slightly better team than Arizona overall, and they have homefield advantage, so they should win the series. Of course, anything can happen in the playoffs, especially in five-game series, so I'd only favor the Brewers at maybe a 55-60% chance to win. Seven of ESPN's eight "experts" pick the Brewers to win, and Sportsnation says 73% of American expects the Brewers to win, for whatever any of that is worth. Again, the Brewers are a little better, so that makes sense, but the better team often loses a playoff series.
As far as from my personal perspective, I think it's similar to most Brewer fans. In 2008 I was just overjoyed to have made the playoffs. The Brewers were expected to lose to Philly, so I wasn't overly crushed when they did. This year, though, the Brewers have a much better team than in '08. They're one of the two best teams in the NL, so if they don't win their first series, I will be extremely disappointed.
I'll say one thing about the playoffs. I HATE hearing things like, "You have to play small ball in the playoffs" or "Teams manufacture runs in the playoffs." It's baloney. Why would you play any differently than the way that won you games throughout the course of the season? The Brewers have a dynamic offense. I'm going to be very upset if I see an excessive amount of bunting, hit-and-running, or steal attempts from players other than Ryan Braun or Carlos Gomez. Don't give up outs; play for the big inning. You have an offense that certainly can get you one. I will say this: From what I've seen of Arizona this year, we're going to love facing a team managed by Kirk Gibson. He sure seems to love the small ball. He's made a few questionable bunting calls already just this week. Here's hoping that works in the Brewers favor.
I'm going to the game on Saturday. Let's just say I have better hopes for this one than for the last playoff game I attended. It was started by Jeff Suppan and capped off by a mammoth Pat Burrell homer. With the way Yo has been pitching, I like their chances to grab Game 1 and give themselves a big advantage in the series.


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The 69th annual Holiday Folk Fair International, America's premiere multi-cultural festival that will be held Fri., Nov. 16 – Sun., Nov. 18, 2012, at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park in West Allis, Wis., is again offering attendees an opportunity to save on admission tickets while also supporting a local non-profit group.
Folk Fair is partnering with one of its sponsors, The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County, to support two of the group's programs. Those attendees that bring either two non-perishable food items or one new, unwrapped toy valued at $5 or more will receive $2.00 off the regular adult admission price of $12.00 on the purchase of up to four (4) tickets. Food and toy collection barrels will be placed at both entrances to the Wisconsin Exposition Center.
The Salvation Army Food Pantry provides a two to three day supply of emergency food to neighborhood individuals and families who are hungry. The food is given on the day it is requested and represents breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all members of the household. Those receiving food are also informed about how they can participate in supplemental food programs so they can move beyond visiting charity food pantries.
Through its Toy Shop, the Salvation Army provides parents with the opportunity to "shop" for toys that have been donated and collected in the community. Parents make selections based on the age and gender of their children. Utilizing hundreds of volunteers to sort toys and assist parents with their shopping, over 20,000 children receive toys through this program. The Toy Shop is a cooperative effort between The Salvation Army and the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program.
Produced by the International Institute of Wisconsin, Holiday Folk Fair International celebrates the cultural heritage of the people living in southeastern Wisconsin. This year's theme, "Celebrate the Culture of the Story," will allow Fair-goers the opportunity to learn the ways in which music, food, dance, and art explain a culture's history and traditions.
Special attractions at this year's event include the "One World, One People" photo exhibit, the Sister Cities International Young Artists and Authors Showcase, the UNESCO World Heritage Sites photo exhibit, an Old World Wisconsin display area, the Wisconsin Woodturners, and a bonsai exhibit.
The three-day event features the All Nations Theater with traditional music and dance, the World Café offering traditional dishes, the International Stage where young people perform their ethnic dances, the Music Pavilion with a variety of musical styles, Heritage Lane with unique traditions and customs through interactive exhibits, the International Bazaar where cultural artifacts create a unique shopping experience, and the Callen Construction Cooking Demonstration Stage featuring local chefs preparing traditional cuisine.
Holiday Folk Fair International will also host a United States Citizenship Naturalization Ceremony Sat., Nov. 17, at 10:30 a.m. and an "Around the World" 5K Run/Walk Sun., Nov. 18 at 9:00 a.m.
Hours on Fri., Nov. 16 are 2 p.m. – 10 p.m.; 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 17; and 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Sun., Nov. 18. Advance tickets will be sold for $10 each, with family four-packs for $36, and can be purchased on-line at www.folkfair.org.
Admission at the gate will be $12 for adults; $8 for children ages 6 to 12; children under the age of five will be admitted at no charge. Those 62 and over will be admitted for $10, and all military personnel with a military ID card will be admitted free.
For more information on the 2012 Holiday Folk Fair International, visit www.folkfair.org or call the International Institute of Wisconsin at 414-225-6220.
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This holiday season will be the last for two iconic discount clothing retailers with historic Jewish roots: Filene's Basement and Syms, which acquired the former in 2009. Both recently declared bankruptcy and will cease operating in January.
While the commercial legacy of the Filene family may end soon, founder Edward Filene's social legacy, as an exemplar of progressive management and labor rights, has suffered diminishing influence that long predates his store's demise. Filene, in a sense, was emblematic of an urban, immigrant-centric political consensus between capital and labor that Americans have swept into the dustbin of history.
"The Jewish entrepreneurs — not to mention Jewish labor leaders — were important in the construction of an ideological political bloc that became the New Deal," said Nelson Lichtenstein, a professor of history at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
In 1909, brothers Lincoln and Edward Filene — sons of a German-Jewish immigrant — embarked on a new venture: taking unsold items from their father's department store and selling them at discount prices out of a low-cost basement location in Boston. Each week, unsold items would be marked down systematically. After a few weeks, if still unsold, the brothers would give them to charity. The business grew into a chain of retail stores in such cities as New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Unlike the capitalists of the time who were battling militant unions, Edward Filene offered his employees an in-house mechanism — sometimes equated with a company union — to address their concerns about working conditions and raise their pay. It became a model for his core political beliefs.
Filene lobbied for workers compensation laws. His prominence later led to him to ally with President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the development of New Deal projects, including the use of public works projects to ease high unemployment. He was also a key supporter of the National Labor Relations Act, signed in 1935, on the grounds that codifying collective bargaining would alleviate disorder stemming from worker unrest at the time. The NLRA, he believed, was also essential for raising workers' wages, which would increase consumer demand.
While his brother had taken over majority control of the company by the time Roosevelt came into office in 1933, Edward Filene's prominence as a successful businessman made him the perfect endorser for Roosevelt's capitalism with a Democratic face. But Filene wouldn't live to see the post-war prosperity. He died in 1937.
Meg Jacobs, a professor of history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, noted that Filene, like Henry Ford, believed workers needed to have living wages in order for them to be consumers. But the similarities end there, primarily because as a retailer Filene was intimately involved with his customers on a daily basis while industrialists like Ford were isolated from the actual marketplace.
"This whole idea with the bargain basement really sort of spoke to the surroundings he came from," Jacobs said of Filene. "He saw the need right there before him and had a perception of who his customers were."
In addition, Jacobs said, though Ford paid his workers living wages, he believed they should rely on a thrifty, austere and almost Victorian lifestyle. Filene didn't see it that way. He believed that the immigrant who shopped at his store deserved to enjoy the material comforts one could find in America but not back in Europe.
"Pariah might be too strong a word, but [he was] definitely a maverick, particularly as politics evolved and changed," Jacobs said of Filene. "It put him beyond the bounds of where most businessmen were."
While the company is liquidating, Filene's ideas do live on in the Century Foundation. Founded by Filene in 1919 as the 21st Century Fund, it was a think tank that, as Jacobs explained "lent academic credibility and legitimacy to the National Labor Relations Act and also to Social Security," along with other aspects of the New Deal.
Like other bargain retailers, Filene's was forced out by a crowded market, with Wal-Mart and Target the ruling kings. But the mission of these stores does not include raising communities up the class ladder. Wal-Mart's business today remains a target for anger from unions and women's rights activists, who claim that the company practices workplace gender discrimination.
"Stuff is cheap at Wal-Mart and Target, but the other side of the equation is to have higher wages and a voice for the working class," Lichtenstein said. "That is not what Wal-Mart or Target or Home Depot [are] interested in, the way Filene was."
Contact Ari Paul at email@example.com
Ari Paul
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The final phase of testing has begun for Korean Air's initial A380, which is scheduled to enter commercial service with the Seoul-based carrier next month. Carried out from Airbus' facilities in Hamburg, Germany, these tests are validating the double-deck jetliner's cabin systems and general performance before its upcoming flight to Toulouse, France for pre-delivery preparations.
Korean Air's first A380 enters its final round of evaluations
4 May 2011 News in brief


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Learning search results
Adobe Photoshop software tips, tricks, and inspirations that bring out your brilliance.
Tutorial: Working with the new bristle brush tips
By: Jan Kabili
Paint lifelike brush strokes with the new bristle tips in Photoshop CS5. Customize bristle qualities ranging from shape and length to thickness and stiffness.


text: I recently bought my uncles 91 Z71. Just wondering if anyone on here had one with some pictures. I've been thinking of putting a small lift kit on with some bigger tires. Dont know what I want to do really. Was wanting to see some different pics of peoples to see what they look like to give me some ideas.