text:
Informative, honest, indepth articles on Lotto and
whether other than through sheer luck the odds can be bettered.
Odds is a generic term which covers the different ways of expressing the chances of success for a given Lotto game and is
best understood by adopting some flexibility towards the method of expression. Probability comes under the Odds umbrella and
is the ratio of the chances of success for a given scenario with all the possibilities.
Using the classic and very popular Lotto game where 6 integers (whole numbers or balls) are randomly chosen from 49
then the total possiblities are 13,983,816. You will find this game referred to as a 6/49 Lotto game with the forward slash
used as a seperator and not to indicate division. The odds in favor for the 6/49 Lotto game are usually expressed as the ratio
of playing one combination or line against all the possibilties ie 1 in 13,983,816 and 1 divided by 13,983,816 gives a
probability of success for the unique winning number of 0.00000007 when one line or number is played.
Some official Lotto sites will give Odds Against as in 13,983,816:1 or 13,983,816 to 1.
Since 2003 I have posted on the internet bits and pieces on Odds in Lotto and in this article I will pull as much as I
can together to aid understanding. Probably, the most misunderstood and likely to draw swift dissension concept is that of
reduction or simplification ie 50/100 = 25/50 = 1/2. Playing 1 line your chances of getting 1st prize are 1 in 13,983,816.
No problem there - every one agrees. However, if you play 2 lines your chances of getting 1st prize are 2 in 13,983,816 or
1 in 6,491,908. This reduction is not accepted by some as being valid.
If we have 5 plays then 13,983,816 is not evenly divisible by 5 so it can't be simplified and we are stuck with 5 in
13,983,816. Playing 9 once again 13,983,816 can't be evenly divided by 9 but we can divide each side by 3 to get the simplified
expression 3 in 4,661,272.
Below is a table for the 6/49 Lotto game showing 192 cases where the odds may be expressed as 1 in something because
13,983,816 is evenly divisible by the number of plays.
The concept becomes easier to understand when it is realized that this is just an average ratio dependent on adequate
sampling where the difference is brought down to around the 5% mark compared with the theoretical probability calculation.
If we enumerate the 13,983,816 combinations for a 6/49 Lotto game in lexicographical or numerical order producing an
index at the same time then we would have both 6,991,908 odd and even indexes. ie
Index Combination Odd or Even Index
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
Now, if you take all the 6/49 Lotto games around the world to date and put them into a table while still retaining the
draw date order you will have some 19,577 lines with 24 repeats and a difference between the odds and even indexes from the
full set as described previously of around 5% which is considered normal. Currently, it favours even indexes but over the next
10 to 20 years it could drift the other way.
Using our odds and even indexes the single winning number has either an odd or an even index - it can't have both.
Allocating 1 ticket to the odd indexes and the other to the even we see the valid ratio is 1 in 6,991,908. But as previously
explained we could have a run of 13 even or odd indexes for the draw numbers so this ratio must be considered as valid only
within the context of adequate sampling. Playing just 1 line or ticket there is no guarantee your line will come up in
13,983,816 draws and in fact for that number of draws there will be repeats with only close to 63% unique. Playing 2 lines or
tickets, maybe, no guarantee and how relevant is 140,000 years?
Checking out the various 6/49 games you will find even though you are theoretically playing half the possibilities you
can still have a run of 13 odd or even indexes for 19,577 draws (see table below), Therefore, an adequate sample would have to
be at least around 100 draws. In other words valuing 1 ticket at $1 and 1st prize at $5,000,000 you spend $600,491,908 to get
$250,000,000 plus some secondary prizes. In the USA you are taxed on winnings so you can half that amount. Your stake for such
a foolhardy endeavour would have to be enormous as at times you could lose consecutively some $80,000,000 all efforts
progressing towards a loss of some $350,000,000 - good for the Lotto operators bad for anyone contemplating the idea of
deliberately setting out to get a 1st prize win with an unlimited budget.
RunCnt Cnt
13 1
12 3
11 5
10 9
9 20
8 39
7 62
6 163
5 278
4 640
3 1237
2 2489
1 4838
Odds for winning 1st Prize in 6/49 Lotto game as plays per draw are increased.
Colin Fairbrother


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
You're probably familiar with the Brad Pitt movie, "Moneyball" — or the book it was based on by Michael Lewis. The financially strapped Oakland A's, unable to afford the best players, put together a successful team using data analysis.
Houston native and Rockets fan Muthu Alagappan is trying to do the same for basketball.
He's a Stanford medical student and a math whiz with a dramatic argument: If you run the numbers, they show that the five basic positions in basketball don't reflect how the game is played.
Both the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers have brought Alagappan on as a consultant, and Forbes puts him in the list of the 30 most influential people under age 30 in sports, along with the likes of six-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt and Heat forward LeBron James.
Muthu Alagappan's TEDx Talk in April 2013:
Read More
Slate "As someone who grew up on Bill James, I love statistical analysis, but such analysis is only valuable when it tells us something new and true about the game in question. If there is such illumination to be found in 'From 5 to 13,' I haven't seen it."
Mercury News "Khosla said that Obama was particularly intrigued that their proposed redefinition of positions underscored why it worked fine when, say, two traditional small forwards were on the floor at the same time."
- Muthu Alagappan, sports data scientist with the data analytics firm Ayasdi.


text:
JUAN DOLIO, D.R. – After two busy days in the Dominican Republic between service work and games, Saturday was a day of sightseeing and relaxation for the Bisons basketball team.
The team departed the hotel at 8:30 a.m. for a sightseeing trip into Santo Domingo. The first stop was a local market where the Bisons visited shops and practiced their negotiation skills.
The conversion ratio for a Dominican Peso to a U.S. Dollar is about 38-to-1. Most items could be bought for less than twenty percent of the listed price if properly negotiated.
After completing the shopping, the Bisons visited the Ciudad Colonial (Spanish for "Colonial City") where the first church in the New World was built.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor was constructed from 1512 to 1540. The Cathedral was consecrated by Pope Julius II in 1504 and housed Christopher Columbus' remains until recently.
After lunch at the hotel, most of the team took a short shuttle ride to the beach. Because of a reef, the local beach does not have waves crashing on the shore. Instead the water is fairly level – gathered like a pool a couple of feet deep – for about a hundred yards out to the reef.
The Bisons will attend a local Dominican church service on Sunday morning and will play their third game Sunday evening at 5 p.m. central time in the eastern part of Santo Domingo.


text:
Major Section: EVENTS
Examples: (defabbrev snoc (x y) (append y (list x))) (defabbrev sq (x) (declare (type (signed-byte 8) x)) (* x x))where
General Form: (defabbrev name (v1 ... vn) doc-string decl1 ... declk body)
name is a new function symbol, the
vi are distinct
variable symbols, and
body is a term. The
decli, if supplied,
should be legal
declare forms; see declare.
Doc-string is
an optional documentation string; see doc-string.
Roughly speaking, the
defabbrev event is akin to defining
f so that
(f v1 ... vn) = body. But rather than do this
by adding a new axiom,
defabbrev defines
f to be a macro
so that
(f a1 ... an) expands to
body, with the ``formals,''
vi, replaced by the ``actuals,''
For example, if
snoc is defined as shown in the first example
above, then
(snoc (+ i j) temp) is just an abbreviation for
(append temp (list (+ i j))).
In order to generate efficiently executable Lisp code,
the macro that
defabbrev introduces uses a
let to
bind the ``formals'' to the ``actuals.'' Consider the second
example above. Logically speaking,
(sq (ack i j)) is an
abbreviation for
(* (ack i j) (ack i j)). But in fact
the macro for
sq introduced by
defabbrev actually
arranges for
(sq (ack i j)) to expand to:
(let ((x (ack i j))) (* x x))which executes more efficiently than
(* (ack i j) (ack i j)).
In the theorem prover, the
let above expands to
((lambda (x) (* x x)) (ack i j))and thence to
(* (ack i j) (ack i j)).
It is important to note that the term in
body should not contain a
call of
name -- i.e.,
defabbrev should not be used to in place
defun when the function is recursive. ACL2 will not complain when
defabbrev form is processed, but instead ACL2 will more than
likely go into an infinite loop during macroexpansion of any form that
has a call of
It is also important to note that the parameters of any call of a
macro defined by defabbrev will, as is the case for the parameters
of a function call, be evaluated before the body is evaluated, since
this is the evaluation order of
let. This may lead to some
errors or unexpected inefficiencies during evaluation if the body
contains any conditionally evaluted forms like
if. Consider the following example.
(defabbrev foo (x y) (if (test x) (bar y) nil))Notice a typical one-step expansion of a call of
(see trans1):
ACL2 !>:trans1 (foo expr1 expr2) (LET ((X EXPR1) (Y EXPR2)) (IF (TEST X) (BAR Y) NIL)) ACL2 !>Now imagine that
expr2 is a complicated expression whose
evaluation is intended only when the predicate
test holds of
expr1. The expansion above suggests that
expr2 will always
be evaluated by the call
(foo expr1 expr2), which may be
inefficient (since perhaps we only need that value when
test is
true of
expr1). The evaluation of
expr2 may even cause an
error, for example in
program mode if the expression
expr2 has
been constructed in a manner that could cause a guard violation
test holds of


text:
The cross-disciplinary Molecular Biosciences field is revolutionizing discovery and technological advances in disciplines ranging from agriculture to medicine, from forensics to environmental sciences, from food sciences to renewable energy. The Molecular Biosciences Graduate Program provides training and research opportunities that integrate cellular, molecular, developmental and genomic information and knowledge. The program has a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches, state-of-the-art technologies and innovation to address real world problems.
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Our students are engaged in a wide range of academic pursuits that include degree programs in 160 undergraduate and graduate fields delivered by 6 different colleges.
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Research engages intellectual curiosity, satisfies the thirst for discovery, and provides an outlet for creativity.
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Marking its first hundred years, Arkansas State University continues to expand in exciting ways.


text:
In my last post I should have written:
Today, we execute the same punch in the same stance, but with our shoulders almost at a diagonal and our tanden facing about a 45 degree angle (to the left). We call this position hanmi. Our shoulders are not square to the direction of the punch.I had accidentally written "(to the right)".
Sorry, I still get my right and left confused!
Charles C. Goodin


text:
Soundcraft Mixer Cases RK Flight Case: Best Custom Flight Case Manufacturer > FLIGHT CASES > Mixer Cases > Soundcraft Mixer Cases >
We are professional manufacturer in producing Flight Case, DJ Cases, TV Cases, Lighting Cases, Speaker Cases etc. and other related event products. Specialist in protection solutions, we produce thousands of flight cases worldwide on a monthly basis with our for ever expanding custom workshop. We are proud say our products are Made in RK factory!


text:
Blackened Ahi Tuna
Quick Facts
Servings: 4
Kevin McGuire, Executive Chef, Enchantment Resort
Make sure you buy the freshest possible sashimi grade tuna, and serve it rare or medium rare for the best flavor. Sear the fish in a cast-iron skillet, so that it is cooked on the outside, but still pink on the inside.
- 4 7-ounce (200g) center cut ahi tuna filets
- 1/2 oz salt
- 1/2 oz garlic powder
- 1/2 oz paprika
- 1/2 oz onion powder
- 1/4 oz each, black pepper, white pepper
- 1/8 oz each, cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano
- 3 Tbs wasabi
- 3 fluid ounces (90mL) water
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger root
- 1/2 tsp fresh garlic
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 dash fresh lime juice
- 3/4 cup salad oil
- Preheat cast iron skillet. Rub filets with Cajun Blackening Spice. Sear both sides (no butter or oil needed) until rare or medium/rare.
- Paint plate with Wasabi Vinegar. Cut filet into 2 triangular pieces; overlap. Top with pickled ginger rose. Serve with rice of your choice.
- To make Cajun Blackening Spice:Combine salt, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, black, white and cayenne pepper, thyme and oregano. Mix well.
- To make Wasabi Vinaigrette:Combine wasabi with water and put in blender. Add grated ginger, garlic, white wine vinegar and lime juice into the blender and drizzle in oil while on high speed. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
* Allergy notes: People following a corn-free diet should avoid iodized salt since it contains dextrose, which should be avoided by those allergic to corn.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 621
Calories from Fat 382 (62%)
(67%)Total Fat 43g
(31%)Saturated Fat 6g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
Monounsaturated Fat 30g
(31%)Cholesterol 93mg
(61%)Sodium 1456mg
(31%)Potassium 1090mg
Total Carbohydrate 13g
(16%)Dietary Fiber 4g
Sugars 3g
Sugar Alcohols 0g
(92%)Protein 46g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Nutrition facts are calculated by a food expert using nutritional values provided by the USDA for common products used as recipe ingredients. Actual nutritional values may differ depending on the amounts or products used and can be affected by cooking methods.
Copyright © 2019 Healthnotes, Inc. All rights reserved. www.healthnotes.com
Read our healthy recipe definitions.
Learn more about Healthnotes, the company.
The information presented here is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires December 2019.


text:
Introduction to the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB LCD Projector
Commenting on value in a review is always risky. The worth of a product is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. In the case of the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB, I have every confidence that you will agree when I say, this projector is one of the best values on the market today. For less than the price of many big-screen TVs, you can have the front projection experience with plenty of light, accurate color, high-end video processing, and all at full 1920x1080p. Epson has truly discovered a secret sauce with their products that delivers performance even the pickiest videophiles will appreciate.
When Epson broke through a few years ago with their C2Fine D7 LCD chipset, they opened the door for everyone, not just the well-heeled, to be able to afford quality front projection in the home. Though other manufacturers use the same chips in their projectors, Epson has always had a slight edge in quality and value. I'm continually impressed that even their less-expensive units offer full calibration controls and HQV video processing. And the poor black levels of LCD projectors from not too many years ago have been replaced with rich, deep, and dark tones that only the best LCoS projectors can surpass.
- Design: Front Projector; LCD (Three 0.74″)
- Native Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Anamorphic Lens Support: Yes
- Zoom Ratio: 2.1:1
- Lens Shift: Vertical +/-96.3%, Horizontal +/-47.1%
- Light Output: 1600 Lumens
- Contrast Ratio: 200,000:1 (Dynamic)
- Iris Control: Off, Auto (Normal or High Speed)
- Image size: 30†– 300â€
- Inputs: HDMI 1.3 (2), Component (1), S-Video (1), Composite (1), 15-pin VGA (1)
- Control: RS-232 (1), 12v Trigger (1)
- Lamp Power: 200 Watts
- Rated lamp life: 4000 Hr
- Dimensions: 5.4″ H x 17.7″ W x 14.2″ D
- Weight: 16.5 Pounds
- Warranty: 2 years, 90 Days on Lamp
- Epson
- SECRETS Tags: Projectors, LCD
Design of the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB LCD Projector
The 8700 UB is a fairly simple box with an understated industrial style. The case is white with silver accents and a black vent up front next to the offset lens. Inputs are around back and include two HDMI, one each of component, S-video and composite and a 15-pin VGA port for computer signals. For control, there is an RS-232 connector and a 12-volt trigger which can drop a screen or slide an anamorphic lens into place. On top is the lamp cover which allows bulb changes without taking down the projector, very convenient. Also on top is a control panel with buttons for power and input selection. Menu navigation controls are on the side. The lens controls are all manual with dials for lens shift and rings to adjust zoom and focus. I always prefer these to be motorized but at this price, I'm not complaining. The adjustors are very precise with a positive mechanical feel. Finishing things off underneath are two adjustable feet and threaded inserts for a ceiling mount.
The feature set is quite extensive and offers pretty much everything found in more expensive projectors. The iris is a dual-layer design with one aperture near the light source and one in the lens itself. The built-in HQV video processing chip not only provides quality scaling and de-interlacing, it supports anamorphic lenses with the appropriate aspect ratios. Just like the competition, there is a frame interpolation feature called FineFrame which reduces judder by inserting extra frames up to a maximum rate of 96 fps. Also included are full calibration controls with grayscale, custom gamma curves and a color management system. The 8700 UB is also THX-certified and as far as I know, the only such-certified display to allow total adjustment in its THX picture mode.
The remote is excellent with one-button access to many settings and discrete input selectors. The backlight is soft and can be activated with a key that glows in the dark. At the bottom are buttons that access the CMS, picture memories, color presets, gamma selection, aspect ratio and test patterns. The IR transmitter is extremely powerful which allowed me to point pretty much anywhere and get instant response to commands. While I usually don't pay much attention to projector remotes since they are more often integrated with a universal controller, Epson has earned kudos from me for one of the best clickers I've ever used.
Setup of the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB LCD Projector
The Epson 8700 UB is very flexible and easy to dial in with its generous zoom and lens shift adjustments. All controls are mechanical, which is no big deal except when tweaking focus. I have resorted to using a small spyglass to do this so I don't have to walk back and forth trying to achieve maximum sharpness. I did discover a quirk during this process. When I first powered up the projector after installation, I was unable to find a really sharp focus point. This surprised me a little since even the cheapest projectors these days have pretty good lenses. I worked on the geometry for a bit and watched the montage from Spears & Munsil while tweaking various calibration settings. After 30 minutes or so of power-up time, the focus improved visibly. This is not the only projector out there that changes focus slightly on warm-up, but this Epson shows the anomaly more than previous units I've worked with. Bottom line – let the projector warm up for at least half an hour before adjusting focus. And don't be tempted to adjust it right after a cold start.
The menu system will be familiar to anyone who has used an Epson projector before. There are seven picture modes which are tailored to how much ambient light you have in your particular room. The most accurate by default is THX and since it allows a full calibration, I used that for all my testing and viewing. The Dynamic and Living Room modes crank up the light output and color saturation to help preserve the image when there are some lights on. As with any projector, total darkness produces the best image quality.
All the calibration controls are in the Image menu. The main screen has the usual brightness, contrast, color, tint and sharpness; plus an advanced selection that takes you to the color management system, grayscale adjustment and gamma controls. Sharpness also has separate sliders for thick and thin line adjustment and horizontal/vertical lines as well. These were left off by default and I saw no benefit to changing them.
The Signal menu is the place for setting HDMI range; which I discovered was set to clip below-black and above-white signals by default. To see this information, I had to select Expand instead of Auto. Video outside the 16-235 range is rare but once in a while, it does appear. I believe every component in a video chain should support the full signal from 0 to 255. Also in this menu are the controls for frame interpolation. I chose 4:4 Pulldown which takes a 24Hz input signal and refreshes it at 96Hz by repeating frames. You can choose the Frame Interpolation option if you want smooth, video-like motion in your content. While this is fine for sports, I don't like the look it imparts on film-based content.
Unlike most THX-certified displays, the 8700 UB allows full adjustment of all picture options in its THX mode. This made things super-easy since I was working from a fairly accurate starting point. You'll see in the benchmarks section that you can get a decent image without calibration but there is definitely room for improvement. Calibrating grayscale was quick and painless with RGB high and low controls that did not interact. Gamma was also a breeze to adjust because I didn't have to create a custom curve. In fact all I had to do was choose the 2.2 correction factor to get an excellent measurement. The CMS also worked properly and allowed me to get all color points and luminance to near-perfect levels. Once the calibration was complete, I had the choice of 10 memory slots to save my settings. I love this feature because it allows me to create Rec 601 and Rec 709 color gamut presets as well as a 5600K color temp for black & white movies. Plus, your carefully created settings are protected from accidental change.
After this, I checked out some full-field patterns to assess the unit's convergence and field uniformity. In my experience with LCD projectors, this can vary from sample to sample. This particular unit showed a bit of green tint down the extreme right side of the screen. It was far from being a deal breaker and it never bothered me with actual content. The rest of the field was excellent. Convergence on cross-hatch patterns looked quite good with the all-important center of the image looking the best of all.
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB LCD Projector In Use
Terminator 2 on Blu-ray is not the very best transfer out there and unfortunately I don't have the recently re-mastered version. Film grain is ever-present and color is somewhat flat. The Epson managed to do a decent job with this not-so-great material. Shadow detail held up well in the all-important dark scenes without an increase in image noise. I used the auto iris on its high-speed setting and saw no brightness pumping at all. I also did not hear the iris doing its thing, which was nice. Many projectors have an audible motor driving the iris and it can be annoying when the unit is mounted right overhead. Epson has provided a very quiet mechanism here.
Terminator 3 is the best of the transfers from James Cameron's famous trilogy. While not reference quality, it holds up extremely well. Detail looked nice and sharp with great color. I especially enjoyed the makeup and CGI effects when Arnold Schwarzenegger had most of his face ripped off exposing the metal frame beneath. You really will believe he's a robot from the future! There isn't too much dark material in the film but what there was looked great with nice deep blacks and well-rendered shadows. Explosions, which can sometimes look grainy or blocky, came off nicely without any moiré or other motion artifacts. This excellent video processing is thanks to the 8700 UB's HQV chip.
Terminator Salvation is an extremely dark film with an almost monochromatic color palette. It's easy for the image to look flat thanks to its subdued presentation. The Epson did pretty well here with excellent contrast performance. While it didn't quite have the pop I've seen on more expensive projectors, it still looked quite excellent. Detail was decent with only a hint of softness which I attribute to the lens. Color and contrast were on par with projectors costing much more. Night scenes held up very well and the auto-iris worked seamlessly to increase dynamic range without any visible artifacts.
The Song Remains the Same is a vintage film from mega-band Led Zeppelin, shot in the mid-seventies. Quality is on the level of a good documentary which means soft and grainy. I still enjoyed the presentation on the 8700. Color was nicely saturated and flesh tones held up well even under the colored lights of Madison Square Garden. With the frequent flashing of stage lighting, I thought I might see the iris in action but it was seamless in operation. This is an auto-iris I can live with. It enhances contrast without hurting highlight or shadow detail and there are no visible artifacts.
To give the Epson a chance with the very sharpest and most colorful material, I chose Toy Story 3 from Pixar. Color was beautifully saturated and bold; just as the creators intended. I have yet to see a Pixar film that isn't reference quality and the Epson had no problem looking fantastic. The image looked 3D even without those pesky glasses. Despite the high levels of saturation, color still looked natural with no loss of detail whatsoever. Seeing the best material on this projector really demonstrates what an excellent value it is.
During my viewing, I tried out the FineFrame feature to check out Epson's take on frame interpolation. Even though I'm not a fan of the look the technology imparts, some displays do a better job than others. I can say the 8700 UB did not introduce any additional artifacts like frame tears or dropouts. Motion with this turned on became smoother as I increased the level (there are three choices). The lightest setting only reduced judder slightly while the most aggressive made things super-smooth. If you use your projector to watch sports, this would be very useful. For movie-watching though, I preferred the 4:4 pulldown option which repeats each frame four times for a refresh rate of 96Hz.
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB LCD Projector On The Bench
Equipment used: EyeOne Pro spectrophotometer, CalMAN Professional 3.7 analysis software, Accupel HDG-3000 signal generator, Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray disc.
All measurements were taken off the screen (Carada Brilliant White, gain 1.4) from the seating position (10 feet back). Video processing tests were performed using an Oppo BDP-83 connected directly to the projector and set to Source Direct mode.
Unlike most THX-certified displays, the Epson allows full adjustment in its THX mode. This made calibration fairly easy as the starting point was not too far off the mark. Pre-calibration gamut was close to perfect with just a little variance in the secondary colors. Luminance was also within a whisker of perfect.
Pre-calibration grayscale was quite green from bottom to top. As you can see by the high DeltaE numbers, this was plainly visible. It's a good thing there are white balance adjustments available in THX mode! Gamma out of the box was not too bad at an average of 2.10 with flat tracking. This was measured with the auto-iris turned off.
Only a few minor tweaks were necessary to achieve accurate color with the Epson's CMS. There are hue, saturation and lightness controls for all six colors and as you can see, they work correctly. Luminance was within 0.15 foot-Lamberts for all colors and the CIE points are spot-on.
After adjustment, the grayscale tracked with an error of less than 1 DeltaE at all brightness levels except 100 percent. That error of 1.8 is still well below the threshold of visibility. Gamma tracking is also nice and flat with an average factor of 2.21. I only needed to raise the overall correction factor to achieve this. No adjustment of individual points was necessary. Again, this is measured with the auto iris turned off.
Video processing was excellent, which is no great surprise given the included HQV chip. The 2:2 test was a little slow to lock on but once it did, it maintained itself properly. The 8700 passed all the film mode tests. There were no problems with the horizontal mixed film/video test but the vertical one showed quite a bit of line twitter. Jaggies clips were all handled well with minimal artifacting. To see maximum resolution, I had to set my player to output an RGB Video signal. 4:4:4 and 4:2:2 would not show the 1-pixel pattern in either a multi-burst or zone plate. The error is hard to see in actual content but this is the reason you want a Blu-ray player that gives you signal output options.
Epson prides itself on the contrast levels of their projectors and the 8700 is a fine example of the breed. Minimum black measured .006 fL with the auto iris turned off. When it was on, the black level was immeasurable. I recorded a maximum brightness level of 26.4 fL with the lamp in eco mode which is quite high. This makes the on/off contrast ratio 4400:1 which is very good. Perceived contrast improves when the auto iris is turned on. With its high output, this projector would benefit from a manual iris. Closing down a bit would improve black levels further and make it easier to get the max level to a more comfortable 15 fL.
Optics and panel alignment were about average for an LCD projector in this price range. Field uniformity was decent with only a little green tint on the right side of the screen. Focus patterns showed very good panel convergence. When first powering on the projector, the image is a tad soft but after 30 minutes or so, sharpness improves to a good level. The lens showed no significant chromatic aberrations and focus was consistent from edge to edge.
Conclusion about the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB LCD Projector
The Good
- Accurate image fully adjustable in THX mode
- Decent out-of-the-box performance
- Excellent light output
- Easy to install with generous lens shift and zoom
- Superb remote
- Phenomenal value
The Not So Good
- Slight green tint in lower right of screen
- Focus takes about 30 minutes of warmup to reach peak sharpness
Over the last few years, Epson has really come to the forefront of the under-$5,000 class in front projection. It wasn't long ago a 50-inch TV would cost you $5k. Now you can have a 100-inch picture for around $3k; and that's if you buy a pretty nice screen. I love a big flat panel but nothing beats a projector for the true cinema experience. Since I built my theater three years ago, I haven't set foot inside a movie house – there's just no reason to. With a reasonably-priced projector and surround sound system, you can beat all but the very best theaters right in your own home. If you're thinking about taking the plunge, and you have a spare room you can make light-tight, the Epson 8700 UB will make you a very happy camper. With its accurate, bright image and easy installation, I can't imagine a better choice for under $3,000. It receives my highest recommendation.


text:
I would like to suggest that we divorce specific US election discussion from the 'General politics' topic. US political issues already so dominate there that discussion of other (global) issues is becoming increasingly difficult.
Next year's US elections will be a possible watershed in the country's history, and are likely to attract increasing comment and debate. It seems reasonable to me to confine specific election-related discussion to a separate topic.
(This can easily be locked or deleted should the powers that be think otherwise.)


text:
|2012-06-10, 23:04
|Link #1361
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brazil
Also very interesting article.
|2012-06-11, 00:00
|Link #1362
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
True..there isn't alot of promotion but even if they don't promote it in Akiba, AKB's fanbase has expanded out from that area yrs ago. I'm sure AKB fans know about the show, and that's a pretty large amount of people already. Watanabe Mayu is actually 2nd ranking member now, and received alot of news about her being the next ace and since she's in this anime, it might draw attention to this show.
If alot of fans aren't able to see the show on TV, but they probably know about it since news of AKB anime was covered by Oricon website as well as morning news shows that usually don't cover anime releases, there's high chance they might buy the BD, especially since the price of the 1st volume seem pretty cheap.
Anyway~ preview for next ep...Oh damn..Takamina D:
Last edited by mochichan; 2012-06-11 at 01:03.
|2012-06-11, 01:03
|Link #1365
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
that would really give way since there's hint of Kanata's succession but I hope not in this way...D:
I don't like the idea of "well, this successor got blew up by mecha from the government so you're next, good luck"......:\
|2012-06-11, 01:27
|Link #1367
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
As expected, Chieri cried . However, she is somehow a over gown loli + imouto chara type. Having Takamina story in this episode is good as it shows that the current sucessors have their own flaws as well
Spoiler for Thoughts about episode 7:
Spoiler for Episode 8:
|2012-06-11, 01:39
|Link #1368
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Last edited by Kazu-kun; 2012-06-11 at 23:06.
|2012-06-11, 01:43
|Link #1369
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Spoiler for ep 7:
Anyway I don't think we have to worry about that since this Takamina isn't the exact real Takahashi Minami.
|2012-06-11, 01:53
|Link #1371
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
So yeah, it's not out of the question. It could happen. The staff definitely thought about it at the very least.
|2012-06-11, 06:30
|Link #1372
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
I just watched the sub version partially. It seems that takamina is not happy because Kanata will never get promoted as long as she is around but she angst because someone is going to replace her in time to come. I guess the earlier reason might be it.
|2012-06-11, 06:55
|Link #1373
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Anyway, I'm hoping next episode she'll realize that she can't keep being insecure about her position even if Kanata is closer to the original Takahashi, because everyone depends on her as AKB's leader. Right now she is Takamina, not Kanata, and she needs to do her best for the group's sake.
Provided they don't kill her off, of course....
Last edited by Kazu-kun; 2012-06-11 at 07:26.
|2012-06-11, 08:02
|Link #1374
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brazil
I thnk next episode will be a life and death situation which will make Takamina get her confidence in herself back.
|2012-06-11, 08:04
|Link #1375
Prefectural Magical Girl
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Paris, France
|2012-06-11, 08:44
|Link #1376
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
A death at this point is hardly Kawamori's style of anime. If he do, it will be either the end of this season or the middle of season 2, my guess will be the later.
I do hope one thing, we will see Acchan in the next episode in a flashback.
|2012-06-11, 10:00
|Link #1377
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Some of the girls finally got the chance to be on stage.
They sure made an interesting selection for the stand-ins.
The rest were still enjoying themselves and training hard as usual.
Kanata was surprisingly supportive to Chieri.
Those Kirara of succession were pretty interesting.
Takamina sure tookthe kirara's new decision badly.
|2012-06-11, 10:01
|Link #1378
Last Engage
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Florida
AKB0048 07 - Glowing Recommendation
I like the design of the Kirara Forest/Shrine thing. Areas with that supernatural, not of this Earth feeling have always captivated me. The idea of having the next generation picked by the Kirara is interesting, and makes me wonder. Is Sensei-sensei possibly a giant Kirara itself? The idea wouldn't be too out of the way at this point.
Figured Chieri's secret would have to come to the forefront eventually. Kanata returning the favor was a pretty good way to handle it. Makes it feel like the character development came full circle, though another thread has already opened up. Nagisa was all ready to succeed Yuuko... and probably won't. At least, for now. I can see this having repercussions for a few episodes.
And on a completely unrelated note, what gave Sonata the idea that bears hop?
|2012-06-11, 10:14
|Link #1379
its Ghost Madoka time!!!
wow an orgy in the dressing room....... holy crap!! a sacred place filled with lots of Kiraras!! & their LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL's are amplified to over 9000 or infinity!!
i wonder what's running in Nagisa's head when she barged into the room then saw Chieri & Kanata embracing with eachother on the floor?..... hmmm, suspicious......
|2012-06-11, 11:12
|Link #1380
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Poor Takamina! What a thing to have happen! Don't give up, captain. Don't give up on yourself, and don't give up on Kanata. You have been there as a strong leader when the others needed you, don't give up on yourself now! And don't let them tell you who you can or cannot be, or who Kanata can or cannot be. You were strong enough to become Takamina in the first place, you can be strong enough to tell them that you will not accept having to give up your position or forcing Kanata to stay a trainee for years until you retire. Have faith in yourself, and faith in Kanata, and you can find a way to overcome this.
With that "no one can replace her" bit at the end, I hope Yuuko doesn't get upset with Kanata. I'd like to think she's smarter than that, but she does seem to be the sort of person who acts first based on her emotions rather than rational thought. Ooo... I don't like tension among the girls. I believe trusting themselves and trusting each other is as important a part of being an idol in this universe as all the singing, dancing, and emoting stuff is. Chieri's Kirara reacted strongly to Nagisa's determination to be on that stage with her friends. I believe that unity is essential.
And I just remembered something that worries me a bit. Chieri's kirara disappeared when she was embarrassed about trying to pull Yuuko's sexy pose in front of the window. I don't think it ever came back throughout the rest of the episode. That... makes me concerned.
|action-adventure, idols, musical anime
|Thread Tools


text:
Yahoo just announced that it's hiring Kathy Savitt, the CEO of Lockerz, a photo-sharing site, as its chief marketing officer.
It's another hiring coup for new CEO Marissa Mayer, who's been bringing in talent to reinvigorate the Internet media giant.
To date, Mayer's largely picked close confidants from her days at Google. Savitt's hire shows that she can get startup talent, too.
Before founding Lockerz, Savitt was the chief marketing officer at American Eagle Outfitters, a teen-oriented clothing retailer.
According to a press release from Lockerz, Savitt is becoming chairman of the board and making an investment in the company. COO Mark Stabingas, a former Amazon.com executive, will be CEO.
Get the latest Yahoo stock price here.


text:
Dr. Tim Crews
Professor of Environmental Studies/Agroecology, Prescott College
(Previous Director of Environmental Studies Program)
1) What kind of students major in Environmental Studies?
Students who major in Environmental Studies tend to be people who have an underlying love of the natural world, who are not narrowly focused on one discipline, and who want to make a difference in society.
2) Is the broad and interdisciplinary nature of an Environmental Studies degree too generalized to have useful applications in jobs out in the field? Why or why not?
There is no question that the broad and interdisciplinary nature of an Environmental Studies education leaves students at a disadvantage for what I will refer to as "cookie cutter" jobs. In other words, if a very specific set of technical skills are required for a particular position, such as a computer programmer, Environmental Studies students tend not to be very competative. However, in jobs where the employer expects the employee to be able to think on his or her feet, problem-solve, and be in leadership positions, Environmental Studies students are often amongst the most qualified.
3) What kinds of jobs are available to ES graduates? What kinds of companies are specifically looking for ES graduates?
Students from our ES program are hired by researchers conducting field work, by public and non-profit land management agencies, by schools (as teachers), by architectual firms interested in ecological design, all types of non-profit organizations ranging from interests in seed-conservation to enviornmental advocacy. Finally, many of our students are successful at gaining admission to graduate school.
4) How can Environmental Studies students gain an edge in the post-graduation job market? What's the best way to land a job with an ES degree?
I would encourage a graduate to get a job with the company or organization that s/he is attracted to. The position does not have to be the dream position as the goal is simply to get a foot in the door so s/he can be recognized. Time and time again, the liberally educated students will stick out and shine in the work environment because they have invested in developing critical thinking skills and have learned how to learn. These traits become evident very quickly, and in many cases will allow the graduates to matriculate into positions that are very difficult to obtain in an open application process.
5) Do you have any advice for prospective students entering an Environmental Studies program?
My advice would be first, to not focus excessively on "the job market" througout one's education, but rather to focus on developing a passion for an area of study that will do some good in the world. Second, I would strongly encourage the prospective students to pay attention to how they learn; in other words, learn how to learn. Following this advice, graduates will emerge who are highly motivated, smart, and ready to learn more in the work place where they end up. Finally, I would encourage prospective students to use their education to make the world a better place, not just to land a job.


text:
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text:
What sport did you play at Lipscomb? What years? Who were your coaches?
"I played basketball in 1944 and 1945. Eugene "Fessor†Boyce was my coach.â€
What is your fondest athletic memory at Lipscomb?
"I have two. One was playing against David Scobey, who had played at Lipscomb before transferring to Vanderbilt.
"I played college basketball at age 16 while I was still in high school. I couldn't play high school basketball because I was a transfer student. I don't know if I was that good. They had an extremely good high school team back then.
"The college was not a member of any organization then. They told me they needed someone to play on the college team. They said if I would take high school courses in college that they would register me as a college student and give me high school credit for the courses I needed to graduate. I got some college credit along with that too.
"It was hard to find players because of World War II. We only had nine players on the team. I was a guard. I ended up making first team.
"We made one long trip. We went to Cookeville to play Tennessee Tech.â€
Who had the biggest influence on you during your athletic career at Lipscomb? How?
â€â€™Fessor' Boyce because of his humility. He did a little bit of everything back then. He coached tennis and golf and taught two or three classes.
"He was one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet. He was very easy-going. He never got upset.â€
What is the fondest non-athletic memory from your time at Lipscomb?
"The Christian fellowship. All of the students were quality students. I would say that 99 percent of them were members of the Church of Christ. Just being associated with that group of people was so different to me than it was when I was growing up and going to a public school. "
What is the most valuable thing you gained or learned from your time at Lipscomb?
"Friendships that have lasted a lifetime.â€
Who was your favorite professor>? Why?
Harris J. Dark for his knowledge of the Bible, his correct interpretation and the application of its teaching.â€
Where do you live now?
In Brentwood, Tenn.
Who is your employer? What is your occupation? What does your position entail?
"I retired in 1993. I was with the Dana Corporation as a distribution manager for the midsouth working with independent distributors. I was also an accountant for seven-and-a-half years.â€
Tell us about your family.
"My wife's name is Nancy. We have a daughter, Suzanne Ramsey, and a son-in-law, Fred. We have two grandchildren, Paul Allen and Olivia Ray Ramsey.â€
Lynn Harris does not have an e-mail address.


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text:
Just wanted to pass this link along,
Note the above is hopefully the first in a series, as it is using the consumption of web services to get the information. The demo is not interactive (ie you cannot perform searches or insert data), but since you are exchanging information with a web server, the possibility of modifying the example is certainly doable.
If you aren't reading http://www.informixhowto.com on a regular basis I would definitely suggest you do.


text:
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I would not vote for Barack Obama for president of our United States. He does not have enough experience. He could not be effective in foreign affairs or the job of commander in chief of our military.
Clyde E. Powers
Heath Springs
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text:
Swiss win third straight to start Worlds
Stockholm, Sweden – Switzerland won its third straight game without a loss on Monday at the 2013 World Hockey Championship.
The Swiss, coming off a stunning 3-2 shootout win over Canada on Sunday, scored three times in the third period to rally for a 5-2 victory over the Czech Republic on Monday.
Simon Moser scored the tying goal at the 5:47 mark of the third and Simon Bodenmann snapped the deadlock with 6:38 remaining before Reto Suri sealed it with an empty-netter.
Switzerland also beat Sweden on Friday and sits atop Group S. The Swiss have played most of the tough competition in their group and still have games against Slovenia, Denmark, Norway and Belarus remaining.
Jiri Hudler tallied both goals for the Czechs, who lost to Sweden on Saturday after beating Belarus in their opener.
Also in Group S action, Sweden defeated Belarus by a 2-1 margin.
In Group H play, Slovakia edged Germany, 3-2, and Finland beat France by a 3-1 margin.


text: As a band, Blackguard is a lot of things to a lot of people. Symphonic metal. Power metal. Folk metal. Death metal. A band that knows how to raise the rafters, bring down the house and entertain the multitudes. A band that puts on the same show, gives every effort, for forty or four thousand. The public face of this non-stop touring train is Paul "Ablaze" Zinay, lyricist, vocalist, frontman extraordinaire, who beneath all the intense metal carousing is a man with a gregarious personality and an easy smile. He and I sat down just a couple hours before he and Blackguard would take the stage to talk music, his native Canada, the nature of subgenres, where the band has come from and where they're going next.


text:
Decision : CONF 203 VIII.B.1
Inscription: L'viv - The Ensemble of the Historic Centre (Ukraine)
Property: L'viv - The Ensemble of the Historic Centre
Id. N°: 865
State Party: Ukraine
Criteria: C(ii)(v)
The Committee inscribed this site on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii), and (v):
Criterion (ii): In its urban fabric and its architecture, L'viv is an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of Eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany.
Criterion (v): The political and commercial role of L'viv attracted to it a number of ethnic groups with different cultural and religious traditions, who established separate yet interdependent communities within the city, evidence for which is still discernible in the modern townscape.
The Delegate of Hungary remarked that State Party would need to give increased attention to the management of tourism at this site.
The Observer of Poland commended the State Party for this nomination (see Annex VII.2 to this report). The Mayor of L'viv thanked the Committee and pledged to maintain and promote the plural cultural values of this property.


text:
The IT security unit of the University of Warwick has announced a certification agreement with information security body (ISC)², the administrator of CISSP professional security accreditation.
The WMG research unit at the university has made the deal, which will see its MSc in cyber security and management graduates be helped into the workforce. The agreement involves a specially devised (ISC)² three-day CISSP compact course being offered to them and the opportunity to become associate members of the (ISC)² 4000-strong professional community.
"This agreement allows our students to gain a certification that provides a breadth of requisite underpinnings in the cyber security domain," said Harjinder Singh Lallie, senior teaching fellow for cyber security at WMG.
"We consider the CISSP certification to be the most highly sought-after in cyber security. It carries international recognition and significance and provides our students with an excellent advantage when seeking employment."
WMG has 700 enrolled students. WMG now becomes the second university in the UK to support its MSc programme graduates with an (ISC)² certification programme, following Royal Holloway College at the University of London.
(ISC)² has also launched its Young Professionals initiative, a new group designed to "help cultivate the information security workforce of the future".
The pilot stage will begin with eight (ISC)² chapters around the world, and it will be rolled out across the organisation in early 2013. Membership is aimed at those still in secondary school, recently graduated from university or new to the workforce.
It is open to aspiring and active cyber security professionals age 35 and under "who are looking for ways to bolster their careers and deepen their connections to the professional community", said (ISC)².
Members of the Young Professionals will gain access to mentoring opportunities, specialised education, career support and guidance, as well as networking opportunities.


text:
I would like to discuss nomenclature, but I think it would be best in a group than on a forum where discussions eventually fall off the page. Also, I don't find it easy to search here. Is it that "nomenclature" is a word most atheists don't know? We can't assume that atheists are any one stereotype.
The idea came to me, because I recently used the phrase "counting my blessings" - people generally understand what that means, but some connect it to religious language.
I also sign a song I love with the word "grace" and I'm trying to understand that word in a non-religious context, but is there such a thing or is that really just a religious word? Can we give grace to each other or is that only attributed to "God"?
I don't want to start a group if no one else is interested in this topic and maybe a group is NOT a good idea for some reason I'm not aware of, because I only use this forum sporadically. So, those who use this board a lot or main moderators here, what do you think about that?
Views: 80
I think this type of topic would be right at home in the group, LINGUAPHILES & SESQUIPEDALIANS.
But, there are countless groups on here, some I can't even fathom what they have to do with the purpose of this site (at least remotely related to atheism, even if just peripherally… aside from "no theists allowed"), there's nothing to stop you from starting a group. But if you want others involved, I would think finding an existing group is always better, if one can be found that fits the bill.
I agree that it's best to use an existing group. Thanks for the suggestion. Don't know if I'll get an answer there, but we'll see.
I helped "get the ball rolling" on there...
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text:
Hallidie Wilt
2012: Concluded collegiate career with second appearance at the NCAA championships … competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAAs, finishing 14th in the prelims at 11:28.58 … qualified automatically for the NCAAs with a personal-best time of 10:31.30 in the steeplechase at the Stanford Invitational – the second-fastest time in GNAC history, second to UAA's Susan Tanui … named all-region in the steeplechaseproduced a career-best time of 17:06.14 in the 5,000 meters at the Willamette Invite on March 30 … registered a season-best time of 4:39.01 in the 1500 meters at the GNAC championships in May … at the GNACs, finished runner-up in the steeplechase with a time of 10:47.41 and finished fifth in the 1500 meters …named GNAC Athlete of the Week on March 13.
2011: Redshirt.
2010: Made NCAA debut as a junior in the 3,000-meter steeplechase … finished in 15th place at Nationals with a time of 10:57.68 … broke the UAA record in the steeplechase at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 15 with a time of 10:48.90 – a NCAA provisional qualifying time … second leg of the 4x400-meter relay team that posted a UAA record-time of 4:00.61 at GNACs … ranked 2nd on the GNAC performance list in the steeplechase … set personal-best time in the 800 (2:18.28), 1500 (4:36.69) and 5,000 (17:23.36) … on the all-time UAA list, ranked 4th in the 800, 5th in the 1500, and 6th in the 5,000.
2009: Set career-bests in three of four events during sophomore season ... posted times of 2:18.55 in the 800, 4:41.68 in the 1500 and 17:48.10 in the 5,000 ... registered UAA's 3rd-fastest time of the season in the 800, and 2nd-fastest in both the 1500 and 5,000 … finished the season in the top 10 of the GNAC in both the 1500 and 5,000.
2008: Competed in three events at the GNAC Championships, earning three top-10 results ... best effort at conference meet was 5th in the 5,000 ... also placed 7th in the 1500 and 10th in the 3000 at GNACs ... registered 4th-best 1500 time in school history.
BEFORE UAA: Placed 5th overall in the girls 1-2-3A event at the 2006 Alaska State High School Cross Country Championships ... finished 10th at the 2005 state meet.
PERSONAL: Nursing and psychology major.
CAREER BESTS:800-Meter Run: 2:18.28 (4/2/10 at Willamette Invite)
1500-Meter Run: 4:36.69 (4/17/10 at Long Beach Invite)
3,000-Meter Run: 10:52.92 (5/3/08 at GNAC Championships)
5,000-Meter Run: 17:06.14 (3/31/12 at Willamette Invite)
3,000-Meter Steeplechase: 10:31.30 (4/6/12 at Stanford Invite)
|Volunteer Coach
|High School:
|Unalaska HS
|1st Year
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Some days at work, I sit here at my desk and think, "There is no way people would believe what goes on here on a daily basis!"
You might think working at a non-profit which deals with a horrible disease like breast cancer would be pretty sobering. While that can be true some days, for example when we heard of the untimely death of Elizabeth Edwards this week, most days at the PBCC are full of fun and laughter.
One example of this is our annual staff photo. Since we hire a great professional photographer to capture the events of our October conference on film (boy, isn't that phrase out-of-date now that we all use digital cameras!) we use that opportunity to have a staff photo taken. Here is the one we had taken this year.
Another fun time is our weekly staff meeting. Not a meeting goes by that we don't diverge off into some crazy tangent for a few minutes. And getting us back on track can sometimes be a chore! We also have assigned tasks each week. One of us is in charge of inspiration – reading some heartwarming quote or story to the group. Someone else provides a word of the day which we all try to work into the meeting. Our competitiveness sometimes comes out and things can get a little crazy. Imagine trying to use the words "soporific", "perspicacious" or "bloviate" in casual conversation! And another staffer shares some sort of tip, which could be a book or movie recommendation, a favorite recipe, some work-related advice or even just life lessons. Some past tips included ways to winterize your home, how to create an edible snack bowl out of Chex Mix, and how to survive a nuclear attack. As you can imagine, our meetings often devolve into howls of laughter.
I feel so blessed and grateful to work in an office where laughter, fun and smiles are the norm. I get to meet such special people in the breast cancer community and I get to work in a fun, relaxed office atmosphere. What more could I want?


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We finished our expedition last week on Thursday. What a great trip! It has been several years since I have been able to spend such a long time in the forest, and this experience has reminded me of how satisfying the 'field life' can be. To be able to focus on one thing at a time, and to have only a few types of tasks to accomplish, feels so much healthier than the overloaded, email-driven, multi-tasking life that I lead most of the time. Ironically, I spent a lot of time behind a computer while at the site (until 10:00pm most nights), matching the images of our trees, but the timely completion of this activity was only possible because of a lack of other computerized demands. There is no way I could find time outside the forest to match images of nearly 1,000 trees!
I also fell in love with this particular patch of forest. Leaving our camp was sad. On departure day, everyone was awake and busy before sunrise. We packed up camp in just a few hours, and burned the poles we had used for construction, to prevent the site from being used by hunters. We had requested five extra porters to transport the specimens, equipment, and tarpaulins out, and I let the large caravan of backpacks go on ahead. I then enjoyed a couple hours alone, tending the fires, taking some photos, enjoying one last dip in the sun-dappled river, and picking up odd bits of trash. We did a pretty good job cleaning up, with little to mark our stay other than the areas cleared of seedlings where the tents stood. Eventually, I had to force myself to saddle up and get going, since we had planned for a truck to be waiting in the village at 3:00pm to take our gear back to Sukadana.
Even though I'm back in the village now, there's much more to say about our trip, and so there will be some more posts about Lembah Palung ('Palung valley') before I switch to describing the analysis of our collections and data.


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You are Talion, a Ranger of the Black Gate, keeping watch over Mordor which has remained undisturbed for ages. In the blink of an eye, everything is taken from you - your friends, your family, and even your own life. Resurrected by a vengeful spirit, you must now embark on a relentless vendetta against those who have wronged you.
Fight through Mordor and uncover the truth of the spirit that compels you, discover the origins of the Rings of Power, build your legend and ultimately confront the evil of Sauron in this new chronicle in Middle-earth.
If you are a fan of Middle Earth franchise, check out all the latest Middle-Earth: Shadow of War games and accessories available for PlayStation and Xbox now.
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Restarting or factory resetting your Verizon Thunderbolt 4G LTE phone
Restarting your phone (soft reset)
If your phone is running slower than normal, an application is not performing properly, or your phone becomes unresponsive, try restarting your phone and see if that helps solve the problem.
If the display is off, press the POWER button to turn it back on.
Unlock your phone if the Lock screen is displayed.
Press and hold the POWER button, and then tap Restart.
When asked to confirm, tap Restart.
If you can't restart the phone following the above steps, remove the battery, wait for a few seconds, reinsert the battery, and then turn the phone on.
Performing a HTC Thunderbolt factory reset (hard reset)
Performing a HTC Thunderbolt LTE 4G factory reset using phone buttons
If you can't turn on your phone or access the phone settings, you can still perform a factory reset by using the buttons on the phone.
With the phone turned off, press and hold the VOLUME DOWN button, and then press the POWER button for a while.
Wait for the screen with the three Android images to appear, and then release the VOLUME DOWN button.
Press VOLUME DOWN to select FACTORY RESET, and then press the POWER button.
If you're passing your phone on to someone else or your phone has a persistent problem that cannot be solved, you can do a factory reset (also called a hard reset). This returns your phone to the state it was in before the first time you turned it on.
Factory reset will not erase the data and files that are on the storage card.
Factory reset is not a step to be taken lightly. It'll permanently delete all your data and customized settings, and will remove any applications you've downloaded and installed. Be sure to back up any data and files you want to keep before you do a factory reset.
Performing a factory reset via settings
From the Home screen, press MENU, and then tap Settings.
Tap SD & phone storage > Factory data reset.
On the Factory data reset screen, tap Reset phone, and then tap Erase everything.


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The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest court in the State of Oklahoma with appellate jurisdiction in criminal cases. It is the state court of last resort in criminal matters. The Court derives its origin and jurisdiction from the state constitution, which was formulated by the constitutional convention and submitted to and adopted by the people of Oklahoma at the first election, held on September 17, 1907.
From left Judge Gary Lumpkin, Presiding Judge David Lewis, Vice-Presiding Judge Dana Kuehn, Judge Robert Hudson, Judge Scott Rowland.
For a short essay on the history of the Court, click here.
Click OCCA Online to access this Court's information server. This service provides access to the dockets and opinions of
the Court, as well as other information, such as a current copy of our rules and uniform jury instructions, etc.
Copyright © 2015 Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. All rights reserved.


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Well--looks like Italy anyway!!
So...what's a crimbo party?
We begin in Vilnius, Lithuania, the 5th pit stop in this whirlwind race around the world.Six teams remain after Shana & Jennifer were eliminated. We know from last week that TK & Rachel arrived first and were rewarded with (dreaded product placement ahead) a 10 day trip to Japan courtesy of Travelocity.Because they were the first to allegedly arrive at 1 p.m., TK & Rachel will leave 12 hours later at 1 a.m.They find that they'll leave Vilnius and fly 900 miles to Dubrovnik, Croatia. From there, they'll travel to the base of the Fort of St. Lawrence, which looks totally cool from the picture you see here, where they will find their clue. Teams receive $109 dollars for this leg of the race.Just one minute later, our lovely Goths, Kynt & Vyxsin get their clue to meet up with TK & Rachel to head to the airport.TK says he keeps a cool head in the race not because it's for the race, but because that's the way he is and Rachel adds it's best for their relationship. Isn't that the truth? Too many times in this race, we've seen couples with a volatile dynamic crumble before our eyes. Peter & Sarah from TAR10 comes to mind as a prime example. They essentially broke up on the mat when they were eliminated. Are you listening, Nathan & Jen?Anyway, Rachel says Croatia sounds like a place where gymnasts come from. No, it's where hot tennis players come from. So we continue.As the Goths try to keep up with TK & Rachel, Kynt who's wearing a matching pink hat with our lovely Vyxsin says they've not had the pleasure of hearing Phil say they're team number one. They'd like to change that today.Ron & Christina leave third and they, meaning he, decides not to take a taxi and they run over to a hotel to make reservations for a flight to Dubrovnik. There are times when the ugly Ronald rears its ugly head, but Christina is getting better at nipping it in the bud, before it gets out of hand. We all remember what happened in the second leg when Ron kept criticizing Christina until she almost wilted. Well, she's speaking up and keeping Ron in check. As they get to the hotel, Ron asks nicely to use a phone for a long distance call and Christina points out how nice he was to the clerk thus, he should be nice to her. Yeah!Azaria & Hendekea are the 4th to leave the pit stop. This team has been strong, but as Hendekea notes, Azaria has a tendency to be a control freak. And really imposes his will on Hendekea. This is the part of this team I don't like. The way he gets into his sister's face and doesn't realize she's all grown up and not this dainty flower. All older brothers feel this way about their younger sisters, but you do have to realize that the girl can take care of herself. It's easier said than done, but Azaria can get arrogant. I speak from personal knowledge as I have two younger sisters, but it's tough to realize they're not babies anymore. As I get off my soapbox, we move on.TK & Rach and the Goths get to the airport where they research the internet. Kynt says he identifies with TK & Rachel because they go off the beaten path like he and Vyxsin and I have to agree. Both teams have been on even keels throughout this race and have not allowed arguments to get in their ways. They find flights the earliest flight through Czech Airlines of which the ticket office at the airport opens at 4;30 a.m. TK & Rachel start forming the line there while the Goths keep looking for more flights at the computer.Ron & Christina are able to reserve a flight from LOT Polish Airlines leaving Vilnius at 6:25 a.m. arriving in Dubrovnik at 11:25 that same morning.Next to leave are Nathan & Jennifer. Now Jennifer says she's been enjoying the race, but she does have a regret, the fighting that she and Nathan have been doing throughout. And she says the deciding factor of whether they stay together is how they get along on the race. Darling? If you use this as a measuring stick for your relationship, then it's already half in the bag. As I've mentioned, we've seen relationships go by the wayside on the race. Wil & Tara (well, that was finished before it had a chance to rekindle), Lenny & Karen, the aforementioned Peter & Sarah and so many others that this relationship is about even money to break up as well. We'll see.Azaria & Hendekea finally arrive at the airport and notice TK & Rachel sleeping in front of the Czech Airlines office. They decide to wait as well.Last to leave the pit stop are Nicolas & Donald. This team has been fun to watch, but at the same time, sad as well because the older Donald has had to do so many physical tasks while Nicolas has been content to watch on the sidelines. I'm kind of surprised he hasn't volunteered to do more, but I don't think he has any common sense to take the burden off his grandfather. Let's see if this trend continues in this leg. Donald says he doesn't like last place and it's inspired him to give it his all.Ronald & Christina decide when they arrive at the airport that even though they had reserved their ticket, they would line up with TK & Rachel and Azaria & Hendekea just to make sure they got a guaranteed spot on the plane. Good idea. Never leave things to chance, especially in the race because you never know. That's our moral for today. Always check. This will come into play later on.So eventually, the other two teams catch up and jump in line while Kynt & Vyxsin continue to search for flights on the internet. This begins some 10 minutes of airport drama that I would like to skip, but I'll chronicle it for you because I've gone this far, I might as well finish it.Kynt & Vyxsin finally notice that the other teams have lined up at the Czech Airport ticket office and he wonders why they've done that. Vyxsin replies with the line you see at the left. This is the reason why they're such a strong team. They don't assume anything and they keep checking. So they decide correctly to go to a travel agent at the airport that handles more than one airline to see if they can't find a better flight than the Czech Airline option. This is why the Goths are my odds-on favorite to win this race. They're thorough. They're fans of the race and know never to assume their first option is the best one. Of course, my odds-on favorite has lost all but once (BJ & Tyler were the only favorites of mine to win the US version and I did pick Joe Jer & Zabrina in the Amazing Race Asia, but that was before I had this blog, so you can throw out my opinions on this) so you can pretty much assume the Goths will be out soon.Over to the line at the Czech Airlines ticket office, Christina shares information with the siblings and instructs Azaria to call Lot Polish Airlines. Christina says the siblings are the only ones she can trust, so she covertly gives Azaria the particulars so he and Hendekea can make a phone call.Kynt & Vyxsin go to the travel agent (check out the pink lights to match their pink hats) to check out flights. This does not go unnoticed by the other teams. Christina spots them and wonders if they're getting tickets. Vyxsin notices that the other teams are pointing at them and Kynt replies they're used to people pointing at them.Jen asks Nathan if they should head over to the travel agent as well. She said the Goths had gotten into everyone's heads making them think they had gotten something good. So the couple on the brink of breaking up head over to the agent, losing their place in line, but also questioning whether they should have left in the first place. Oh, the airport drama!So Ron & Christina take a walk over to see what Kynt & Vxysin have. Ron tries to ask if the Czech Airlines office is going to open at 4:30 a.m. and Kynt invites him to get in line, but Ron somehow takes an affront to it and starts to talk in Mandarin Chinese. Christina apologizes to everyone so Ron goes back to the line and complains to TK . Christina puts out this fire before it spreads to Croatia. By the way, if you have a chance to see the CBS webclips from last week, check out the one with Ron complaining about the French while he's at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. It's classic.TK & Rachel decide not to panic and remain at the Czech Airlines office. Because people kept getting in and out of line, it allowed Nicolas & Donald to move up to second.Over to the siblings and they're having trouble getting their phone call through to LOT Polish Airlines. They give up and now they're last in line. Hendekea has no idea when they're going to Croatia. Unfortunately, it'll get much worse for them. As Azaria wants to make another phone call, Hendekea wants to return to the line, but he does not. So he pulls her aside and starts to chastise her on her attitude. This is where the race starts to fall apart for the siblings.The agent for Czech Airlines finally arrives to work and TK & Rachel are first in line. Cut to the Goths, Jen & Nathan look over and notice everyone starting to get booked for flights, so Jen asks if they should go over. This indecision is killing me. Just make a decision and get it over with! So Nathan decides to stride back to the Czech Airline office which is just fine with Kynt & Vyxsin.TK & Rachel get their tickets on the flight going through Prague, departing at 6 a.m. and arriving at 11:20 a.m. They stress to the ticket agent they need tickets on Economy Class. This is important later so pay attention. Jen pokes her head into the ticket office and asks if seats are still available and indeed there are.Azaria & Hendekea are heading upstairs to the ticket office after their blowout, but instead of letting it go, Azaria decides to let Hendekea have it about her decision not to continue calling LOT Polish Airlines. She just stares into space as he's feeling superior. Christina knowing what Hendekea's feeling suggests the siblings go over to where Kynt & Vyxsin are since they're last in line. They should realize that Christina hasn't really helped them here forcing them to lose their place in line (albeit not intentionally) and is now sending them to an agent who might not help them as efficiently as the Czech Airlines agent is. They go over and ask how many seats are on the Czech Airlines flight, but the Goths say they want to finish their transaction first.Over to Czech Airlines, the agent asks Nic & Don if they want Business Class and they say no. If you follow The Amazing Race religiously, you'll know that teams cannot buy a Business Class ticket unless they're upgraded from Economy Class. This will come into play in this episode.Ron & Christina decide to leave the Czech Airlines line and go over to the LOT ticket office only to find that it opens at 5:30 a.m. Kynt & Vyxsin are informed of the LOT flight which goes through Warsaw so they'll book that one and it will arrive in Dubrovnik at the same time as the Czech flight, 11:20 a.m. Ron & Chris finally get their tickets from the LOT office which has now opened so they stress they must buy Economy Class. They're booked and they head over to the airline to check in.Over to Azaria & Hendekea who are using the Goths' ticket agent. She books them on the LOT flight, leaving at 6:25 a.m., but Hendekea wants to do it fast, but he tells her to relax. Nic & Don are able to get on the Czech Airlines flight which leaves at 6 a.m. Jen & Nathan ask for the same flight, but the agent says no because check-in is now closed. The couple appeal, but rules are rules. Remember this rules thing later. So they have to run to the ticket agent where Azaria & Hendekea are. Azaria tells them about the LOT flight and suggests they book it at another ticket agent down the hall so Jen & Nathan head there.Azaria & Hendekea get their tickets and go downstairs to check in. Jen & Nathan are back at the Czech Airlines ticket office and they're getting booked on the LOT flight. Are you following this? Do you see why I hate chronicling airport drama? I've written 14 paragraphs on booking flights and we haven't even left Vilnius yet!Finally, TK & Rachel and Nicolas & Donald are boarding the 6 a.m. Czech Airlines flight to Dubrovnik which will go through Prague.Kynt & Vyxsin have now checked in to board their flight while Jen & Nathan are stressing out, but they get their tickets and head to the gate.Down at LOT Airlines, Hendekea asks if she and Azaria can get seats at the front of the plane. Then she gets the shock of her life. The tickets that were purchased are duh.. duh... duh... DUN....BUSINESS CLASS! Hendekea tells Azaria and this sets off panic! They run back to the ticket agent who booked their flight to see if they can change back to Economy. They don't have much time as the flight is about to leave.In the meantime, Ron & Christina who may have effectively eliminated Azaria & Hendekea are able to get on board. Nathan & Jen are checking when they look at notice that the siblings are back inside the ticket agent's office.She apologizes and starts the process. Jen & Nathan are checking in and there's just ten minutes to go before the flight leaves. They're told to hurry up. Oooh, the drama!The ticket agent now has to re-do her work, only this time in Economy. Kynt & Vyxsin, Ron & Chris and Nathan & Jen are all on board. And then, the siblings are informed that Economy Class is full. The flight takes off without them. Hendekea says, "We messed up bad."
For the late team (above) it looks like an elimination vantage shot to me!
About tonight's elimination:So! Was I right or what?QuoteFor the late team (above) it looks like an elimination vantage shot to me!See post #21 in the Spoiler thread!
This shot was taken between 12:29 and 12:37 pm (assumes July 19th)For the late team (above) it looks like an elimination vantage shot to me!
QuotePhil: Ron/Chris, you are team #1. Who's your Daddy now! Some good news, a 12 foot catamaran.Ron: We know what that is! Yes! Is that a shot at Mirna?
Phil: Ron/Chris, you are team #1. Who's your Daddy now! Some good news, a 12 foot catamaran.Ron: We know what that is! Yes!
As always, MAJOR league thanks to Chateau for all the times!!
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A plan to keep Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo open in a drastically scaled-down form is moving forward with a $6 million loan from Contra Costa County.
The county's Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 at its meeting in Martinez this morning to approve the multimillion-dollar transfer from the county's general fund capital reserve in order to keep the financially struggling public hospital open while health care officials devise a downsized hospital model focusing on emergency care.
"We have an obligation to all the citizens of this county, and although this closure will have more of a major impact in West County, it will have a countywide impact," Supervisor Federal Glover said.
The county's loan, to be repaid over three years, will give Doctors Medical Center the time it needs to explore a new financially viable health care model such as a stand-alone emergency room or a much smaller facility focusing on emergency care, Contra Costa Health Services director Dr. William Walker said.
Without the cash infusion, the hospital would have to close this summer and would lose $6.4 million in property tax income along with its MediCare license, West Contra Costa Healthcare District director Eric Zell said.
"There's a lot of angst about the change of this model, but at the end of the day, this is about providing basic health care services to that part of the county and we have to do what we have to do to get there," Zell told the board.
Today's vote came a week after Doctors Medical Center officials announced they had rescinded a notice to close the hospital by July 25. The hospital had been on track to shut down after voters in the
West Contra Costa Healthcare District rejected a May parcel tax measure meant to bridge its $18 million budget gap.
Supervisor Mary Piepho, the board's sole "no" vote on the loan, cited the $29 million the county has already loaned the hospital since 2006 and its continued failure to sustain itself.
In addition to ongoing county support, the hospital has managed to stay afloat with revenue from property taxes passed by voters in 2004 and in 2005.
But with the failure of the latest tax measure in May and a structural budget deficit of $18 million due to a patient population consisting mostly of MediCare beneficiaries, hospital leaders prepared for closure.
The county's loan won't be enough to keep Doctors Medical Center from a dramatic downsize. Some 80 to 90 percent of its employees could be out of a job as soon as Aug. 1, according to Walker.
Several hospital employees at today's meeting said that while the county loan is needed to keep the hospital open, a plan that includes reduced emergency services would be woefully inadequate to meet the needs of a largely low-income patient population.


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WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 21, 2013) – Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Senior Vice President Matthew Bennett issued the following statement:
"Today's Time Magazine article focuses exclusively on costs, overlooking the tremendous value that innovative medicines deliver to patients and the health care system for only a small fraction of overall health spending. Across the spectrum of diseases, medications have significantly improved quality and length of life.
"A small thought experiment makes the point: consider heart disease before medicines lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, HIV before antivirals, and breast cancer before the advent of new medicines, including therapies targeting specific gene mutations. And looking forward, consider that a new generation of medicines has the capacity to cure most patients with Hepatitis C, and that without new medicines to delay Alzheimer's – an area being aggressively researched by America's biopharmaceutical companies – the human and economic cost of that disease will continue its terrible rise.
"R&D investment is key to improving lives and economic growth. The biopharmaceutical sector is one of the most R&D-intensive industries; PhRMA member companies alone have invested over $500 billion in R&D since 2000. The article fails to recognize this massive investment, along with a decade or more of development and the need to obtain government approval before a medicine can even be marketed, which differentiate medicines from other products.
"Controlling health care costs is a priority and medicines are a key part of the solution. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, where expanded access to medicines has resulted in better outcomes and lower costs. Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reduced Part D's projected ten-year costs by $100 billion and reported that Part D is the single biggest factor (approximately 75%) responsible for lower overall Medicare spending projections this year, even though it is only about 1/10th of overall Medicare spending. CBO is now also recognizing, for the first time, savings from the increased use of medicines that reduce the need for other costly medical services.
"Policies intended to improve our health care system should protect, not thwart, the innovation that will lead to the next generation of treatments and cures. The 'proposals' in the Time Magazine story to lower medicine-related health costs are misguided, would impede and even reverse the health and economic progress made by medicines and undermine the ability to invest in cutting-edge science that yields better care and economic growth."
About PhRMA
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading innovative biopharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to discovering and developing medicines that enable patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. Since 2000, PhRMA member companies have invested over $500 billion in the search for new treatments and cures, including an estimated $49.5 billion in 2011 alone. http://www.phrma.org/
Find PhRMA Online:
- Website – http://www.phrma.org
- Facebook – www.facebook.com/PhRMA
- Blog – www.phrma.org/catalyst
- Twitter – www.Twitter.com/PhRMA and www.Twitter.com/PhRMApress
- YouTube – www.youtube.com/PhRMApress
For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: http://www.innovation.org
For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: http://www.pparx.org
For information on ensuring the flow of medicines during public health emergencies, visit http://www.rxresponse.org