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[VP] The first few days, and personal reflections
Jefferson Locke
My Fellow Americans:
First, allow me to introduce myself, in case you have no clue who I am. I am currently serving as Vice President of the United States under John Killah this month. Let me begin by telling you how honored I am to be in this position, and that I promise you that John and I will work as hard as possible for all of you. When John asked me to run, we discussed some of the things that we would like to do this month, and communicating with the american citizens was, and will continue to be, a top priority. With that said, I plan on writing two articles a week to touch base with you all, and let you know what we are doing in order to make this country the best it can be. This will be the first article of many that I plan on writing, for it is our strong belief that a country can only grow stronger by having an educated citizenry, one that knows what its government is doing and thinking. While you may not agree with some of the decisions that we make (as pleasing all of the people all of the time is tantamount to climbing mount everest without making use of ones hands and feet) I can promise you that we will only make decisions based on what we think is best for the long term health and prosperity of this great nation.
The first order of business in any presidency is to basically get things set up. It's a little like playing chess: before you can truly do what you plan on doing, you have to set up the pieces. We have been working over the first few days to get everything transitioned over from the last administration, and to put the new members of cabinet where they need to be, in regards to forum access, IRC access, and giving them the tools they need to succeed. We have a strong team this month, and I look forward to watching them work together and grow into their roles.
With that said, this is certainly not an ordinary month. It's not usually the case in which someone takes over the "big chair" while in the middle of a military operation. We are currently, as I'm sure that you are all aware, in the process of liberating S. Korea and Japan from Taiwan. This, known as "Operation gangnam style" was started last month under President Fingerguns, and is a top priority for this administration. Yesterday, there was a loss for us in Northern Taiwan, and today they are attempting to take Central Taiwan from us, but it is looking good for America and her allies, as we are currently up 56-21, and in command of the current battle. With this win, we will regain the initiative and be able to fight on our terms instead of theirs. Keep pushing America, we can and WILL succeed in this.
Now, to be clear, I know that there are some detractors that are either not fully in support of this war, or that think that the war is going poorly for us. Now, for the first group, I have to say that honestly, it's okay if you don't support the war. Would I like it if you did? Absolutely. However, again, it is impossible to get all the people of a nation to agree on a steady course of action. There are differences of opinion in all things that have to do with government, and that is not only okay, but it is encouraged. Differences of opinion keep this game interesting and fresh. If we all were to fall into group think, there would be no point in elections, parties, and all that jazz. It would simply be a matter of sitting around with nothing to do, and nothing to debate. It is certainly not your responsibility to take what we (the government) say at face value. Honestly, to do so would be a great disservice to this country and to yourself. Instead, if there are disagreements, it is a patriotic duty to disagree, and it is our job as the government to present you with the data and attempt to persuade you using solid logic and reasoning. That is another reason for these communications: We want your feedback. We want to know if you do not agree with a course of action we are taking, so please tell us, and tell us why. My door is always open to you, so you may PM me at any time. I will not always have an answer, and I will not always agree with you. But I promise you that I will listen, and attempt to find an answer to your questions or concerns.
The second group, the ones that think the operation is going poorly, I can certainly sympathize with. It would quite frankly be disingenuous of me to say "it has gone according to plan" because it has not. One of the things to remember about a campaign such as this is that there will always be ups and downs. It is in the nature of the game for that to happen. However, I can honestly assure you that we are doing everything in our power to make this a success. This operation will be successful, not because of myself and John Killah, but because of you. The American people are known for being strong, resilient, and resourceful. We are known as a nation of people that accomplish great things through hard work and ingenuity, and this campaign is no different. It will take some time, and there will be setbacks. But WE WILL WIN. Again, not because of John Killah, and not because of myself, but because of all of you. There is nothing that we, the citizens of America, cannot accomplish provided we work together.
With that said, on a personal aside if you will allow me the opportunity (I throw myself at the mercy of the reader here), there is something that I think I need to work on, and that we all can as a nation. This game is really a game of personal connections. The actual game aspect of it pales in comparison to the friendships and bonds that we make as a community. It is for this reason that we all take things personally when they do not go the way that we would like them. I have been thinking about this for the past couple of days now, in terms of myself, so I will state what my intentions are, and then hope that others follow suit. I am guilty, as is everyone really, of taking things a little bit too seriously sometimes, getting worked up, and saying things that sometimes should not be said. It's a heat of the moment type of thing, something that as humans we are all guilty of, as being human is to err, unfortunately. With this, I have certainly said some things, some in jest, and some honestly not, that either have come off the wrong way or that were ill informed based on things from the past, notably things that revolve around the more radical members of the AFA. (And please, bear in mind that I make that distinction because not all members of the AFA are radical, as Candor has so eloquently pointed out in his articles, along with other players as well). Notably, what got me thinking about this was seeing Candor run under the banner of the AFA for PotUS. I wrote an article the morning of the election about it, and stated the line that his run was a "desperate grab for power from someone who has been trying to get it for months now". Let me explain a little background on this before I continue.
Candor is someone that I think is a good person. I have stated that on numerous occasions, and we had him on fed radio when he was running for CP..........two months ago if memory serves me (and a lot of times it doesn't) well. At that point, he was running under the idea of having a round table, which included giving the AFA a seat at that table. While I thought, and still believe, that giving them a voice in government is not a good idea, we talked about this, and I came away impressed, albeit still in disagreement with Candor. He is someone that I may disagree with politically, but that I respect as a person. I genuinely like him from what I have seen of him in my time in game. With that said, when I saw him running under the AFA banner, my mind automatically went to the "he's working with Ajay!" thoughts, without thinking of any other options. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I was guilty of seeing something based off of a preconceived bias against anything that has to do with the AFA. And for that I was wrong. I hope that Candor will read this, and I hope that he will recognize my humanity, and forgive my lapse of consideration in writing that article and my response in regards to it. And I hope that you, the reader, will join me in working towards taking things in this game less personally. Let's build a stronger America with honest debate and the exchange of ideas, not with trolling and insulting one another. And yes, I include me in that, because as you can see above, I am as guilty as most.
Country>Self. I pledge to work on myself from here on out to make the country stronger. If we all make that pledge, there is no threat that will ever topple us.
If you need anything at all, again, please contact me via PM, or on IRC under Jefferson_Locke. I will do my best to assist you. Except with gold, as I am poor.
Yours forever in service,
Jefferson Locke
Recommended Reading:
| Our Country President's newspaper | Speaker's Word | DoD Civilian Orders | Dept of Education | Dept of Interior |
| White House Press Room | Pony Express | eNPR Radio |
Join a Military or Militia:
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| US Civilian MU | Air Force Flight Training | Special Forces | Rogue Squadron | Ultramarines | SEAL Team 6 | OWLs |
| EZ Company |The Higher Calling | Sons of Liberty | Bear Cavalry | Pickle's Patriots |
| eUS Training Corps | National Guard | Mobile Infantry | eUS Army | Airborne | Marine Corps |
| Avengers | The ICA | The Chosen Ones| Cannon Cockers |
Make sure you join the official USA forums!
eNPR - the nation's radio station
First for personal reflection and American citizens being awesome!
Candor is essentially good, but lacks good judgement. His play style is Glove-like, focused on short-term enjoyment, and long-term misery. I hope he takes care not to damage this nation with his actions.
^Would beat the hell out of short and long term misery.
Jefferson - I feel from your article that you have taken the time to watch what is going on around you, in terms of differing points of view and how other groups/citizens are feeling. I see that rather than throwing out a sentence or two about what is wrong with everyone else's feelings (as we are used to lately) you seem to have taken the time to reflect on them and try to understand and perhaps even empathize with them.
While some people can write articles after entry into their offices which scream "Now that I've conned you all into putting me in office I can be the asshat we all know I am", I am rather impressed with both yours and Johns articles.
I hope that you both continue to interact with the citizens in a way that presents as empathy and cooperation, instead of the callousness and loathing we've recently been accustomed to.
Best of luck, we'll be watching...and hoping for the best.
And you aren't radical?
You want a party that likes me to disown me..... and you won't back down from this....
I am willing to sacrifice my own personal ambitions for the sake of the group.... which was not appreciated at all by the elitist voters.
Thank you Jefferson, and good things for all of us to think about. It's a big game (game) and things are always in flux. And in a social strategy game, there is almost always so much more going on than any of us is aware. It's always good to consider that no one has every perspective covered all the time. I know I certainly don't.
Kemal: I don't mind some Glove-ish rub, lol. But I most certainly play a long game, not the short one you believe, though I can't hold it against anyone for thinking otherwise. That said, everyone plays a role and thank goodness most people are fairly consistent and predictable. In my own way, I suppose I am as well.
First, JLo is one person that I have come to have great respect for of late. Not saying I agree with him 100% but he is defiantly on the 'Good Guy' list.
Second, although I was never served as a United States Marine (or in any branch) I believe in their core values. God, Corps, Country, seems to have morphed to God, Country, Corps. This is wrong in my opinion as I agree with the post made by a real Marine*. The oath administered to new officers of the military begins with the line "I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC...".** That word "domestic" is a tricky item for today's govt. If the people in charge 'order' the military to do something that goes against the Constitution (or any other illegal act) the military have sworn an oath to ignore the sitting govt. and ultimately to even fight against it. Semper Fidelis!
That said, I have some problem with this statement "...it is our strong belief that a country can only grow stronger by having an educated citizenry, one that knows what its government is doing and thinking." When are the people to experience this? Jason tried to make a big deal of this very thing and I called him on it. He never directly responded to me. This sounds like a wonderful idea but I do not see JK's administration posting to the public boards, nor do I see Congress. Also IRC logs of conversations with FA need to be posted somewhere.
Meanwhile I will be faithful to my "Corps" first (that would be Pickle's). This is only a game, if it were RL I would actively be opposing this rhetoric. "Educated citizenry" is a definite YES, knowing what the govt. is "doing and thinking" 100% is not possible unless you want your enemies to know what you know. Prove me wrong
Need votes or subs or FB likes ? order them here: http://goo.gl/yXezH
100 % legal
Good to see an update from the Executive branch, added bonuses for sound logic regarding some statements included.
Negatively, the article above engages in demagoguery by insulting Candor with your seemingly narrow perspective; moreover, the above statement seems rife with platitudes which detract from the diplomatic tone of the article.
No vote, It would be wiser for the Vice Commander in Chief to Spend money on our Military rather than article votes; Subbed
@Kemal; Regarding Candor, there are very few who would consider publishing 200 articles short term enjoyment; though i suspect most would deem the task of publishing 200 articles "Long Term Misery"
Squirtious Maximus
Day 1,908, 19:12
'First, JLo is one person that I have come to have great respect for of late. Not saying I agree with him 100% but he is defiantly on the 'Good Guy' list.' x2
'..."Educated citizenry" is a definite YES, knowing what the govt. is "doing and thinking" 100% is not possible unless you want your enemies to know what you know. Prove me wrong'
Not sure what you mean here. Although I agree that government can not reveal 100% of their doings, they can however reveal 75% - 80% of their discussions. One example is military operations, though revealing government thinking previous to operations is stupid; once it has started an article should be released explain the history of why an operation is taking place -100% of the thinking could be released including any 'private congressional' thread related to the action.
no vote...but subbed...good article BTW
@Ichabod Adams, although JK & JLo have toned down the rhetoric (tip of the hat BTW) from what Jason S. started there still remains the erroneous belief that the govt. is the people. This could not be farther from the truth. The people in effect 'hire' the govt. to do the countries business. I've said before that Democracy doesn't work. It would be ridiculous to take a vote of the general populous before any little thing is done. Here as in RL we have a representational form of govt.
I agree with your statement "...though revealing government thinking previous to operations is stupid; once it has started an article should be released explain the history of why an operation is taking place...". While you're specifically referring to military operations I believe this is so for almost all of govt. business. In short, govt. 'openness' should be to explain what has been done and then public opinion be sought to see if this is inline with what John Doe wants. If not, THEN the govt. goes "Whoops!" and redirects the efforts to better serve what is wanted. Of course not all public opinion is always correct. Taxes for example. Everyone that works wants 1% income tax, people that make stuff want 1% VAT, people that play markets want 1% import tax and no embargoes, govt. supplied military wants ALL your money. Which opinion is correct, eh?
I guess I'm too simple minded to make sense to people anymore. Forget Ajay, forget Henry, just elect people that you trust to do the damn job. AND YOU PEOPLE that get elected just do that damn job you've been given and don't forget why you are there, TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE. ~pickle waves cane in the air~ DAMMIT this is not rocket science, it's a stewpid browser game.
Ce este asta?Acesta este un articol scris de un cetățean eRepublik, un joc de strategie bazat pe țările din viața reală. Creează-ți propriul cetățean și condu țara ta pe drumul ei spre glorie. Îți poți câștiga faima în războaie, luptând ca un erou, în presă, scriind articole, sau construind un imperiu financiar.


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Here is a short update from USA Today about NBA announcers. Jonh Saunders is an upgrade over Kevin Frazier, and it looks like Laimber is out, but Stephen A. is back. Not sure exactly what David Aldridge will be doing, but looks like a Peter Vescey type role perhaps.
"Former ESPN reporter David Aldridge will be TNT's NBA news reporter, TNT announced. ... In ESPN's new NBA lineup announced Tuesday, John Saunders becomes the main host of its studio show, replacing Kevin Frazier, who moved to Entertainment Tonight. His analysts: Greg Anthony, Tim Legler, Stephen A. Smith and newcomer Mark Jackson"

subset: commoncrawl


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- Doctors
- California
- Mountain View
- Gastroenterologists
- Dr. George Triadafilopoulos
You may also like
Ratings for Dr. George Triadafilopoulos
Dr T is amazing! Unfortunately, Tran, his receptionist is horrible! She lies, does not return phone calls, and is very unprofessional.
Dr. T in person is lovely - knowledgeable, thoughtful, helpful and a good listener. But his staff is horrible - they are rude, they give false information (especially about insurance coverage - be VERY careful lest you get forced to sign a form by receiving the wrong information and then stuck with a giant bill as a result). They put you on hold forever, IF you can get through, and after a while they just stopped returning my phone calls. As previous posters have noticed, getting your test results is very difficult and even if you can get them (by calling repeatedly), they will be given tersely and sometimes inaccurately. Bottom line, good doctor but horrible staff, not sure it is worth the trade-off (especially looking at the bill I was deceived into).
My mother, who was in good health, had died in 3 days as a result of the unauthorized ERCP surgery performed by this man. She was never informed about the surgery, and thought that she was going for evaluation only when in fact he put her under general anthesia, and performed a surgery. She was admitted to ER couple of hours later and had died horrific death in front of our eyes 2.5 days later. He never even showed up at the hospital when she was dying, or checked on how was she doing. If you care about your life, don't even consider having him touch you or your loved ones, and make sure that others know that as well.
Dr. T himself is very competent and explains stuff well. But hard to get to him. He tends to overdo number of tests needed and after going through uncomfortable tests you get no feedback whatsoever from his office. You have to call multiple times and can only reach a receptionist who puts you on hold forever and says they will call you back. Good doc but frustrating to deal with his office and you just have to be willing to spend a lot of time following up yourself.
I am still having nightmares from the procedure Dr. T had me do. The worst part was that no one told me anything about the procedure. It was after my endoscopy,they left a tube attached to my stomach to stay in. I am allergic to versed and I was given too much, it makes me flip out so I was barely conscious but I pulled on the tube and moved it so it was blocking my airway and making me gag. Therefore, I thought I'd atleast be at the hospital receiving pain meds and fluids. Instead I was sent to Dr. T's office, where I had to sign off on some important papers, then they stuck me in the coldest room. I was gagging and crying and luckily I brought 2 of my own pain meds. I lasted about two hours. Then I shifted a little bit needing to use the restroom, there were NO nurse buttons or anything, and I bumped my tube. I thought I would die, I couldn't scream it was awful tears were streaming down my face. They not very pleasant nurse finally came in and ripped it out. Overall my #1 WORST DR!
It is very hard to communicate with his office. The staff is very compartmentalized and usually when you call you have to wait for about 3 calls ahead, no matter the day or time. One set of staff handles regular office appointment scheduling. Another person schedules in-office procedures and her answering machine warns you that it may take 24hrs. for a return call. Neither of these staffs knows about or understands pre-procedure rules for any hospital tests, which is booked separately. Dr. T. and his P.A. seem very knowledgeable and concerned but there is difficulty in getting follow-up information. In our experience of 4 appts., the average wait was 30 mins. past appointment time. And like most specialists these days, if you have a sudden emergency, you are advised to call your regular physician or 911---they do not respond to emergency conditions.
Well known for Stretta procecure and GERD. Professional in interacting with you, but did not follow up after array of tests. Could be because he's so in demand and cases which he deems as mild will require less of his attention. Update 7/19/2006: Went in for a followup (scheduled myself). Most evaluation is done by his assistant doctors. Wish it was Dr. T, but know that he has a very busy schedule. I am sure they go over patient evaluations together so his input is probably considered. Anyways, I would the helpfulness and knowledge number by 1 point after this visit.
Vastly knowledgeable, communicates in an understandable, friendly way, very patient centered Dr. Triadafilopoulos has been a perfect medical experience, maybe because he is somewhat yielding. I have complete resolution of acid reflux without medication. I schedule my own follow-up with all mds, because its quicker
Dr. George Triadafilopoulos's Credentials
Facility Affiliations
Accepting New Patients
- Aristotelian Univ Of Thessaloniki, Fac Of Med, Thessaloniki, Greece (Grad. 1979)
Other Specialties
Areas of Expertise
Awards & Recognitions
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Top Hospitals in Mountain View, CA
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How competitive is admission?
A: This program is very competitive and we receive many qualified applicants every year. We only admit 16 students with 3 alternates each fall and spring.
Q: Are there courses I can take while I am waiting to be admitted to the program?
Q: How and when will I find out if I have been admitted to the program?
Q: How much will it cost to complete the surgical technology program?
Q: How do I learn about financial aid opportunities?
Q: Can I take courses on any CPCC campus?
Q: Do I need to complete all the general education requirements before I can be admitted to the program?
Q: Are there other specific requirements once I'm accepted into the surgical technology program?
Q: What is the starting salary for a surgical technologist?
Q: Can I complete the program on a part-time basis?
Q: Are there any special policies for international students?
Q: Does the surgical technology program have surgical technology classes in the summer?
Q: I'm already a working surgical technologist; can I enroll and earn my degree?
Q: What if I have more questions?
Q: How do I get started in the surgical technology program?
Q: What is the purpose of the TEAS and the placement tests?
Q: How do I take the TEAS test?
Q: What scores do I need on the TEAS?
Q: What if I already have a college degree or have earned college credit?


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Michael Clark found guilty of first-degree murder
October 22, 2012
After 18 years, the murder of Boulder city worker Marty Grisham finally came to a close Monday as a Boulder jury found Michael Clark guilty of first-degree murder for shooting Grisham in his apartment doorway in 1994.
The jury, after listening to seven days of testimony, returned the guilty verdict Monday after deliberating for more than two days. Clark, 36, broke down and wept as Boulder District Judge Thomas Mulvahill read the verdict; Clark then turned around and hugged his wife.
Mulvahill sentenced Clark to life in prison, and he was remanded into custody.
The verdict put to rest a case almost two decades old. Grisham, who was 48 at the time of the shooting on Nov. 1, 1994, was shot four times in the head and chest in the doorway of his apartment while having dinner with his girlfriend.
Nobody saw the shooter. Police never found the murder weapon.
Investigators with the Boulder police department said Clark — who at the time of the shooting was friends with Grisham's daughter Kristen — had forged checks he stole from Grisham's apartment after Kristen asked him to watch the apartment about a month before the shooting.
Recommended Stories For You
To read this article in its entirety, go to http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_21828004/michael-clark-guilty-first-degree-murder-boulder-marty-grisham


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WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS – A massive manhunt was under way Friday morning in Boston and its surburbs, after one suspect in the deadly Boston Marathon bombings died in a confrontation with police and the second was identified as a 19-year-old immigrant from Kyrgystan who, a classmate said, attended high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Boston, Watertown and several other suburbs were in a state of lockdown, with mass transit canceled, schools and business closed and residents ordered to stay indoors, authorities said.
Law enforcement officials said they believe the at-large suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, may be strapped with explosives. They are taking extreme precautions in an effort to avoid further loss of life.
A campus security officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was killed in a confrontation with the suspects Thursday night, and a transit officer was critically wounded, police said.
"This situation is grave. We are here to protect public safety," Police Commissioner Ed Davis said. "We believe this to be a terrorist. We believe this to be a man here to kill people."
The suspects — introduced to the world via photos and video footage Thursday night — were identified as brothers, law enforcement officials said Friday morning. The one who was killed was identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
The brothers' alleged motive in the bombings, which killed three people and injured more than 170, remains unknown, but their family appears to have immigrated from the Southern Russian republic of Chechnya, and two law enforcement officials said there is a "Chechen connection" to the bombings.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was born in Kyrgystan, law enforcement authorities said. He has a Massachusetts driver's license. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was born in Russia and became a legal U.S. resident in 2007.
All public transportation was shut down in the greater Boston area Friday morning, officials said, and no vehicle traffic was permitted in or out of Watertown during the massive manhunt.
Residents of Boston, Watertown, Newton, Waltham and elsewhere were asked to stay inside, with their doors locked. Colleges and universities announced they would close for the day, and businesses were instructed not to open.
Thousands of officers searched house-to-house, and parts of Watertown were being evacuated.
A Massachusetts State Police spokesman says police closed down a stretch of Norfolk Street in Cambridge, where they think Dzhokhar Tsarnaev may be located. "We don't know if he's there. There is a possibility the suspect is there," the spokesman said.
In Washington, President Obama was briefed by his counterterrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco.
The mayhem began at about 10:30 p.m. when an MIT campus police officer responded to a disturbance. That officer was found fatally wounded inside his vehicle on the campus in Cambridge, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's office.
The shooting launched a massive police response. A short time later, authorities received reports of an armed carjacking by two males of a Mercedes SUV, on Third Street in Cambridge. The driver of the car was forced to stay in the vehicle for about 30 minutes, police said, then released at a gas station on Memorial Drive. He was unharmed.
Police began searching for the Mercedes SUV, which was spotted in a residential neighborhood of nearby Watertown, the district attorney's office said.
Watertown police officers located the vehicle and after stopping it, exchanged gunfire with the two men. During the firefight, authorities said, multiple explosive devices were thrown from the vehicle and some exploded, which led to panic and concern in the town.
Richard H. Donahue Jr., a transit police officer, was critically wounded in the firefight, authorities said. Donahue, 33, has been a member of the force for three years. He is being treated at a local hospital.
The first suspect — Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was pictured in a black baseball cap in photos released Thursday evening was fatally injured, law enforcement officials said. He was taken to Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, doctors there said.
The man had been shot multiple times in the torso and also sustained injuries from some sort of explosives, doctors at the hospital said. He was in cardiac arrest when he arrived at the hospital, and could not be revived.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, or suspect No. 2, according to authorities — fled the vehicle on foot, which prompted the massive search.
"We have an active search going on by tactical teams. He's considered armed and dangerous," said Col. Timothy P. Alven.
A high school classmate of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Deana Beaulieu, described him as a quiet boy who had been on the wrestling team at Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School.
They had attended school together since the 7th grade, first at Cambridge Community Charter School, then the high school, she said. He graduated in 2011.
Tsarnaev lived on Norfolk Street with his family, including an older brother and sister.
State Department officials said the Tsarnaev family appears to have arrived legally in the United States, though they did not specify when they arrived or the type of visas the family members had received. Chechens have dispersed across the former Soviet republics and other countries in the region, but officials said there are not large numbers of them in the United States.
Chechnya has been racked by years of war between local separatists and Russian forces and extensive organized crime since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. The extent of the possible connection remained unclear.
Friday morning, the streets in and around Watertown were deserted save for the enormous police presence. Outside the Arsenal Mall, hordes of reporters waited outside a staging area that was taking on the appearance of an armed camp, with State Police marching in formation, dozens of motorcycle police officers and the arrival of two large transit buses filled with police wearing neon safety vests. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms swept the area with a bomb-sniffing dog.
We've got every asset that we can possibly muster on the ground right now," Gov. Deval L. Patrick said. "We are going to need the public to help us help them stay safe."
Michael Demirdjian, 47, a postal worker from Watertown, said he was on his way back from Logan Airport early Friday when he suddenly found himself surrounded by police cars.
"It was amazing," he said. "There were police cruisers all around. Thirty to forty cruisers followed us to my house."
He made it to his house, on Spruce Street, but "it was in the zone and they wouldn't let us in."
He said he saw police going from house to house with dogs, searching, the area blazing with flashing emergency lights. Heavily armed police told him he could not enter.
"They said 'no way.' I want to go home but it looks like it's not going to happen," said Demirdjian, who had been awake all night. "I'd like for them to get this thing under control as soon as possible."


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Starting next month, Canada's government will take delivery of six interim CH-148 Cyclone multi-mission, ship-based helicopters ahead of 2012 deliveries of the finished version. The interim version will have partially compliant mission system software and slightly lower performance specs than the finished version. The fly-by-wire CH-148 derives from the civil S-92 medium twin. Although a military aircraft, it is designed with civil certification in mind, according to program managers. CH-148 technology could thus be used in future civil Sikorsky aircraft.
The preliminary version of the software will allow "the majority" of the sensors and weapons to be operated–but not in a fully integrated fashion. Despite partial mission capabilities, the interim helicopter will be able to "achieve targeted progress," Canada's National Defense said in late July. The delay in software development is one more mishap in the program.
As previously agreed, interim helicopters will also lack an automated datalink, 21 minutes of flight endurance and full single-engine capability at high temperature. By the time the fully compliant aircraft are delivered–scheduled for 2012–the interim aircraft will have provided training and operational testing.
In return for Canada's agreement to accept delivery of incomplete software, Sikorsky withdrew an existing arbitration claim. Under the amended contract, the firm committed to more investment in the country. Canada could also receive royalties on "future maritime helicopter sales." Another concession was to extend the in-service support to March 2028.
Once delivery of the fully compliant helicopters begins, the interim helicopters will be modified to be fully compliant and returned by December 2013. In total, Canadian Forces' order–placed in 2004–is worth C$5 billion ($4.6 billion) for 28 helicopters and associated services.


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NEWPORT County AFC have announced the signings of defender Darren Jones and midfielder Yan Klukowski.
As revealed by the Argus, Jones has been in talks to return to the club since the season ended. He rejected an offer of a new contract at AFC Wimbledon and joins County as a free agent and has signed a one-year deal with the Exiles.
Klukowski, aged 27, turned down a new contract at Conference club Forest Green Rovers at the end of last month after playing more than 150 games for the Gloucestershire outfit.
He has agreed a two-year contract at Rodney Parade.
Manager Justin Edinburghs said: 'I said I wanted to provide quality and depth to the defence and midfield as we are strong at present with attacking options.
"It is great to get two targets I have been following for a while and the squad is shaping up nicely prior to pre-season.'


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Beltre departs game early with tight quad
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre tried playing in his fourth straight Cactus League game Thursday night. He didn't play as long as he wanted.
Beltre left in the top of the fifth inning after two at-bats with tightness in his left quad muscle during the first night game for the Rangers this spring. Beltre has been known to have minor leg injuries in Spring Training that he usually plays through during the season. This is the first time this spring that Beltre has reported an issue.
"It's tight," Beltre said. "I went through the workout earlier but didn't run, and before the game I sprinted and it felt tighter, tighter and tighter."
Beltre usually has problems with his hamstring muscles, which are in the back of the leg. The quad muscle is on the front side.
"I'm not used to the front," Beltre said. "I'm used to the back. This is new for me."
Beltre was scheduled to get the day off Friday and will likely not go to Phoenix on Saturday for the Rangers' game against the Athletics. So the earliest he will play is Sunday against the White Sox. He said he is not worried about the injury.
"I didn't run full speed today," Beltre said. "I don't know how it is. I tried not to force it."
T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Postcards from Elysian Fields, and follow him on Twitter @Sullivan_Ranger. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Our first HDMI Benchmark article generated a lot of feedback and support from our readers, but also a lot of skepticism. (Read Part 1 of the HDMI Benchmark)
The most common thing we heard from skeptics was a form of "I can't see a difference between players" or "Benchmark numbers don't mean anything if you can't see it in the real world". One of the reasons that we used CIE1994 dE numbers for our results is that the CIE1994 formula is based on what the human eye can see. Numbers below the 1-1.5 range are differences that are not visible, and beyond that they are.
We had another idea for a test that we thought would be of interest to our readers as well, which we will present today.
The Tests
While many people do hire a certified calibrator to come and setup their display, far more people rely on the many DIY options that are available now. For almost all of these, your Blu-ray player is the source used as it's cheap, or free, to acquire a calibration disc for one compared to buying a dedicated signal generator, or hiring someone to come out. However, if your Blu-ray players output is incorrect, how would this affect your actual calibration? To test that we used the following equipment:
- A Lumagen Radiance Mini3D Video Processor
- A Blu-ray player with correct output, we will call it Player A
- A Blu-ray player with incorrect output, we will call it Player B
- A calibrated i1 Display2 colorimeter
- ChromaPure version 2.2 Software
- The AVS Rec. 709 Calibration Disc
- A Samsung PN50B650 Plasma Display
We wanted to examine this two ways: Using an incorrect source on a correctly calibrated display, and using an incorrect source to calibrate a display. The methodology for Test 1 was as follows:
- Reset an HDMI Input on the display to factory settings
- Let the display and colorimeter warm-up
- Use ChromaPure with the Lumagen Radiance to perform an automatic calibration
- Record the measurements of the display using the Lumagens internal pattern generator
- Record the measurements of the display using the Rec. 709 Calibration Disc and both Player A and Player B
We made sure that both players were at factory settings, using 4:2:2 YCbCr output at 1080p60 over HDMI. 24p mode was disabled on the players as well as the display (24p mode can cause a change in black levels on many displays), and both players used the same HDMI cable into HDMI Input 1 on the Lumagen Radiance. This should ensure that the results are fair and only affected by the performance of the Blu-ray players themselves.
For Test 2, the methodology was:
- Reset an HDMI Input on the display to factory settings
- Let the display and colorimeter warm-up
- Using the Player B and the Rec. 709 Calibration Disc, calibrate the display using its internal CMS and ChromaPure
- Record the measurements of the display using ChromaPure
- Using the pattern generator of the Lumagen Radiance on this newly calibrated input, record measurements in ChromaPure from the display
The same precautions were used as above, with the same HDMI cable for both, and nothing else in the signal path. If Player B really is not causing any real world issues, than we would expect the calibration results to be identical.
Test 1 Summary and Results
Using the Auto-Calibration feature of ChromaPure and the Lumagen Radiance, you can see that the display now has fairly good grayscale tracking, near perfect gamma, and very accurate color decoding. Other than an issue with Blue, all errors are below what should be easily visible. When we run the calibration report using Player A, we can see that the measurements are very close to those of the Lumagen Radiance. The difference in them is small enough to easily be meter error, and had I used a setting of 10 instead of 3 in measurement smoothing they might have been even closer, but it would have been a much longer testing period.
When we look at Player B, we can see three main issues: The Gamma is now much higher than it should be, the peak light output (Y for 100% white) is much lower, and the dE of the grayscale is higher. The most noticeable change is the Gamma value, which is almost off the chart. What is happening is that Player B is incorrectly adjusting the Luminance value of the data, and pushing what should be an accurate Gamma up to a much higher value, which will result in a much darker, flatter image overall. The other issue is that the peak white value has been reduced, so that the brightest whites won't be as bright as they should be.
This incorrect Luminance also shows up in the color decoding, as Luminance (Y in YCbCr) is incorporated into all the colors when it is decoded into RGB. If the Luminance is off, the value of the RGB values is going to be incorrect, and we can see that in these charts. Player A and the Lumagen are nearly identical as colors go, but Player B shows some significant differences in color luminance, particularly green and magenta. While not as bad as the gamma, it certainly is not correct and something that you could possibly notice on a correctly calibrated display.
In the end, Test 1 shows that if you use a Blu-ray player with incorrect colorspace conversion on a correctly calibrated display, you can have some serious image issues that will crop up and be visible.
Test 2 Summary and Results
For this test, we calibrated the display using Player B, and then measured it using the Lumagen Radiance to see what our display is actually calibrated to. In the charts, the values marked as Player B are what we measure when using Player B as our test pattern source, and Actual is what we measure when using the Lumagen Radiance as our test pattern source.
Using the internal CMS of my display, you can see that we appear to have actually managed to get a very good calibration done. The grayscale error is down to nearly nothing and the RGB tracking is far better than before. At least we think we have a good calibration, so we will use the Lumagen and see what the actual readings from the display are when using a correct source and how those now compare to our target values.
This time we notice that our gamma value is dropping down a lot from what we thought it was to something much lower. The dE for our grayscale is going up across the board, and our peak luminance value is much higher than expected. Looking at the color errors we see that while our blue error is lower than expected, all of our other colors have higher dE values than we thought they did.
The real world implications of this would be that any sources using this display would lose a lot of their contrast due to the incorrect gamma curve, we could suffer from blown-out highlights as our peak white value is coming out much brighter than expected, our grayscale is not as accurate as expected, and our colors show more error than expected. By calibrating this display to account for the incorrect decoding of Player B, we have messed up the settings for all other components that would correctly display.
The biggest sin is really the incorrect gamma, which will cause your image to lose a lot of it's pop, no matter if it's color or black and white, as it will flatten out and dull the range of contrast you can expect in your display.
In the end, there really is no way to calibrate around these errors, as hooking the player up to a properly calibrated display will result in a dark image and missing highlights in this case, or you can calibrate your display for the player, and then suffer blown-out highlights and a lack of contrast and pop in your image for all other sources. Of course, the issues vary player-to-player, but the end result is the same: compromised performance.
Even when the decoding and conversion errors in your player are small, those can add up as the signal moves through the rest of your signal chain. Your display will certainly have some error in it, and perhaps your receiver or processor will introduce errors as well. All of these small amounts can wind up producing an error large enough for anyone to notice. Some people may still not care that their player has problems in its output, but since there are players out there that decode and output to all colorspaces correctly, there is no reason we have to accept this. We hope this helps to further explain our new testing methodology.
Circuit design and the tape recorder section are the focus of the final section of my HK 990 review. The topics are addressed to different groups. Those interested in the tape recorder section will find information on Page 9. The tape recorder interface section outlines matters of connectivity and usage.
Introduction to Harman Kardon HK 990 Stereo Integrated Amplifier with Digital Room Correction and Dual Subwoofer Bass Management – Part III
Circuit design and the tape recorder section are the focus of the final section of my HK 990 review. The topics are addressed to different groups. Those interested in the tape recorder section will find information on Page 9. The tape recorder interface section outlines matters of connectivity and usage. Usability issues are discussed. The tape recorder interface section is at the level of the prior two parts and assumes no knowledge of circuit-level electronics.
The circuit-design section enters the land of high-end design, mostly guided by the design principles of Matti Otala. My intent here is two-fold: to identify anything that might make the unit sound better subjectively, and to objectively quantify whether any aspects of the design have inadvertently degraded performance.
- Design: Solid State Stereo Integrated Amplifier
- Power: 2 x 150 watts RMS into 8 ohms @ 20 Hz – 20 kHz, 2 x 300 Watts into 4 Ohms
- MFR: 10 Hz – 100 kHz
- THD: <0.07% at Full Output (8 Ohm Load)
- Analog Inputs: 7, Plus 1 Phono MC, 1 Phono MM, and 1 Balanced XLR
- Digital Inputs: 1 HRS-Link, 2 Optical Digital, 2 Coaxial Digital
- Analog Input Sensitivity/Impedance: 350mV/43k ohms for tuner/CD, 10mV/47k ohms for Phono-MM, 1mV/100k ohms for Phono-MC
- Digital Input Capability: All Standard Digital Formats
- Dimensions: 6.4″ H x 17.3″ W x 17.5″ D
- Weight: 43.2 Pounds
- Harman Kardon
- SECRETS Tags: Harman Kardon, HK 990
This circuit design section assumes the reader has knowledge of analog design equivalent to a 1980's Audio magazine. I started reviewing in the 1980s. I took my cues at what level to write from Audio and never let go. Some of the technical terms bubbled to the surface in the HK 990 literature as the marketing folks tried to capture the unique aspects of the unit. You get only words without graphs or block diagrams. Usually, only when engineers write the literature does it all jell. Accuphase is an example of this practice operating to perfection. The literature Harman produced in the 80s and early 90s included circuits, novel measurements and even Bode plots. Sansui and Kenwood were producing similar material. Sansui was a big loss from the creative circuit view when it went out of business.
Here are links to Part I and Part II of this series.
Construction of the Analog Blocks
A textbook by Bob Cordell is an excellent reference. The book is oriented to those interested in audio-electronics design.
During the early 90's, I summarized basic fundamentals in several issues of The Audio Critic and analyzed fully-designed commercial components as case studies. Issues 18 and 20, focus on preamplifiers and power amplifiers, respectively.
Free PDFs of these articles are available at www.theaudiocritic.com.
For those with a limited knowledge of electronics, the classic The Art of Electronics (Horowitz and Hill) is a must-have. Though pricey and heavy (at 1100 pages), the breadth of material well serves the needs of both novices and experts. If you are lucky, it may be in your local library; otherwise, try to secure a copy through interlibrary loan.
Significantly cheaper is the 5th edition (2011) of Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics written by Stan Gibilisco. I have not reviewed the text, but it has been recommended by others whose opinions I value.
HK 990 Volume Control
The volume control is a good starting point because it is the one spot in the HK 990 where Otala design concepts are violated. Two stages of operational amplifiers are present when an analog source, including phono, is selected.
The Analog Device AD825 opamp is used. This is not a discrete circuit, which is surprising. A discrete circuit allows the amplifier stage to be optimized to all Otala requirements. A signal coming from digital media often sees many opamps in the recording studio, but this is not true for analog signals entering the HK 990 or signals from the phono preamp. It is especially surprising given that a discrete circuit is at the output of the HD 990 CD player.
The AD825 has some unusual characteristics that are more consistent with Otala design rules. That said, the opamp designers were probably unaware of these rules and coincidentally came upon them during optimization of the opamp for applications outside audio. The AD825 in the unity-gain configuration has a return-loop gain of 2000 (66dB) from 20Hz to 10 KHz. It then declines at 6dB per octave. A typical opamp has an open-loop gain of 100,000 to 1 million and will start rolling off around 10 – 100Hz. The AD825 has a high slew rate (115V/us), wide bandwidth (34MHz as a unity gain buffer), and sizeable open-loop linear input range. Indeed, Walt Jung references an Otala Audio Engineering Society (AES) paper in his Electronic Design article of December 1, 1994 on the AD825. Still, it is not fully complementary like other Harman discrete circuits and methods that that prevent oscillations when the feedback loop is closed are different.
The downsides of the AD825 include higher noise levels than the typical audio opamp and some discrete designs.
The digitally-controlled volume IC in the HK 990 is a JRC NJW1159 comprised of only silicon switches and a resister ladder. There is no operational amplifier on the chip. With a specified maximum supply voltage of maximum +/- 7V (limited by breakdown voltages of the switches in the IC fabrication process used), the JRC NJW1159 requires a pair of dedicated sub-voltage regulators.
The 50k ohm input impedance of the JRC NJW1159 is typical of an analog control. However, MOS transistors are sensitive to electrostatic discharge and stress when the input voltage exceeds the +/-7V power supplies. The AD825 unity gain buffer in the signal path protects the JRC part. A DC blocking capacitor is at the input of the buffer. Another is at the input of the volume control. A second AD825 with a gain of 2.4 (8dB) at the output of the volume control prevents it from being loaded by the preamp output jacks. I calculated the input impedance of the power amp at a low 10k ohm, meaning the second AD825 is required for the direct power amp connection. The power amp has an above-average gain of 32dB to compensate for the low gain in the volume control section (the line stage if it was an independent preamp).
HK 990 Power Amplifier
The power amplifier is full complementary from input to output. There are eighteen transistors just to implement the voltage gain section excluding the class AB bias stage. This complexity ensures the open-loop distortion is low so only a small, constant amount of feedback, as dictated by Otala, is required around the complete amplifier from 20Hz to 20 kHz.
The differential pair at the front of the amplifier is biased by current sources and a buffer stage isolates the first gain stage from the second. The differential pair and second gain stages are both cascaded. Both voltage gain stages have local feedback (emitter degeneration). The four circuit techniques linearize the open-loop distortion of the amplifier and keep the return-loop gain to Otala's desired minimum level. Just for reference, some AVRs over $1000 do a complete power amp with eight transistors including the AB bias and current gain stages.
Otala and other researchers showed much more current is required to drive a speaker than a resistor. In the HK 990, the current gain block is a triple Darlington terminating in five paralleled 15 amp continuous ON Semiconductor power transistors (MJL3281A and MJL1302A complementary pair) connected from one supply rail and the speaker terminals. These devices have 260V breakdown voltages.
Counting output transistors at the output of an amplifier is a futile exercise. You need to refer to the data sheet to find the short term and steady-state current each transistor can source or sink safely. The frequency at which the current gain goes to 1 (the point at which we could replace the transistor with a wire) should be near 30MHz. Current gain in the audio band should be greater than 20 when sourcing the maximum steady state current. Open-loop distortion under full load depends on the process technology. Typical specs sheets for an output transistor run more than four pages. Paralleling output devices has the disadvantage that the load the pre-driver sees is more difficult to deal with.
The HK 990 is dual mono down to its two transformers, a feature found on many older Citation products. All the metal in the transformers and output-stage heat sink literally weigh down this forty-five pound unit.
The HK 990 power amp uses separate transformer winding for the voltage and current gain stages. +/- 80V for the voltage stages and +/-60V for the output stages, as shown in the diagram above. This approach prevents the power supplies for the voltage stage from being modulated as the current stages send significant current to the speaker. A higher supply voltage for the voltage gain stage is rarely attempted because under a fault condition (shorted speaker terminals, for example) the number of pathways through which the transistors can be damaged multiplies. In a traditional amplifier with a high return-loop gain, the amplifier is relatively insensitive to modulation of the power supply (power supply rejection ratio). With the lower return-loop gain required by Otala, the modulation results in distortion.
Since spec sheets make a big deal of the size of the capacitor on the unregulated rails, I can report each cap on the +/-60V supply is 13600uF, slightly less than reported on the HK spec sheet. The size of these capacitors is important at low frequencies (20Hz) where the power supply is required to source or sink significant current in one direction as the sign wave remains at its maximum or minimum voltage level for a long period relative to the power supply refresh rate (120Hz). This is why THD goes up at low frequencies in some amplifiers when driving low impedance loads at the maximum output voltage swing.
The +/- 80V rails have 1000uF capacitors on the unregulated rails. This capacitor can be much smaller since the current drain on the 80V supplies from the voltage gain stages is smaller than what is flowing on the +/-60V rails driving the speaker.
The HK 990 spec sheet gives no FTC power rating into 4 ohms. The back panel of the HK 990 has a 1000 Watt rating for total power consumption from the AC line. Obviously, some of the power heats the amplifier owing to the efficiency of a class AB amp, but the construction points to the unit's capability of providing almost 300 average Watts per channel (RMS power does not exist except in the mind of some marketing people. The engineers should get the blame for not proof reading the material. HK avoids this error.) into 4 ohms under FTC test conditions across the full frequency band. Why Harman does not supply such a key spec is a mystery. The mystery deepens because fans are mounted to the large heat sinks to aid in passing the FTC preconditioning test.
Harman Kardon was the first company to adopt the Audio Graph Power Cube measurement system. The unit tests for stability into inductance and capacitive loads (+/-30 degrees, +/-60 degrees) when the amplifier is driven to full power into loads as low as 1 ohm (magnitude of the load impedance). The test signal is 20 periods at 1kHz, with the power reported at a THD of 1% I do not have results for the HK990.
The Audio Critic had access to a Power Cube measurement system. Harman products always did well while many other higher-priced units failed. That said, some amplifiers with traditional circuit topologies also did well. Class D amplifiers tend to create poor Power Cubes.
The idle current of the output stage is very high. The unit gets hot with no input signal, so it is advisable not to rest another component on the HK 990. The high idle current is an attempt to reduce crossover distortion with the low return-loop gain specified by Otala. Doug Self has shown crossover distortion can be made extremely small at low idle currents.
Not a single bypass or blocking capacitor is found in the power amp. A DC Servo circuit is designed to prevent a DC offset voltage from appearing at the speaker terminals. A DC servo provides a compensating voltage at the power amplifier's input to remove the DC offset at the output. The servo circuit is designed to only respond to subsonic frequencies and DC. The use of a DC servo to eliminate capacitors is not a universally accepted method to improve sound quality. Some argue the additional active circuitry for the servo is more audible than a well-chosen capacitor.
Be careful with the power amplifier inputs. If the input has significant DC, the amplifier will go into protection (note the DC over-current sensor in the figure. The DC over-current detector also activates if the speaker terminals are shorted or an internal component fails in the amplifier.). An amplifier with a DC blocking cap at the input would remove the DC.
New to the HK 990 is the ThermalTrak class AB bias stage. Normally the bias circuit has a diode placed on the heat sinks so temperature of the output devices can be sensed. ON Semiconductors place a diode on the same die as the output device (NJL3281D and NJL1302D) to improve thermal tracking (please refer to the figure above). The thermal time constant associated with the heat sink is eliminated. ON semiconductor has shown ThermalTrack reduces distortion.
Harman has a odd specification in their literature: 200 amp instantaneous current. At first glance, it appears to be a typo. Just considering the primary capacitor size and power supply rail, the capacitor would be discharged in 4msec by my calculations. This spec turns out to be an old measurement from the Audio Graph Power Cube test system mentioned above. The amplifier is connected to an 0.1 ohm resistive load and driven with a 10kHz (100usec) square wave. Audio Graph looks to have deleted the made in the current system. I am hard pressed to see the value of the specification now, but some readers with long memories are going to post me that The Audio Critic did report it when I was Technical Editor.
HK 990 Phono Stage
In his first preamp for Harman (Citation XXP), Otala addressed the challenge of achieving a flat return-loop gain across the frequency band. In a typical amplifier with a flat closed-loop response, this is readily achieved in a discrete circuit at the cost of distortion (attempts are made in the discrete opamp design to reduce open-loop distortion when the return-loop gain is purposely set to a low value as we saw in the power amp).
The problem is more difficult in a phono preamp with a varying frequency response (it follows the RIAA curve). The HK 990 uses a topology dating to Otala's tenure. Twelve transistors form a transconductance amplifier. The transconductance amplifier differs from an opamp since it has a high output impedance. Think of the transconductance amplifier as an opamp without the common emitter output stage. It is called a transconductance amplifier because a change in voltage at the input (open loop) results in a change of current at the output.
Iout=VinG where G is conductance which is the reciprocal of resistance.
The RIAA network is connected around the transconductance stage. As the frequency increases, the passive RIAA network loads the transconductance amplifier and lowers its open loop voltage gain (the current output of the transconductance amplifier flows in the RIAA network giving rise to a voltage). Since the transfer function of the passive RIAA network is increasing with frequency, the total return loop remains constant at the desired level chosen by the designer.
The plot below was taken from the original literature for the Citation XXP preamp.
Low frequencies pose a problem with this approach. Here, a closed-loop voltage gain of 60dB is required to match the inverse RIAA curve for a moving magnet cartridge. The open-loop gain of the transconductance circuit loaded by the RIAA network should be 80dB at a minimum. This may not be achievable because the intrinsic output resistance of a real transconductance amplifier limits the gain. The result can be a drop in the gain at low frequencies and increase an distortion.
I do not have measurements of the HK 990 to confirm if it exhibits this problem. Some earlier HK phono stages hinted at the problem, but the transconductance amplifier on the HK 990 is significantly enhanced. It remains fully complementary. Current sources replace a resistor to bias the differential input stage. A buffer between the first and second gain stages prevents the second stage from loading the first. The first voltage gain stage design trades off degraded noise performance for improved open-loop distortion.
The DC servo used in the phono stage eliminates all bypass and coupling capacitors. Surprisingly, no DC blocking capacitor is at the input to the phono stage. Since a bipolar transistor is used at the input, a small current always flows in the cartridge. I have rarely seen this direct connection implemented unless the input transistor is a FET with an extremely low gate-current flow.
An open-loop emitter-follower buffers the transconductance amplifier from the load presented by the line stage. Almost all phono stages are in the non-inverting feedback configuration. Such a configuration is limited to a gain no lower than one. The RIAA curve should continue rolling off and not stop at unity gain. A passive low-pass filter in this stage corrects the problem (The Audio Critic, Issue 18, page 16). This and other phono stage design issues are addressed in Chapter 7 of Small Signal Audio Design by Douglas Self (Focal Press, 2010).
A 330pf capacitor is at the input. This high value exceeds the specifications of most moving magnet cartridges when the turntable wiring is included. At this price, I would like to see a switch on the back to offer different loading options. In the absence of that, a low-valued capacitor is advisable since the value can be raised externally. In contrast, nothing can compensate for too much capacitance at the phono input.
Moving coil cartridges see a pre-preamplifier that is a two-stage open-loop design (no feedback). Since the signals from the moving coil cartridge are so small, the transistors almost act as linear devices; hence, no feedback is required to linearize the moving coil stage. Other designers might have employed feedback to reduce the distortion to lower levels. The pre-preamp has no DC servo. A standard DC blocking capacitor is at its output. In the moving magnet stage no blocking capacitor is at the stages input. Again its absence causes a small DC current flow in the cartridge.
HK 990 Headphone Stage
The high performance Texas Instrument TP6120 obviates DC coupling or blocking capacitors in this stage. The TP6120 has very low distortion and noise. It has a current feedback topology and 1300V/us slew rate. I have no idea why it is designed with a slew rate 100 times larger than what is required. Without circuit details, I cannot conclude if Otala would approve, but with a THD under full load approaching 0.0002% at 1 kHz, I doubt this design has low return-loop gain.
One issue I identified involves the calibration microphone connected using the headphone output. If nothing is done, the microphone could potentially be damaged when plugged in while a large level signal is at the headphone jack. The headphone amps are disconnected when the HK 990 is put in calibration mode, but it is unclear if they are disconnected automatically when the microphone is inserted and the unit is not set to calibrate. I suspect all HK units with room calibration have the same issue but they use a small IC to drive high efficiency headphones. The TP6120 can deliver much more current and only a 20 ohm resistor is between it output and the headphone jack. The instruction book does not caution about these circumstances.
HK 990 Analog Circuitry Connected to the DACs
The analog circuitry in this stage is a typical design and does not reflect any influence of Otala so I will not spend much time discussing it.
The Analog Devices AD1955 has a current source output. No on chip opamps are present.
Analog Devices OP275 and TI OPA2134 are used. The characteristics of these opamps are more conventional than those of the AD825. I suspect the higher power supply rejection, lower noise and lower input capacitance of these parts may have played a role in their selection. The absence of discrete circuitry is going to disappoint purists wedded to Otala design.
A DC servo circuit senses the DC offset voltage at the output of the DAC signal chain and introduces an offset current at the DAC to correct this (recall the DAC has a current output). The topology eliminates all coupling and DC blocking capacitors from the signal chain This is the first time I have seen a DC servo integrated in the digital-to-analog conversion block.
The output of the analog electronics connected to the DAC goes directly to the volume control bypassing the buffer in the direct path. In total three active opamp stages are present before the signal enters the power amp. One DC blocking capacitor is in the signal path. From the perspective of an engineer who does not slavishly adhere to Otala design rules, the execution of the direct analog and DAC paths is extremely well done.
Conclusions About the HK 990 Circuit Design
I wrote much of this material in October 2010. At the time, my sole reference was the service manual (the actual unit arrived several months later). I intended the piece to be a preview of the HK 990, which had just been shown at CEDIA. Since then, the HK 990 received a positive review from Tyler Stripko and at least one other professional reviewer. It is rare for a relatively low-priced unit to achieve such consistently positive reviews. I will not comment about my impressions of the sound of this amplifier, other than to note that Tyler's positive sentiment may be justified by the work of Otala. Every design decision is backed up with some quantitative analysis. The HK990 is a polar opposite of designs offered by others where the design techniques are more closely allied to black magic than solid engineering and expensive metalwork wraps the questionable design to give the look of ultra high tech. A five-figure price is tacked on to enhance the aura of ultimate performance. Poor measured results are often a consequence when black magic replaces science. The component may sound different, but different is not necessarily better.
HK 990 Dual-Domain Tape Recorder Outputs and Tape Monitor Details
Having been involved with tape recorders since reel-to-reel was the state of the art. I invested considerable effort in testing the dual-domain tape recorder interface function. Conceptually, a dual-domain tape output path should be a must-have for those seriously rooted in recording. With a dual-domain configuration, both analog and digital inputs appear at the analog tape output jack (to recorder in) for the two tape recorders (Harman calls these CD-R and Tape). Analog and digital inputs also appear on the single record digital output (to digital-in on the CD-R or MiniDisc player). The rear panel section with the tape outputs is shown below.
Harman allows the tape outputs to record a source (analog or digital) independently of what is heard on the speaker. This feature is relatively common in analog integrated amplifiers and preamplifiers replacing the single tape monitor button.
Listening to one input and taping another provides a tape monitor function. For example, one might tape the Tuner with the cassette deck connected to Tape using this sequence of operations:
- Select Tuner using the record-out selector.
- Select Tuner on the remote control to listen to the source through the speakers.
- Press Tape on the remote to hear the recording off the cassette deck.
Even with a CD-R, monitoring is important. I cannot tell you how many times I thought I hit the record button, but inadvertently hit Play instead. With the meters moving, everything looks OK, but it's not. Another example where monitoring could save the day is when the Tuner is selected as record-out and not Phono that you wanted to record; again, the meters are moving but you are recording the wrong thing.
Source selection for the tape recorders is only available on the front panel, making the selection more than a nuisance when all the buttons on the front panel are similarly-sized with low-contrast lettering.
To select a recorder, the Record Output button is first selected, then the two Source Select buttons are toggled, and finally Record Output is re-pressed to return the source selector to its normal function so the speakers are operative. From the remote, toggling the source select for the output to the speakers is unnecessary. Each input is assigned a button.
Closely-spaced buttons may cause an adjacent button to be depressed. Put your finger a little to the right of source select and you press the input assignment setup button. Cancelling that is no fun.
Many AVRs offer one or two tape outputs (with composite video outputs also supplied for at least one). These outputs are analog and transmit only analog inputs. No monitor function is available.
You can try to mimic the Harman's functionality using the Room 2 analog outputs on the AVR, but care is required as there is no protection for self loops under this setup: say goodbye to your tweeters were both Tape for Room 2 and source selected at the same time with the recorder activated. The oscillations are typically a square wave at the maximum swing of the tape recorder.
You may be able to work around this using the AVRs Room 2 input assignment GUI. One might try to assign Room 2 Tape In to an unused analog input. I make no guarantees you can perform a setup with an AVR Room 2 that will insure a disaster will not occur. I play it safe and live without the monitor function with an AVR. I use headphones connected to the recorder to do the monitoring function.
Almost all AVRs provide only analog inputs (single domain) at the Room 2 outputs.
Tape I/O signal flows at the block diagram level
This diagram is similar to the block diagram of the digital input selector presented in Part 2, but the circuitry to support tape recorders has been included. The yellow box highlights the added circuits. The Texas Instrument SRC4392 multi-function chip has two digital input selectors. As can be seen one selector is used for the tape output path and one for the main path. In the tape output path the selector only routes SPDIF signals (green) and does not recover the PCM data as it does for the main path. A second set of input selectors are required for the tape recorder output path because the digital input selected is different from what is being sent to the speakers.
An extra DAC is required in a dual-domain tape system to convert the digital inputs to analog. This is highlighted in the yellow box. The DAC for the analog record outputs is part of a multifunction AKM 4683. The performance of the AKM DAC is lackluster, with a worst-case dynamic range equivalent to 15.5bits and distortion of 13 equivalent bits. The AKM 4683 also houses the requisite SPDIF receiver.
Older cassette and reel-to-reel machines need the analog output. The quality of the conversion of the digital inputs to analog is not that important since all CD-Rs and MiniDisc recorders have digital inputs; however, a problem with this assumption in the case of the HK 990 will be identified below.
A designate the diagram above BLOCK DG.
The analog selector block is shown in this diagram, with the circuitry to support tape recorder in yellow. Like the digital path (BLOCK DG), the analog input selector has second set of switch selectors that aggregates the analog inputs for the tape recorder outputs. Everything in this tape output channel (in the yellow box) is only AVR grade: the switches, for example, are MOSFETS, not relays.
The selected analog input must be converted to digital to provide a digital tape output. The ADC should be of high quality because it replaces the ADC in the digital tape recorder. Unfortunately, the HK 990 disappoints. The ADC is also in the AK4683 (with an ADC and DAC, it is called a CODEC). The ADC has a worst-case dynamic range equivalent to 15.5 bits and distortion of 13 equivalent bits.
You may ask why the output of the high-quality Cirrus CS5361 ADC in the main path (in the upper right of the diagram) is not used instead of adding an ADC just for the tape recorder outputs. The principle justification is the bifurcation of the input to be recorded from what is played on the speakers.
A designate the diagram above BLOCK AN.
This block diagram illustrates the conclusion of the recorder output's journey as it makes its way to the rear panel RCA jacks. This diagram clarifies the dual-domain aspect of the tape recorder path. Both digital and analog outputs are shown at the right. Depending on the component that the user has selected to record, a signal from the analog block (AB) or digital block (DG) is sent to the output (signals entering at right).
Note the switch prior to the two analog outputs CDR-Out and Tape-Out. The switch prevents self-oscillation. When listening and recording from CDR, the switch mutes CDR-Out, preventing a self-oscillation through the CDR recorder. Tape-Out is muted under similar conditions.
The digital Coaxial Out lacks the switch. The single digital output is live when you select to record from the CD-R or the Tape input. In contrast, the analog output for CD-R (Tape) mutes when to-record CD-R (Tape) is selected. Mixing analog and digital connections in a recorder can cause a self-loop and high-level oscillation that may damage your speakers.
Proper Connection of the HK 990 Tape I/Os to a Digital Tape Recorder to Avoid Self-Oscillation
When connecting the HK990 to a tape recorder, I advise one of two methods to prevent self- oscillation:
1) Use only analog cables for the input and output connections.
Given the quality of the ADC in the HK 990 (AK4683) little is lost since the ADC in your CDR is likely to be as good as the one in the HK 990, especially if the ADR a semi-professional unit. Coming out of the CD-R analog to the HK 990 does degrade the signal since it travels through the DAC in the CD-R and the ADC (AK4683) in the HK 990. This is a redundant DAC – ADC path.
2) Use only the digital cables for the input and output connections.
Self-oscillation is avoided by coming into the HK 990 from a recorder's digital output (in the all-digital hookup) because both digital inputs mute when record selector is set to CD-R or Tape. In this manner, the oscillation is broken on the input connection for the digital inputs and the output connection (discussed above) for the analog connection. This is what makes mixing analog and digital connection so dangerous.
By simultaneously muting both CD-R and Tape digital inputs, tape-to-tape copying from CD-R digital in) to Tape is enabled. This is probably related to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, whereby Tape-to-Tape copying is allowed with only analog interconnections.
At first glance, an all-digital connection of the CD-R appears preferable. The all-digital path eliminates the DAC – ADC redundancy on the recorder output side. However, conversion quality is crimped because the AK4683 ADC replaces the ADC in your CD-R.
With only one digital output, I do not understand why it is not marked digital output for CD-R and made to mute when CD-R is selected as the analog CD-R does. This should be a straight-forward software fix to allow mixed analog and digital connections.
The digital output is limited to a 16 bit depth and 48kHz sampling rate. Consumer digital recorders would mute if high resolution SPDIF data was allowed to appear at the output.
Conclusions About HK990 Tape Recorder Functionality
Harman is to be congratulated for providing the dual-domain tape recorder interface. Regrettably, the front panel controls make it difficult to use. The quality of the internal ADC and DAC in the tape recorder path is disappointing. Mixing analog and digital connections to a CD-R or MiniDisc recorder can result in potentially damaging self-oscillation.
Overall Conclusions About the HK 990
For those who started with Tyler's review and worked their way through this three-parter, 20,000 words have passed your eyes. Only a very special product requires that level of analysis. There is no comparable for the HK990. One could say that an equivalent could be crafted with three or more boxes. Unfortunately, this is not a viable option because many different functional blocks inside the HK990 interface with each other in ways that cannot be replicated with RCA cables running between multiple external boxes.
As with any debut product, the HK990 has some glitches. The front panel controls are very difficult to manipulate and the room-correction system has some software bugs. Putting these issues aside, the HK990 is a revolutionary product that will be on the list of the 100 most important audio components ten years from now.
Video EQ
Written by Ron , August 09, 2011
Ideally, and as described in the article, it is always best to calibrate the display first with an accurate external pattern device, however, I have found there IS an option(for an extra $1200) for multiple sources with the use of the AV Foundry Video EQ Pro. If required, this allows an individual to calibrate Grayscale, Gamma, Luminance AND Color Management for up to FOUR individual source components which would go a long way toward taming the differences with any potential colorspace issues.
Written by Jerry , August 12, 2011
How about revealing what player A and B are? It might be interesting.
Where is the test for the PS3?
Written by Shawn , August 13, 2011
Where is the test for the PS3?
Players and PS3
Written by Ron Jones , August 29, 2011
As for what players A and B were, I would assume these were the Oppo and Sony players are tested in Part 1 of this story. As shown in Part 1 the Sony standalone players appear to be doing some sort of mapping betweeen the grey levels recorded on the disc and what is actually output via HDMI. When I first read part 1 a couple of months ago a bell immediately went off for me as it explained why I had seen such non-linear gamma results (with a curve that looked like an inverted 'U') when calibrating a JVC projector and using a Sony BDP-S470 player playing the HD Calibration disc as the source. I went back and reviewed results for a couple of other displays where I had used PS3s (both older Fat models) playing a HD calibration disc as the signal source and these did not show the poor gamma curve. So I don't think the PS3 has this same issue as the Sony standalone BD players. However, you probably should not set the PS3 to use 'RGB Full' as that mode for the PS3's HDMI output is mapping grey scale levels between the video standard (16-235) and the PC standard (0-255). I have my PS3's set to output in Y Cb/Pb Cr/Pr mode.
Written by ChrisHeinonen , August 30, 2011
While we are still working on the PS3 data, you certainly should use RGB Full if using RGB, and SuperWhite if using YCbCr. Otherwise values that should be 0 are mapped up to 16, and values that should be over 235/240 are truncated at those points. Some people will tell you that's fine since there should be no video data in there anyway, but if you calibrate correctly you will have that data hidden by the Brightness and Contrast of the display, but you will still get the correct data from the player. RGB Full did not look to do any remapping in our testing unless RGB Full wasn't enabled.
PS3 Correction
Written by ChrisHeinonen , August 30, 2011
Sorry about that last post, I shouldn't comment before coffee. Superwhite on the PS3 is good, RGB Full is bad would be a good general view as RGB Full does remap 16-235 to 0-255. If you're using your PS3 on a computer monitor that's calibrated for that range you'd want to enable this, but if you are using it on a video display calibrated for the normal video range, it would not be good.
PS3 Correction
Written by Hydrosaure , September 02, 2011
I agree with you Chris.
The PS3 does a terrible job at converting YCbCr to RGB Full range.
Even for games, you're better off staying in Limited range and let you TV/scaler do their job.
More Please
Written by Donnie , March 22, 2012
Okay , now you've whetted our appetites, can we get some more "correct" players and shootout data?. We're waiting!!
So HDMI is not simply Video Pass through?
Written by Percy Mistry , April 05, 2012
I was of the impression that using HDMI as a transfer medium allows the raw data from the disc to be sent from the source (player) to the destination (TV) without any processing. Kinda like a pass through – the player is nothing but a true "transport". So in case of bluray it would the pure 1080i data going to the TV. Apparently that doesn't seem to be the case! The players are messing around with the data. But WHY ? Is it not possible to send the data without modifying it over HDMI to the TV?
Video Pass Through
Written by ChrisHeinonen , April 05, 2012
All video eventually winds up as RGB data, since that is what a display presents. Data is all stored on Blu-ray discs at YCbCr 4:2:0 in order to save space, as storing it as raw RGB (4:4:4) would take up far more space, and Blu-ray is already space limited. Also, all consumer devices work with 4:2:2 or 4;4:4, so it has to be converted before it is sent over HDMI.
Most Blu-ray content, at least for commercial film, is stored as 1080p24, so it is natively progressive. TV shows and concert videos are the most common 1080i60 sources, but they too are 4:2:0 encoded for Blu-ray.
It really isn't possible to send 4:2:0 to a commercial TV. You can find some displays in the commercial realm that might handle 4:2:0, but they'd also be likely to have an SDI input on them. You can slso find modified Blu-ray players that can do 4:2:0 over SDI, but you'd need a processor (such as the Lumagen Radiance line) with an SDI input to handle that 4:2:0 as your display can't. At that point you're still getting a conversion to 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 or RGB, which is what we're testing for anyway.
So the simple answer is, no. Until we have a source media that uses something like 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 for the source content (perhaps 4K can do this, and have a larger color space like DCI) it will probably remain the case as well.


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Welcome to the Washington Peace Center's GI Resistance Page!!!
The Peace Center is working with the D.C. chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and Civilian-Soldier Alliance on a GI Resistance and Support campaign to do outreach to local active duty soldiers, an effort going on in cities across the country.
War Resistance Today
In the past few years, tens of thousands of service members have resisted illegal war and occupation in a number of different ways—by going AWOL, seeking conscientious objector status and/or a discharge, asserting the right to speak out against injustice from within the military, and for a relative few, publicly refusing to fight.
According to IVAW, 10,000 soldiers deserted in the first four years of the Iraq war. According to the Army, the number of deserters has increased every year of the war: 3,301 active-duty soldiers deserted the Army in 2006, compared to 2,543 in 2005, and prosecutions for desertion has likewise increased. Many of the soldiers speaking out have already served one or more tour in Iraq or Afghanistan and are refusing to return. This is a crucial moment to build the GI resistance movement to push from within the military for a complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq and change our national priorities away from militarization.
As the the U.S. shifts its focus from the occupation of Iraq to Afghanistan, it is essential that we call into question the conception of Afghanistan as a "just war". The occupation of Afghanistan is just as illegal, traumatizing, and unnecessary as the occupation of Iraq. We must continue to support troops who are forced into active duty in Afghanistan; and most importantly, we must continue to support their acts of resistance.
Get educated:
Life of a Resister: what is resistance and what can happen to resisters?
History of GI Resistance in the US
Profiles of War Resisters - hear their inspirational stories!
Resources for GIs and their families.
Get active:
Join the Peace Center! We will be holding trainings, educational events and outreach days. Fill out our Volunteer Survey or call 202-234-2000 to get involved.
Sign our petition to Obama to support War Resisters.
Support this important work! We need funds to make this important vision into reality. Please donate today!
Why GI Resistance?
This campaign seeks to build power through GIs and veterans resisting the wars abroad. With civilian allies mobilized, a social movement kicked into action and infrastructure built, large scale resistance to militarism – including recruitment and foreign military bases – will be more feasible. Support of the military is one of the pillars that holds up a flawed and harmful system of funneling money into the military-industrial complex and away from important programs like health care, education and environmental stewardship. By weakening support for this war from within the military, neither the Republicans nor Democrats will be able to continue this war, and will be held more accountable the next time they try to lead us into an illegal and immoral war.
There is a major opportunity to build the GI Resistance movement in D.C., where there are a number of military bases as well as a large population of anti-war progressives and radicals who can make a real difference in this movement. So get educated, get involved and get active!


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I would not advise anybody to buy tickets from this company!!! I bought 2 tickets for my husband and myself for our first wedding anniversary in July 2009 and after they cancelled on us 6 times I finally gave up on March 2012. It is important to highlight that although they can cancel 6 times in the first year (so the buyer can have 50% of the fee back) it is very difficult to book as there are a limited number of flight sites, the certain days of the week - important of you work full time - and they only fly for certain periods during the year.
They only refunded us 25% of what we paid and therefore we lost nearly £200. They are complete con artists and when ever I asked to speak to a senior member of staff - none of them had the courtesy of even talking to me.
I sincerely hope that others reading this will seriously think about whether it is worth risking their hard earned money on an experience that is unlikely to ever happen!!!
My friend brought me a ticket for go ballooning TWO years ago, and we are still yet to fly! We have booked over 10 times, and it has been cancelled, even when the weather was sunny, and no wind - I have a photo to proove this! They are now trying to tell us that our voucher has ran out and they are rude and do not care about their customers at all on the phone. We just want to fly and we have paid over £200, they are pathetic, unprofessional and a useless company, who could not care any less for their customers, they just want your money. NEVER fly with them, go with a decent company who care!!!
After noting some of the comments in this forum as we take our customer care very seriously we would like to take this opportunity to respond to some of the points made by the posters.
We endeavour to make our refunds policy, voucher validity periods and flight movements very clear in the voucher packs, on our website and over the phone in our dealings with customers. With our recently (September 2009) updated bookings system we even ensure that all bookings have a follow up email confirming all booking details, the weather line number and also possible locations that we may have to move flights to if the weather or wind direction is unsuitable on the day from your preferred launch site.
Ballooning is highly weather dependant and is at the mercy of what the British weather can throw at you. We want to make sure our guests all fly in the safest and most comfortable circumstances possible so in some cases we can take advantage of flight if we move it to another location in the same area. We will never move sites by more than 30 miles from the original location, often a lot nearer and often we will be flying back towards the original location.
We would only move a flight if weather conditions are better at this site maybe it is more sheltered from the surface wind, away from water so less misty, perhaps in restricted airspace that has not given us permission to fly on that particular day, or maybe the wind direction is taking us out to sea so we must move inland a bit more.
All our paperwork and systems ensure that our passengers are fully aware through the voucher pack, on the vouchers, email and verbal confirmations
over the phone so they can plan for this event if it does occur. Although we would like to be able to assist every passenger, it is a passenger's responsibility to get to the launch site but notice of a change will always be given several hours before the flight meeting time.
We even provide an emergency duty number which is available 24/7 to assist passengers with difficulties or those needing directions.
As a couple of posters have mentioned here if you do not attend to a flight that you are booked on, then unfortunately further reservations are not possible as we have provided a space for you on that flight that flew empty.
This may seem stringent however balloons need to have the correct payload to fly and your non attendance can put the whole flight at risk of being cancelled to the obvious upset and disappointment of others who have arrived on site to fly.
You will also find this policy is usual within all reservation type industries that if you fail to attend you loose your right to take that service in the future such as airlines, events etc.
With our refunds policy we do provide a Premier Voucher option for those customers who want a refundable voucher or our Classic Vouchers
are valid for 12 months and beyond the 7 day cooling off period are still refundable providing you have met the general terms and conditions that are the industry standard (full details are available here:- http://www.goballooning.co.uk/content/terms.php).
We ensure all our vouchers are clearly printed with the issue date and the relevant validity period on the front to ensure there is no confusion. For passengers that have had 5 or more cancellations due to weather we will extend their vouchers beyond the initial 12 (or 18) month validity period free of charge, if there are less than 5 attempts then vouchers can still be extended for a small fee.
I am sure you will appreciate it would not be right for us to respond to individual concerns in a public forum but if anyone wishes further advice or assistance I would ask the commenter's to contact myself (Kevin Costelloe) directly through our contact form on our website (http://www.cameron-flights.co.uk/contact-us.php) and I can then investigate the individual circumstances with you via email or alternatively call one of our customer services staff on 0845 337 1566 (option 2).
Kevin Costelloe
Customer Services
Go Ballooning
My first flight was cancelled due to bad weather. My second flight was moved to a site 25 miles from me and re-scheduled to 6am. Not much notice once you find out via their weather check line which opens for morning flights at 11pm the previous night. I couldn't get there as there is no public transport here in the country that early. We're a one car family and my partner needs it to drive the kids to school and nursery. (I could have cycled to the first site which is 3 miles from me). Go Ballooning were not interested, were rude to me and my girlfriend and refused to enter into any discussion. My voucher was classed as used. Tough luck they said, it is in the terms and conditions. £95 for nothing. Disgusting company. Avoid.
Me and my girlfriend decided upon a weekend away a couple of months ago. She said it was up to me on the places we go, so I thought I would surprise her with an experience neither have us have adventured on before.
I looked online and decided upon Hot Air Ballooning, an experience I had heard a few good recommendations on. So after looking on the internet, I decided to purchase the tickets, which was a lot cheaper then I thought would be!!
The event was to take place not too far from Derbyshire, so close to home. We finally got there, and before we knew it we was high in the air. The view was tremendous; you could see miles around and the beautiful landscape. Also you get an amazing feeling when floating through the air, something I have never felt before. For most people nervous in heights it isn't long until you are used to it, and for us it became very enjoyable as well as an amazing day out and experience.
I would definitely recommend Hot Air Ballooning to anyone wishing to enjoy this experience as we did.
Thanks for reading!!


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Thanissaro Bhikkhu wrote:Because the attainment of stream-entry can make such an enormous difference in your life.... the question of the historical Buddha becomes irrelevant. If the genuine Deathless is not the historical Buddha's attainment, it's what a genuine Buddha would have attained.... As SN 22.87 quotes the Buddha as saying, "One who sees the Dhamma sees me," i.e., the aspect of the Buddha that really matters, the aspect signaling that total freedom, the total end of suffering, is an attainable goal.... Given that "dhamma" means both teaching and quality of mind, it stands to reason that truth of character is needed to measure the truth of the teaching.... The suttas say that the best things in life are available to those who are true.
From: 'When you know for yourselves...': The Authenticity of the Pali Suttas by Thanissaro Bhikkhu