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I'm really looking forward to 10.4, but it's hard when reading about what's coming not to say "finally!"...
Enhanced Dock menu — "Quickly set an application or document to open automatically when you login to your Mac — straight from the Dock." Imagine that; they've unhidden the functionality, and put it with its close relative "Keep In Dock".
iCal — "Always know the birthdays of everyone in your Address Book with this automatic calendar in iCal ... Never miss another birthday because you didn't transfer it from your contacts list to your daily planner. iCal 2.0 automatically displays birthdays listed in your Address Book right in your calendar. And adding or removing birthdays is easy: Make a change in your Address Book and iCal displays up-to-date birthday information."
But will it understand Outlook meeting requests? (Mail on 10.3 won't even show them, even though using telnet(1) to talk to the configured IMAP server shows they're there. Uncool.)
And will it finally check my spelling as I type? How hard is that? One call to setContinuousSpellCheckingEnabled: hard.
Mail — "Mail uses the Safari engine to format newly composed email using HTML." Scary, that one, with it's emphasis on "newly composed". Newly-composed email isn't my worry so much as forwarded or replied to mail, which Mail on 10.3 manages to mutilate most impressively, first stripping most of the formatting, then hard-wrapping at a fixed number of characters. And there's not even the work-around of "forward as attachment". Evil.
But at least we're getting parental controls and slideshows. In Mail. No, seriously.
ksh — "More easily run scripts written for Sun Solaris or similar systems now that AT&T's ksh is now bundled with Mac OS X." Let the dead bury the dead, dudes. I just hope we also get something useful like GNU make 3.80. And speaking of the dead, a CVS from this century, rather than 1.10 (I wouldn't touch CVS myself, but I need it for other people's projects sometimes).
VPN — "Stay connected to a VPN server when switching user accounts or logging out, and direct all network traffic through the VPN connection." Finally! Like I wanted to have to mess with gateways and routing, just to surf the web or listen to streaming radio when working from home. If I was in to that kind of nonsense, I'd be running Linux.
Tamil support — I wonder if being a "world citizen" means 10.4 will be able to use ISO standard date format? 10.3 can't even get close, for the "long format". Time zones would be handy, too. In Mail, what does "On Jan 17, 2005, at 09:25" mean? Is that now, or was that 8 hours ago in a different country?
Network-based home directories — "Access a network-based home directory even when offline, then automatically sync your work when you reconnect to the server." This might be cool. Or it might require a .mac subscription, like most of the rest of Mac OS' synchronization features. ("Feature" seems too strong a word for something you have to pay extra to use.)
Dictionary — "Quickly find definitions by typing all or part of a word. View the same word in the thesaurus to find synonyms, antonyms and more. Since the dictionary and thesaurus are built into Mac OS X, you don't even need an Internet connection." I was disappointed this wasn't in 10.1 (the first version of Mac OS I used), since it had been one of the things that impressed me about the NeXT. Better late than never.
The unit converter dashboard widget hopefully means the end of the awful abortion of a converter that's in 10.3's Calculator.
Java — oh, actually, we're still on 1.4.2, but hopefully we'll see 1.5.0 before long.
Don't get me wrong. I love Mac OS. It's the least worst OS by far. It's much better than anything else I've used. But it's not perfect, and in some areas it's still incredibly weak. And Apple being Apple, you've absolutely no idea whether or not they care until something changes.


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In animal studies, acupuncture has been shown to be sympathoinhibitory, but it is unknown if acupuncture is sympathoinhibitory in humans. Nineteen healthy volunteers underwent mental stress testing pre- and postacupuncture. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), blood pressure, and heart rate during mental stress were compared pre- and postacupuncture. Control acupuncture consisted of acupuncture at nonacupoints and "no-needle" acupuncture. Acupuncture had no effect on resting MSNA, blood pressure, or heart rate. After real acupuncture, the increase in mean arterial pressure (pre- vs. postacupuncture 4.5 vs. 1.7 mmHg,P < 0.001), but not MSNA or heart rate, was blunted during mental stress. Similarly, following nonacupoint acupuncture, the increase in mean arterial pressure was blunted during mental stress (5.4 vs. 2.9 mmHg, P < 0.0003). No-needle acupuncture had no effect on these variables.
In conclusion, acupuncture at traditional acupoints, nonacupoints, and no-needle acupuncture does not modulate baseline MSNA or MSNA responses to mental stress in normal humans. Acupuncture significantly attenuates the increase in blood pressure during mental stress. Needling nonacupoints, but not "no-needle" acupuncture, have a similar effect on blood pressure.
- sympathetic nerve activity
- autonomic nervous system
- blood pressure
in traditional chinese medicine, acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of disorders, including cardiovascular disorders. Acupuncture has been used to treat angina in patients with coronary artery disease and to lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension (20, 25). According to traditional ideas, acupuncture points are located along specific meridians or channels; acupuncture at these sites facilitates and restores the flow of vital energy in the body (24). More recent work supports the concept that acupuncture activates the endogenous opioids in the central nervous system, which, in turn, inhibit central sympathetic neural outflow (4, 7).
Evidence that acupuncture increases central nervous system opioids includes early work in a mouse model of pain, in which electroacupuncture at the large intestine 4 (Li4) site produced analgesia (18). This analgesia was completely blocked by pretreatment with subcutaneous naloxone. In further experiments, microinjection of naloxone or antibodies to β-endorphins into central analgesic sites, such as the periaqueductal grey, was found to block acupuncture-induced analgesia, consistent with a central nervous system location of opioid receptors involved in acupuncture analgesia (18, 29).
Experimental evidence supports the concept that opioids in the central nervous system, in addition to modulating pain, also play a role in sympathetic neural regulation of the cardiovascular system (2, 9,16). First, opioid receptors have been localized to central cardiovascular centers, such as the ventrolateral medulla (9). Second, the impact of interventions known to alter blood pressure is modulated by central nervous system opioid receptor agonists or antagonists (2, 16). For example, during hemorrhage, hypotension is attenuated by naloxone administered into the rostral ventrolateral medulla in anesthetized rabbits (16). Similarly, during muscle contraction, the pressor response is modulated by injection of opioid agonists into the rostral ventrolateral medulla in anesthetized rats (2). These findings are consistent with centrally released endogenous opioids playing a regulatory role in the cardiovascular system.
Experimental evidence in animal models of cardiovascular disease supports the concept that cardiovascular effects of acupuncture are mediated by inhibition of central sympathetic neural outflow, perhaps through release of endogenous opioids (4, 11, 30). In spontaneously hypertensive rats, in which hypertension is attributable to sympathetic activation, blood pressure was significantly lowered by acupuncture-like stimulation of the sciatic nerve (30). Naloxone abolished this depressor response. In a cat model of sympathetically mediated myocardial ischemia, Li and colleagues (11) reported that median nerve stimulation, simulating acupuncture, attenuated myocardial ischemia by attenuating sympathetic activation and reducing cardiac demand. This attenuation was blocked by intravenous naloxone and by microinjection of naloxone into the rostral ventrolateral medulla (4).
In humans, it is unknown if acupuncture is sympathoinhibitory. We chose to address this question by testing acupuncture during an intervention known to cause increases in blood pressure and leg muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). Mental stress, produced either by the Stroop color word test or by mental arithmetic, is an established means to provoke pressor and sympathoexcitatory responses (8, 15,21). The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that acupuncture decreases blood pressure responses to mental stress in healthy humans and that this effect is mediated by inhibition of MSNA.
Humans Subjects
After written informed consent was obtained, 19 healthy volunteers participated in these protocols. The study protocols were approved by the UCLA Internal Review Board. Mean age of volunteers was 40 ± 3.5 yr. All were healthy as confirmed by medical history and physical examination and were not taking medications. Volunteers had abstained from caffeine on the day of the study. Because acupuncture may have a hypotensive effect, which may be exacerbated by fasting, subjects were studied in the nonfasted state. Eighteen of nineteen volunteers were acupuncture naı̈ve; one had undergone acupuncture treatment for lower back pain.
MSNA was directly recorded from the peroneal nerve using the technique of microneurography (5, 26). Multiunit postganglionic muscle sympathetic nerve recordings were made using a tungsten microelectrode. Signals were amplified by a factor of 50,000 to 100,000 and band-pass filtered (700 to 2,000 Hz). Nerve activity was rectified and integrated (time constant 0.1 s) to obtain a mean voltage display of sympathetic nerve activity that was recorded on paper. All recordings of MSNA satisfied previously established and described criteria (5, 26). Muscle sympathetic bursts were identified by visual inspection by a single investigator (H. R. Middlekauff) and expressed as burst frequency (bursts per minute) and total activity (units per minute). The interobserver and intraobserver variability in identifying bursts is <10% and <5%, respectively (13).
"Real" acupuncture.
Acupuncture was performed as it is traditionally practiced. The skin was cleaned with alcohol. Acupuncture needles (4 cm, 0.25-mm diameter; Natural, Suzhou Guso Acupuncture and Moxibustion Appliance) were inserted into the right Li4 (Hegu), right liver 3 (Liv3; Taichong), and left spleen 6 (P6; Sanyinjiao) points and manually stimulated with a combination of rotation with lifting and thrusting motions for ∼15 s to achieve the De Qi sensation of heaviness, fullness, or soreness. Needles were left in place while volunteers rested for 15 min, and then the needles were removed. These sites were chosen because they are associated with stress reduction (24).
Control Acupuncture
"Nonacupoint" acupuncture.
The skin was cleaned with alcohol. Acupuncture needles were inserted bilaterally into a nonacupoint of the anterior deltoid muscle, and, similar to real acupuncture, they were manually stimulated for 15 s until a sensation of De Qi was experienced. Volunteers rested for 15 min, and then the needles were removed.
"No-needle" acupuncture.
The skin was cleaned with alcohol. Volunteers were shown the acupuncture needles. An empty, plastic needle guide was then taped bilaterally against the skin overlying the upper trapezius muscle, out of the volunteers' field of view. Volunteers rested for 15 min, and then the acupuncturist simulated needle removal. No sensation of De Qi was experienced.
All acupuncture was performed by the same licensed acupuncturist (J. L. Yu). Volunteers were not told that they may undergo nonacupoint or no-needle acupuncture.
Mental Stress Tests
Mental stress testing was performed for 4 min by either the Stroop color word test or mental arithmetic (21, 23). During the Stroop color word test, volunteers are shown a series of names of colors written in a different color ink from the color specified (the word "red" may be written in blue ink, for example). Volunteers are instructed to identify the color, not read the word, as quickly as possible. During verbally administered mental arithmetic, volunteers are asked to subtract one- or two-digit numbers from two- or three-digit numbers as quickly and accurately as possible. Throughout the mental stress tests, subjects were urged to work more quickly and more accurately. Because sympathetic responses to mental stress testing are strongly influenced by perception of task difficulty (1), each volunteer was asked to assess task difficulty on completion of the protocol using a standard five-point scale of 0, not stressful; 1, somewhat stressful; 2, stressful; 3, very stressful; and 4, very, very stressful.
Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
Blood pressure was monitored noninvasively from an automatic blood pressure cuff (Press-Mate 8800, Colin Medical Instrument, San Antonio, TX). Systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressures were measured every 20 s at baseline and during mental stress. The accuracy of the Colin 8800 is within the ±5 mmHg required by the Association for Advanced Medical Instruments, and it is found to be ±2.81, ±0.04, and ±0.96 mmHg for systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure, respectively, compared with auscultatory methods (12). Heart rate was monitored continuously through lead II of the electrocardiogram (ECG).
Experimental Protocol (n = 12)
Volunteers rested in the supine position (Fig.1). The ECG electrodes and blood pressure cuff were positioned, and the leg was positioned for microneurography. After an adequate nerve-recording site was identified, subjects rested for 10 min. Then blood pressure, heart rate, and MSNA were recorded at baseline and during mental stress testing. After recovery, real acupuncture or control acupuncture (nonacupoint acupuncture or no-needle acupuncture) was performed. Blood pressure, heart rate, and MSNA were recorded at baseline and during repeat mental stress testing. On occasion, volunteers underwent two types of acupuncture (real, nonacupoint or no-needle) on the same day. To prevent accommodation to mental stress testing, a different type of stress testing (Stroop color word or mental arithmetic) was used for the second session compared with the first. Control acupuncture was always performed before real acupuncture.
No Microneurography—Experimental Protocol (n = 7)
We considered the possibility that microneurography itself was having an acupuncture-like effect. The "real" acupuncture protocol above was performed in seven additional subjects, but the microneurography portion was omitted.
Statistical Analysis
Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance with repeated measures for two main effects: treatment (pre- and postacupuncture) and time (minutes 1, 2,3, and 4). If significant main effects or a statistical interaction were noted, the simple effects were analyzed using paired Student's t-tests. Fisher-Tukey significant difference criterion was used to control for artifacts due to multiple significance testing. Data were analyzed at baseline and during 4 min of mental stress testing. Probability values of ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant.
All volunteers tolerated acupuncture without difficulty or complications. No volunteer articulated any suspicions about the authenticity of the control acupuncture. Volunteers were unable to determine whether a needle had been inserted during no-needle acupuncture. Results were virtually identical when the one subject with prior acupuncture experience was removed.
Acupuncture Effects on Basal Measurements
Acupuncture (real, nonacupoint or no-needle) had no effect on resting heart rate, blood pressure, or MSNA recorded following needle removal (Table 1).
Acupuncture Effects on Responses to Mental Stress (n = 12)
The rise in mean arterial pressure during mental stress was significantly attenuated following acupuncture (overall time effect,P < 0.001; minutes 2 and 3,P < 0.05; Fig.2 A). The increase in MSNA, quantified in two different ways, and heart rate was similar before and after acupuncture (Fig. 3 and Table2). Perceived difficulty during mental stress was similar before and after acupuncture [2.9 ± 0.1 vs. 3.2 ± 0.2, P = not significant (NS)].
Control Acupuncture Effects on Responses to Mental Stress
Nonacupoint acupuncture (n = 11).
The rise in mean arterial pressure during mental stress was significantly attenuated following nonacupoint acupuncture (overall time effect, P < 0.0003; Fig. 2 B). Compared with real acupuncture, the impact of nonacupoint acupuncture on mean arterial pressure was less, although this difference did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.08; Fig.2 C). The increase in MSNA, quantified in two different ways, and heart rate was similar before and after nonacupoint acupuncture (Table 2). Perceived difficulty during mental stress was similar before and after nonacupoint acupuncture (2.7 ± 0.3 vs. 2.9 ± 0.2,P = NS).
Acupuncture Effects on Responses to Mental Stress in the Absence of Microneurography (n = 7)
Microneurography was omitted to eliminate the possibility of an acupuncture-like effect of microneurography. After "real" acupuncture compared with no acupuncture, the rise in mean arterial pressure during mental stress was significantly attenuated (overall time effect, P < 0.05; minutes 2 and3, P < 0.05; Fig.4). This attenuation of the rise in blood pressure during mental stress was not different in the presence or absence of microneurography (P = 0.13). However, the increase in mean arterial pressure during mental stress before acupuncture was significantly greater in the absence compared with the presence of microneurography (8.9 ± 2.0 vs. 4.5 ± 1.1 mmHg,P = 0.04). The rise in heart rate was similar before and after real acupuncture (overall mean 4.2 ± 0.8 vs. 5.5 ± 1.6, P = NS). Perceived difficulty during mental stress was similar before and after real acupuncture (2.8 ± 0.05 vs. 2.9 ± 0.3, P = NS).
The major new findings of this study in normal healthy volunteers are 1) acupuncture at acupoints Li4, P6, and Liv3, at nonacupoints, and "no-needle" acupuncture does not modulate resting MSNA or MSNA responses to mental stress in normal humans; 2) acupuncture at acupoints Li4, P6, and Liv3 significantly attenuates the blood pressure response to mental stress; 3) acupuncture at nonacupoints also significantly decreases the blood pressure response to mental stress, although perhaps to a lesser degree, calling into question the specificity of traditional acupoints; 4) these findings are not explained by a "placebo effect" or a time effect, because no-needle acupuncture had no effect on the blood pressure response to mental stress; 5) these findings are not attributable to changes in MSNA, because the muscle sympathetic nerve response to mental stress was unchanged following acupuncture; and6) microneurography had an "acupuncture-like" effect, because the increase in mean arterial pressure during mental stress before acupuncture was significantly greater in the absence compared with the presence of microneurography.
Challenges to performing rigorous investigations of acupuncture include finding objective end points, because the end point of pain is inherently subjective and prone to bias, and designing adequate control experiments (14, 27). In this study, acupuncture effects on measurable and quantifiable physiological end points, such as blood pressure and MSNA, largely addressed the first challenge. The issue of adequate control experiments remained. Some investigators have advocated performing needling at putatively ineffective acupoints on the same meridian, on another meridian or at nonacupoints, so that "sham" acupuncture would be indistinguishable from real acupuncture (14). However, this form of sham acupuncture has been found to have specific analgesic effects in 40–50% of subjects (compared to 60–75% of subjects undergoing real acupuncture) and therefore may not be a satisfactory placebo (27). Controls that avoid penetration of the needle through the skin include a "no-needle" approach during which the plastic needle guide is taped against the subject's skin (14) or a "placebo needle," in which a blunt needle touches the skin and then collapses within the needle handle (22). These approaches are credible and avoid actual skin penetration, which may produce physiological effects (14, 22,27). Because there is no consensus regarding the optimal control procedure for acupuncture, we used both general approaches, needling at nonacupoints and no-needle acupuncture. Indeed, sham acupuncture performed at nonacupoints had a real, quantifiable effect on the blood pressure response to mental stress, which was similar, but perhaps slightly smaller, than the effect of real acupuncture. Why might this be so?
One explanation for the effect of nonacupoint acupuncture on the blood pressure response to mental stress lies in the physiological changes that occur during needling and needle manipulation. As discussed in the introduction, the analgesic and perhaps cardiovascular effects of acupuncture may be mediated through release of endogenous opioids in the central nervous system. Several lines of evidence support the concept that the stimulus to this release of endogenous opioids is activation of peripheral sensory neurons during acupuncture located in skeletal muscle (3, 11, 30). First of all, Thoren and colleagues (30) stimulated the sciatic nerve in unanesthetized spontaneously hypertensive rats. Blood pressure and heart rate fell significantly after 30 min of sciatic nerve stimulation and remained depressed for 12 h. Second, in a cat model of ischemia, Li and colleagues (11) stimulated median nerve fibers. Median nerve stimulation decreased reflex-mediated cardiac ischemia. Finally, local anesthesia of the skin underlying the acupuncture needle does not blunt acupuncture analgesia, but anesthesia of the underlying muscle bed does (3).
To explain the analgesic effect of needling nonacupoints, it has been suggested that this intervention would also be expected to stimulate sensory afferent neurons. It has been hypothesized that real acupoints located peripherally or over trigger points may result in even more effective stimulation of sensory afferent neurons, and therefore be preferable sites, but by no means be the only sites capable of this type of stimulation (24). In our study, nonacupoint acupuncture would have been predicted to stimulate sensory afferent neurons, explaining the decrease in blood pressure response during mental stress following nonacupoint stimulation. Our study calls into question the specificity of traditional acupuncture sites. No-needle acupuncture would not have been expected to activate sensory neurons, providing a possible explanation for the absence of attenuation of blood pressure during mental stress in the absence of needling and needle stimulation.
Interestingly, microneurography may have an "acupuncture-like" effect. After acupuncture, in the presence compared with the absence of microneurography, the increase in mean blood pressure during mental stress was similar, but before acupuncture it was not. That is, the increase in blood pressure during mental stress before acupuncture was significantly smaller in the presence compared with the absence of microneurography. Peroneal microneurography appears to blunt the increase in blood pressure during mental stress. During peroneal microneurography, afferent nerve fibers are stimulated at 1 Hz during microelectrode placement, which is very similar to the 2–4 Hz used in electroacupuncture. This is consistent with the hypothesis that acupuncture is mediated by activation of afferent nerve fibers. The role of afferent nerve fibers in mediating acupuncture depressor effects is under active investigation in our laboratory.
Although acupuncture significantly attenuated the blood pressure response during mental stress, this effect was not mediated by an attenuation of the muscle sympathetic nerve response to mental stress. To our knowledge, only one other study has addressed the question of whether acupuncture inhibits MSNA in normal humans. Knardahl and colleagues (10) found an increase in resting MSNA following acupuncture. The method of acupuncture performed in their study differed from ours in that they used manual needle stimulation followed by electroacupuncture for 30 min at acupoints Li4 and Li11. Furthermore, they did not perform an intervention to increase MSNA but only studied MSNA levels at rest. To explain our findings of attenuated blood pressure response during mental stress in the absence of an attenuated muscle sympathetic neural response, we propose two hypotheses: 1) acupuncture attenuates sympathetic nerve activation to nonmuscular vascular beds, such as the splanchnic or renal vascular beds; and/or 2) acupuncture augments vasodilatation during mental stress, countering sympathetic vasoconstrictor influences. These hypotheses are currently being tested in our laboratory. It is unlikely that the attenuated blood pressure response during mental stress is due to acupuncture modulation of cardiac parasympathetic and sympathetic activity (17, 28), because the increase in heart rate during mental stress was not attenuated following acupuncture.
We recognize several limitations of this study. Real acupuncture was only performed one time during this study, whereas in practice, it is common to perform a series of acupuncture interventions over several weeks for maximum effect. Nonetheless, despite this limited acupuncture intervention, a significant decrease in blood pressure during mental stress was seen. An even more dramatic attenuation of blood pressure response to mental stress may be predicted during a prolonged course of acupuncture. The design of our study required volunteers to undergo repeat bouts of mental stress testing, before and after acupuncture, which may result in accommodation and a blunted response, including a blunted blood pressure response, during mental stress. We do not believe this is the explanation for our findings, because volunteers' self-reported level of perceived task difficulty was not different between the two bouts of mental stress in our study and MSNA and heart rate responses were not blunted. Furthermore, no decline in blood pressure response was observed during our no-needle acupuncture control experiment.
In summary, real acupuncture and needling nonacupoints decrease the blood pressure response to mental stress, whereas placebo no-needle acupuncture does not. This depressor effect of acupuncture is not mediated by acupuncture modulation of muscle sympathetic nerve activation, which increases similarly before and after acupuncture.
Although acupuncture did not decrease resting MSNA or muscle sympathetic nerve activation during mental stress in these normal volunteers, the impact of acupuncture in pathological states characterized by sympathetic excitation, such as heart failure, is unknown. In spontaneously hypertensive rats, a rat model of sympathetic excitation, the impact of acupuncture on blood pressure was markedly greater than on normotensive rats (2). Studies in humans with sympathoexcitation, such as patients with heart failure, will be necessary to characterize fully the role of acupuncture as a modulator of sympathetic tone.
The authors are grateful to the nurses and staff of the University of California Los Angeles General Clinical Research Center for providing excellent patient care.
This study was supported by United States Public Health Service Grants 1R29HL56796 (to Dr. Middlekauff) and No. 5 MO1 RR00865–25, Laubisch Fund (to Dr. Middlekauff), and Frontiers of Science Award (to Dr. Middlekauff), the Gerald and Virginia Oppenheimer Foundation, and the Balm Foundation.
Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: H. R. Middlekauff, Division of Cardiology, 47-123 CHS, UCLA Dept. of Medicine, 10833 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095 (E-mail:hmiddlekauff{at}mednet.ucla.edu).
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
- Copyright © 2001 the American Physiological Society

subset: commoncrawl


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Make Delicious Drinks Before the Party Starts
Sometimes it's hard to relax when you're the one throwing the party—which is why it's always good to have a few hosting tricks up your sleeve. Here, Gabe Richter, beverage director for GG's, in New York City's East Village, explains why putting down the cocktail shaker and making batches of your favorite drinks ahead of time is the go-to party move this summer.
"When I host at home, I always make pitchers of drinks, because it's the fastest and easiest way to serve a bunch of people quickly," says Gabe Richter, partner and beverage director at GG's in New York City's East Village. "My guests spend less time waiting for a drink—and I spend less time fixing drinks for everyone."
Worried about losing points for not shaking to order? Don't be. Stellar pitchers of quality craft cocktails do exist—but you have to include 3–4 quality ingredients to really carry the drink. Richter has a few steadfast rules for you to follow if you're going to take his advice:
1. Choose one high-quality spirit per pitcher to prevent your batched cocktail from slipping into college party punch territory.
2. Use freshly squeezed juices (this is non-negotiable).
3. If you want to layer more flavor into your drink, think about infusing the simple syrup instead of just adding more ingredients into the mix. "A couple of flavors that you can clearly taste in the drink will always beat out lots of ingredients getting muddled and lost among each other."
While scaling your favorite cocktail recipe for a pitcher can be a straightforward adjustment, Richter suggests considering the style of drink. "Cocktails that are based on a 'sour' recipe—which combines spirits, citrus, and some type of sweetener—work really well, especially if you serve them on the rocks."
Serving these more fruit-forward cocktails on ice guarantees the right amount of dilution, whereas boozier stirred cocktails like martinis and old-fashioneds will suffer from sitting around, getting watered-down and warm. "I prefer to use more forgiving recipes like margaritas, gimlets, and daiquiris," says Richter.
Continue on for Richter's preferred summer pitcher recipes—for cucumber margaritas, grapefruit gimlets, and bourbon lemonades—which each serve five, and have garnered zero complaints from GG's loyal day-drinking crowd.
For more on GG's, see ggsnyc.com.
Grapefruit Gimlet
10 ounces vodka
5 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
3 ounces fresh lime juice
3¾ ounces grapefruit syrup
- Stir ingredients in glass pitcher filled with ice until well combined and cold.
Make grapefruit syrup by peeling the skin off of two grapefruits with a vegetable peeler. Muddle peels in 1 cup granulated sugar. Add peels to 1 cup simmering water and stir until dissolved. Strain out peels, cool, and refrigerate for up to one week.
Cucumber Margarita
10 ounces silver 100% agave tequila, like El Jimador
5 ounces cucumber purée or juice
3¾ ounces simple syrup
3¾ ounces fresh lime juice
- Stir ingredients in glass pitcher filled with ice until well combined and cold.
Bourbon Lemonade
10 ounces bourbon
4 ounces fresh lemon juice
4 ounces honey syrup
8 ounces club soda
- Stir ingredients in glass pitcher filled with ice until well combined and cold.
Make honey syrup by combining 1 cup organic honey and ½ cup hot water. Stir until dissolved.


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FIFA World Cup 2010 Brings High Excitement/ExpectationJune 11, 2010
An so it begins.
I haven't been this amped for a World Cup in a long time...probably not since I was able to truly experience it for the first time while living in Chile when they qualified for West Germany 1974 .
I watched an entire nation come to a halt each time they took the field half a world away.
Part of my excitement for S.A. 2010 is the anticipation (more than a little nationalistic pride) of following a USA team that has at long last established itself as a legitimate player on the world stage.
They're not a title contender—that is almost certainly at least another decade away—but a side with reasonable expectations of advancing out of group play and perhaps beyond.
But there's so much more:
The venue, South Africa, and all that it signifies.
The coverage will be bigger, better, and by orders of magnitude, more in-depth than ever, allowing me to follow all the teams, and all the stories, as never before.
The passion of the world for this event, which is just starting to seep into the consciousness of a US popular culture that has for so long, at best, ignored it, and at worst demeaned it for reasons I have never fully understood.
But that last part doesn't matter now...World Cup 2010 is upon us.
Bring. It. On.
The magic of the Opening Match
The curtain-raiser to a FIFA World Cup™ is always an extra-special occasion. And after four long years of waiting, the football family will be glued to the action this afternoon as South Africa takes on Mexico in the Opening Match.
'The whole world is watching'
When the referee blows his whistle to usher in the tournament, all the accumulated tension will simply drain away, not just amid the 22 players on the pitch, but also among fans across the globe, who have had to go four long years without experiencing the magic of the FIFA World Cup. "It's fantastic because the whole world will be watching," Mexico's Carlos Vela told FIFA.com.
Quite apart from marking the beginning of a month of fun, excitement and superb football, the Opening Match has produced a number of shock results down the years ...
CLICK to read more


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Routt County Board of Commissioners agenda for Nov. 25 and 26
November 23, 2013
Work session
10:30 a.m. Manager update
Tom Sullivan, County Manager
11:30 a.m. Legal update
John Merrill, County Attorney
Recommended Stories For You
Amendment of G-Five Ranch conservation easement
Discussion of the amendment to the deed of conservation easement for the G-Five Ranch.
Noon Lunch break
1:30 p.m. Planning pre-hearings
Chad Phllips, Director
2:30 p.m. Communications update
Director, Tim McMenamin
3 p.m. Yampa Valley Regional Airport
David Ruppel, Airport Manager
3:30 p.m. Purchasing update
Tim Winter, Director
4 p.m. Meeting adjourned
Regular meeting
10:30 a.m. Call to order
A. Pledge of Allegiance
B. Approval of accounts payable, manual warrants and payroll
C. Items of note from the previous day's work sessions
10:35 a.m. Consent agenda items
Items of routine and noncontroversial nature are placed on the consent agenda to allow the Board of County Commissioners to spend its time and energy on more important items on a lengthy agenda. Any Commissioner may request that an item be pulled from the consent agenda and considered separately. Any member of the public may request any item be pulled from the consent agenda.
A. Approval of county commissioners minutes: regular meeting of Oct. 29, 2013
B. Approval of and authorization to sign a resolution appointing Ron Nereson as member to the Hayden Cemetery Board with a term expiring June 30, 2018.
C. Approval of and authorization to sign the Hahn's Peak Roadhouse Final PUD
D. Approval of and authorization to sign a liquor license renewal for Double Dollar Cattle Company DBA Saddle Back Ranch for a Hotel & Restaurant liquor license with optional premises.
10:40 a.m. Consideration of items pulled from the consent agenda
10:45 a.m. Public comment
Public comment will be heard on any item except quasi-judicial land-use items. County commissioners will take public comment under consideration but will not make any decision nor take action at this time.
10:55 a.m. Fairgrounds
Jill Delay
A. Fairgrounds arena dust suppression
Consideration to waive the bid process and approve payment of more than $5,000 to Good 4 Dirt for the Arena Rx dust suppression application at the Multi-purpose building at the fairgrounds.
11 a.m. Colorado Department Of Transportation update
Kimberly Wood
Noon Lunch Break
1 p.m. Legal
John Merrill, County Attorney
A. Amendment of the G-Five Ranch conservation easement
Consideration for signing of a consent to the amendment of the deed of conservation easement for the G-Five Ranch.
1:10 p.m. Clerk & Recorder
Kay Weinland
A. New manager registration for Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. DBA Stoker Bar
Consideration for approval and authorization to sign a Permit Application and report of changes for Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. DBA Stoker Bar for a new manager registration.
1:20 p.m. Yampa Valley Regional Airport
Dave Ruppel, Manager
A. True Market Air Service Study
Consideration and approval of the agreement between Routt County and Sixel Consulting Group Inc. for services related to the True Market Air Service Study for YVRA.
1:30 p.m. Planning
Chad Phillips, Director
A. 1:30 p.m. Aging write-offs for 2013
Consideration to approve the write-off of the Planning Accounts Receivable.
B. 2 p.m. Elam Construction; PP2013-042
Consideration of the renewal and extension of an expired permit with amendments to extend hours of operation and allow increased acreage disturbance.
C. 2:45 p.m. Steamboat Sand And Gravel; PP2013-041
Consideration of an amendment to PP2010-004 for change in hours of operation.
5 p.m. Accounting
Dan Strnad, Director
A. 2014 County budget
Public hearing on the proposed 2014 county budget.
5:30 p.m. Meeting adjourned
All regular meetings are open to the public unless otherwise noted. All meetings will be held in the Routt County Historic Courthouse — 522 Lincoln Avenue, Commissioners Hearing Room, Steamboat Springs _ or otherwise noted.
All programs, services and activities of Routt County are operated in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need a special accommodation as a result of a disability, call the Commissioners Office at 970-879-0108 to assure that we can meet your needs. Please notify us of your request as soon as possible prior to the scheduled event. Routt County uses the Relay Colorado service. Dial 711 or TDD 970-870-5444.


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ARA News
DUHOK – The Iraqi air force on Sunday bombed a convoy for top commanders of the Islamic State (ISIS) radical group, killing several leaders, Iraqi officials said.
The targeted convoy, which included the ISIS supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was heading to Karabla town in northwestern Iraq.
"The operating killed several prominent leaders of Daesh (ISIS)," an Iraqi security official told ARA News, adding that al-Baghdadi was hardly injured during the attack.
"Medical sources confirmed that Baghdadi was heavily wounded and was immediately transferred to an unknown location in Anbar province for treatment," the source said on the condition of anonymity.
For the latest news follow us on Twitter
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Noida, India (PressExposure) July 07, 2011 -- According to our new report entitled "Saudi Arabia Insurance Market Analysis", the Saudi Arabia insurance sector has effectively managed to perform positively even in the face of slowdown. The total amount of insurance premium reached to the mark of SAR 14.6 Billion in 2009, and SAR 16.4 Billion in 2010. Factors, such as increasing awareness level, burgeoning demand for health insurance, regulatory initiatives, and private sector participation have contributed to this growth. As the government has made health insurance compulsory for expatriates, the number of persons opting for insurance is likely to augment in future.
We have found that categories under the non-life insurance segment will boost the overall Saudi Arabia insurance sector. Compulsory branches of insurances, such as health and motor insurance have already witnessed a significant growth during the past few years. Prominent growth of the premium amount under aviation insurance in 2010 has further sustained the momentum of non-life insurance segments.
The report "Saudi Arabia Insurance Market Analysis" is an outcome of extensive research and detail study of the insurance sector in Saudi Arabia. It investigates each of the insurance products in detail and provides reliable statistics. The report also analyzes the current market trends and outlines their future impact. The government regulations and role of concerned associations have also been included so that the clients may get the knowledge of the requirements.
The report covers almost all the key aspects of the Saudi Arabia insurance market and makes use of proper base and techniques for the future outlook. The report also investigates the pattern of macroeconomic variables and their impact on the insurance sector. The description of key market players in the report seeks to present the competitive landscape of the insurance sector. Overall, the report is likely to help clients to get an idea about the direction in which the sector is likely to move in the coming years.
For FREE SAMPLE of this report visit: [http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM301.htm]
Check DISCOUNTED REPORTS on: http://www.rncos.com/promotion.htm


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Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Klaus Tennstedt, conductor; EMI). Mahler: Symphony No. 8, Adagio from Symphony No. 10
(Soloists, Vienna Singverein, Vienna Boys Choir, Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, conductor; DG, 2-CD set).
Tennstedt`s second recording of the Mahler First, recorded in concerts at Orchestra Hall in 1990, is a more coherent view, capturing the score`s youthful freshness, wild mood swings and uninhibited delight in nature. Our orchestra plays wonderfully well for him and the audience response is rightly ecstatic. Even so, I wouldn`t trade this account for Bernstein`s Concertgebouw version (also live) on DG, which gets under the skin of the ``Titan`` in a way that makes Tennstedt seem merely self-conscious.


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This 3 bedroom 2.5 bath home is a nice open floorplan.. The open kitchen and breakfast area flow into the large family room that is perfect for entertaining. The separate study gives you the privacy you need to get your work done and the spacious loft creates a great second living area. All of the bedrooms are large enough to fit any size furniture. There is an optional third floor walk-up attic with fourth bedroom or finished space.
Property Location for Dillard
4103 Davis Meadow Street, Raleigh, NC
Map of Dillard
Floor Plan: Dillard
at BelmontRaleigh, NC 27616


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Voters voice choices, faster than ever
100 millionth pick has been made in online campaign
By Mark Newman / MLB.com
Reaching 100 million took only 50 days. Last year, online voting passed that milestone on day 67 of the balloting process. Yes, this definitely is the year of the pumped-up voter.
There are only two weeks left to help decide the starters for the 79th All-Star Game on July 15 at Yankee Stadium. The ballpark paper ballot process is in a gradual shutdown process, and it won't be long before all those votes are lumped in with digital votes and those all-important decisions will be announced.
Starting rosters will be announced during the 2008 All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Chevrolet on TBS on Sunday, July 6. Baseball fans around the world will then be able to select the final player on each team via the Monster 2008 All-Star Final Vote at MLB.com.
The empowerment then continues when fans have the annual opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet at the All-Star Game via the Monster 2008 All-Star Game MVP vote at MLB.com.
The fourth All-Star Game in storied Yankee Stadium -- and the eighth in New York City -- will be televised nationally by FOX and around the world by Major League Baseball International. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio play-by-play, while MLB.com will offer extensive online coverage. What can happen in these final two weeks of voting? Judging by the furious finishes every year since 2001 in All-Star balloting and by the overwhelming involvement of fans right now, there will unquestionably be some kind of late transformation in the voting updates.
"These final two weeks of balloting figure to prove pivotal," said Dinn Mann, Executive Vice President, Content, MLB.com. "Leaders in numerous categories frequently change as a result of 6-8 million votes being cast online every day."
It happens every year, without fail. Fans see the facts laid out right in front of them, live on the fields at 30 ballparks or live over their computers with MLB.TV. They see them in the daily stats and in their own fantasy results. They know an All-Star when they see one by the time summer officially arrives, and they correct any wrongs. The masses speak, using up their allotment of 25 online votes per email registration, and they don't stop until the vote for starters ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on July 2. The final day of MLB's online voting is arguably the largest collective one-day participation by fans in any global professional or college sport -- representing a huge chunk of the overall balloting.
History at this point shows that 68,112 votes is practically a rounding error, so it will be interesting to see whether Houston's Miguel Tejada can hold off Florida's Hanley Ramirez at National League shortstop. That is what separates them, and don't be shocked at all to see a Cubs voting machine catapult their own Ryan Theriot past both of them. Especially if you are a student of history and remember what David Eckstein told MLB.com after fans gave him the final bump to surge past Cezar Izturis of the Dodgers and into the starting shortstop job for the 2005 NL All-Star team.
"It definitely helps out being on a winning team," Eckstein said at the time, perhaps positive words today for a Cubs fan base that savors baseball's best record. "No matter what your numbers are, if you're on a winning team you look a lot better."
Theriot is only 59,393 behind Ramirez, and it's worth noting that Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies and Jose Reyes are both within 285,000 of the leader.
In the final two weeks, the online vote has made up differences like those. There are so many baseball fans in the world today. Just think: One hundred million times a click has happened next to a Major Leaguer's name at MLB.com this season.
It is possible, in fact, that one already is in the process of happening. You just saw Ryan Braun of the Brewers leap past Carlos Beltran and Carlos Lee to fourth in the NL outfielder standings, now on the heels of new 600 Home Run Club inductee Ken Griffey Jr. This is nothing new for Junior, the all-time leading All-Star vote-getter. Look at the year-by-year results, and frequently he has been involved in a battle royale. Alfonso Soriano (1,444,153) and 31-year-old rookie Kosuke Fukudome (1,188,459) of the Cubs are 1-2 in the NL outfield, Griffey has 1,081,665, and Braun is now up to 885,932.
What's happening in the AL voting has been almost comical. Here you have Yankee Stadium, the bastion of pinstripes and the place where Red Sox are hardly welcome at all, and yet as of right now five of the nine slots in the AL batting order are occupied by those guys from up in Boston. If not for the left side of the infield with Alex Rodriguez at third and Derek Jeter at short, it could be really ugly for Yankees fans. Do you think they have any interest whatsoever in reducing that present domination by their rivals so that it doesn't look like a Red Sox home game on their turf?
The answer according to every Yankees fan informally interviewed is a resounding yes. Enter the Minnesota Twins. They have two candidates who are knocking on the door behind Red Sox leaders. Joe Mauer has been through this all before, having made up remarkable late voting ground before, and now he is only 51,079 votes behind Jason Varitek at AL catcher. It is the closest race on your ballot. Justin Morneau, meanwhile, is 248,721 behind Kevin Youkilis at AL first base, again a not-insurmountable total considering the voting volume to come. As an example of voting incentive, the Twins just announced that fans who choose the Twins as their favorite" or "other favorite" team will automatically be entered for a chance to win four Owner's Seats (just above the dugout) for the Monday, July 28 home game against the White Sox as well as a baseball signed by Mauer and Morneau. The Brewers announced a similar promotion to continue their sudden momentum, offering their fans a chance to win a suite for a home game, including a visit to the suite by Braun and shortstop J.J. Hardy.
At AL second base, Ian Kinsler of the Rangers and Robinson Cano of the Yankees are practically deadlocked in a tie for second behind Boston's Dustin Pedroia. Each needs to make up about 300,000 votes to bump Pedroia. As you can see below, Cano has been through one of these before as well. It's par for the course as summer arrives.
Furious Finishes: A year-by-year history of the online vote
2001: Online voting for All-Star starters was in its infancy, but it made a big difference in the case of one much-beloved veteran. Cal Ripken Jr. trailed David Bell in AL third-base voting going into the final week of online balloting -- and finished nearly 45,000 votes ahead of him to start in his 19th and final All-Star Game. Ripken homered in that All-Star swan song at Seattle and was named Most Valuable Player on that night.
2002: Shea Hillenbrand, then with the Red Sox, received fewer stadium votes than runners-up Robin Ventura and Corey Koskie -- but started the game at Milwaukee thanks to a heavy online vote. Only three other American Leaguers on that ballot -- Torii Hunter, Christian Guzman and Johnny Damon -- received more online votes than offline votes. And none of those three had a bigger upswing on the online side than Hillenbrand.
It was Ivan Rodriguez's final season with Texas, and he drew a whopping 1,142,276 votes -- yet lost his starting All-Star job to Jorge Posada of the Yankees by only 18,519. Pudge had 119,284 more offline votes than Posada, but the Bombers' catcher won due to the online vote.
2003: In this year, total online balloting increased a quantum leap of 50 percent over the previous year. It is when the digital vote became a true powerhouse. Hideki Matsui made a late run as a "rookie" in the AL after years of dominating in Japan, and indeed he may have benefited not only from Yankees Universe in the voting, but also from high Internet activity in the Far East. In the other league, Albert Pujols made perhaps the most memorable late surge in the history of multi-platform All-Star voting. He headed into the final week ranked fourth among NL outfielders, and Sosa, ranked ahead of him at the time, said, "Pujols has played unbelievable. He's doing everything. There are guys up there with good numbers. Whatever happens, it would be better if they pick someone with better numbers." They did and Pujols was the NL's top vote-getter by being named on 2,030,702 ballots. That included 1,386,818 online votes, earning him the All-Star Online Balloting Top Vote-Getter Award that year.
"It's special," Pujols said right after bumping out Sosa in the NL outfield and being selected for his second Midsummer Classic, his previous one coming in 2001 as a rookie reserve. "I had a great time in 2001 when I made it, but definitely, it's going to be different this year, because I got voted in. The St. Louis fans and all the fans around the world who voted me in; it's pretty special. It's great."
2004: Fans around the world cast a record 10.6 million ballots and 141 million votes online. The 10.6 million online ballots compared to 4.7 million ballots cast the previous year, and the 141 million votes compared to 60 million votes from 2003.
Despite that volume, fans witnessed the tightest position battle since they were first given the vote in 1947. In fact, it was an unthinkably close race. With two days remaining before the polls closed, St. Louis shortstop Edgar Renteria led Houston's Adam Everett by only six votes. At that point, Renteria had 986,688 votes compared to 986,682 for Everett, who was hoping to start in his home park. Renteria held on and finished with 2,028,840, and the Cardinals (Renteria, Pujols and Scott Rolen took every infield spot except second base).
In the AL outfield, it was a battle of former Japanese stars. Matsui surged past Ichiro Suzuki for the third and final starting spot. With two days left, MLB announced that Matsui held a 57,019-vote lead. Alas, fans bumped Suzuki into the starting role, and Matsui had to rely on the Final Vote just to make the AL roster at all. He did just that, as fans chose him over a group that also included Paul Konerko, Frank Thomas, Lew Ford and Travis Hafner.
2005: MLB.com announced that fans cast a record 2.3 million ballots in the final 24 hours, bringing the total ballots cast online to 11.5 million with more than 155 million online votes, both records. This resulted in some of the most hotly contested races in both leagues since fan voting began.
Tino Martinez of the Yankees was in command at AL first base for most of the voting period, but Mark Teixeira -- then a Ranger -- surged to the top in the final week's voting update. Ichiro was clinging to a 13,850-vote lead over Damon for the third AL outfield starting spot in the final update. Fans decided in the final analysis that Teixeira and Damon should start instead. Teixeira whalloped a big homer in his All-Star debut, and despite the late snub by fans, Ichiro entered the game in the fourth inning and immediately made his presence felt with a big hit.
In the NL, Izturis was pushed by his Dodgers club for that starting spot since the voting began and he maintained a lead over Eckstein much of the way. But Izturis' lead was gradually dwindling in the final weeks, shrinking to about 44,000 in the final update. Ultimately there were six Cards chosen, their most since 1959 (Rolen later had to pull out), and Eckstein was among the ones who started.
2006: AL catcher was an amazing scene in the late voting. Pudge Rodriguez, who had been a virtual AL All-Star institution back in his Texas days, trailed Varitek by about 40,000 votes entering the final week. The Tigers were tearing up baseball, and Pudge jumped past the Red Sox captain at the wire for the starting nod. Mauer, who won the batting title that year, made a dramatic late surge in the voting but fell short. At AL second base that year, Mark Loretta got the late-change vote to bump Cano.
Fans cast more than 1.5 million online ballots in the final 24 hours, bringing the total ballots cast online to more than 11 million, with more than 141 million online votes.
2007: There were huge moves in the final week. In the AL outfielder picture, fans bumped Magglio Ordonez of the Tigers all the way past Manny and Ichiro and into the No. 2 spot. Maggs was having a monster season and it was unavoidable. That left Manny being No. 4 Manny at very end, just behind the game's eventual hero, Ichiro.
But the really big news came from the home team fans. It was still Bonds' park, at least for one final season. Going into the final week, he was not among the top three NL outfielders. The order then was Carlos Beltran, Ken Griffey and Alfonso Soriano. "I personally think he deserves a roster spot," Tony Gwynn said in that final week, and maybe the words of that subsequent Hall of Fame inductee also carried some weight. Bonds, then in the midst of his move past Hank Aaron on the all-time home run list, bumped Soriano; the final order was Griffey, Bonds and Beltran.
Mark Newman is enterprise editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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- by johnedenuk
- 544
- 1h13m
- 4 years ago
About the show
Playing tracks by
Sizzla , Tinchy Stryder, Flow Dan, Dutty Doogz, Lukie D and more.
It's war on the streets! Young people, out of their minds on hi-grade skunk and turkey twizzlers run amok on the buses, traveling free courtesy of insane communist overlord Ken Livingstone! No alley is safe, no tower block lobby can evade the evil mob of grunting hooded young thugs happy-slapping decency into the gutter of Brown's Britain!
At the root of this epidemic of anarchy is the unholy trinity of the Playstation, liberal do-gooders and menacing Grime Music. Yes, that's right, Grime Music, which is made entirely on Playstations by CONVICTED CRIMINALS beaming their amoral message into YOUR CHILDREN'S SKULLS. Grime Music cannot be heard by adults, the SINISTER SOCIOPATHS behind it have ensured that its atonal rhythms can only be picked up by the tender ears of stoned kids.
And as for the words…


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Okay, so there were a few mixups last week. Elvis Presley did not show up for the book signing like I promised. And there were no peanut butter and banana sandwiches. But here's the real deal.
APRIL 29 at WHIPPED CREAM REVIEWS -- LADY BELLASTON'S LOVER!!!!
This story is 100% free and 200% sexy!
Don't miss it! Don't miss it! Don't miss it!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Free Story Is Coming April 29!!!!
Posted by Carol63Storm at 5:22 PM
1 comment:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Division previews
Team that should win the division
The Minnesota Twins. But only because they always seem to win the division when they are not supposed to, much attributable to skipper Ron Gardenhire, and this is definitely one of those years.
Team that can't
This is the home of the Kansas City Royals, who have had one winning season since 1994, but did climb out of the cellar for the first time in five years in 2008 and might be ready for a run at third place.
The race
Weirdest bunch in baseball, the AL Central, full of overachievers and underachievers, a division where up is usually down and down is usually somewhere else. But at least four of the five teams – heck, maybe even the Royals – can begin the season with a realistic shot at the title and postseason.
Best player
Given up on by the Arizona Diamondbacks, University of San Diego High product Carlos Quentin blossomed into a full-fledged league MVP candidate and home-run champion for the White Sox last year, only to break his wrist when smacking a bat in anger. Lesson learned, presumably.
Best pitcher
Of the Tribe's 81 wins last year, 22 were recorded by the befuddling Cliff Lee, the Cy Young Award-winner who darn near would have led the NL as well with his 2.54 ERA.
The X factor
Free at last of expectations at Wrigley Field, Kerry Wood is in a new league in a relatively new role, closing for a Cleveland club that's finally free of cardiac-arrester Joe Borowski.
Next best thing
He has yet to take an at-bat above the Double-A level (and won't to start this season), but slugger Matt LaPorta will be given every opportunity by the Indians to make The Show – and make people forget that Cleveland got him by trading CC Sabathia to Milwaukee.
Best lineup
It's still in Detroit, where pitching and injuries were the big problems in 2007, not the hitting. Especially with a healthy Curtis Granderson at the top of the order.
Best rotation
The top 1-2 combo is in Cleveland with Lee and Fausto Carmona, but the White Sox have the depth with Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and John Danks, a re-dedicated Jose Contreras and rejuvenated Bartolo Colon?
Best bullpen
As long as Joe Nathan's down there, it's Minnesota.
Surprise waiting to happen
Sox manager Ozzie Guillen will go just one single, solitary day in a row without saying something outrageous, offensive or incendiary.
Five players worth the price of admission
Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians. Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox. Curtis Granderson, Detroit Tigers. Justin Morneau and Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins.
Did you know?
Possibly the best news for the Indians is that this is an odd-numbered year. Cleveland won 93 games in 2005 and 96 in '07, but finished .500 or worse in '04, '06 and '08.
Copyright © 2017, The San Diego Union-Tribune


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Since it's a Concert Kooler Weekend, I thought I'd feature one of the artists you'll get to see in part of the KOOL Summer Concert Series at Wild Horse Pass – Blood, Sweat & Tears.
"Spinning Wheel" was released in 1969 on their self-titled album. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. It also made it as a crossover-hit on the US R&B chart – reaching #45.
The song received three Grammy nominations and won the category for "Best Instrumental Arrangement." The nominations included Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year and Album Of The Year – which they secured a Grammy win for the album.
To date, it's still a classic and fun song to sing along to.
Be sure to tune in all weekend long for your chance to win tickets for the KOOL Summer Concert Series with KOOL FM!!! Enjoy!


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Album Rating: 4.0Agreed.
Album Rating: 3.0This one got... quite boring. Not as powerful as Funeral, not as efficient as Neon Bible and not as appealing as The Suburbs.
Album Rating: 4.7This and Funeral are my favorites by them
I know this has its faults but Arcade Fire isn't the perfect band that so many people hype them up to be
Reflektor, Awful Sound, Joan of Arc, Here Comes the Night, and Normal Person are all my personal favorites
Digging: Brand New - Science Fiction
Prefer the first two
But suburbs and this are pretty enjoyable
Album Rating: 4.0Title track to this is so great :D
Album Rating: 3.5Damn Here Comes the Night Time is one of my favorites. But Disc 2 is definitely better than 1.
Album Rating: 4.0HCTNT gets annoying to me.
Album Rating: 3.5Porno is super underrated though.
Album Rating: 4.0agreed.
Album Rating: 4.0porno might be the best honestly
love the use of its melody in the her soundtrack as well
It's all about It's Never Over.
Album Rating: 4.0that too
Album Rating: 4.0t/t and Afterlife are the best for me.
Album Rating: 3.5I feel like the emotional intensity from their past albums is just dulled so much on this one. I miss that shit. only still listen to three or four songs from this. maybe this album will finally click for me when I see these guys play in August, I kinda doubt it though
Album Rating: 3.0Never could get too into this.
Album Rating: 4.0i think i like their last two more than this.
Album Rating: 5.0I see their last one as being the worst. Neon bible is incredible though. But I still like Reflector and Funeral better then Neon Bible.
Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Offfuneral >> neon bible > suburbs >>> this
Album Rating: 3.0funeral >> neon bible > suburbs >>> this [2]
Album Rating: 3.5I agree with Musicisawasteoftime..
on the matter ind hand, and his dig
Digging: Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


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Or work the midnight shift: Dennis Parker, the midnight tire changer.who works at the only 24-hour tire service station in the District, Maryland or Virginia, is the subject of the first of a series of stories about the nightside worker in our area.
Budget cuts in Prince George's County schools mean 700 teaching jobs will be lost, as the $1.6 billion budget was finally passed early this morning.
A lot of health issues vie for attention in this corner of the world — diabetes, cancer, obesity. But the top concern of D.C. residents, according to the new Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll, is HIV/AIDS, perhaps because of the high rate of infection here.
Then there are addictions, like gambling. A new study reports that 150,000 Marylanders have a gambling problem — and this is just as slots casinos are just starting up.
Metro workers say they and the riders of the area's buses and trains share a lot of the same concerns. Their union had a public hearing last night and union leaders will live-chat online at 10 a.m.
Giving 'em the slip: An 18-year-old who escaped from a detention facility in South Carolina in April is on the loose again, having taken off from police at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport. Although he's a serial escapee, police have yet to release a photo.
Other crime news: A mob of late teenage males attacked and beat three people in Prince William County Saturday night. Two men were convicted in the second-degree 2008 murder of Franklin Johnson during a home invasion in the District. A 12-year-old boy was stabbed in Leesburg on Sunday. The 16-year-old charged with stabbing another teen at the National Zoo on Easter Monday pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and carrying that weapon.
The first day of summer is going to bring us summertime heat, but brave the humidity and enjoy the sunshine. We'll keep you informed at PostLocal, @postlocal on Twitter and Facebook, so you won't miss a thing.


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LONDON — Britain ended Germany's decades-long domination of equestrian team dressage by winning Olympic gold Tuesday, with a boost from a hometown crowd still buzzing from a win in team show jumping a day earlier.
Germany took the silver, and the Netherlands got the bronze.
It was Britain's first dressage medal at an Olympics and capped an equestrian competition in which the home team won a medal in every team discipline: gold in dressage and show jumping and silver in eventing.
"I hope it doesn't end here. I hope it's the start of the team evolving," said Britain's Laura Bechtolsheimer, who rode Mistral Hojris for the British team at Greenwich Park on Tuesday.
"We've been watching on the telly how the crowds have been," she said. "The crowds have been carrying the athletes. We got to experience that ourselves, and it's a groundbreaking day."
The competition received unusual attention because the American team featured Rafalca, a horse co-owned by Ann Romney, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
The U.S. finished sixth, and Rafalca, ridden by Jan Ebeling, ended in 28th place and out of contention for individual medals.
Ann Romney was in the VIP stands, as was Britain's Princess Anne, whose daughter, Zara Phillips, was part of the silver-winning British equestrian eventing team last week. Rafalca gave a solid performance.
"It was wonderful," Mrs. Romney said. "She was elegant and consistent again. We just love her."
Germany had won every Olympic team gold in dressage since 1976 with the exception of the boycotted Moscow Games in 1980, and Britain had never won a dressage medal of any color.
The final team scores, combining a Grand Prix last week with the harder Grand Prix Special on Tuesday, were Britain with 79.979 percent, Germany with 78.216 percent and the Netherlands with 77.124 percent.
Germany brought a young team of riders and didn't include any Olympic veterans to contest a sport in which experience clearly provides an edge.
The Germans likely could have won gold if they hadn't had to leave Totilas, their best dressage horse and likely the best in the world, at home when rider Matthias Rath came down with mononucleosis.
"This is for speculation," said team coach Klaus Roeser, emphasizing that the dressage future still looks good for his country. "We have to look forward. We have strong riders at home as well."
The 18 highest-scoring riders in team dressage advance to perform a freestyle test Thursday to determine individual medals, with movements and music of the rider's choosing, similar to freestyle ice skating or the floor exercise in gymnastics.
Germany and Britain look equally strong in the freestyle. All their riders finished in the top eight Tuesday, as did current world leader Adelinde Cornelissen from the Netherlands riding Parzival and the top U.S. rider, Steffen Peters on Ravel.
Peters, who emigrated from Germany in 1985 and became a U.S. citizen in 1995, is riding in his fourth Olympics.
"It's always an honor to represent your nation," he said. "It never gets old."
Anky van Grunsven, a member of the Dutch team on Salinero and winner of individual gold at the past three games, set another mark Tuesday: By adding team bronze to her medal collection, which stood at eight, she became the all-time biggest winner of Olympic equestrian medals.
"This color I didn't have yet," she joked.
In Tuesday's Grand Prix Special, Britain's Charlotte Dujardin finished in first place on Valegro with 83.286 percent, Cornelissen was second with a score of 81.968 percent, and Britain's Carl Hester on Uthopia was in third place with 80.571 percent.
Scoring for the individual medals starts from scratch Thursday.
In dressage, the horse performs a choreographed routine of movements that showcases the animal's training: prancing trots, extended strides, twirling pirouettes and a canter movement called flying changes, which look like the horse is skipping.
After criticism of the dressage judging at the 2008 Games, the judging was tweaked here. Two judges were added to a panel of five, and a review panel were added to scrutinize unusual scores in case a judge missed something. A handful of marks were changed throughout the competition by the review panel.
Mrs. Romney said that after Ebeling competes for another year or two, she would probably try breeding Rafalca, a German-bred mare. A mare so famous and accomplished as Rafalca could be valuable on the horse-breeding market.
Ebeling said he welcomed the attention even though some of it has focused on the impression that dressage is a sport for the wealthy.
"If one kid picks up the sport and makes it all the way to the top, to the Olympics, I will have done my job," Ebeling said. "In my sport there's money, but in any sport there's money. You can't say it's an elitist sport at all. I have wonderful clients who support me and want me to succeed."
During Tuesday's Grand Prix Special, a handful of riders wore helmets instead of the typical top hat and tails. This is the first Olympics where helmets have appeared in the dressage arena. Two years ago, Courtney King-Dye, an American dressage rider in the 2008 Olympics, sustained a devastating head injury while not wearing a helmet.
Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield.


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GOLDEN, CO (January 27, 2009) Medicare patients treated at top-rated hospitals nationwide across the most common Medicare diagnoses and procedures are 27 percent less likely to die, on average, than those admitted to all other hospitals, according to a study released today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. Patients who undergo surgery at these high-performing hospitals also have an average eight percent lower risk of complications during their stay.
The HealthGrades Seventh Annual Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence study identifies hospitals in the top five percent nationally in terms of mortality and complication rates across 26 procedures and diagnoses, from heart attacks to total knee replacement. Hospitals achieving this level of care are designated as Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™ by HealthGrades and are identified on the organization's consumer Web site, HealthGrades.com. Many hospitals excel in a given service line, but what differentiates these top hospitals is their quality achievement across a broad range of procedures and treatments.
The 2009 study of Medicare patients found that 152,666 lives may have been saved and 11,772 major complications avoided during the three years studied, had the quality of care at all hospitals matched the level of those in the top five percent. The difference between these top hospitals and the rest of the pack highlights a distinct gap between them.
Individuals can see how their local hospitals are rated, and if they have been designated Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence, for free at http://www.
"This study echoes others that have found distinct quality gaps between top-performing hospitals and others," said Rick May, MD, HealthGrades senior physician consultant and an author of the study. "Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence comprise a group of hospitals that excel across the board, not just in one or two specialties, and they should be commended for their relentless commitment to exceptional patient care."
In comparing hospitals in the top five percent, designated as Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence, with all other hospitals, the HealthGrades study found:
- On average, a 27 percent lower risk of inhospital risk-adjusted mortality was experienced by Medicare patients at Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence in the following procedures and diagnoses: cardiac surgery, angioplasty and stent, heart attack, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, bowel obstruction, gastrointestinal surgeries and procedures, pancreatitis, diabetic acidosis and coma, pulmonary embolism, respiratory failure and sepsis.
- For those same procedures and diagnoses, Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence improved at a greater rate than other hospitals, lowering inhospital risk-adjusted mortality rates over the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 by an average 18 percent compared to 13 percent for all other hospitals.
- Medicare patients had, on average, an eight percent lower risk of inhospital complications at a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence for diagnoses and procedures that include orthopedic and neurosurgery, vascular surgery, prostate surgery and gall bladder surgery.
- For those same procedures and diagnoses, Distinguished Hospitals reduced inhospital complication rates by 3.92 percent from 2005 to 2007, compared to 2.51 percent for all other hospitals.
In its 2009 study, HealthGrades independently and objectively analyzed nearly 41 million patient records from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for fiscal years 2005, 2006 and 2007, for 26 medical procedures and diagnoses at every one of the nation's nearly 5,000 non-federal hospitals. To qualify for the list, hospitals were required to meet minimum thresholds in terms of patient volumes, quality ratings and the range of services provided. Prior to comparing the inhospital mortality and complication rates of the nation's hospitals, HealthGrades risk-adjusted the data, to compare on equal footing hospitals that treated sicker patients. Hospitals with risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates that scored in the top five percent or better nationally - which demonstrates superior overall clinical performance - were then recognized as Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence™.
HealthGrades' methodology can be found in the study and on the company's Web site.
A copy of the study can be found here.
About HealthGrades
Health Grades, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGRD - News) is the leading independent healthcare ratings organization, providing quality ratings, profiles and cost information on the nation's hospitals, physicians, nursing homes and prescription drugs. Millions of patients and many of the nation's largest employers, health plans and hospitals rely on
HealthGrades' quality ratings, advisory services and decision-support resources. The
HealthGrades Network of Web sites, including HealthGrades.com and WrongDiagnosis.com, is a top-ten health property according to ComScore and is the
Internet's leading destination for patients choosing providers. More information on the company can be found at http://www.


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Bewertungsunsicherheit der Investitionskriterien von Venture-Capital-Gebern – Eine Prozessperspektive
This article analyses the decision-making process of venture capitalists and examines the uncertainty they encounter in evaluating investment proposals. Based on the economics of information we identify different degrees of uncertainty in the course of the investment process. Empirical results are provided that highlight how uncertainty differs between three stages of the investment process: the business plan evaluation phase, the due diligence, and the deal structuring phase.
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Volume (Year): 42 (2009)
Issue (Month): 4 ()
Pages: 563-595
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I love videogames. My career choice is to become an editor for Game Informer Magazine.
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My game is up on Newgrounds, Kongregate, and on the Mochi Games Network. Now I just have to wait for my total advertisement revenue from the three sources to add up until I earn enough money to purchase Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5 Student & Teacher Edition (which is exactly the same as Standard Edition, except it's only $180 since I'm a student). Please support me by playing my game on any of these websites, and by tipping me through my "Tip Jar" on kongregate.com:
www.kongregate.com/games/austinplanebo y/normandy-survival (This is the page where you can tip me on kongregate)
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Thanks for your support, and spread the word of my game to your friends in-person and on-line to help. :)


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ADL: 2005 Saw Slight Drop in anti-Semitic Incidents in U.S.
Anti-Semitic incidents down 3 percent from record number of incidents reported in 2004.
NEW YORK - The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States dropped slightly in 2005, but the extent of the problem remains significant and alarming, the Anti-Defamation League said Wednesday in its annual report on anti-Semitic hate crimes.
The report, based on reports to ADL regional offices in 42 U.S. states, concludes that there were 1,757 anti-Semitic incidents in 2005 - down 3 percent from the record number of incidents reported in 2004 (1,821).
"While any decline is encouraging, we remain concerned because too many people continue to act out their anti-Jewish hatred," ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said.
The report, considered the most reliable gauge of anti-Semitism in the United States, also indicates that the motives and forces behind the anti-Semitic incidents in 2005 were similar to the trends that characterized previous years. One factor is the activity of neo-Nazi organizations and groups that disseminate racist hate.
Another troubling factor is anti-Semitic activity on college campuses. In 2005, ADL received reports of 98 anti-Semitic incidents on campuses - an increase of nearly one-third, from 74 incidents in 2004.
The year 2005 saw a decline in vandalism against synagogues and Jewish institutions, from 644 in 2004 to 617. There was also a slight drop in the number ofreported anti-Semitic assaults and harassment - from 1,177 incidents in 2004 to 1,140 in 2005.
"We have always said that America is different, that the Jewish communities here are fortunate to be largely immune from the kind of anti-Semitic violence experienced by some European Jewish communities," Foxman said. "But the numbers remain sobering because we know from painful experience that it only takes one incident of anti-Semitism to affect an entire community."
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As pathetic as that 5~6 switch is…it might be the first move Mumbles has made in years towards accountability….I bet he apologizes 5 times today to Young for this drastic move
Detroit Tigers, 54-50, 2nd place,
2.5 3 back.
Well, maybe the less said about the past two games the better. It was a bit annoying that they started the game in the rain, played in the rain, then called the game once it became official (with bases loaded no less).
Although that was all fine with Jim Leyland.
By the way the early conclusion of the game ended Verlander's streak of 6-inning plus starts. After the game Verlander tweeted: "Thx to all who followed the streak. Was an honor to be mentioned in same breath as Carlton, Gibson #legends. Now let's start a win streak..".
After seeing Delmon Young ripped here last night, Leyland has taken the drastic move of bumping him to 6th in the batting order.
Stat of the Day: Doug Fister has been the staff ace in the 2nd half: 3-1, 1.80, with a team-leading 31 Ks.
Today's Player of the Pre-game: Brennan Boesch. Leyland got all crazy and swapped Boesch and Young in the 5 and 6 spots, lets see how Boesch does.
Today's Not-Set-In-Stone-After-All Lineup:
As pathetic as that 5~6 switch is…it might be the first move Mumbles has made in years towards accountability….I bet he apologizes 5 times today to Young for this drastic move
Moving Young out of the five-hole is accountability. Replacing him with Boesch is not.
Tweedle Dee (Young) switched with Tweedle Dum (Boesch), Santiago gives Infante the day off at 2B. Why not Rayburn for Berry while we are at it?
how about Laird for Avila…what has Avila done all year…..besides his one game winner…RBI in the 20's yet and he has played all year!!!
Primarily, he bats lefthanded, a key ingredient in Leyland's R-L-R-L-R-L-R-L-R-L-R-L-R-L way of setting the lineup, although, to be fair, he has deviated from that dictum a bit tonight. Secondarily though, RELATIVE to Boesch, Young, Kelly, Santiago, and Raburn, he doesn't look too bad, with a fairly decent OBP.
How long does Porcello last and how many runs does he give up before he gets pulled?
Does Below get work tonight? (bad sign if he does, the Tigers will be losing).
I still think mcclendon should be fired.
BOOOBS rally.
WOW! when it works, it is a thing of beauty… time for my old buddy, Bobby V. to get some ESPN face time, he never misses a chance to be in the drama, does he?
Awesome display of Tiger power.
Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't Delmon batting 3rd when he and Kelly went back-to-back with homers against the Yankees in game 5 of last year's ALDS?
With a rested BP, time to pull Porcello.
Late, as usual, and with the wrong guy, but we're still up by 2 – for now.
All Coke should be used for is for mop-up or the occasional one-LH batter situation:
Yeah, not sure what has happened to Coke lately, but he looks anything but reliable right now. I'm not even sure we can count on him to come in and get one left-handed hitter out right now, much less give him a full inning. Coke was left in to start the 7th to specifically get Carl Crawford out, but instead gives up a bomb to deep right-center. He also failed to get a left handed hitter out with two outs and a man on third in the 6th inning tonight. Coke was primed to be fitted for the goat's horns if the Red Sox would have come back and pulled this one out. He allowed two different lefties todrive in runs and his specialty is supposedly getting those guys out. I don't trust Phil in key situations right now. Give me more Villareal in the 7th inning going forward, regardless if the hitter is right handed or left handed. I have much higher confidence in BV than I do in PC going forward.
Yep, once again Ol' Smoky tempted the fates by staying with Porcello too long tonight. Not sure what more Leyland needed to see after the 5th inning. It was clear at that time that Porcello was running out of gas. Its not like our bullpen really needed a 7 or 8 inning start from Ricky P, just make the move Leyland. I swear he loves to make things harder than they need to be.
Maybe Miller has found his niche, as a LOOGY type.
The unholy 4 actually contributed today for the first time in 11 games…don't go out and oder those series tickets yet…
Hard to believe that it might take Rayburn two full years to match Inge's numbers this year in Oakland


text: 3D Racing as you've never seen it before ! The most renowned handheld racing series on handheld devices breaks through the 3rd dimension to tear up the streets on you Nintendo 3DS. See the track and opponents fly past your face like never before thanks to stereoscopic 3D technology that puts you in the driver's seat of amazing cars and motorcycles in races all over the globe.


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Thread: canvas drawing aspect ratio?
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canvas drawing aspect ratio?
I have been getting my feet wet with using javascript to draw to canvas
The first thing I noticed is that if I draw a rectangle to a canvas element,
the height and width of the rectangle does not take on literal display
dimensions. It appears to inherit some other aspect ratio. Is that an
inborn characteristic, or is it the result of how the canvas element is
displayed with css rule set?
I have a wrapper element for the canvas element that is given a
fixed width and positioned with margin:0 auto; and text-align:center
Then the canvas element is given absolute positioning.
In code I assign width and height to the canvas element.
The 'feature' appears when I assign different dimensions to the canvas
element and the same dimension to a rectangle drawn with context.fillRect().
Initially I am working in Firefox, but have also viewed it in Safari.
The second thing I noticed is the clearRect will only clear a fillRect and not
a strokeRect. I do not yet have a manual text that lists all the usable methods and properties,
so is there a method for creating a simple rectangle with both
a fill and a stroke that can be cleared?
I am trying to animate the rectangle by getting it move across the canvas element.
I have to call clearRect on each shift. (other wise it creates a stack
of rectangles). I cannot clear stroke rect, and so cannot use it in the animation
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The aspect ratio issue is something you should be able to search on the internet, for example this might be helpful.
I'm not too experienced with the canvas element yet, but for all I know, clearRect should clear stroked rectangles too. I could imagine that the stroke is put outside the actual rectangle, so if you try to clear a rectangle of the same size, the stroke is not within the area that will be cleared. Did you try clearing a much bigger area than your actual rectangle to see if it still stays visible?
A general comment: Please note that direct manipulations can become slow quickly. There's a number of methods to improve performance, for example multiple canvas elements, off-screen rendering,
Users who have thanked Airblader for this post:
anotherJEK (03-23-2013)
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solved to a degree
For those who have a similar question and want some guidance
I found a post about this issue and the recommendation was to
set both the canvas element height and width literally, assign
an initial css rule to to dictate the height and width, and set the
height and width with javascript using the setAttribute() method
for canvas element height and width.
The post specified a default of 94 for width and 120 for height,
but I failed to see the rationale. It did state that the default
canvas element size (without css rules and/or height and width
attributes set) is 300/150 (w/h), which is what I was dealing with.
It also mentioned that IE wants to see the canvas element height and width
attributes set literally.
So all scaling is relative to this initial set of values.


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Yeast is easily given antifungal creams or oral medication. In simple terms, they have to make sure they are treating the right people. Once they've gotten as much as this stage it's going to be very hard to lower it down once again. First let me tell you the signs and symptoms of Amoxicillin rash. Anafranil is definitely an oral anti-depressant that ought to not be taken along with MAO inhibitors.
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Irish government feared IRA would meet Pope
The Irish government was concerned republicans would meet the Pope during the papal visit sparking possible sectarian tension, official documents show.
A note among files released to the Republic's National Archives revealed the government believed the IRA might try to attend a function with the Pope other than the high-profile public events.
"(Such a meeting would) lead to a reaction of extreme anger among the Protestant community in Northern Ireland, with the consequent grave danger of sectarian murders, bombings, and other outrages, north and south of the Border in Ireland," the memo read.
The document said the Irish government believed the IRA would use the visit and press coverage to obtain publicity for their violent campaign.
Belfast Telegraph


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As the Pig Turns: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
As the Pig Turns: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
The acerbic Cotswold detective Agatha Raisin has been accused of many things, but they are usually associated with her being short-tempered, sharp-tongued and eccentric. Now she's accused of murder, all because of being served a ticket by the village's most unpopular police officer for blowing her nose in her car in a line of traffic. Officer Gary Beech, whose attitude exceeds Agatha at her worst, had already irked several other local residents, and he confronted Agatha on a bad day. A few days later, he ticketed her a second time for going two miles over the speed limit, which caused her to stomp into a village shop and announce to one and all, "I'd like to kill him! May he roast slowly over a spit in hell!"
"If you haven't yet experienced the prickly and amusing Agatha Raisin, these crisp fall weekends are just the time to curl up with a cozy murder mystery with a kick."
And so begins another Agatha Raisin mystery, complete with her quirky house guests, ex-boyfriends and ex-husband, tenuous friendships with neighbors, employees, snooty members of the women's club and the local police force. Most of her income comes from staking out philandering husbands or tracking down minor thieves. When she does snag a bona-fide murder or large theft, she's usually the detective, not the suspect, and glad of the challenge. She quickly proved that although she, along with about half the village, would cheerfully have murdered Officer Beech, she had a perfectly good alibi.
The "Amy" of the tattoo on the murdered man turns out to be the victim's widow, and she hires Agatha to find the killer. Agatha and her team of private investigators set out to solve a crime that becomes much bigger and more serious than anyone, including the local police, had imagined.
M.C. Beaton is as curt and brief on words as her character. She is as to-the-point in her writing as Agatha is in her crime solving, and as an author can be counted on to cut to the chase. No frilly décor descriptions or long, psychological musings on motive or personal appearance. Her characters dress for the weather, not for fashion, and her spare and witty dialogue moves the story along at a page-turning pace.
AS THE PIG TURNS is a quick, lively read. If you haven't yet experienced the prickly and amusing Agatha Raisin, these crisp fall weekends are just the time to curl up with a cozy murder mystery with a kick.
Reviewed by Roz Shea on August 9, 2011


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I can't get it out of my head. The image of her, in her swimsuit. I, I... I want it. I want it! I want her swimsuit!
Java Draw Created Oct 26, 2013 1024 x 736px Unless noted Copyright 2013 Forte.
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This reflects how I feel most of the time.
Great drawing very sad expression ....:)
interesting n creepy ish description haha :p i luv how u colored it effortlessly but how it looks detailed/semi realistic :D
Wonderful portrait drawing.
great expression, lol @ description x3
very nice drawing!
Great drawing, confusing description. xD Perfect.
amazing expression love it..
niceeee wok,love the expression and sadness in eyes.