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As he tells us in his delightful patter of show-biz anecdotes, this veteran of the British stage comes from a long line of actors dating to 1809. He first met Coward when he was 10 years old. The encounter occurred backstage in the dressing room of Standing's mother, Kay Hammond, who created the role of Elvira in "Blithe Spirit" in 1941 and played it again on screen four years later. Standing then delivers a drop-dead impersonation of the Master. But his performance is no impersonation. The actor inhabits this material as masterfully as he did Elyot in Coward's "Private Lives," which I saw in 1974 in a pre-Broadway tour opposite Maggie Smith, or Tobias in Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance," which I caught in the West End in 1998, opposite Smith and Eileen Atkins.
Standing's 16-song program borrows heavily from the repertoire Coward performed in his signature 1950s Vegas stints. Comedy songs predominate, possibly because the self-effacing performer doesn't think much of his singing voice (I believe the word "dreadful" was employed at one point). He's wrong. While his light high baritone may not be at its best sustaining long notes, he more than compensates in his affecting delivery of three Coward classics—"You Were There," "Someday I'll Find You," and "I'll See You Again"—which he imbues with the ideal mixture of longing, rue, and wistfulness to musical director Stuart Barr's sensitive accompaniment. I longed to hear "London Pride" or perhaps "Matelot."
As for the comic songs, they come willy nilly in happy profusion, each one characterized precisely and hilariously. Whether steaming with increasing frustration in "Don't Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington" or suffused with libidinous glee in "A Bar on the Piccolo Marina," Standing rivets his audience's attention and lands every laugh in sight. You know at once you are in good hands from his opener, "I've Been to a Marvelous Party," which is spoken sans accompaniment to devastating effect. It's hard to single out favorites, but I'll have to go with "The Stately Homes of England," which he makes into a biting indictment of Britain's feckless upper classes, and his enthusiastically pitch-black "There Are Bad Times Just Around the Corner," sadly more relevant today than ever.
As the current Roundabout Theatre Company production of "Present Laughter" demonstrates, the further we get from Coward's era, the harder it is for artists to know the most effective way to deliver his idiosyncratic material. For Standing, it's second nature, in his bones. You can sit at the Carlyle bar for $45. Any actor who hopes to play Coward should avail himself of this teaching opportunity. Everybody else should go just for the sheer joy of it.
Presented by and at Café Carlyle, 33 E. 76th St., NYC. Feb. 23–March 6. Tue.–Sat., 8:45 p.m. (212) 744-1600 or www.thecarlyle.com.


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Metro: Last Light review
There's a sense of familiarity that blows through the haunted subway stations of Metro 2033 and into the derelict subterranean tunnels of Metro: Last Light. Needless to say that Half-Life was a key inspiration for 4A Games when it came to crafting the world of the original Metro 2033, establishing – as Valve so triumphantly did with the alien-infested landscape of Black Mesa – a credible universe, while deftly navigating along the tightrope of narrative and gameplay to tremendous success. It's no surprise then that the Ukrainian studio's eye hasn't wandered too far from Gordon Freeman's extra-terrestrial exploits when crafting its sequel, and to the developer's credit it manages to both restore and improve upon that story-action balance without compromising either of the core tenets.
That's partly due to Last Light's decision to shuck Dmitry Glukhovsky's published literary sequel in favour of its own unique canon, continuing from the more catastrophic of the two possible endings at the climax of Metro 2033 that return the player to the perspective of the original's taciturn protagonist Artyom. Psychologically scarred from the evisceration of the Dark Ones, Artyom's journey is one of atonement; the pursuit of internal salvation, while igniting a flicker of hope for the remnants of humanity. Is it possible for one of the Dark Ones to have survived the fatal blast? We won't spoil the reveal, but the question alone is reason enough to drive Artyom back to Moscow's charred surface and drag players into the dread-filled depths of the metro system. And it's the world itself that continues to be Metro's greatest strength. It's a backdrop that quite simply indulges fervent curiosity at one moment, but isn't afraid to snap players hastily past its wonders minutes later. A more established studio and a bloated budget might have enabled Last Light's dour setting to swell, and it's true testament to the modest developer's strength that it layers an astounding level of detail across each district of this engaging setting.
Stations filled with refugees demand players to linger and soak up the atmosphere; eavesdropping on idle prattle further peels back layers of local history and illuminates on the wider conflict between the three warring factions at the heart of the story. 4A understands moments where a considered pace is needed as well as it appreciates the need to inject some histrionics into a protracted shootout. There's much to see here, even if interaction has been downplayed since the original. One of the apposite ingenuities of the original Metro was the number of mechanics that mirrored the challenges faced by the survivors stuck within the savage landscape. In Last Light a number of those features have been noticeably stripped back. The most evident of which is the gas mask – essential for surviving outside in the wilderness and the source of much frustration in the original – here reduced to near redundancy thanks to the surplus supply of air filters littered around the environment. What was once a barrier from enjoyment due to the scarcity of extra filters (and, admittedly, poor checkpointing) has almost lost its purpose; without the constant threat of respiratory collapse it fails to amplify the anxiety that permeates much of this shooter.
Indeed, much of Metro: Last Light lacks the depth of the first entry, ultimately undercutting the challenge that players faced in the original. For instance, the monetary system – based on military grade ammunition – is of little concern for the majority of the game, as ammo and weapons are easy enough to discover. Not once during our playthrough did we have to resort to blowing our cash (quite literally) using currency as a replacement for our spent bullets. Last Light's approach to survivalist mentality is superficial at best – a collection of interesting tools that looks great but adds little.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Apr 3, 1990
|Filing date
|Aug 15, 1988
|Priority date
|Aug 15, 1988
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Cary M. Dudczak, Mark W. McGuire, David T. Tennant
|Original Assignee
|Motorola, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (13), Non-Patent Citations (6), Referenced by (35), Classifications (12), Legal Events (7)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This invention relates generally to the control of scrambling or encrypting of all or part of a duplex telecommunications circuit, and more particularly to the control of analog voice band scramblers over a total telecommunications circuit having tandem duplex links (or over as much of the total circuit as equipped). The system upon establishment of a communications link, will automatically configure the scramblers for a data exchange between end users.
Modern duplex telecommunications circuits (Circuits), whether voice or data, are often composed of multiple duplex telecommunications links (Links) connected in tandem. Some of these Links are particularly vulnerable to eavesdropping, compromising the privacy of the user. While end-to-end speech scrambling and data encrypting may be ultimate goals, a practical approach may generally start with the more vulnerable Links of a Circuit and grow gradually into an end-to-end secure Circuit. For example, a radiotelephone system is particularly vulnerable to eavesdropping. It would be advantageous, therefore, to scramble or encrypt the radio Link portion of a telephone Circuit first and add wireline protection later. This initial solution for the radio Link imposes the need for a companion scrambler/descrambler within the radiotelephone system's land infrastructure or at the system's telephone network interfacing. It is further desirable that when the far-end subscriber also becomes equipped with a companion terminal scrambler/descrambler, the entire Circuit be scrambled or encrypted.
Terminal scrambler/descramblers have been previously employed in several ways for scrambling the radio Link. The simplest adaptation requires both the radiotelephone subscriber station and the far-end subscriber station to be suitably equipped, and end-to-end protection is provided. This has been done with conventional analog voice band scramblers applied in a conventional way. It has also been done using digital scramblers. An example of this form of adaptation is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,128 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Typically, the intermediate equipment placed at the interconnection point between the radio system and the telephone network receives an encoded signal from either the radio system or the telephone network and modifies and/or repeats the signal to the other.
In some applications, this additional processing of the encoded signal further corrupts the signal quality. One such application is that of limited bandwidth analog scrambling further described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,507 assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
Conventional terminal scramblers have also been adapted to radiotelephone service by inserting one in tandem in the Circuit that connects the radiotelephone system to the land network. This effectively secures the radio Link for those radiotelephone subscribers so equipped but offers no assistance in, and usually complicates, end-to-end scrambling.
Since the previous implementations envisioned either end-to-end or radio Link scrambling, but not both, there exists a need for a new and unique privacy scrambling system which will scramble the radio Link for radiotelephone subscribers equipped with terminal scramblers and yet provide end-to-end scrambling on calls in which the far-end subscriber is similarly equipped.
Therefore, it is one object of the present invention to provide a duplex scrambler/descrambler system in which scrambling can be applied over the greatest possible fraction of a Circuit composed of multiple Links.
It is another object of the present invention to detect the presence of more than one companion scrambler/descrambler and to automatically disable that companion scrambler/descrambler which is intermediate the originating terminal scrambler/descrambler and the most distant companion scrambler/descrambler.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide in a Circuit equipped with at least one suitable terminal and one or more companion tandem scrambler/descrambler, means by which duplex data communications is established and maintained between that terminal scrambler and a far-end companion terminal, if present, otherwise the most distant of companion tandem scrambler/descrambler, with intermediate tandem scrambler/descramblers providing Circuit continuity.
Accordingly, these and other objects are encompassed in the present invention which comprises the method and apparatus for establishing scrambled communications on a communications circuit which utilizes at least two communications links and has an originating scrambling terminal an answering scrambling terminal and at least one intermediate scrambler. A first data message is sent from the originating scrambling terminal and detected at both the intermediate scrambler and the answering scrambling terminal. A determination is made whether the answering scrambling terminal has sent a second data message in response to the first data message. If the answering scrambling terminal has sent the second data message, the intermediate scrambler is placed in a transparent, non-scrambling mode.
FIG. 1 is a representation of a conventional technique for establishment of two-way data communications between two terminal data devices.
FIG. 2a illustrates the ability of the most distant of the directional tandem scramblers of the present invention to establish and maintain two-way data communications (a C-path) and provide scrambling while closer directional tandem scramblers only provide circuit continuity.
FIG. 2b illustrates directional tandem scramblers of the present invention which maintain only circuit continuity when both ends of the circuit are provided with companion scramblers.
FIG. 2c illustrates an example when the directional tandem scramblers of the present invention will not establish and maintain two-way data communications and scrambling.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a radiotelephone system interconnected with a land telephone network and which may employ the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a terminal scrambler of which may utilize the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a directional tandem scrambler capable of operating in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram of a message format which may be employed by the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a timing diagram of an attempted initiation of scrambling employed by the present invention, to which there is no response.
FIG. 8 is a timing diagram of a successful handshake seed messages by an originating and an answering scrambler station employed in the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a timing diagram of a handshake after the search timer has expired in the orginating scrambler station employed in the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a timing diagram of a user request for clear speech operation from an originating scrambler station employed in the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a timing diagram of scrambler signaling and operation during a temporary loss of synchronizing signals in accordance with the signaling used in the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a timing diagram of scrambler message signaling and operation after a complete loss of synchronization in accordance with the signaling used in the present invention.
FIGS. 13 and 14A through 14E are a flowchart of the message handling processes of a terminal scrambler that may be employed in the present invention.
FIGS. 15A through 15F are a flowchart of the message handling processes of a directional tandem scrambler that employs an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a tandem scrambler of the present invention that can establish and maintain scrambling with a scrambling terminal at either end of a circuit.
Numerous protocols exist by which two terminals A and B at opposite ends of a circuit (102 and 104 shown in FIG. 1), can establish and maintain a two-way data communications path (herein called a C-path) between one another via which terminals A and B may exchange synchronizing and control messages. It is anticipated that either terminal A or terminal B may assume an "originating" terminal role while the other will assume a "terminating" role. Originate/answer modems with appropriate terminal equipment, connected to the public switched telephone network provide an appropriate example.
The synchronizing and controlling C-path of the present invention does not require full use of the Circuit; it may time- or frequency-share the circuit in different ways depending on its application. In an application in which the terminals are devices which scramble or encrypt messages, both the establishment and maintenance of a C-path is a prerequisite to duplex scrambled mode operation. Once established, the C-path time shares its portion of the Circuit with duplex scrambled speech; that portion of the Circuit without C-path carries duplex unscrambled (clear) speech. Terminals equipped with operative scramblers are hereinafter generally called X-Scramblers if the location is non-specific and RX-Scramblers if they are specifically radiotelephone terminals. On calls in either direction between two X-Scramblers, the speech in both directions is scrambled after a C-path is established and so long as the C-path is maintained.
An analysis of a generalized communications Circuit can be made from FIGS. 2a through 2c. The communications Circuit can include a radiotelephone. The communications Circuit can also employ one or more directional intermediate scramblers (DM-Scramblers) in tandem with calls to or from an X-Scrambler or RX-Scrambler. As depicted in FIG. 2a, three DM-Scramblers (201, 203, and 205) may interface with an X-Scrambler (or RX-Scrambler) 207 to provide the C-path but it is a feature of the present invention that the scrambler yielding the longest scrambled path (i.e. X-Scrambler 207 to DM-Scrambler 205 in FIG. 2a) be the scrambler completing the C-path. It is a further feature of the present invention that a DM-Scrambler not interface and establish a C-path with a second DM-Scrambler but only with an X-Scrambler or an RX-Scrambler. A DM-Scrambler is said to "face" the X-Scrambler or RX-Scrambler with which it will establish a C-path. When a DM-Scrambler faces an RX-Scrambler, the duplex speech of that specific radio link is scrambled, regardless of the distant termination so that, like FIG. 2a, the terminating equipment 209 need not be a scrambler. On an RX-Scrambler to RX-Scrambler call, the radiotelephone system may or may not impose DM-Scramblers facing either or both, but will never impose DM-Scramblers so that they face each other.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the DM-Scramblers have the following properties:
(1) As FIG. 2a illustrates, when the DM-Scramblers 201, 203, and 205 face an X-Scrambler or RX-Scrambler (207), a C-path (and two-way speech scrambling for the two-way communications Circuit) is established and maintained between the most distant DM-Scrambler 205 from the X-Scrambler 207 it faces; the other DM-Scramblers provide only circuit continuity.
(2) As FIG. 2b illustrates, when X-Scramblers (or RX-Scramblers) 217 and 219 are provided at both ends of the circuit, DM-Scramblers 211, 213 and 215 provide continuity to the Circuit so that a C-path is established and maintained directly between the X-Scramblers.
(3) As FIG. 2c illustrates, when DM-Scramblers 221, 223, and 225 face in the direction of any termination 227 other than an X-Scrambler, they only provide circuit continuity. A DM-Scrambler will not participate in a C-path with a scrambler that it does not face, such as if termination 229 is provided with an X-Scrambler.
(4) Given a C-path between an X-Scrambler 207 and a DM-Scrambler 205 as in FIG. 2a, if the other termination 209, by external intervention, becomes an X-Scrambler, then the C-path of the present invention automatically reconfigures and all the DM-Scramblers become transparent and provide circuit continuity with a C-path between the X-Scramblers, as in FIG. 2b.
It is a feature of the present invention that the X-Scramblers provide an indication, either visually or audibly, as to whether no C-path has been established from its end, or a C-path has been established with a DM-Scrambler, or a C-path has been established with an X-Scrambler.
A more specific implementation is illustrated for the radiotelephone system 300 of FIG. 3. Since it is advantageous to be able to scramble or encrypt at least the radio Link portion of a telephone Circuit for those subscribers equipped with RX-Scramblers 304, but the entire Circuit if the far-end 301 subscriber is equipped with an X-X-Scrambler, there are several possibilities, a few of which are depicted in FIG. 3. For a connection with far-end subscriber 311 in the land telephone network 350 through fixed radiotelephone transceiver 302, the DM-Scrambler 303 will provide radio Link protection. For a connection with far-end subscriber 313, DM-Scrambler 303 must be "transparent" so that the far-end subscriber's X-Scrambler 314 will provide end-to-end scrambling. For a connection with far-end subscriber 315, through a vulnerable circuit (such as a microwave link, not shown) in the radiotelephone switching network 331, DM-Scrambler 305 will provide protection for the radio Link and the radiotelephone switching network Link, but scrambler 303 must be transparent. For a connection with far-end subscriber 317, which is also equipped with an X-Scrambler 318, both DM-Scramblers 303 and 307 must be transparent. In any Circuit between a land subscriber and a radiotelephone subscriber 321 who has no scrambling equipment, the DM-Scramblers must be transparent. In any Circuit between two RX-Scrambler equipped subscribers such as subscriber 301, the DM-Scramblers 303 and 309 via their respective fixed radiotelephone transceivers 302 and 308 will remain transparent. In a Circuit between an X-Scrambler equipped station 301 using fixed radiotelephone transceiver 302 and a non-equipped station 321 using fixed radiotelephone transceiver 308, the radio Link via fixed radiotelephone transceiver 302 will operate secure.
A radiotelephone system which may employ the present invention is that commonly known as a cellular system. In one conventional implementation of a cellular system, the fixed radiotelepone transceivers 302 and 308 may be those described in Motorola Instruction Manual No. 68P81060E30 published by Motorola Service Publications, Schaumburg, Ill. A radiotelephone subscriber transceiver 323 and 325 may be a model no. F19ZEA8439BA manufactured by Motorola, Inc. A radiotelephone switching network 331 may be similar to those shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,746,915; 3,819,872; 3,906,166; and 4,268,722.
First, the establishing and maintaining of a C-path between an X-Scrambler and a companion X-Scrambler is described. FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of an X-Scrambler that is compatible with use in the present invention; it is a four-wire device with conventional gain and padding from amplifiers 401, 402, 403 and 404 to provide proper internal and external audio power levels and impedance. In addition to network and user in- and out-speech paths there are four user interface control commands (Hook, Orig/Term, Start and Stop) and three user status indicators (Clear, Partial Scrambled and Total Scrambled) which are communicated on the control bus 405 to a microcomputer 406. Modem 407 is an originate/answer modem such as a National Semiconductor MM74HC943, the modem being under control of the microcomputer 406, which may be an 8-bit microprocessor such as a Motorola type MC6805 or equivalent. In the originate mode, the X-Scrambler conventionally sends a Band A ("Mark" at 2225 Hz and "Space" at 2025 Hz) and listens to a Band B ("Mark" at 1270 Hz and "Space" at 1070 Hz); in the answer mode these bands are reversed.
Microcomputer 406 is crystal controlled so as to be able to operate with precise timing for both the C-path signaling as well as control of the scrambling and descrambling functions. In the preferred embodiment, the scrambling technique is that of a duplex multiple hop frequency inversion scrambling, but the invention need not be so limited. A duplex analog scrambler which may be utilized in the X-Scrambler or the RX-Scrambler is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,507.
In the preferred embodiment, the scrambling and descrambling functions are controlled by microcomputer 406 Two essentially independent audio paths traverse the scrambler shown in FIG. 4. A first path accepts clear audio from the user in-speech port 409, frequency inverts the clear audio signal with one of a plurality of inversion frequencies for a given period of time before switching to another one of the plurality of inversion frequencies, and passes the rolling frequency inverted scrambled signal to the out-speech port 411 toward the network. A second path accepts a rolling frequency inverted scrambled signal from the network in-speech port 413, reinverts the scrambled signal, and applies the now clear audio to the user out-speech port 415.
The C-path is set up by the originating or terminating scrambler which creates a rolling code pattern of the plurality of inversion frequencies and conveys the pattern to the distant scrambler. In a full duplex system the pattern may be different in each direction of the channel.
Referring again to FIG. 4, the microcomputer 406 is clocked by a crystal controlled oscillator to derive a frequency stable clock for inversion frequency stability and code synchronization The microcomputer 406 and its internal associated memory performs the functions of: (a) continuously generating a random seed number for use in creating a rolling code starting number for the user in-speech path; (b) generating a user in-speech path rolling code starting point binary number; (c) generating a network in speech path rolling code binary starting point number; (d) updating and outputting the user in speech path rolling code and updating and outputting the rolling code while maintaining synchronization with the rolling codes at the far end receiving scrambler; and (e) controlling the muting and bypass functions of the scrambler.
A sample of the user in-speech path rolling code is output from microcomputer 406 on bus 417 to a clocked frequency generator 419. The clocked frequency generator 419 converts the code from the bus 417 into an inversion frequency signal which is applied to a analog scrambler mixer 421 to invert the audio signal input from user in-speech port 409. The analog scrambler mixer 421 may be implemented by using a Standard Microsystems Corporation COM9046 commercially available analog scrambler or equivalent circuit. The frequency inverted audio signal is output from the analog scrambler mixer 421 to a mute/bypass switch 423 and through modem message injection switch 425, each of which is controlled by the microcomputer 406. The output from the switch 425 is applied to an amplifier 403 and output as a scrambled signal on network out-speech port 411.
Similarly, the network in speech rolling code is output on bus 427 to a clocked frequency generator 429 for conversion to the appropriate inversion frequency signal and for application to one port of the analog scrambler mixer 431. The scrambled frequency inverted network in-speech signal is applied to another port of the analog scrambler mixer 431 for reinversion in accordance with the network in-speech inversion frequency signal and output to a bypass switch 433 (which is also controlled by the microcomputer 406). The output from the mute/bypass switch 433 is amplified by amplifier 402 and output as a clear audio output signal to the user out-speech port 415.
In order that the microcomputer 406 be enabled to communicate with a companion microcomputer in the scrambler station at the distant end, an originate/answer modem 407 accepts data from the microcomputer 406 for transmission to the distant end companion scrambler microcomputer and accepts data from the far end companion microcomputer for presentation to the microcomputer 406. In one implementation of the preferred embodiment, modem 407 is a 300 baud modem such as a National Semiconductor 74HC943 or equivalent.
A DM-Scrambler which may be used in the present invention is depicted in FIG. 5. In the preferred embodiment it is a four-wire tandem device with adequate gain and padding provided by amplifiers 401, 402, 403, and 404 to provide proper internal audio power levels and zero insertion loss in both directions. It is similar to the X-Scrambler of FIG. 4, with the following differences: A DM-Scrambler operates without any external control signals other than the messages received by its various modems. Thus, microcomputer 501 (which may be an 8-bit microprocessor such as a Motorola type MC6805 or equivalent with associated peripherals) performs the following activities. In the passive state, using controls A, C and B, it manipulates mute/bypass switches 423 and 433, and modem injection switch 425, respectively, to provide continuity in both directions. Originate modem 515 and answer moden 517 replace the originate/answer modem 407 of the X-Scrambler, permitting the microcomputer 501 to listen simultaneously for messages in both answer and originate bands, respectively, arriving on front in-speech port 509 (the direction it "faces"), and originate/answer modem 513, connected to listen to the rear, is added. When microcomputer 501 hears (from the front) any attempt to establish a C-path, it uses control D to set switch 503 to select the respective modem for sending (toward the front); it also commands originate/answer modem 513 to listen on the alternate band so as to read companion messages that might (or might not) arrive via rear in-speech port 505. When microcomputer 501 hears an X-Scrambler attempting to establish a C-Path from the front in the absence of corresponding activity from the rear, and after a suitable delay, it establishes a C-path with that X-Scrambler, setting switch 425, via control B, to select the modem audio from switch 503 only long enough to send each message. With the C-path established, microcomputer 501 uses scrambler mixer 431 to descramble the scrambled speech being received from rear in-speech port 505 and scrambler mixer 421 to scramble the clear speech being received from front in-speech port 509. It sets mute/bypass switches 423 and 433, via controls A and C respectively, to route the outputs of the scrambler mixers to out-speech ports 507 and 511 respectively. Throughout its handshake, and even while scrambling, microcomputer 501 uses originate/answer modem 513 to continually listen to the rear for messages that would indicate the potential for end-to-end scrambling, in which case it will revert to the passive state in a way that stimulates an end-to-end C-path to be established.
FIG. 6 illustrates a typical message format which may be used in the present invention. Following a message synchronization pattern 601, a series of opcode bits 603 are employed to define a particular message type being transmitted. Among these message types are the SEED message, the seed CONFIRMation message, the SYNChronization signal, the SYNCronization REQuest message, the SYNChronization LOST message, the CLEAR message. The optional data field 605 is used only with those messages requiring additional data for example the seed number in the SEED and CONFIRM messages. One bit 607 is used to distinguish whether a user scrambler or a tandem scrambler originated the message, so as to allow an interworking terminal scrambler to determine and indicate whether the entire circuit is scrambled, or just part of it.
FIGS. 7 through 12 describe, by way of timing diagrams, the message exchanges used in the present invention to establish a C-path. The exchange of seeds and synchronization for establishing and clearing of Scrambled Mode is shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 10. Operation during loss of synchronization either by circuit fading or by handoff is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.
When a user of a scrambler requests a scrambled mode of operation, the modem in his X-Scrambler (or RX-Scrambler) is set to the proper mode, depending on the user's position in the call (originate or answer). One or the other scrambler will start first, as in FIG. 7, sending a randomly generated number 701 (a "SEED") at 300 baud in one implementation of the preferred embodiment. After a predetermined time, T, and in the absence of a reply, the originating scrambler sends a second SEED 703. Additional attempts at conveying the seed may be made at intervals (705, 707) and, if no response is received from the other station, no further seed transmissions are made and the attempt at establishing a C-path fails.
If, however, a SEED 801 of FIG. 8 is heard by an answering scrambler, the answering scrambler responds with its own unique SEED 802. The originating scrambler acknowledges the transmission of the answering scrambler with a confirmation message 803 containing a repetition of SEED 802. Following the originating scrambler transmission of the confirmation message 803, a second transmission of the originating scrambler SEED occurs at 805 on half of the duplex channel followed by a confirmation message 807 by the answering scrambler on the other half of the duplex channel. The answering scrambler having sent a SEED and a CONFIRM and having heard a valid CONFIRM, sends SYNC 811. The originating scrambler, upon validly hearing CONFIRM 807 proceeds by sending SYNC 809. The SYNC messages 809 and 811 are sent at approximately the same time. Coincidence is not a necessity, since the absolute starting each scrambler's scrambling is synchronized to its own transmitted SYNC messages, and each scrambler's descrambling is synchronized to the received SYNC messages. However, during scramble mode, the SYNC messages are repeated at regular intervals, P. Since the descramblers will mute their outputs during the anticipated SYNC message arrival, a coincidence of muting will minimize echo aggravation if the circuit outside the C-path (at either or both ends) has a low echo return loss.
A successful handshake can occur even if a scrambler has sent its fourth SEED message 707 without evoking a response as shown in FIG. 9. When the answering scrambler commences scrambled mode like an originating scrambler, it initiates the process of sending up to four SEED messages, the first of which 901, evokes a CONFIRM 903 and an originating scrambler 905 from the originating scrambler. This SEED 905 evokes a CONFIRM 907, followed by SYNC 911 from the answering scrambler. The answering scrambler is CONFIRM 907 evokes nearly simultaneous SYNC 909 from the originating scrambler. Each confirmation must be received by the sender of the seed which evoked it within a fixed period of time.
The originating user may wish to stop the scrambled operation, as directed by a Stop command to the microcomputer of the originating scrambler. This command evokes the transmission of a CLEAR message 1001 of FIG. 10, and returning to clear speech operation. At the reception of a CLEAR message, the answering scrambler returns to clear speech operation. A similar CLEAR message may be initiated by the answering scrambler to return the system to clear speech operation.
FIG. 11 depicts a temporary loss of synchronization by one of the scramblers. Either scrambler of the preferred embodiment may lose one-in-a-row SYNC message without taking any action. However, when two-in-a-row are missed, as the answering scrambler missed 1103 and 1105, it initiates a SYNC REQ message 1107 which evokes a new SYNC 1109 from its companion, which must be sent promptly but with due considerations to scrambler synchronizating limitations. FIG. 12 shows the action when the requested SYNC 1109 is not received; the requester sends a SYNC LOST 1201, goes to clear speech operation, and restarts the handshake with SEED 1203. A scrambler hearing a SYNC LOST 1201 message while in scrambled mode will return to clear speech operation and restart the handshake with a new SEED 1205.
In an X-Scrambler of the present invention, the method by which the microcomputer 406 performs the above protocol is described in FIGS. 13 and 14A through 14E. The process starts with on-hook Idle at 1300 of FIG. 13 and the process is initialized at 1301. When the user comes off-hook, detected at 1302, the Orig/Term user signal is sensed, at 1303, and the modem mode set correspondingly at 1304 or 1305, and the process enters the "Passive" state at 1306. The process then creates a seed at 1307 and waits for user action or a received SEED message in the loop at 1308, 1309 and 1310. A user OnHook at 1310 returns to Idle 1300; hearing a SEED at 1308 evokes a Reply 1430 described below; and user Start, at 1309 sends the process to Start/Initiate 1411 of FIG. 14A.
Referring now to FIG. 14A, the Search Timer is set at 1412, and the loop of 1413-1419 is entered, where it sends up to four SEED messages at 1413. After each, until the CONFIRM message timer "Cfm Timer" expires at 1416, the process checks for reception of valid CONFIRM at 1414 and a SEED at 1415. Receipt of a valid CONFIRM at 1414 sends the process to continue 1420 (FIG. 14B where it continues as initiator) described below. After Cfm Timer expires, and until the Search Timer reaches a 1-second (T) increment at 1419, the process checks for user intervention at 1417 and for Search Timer expiration at 1418, both of which sends it to "Passive" 1306.
On FIG. 14B, both Continue 1420 and Reply 1430 attempt to complete an exchange of SEED and CONFIRM messages, defaulting to Restart 1435. Continue sets a Seed Timer at 1421 and expects to hear a SEED at 1423 following the previusly received CONFIRM before the Seed Timer expires at 1422 to Restart. Receipt of a SEED evokes sending of a CONFIRM at 1424, and entering Synchronizing at 1425.
Reply at 1430 requires at 1431 setting a Cfm Timer, sending a CONFIRM acknowledging the previously receive SEED followed by sending a SEED and then waiting until receipt of a valid CONFIRM at 1433, which will initiate Synchronizing 1425, else Cfm Timer expires at 1432 to Restart.
Restart 1435 effects a pause at 1436 before entering Start/Initiate. Synchronizing is to effect an exchange of the first SYNC messges, and is started at 1434 by sending a SYNC and starting the scrambler and its Xsync and Insync Timers, then waiting for a SYNC reception until either Insync Timer expires at 1427 to Lost Sync 1490, described below, or the user intervenes at 1428 or 1429.
Successful SYNC reception at 1426 leads to starting the descrambler at 1439 and Scrambled Mode Loop which starts at 1440 of FIG. 14C and continues through 1471 of FIG. 14D before looping back. Within the Scrambled Mode loop of FIGS. 14C and 14D, SYNC messages are sent at 1470 when Xsync Timer reaches a Sync Increment at 1469, usually every 6.0 seconds (P) unless a SYNC REQ message was received at 1444 causing at 1445 an adjustment which will shorten up the increment to the next nearest 0.1-second. The rolling and muting functions of 1461, 1462, 1463, 1464, 1465, 1466, 1467 and 1468 are scrambler/descrambler control operations. Each received SYNC at 1446 realigns the descrambler timing and resets the Rsync Timer at 1447.
There are branching points out of the loop of FIGS. 14C and 14D for receipt of a CLEAR or SYNC LOST message, User Stop or On-Hook, and expiration of Rsync Timer. Receiving a CLEAR at 1441 evokes "Passive" (1306 of FIG. 13), receiving a SYNC LOST at 1442 evokes Retry 1495, described below, and user intervention at 1448 evokes sending a CLEAR message at 1443 and then "Passive" 1306. Rsync Timer will expire in the absence of a two-in-a-row received SYNC messages, evoking, at 1471, a Resync 1480, described below.
FIG. 14E illustrates Resync, Lost Sync and Retry. At Resync 1480, after starting Resync Timer at 1481 A SYNC REQ message is sent at 1482; a timely reply SYNC message at 1483 resynchronizes the descrambler at 1488 and resets Rsync Timer at 1489, and returns to Scramble 1440. If Resync Timer expires at 1484, Lost Sync 1490 is entered. When Lost Sync occurs, a SYNC LOST message is sent at 1491 and Retry 1495 is entered. In Retry 1495, flags are cleared at 1496, clear speech operation is started at 1497 and Restart 1435 of FIG. 14B is entered. The X-Scrambler is thus able to operate in accordance with the timing diagrams of FIGS. 7 through 12.
In a DM-Scrambler, the process by which the microcomputer achieves its system operation is shown in the flowcharts of FIG. 15A through FIG. 15F. Passive 1500 on FIG. 15A is the starting point. When idle (Passive), a DM-Scrambler provides circuit continuity at 1501 and awaits the receipt of a SEED message via either of the front facing modems (originate modem 515 or answer modem 517 of FIG. 5) at 1502. Receipt of a SEED by either modem breaks out of the loop at 1503, selecting that receiving modem for sending, putting the rear facing Orig/Ans modem in complementary mode so that it can hear replies from more distant scramblers, and setting a Second Seed Timer. The selected modem now listens for SEED messages from the rear at 1504 as well as for a second SEED from the Front at 1505. If the Second Seed Timer expires at 1506 with no further seeds, it returns to Passive at 1500. A SEED from the Rear leads to a Pause at 1507 so as not to interfere with a handshake attempt by a more distant scrambler, and then returns to Passive at 1500. At 1505, a second SEED (in a row) from the front, on the same band as the first, and with none being received from the rear evokes at Start/Initiate at 1511 in FIG. 15B.
Continuing in FIG. 15B, the Start/Initiate process which starts at 1511 sends up to 4 SEED messages, in the same manner as the X-Scrambler on FIG. 14A, except that if while doing so a SEED message received from the rear at 1537 will cause it to Pause 1538 and return Passive. Also, sampling of the user controls is absent, since there are none. The handshake of FIG. 15C is like that of the X-Scrambler of FIG. 14B, described above. The scrambled mode of FIGS. 15D and 15E is also very similar to FIGS. 14C and 14D, respectively, except that, in FIG. 15D, the user controls are absent, and a SEED received from the rear at 1550 evokes sending of a SYNC LOST message at 1551 and a Pause at 1552 before returning to Passive at 1500. This permits the X-Scrambler it is facing to establish a C-path with a late arriving X-Scrambler at its rear. Resync, Lost Sync and Retry on FIG. 15F work like those of the X-Scrambler shown on FIG. 14E and described above.
By the above action, all cascaded DM-Scramblers employing the present invention will hear SEED message sent from the front, adapt their Orig/Ans mode correspondingly, and maintain circuit continuity in the presence of an X-Scrambler at the rear. Operationally, it is important to note that with no X-Scrambler at the rear, all will send a SEED in reply to the second. All but the most distant will hear a SEED from the rear, pause, and enter the Passive state, permitting only the most distant scrambler's follow-on SEED and CONFIRM messages to reach the X-Scrambler. In most situations X-Scrambler hears the SEED from the nearest DM-Scrambler, this one in general having a different seed code than the more distant. The X-Scrambler responds with an CONFIRM that the most distant will regard as invalid so that the most distant DM-Scrambler enters Restart while X-Scrambler sends SYNC, and receiving no reply, also enters Restart. Now, all but the most distant DM-Scrambler have paused and sent no response to the first SEED heard. This inaction permits the most distant DM-Scrambler to handshake with the originating X-Scrambler. Furthermore, if a DM-Scrambler starts to establish, or has established, scrambled mode with an X-Scrambler it faces, within a second of the time an X-Scrambler at its rear attempts to establish a C-path, the DM-Scrambler will have restored circuit continuity and stimulated the X-Scrambler it faces to establish a new C-path with the X-Scrambler at its rear.
An alternative embodiment of the DM-Scrambler (called herein M-Scrambler) will establish a Cpath (and two way scrambling) in either direction as shown in FIG. 16. It has no front and rear, but only Side A (1651) and Side B (1653). Its modem arrangement is fully symmetrical, permitting it to receive both originate and answer messages and to send messages in both directions. Each of the Scrambler/mixers 421 and 431 can either scramble or descramble, as directed by microcomputer 1661. In the Passive state, the M-Scrambler's microcomputer 1661 waits for a SEED from any of the four modems 515, 517, 1665 and 1667 making a tentative choice as to which direction it will face and which Scrambler/mixer will scramble and which will descramble, should a second SEED force it active before a SEED from the other direction sends it to Pause and Passive. Other than this, its flow chart is the same as the DM-Scrambler.
In summary, a method and apparatus have been shown and described by which it is possible to establish and maintain two-way data communications between a terminal and the most distant companion equipment on the circuit, tandem or terminal, in the presence of other intervening tandem companion equipment. The immediate application is pertinent to the control of analog voice band scramblers, but it is equally applicable to data encryption. While the preferred embodiment uses full duplex 300 baud modems over an normal voice-bandwidth circuit, many other data transmission techniques would suffice.
Therefore, while a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be taken as limited to the specific embodiment herein and that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit of the invention. It is therefore contemplated to cover the present invention, and any and all such changes and modifications, by the appended claims.
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|U.S. Classification
|380/270, 380/38, 380/262, 380/274, 380/47
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Aug 15, 1988
Owner name: MOTOROLA, INC., SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, A CORP. OF D
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:DUDCZAK, GARY M.;MCGUIRE, MARK W.;TENNANT, DAVID T.;REEL/FRAME:004928/0326
Effective date: 19880804
Owner name: MOTOROLA, INC., A CORP. OF DE, ILLINOIS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:DUDCZAK, GARY M.;MCGUIRE, MARK W.;TENNANT, DAVID T.;REEL/FRAME:004928/0326
Effective date: 19880804
|Jul 16, 1991
|Certificate of correction
|Apr 30, 1993
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Sep 18, 1997
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Oct 23, 2001
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Apr 3, 2002
|Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees
|May 28, 2002
|Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee
Effective date: 20020403


text:
Would like opinions on the differences between these. NOticed NCL star is heavily booked,even sold out,but not the others.
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by ibobi | Posted on Nov 20, 17 at 01:24 PM
- 1 Hotel -Miami before cruise
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Hawaii Cruise: NCL vs Patriot vs INdependence?
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This was posted on cruisemates and some other sites. Not sure if Patriot or Independence is part of this line - I thought it was but could be wrong.
If it was me - I would stick with Princess, RCCL, NCL< Celebrity, Carnival, etc. . These lines appear more financial set.
From Cruisemates:
American Classic Voyages: Troubled Waters?
There are signs that American Classic Voyages, parent company of American Hawaii Cruises, United States Lines, Delta Queen Steamboat Company and Delta Queen Coastal Voyages, may be having financial problems.
On Friday, Oct. 5, two large travel insurance companies, Travel Guard and TravelEx, both reported that they will no longer insure passengers on bookings made after Oct. 3 for any of these cruise lines. On October 9 Access America announced that it won't insure cruisers sailing on AMVC vessels.
The stock price for American Classic Voyages (Nasdaq: AMCV) fell 37% on extremely heavy volume and closed at $.78/share on Friday. While that may be partially attributed to a proposed takeover of the company slated to build AMC's new ships (Northrop Grumman by Newport News), the indication is that someone with a large interest in American Classic Voyages' stock decided to get out of their position as quickly as possible.
In light of these developments, CruiseMates is urging its readers to exercise due diligence before booking a cruise with any of American Classic Voyages' subsidiary companies. A spokesperson for the company has stated that AMCV is working to resolve the insurance situation with Travel Guard to continue to provide insurance coverage in case of default.
Stay tuned to CruiseMates for further developments.
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From all the talk and discussion about the NCL Star I would head for the Star.. it will be extremely innovative and will be actually the "star" of the line. I also agree that the other smaller lines are having problems so I would stay away.
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Apparently after tomorrow there won't be a decision to make between the two lines. Too bad as we were on Patriot and even though the ship is very old the cruise was wonderful. If your main desire is to see a LOT of Hawaii then that would have been the best choice. The Star is a beautiful ship and offers so much on board so that is a great choice too. Have fun!
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I was on the Independence a year ago Easter and loved it. I would love to go again, but, it looks like American Classic Voyages (the owner) is filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection on Friday AM (10/19). They are still probably going to restructure so as to still run the Delta Steamships but the Patriot will probably go back to the Carnival Corp. (It was a former HAL ship) Very sad.
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I have just viewed pics of the NCL Star under construction and she is so beautiful! If you want to see Hawaii stay with the big main stream lines in these uncertain financial times and for goodness sake take out 3rd party insurance. If the insurance company refuses to insure a particular line then take that as a big warning to go elsewhere to book your cruise. I am an accountant and I do not like seeing any company file for chapter 11 but in the case of American Classic Voyages (parent company of) American Hawaii's "Independence" and United States Lines "Patriot" I am not at all surprised. I was on a failed sailing of the Patriot and after more than 3 months of telephone calls and letters to American Classic Voyages I came to the conclusion that the management or lack there of was going to run this company into the ground. I just did'nt think that it would happen so soon.
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I heard that the Star is a nice ship but their Hawaii itinerary wasn't good at all. 3 days between sailing to Fanning Island and there is nothing to do there and only 5 hours in Maui.
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A friend is going to Fanning Island next year and I hadn't heard of it and researched it....go to...http://www.cruisenewsdaily.com/fanning.html It sounds like the most exciting and unspoiled island or destination that a cruise ship could possibly go into, that is unless your idea of a port is St. Martin, St. Thomas or one of those commercial islands.. It reminds me somewhat of the San blas islands 15 years ago...which was and still remains as a highlight of our cruising experience. If after reading this article if you aren't excited about visiting this unspoiled island...well your idea of cruising and my idea are so much different..
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Fanning Island may sound like a neat place but is it worth travelling three days of your seven day cruise just to spend six or seven hours there? No!
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We just returned from a 2 wk trip to Hawaii. One week in Waikiki and one week onboard the Star.
The Ship was huge, but had great service.
The cruise was very enjoyable...and it's only a day and a half to Fanning Island...(mind you, the waves were 7.5 - 12 feet high). Fanning Island was interesting to see...there is very little to do there, but it's something we'll likely never see again. Natives living their simple lives, yet so friendly and pleasant. Their handy-crafts are out of this world...(from a craft point of view). Their smiles were everywhere - I've never seen so many people so happy, yet having so little.
Yes, it is a long way to go...to do nothing..but walk around the island and meet the locals...but experiencing a way of like - like they have is something we'll not likely have the opportunity to do again.
The entertainment onboard was excellent...and the food was very good.
The only negative comment I have - which isn't really that bad, was the immigration that the entire ship's passengers had to go through again just outside of Maui, (took almost half the morning)...and the disembarkation process back in Honolulu (it was very disorganized).
Other than that...it was a great cruise - very enjoyable...even the days at sea (and mind you - we had non-stop crappy weather the entire time out at sea!). However...we made the most of it and enjoyed the cruise and the ship.
Highly recommend it.
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Just to clarify - yes, a day and a half to get there - but another day and a half to get back = 3 days.
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text:
PLEASANT GROVE — It wasn't the prettiest game you'll see, but the Vikings will take it. The 13-0 win over Hunter may define what Pleasant Grove is this year.
"We're a smash-mouth type of football team," said PG lineman Brandon Fanaika. "We're a team that is going to win games in the trenches. In the second half, we started to open up those trenches and pull away."
Most of the first half could well be defined as a three-and-out fest as both defensive proved to dominate play.
Midway through the second quarter, the Pleasant Grove coaching staff opened up their playbook. Quarterback Paul Hatch started throwing the ball around, getting his team down to the 12-yard line with a 35-yard throw to senior Nate Sampson.
The drive was capped off with a 12-yard touchdown run by Cooper Caldwell.
Shortly after that Hunter was able to drive it down to the 1-inch line after a blocked punt. After a fumbled snap on 3rd and goal just inches from the end zone, Sampson was able to hurry Hunter quarterback Jairo Tarver into a failed fourth down attempt.
"We had a nice couple of goal line stands," said Pleasant Grove coach Dale Sampson. "We struggled a bit all night to get our feet under us and get our execution down, but I'll take a 14-0 victory. That's a nice thing to have for sure."
The Viking's final score came late in the fourth quarter on a completion of 35-yard pass from Hatch to senior wide receiver Skyler Munson.
The game featured two of the best linemen in the state with PG's Brandon Fanaika and Hunter defensive end Moses Folauhola.
Fanaika has nine Division I scholarship offers. Folauhola, meanwhile, took the first offer thrown his way by the University of Utah.
"Moses (Folauhola) is a beast," Fanaika said. "We watched film on him all week and prepared for him as best we could. He's so quick around the edges, and he's definitely one of the best linemen that I've gone against."
Fanaika saw a lot of work on both sides of the football playing guard on offensive and nose tackle on defense.9 comments on this story
"It's a bit tiring, but I love it," he said. "I just love to play football, and I love this type of a game. Both sides were really slugging it out, and I love that. Hunter has some great players up front, and I think I got better as a player tonight going against them."
Fanaika had a hectic summer sifting through all of his offers. Now that the season has started, however, he's just concentrating on finishing out strong as a Viking.
"It's all about the team and making this team the best it can be," he said.
"I'll think about recruiting when this season is over. We have a lot of great players, and I think we can go far this year."
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
I have quite a few neighbours in horse haven but have been having problems getting any of them to click on my help wanted posts, as posts can easily be missed it would be a lot easier to get staff if we could send a request people.
I agree my wall is completely covered with friend leveld or competed or wants a worker. I start at the top and hide the ones I read and click on. But I don't always have time to do that and the requests get lost in all the posts.


text:
Ismail Industries Limited Jobs 3 Sept 2016
Ismail Industries Limited Jobs 3 Sept 2016: Ismail Industries Limited is one of the largest group of companies in Pakistan, manufacturing a wide range of confectionery, biscuits, snacks, packaging films and pharma products under the brand names of CandyLand, Bisconni, SnackCity, Astro Films and Hudson Pharma respectively.
Seeking for hard working, self motivated, professionals, determined, dynamic and well disciplined staff for different vacant positions such as following.Kindly read carefully and apply in appropriate vacancies accordingly.
- Manager Production
- Manager Engineering


text:
NOTICE OF MEETING SWEETWATER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT The Sweetwater Community Development District RFP Review Committee will meet on Monday, May 14, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. at the Offices of GMS, World Golf Village, 475 West Town Place, Suite 111, St. Augustine, Florida 32092. The meeting is open to the public and will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Florida Law for Community Development Districts. A copy of the agenda for this meeting may be obtained from Sweetwater Creek CDD, 14785 Old St. Augustine Road, Suite 4, Jacksonville, Florida 32258. This meeting may be continued to a date, time, and place to be specified on the record at the meeting. There may be occasions when one or more Supervisors will participate by telephone. Any person requiring special accommodations at this meeting because of a disability or physical impairment should contact the District Office at (904) 288-9130 at least five calendar days prior to the meeting. Each person who decides to appeal any action taken at these meetings is advised that person will need a record of the proceedings and that accordingly, the person may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which such appeal is to be based. James Perry District Manager L1207-7 May 7, 2007
Posted from 7-May-07 to 7-May-07
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us


text:
Rookie Will Venable hit a three-run homer to help Tim Stauffer earn his first win in almost three years and the San Diego Padres romped to a 7-4 win over the reeling Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.
Venable drove in a career-high four runs and had four hits as the Padres picked up a third consecutive win for the first time since they won 10 straight from May 15 through May 25. He only had five RBIs in 38 games this season coming into the game.
Luis Rodriguez and Chase Headley each added two hits behind Stauffer (1-2), who allowed seven hits and one run in seven innings for his first win since beating Los Angeles 4-2 on Aug. 21, 2006.
The Padres won a series for the first time since winning two out of three at Texas June 26-28. They finished the season with six wins in seven games against the Reds.
Adam Rosales hit a three-run pinch-hit homer in the ninth for the Reds, who have lost nine of their last 10 games and 11 of 14 since the All-Star break to fall a season-high 11 games under .500 at 45-56. Rosales's homer was his first in 105 at bats since a 13-5 win at Arizona on May 11.
The Padres scored in the first inning for the third consecutive game as Kevin Kouzmanoff drove in Rodriguez with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead. They increased the lead to 2-0 in the second when Kyle Blanks scored from third base on Henry Blanco's double-play ball.
The Reds got on the board in the fourth on back-to-back leadoff doubles by Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, who singled in the second to snap his streak of consecutive hitless at bats at 10. San Diego immediately got that run back in the fifth as Kevin Kouzmanoff scored from first base on Headley's two-out double to right-center field. Cincinnati starter Johnny Cueto hit Blanks with a pitch, and Venable followed with his second homer of the season.
Cueto (8-8) allowed nine hits and six runs with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings while falling to 0-4 in five starts since a 1-0 win over Arizona on July 1.
Venable added an RBI single in the seventh before flying out in the ninth.
Notes: Plate umpire Jerry Crawford warned Reds relief pitcher Carlos Fisher and both benches after Fisher hit Stauffer with the first pitch of the six innings. ... OF Willy Taveras was scratched from Cincinnati's original starting lineup with a sore left wrist. ... Of Wladimir Balentien, acquired by the Reds Wednesday from Seattle for RHP Robert Manuel, arrived in Cincinnati early Thursday morning and was in uniform.


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In summary, fiscal year 2013 was yet another record-breaking year on many levels. Our sales approached $13 billion, translating to sales per gross square foot of $972. We opened 32 new stores, expanding into 10 new markets and increasing our ending square footage 8% to $13.8 million.
We improved operating margin 48 basis points to 6.8%, generated over $1.2 billion in EBITDA, and exceeded our initial split-adjusted EPS guidance of $1.42 to $1.44 by growing earnings per share of 19% year-over-year to $1.47.
Our outstanding financial performance generated over $1 billion in operating cash flow and $472 million in free cash flow. We returned $508 million in dividends to our shareholders, repurchased $125 million of common stock, and ended the year with $1.4 billion in cash and investments.
We remain well positioned to internally fund our accelerated new store growth, while maintaining a healthy cash balance and reflecting confidence in our future growth and cash flow generation, today we announced a 20% increase and a quarterly dividend to $0.12 per share and an additional $500 million in stock repurchase authorization, bring our total available authority to $800 million.
Turning now to our revised outlook for fiscal year 2014; for the first five weeks of Q1, comparable store sales increased 5.8%, roughly in line with our Q4 results. Based on recent trends, we believe it is prudent to take a more conservative point of view on our sales and earnings outlook for the year.
For fiscal year 2014, we now expect sales growth of 11% to 13%, comparable store sales growth of 5.5% to 7%, identical store sales growth of 5% to 6.5%, and diluted earnings per share of $1.65 to $1.69, an increase of 12% to 15%. Please see the guidance table of our press release for additional detail.
While resetting expectations is always difficult, we want to underscore that we have just delivered our fourth consecutive year of increases in new store openings while producing improvements in operating margin and higher returns on invested capital, and our outlook for fiscal year 2014 reflects a continuation of these trends.
Each week, over 7 million customers visit our 367 stores in 40 states and three countries. In 2005, it was a major milestone for us to report that we had six stores averaging $1 million in sales per week. We now have over 50 stores achieving that level. Yes, food retailing is more competitive than ever, and with the growing demand for fresh, healthy foods, it seems like everyone is adding to or expanding their offering of natural and organic products. However, we believe the strength of these numbers highlights our ability to innovate and to compete, the unique power of our brand and an excitement our stores create within their communities. With 47 new leases signed over the last 12 months, we have 94 stores in our development pipeline and see demand for 1,000 Whole Foods Market stores in the United States alone.
We will now take questions. Please limit yourself to one question at a time, so that everyone has an opportunity to participate. Our call will end at 4.30 Central Time. Thank you.


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The House soon will consider the appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, which includes appropriations for the Department of Education, as well as Representative Frank Riggs's (R-CA) English Language Fluency Act (H.R. 3892). Both efforts offer important opportunities to make reforms in the federal government's badly flawed bilingual education program. This year's appropriation for the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs (OBEMLA) at the Department of Education contains several measures designed to strengthen the education offered to Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. Although appropriators make no changes to the funding level for OBEMLA, they take several steps toward giving states greater flexibility in designing bilingual education programs and moving students out of bilingual education and into normal classrooms within two years.
The English Language Fluency Act introduces even more dramatic reforms to the government's bilingual education program. This bill would:
Block grant all current federal funding for bilingual and immigrant education to states, giving them more flexibility to develop ways to help their LEP students to make the transition to English language fluency.
Allow local education agencies (LEAs) to select which method of English language instruction to use while allowing parents the freedom to choose the program that best suits their children's needs.
Provide bonuses to those LEAs that teach English fluency in a shorter period of time.
Rein in the powers of the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR).
Both the Riggs bill and the appropriations reforms address an issue that has been neglected for too long. There are approximately 2.8 million LEP students in the United States, and the U.S. Bureau of the Census estimates that 88 percent of the increase in the child population between 2000 and 2050 will be children of new immigrants.
Tragically, the current system is failing to teach LEP students the English language skills they will need to perform well in school. English language learners, when compared with their English-fluent peers, tend to receive lower grades, are judged by their teachers to have weaker academic abilities, and often score below the average on standardized math and reading exams. Parents of LEP students, moreover, recognize the failure of certain schools to help their children master the tools for success. An August 1996 survey of Hispanic parents, for example, found that 63 percent thought that "Hispanic students should be taught English as soon as possible, while less than seventeen percent thought they should learn Spanish first."
Meanwhile, the Department of Education and its Office of Civil Rights continue to promote one method--transitional bilingual education--as the best means by which to provide "equal education" to LEP students. Even a cursory evaluation of the evidence reveals that their position is not supported by solid research or clear legal opinions.
The U.S. Supreme Court's 1974 decision in Lau v. Nichols was the first legal precedent requiring schools to help LEP students to understand the curriculum. In Lau, the Supreme Court ruled that "identical education" did not translate into "equal education" when dealing with LEP students. Although some education authorities took this ruling to mandate native language instruction, the Supreme Court's wording in no way suggests this is the only option--or even the best option--in educating LEP students. The wording in Lau v. Nichols clearly allows options for English language instruction, including English as a Second Language. A later decision in the Fifth Federal Court of Appeals, Castaneda v. Pickard, requires schools to make students proficient in English as they progressed in the overall academic curriculum. Again, the decision makes clear that school systems are free to pursue this aim in any way they think appropriate.
Yet the Department of Education (and especially its Office of Civil Rights) persist in their efforts to force schools to employ the method of bilingual education Washington prefers. The OCR has assembled regulations, called the Lau remedies, that were sent to every school district in the United States that receives federal funding. The regulations essentially say that if a school has 15 students who speak a single language, the school must offer instruction to those students in their native language. At the same time, the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (in 1994) capped the use of Title VII federal funding for programs other than bilingual education at 25 percent.
In addition to offering school districts financial incentives to use certain bilingual education methods, the Department of Education wields considerable legal power over a school district's implementation of bilingual education through the OCR. When the OCR conducts compliance reviews, it often determines a school's exit criteria (standards by which a district determines a student ready to leave the program), staffing requirements, and program effectiveness. If the OCR does not approve of the school district's program design (and research shows that it almost never does), it can demand that the school accept OCR proposals or lose federal funding and possibly face prosecution by the Department of Justice.
It is time for the federal government to allow local districts and parents to educate Limited English Proficient students free from unnecessary intervention. A good education is the cornerstone of success in the path to the American dream. Without the English language skills to succeed in school and in later life, this path is closed. Reforms currently under consideration give Congress the chance to improve substantially the federal government's program to help these children.
-- Nina H. Shokraii is former Education Policy Analyst at The Heritage Foundation.
-- Sarah E. Youssef is a former Research Assistant at The Heritage Foundation.


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Hey, did you hear about the Millennials?
"Suddenly, as you may have noticed, Millennials are everywhere." That's how the New York Times' Sam Tanenhaus began his look at the Millennial Generation, which ran in the paper of record last weekend, published, at least in web form, with the strange headline "Generation Nice: The Millennials Are Generation Nice."
I generally enjoy Tanenhaus' work, but this is not his finest piece. Perhaps it's because there's not a cliche he doesn't mine. It also doesn't help that we have a nearly 60-year-old writer, opining about Kids These Days, the sort of combination that can really only end in tears. Remember Tom Wolfe's college novel?
Not that this group of people born after 1980 and before 2000 — a giant cohort now estimated to number at least 80 million Americans, more than the baby boom generation — was ever invisible. What's changed is their status. Coddled and helicoptered, catered to by 24-hour TV cable networks, fussed over by marketers and college recruiters, dissected by psychologists, demographers and trend-spotters, the millennial generation has come fully into its own.
Yes, they've all been coddled and helicoptered. All 80 million of them. Whether they're rich or poor, 34 now, or 14.
There are two things I hate about this sort of thinking: It's unbelievably stupid to paint an entire generation of millions of people with a single broad brush. It was stupid when they did it with the Greatest Generation, dumber still with the Boomers, and not any wiser when it came to Generation X. Although you really have to hand it to the World War II people- they're the final generation of Americans that doesn't have an overarching reputation for general awfulness.
And that's the other thing I despise about this grand orgy of all-generation judgment: Resentment of a younger generation by their older counterparts ALWAYS happens. It's a tradition that goes back centuries.
Have a problem with young people today, and their clothes or music or language or technology use or politics or sexual behavior or dance moves? Guess what- when you were young, older people felt that way about you, and everyone in your age group. They thought you were lazy, entitled, and obsessed with things that were stupid. And at some point years earlier, people probably thought that about your parents, too.
One of the first things I vowed, when I reached my 30s and became a father, was to never ever be that guy who complains about Kids These Days.
And besides, a lot of the things people determine about Millennials have a lot more to do with changes in culture and society than anything they've actually done. Recent grads in their early 20s living at home longer? Might have something to do with the crash of the global economy and sluggish job market. The only thing preventing the children of 1985 from watching hundreds of TV channels was that they weren't offered yet. And if smartphones had existed in the early '90s, Gen Xers would have used Tinder and taken selfies, too.
The Tanenhaus piece goes in a different direction- it actually praises the Millennials for their empathy. Citing poll data, they're more likely to volunteer, to be vegetarians, to be multicultural, to be generally friendly and empathetic people.
And that's great. But once again- the Millennial generation is 80 million people, of all races, creeds and socioeconomic levels. How can we possibly make judgments about that many people?
Tanenhaus namechecks well, everything that's relevant today. The Kardashians. Lena Dunham. Occupy Wall Street. Facebook. Selfies. Twitter. And LeBron James:
Exhibit A may be LeBron James, the N.B.A. superstar who in July announced that he would be going back to rust-belt Cleveland after four glamorous years in Miami, becoming, at age 29, one of America's wealthiest boomerang children.
Yea, I don't think LeBron's story is so representative of his generation. For one thing, he's probably not going to be moving back in with his parents.
I'm not a Millennial, as I just turned 36; my preschool-aged children are much younger than the Milliennial cutoff, and I can only imagine the things people will say about their generation. I have friends, colleagues and family members who are the Millennials, though, and… they're all kinds of people, with all kinds of interests. Sticking them all into one humongous super-category is just plain nonsense. So stop it with this "The Millennials" crap. They're not all alike.
In the meantime, this morning, in the New York Times… "Marketers Are Sizing Up the Millennials." Maybe that's what this is really about…


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The Arc Quinebaug Valley contracts with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to provide employment services to individuals with disabilities. DDS provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities.
The Employment Services Department works closely with DDS individuals to assist them in preparing for, finding and maintaining employment that is best suited for their skills, experience, and desires. This is accomplished by providing several different employment services, including group and individual supported employment. The services provided are determined by the needs of the individual.
The services offered by The Arc Quinebaug Valley Employment Services Department are: Job readiness/interview preparedness class, Situational assessment or internship, Job developing/placement, and Job coaching.
Companies that have assessed or hired:
Wal-Mart, Target, Price Chopper, Big Y, McDonald's, Burger King, Holiday Inn Express, Community Cleaners, Cargill Dealership, Quick Lube Car Wash, River Wash Laundromat, Kohl's, Line Master Switch, Aubuchon Hardware, Rite Aid, Quality Homemakers, Quinebaug Valley Community College, The Rectory School, NECCOG, and Dunkin' Donuts.


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Avoid Scams and Fraud - Potential areas of fraud: wire transfer, moneygrams, money orders, cashier checks, shipping, escrow, "transaction protection", "guarantee". Check out the Buyer Safety section for more info.


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Owner of Company Blamed in Back Bay Fire Denies Responsibility
The owner of D & J Iron Works, the Malden welding company blamed for sparking the fire that killed two firefighters responding to a nine-alarm blaze in the Back Bay, says that he and his company are not responsible for the fire, according to a new report.
The fire claimed the lives of Lieutenant Edward J. Walsh Jr., 43, of West Roxbury and Michael R. Kennedy, 33, of Hyde Park. Several others were injured in the blaze.
The Boston Herald reported that the owner, Giuseppe Falcone, filed a seven-page response to the lawsuit filed against him by the building's owner.
Giuseppe Falcone, 53, of Revere, states the estimated $4.2 million in damages incurred by the owners of 298 Beacon St., the brownstone apartment building where Walsh and Kennedy became trapped in the basement as wild winds off the Charles River whipped the flames into a frenzy, "were caused by others for whose conduct the defendant is not responsible."
Falcone's response includes his claim that the company, D & J Iron Works, isn't really a business entity after all.
The Herald reported that public records with the Secretary of State listed him as the company's president.
According to Falcone's response, he wants the complaint to be dismissed and for the Suffolk Superior Court to agree that welding is "not inherently dangerous work.''
Officials concluded early last month that stray spark from a nearby welding operation caused the fatal fire.


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tucked away in my jean pocketby Kaitlyn Mccann
Prompt: Tucked away...
little mouse in a jean pocket tucked away :)
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Boston Globe: 1,300 Mass. Babies Born Addicted to Opiates in 2013
In 2013, there were more than 1,300 Massachusetts babies born with opiates in their blood. A review of hospital diagnoses submitted to the federal government show an average of 17.5 per 1,000 births involve a baby adicted to opiates. That's more than triples the national average of about five births per 1,000, and far exceeds the state's own count of just 128 births in 2013, according to The Boston Globe.
From the Globe:
The state's figures are based on cases reported to the Department of Children and Families. State law mandates hospital staff to report instances of addicted newborns to the child protection agency, but some experts say the numbers are underreported because of the stigma and fear that mothers will lose their children. A department spokeswoman says the number only includes addicted babies who show withdrawal symptoms.
Asked why the state does not instead analyze and publicize the hospital statistics that it submits annually to the federal government, a spokesman for the Massachusetts agency that collects the data said it does not have the manpower to sort through the thousands of hospital procedure codes in its database.
Click here to read the full Boston Globe story.


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We knew we would be missing the extremely important vice-presidential so-called debates when we decided to have dinner at Big Shots Sports Cafe last week. But we rebelliously chose an evening of probably mediocre food, out, instead of an evening of assuredly bad entertainment, in. Also, we were anxious about the Orioles and already in a huff about that bad call and out-of-control kid, and I figured that since I was already a little behind in checking out Big Shots because of a natural immunity to the concept, we'd play hooky from the political arena and watch the end of the game instead, by the way reinforcing our daughter's sense of life's priorities. (Which game is more important, really? Baseball or politics?)
We didn't suspect anything when we saw the red, white, and blue balloons waving outside the door. But when we entered, we were informed by the hostess that the entire dining area had been reserved for a Republican fund raiser organized to watch, you guessed it, the debates. We were welcome to eat at the bar or in the pool room, she told us, if we weren't going to donate to Dole.
They call these places "sports cafes" and Big Shots is one of the upscale variety. It's owned by the people who own Clicks, which is frankly more a pool hall than a sports bar, but Big Shots' decor was conceived by the talented Paul Draper, who has been responsible for some of the best-looking rooms in town. And Big Shots looks good, too: It's a contemporary take on '50s lounge style, with swoop-backed booths, diamond-patterned carpet, and curled iron lamps. The separate pool--excuse me, when it's expensive, they prefer you call it billiards--room is draped in white fringed canvas, the bar and dining room are full of clean, sinuous curves. But Big Shots is a sports bar, not just a cue palace, and we know that translates (however oddly) as a place to watch sports TV while you eat.
Seated at the bar with a bright, clear monitor directly in front of us and our own cute, ponytailed bartender at close hand to attend to our every finicky demand (margarita shaken over ice, up, with salt) promptly and even with flourishes (flipping the shaker, juggling the glass), we were much happier than we had been the last time we'd visited Big Shots. It was much better to be seated in an overtly tube-staring row, instead of participating in that pretense of togetherness that is dining around a table in a sports bar. The truth always is that everyone wants to face the same way, in the direction of the big TV, but there's that table so you have to angle your chair slightly and pretend you're going to converse with everyone, even though all you really want to do is watch the game. (Any game.) It would be more honest if they just lined up long tables in rows like a high-school study hall so everyone could pay attention to what they came for.
Anyway, at the bar, with the screen only a few feet from our eyes, we were indulging ourselves and our daughter in behavior we knew was capital-letter Wrong, but what was the alternative? Paying extra to sit with a bunch of blue suits? We thought not. It seemed to us that we were actually being forced by circumstances beyond our control to eat dinner while we watched TV, something we all secretly love to do but that we're told constantly by the experts is one of the things--along with free condoms and rock 'n' roll--that is ruining the American family.
Well, as you already know, it was a disappointing baseball game (assuming you wanted revenge on the Yankees for their quick dump on the Rangers) and it was compounded the next day by the instant celebrity of that kid, who should have been scolded if not spanked. But it was not as disappointing as the moment when all the sets in the entire restaurant were tuned to the snooze-out between Kemp and Gore. What a waste of our misbehavior. Which makes you muse, why not a TV bar where you can watch reruns of Perry Mason or Hawaii Five O? What if there were a grill that had big screen A&E? Or The Food Channel?
Our first visit (around a table, all political allegiances private) we had watched the end of a Bengals game with a friend who had just returned from London, and the culture shock made him wish he never had. Our appreciation of the otherwise meaningless game was slightly enhanced by knowing that our waitress' boyfriend was Ki-Jana Carter. That also accounted for the dingbat quotient--why the Caesar was confused with the sweetly dressed house salad.
It's a mystery I never bother to ponder why sports bars are determined to serve enormous portions of everything, as though you worked up an appetite just watching other people perspire. They just do. So it was no surprise that Big Shots' bruschetta (called "a taste of sophistication" on the menu) was an entire loaf of toasted French bread, split and mounded with three or four cups of tomato chunks mixed with basil, chopped olives, and onions. An appetizer called Southwest Egg Rolls came huddled on the plate, each one stuffed with big chicken pieces, black beans, cilantro, and cheese and served with euphemistically called avocado sauce. Santa Fe Chicken was the big breast of a former chicken halfback, doused in chile sauce and, so very oddly, melted havarti cheese. Northern cheeses are all over Big Shots' menu: Smoked Gouda is melted into the Cajun sauce for penne, and havarti comes on the Monterey Chicken, too. The oak-grilled portobello sandwich, one of the few vegetarian offerings, suffered from the opposite problem: The mushrooms were grilled till the juices flowed, and slices of squash, zucchini, eggplant, and (again) havarti were all so slippery that the sandwich had to be reconstructed after every bite.
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Service slowed considerably at the end of the meal--I'm not sure what Ki-Jana was up to but it wasn't having a positive effect on our dinner, at least until we received a football card along with the outrageous Mudslide, a ridiculously huge hot brownie covered with ice cream and fudge sauce, a Howard Johnson classic gone pro.
When we ate at the bar, service was better and so was the food, though that had nothing to do with our seating. The Yahoo is a take on the sandwich Helen Corbitt made famous--the Duke of Windsor--the only difference being that Mrs. Corbitt never put her hands on bread like this. The sharp Cheddar spread, thin-sliced turkey, pineapple ring, and chutney were layered on Empire Bakery bread, and the outlandish combination tasted as good as ever. The quesadillas came on a platter and were stuffed to sagging with chicken, cheese, bacon, and onions and presented on the counter on a white napkin spread out as a place mat (with the margarita.) The waiter brought extra french fries for us to taste, and the bartender gave the little girl extra cherries in her Shirley Temple. All of which made us feel privileged to be eating beyond the pale, outside the group of Republican big shots.
Big Shots Sports Cafe, 4511 McKinney Ave., (214) 522-4808. Open daily 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
Big Shots Sports Cafe:
Bruschetta $5.95
Southwest Egg Rolls $6.25
Vermont White Cheddar Burger $6.75
Mudslide $3.95
Santa Fe Chicken $8.95
Oak-Grilled Portobello Sandwich $8.50


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Customer Reviews
What You'll Get
Choose from Three Options
- $19 for 10 fitness classes (up to a $99 value)
- $29 for 20 fitness classes (up to a $199 value)
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Ladies select from 20 different group fitness classes including Zumba, kickboxing, Pilates, and circuit training.
Though this merchant sometimes offers a discounted price online, this Groupon is still the best deal available.
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires 180 days after purchase. Amount paid never expires. Limit 2 per person, may buy 2 additional as a gift. Limit 1 per visit. Must activate within 6 months of purchase. 10-class sessions expire one month from activation date. 20-class sessions expire two months from activation date. 24 hour cancellation notice required for spin classes. Valid only for option purchased. Must sign waiver. New members only. All classes must be used by the same person. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
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Lady America Westchester caters to the unique fitness needs of women. Certified trainers lead diverse, upbeat group classes that transform the body through punishing ab workouts, lightening-quick kickboxing jabs, and agile Zumba dance moves, each designed to produce visible results for ladies of all fitness levels. Personal training sessions can provide more nuanced plan for sculpting, toning, and burning calories, and instructors also offer classes in hip-hop and belly dancing. The spacious facility also offers a gleaming sea of stationary bikes, pin-select weight training gear, and free weights, along with childcare services and complimentary nutrition seminars.


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All Comments for
ImpulsebyAlex De Kok©
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Comments (12)
- by impressive07/08/06by Rumple Foreskin07/11/06by Selena_Kitt07/11/06by Queen of Mars07/12/06by Anonymous07/13/06
Ah, those first time lovers...
Everyone remembers their fist time. The tale you spun was intimate ad passionate, however it was not my first time. In general, you write well, and I could visualize he beach, the pines and the sand. There is a sexiness in theimplied tension between the man and the woman, and a peacefulness in their afterglow. I sensed a long time relationship, that took an afternoon at the beach in the Nudist Colony to take that relationship past top dead center. Very nice!by ChucksSite02/09/12
"This moment was ours. Not mine, not hers. Ours." I think this ....
sums up the story. A very tender story. It surprised me on several accounts: one, that the parking lot was half full, but the beach was nearly deserted (must have been a small lot); I thought they were going to have a lot of interaction with others if the beach had been crowded; two, meeting Aunt Jen led me to think that there would be a different direction to the story, maybe orgy type (must have been dreaming); and three, they must have been quite shy for having been together and thinking of marriage, they had apparently limited sexual contact until the "Impulse" - the final rush of all the action at the end. Still, it was a fun story with a nice ending that could be extended into other stories, but can easily stop at it's conclusion. The question is: does she get pregnant from this coupling or was she really protected? What if she wasn't and she did and he wasn't really ready or scared or the responsibility? That would have been a completely different ending. Oh well, I like stories that end happily. Now off to bed to dream about my youth and nude adventures. Thanks, Alex.by Anonymous12/11/13by TheOldRomantic11/27/16
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Greek, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Greek, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
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