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HPCP - Harmonic Pitch Class Profile vamp plug-in
HPCP is a vamp plug-in for audio feature extraction that computes the instantaneous evolution of HPCP (Harmonic Pitch Class Profile) of a signal.
The HPCP is an approach for chroma feature estimation which represents the pitch content of polyphonic music signals, mapped to a single octave. HPCP have been extensively used for several final applications such as key and chord estimation, similarity computation (cover version identification) and music classification.
Full details of the algorithm can be found in the following papers:
- Gomez, E. 2006. 'Tonal description of music audio signals', PhD thesis, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
- Gomez, E. Bonada, J. 2005. 'Tonality visualization of polyphonic audio' Proceedings of International Computer Music Conference 2005, pp. 77-86; Barcelona.
NOTE: The main difference between this implementation and the original algorithm is that this implementation does not perform automatic tuning frequency estimation. The reference tuning frequency is defined as an input parameter.
We would highly appreciate if scientific publications of works partly based on the HPCP plug-in cite the above publications.
HPCP vamp plug-in has been made possible by the kind support of the following entities.
Graphical User Interface
The HPCP Vamp plug-in used in Sonic Visualiser. Top pane: waveform. Second pane: spectrogram. Third pane: HPCP.
Audio file in a format supported by your Vamp host (e.g. wav, mp3, ogg)
A 2D time-frequency representation of HPCP over time. The HPCP covers one octave divided into the specified number of bins (see parameters section).
- Number of bins: Interval resolution in number of bins per octave. 12 would correspond to 1 bin per semitone. Default value = 120 bins.
- Lowest frequency: Lowest limit of the considered frequency range (Hz). Default value = 50 Hz.
- Highest frequency: Highest limit of the considered frequency range (Hz). Default value = 5000 Hz.
- Reference tuning frequency: Reference frequency in Hz for the first HPCP bin. Default value = 440 Hz.
- Peak mag threshold: Magnitude threshold for spectral peak detection (dB). Default value = -100 dB.
- Harmonics per peak: Number of sub-harmonics considered for each spectral peak when mapping it to HPCP bins. Default value = 8.
- Spectral Whitening: Perform a spectral whitening pre-processing step before spectral peak detection. Default value = 1 (true).
- Non-linear: Apply a non-linear compression to the HPCP vector. Default value = 0 (false).
- Two frequency bands: 0 = single band, 1 = compute HPCP in two different bands (0-500 Hz) and (500-22050 Hz), normalize the obtained HPCP vectors and then average and normalize to obtain the final HPCP vector. Default value = 1.
Please go to the Download page


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Scott Gibson is the Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Distribution. Gibson leads Best Western's information technology strategy and team, and is also responsible for voice and electronic distribution and reservation services. Gibson joined Best Western as CIO in 2005, bringing more than 20 years of hotel information technology experience and a track record for producing innovative technology solutions and capabilities.
During his tenure, Gibson has dramatically improved Best Western's technology and technical capabilities. Beginning in 2006, he led a 3-year effort to integrate hotel property management systems with Best Western's brand systems, creating a single image of availability and pricing and making it possible for customers to more effectively shop and book a room. The successful integration strategy significantly improved RevPAR and substantially increased Best Western's revenue delivery to our hotels. Under his leadership, bestwestern.com has been honored by Compuware among the Best of the Web for 6 consecutive years, and named the top-performing hotel brand web site in the industry in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Best Western's IT team has been recognized among the 250 most innovative business technology organizations by InformationWeek. Gibson's Strategic Services team won the Hospitality Research In Practice award from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration in 2010, for their efforts to better understand customer's needs.
Gibson's role and accomplishments have been featured in numerous magazines, including CIO, Hospitality Technology, and Hospitality Upgrade, and he is a frequent keynote speaker at hotel and technology industry events. He has been recognized as one of Computerworld's Premier 100 IT leaders, and as an innovative CIO by Phoenix Business Journal. Gibson currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hotel Technology Next Generation organization, which creates standards for hotel technology products and services and works to encourage adoption by suppliers to the hotel industry.
Before joining Best Western, Gibson served as the Chief Information Officer for Kerzner International, Inc, and for Cendant Corporation's hotel division. Gibson is married, with one grown son. As a child, Gibson grew up in Ethiopia, Panama, Greece, Italy, and Washington DC. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served in Hawaii, New Zealand, Japan, and Korea.

subset: commoncrawl


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Celebrating my new credit card
December 8, 2014 § 2 Comments
Last month, I was sent a new credit card – a different colour, with contactless payment and a new three digit security code; so not that much to celebrate, you may say. Except that, in a quiet way, I did.
It's three years since I had chemotherapy and surgery, and all the brouhaha that goes with breast cancer. Not the best of times. Some of you may remember (and thank you if you do). During those months, every time I used my credit card I would see the renewal date, November 2014, and in my more miserable days, it would occur to me that I might not live beyond the expiry date, that this might be my last ever credit card.
Of course, that wasn't the priority. There were always more important things to be around for than a new credit card – family, friends, work, the Olympic Games – but there was something about the anonymity of my credit card and the ever-present date which itched away in my mind. If I died, all kinds of things would be canceled – my credit card, my twitter account, my Labour Party membership – and it would make absolutely no difference to any of these organisations. They would grind on regardless. In the same way, films would keep coming out, books be published, The Archers broadcast. No one associated with any of these things would have been bothered in the slightest if I watched their movies, read their books, sent my tweets.
Does it sound like a bleak celebration, the arrival of a new credit card? Well, either it isn't or I don't care. It is not so bad to mark these small, anonymous steps. I'm not talking about the personal anniversaries – birthdays, Christmases, summer holidays – but the day to day things on which we have no real impact, the impersonal stuff that comes and goes but which mark the passing of time.
It's almost three years since I finished chemo. Time has passed; perhaps I should be "over it" and indeed, to a point, I am, but being around to open that new credit card, that was still something.
So, here are a few events to which my presence is completely irrelevant but that I will be using to celebrate the passing of time in the near and not so near future.
- Final Hobbit film – this week, the end of the saga.
- Labour winning the next election and/or electing a new leader.
- Batman v Superman, Dawn of Justice (2016), indeed the whole 10 film, DC series, finishing with Green Lantern, 2020.
- Publication of the final Hilary Mantel, Thomas Cromwell novel.
- Completion of Cross Rail.
- And, of course, my next credit card (2017).
NHS – Happy Birthday
July 5, 2014 § Leave a comment
Today, I am keeping busy a) saying thank you the NHS, which is 66 years old today, and b) writing a letter to NHS England, protesting about the closure of the Soho Square General Practice. Dr Cheung and Dr Brassy have been our lovely and good GPs since we moved back to London 13 years ago. Those of you who know me will be aware that, in my case, this has been no easy task as I've been up and down to the doctors a fair amount with both real and bonkers stuff. They have always treated me with care, respect and understanding – and I've never had to pay.
Then we get a letter last week saying that the "Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust has notified NHS England of their intention to resign the GP contract for the Soho Square General Practice." What does this even mean? The letter doesn't bother to actually name the doctors involved – I guess it's easier to think of this as a contract rather than as two real doctors who treat real people.
Patients were not consulted during the decision making process. Nor, if the accounts in the local press are to be believed, were the doctors or local councillors. Now we are being offered a choice of "dispersal" – finding another doctor – or asking NHS England to find a new GP or suitable organisation to provide health services – again, whatever that means.
This is all very confusing, particularly as there is another GP practice in the same building which is not impacted by this decision. I say decision, but we have been given no reason at all for the closure, aside from this resigning the contract business. A CLCH spokesperson told the West End Extra that this was not about cost cutting but rather that the GP service "doesn't fit in with the the objectives of our business plan."
My rather obvious question: how can cutting GP services be an objective of a community healthcare trust? If this is about cuts, please tell us.
What will happen to the large number of elderly Chinese patients who use this practice because of the Chinese speaking doctor and staff? Or course, they may not yet know about the closure because my letter says that if you want a copy in Chinese you have to go the GP surgery to collect one.
Today is the 66th birthday of the NHS. You may have seen many tweets about this, people saying thank you for the amazing things the NHS have done for them. Look at #thankyounhs to see what great things people are saying.
I don't want to become an NHS basher in any way – I love the twitter account @butnhs (big up the NHS) which posts positive NHS stories and accounts – and I don't have enough information to know what the closure of the Soho Practice is really all about. What I do know is that the NHS is something we need to fight for. You'll have heard it before, but it's really true – we won't know what we've lost until we wake up one morning and our healthcare is no longer free at the point of delivery but rather a horrible hotchpotch of insurance/profit making big corporations who talk about business plans and forget to name actual doctors.
On the one hand, but on the other.
March 23, 2014 § Leave a comment
Yesterday, I threw away Moving Forward: Living With and Beyond Breast Cancer, the folder of information I was given over two years ago, when I finished my cancer treatment. It had sat of the shelf, largely unregarded, both a symbol of hope – the living beyond breast cancer bit – and a slightly menacing "what if" threat – living with breast cancer. Even though I haven't actually used the information, it took a bit of courage to decide I could do without it. I don't like to think of myself as a superstitious person but, as I've said on this blog before, when push comes to shove, it's strange the things you are prepared to believe have some power.
So, an update. Despite believing in the power of an information folder, I am not as bonkers as I was two years ago, or even this time last year. Which is good. I worry less, which is also good, although I still have my moments (ask the good Russell, who has recently talked me out of having hip, toe and ear cancer).
One of my techniques is to try to avoid things to do with cancer. This may be cowardly; it's also tricky. Over this last weekend, for example, we've had:
1. Selfies without makeup and the subsequent fuss about whether they are an appropriate way to raise money for cancer research (and, for the record, yes they are – not one of those good ladies was saying that going without make up is the same as having treatment for cancer).
2. The headline on The Sunday Times today, plus the campaign they are now launching.
Good news here is reading that almost 80% of breast cancer patients survive for over 5 years. Bad news, I do not want to be "betrayed" by the NHS (which is a stupid, unhelpful word anyway and certainly not what happened to me).
3. A link on Facebook about a group of women who shaved their heads in sympathy with a friend who has cancer. You can see it here – it's nice, very moving.
4. Critics Choice in the TV guide for Wednesday 26th March is "Kris – Dying to Live", about an amazing young woman called Kris who has late-stage breast cancer, cannot be cured, and who is now running a breast awareness campaign called CoppaFeel. I urge you all to go the website and do what it says.
I have a dilemma here. I know that breast cancer has such good survival rates because women before me made a huge fuss, and that continuing to make a huge fuss, and not just about breast cancer, is good for those coming next. I know that I benefited from a great deal of support (although, friends, I didn't see anyone shaving their heads for me #disappointinginretrospect). On the other hand, everyone, just shut up. Two and a half years on from diagnosis, and I still feel weak and feeble faced with the mention of the word, cancer. It's why I still haven't watched Breaking Bad, why I couldn't watch Halley dying on Coronation Street and why I heaved a huge sigh of relief when Ruth in The Archers was shouting at everyone because she was pregnant and not because her cancer had returned.
It'a all on the one hand, but on the other. This may help to explain why, although I could throw out Moving Forward, I still have my wig in its pink box, lurking under a cupboard, like one of those big worms in Tremors, waiting to snap at me. A bit like this:
Of course, thanks to Kevin Bacon and co, the bad worms were beaten, which is what we all want from the general and ongoing cancer narrative. It's probably all worthwhile, and I just have to get on with it.
And now I'm going to stop. I think this Tremors analogy has gone as far as was ever useful.
Shakespeare's Enduring Legacy (or The Brilliant Lisa Jardine)
February 2, 2014 § 1 Comment
The Frank Kermode Memorial Lecture, the Purcell Room, 30th January, 2014, Professor Lisa Jardine
I should say upfront that I am a huge fan of Professor Jardine. If there were mugs or Jardine T-towels, I'd have them. If you are not familiar with the brilliant Lisa Jardine CBE, well, I suggest you get yourself familiarised. Here are some things she has done. 1. She read mathematics at Cambridge before, two years into that course, switching to English. 2. She's written a heap of books, from Still Harping on Daughters: Women and Drama in the Age of Shakespeare (1983) to The Curious Life of Robert Hooke: The Man Who Measured London (2003). 3. Since 2008 she has served as Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. 4. She is now Professor of Renaissance Studies at UCL. 5. She's pretty liberal and I believe sent her children to state schools in London.
I think she's spiffing for a couple of other reasons. Firstly, she's had breast cancer so, of course, I find that somewhat encouraging (she's 69, still doing tons of great stuff, etc). Secondly, I credit her with preventing me from bombing out of Cambridge almost 30 years ago. To cut a very tedious story short, girl from huge, not very good comprehensive school + English Literature at Cambridge = recipe for disaster. Entering my third year, I decided to take a course on "The Novel" and was allocated yet another male supervisor with little interest in teaching, someone who had never been overly pleased that women had been admitted to my college in the first place, let alone girls from not very good state schools. At the time, Lisa Jardine was at Jesus College, nothing at all to do with me, but already an inspiring lecturer. In desperation, I knocked on her door and poured out my panic at having to study once again with said misogynist. She was lovely, found me someone to work with, the equally lovely Julia Swindells. It doesn't sound much, but without a doubt that intervention got me through Cambridge.
Enough about all that. On Thursday, Professor Jardine delivered the Frank Kermode Memorial Lecture on Shakespeare's Enduring Legacy. As suggested above, although I read English at Cambridge, it was all a huge error. Despite that, I went to hear Professor Jardine and, because she is so marvellous, I couldn't help but learn a few things. Here they are (and with the usual apologies to anyone who really knows about this stuff).
1. The phrase "dumping in the pathetic" from Frank Kermode. Not sure what it means, though.
2. Shakepeare's plays "wait patiently for each new interpretation." Frank Kermode believed that "our questions, our seasonal truths, are not those of an earlier generation." Being open to interpretation but being reticent about final meaning makes a work a classic.
3. Frank Kermode transformed Shakespearian criticism by giving us an outward rather than an inward interpretation. The Romantics, for example, put the poet at the heart of everything – the poet was always right. Kermode (and Professor Jardine) said that the spirit of the writer has to be considered along with the social, cultural, anthropological and historical questions of the time.
4. An example (and stick with me here). In the 17th Century, it was legal to beat your wife to death in your house, but not to do so in public. It was all about what happened in public. Church court documents record numerous cases of women, accused of adultery or lewd behaviour, coming to court to clear their names. It was vital to do this in public. Move to Othello, Act 4, Scene 2, when Desdemona is accused by Othello of adultery. She doesn't actually deny it (perhaps because she can't bring herself to use those words) and because she refuses to have the charge scrubbed from the public record, she is automatically guilty, or, as Professor Jardine put it, "the verbal has been consecrated as an event." Othello doesn't ever doubt her guilt again so that he kills her not though jealousy, but because, in his eyes, she had definitely committed adultery. But we might not read the play like this if we didn't have the knowledge gained through examination of contemporary church court records.
5. Any scene from the period where a woman is in the same room as a bed is bad news for said lady's reputation – Gertrude, in Hamlet, dies in her bed, and Desdemona is killed by Othello in her bed.
There was lots more, and some pretty clever questions. A little out of my depth. Never mind. A much better thing to do than worry about that would be to listen to Professor Jardine talking about the founding of the Royal Society or the history of cryptography both on In Our Time, or follow her on twitter @profLisaJardine.
A Brief History of Syria
October 31, 2013 § 1 Comment
Soho Theatre, September 29th, Dan Snow
The theatre went dark; Dan Snow was announced, but no one arrived. There was nervous laughter, a ripple of anticipation – then on he comes, tall, open shirt. Very causal. A slight "there's a rock star in the house" feel descends, particularly when Dan begins by telling us that he's just come back from the Congo. He likes dangerous places, it seems. We didn't mind though. Actually, we approved.
He was pretty good. Lots of information. Here are a few bits and pieces. (Huge apologies if any of this is incorrect. I was writing in the dark and he covered about 10,000 years and said quite a few words I couldn't spell.)
- On medieval maps of the world, before Columbus, Syria is slap bang in the middle. It was the nexus of ancient history, on the route not just for trade but for ideas and language. The first complex civilisation was established there about 10,000 years ago. Damascus and Aleppo are probably the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
- Conquerer upon conquerer arrived – Egyptians, Mongols, Alexandra the Great, the Romans, French and British. The physical geography of the country changed along with each new invader.
- Khālid ibn al-Walīd, known as the Sword of Allah, (592–642), is "perhaps the best general we've never heard of." He won over 100 battles and was key in spreading Islam.
- The Ottomans created a Sunni manorial-type of aristocracy, but this was starting to crumble by the early 20th Century. As shipping routes improved, the old silk route through Syria was abandoned.
- The majority of the world's Muslims are Sunni and so it is in Syria, where about 75% of the Muslim population are Sunni. The remainder are Shia. Assad is part of the Shia minority. In addition, he is an Alawite – a minority within a minority. (Good bit on what this means across the region here.)
- After World War I, the Sykes-Picot Agreement carved up the Middle East into spheres of influence. Between us, the British and French created eight states, with new borders. The French claimed Syria because, they argued, they had played such a large part in the Crusades. Under French rule, the Alawite minority was favoured and promoted – divide and rule type of thing. Assad's father benefited.
- After Word War II, Syria was granted independence. However, the new state struggled. Intellectuals were put in charge but there weren't many of them. Under the French, pre-World War II, only 350 Syrians were in higher education (not sure when and where but it seems like a good stat). In addition, the French charged the newly independent Syria 50 million Syrian pounds – the cost of their occupation.
- Ater the creation of Israel, Syria embarked on a series of disasterous wars. Most Syrians regarded the Golan Heights and other parts of Israel as being Syrian territory.
- In general, Alawites (about 12% of the population) are more left wing than the conservative Sunni majority. In addition, Assad has been very secular. He married in a civil ceremony, for example. But that doesn't make him the good guy.
- In 1982, Assad's brother, General Rifaat al-Assad, led the Hama massacre, when the Syrian army besieged the town of Hama for 27 days and ultimately crushed an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is estimated that 20,000 people were killed.
- Before the current civil war, the Syrian population had grown by one third in the last 10 years. Unemployment was high and schools were running double-shifts to cope. Oil is running out and at the end of the 2000s, there were a series of droughts. Prices were also increasing. In addition, as markets have been liberalised, a small number of the ruling regime have become very rich. For example, one of Assad's cousins owns two large mobile phone companies and all the duty free shops.
- The civil war was triggered when the police beat up a market trader.
- And, to make a link back to my write up about infectious diseases, the WHO have just confirmed the first cases of polio in Syria for 14 years. (Thanks to my friend, Liz, for prompting that thought.) Not good. Really, not good.
A couple of poets and some other stuff
October 29, 2013 § Leave a comment
I've been a bit lax about writing up these talks. It's poor. Very poor. Over the last few weeks, it's been Sylvia Plath, Philip Larkin, Oscar Wilde (the betrayal of) and Victorian England (life and death in). Here are a few things I have learned.
1. Sylvia Plath, King's Place, 23rd September, some people whose names I have forgotten/lost, plus Juliet Stevenson reading.
It's impossible to think about Sylvia Plath without being influenced by how she died. As she said in "Lady Lazarus",
Is an art, like everything else.
I do it exceptionally well.
2. Philip Larkin, King's Place, 7th October, people from The Archers and some musicians.
Philip Larkin's relationship with women doesn't make for a light-hearted evening round the piano. Love his work but he didn't treat the ladies too well. Attempting to turn that into a semi-humourous exploration of his sex-life was possibly an error, even (or maybe especially) when presented by Lilian and the Reverend Alan from The Archers. Larkin had three mistresses and, for some years, all at the same time. Monica Jones, who is generally seen as his soul-mate (whatever that means) was an academic whom Larkin met at Leicester University, where he worked as librarian prior to moving to Hull. They had an affair from 1947 until his death 40 years later. Maeve Brennan, a devout Roman Catholic and a member of Larkin's library staff in Hull, was with him from 1961, on and off, for about 17 years. Then there was Betty Mackereth, his secretary at the library in Hull. We were told that each woman added to Larkin's life in a different way which must have been jolly nice for him. This all singing, all dancing Larkin romp was at King's Place, so in front of a very Guardianesque audience. They surprised and confused me at their willingness to guffaw at the way Larkin used all three women (and more).
But none of that should put you off reading his poetry. Really.
3. Oscar Wilde, Soho Theatre, September 25th, David Hare, Rupert Everett, Merlin Holland
Oscar Wilde has a grandson who talks about his grandfather. That made me feel rather close to the Victorians.
Wilde was tried for gross indecency. He could have run away but instead waited at the Connaught Hotel to be arrested and, apparently, here lies his immortality. If he'd fled, would he be remembered still?
Rupert Everett is still fab. He described Wilde in his last days as "a terrifying hag," living down in the Paris sewers. He described how being famous can lead you to think you are immune to being toppled. Wilde felt that everyone loved him. "The country is behind me to a boy."
4. The Victorians, Soho Theatre, September 29th, Judith Flanders, Kate Colquhoun and Claie Armitstead
There are everyday bits of history that are lost to us simply because we were not there (Dickens is full of this kind of thing, if you know where to look). For example, Victorian streets were incredibly noisy, so loud that often you couldn't hear a conversation. Burial grounds were so full that the level of churchyards just kept rising. One, in Dury Lane, was as high as the first floor windows. The best place to sit in a train was with your back to the engine, thus reducing the chance of getting smut in your eyes. That kind of thing.
Cars were originally welcomed as "non-polluting" transport – ie no horse poo.
Next time: Syria.
Talk 3: Winning and Losing the Fight Against Infectious Diseases
September 25, 2013 § Leave a comment
Talk given by Professor Christopher Dye, World Health Organisation, 16th September 2013
I queued for this one, down the steps of the Royal Society and out along Carlton Terrace, watching gentlemen on their way to gentlemen's clubs like the Carlton and Whites. Smart area. The Royal Society is pretty nice. Turns out lots of people want to hear about infectious diseases. While we waited for the Professor, people chatted.
"What field are you in?"
"I was in chemical engineering but I'm retired now. And you?"
"I work on malaria."
(Obviously, this wasn't me.)
Professor Dye, younger than I had imagined, said he was going to give us "a personal view of infectious diseases." Apparently, Hollywood has much to answer for in terms of how we understand, or misunderstand, the nature of infection – we saw some pictures from Contagion, which I don't think Prof Dye really enjoyed.
Here are some more things I learned.
1. We should all be frightened of pandemics – H1N1, Spanish Flu, etc. – but most deaths from infectious diseases (IDs) are not caused by pandemics. Fifteen million people a year die from IDs that just inhabit their everyday lives – diarrhoea, HIV, TB, malaria, meningitis. About 20 pathogens account for nearly all deaths from IDs.
2. In the UK, death rates from IDs fell for three centuries from the early 18th Century. This is largely due to better sanitation, more food, and better public health – things like vaccinations. However, in recent years, death rates have finally plateaued at around 13 per 100. The downside is that there has been a steep rise in non-communicable diseases but, as Prof Dye pointed out, we do all have to die of something.
3. There is a link between infectious and non-infectious diseases. For example, being under-weight makes a person more susceptible to TB. In the West, we eat well so TB is not so prevalent. However, because we eat well, we develop diabetes. Having diabetes makes a person more susceptible to TB. Tricky.
3. In the developing world, not surprisingly the rates are the other way round.
4. The good news is that control of infectious diseases was one of the Millenium Goals and money spent on controlling IDs has risen from £5b in 1990 to £25b in 2010. However, since 2010 the rate of increase has declined. One reason for this is the growing importance of non communicable diseases.
5. Living in a city is both good and bad news. Since 2007, more of us have been living in urban areas than rural ones and in cities of over 500,000, infections really flourish. On the up side, infant mortality rates are substantially lower in cities than in the countryside, even for people living in slums.
6. It is probable that the 2003 SARS pandemic emerged from bats in South Asia. One in two people infected died. Researchers can follow its spread from five guests in the Metropole Hotel in Hong Kong to 206 other people. It is probable that SARS is no longer in the human population.
7. There is reason to worry about resistant to antibiotics – in the last 40 years, there have been no major developments. On the other hand, researchers don't really understand why some diseases become resistant while others don't. For example, syphilis has never become resistant to penicillin, so the case is not completely lost.
8. Only two diseases have ever been officially eradicated, small pox and rinderpest, a disease in cattle. The major emphasis now is on eradicating polio, which persists in rumbling on in Africa and parts of Asia. Professor Dye asked Paddy Power for odds on eradicating polio and was given 4-1.
9. There are 2.4 billion people in the world without access to piped drinking water, and 1 billion without access to sanitation. Given that we have known how to do both since the 1850s, when James Bazelgette reclaimed the banks of the Thames in order to construct sewers (John Betjeman said, "Our nation stands for democracy and proper drains"), why have those billions had to wait for so long for clean water?
10. We don't really understand the connection between infectious diseases and genes. Why do only 1 in 10 people infected by tuberculosis develop the disease?


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Again. Restrictor and no issues.
Run what you want, but where are all the issues from the guys running restrictors on jb turbos? I haven't seen it. Usually the other way around.
Again. Restrictor and no issues.
Run what you want, but where are all the issues from the guys running restrictors on jb turbos? I haven't seen it. Usually the other way around.
You know. I think there is a oil pressure bypass on that pump. I was just looking at some pics of these pumps and it sure looks like one. Now I havent looked but if your hitting 150psi pressures I bet thats not working properly on your car.
hes going of stock vw gauges.. like the temp gauge will stay in the center but could range from 180* to 220* but 150psi.. calling bs unless you have the time slips to prove other wise..
Caddy ABA-t holset hx35 :-) GLX VR-T.... TDI daily
"OP sounds like a MKIV guy"
Precision 6265, -4 feed, -10 drain, no restrictor, no issues
Block has 150+k miles, pushes 28psi
"OP sounds like a MKIV guy"
2 guys up there with 6262 12v got any vids ? i wanna see what my car will be like im dying to get it running
All 3 of my slc's have done this
The car has been drag raced consistently for 4 years without issue. If there was a problem I would have know it by now
You realize that you can quote multiple posts in one reply right?
You should not be seeing 150 psi oil pressure under any circumstance, unless you pumped a tube of lithium grease into your crankcase and started it in the middle of winter. The pump has a bypass valve, apparently yours isn't working.
Last edited by SVTDanny; 04-19-2011 at 08:45 PM.
Explanation: Follows below -
Your post has me baffled. Let us start with the fact that oil pressure is the single most critical parameter upon engine start-up, fact. Let me challenge you as a tech by asking what other parameter can singly lead to engine failure other than lack of oil pressure (ie lubrication) on start-up?
Refer to just about any engine related industry other than automobile (aircraft, marine) and engine start procedure per checklist mandates that oil pressure be verified immediately upon start-up (oil temp being secondary) and if not acceptable the motor must be immediately shut down. Cars are no different and since you are a tech, you will know that most of the high end cars (see Jaguar, Porsche, etc) do also come with oil pressure gauges stock for the reasons I just mentioned.
VW went to the extent of fitting 2 independent oil pressure alerting systems (high dynamic and low pressure warnings) that not only have an idiot light but an aural buzzer if oil pressure requirements are not met. Why then would I not want to monitor oil pressure in all temps and conditions? The high and low pressure warning systems on your VW are not conditional, they function at all times. That being said, a lot of guys delete the stock oil pressure sender and replace it with the aftermarket one for the gauge (in this case it would be very unwise NOT to always run the oil pressure gauge as your idiot light is now eliminated). Beyond this, after going to the trouble to install an oil pressure sender why would you disconnect your gauge? I am not understanding your rationale here.
"OP sounds like a MKIV guy"
Who said I disconnected anything?
Again, 3 slc's and they've all behaved the same way. The engine has run flawless since the rebuild 15k ago and doesn't burn a drop of oil. I appreciate your concern, but I can't say I share your sentiments
"OP sounds like a MKIV guy"
Back on topic...
If my seals were blown due to excessive oil pressure; would the car be smoking all the time? My buddy says I don't smoke at all while in WOT and full boost it does smoke a little on warm up and decel
That's exactly what mine did when the seals were blown. James Bond all over the ****ing place.
It might be a function of EGT & flow, ie for the volume of oil leaking (volume being constant since this particular turbo had a restrictor), if the temp exceeds a certain level the rate of burn and gas flow is so rapid that you don't "see" the smoke plume (but oil is still being burned). When you slow down the oil burns slower and the overall rate of exhaust gas is less (the smoke stagnates and you see it).
"OP sounds like a MKIV guy"
Hmm that's very interesting. Where would I go about getting an inline oil pressure gauge so that I can make sure I'm not doing something wrong?
Or can I log oil pressure through VAG-COM?
If your oil pressure sender is tapped off the oil filter housing (which I assume is where you are running your oil feed line from) then the pressure will be identical (assuming no additional restriction in your oil line itself).
If your oil feed is from someplace other than the filter housing then your concern is valid and you might need to monitor pressure literally from the line itself (uncommon).
Never checked oil pressure in Vag-Com but who knows, might be possible?
"OP sounds like a MKIV guy"
I'll be doing some logs via vag-com to see what pressures I'm running. But for now the gti will be back off the road since I stripped 3rd gear at 22psi...gonna save up for the aptuning gforce setup


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GLASGOW, Scotland (July 25, 2012) - The U.S. Women's National Team earned a huge three points with a 4-2 victory against France in the first Group G match for both countries at the 2012 Olympics in the famed Hampden Park. Former Tar Heel Tobin Heath played the entire 90 minutes and assisted on Alex Morgan's game-clinching goal in the 67th minute of play.
Carli Lloyd came off the bench to score the game-winning goal, Alex Morgan contributed two goals and Abby Wambach had the USA's first tally as the U.S. rebounded from an early 2-0 deficit with four unanswered to open the Olympics atop its group.
Lloyd's goal is her second straight Olympic game-winner as she had the lone goal in the 2008 Olympic gold medal game to defeat Brazil 1-0 in overtime.
The USA will continue group play against Colombia at Hampden Park on July 28 (5 p.m. local / 12 p.m. ET) and finish the first round against Korea DPR on July 31 (5:15 p.m. local / 12:15 p.m. ET) at the legendary Old Trafford in Manchester, home to Manchester United. Both games are televised live on the NBC Sports Network.
- U.S. Women's National Team Match Report -
Match: U.S. Women's National Team vs. France
Date: July 25, 2012
Competition: 2012 Olympics - Group G
Venue: Hampden Park; Glasgow, Scotland
Kickoff: 5 p.m. local (12 Noon ET)
Weather: 66 degrees, partly cloudy
Scoring Summary: 1
FRA - Gaetane
FRA - Marie-Laure Delie 14
USA - Abby Wambach (Megan Rapinoe) 18
USA - Alex Morgan (Hope Solo) 31
USA - Carli Lloyd (Megan Rapinoe) 55
USA - Alex Morgan (Tobin Heath) 66
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 6-Amy LePeilbet, 3-Christie Rampone (capt.), 16-Rachel Buehler, 5-Kelley O'Hara; 15-Megan Rapinoe (11-Sydney Leroux, 84), 7-Shannon Boxx (10-Carli Lloyd, 17), 12-Lauren Cheney, 17-Tobin Heath; 13-Alex Morgan (8-Amy Rodriguez, 76), 14-Abby Wambach
Subs not used: 2-Heather Mitts, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 9-Heather O'Reilly, 18-Nicole Barnhart
Head coach: Pia Sundhage
FRA: 18-Sarah Bouhaddi; 2-Wendie Renard, 5-Ophélle Meilleroux
(4-Laura Georges, 45), 7-Corine Franco, 8-Sonia Bompastor; 10-Camille Abily
(6-Sandrine Soubeyrand, 72), 11-Marie-Laure Delie, 12-Élodie Thomis, 14-Louisa
Necib (9-Eugénie Le Sommer, 45); 15-Élise Bussaglia, 17-Gaëtane Thiney
Subs not used: 1-Céline Deville, 3-Laure Boulleau, 13-Camille Catala, 16-Sabrina Viguier
Head coach: Bruni Bini
Misconduct Summary:
Referee: Sachiko Yamagishi (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Saori Takahashi (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Widiya Shamsuri (USA)
Fourth Official: Hong Eun Ha (KOR)


text:
SALISBURY, N.C. — Delhaize U.S. banners Food Lion Family, Bloom and Bottom Dollar Food earned their 10th consecutive Energy Star award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The company was 1-of-46 organizations recognized in the sustained excellence category and among 111 overall 2011 Energy Star award winners chosen from more than 20,000 partners in the Energy Star program.
"We are honored to receive this Energy Star Sustained Excellence award and are committed to being strong corporate citizens in the communities in which we operate," said Kyle Mitchell, VP store development for Delhaize America South. "Food Lion Family, Bloom and Bottom Dollar Food remain dedicated to environmental stewardship and are proud to continue to lead the way with energy conservation initiatives."


text:
Mattel Apptivity
You iPad people, we swear. It's not enough that you lord your fancy tablets over poor schlubs like us - now you get to play with Mattel Aptivity toys that interact with stuff right there on your screen. No wonder you're so much happier than the rest of us.
Mattel Aptivity official site
Ends on March 21 at 9AM CT


text:
The NICHD has a long history of supporting research on TBI, from mild injuries to severe TBI-related disabilities. Studies have explored the cellular, molecular, physiological, and biomechanical processes of TBI as well as strategies that promote recovery from TBI. The NICHD research goals related to TBI include:
All related news
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- Document for Excel Invoice Manager
This version of the document, "Invoice Templates", was written for Excel Invoice Manager, which was now renamed to Uniform Invoice Software. For the latest version of this document, please download Uniform Invoice Software.
This chapter is intended to provide general information about the invoice template / workbook installed on your system. To get an in-depth look at the invoice template, see the chapter Customizing Invoice Template.
After installation, you will find a shortcut to thetemplate under the -> -> -> menu. Click it to open the invoice template.
By default, in Windows 2000/XP the standard template file is stored in the installation folder of Excel Invoice Manager (Installing / Upgrading for more information.) However, you can move the template to anywhere in your system and create your own shortcut on the desktop. It is recommended that you create a backup copy of the template file before customizing it.); In Windows Vista and Windows 7, this template is stored in a separated data file folder ( . See
The invoice template contains 7 worksheets:, , , , , , and . As the names imply, the first worksheet is used to create, edit, and view invoices, and all other worksheets are used to create and edit reports.
Note: Don't rename the worksheets in the invoice template, as the name is the only identifier of a worksheet.
Theworksheet provides not only a What You See Is What You Get free invoice form to create and edit invoices, but also an interface for most of the system functionalities. There are 12 command buttons on the top of the worksheet. The left six buttons are targeted to the current invoice, and the right six buttons are targeted to the system. For example, if you click the button, you are trying to add a payment for the invoice currently displayed.
Below is a screen shot of the invoice.xls template taken from Excel 2003, 1024 by 768 screen resolution.
The invoice form of the default invoice template (Click to enlarge)
For a comparison, here is another screen shot of the invoice.xls template in Excel Invoice Manager 2.10.1014 taken from Excel XP, 800 by 600 screen resolution.
Invoice template in 800*600 mode (Click to enlarge)
|Clear & New
|Clears theworksheet. The invoice date and ship date field will be set to the current date, and the Tax Rate, Sales Rep. Name, Ship Via, Terms will also be set to default values. You can set the default values by clicking the button on the worksheet.
|Save To DB
|Saves the current invoice to the database. If the invoice # field is not filled in, or it is filled in but does not exist in the database, then it will be treated as a new invoice, and a new invoice # will be created automatically if needed. Otherwise, you are updating an existing invoice identified by the Invoice #.
|Creates a new invoice template that contains only the current invoice. You can then email it to your customer, format it using various formatting tools, or save it to other formats, such as HTML, PDF, etc.
If you check the option on the Tab of the window, it will create the email message automatically.
Click to see an example of the extracted invoice.
|Prints the current invoice using the default print options. To customize your print options, click Excel menu -> or -> .
Click to see an example of the Printed Invoice
|Adds a payment for the current invoice.
|View Detail
|Displays the current invoice in anwindow, where you can edit, void, delete the invoice, or manage the payment records for the invoice.
|Displays a window to list all customers. (Sample Customers window)
|Displays a window to list all products. (Sample Products window)
|Displays a window to list all invoices. (Sample Invoices window)
|Displays the Figure)window, where you can create new reports. (
|Displays the Figure)window, where you can set various options to control how the system works. (
|Displays the help document.
There are also three buttons in the customer information area in the invoice.xls template.
|Save As New Customer
|Saves the customer information you entered as a new customer. This gives you a quick way to add customers when you are entering invoices. You can also use this button to create new customers using existing customer information. For example, click the customer selection button (the magnifier icon) to select a customer, modify the customer information as needed, and then click thebutton.
|View Customer Info
|Displays a Figure)window to show the customer identified by the customer ID you entered. (
|Same As 'Bill To'
|Copies the address information in the Bill To section to thesection.
All report worksheets have a similar structure. Here is an example of theworksheet.
Sales Report worksheet (Click to enlarge)
For more information about reports, see the chapter titled.
Note: The invoice.xls template is the standard invoice template included in all editions of Excel Invoice Manager. If you have a Platinum, Pro or Enterprise edition of Excel Invoice Manager, you can also download various pre-customized invoice templates from the member area.


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Handedness and behavioural inhibition: Left-handed females show most inhibition as measured by BIS/BAS self-report
Item TypeArticle
MetadataShow full item record
This study investigated the relationship between handedness, gender and behavioural approach and inhibition using Carver and White's (1994) BIS/BAS Scale. 112 participants took part: 46 left-handers and 66 right-handers. All participants completed Peters' (1998) handedness questionnaire followed by the self-report BIS/BAS Scale. Significant effects of both handedness and gender on the BIS scores were found, with left-handers and females scoring significantly higher on inhibition. BIS scores were re-examined to include FFFS scores, which showed a significant effect of gender. Revised BIS scores replicated the original BIS findings. These findings are discussed in relation to handedness research.
Wright, L., Hardie, S.M. and Wilson, K. 2009. Handedness and behavioural inhibition: Left-handed females show most inhibition as measured by BIS/BAS self-report. Personality and Individual Differences. 46(1): pp.20-24


text: Safari Border Monroe Cardigan Style: 570082684 Out of Stock Love it? Everyone else did too. This item sold out! Use our search tool, chat online or call 1.888.855.4986 to find something equally desirable. The chic sweater cardigan that garners attention with an abstract mix of prints in trend-right black and white. Ribbed trim. Length: 25" to 29". 58% ramie, 42% rayon. Hand wash. Imported. Read More… Share on Facebook Tweet Pin


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Edit Article
wikiHow to Make Your Own Cuticle Oil
This inexpensive natural cuticle oil will keep your nail beds & cuticles deeply moisturised. It is quick & easy to make & for 100ml only costs about $2.50. The top retail cuticle oils contain the same basic ingredients & cost about $15 for around 8ml!
1Find a workbench somewhere easy to clean such as the kitchen or bathroom in case you spill something.
2Put a funnel into the top of your old medicine bottle & carefully pour equal parts of almond oil, jojoba oil & rice bran oil into the bottle.
3Add about 5 drops of your selected essential oil.
4Replace lid & keep in a cool dark place.
5To use, just apply a very small amount to each cuticle (often just rubbing the end of the dropper over your cuticle is enough) & work into the cuticle, nail & surrounding skin.
6This can be done as often as you like, but try to do it at least once a day.
Community Q&A
Can I use olive oil?wikiHow ContributorYes! You can also use coconut oil.
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- Make sure your old medicine bottle is really clean - you don't want ear medicine on your fingers.
- Regular use will promote nail growth and strength and will stop all that nasty peeling on your fingers.
- For cuticle cream, add a few drops of the oil to your favorite hand and nail lotion.
- All of these oils are usually available at some supermarkets, chemists, health food stores & online.
- Try using this oil on your rough elbows too!
- This mix is by no means an exact formula, if you don't measure exactly equal parts that's fine.
- You can leave out the essential oil if you like, it's really just to make it smell nice.
- For 100 mL use about 33 mL of each oil.
- Vitamin E capsules can be broken, and used. It has the same effect as the Vitamin E oil.
- Try mixing up different oils for different effects. For example, olive oil can be used as a main part in your nail mixture.
- Test a small amount on the back of your hand to see if you are allergic to it. If irritation occurs, discontinue use.
- Don't leave in sunlight as the light will kill many of these oil's natural properties.
- Don't let it fall onto your clothing as oily stains can sometimes be difficult to remove.
Things You'll Need
- An old medicine bottle with a dropper, preferably made of amber glass.
- Sweet almond oil
- Jojoba oil
- Rice bran oil
- High quality essential oil (something fragrant such as lavender, Ylang Ylang or vanilla)
- Small funnel
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Categories: Nail Care
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Español: preparar tu propio aceite para cutículas, Italiano: Preparare un Olio per Cuticole Fai da Te, Русский: самостоятельно сделать масло для кутикулы, Português: Fazer seu Próprio Óleo para Cutículas, Deutsch: Dein eigenes Nagelhautöl herstellen
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Indoor/outdoor kitchen
This modern cabin is full of natural materials and expanses of glass. The kitchen walls slide aside to access the 450-square-foot deck that includes a barbecue station, effectively doubling the room's square footage. The ipe flooring flows from indoor to out, creating a cohesive look between the spaces. The refrigerator and pantry doors almost disappear into the walls.
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In Reply to: RE: I think one of my backplates is wired wrong.... posted by Penguin on June 10, 2012 at 11:57:39
You really ask hard questions with minimal information. Here I would say at first glance that both transformers appear to be oriented the same way, with the primary leads toward the bottom of each photo. However, I have never seen an SL bass transformer with four red primary leads and one black. Moreover, there appears to be a lot insulation on the four red and and single black leads, suggesting they could be secondary leads, which carry high voltage. On the other hand, a secondary should have only have three leads, pos, neg, and ground. The transformer with the orange, yellow, etc, primary leads is like every other SL bass transformer that I have ever seen (N = 2), oriented with respect to the back plate as it should be. Take this question to SLOG or email William directly; he may know.
Follow Ups:
But if i look at tyu's diagram the black lead goes to the - terminal of the input and the center, in my case orange is the positive... I had the green terminal going to the - because it was in the same location as my old one. so today i reversed the order swapped black to green and yellow to blue. that would reverse the order of the leads...I stil have the distortion, even with the Ma-1. I isolated it to the bass section. So I either already blown something, or the distortion is caused by something else. But what could it be? And why would having the the 8 ohm resistor in the circuit would make it not noticeable, or am i going deaf? This is about as maddening as it can be :). So before i keep murdering stuff, does anybody have the color coding for the bass transformers? The old ones are wired correctly because those are the factory things. I know the that the red and the black wire are the primary side because on the secondary side i have 3 big terminals encased in some insulator plastic. on the old transformers. the new ones are just three leads coming out from the other side of the transformer.
Based on what i am experiencing, maybe the old bass transformer is fine too, something else is giving me fits. I am not not about to start swapping things between the tow backplanes, i find that hit and miss approach to dangerous when dealing with high voltages. Is there a more systematic approach to track this down?
Here is the where i am sitting.
I modified one back plate only. I disconnected the 8 ohm resistor, if i hook up the bass section only to either of the amps, MA-1 or the SS amp with the i get distortion. I have not moved the backplate to the other panel. Based on tyu's diagram i think i had the bass transformer reversed. I swapped black and green, yellow and blue. So right now the input of the bass is between black -and orange+, used to be green - and orange +. Distortion is still the same.
Do i have something blown in the mixer? Do i have a blown toroid? Am i just insane? Ok the last one has a trivial answer, but still, this is nuts?
So i have a fine mess on my hands :)
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
quote by Kurt Vonnegut
Both visually and by swapping sides
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
quote by Kurt Vonnegut
I moved the modded backplane to the other side and it works with both amps...
Now i need to figure out, where is the damage. I read somewhere that you can crete a temporary fix using silicone :). One of these days i need to ship them to soundlab for repairs.
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
quote by Kurt Vonnegut
Take a flashlight and shine it through the spandex as you examine every rectangle in the speaker frame, looking for holes or tears in the diaphragm. Typically they occur at the edges, where the frame impinges on the mylar. Typically you will find them along the topmost row of rectangles, nearest the top edge of the frame. If one or two are "holey", you can repair that by "killing" that rectangle, using silicon caulk. You will have to slice an opening in the spandex so as to admit the nozzle of the silicon caulk tube. (I did it at the rear so the damage to the spandex is not seen from in front.) Then squeeze the tube so silicon caulk is deposited between the mylar and the stator. This will eventually cut off the capacity of that rectangle to respond to audio signal. It's actually a permanent fix, unless or until too many of the rectangles are affected. You won't hear any difference between the affected panel and the intact one (after repair). if it's only one or two or three rectangles flapping.
SO i put the un-altered backplate with the "damaged" panel...and it sounds quite alright, the modded backplate is with the other panel and it is just fine, quite a bit more dynamic and open sounding, but the two sides together are listenable and no rattling distortion is noticeable....If i swap the backplates, and the modded (no resistor) backplate drives the "damaged" panel then the sound is quite distorted from that panel. SO it still puzzles me what would the resistor across the toroid do to eliminate most of the distortion? Does it somehow dampen the diaphragm? preventing it to slap against the stators? Really strange. I am trying to recollect everything i learned about electrostatic fields and forces, but cannot come up with a good explanation. Maybe the fact that the membrane really sees about 8K across the secondary of the toroid when when the 8ohm resistor is in place and infinity when not, allows it to move more freely and the tear can actually be more independent from the rest of the membrane...I do not know, but trust me you would be sitting here scratching all your hair follicles if you were sitting here listening to the panel with the resistor in and out. with the resistor out it is unlistenable, with the resistor in, you can drive it quite hard before it starts to distort. I am listening to it right now, the system probably plays around 80 - 85 DB and no buzzing .
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
quote by Kurt Vonnegut
Edits: 06/12/12
I am at a loss to explain your observation except to hypothesize that the speaker is so much more efficient and dynamic without the parallel resistor that perhaps you are able to put enough more energy into the speaker (rather than speaker + resistor) such that it excites a resonance that is not evident otherwise. Also, 80 to 85db is not very loud. "Loud" starts above 90 db at my listening position, by my reckoning.
Anyway, good choice of what to do.
80-85 is my normal listening volume :)...agreed loud is 90+.
The salient point here is that the mod exposed a fault in the system that is not obvious without the mod. Morale is that when people perform these mods and things do not work, the cause may be a pre-existing problem, it was just covered up. The normal swapping backplates, visual check, etc is still the first line of defense.
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
quote by Kurt Vonnegut
Edits: 06/12/12 06/12/12
Heres the two things that CAN make a man NUTs.... the on paper best ESL ever made...an you can figg the other
First of all, neither Ralph (I am sure) nor Lew want to take the responsibility for what might happen as a consequence of any of these mods. So, neither he nor I want to be on record as advocating anything that goes against the advice given by Sound Lab (i.e., Dr. West) regarding the use of their speakers.
So here we are......or you are...well...I had the SL A1 here...for about 6weeks....3 years a go...i did some mods too the A1s that had worket on the Acoustats....these A1 had older tranfourmers..one thing i saw was the panels are so big... that i new thay would not work for me... the Acoustats M3 with 3 panels in each speaker.. thay did not work much better but had a much better SPL.....So the A1 went to a new owner.
So what i well say about the SoundLab mod is this....i would only use the New Fullrang tranfourmers like Lew an others have done!
I would not on my new panels use the stock high frc. tranfourmers with this mod...but that just me ...
Just one ESLs OTLs lovers 5cent..... goodluck
for the cost of roundtrip shipping plus the work, they will be as good as new, and with the transformer mods, i do not not think i need to go PX either. Talked to Brent today. The cores will be trucking out on monday. I could try the caulk fix, but then it will be messier to deal with the repair at the factory. I can live without them for a month or so anyway.
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
quote by Kurt Vonnegut
need to arrange shipping.
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
quote by Kurt Vonnegut
Let me be certain I understand your question: You want to know about wiring the transformer in the bottom photo, or the one with the yellow, green, orange, etc leads. Yes? In that case, the black lead ALWAYS goes to the negative post on the amplifier input. The "non-black" leads attach, respectively, to different parts of the primary winding within the bass transformer, so the turns ratio is different depending upon which one of them is making contact with the inductor in series with the positive post on the amplifier input. For example, orange corresponds to "0db". The choices are +3, 0, -3, -6, I think. Those non-black leads normally go to a switch or jumper arrangement, so you can easily switch bass level; the other end of the switch or jumper arrangement goes to the series inductor. I chose to hard wire the orange lead to the single inductor I use in series with the bass transformer, but that's an option. I am not surprised that you would have distortion if you connect one non-black lead to negative and another to positive. IIRC, black lead is always to negative.
That's why I don't know what to say about the transformer with the four red leads and one black, except that the black probably goes to negative.
Thanks. That clears up one issue:). I will try the other panel tonight. Maybe Ralph is right and I have a damaged panel.
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
quote by Kurt Vonnegut
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text: Bill Schuette Schuette: Money from Kwame Kilpatrick's book should first go to taxpayers By Rick Pluta • Jun 2, 2011 kwamekilpatrickbook.com State Attorney General Bill Schuette says he will go to court to make sure any book royalties earned by former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick go first toward paying his restitution debt to the state. A Kilpatrick autobiography is expected to be released next month. Kilpatrick is in prison for failing to make restitution payments while enjoying an affluent lifestyle in Texas. "When someone's in the slammer, someone's violated the law, and you owe citizens of the state of Michigan money, restitution, before you rake in royalties on a book deal, we need to make sure you even it up with the taxpayers." Schuette says he will work with Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy on a motion to tap any book royalties for restitution. Kilpatrick owes the city of Detroit more than $816,000. A Kilpatrick spokesman did not return a phone call. "Judge can stay" says Michigan Supreme Court By Rick Pluta • May 17, 2011 The Michigan Supreme Court says a judge appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm as she was preparing to leave office can stay on the bench. The state attorney general challenged the appointment, arguing it should have been made by Governor Rick Snyder after he took office at the beginning of this year. Governor Jennifer Granholm filled the vacancy in December after she named Judge Amy Krause to the state Court of Appeals. Krause had just won re-election to the Lansing district court in November. Granholm named Hugh Clark to fill the balance of Krause's term as well as to the new term that began January first. Republican state Attorney General Bill Schuette challenged the appointment to the new term. Schuette said it should have been made by the new governor, Republican Rick Snyder. A bipartisan majority on the state Supreme Court ruled timing worked in favor of Granholm making the appointment. The court said Granholm held office until noon on January first, while Judge Clark's new term began that morning. The ruling also means Governor Snyder will have the power to name people to jobs that begin the day he leaves office. Unfunded state mandates, local governments & the Headlee Amendment By Steve Carmody • May 10, 2011 (photo by Steve Carmody/Michigan Radio) Tomorrow, the Michigan Supreme Court will consider a rule change that could put local governments in a stronger position to challenge unfunded state mandates. The Headlee Amendment is a state constitutional amendment meant to reduce unfunded state mandates on local governments, like requiring but not necessarily providing extra money for special education programs. Michigan Attorney General's office collects over $100 million in child support By Sarah Cwiek • Apr 19, 2011 Michigan Attorney General's office Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says that office's Child Support Division has passed an important marker: It has now collected more than $100 million in child support for delinquent parents. The division launched in 2003. Since then, it's used Michigan's tough child support laws to enforce court-ordered payments. Michiganis the only state that makes failure to pay child support a four-year felony. Michigan loses prescription drug lawsuit By Steve Carmody • Mar 18, 2011 The state Court of Appeals today ruled against Michigan in a prescription drug case. The decision could cost the state millions of dollars. In 2004, the pharmaceutical company Merck pulled the arthritis drug, Vioxx, off the market, because it caused serious heart and other health problems. Michigan Attorney General warns of Japan earthquake/tsunami scams By Steve Carmody • Mar 16, 2011 (flickr U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Matthew M. Bradley/Released) Michigan's Attorney General issued a warning today about a growing number of scams linked to the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami disaster. Numerous scams have popped up since last week's disaster, including a viral video making the rounds on Facebook purporting to show people fleeing the tsunami wave. Attorney General Bill Schuette says Michiganders wanting to help should beware of phony charities trying to take advantage of them. "Even during tough times, the people of Michigan give generously to charities that assist disaster victims around the world….It's important to take steps to ensure your dollars are not lost to fraud and your financial information remains secure." Charges in Michigan State Police corruption probe By Laura Weber • Feb 23, 2011 (photo by Steve Carmody/Michigan Radio) Two Michigan State Police lieutenants have been charged with more than 30 counts of corruption. The officers are accused of stealing property during home searches. Authorities say stolen items include televisions, computers, cell phones and drugs. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says the officers also worked with a Monroe County civilian to profit off of auctions of seized property. Two Plus Two By Jack Lessenberry • Feb 16, 2011 Tomorrow, Governor Rick Snyder will present to the legislature his proposed budget for the next fiscal year. The state is currently running a deficit of close to two billion dollars. The governor also wants to make changes to the business tax system that would further add to that deficit. Keep in mind that by law, a balanced budget has to be enacted by September 30th. Michigan AG: Prison releases should not be part of corrections cuts By Rick Pluta • Feb 15, 2011 Derek Key / flickr http://j.mp/1SPGCl0 Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says the state should save money in the corrections budget by cutting the costs of incarceration - not by closing more prisons or releasing more inmates. Schuette says he hopes that's the strategy Governor Rick Snyder will display when he unveils his budget proposal on Thursday. Schuette says he advised the governor to focus on reducing the cost-per-inmate by bidding out more prison services: Michigan Attorney General to take on government corruption By Zoe Clark • Feb 11, 2011 Corvair Owner / Flickr Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has created a Public Integrity Unit aimed at stepping up the fight against corruption in state and local government. The Associated Press reports: Schuette says in a statement Thursday that corruption scandals have "damaged the public's trust in government" and left Michigan with a questionable national reputation. He says there will be "no more Kwames," a reference to disgraced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick served jail time for lying in court about an affair and now is in prison for violating probation. He and his father also face a sweeping federal indictment that accuses them of taking kickbacks and bribes. Schuette says the unit is being created with existing office resources. During last year's campaign, he had said fighting public corruption was important. Michigan Attorney General praises 'unconstitutional' ruling of nation's health care reform law By Steve Carmody • Jan 31, 2011 (courtesy Michigan Attorney General's office) Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is praising Monday's ruling by a federal judge calling the health care reform law unconstitutional. Michigan is among 26 states which sued to stop the law from taking effect. Schuette says the law's mandate that all Americans buy health insurance is an overreach by the federal government. "This is a big decision to protect the Constitution and to defend the rights of Michigan taxpayers." Schuette expects the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually have to step in to decide whether the federal Health Care Reform law is constitutional. Federal judge issues ruling in health care reform law challenge By Steve Carmody • Jan 31, 2011 (photo by Steve Carmody/Michigan Radio) A federal judge in Florida has ruled sections of the health care reform law are unconstitutional. The judge specifically cited the 'Commerce Clause' in the U.S. Constitution. Michigan is among 26 states that took part in the lawsuit trying to dismantle the health care law. Michigan's new Attorney General will continue to fight the federal health care law By Zoe Clark • Jan 6, 2011 Corvair Owner / Flickr The state's new Attorney General Bill Schuette says he will continue Michigan's role in a legal challenge to the federal health care overhaul. In a statement released yesterday, Schuette said, "I will fight Obamacare tooth-and-nail to protect our citizens from this constitutional overreach." As the Associated Press reports: Schuette ... said Wednesday he will add his name to the lawsuit challenging the law. That continues a legal strategy from former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox. Both Schuette and Cox are Republicans. Attorneys for 20 states are challenging the new federal health care law in a case before a federal court in Florida. The states argue the law violates people's rights by forcing them to buy health insurance by 2014 or face penalties. Schuette was sworn in as the state's Attorney General on Saturday. Republican party sweeps in Michigan's big races By Mark Brush • Nov 3, 2010 Update 1:53am: The race in the 9th district has been called. Gary Peters (D) has defeated Rocky Raczkowski (R). Update: 1:07am Waiting on one race in Michigan. The race for Michigan's 9th congressional district between Gary Peters (D) and Rocky Raczkowski (R) has yet to be called. So far, of the 15 Michigan congressional districts 9 have gone to republicans and 5 have gone to democrats. Bill Schuette says Michigan will get back on track now that Republicans are in charge By Tracy Samilton • Nov 2, 2010 Republican Bill Schuette gave his acceptance speech just now, declaring that Michigan needs less crime and lower taxes and now that Republicans are in charge, will get both. "Are you all on duty?" he asked the crowd in an echo of his campaign slogan, Schuette on Duty. Statewide GOP candidates to rally in Oakland County today By Zoe Clark • Oct 29, 2010 Photograph Courtesy of migop.org Republican candidate for Governor Rick Snyder will campaign today at an Oakland County rally. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are expected to attend. The Oakland Country Press reports other statewide Republican candidates including Attorney General candidate Bill Schuette, Secretary of State Candidate Ruth Johnson and Lt. Pages« first ‹ previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8


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By Cameron Huddleston, Kiplinger's Personal Finance


text:
Can men handle the pain of child birth?
posted at 11:22 am on May 15, 2013 by Katie Pavlich
I know Mother's Day was last weekend but this is just too good not to post. If there is one thing women do not exaggerate about, it's the pain of child birth. The video below shows two men voluntarily allowing a doctor to simulate labor pain through electrocution as their wives sit back and watch. It's hilarious.
"Don't talk to me right now!"
"I'm sorry, you're like a superhero."
Recently in the Green Room:
- What if men could experience childbirth? (My Response to Facebook's new meme…) | subjectivereasoning
- Simulated Birth for Men | Beyond the Realm of Logic
Carol Burnett described childbirth like this: "Take your bottom lip, pull it over the top of your head, and that's what labor pain feels like." I don't recall if that's the exact quote, but I do recall hearing her say that on her show during the question-and-answer segment she'd do occasionally.
There's no way you can really tell what someone else's pain feels like, just like you don't know if the "blue" you see is the same "blue" someone else sees. This is just a funny stunt, like guys getting voluntarily Tasered.
Marcola on May 15, 2013 at 11:34 AM
Funny…my Mom always said women did exaggerate the pain of childbirth. Of course, after 10 I guess it wouldn't be a big deal 🙂
changer1701 on May 15, 2013 at 11:35 AM
A woman told me that kidney stones are worse than childbirth.
Had mine by C-section.
jdpaz on May 15, 2013 at 11:43 AM
Every person has a different pain threshold.
portlandon on May 15, 2013 at 11:45 AM
If there is one thing women do not exaggerate about, it's the pain of child birth.
I'll respond to this in the best way I know, by calling back the ghost of my sainted father (GP/OBGYN/General Surgeon). Though precluded from being a mother by genetics, he delivered some 2,300 kids in the small community where he practiced.
When confronted by an expectant mom, who was telling him that there was no pain worse than childbirth, he had the temerity to school her.
"I can tell you that you're wrong about birthing pain. There is pain that is far worse".
The mom was incensed and came right back at him, "That's not true! How can you say that? You're not a woman. You're a man so there's no way for you to judge OUR pain!"
"Kidney stones. Kidney stone pain is worse than childbirth", stated my father quietly.
Still incensed, the lady stated that there was no way to compare the two, and that a man could never know women's pain.
"You are correct, to a point. However, I've had many women that have given birth, and have had kidney stone attacks as well. Your sisters tell me that kidney stone pain is worse than childbirth, and I have to accept their judgement". I imagine this was done with a bit of a twinkle in his eye.
The part that he truly relished, is that this patient would not even talk to him for the next five years. I miss him, but the exchange lives on.
corbeck on May 15, 2013 at 11:50 AM
My colon ruptured, causing acute peritonitis.
The morphine cocktail didn't even dent it.
Not until I passed out and woke up with a colostomy did it not hurt so much.
Of course, then I had to deal with my gut sliced open from my sternum to my crotch…
If I had to relive that night, I'd take child birth.
No fair teasing me about my Austrian S&M fantasies.
Seth Halpern on May 15, 2013 at 11:53 AM
Did not watch, but everyone has different levels of pain tolerance, male and female alike. Arguing that men could not tolerate the pain of childbirth is like arguing that women could not tolerate the pain of fill in something men are primarily the bearers of, such as battlefield wounds. Some can, some cannot. Many women do not tolerate the pain of childbirth, even when carrying a child. They opt for massive levels of pain killers and c-sections.
Can men handle the pain of child birth?
The only part of me that hurt was my hand, the smoking hot redhead has quite a grip.
Had a buddy who was told to wait in the pub next door while his son was being born. He did complain that his head hurt the next day but that was all.
LincolntheHun on May 15, 2013 at 12:02 PM
Every person is different, every childbirth experience is different, and every sensation of pain is different. To argue that there is one single pain that will always be the worst you can experience, or that it will always not be the worst you can experience, is ridiculous.
Kidney stone pain is definitely toward the top of the scale. I've experienced it personally. For me, in my own subjective judgment, it is clearly the worst pain I have ever experienced. But that's me personally.
I've also witnessed my wife go through childbirth four times. Based on observation only, I would say that her first childbirth experience was far worse than my kidney stone pain and the other three were mildly less. But that is based on observation alone. She has never had a kidney stone, so she can't compare the two, and I've obviously never given birth. And even if we had both done both, it would still be different for each of us.
Bottom line? This little "experiment" of theirs proves nothing much, and anyone who claims that they know for a fact what pain is the worst of all is wrong for anyone beyond themselves.
Shump on May 15, 2013 at 12:03 PM
After you've passed six kidney stones, come talk to me about childbirth.
My wife's had four kids. She said the pain was quite manageable.
CurtZHP on May 15, 2013 at 12:06 PM
"hilarious" — KP
resentment much? abashed for you.
kunegetikos on May 15, 2013 at 12:08 PM
I have chronic kidney stones.
On my last visit to the ER (7.2mm stone), my nurse – as she was starting my IV drip – told me that she has given birth to triplets (natural-birth) and passed kidney stones. She believes the stones hurt worst. By a factor of 10.
Washington Nearsider on May 15, 2013 at 12:11 PM
I never considered myself having a particularly high pain threshold, but I had my first two kids without drugs and it wasn't so bad. The third was an emergency c-section (delivered, not aborted, to save my life and his). I thought recovering from the nicked nerve caused by the epidural was more painful and certainly longer-lasting than birth pains had been. Hope never to have a kidney stone for comparison.
Quisp on May 15, 2013 at 12:23 PM
catmman on May 15, 2013 at 11:51 AM
My father would probably agree with you.
As to the kidney stone comparison: consider that the birth canal is designed to expand to let a child travel through it, a urethra is not.
GWB on May 15, 2013 at 12:29 PM
Got morphine injections during my first few kidney stone episodes. It didn't make a dent in the pain. The last time in I told the nurse to not bother with the morphine and just bring the good stuff.
jdpaz on May 15, 2013 at 12:34 PM
On my last visit to the ER (7.2mm stone), my nurse – as she was starting my IV drip – told me that she has given birth to triplets (natural-birth) and passed kidney stones. She believes the stones hurt worst. By a factor of 10.
Backin' this up. I went to the ER for a 3mm (first stone ever) and my doc had had twins and stones and she said she would take the twins over the stones any day.
I later passed a 4mm plus lithotrispy fragments with nothing but Aleve (opiates make me sick). While at work. And the guy in the next stall didn't even know.
It hurts, but it ain't gonna kill you. And, let's face it, billions of ladies since man evolved into man have given birth successfully. It isn't exactly, well, novel outside of the impact to the individuals involved. So spare us the moral superiority.
Spade on May 15, 2013 at 12:39 PM
I have a high tolerance for pain, so even though I have had three children, I don't feel qualified to judge. One with medication, two without and while the one was definitely more pleasant, the others were fine.
Cindy Munford on May 15, 2013 at 12:51 PM
catmman on May 15, 2013 at 11:51 AM
That's terrible. At least with childbirth you usually get a kid that will give you more stories to tell. I hope you are fully recovered.
Cindy Munford on May 15, 2013 at 12:53 PM
Again, a silly question, and a stupid experiment!
Female muscle and skeleton are designed differently – to handle childbirth. That is why they are better dancers, too.
OldEnglish on May 15, 2013 at 1:08 PM
Thanks, Cindy
Yeah, I'm much better now. It happened back in 2010. Only had the ostomy for three months, then another major surgery to repair my insides. Took me over a year to recover completely.
Now I have my grandson to make those stories your talking about! 🙂
Every time a woman tries to tell me how it's the worst pain imaginable and how a man could never understand blah blah blah, I ask her if she had a spinal block…chirp chirp.
If men gave birth there would be a distance contest on who could shoot the kid out further.
On average yes men can handle pain better.
Dash on May 15, 2013 at 1:23 PM
Oh an also every one of these liberal pro choice NARAL type women would suddenly be hardcore pro lifers.
Dash on May 15, 2013 at 1:28 PM
If men gave birth there would be a distance contest on who could shoot the kid out further.
On average yes men can handle pain better.
Dash on May 15, 2013 at 1:23 PM
I worked as a zoo keeper when I was pregnant, and two coworkers were pregnant around the same time. It's a very physical job, and we would all joke about what would be the "manliest" way to give birth. We all thought it would be manly to go off to the farthest exhibit, clean and feed it, squat to give birth, then bring the baby back in the empty feed bucket. All three of us started labor after work at home, though, so that didn't happen. None of us missed any workdays until we went into labor though.
I had a c-section so I can't make a comparison of childbirth pain with any other pain. When I blew out a disc in my back that was pretty bad though. Had to go the hospital for that one.
juliesa on May 15, 2013 at 1:57 PM
14 ribs, with one slashing a lung, scapula into three pieces, pelvis, 3 vertebrae, spleen burst, wicked internal bleeding from a variety of sources …
Childbirth? How long does the pain last? Hours? A few days? Weeks?
M240H on May 15, 2013 at 2:02 PM
Whilst in the hospital for kidney stones, I've had nurses and doctors tell me they'd rather give birth again instead of kidney stones.
I'm sure childbirth is painfull though.
Kinda messy too, so I think I'll just leave that gig up to the ladies.
44Magnum on May 15, 2013 at 2:34 PM
I could handle it just fine. I'll take an epidural like everybody else.
Xasprtr on May 15, 2013 at 2:43 PM
I just wonder how many women who say that childbirth is the most painful experience there is have ever taken a sharp blow to the testicles?
Which raises the question, ladies, which is more acutely painful, childbirth or getting poked in an ovary?
rokemronnie on May 15, 2013 at 2:54 PM
Why are women so insecure?
ClassicCon on May 15, 2013 at 2:54 PM
When a young woman is pregnant, all the old wives love telling her about their awful, painful, terrible, no good childbirth experiences. I decided that was not for me. Nor did I trust — or want — pain-killing medication of any kind from a doctor. I conditioned myself with Lamaze and felt nothing but pressure during the 5 hour labor (first baby), including when my tailbone broke on the baby's journey past it. I told my husband it felt like a giant was walking on my back at that time, but there was no pain. It was only later I was told what had happened. I had an old doctor, and my 8-pounder and I were his first Lamaze patients. He said he'd delivered thousands of babies and he couldn't stop talking about how amazing it was to see somebody completely alert and painfree. The next day another woman in my class gave birth to a 9-pound baby and had the same painless experience. I feel bad when I hear of women experiencing painful childbirth. It is not necessary.
winfield on May 15, 2013 at 3:14 PM
juliesa on May 15, 2013 at 1:57 PM
I love the attitude! That's how I'd approach it, sort of a "bring it" mentality 🙂
Dash on May 15, 2013 at 3:14 PM
OK, let's reverse the experiment… someone kick Hillary in the nuts…
dpduq on May 15, 2013 at 4:03 PM
Passed a kidney stone while living in Java. What I remember is lying naked on the tile of the bathroom floor for the slight comfort of the coolness, and throwing up from the pain until I was vomiting blood.
Oh, and that I didn't want to put clothes on when the taxi finally arrived (this was 2 or 3 AM so we had to find a service that could rouse someone), but that my wife was able to reason me into underwear and shorts, though I refused to zip and button them. I'm sure the taxi driver thought some albino zombie had crawled into his back seat.
Fun note: my very pregnant wife piled my other three kids on her lap in the front seat.
My condolences to those for whom morphine is not the answer. I have to say it made everything all better for me, instantaneously. One of the most remarkable physical sensations I've ever had.
TexasDan on May 15, 2013 at 4:19 PM
Women love to exaggerate the pain/difficulty of childbirth as some kind of sign of greater strength than men. A female friend of mine mentioned this to me the other day and I simply pointed out that women don't have a choice. Being strong would mean that you had the choice of taking the pain or not, and women only get that choice in the form of medication, which they overwhelmingly take.
The only proof that women could take pain better than men would be if women chose to use painkillers less often than men under similar circumstances, and they don't.
kaltes on May 15, 2013 at 4:21 PM
Err… How does she know she is delivering an appropriate amount of pain to simulate labor? How can this be quantitative?
It is funny, tho…
stvnscott on May 15, 2013 at 4:28 PM
Women put up with pain that would send a quarterback to the sidelines.
Your link to the video isn't working, BTW.
sage0925 on May 15, 2013 at 7:50 PM
I've had diverticulitis, broken bones, kidney stones and three kids. Childbirth was by far the worst and lasted longer.
blackgriffin on May 16, 2013 at 11:55 AM
"Every time a woman tries to tell me how it's the worst pain imaginable and how a man could never understand blah blah blah, I ask her if she had a spinal block…chirp chirp."
You do realize that a women goes through most of the labor before they bother giving a spinal block, don't you? It's not the baby coming out that causes the agony, although that does hurt terribly. It's the contractions that go on for HOURS, increasing in strength and length as they go, as well as occurring more frequently until they're almost continuous, that causes the trauma. Labor is different from female to female, but it's not something to be scoffed at, especially by a male.
blackgriffin on May 16, 2013 at 12:14 PM