text:
Brown Sugar Easter Cookies by TLT
5 Hot Links We're Loving:
- It's time to take out your cute Easter cookie cutters and make TLT's cinnamon brown sugar cookies. These sparkly chick-shaped treats are almost too cute to eat.
- Diane Abroad's roasted Brussels sprout and coconut bowl is a feel-good meal to make at home ASAP.
- Desperate for springtime? Hang in there. Shutterbean's goat cheese and arugula pizza will help.
- If you like pecans, almonds, coconut and honey, Sparkle and Stir's homemade granola bars are just for you. Tell us: What is your favorite granola bar combo?
- Craving something light for dinner? This recipe for cashew chicken lettuce wraps by Alaska From Scratch is just the ticket.
Craving More?
- Low on your daily dose of greens? Here are 9 easy ways to incorporate more leafy goodness into your diet.
- Whether it's a candy-studded ice cream sandwich or a triple-decker cheeseburger, we all have our guilty pleasures. Don't forget to vote in our Bracket Battle: Best Campus Eats for your favorite late-night munchies.


text:
Compiling software
From MEPIS Documentation Wiki
Compiling transforms source code written in a programming language into a binary form that creates an executable program.
- Before compiling software yourself, you might want to search for already compiled package via Synaptic. This is usually easier and most good software is available this way.
- If the software is not available in the repos, check whether it is in Debian Testing or even Experimental. If it is there, it is often easier to install this package by MEPIS Package Building Guide.
- For creating packages "Debian style" please use this packaging tutorial.
The trickiest part of compiling is setting up a "build environment" for the software you want to compile. This involves installing "dev" packages which contain header files for the various software libraries a package requires. If you don't have a required "dev" package, the "configure" portion of the compile will either fail, or it will configure the package without certain features which depend on those libraries. Figuring out which package to install to satisfy those dependencies can be tricky, but if you install the X, QT, and KDE development libraries, you will cover the needs of most simple programs.
In addition to these, we will install the "build-essential" package, which gives you the basic programs needed to compile. If you are compiling drivers, you will also need the kernel headers. Finally, you will also need checkinstall for creating .deb packages.
apt-get install build-essential xorg-dev libqt3-mt-dev kdelibs4-dev checkinstall
For kernel headers, type in terminal, as root:
apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)
Download and unpack
Download the source code from the project's website. Many open source projects are hosted on http://sourceforge.net.
You want to download the source code. Since we are compiling from source we do not need any of the *.deb, *.rpm, *.exe, or other 'precompiled binaries' available at the project website. The file usually comes in a *.tar.gz, *.tar.bz2, or *.zip format. After you download the file you need it to untar (unzip) it.
Sometimes you may want the very latest version of the program that hasn't been released yet. Developers keep the code in repositories, which allow them to make collaborative changes to the project and easily make backups. They may suggest downloading the repository version and give a line of code starting with cvs or svn. If you would like the development version, paste that line of code into your terminal to get that version (you need to have cvs or svn installed and configured on your computer)
Configure and install dependencies
Open a terminal and change directory to the new folder in which you extracted the package (you can do this by pressing F4 in file manager while you browse the folder or with the cd command) and type ls to check if you are in the right directory. Typically, there is a file called README and INSTALL or similar included. Take a brief look at these files with the less command:
less README
Press q to quit. You could also use kwrite.
Follow the instructions in these files. More often than not, they suggest the typical Unix ./configure, make, make install series of steps. The rest of this article assumes this is the case. If you see a file in the unpacked directory called CMakeLists.txt, you will want to follow the configure/build instructions for Cmake.
or, better:
./configure --prefix=/usr
You figure out what else you may need in the ./configure step. If you get an error that says, effectively, "you don't have this program," you need to do some fix'in. Usually it means looking for a similarly named package or a package named libpackagename or packagename-dev. "-dev" for development. If you already have it installed and the "-dev" package installed, do
./configure --help
and you can sometimes see an option to pass to the ./configure command to tell it where to look for programs. You can find the place where the files are installed with:
dpkg --listfiles packagename
or in the "Installed Files" tab of Synaptic.
Repeat ./configure until there are no errors.
Compile the program
After there are no errors, you can attempt to compile the program.
If all goes well, gcc will write messages all over your screen for quite a while as the magic of compilation takes place. When it has finished, check to make sure it did not end in any errors. It may be possible to continue with errors, or you may need to go back and fix them.
Install the program
Log in as root:
su (and enter your password)
Then type:
Follow the prompts and enter the desired info.
- NOTE 1: the traditional command here (which will also work) is
make install
Checkinstall creates a .deb package from the compiled program and installs it. You can manage the package afterwards with the usual tools: dpkg, apt-get, KPackage, Synaptic. This way is easier to remove the package that you installed. After you are finished, you may want to move the .deb package for safe-keeping, reinstallation later, or installation on another machine.
- NOTE 2: Checkinstall may not be available for MEPIS 7, see here.
- NOTE 3: You can use this packaging tutorial to create proper deb packages (doesn't use Checkinstall).
You can the delete the source code directory when finished.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Flames NewsFlames Home > Softball Home > News
USA National Softball Team to Compete in Lynchburg Exhibitions in June
Lynchburg Parks and Recreation Announcement
USA Softball National Team
Lynchburg softball fans will get an opportunity to see the 2014 USA Softball Women's National Team in person this June, as announced today at a press conference at Lynchburg City Stadium.
Speakers at the press conference included: Lynchburg Mayor Michael Gillette, Parks and Recreation Director Kay Frazier, USA Softball Olympic Gold Medalist and Liberty first-year head coach Dot Richardson and Commissioner of Piedmont Virginia ASA Andy Dooley.
Richardson will field a team of collegiate and post-collegiate student-athletes this summer, the Central Virginia All-Stars. She will coach this team in a two-game exhibition doubleheader against Team USA on June 13 at City Stadium in Lynchburg, with game one beginning at 7 p.m.
The Lynchburg Hillcats will handle ticketing for the doubleheader. Tickets go on sale today at Noon, and can be purchased at Lynchburg City Stadium ticket office or online at Lynchburg-Hillcats.com.
A total of 24 athletes will participate in Team USA's selection camp this June, with the games and practices in Lynchburg serving as part of the team's selection process. On June 22, the final roster of 17 players will be announced, a team that will participate in the 2014 World Cup of Softball in Irvine, Calif., and 2014 ISF World Championships in Haarlem, Netherlands.
Richardson, a softball legend, was a standout for the USA Softball Women's Softball National Team. She helped Team USA win two Olympic Gold medals, along with Gold at five Pan American Games and four World Championships. Among her many honors, Richardson is enshrined in the ASA Softball Hall of Fame and UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.
While in town preparing for the event, Team USA is scheduled to practice at Liberty's new softball stadium, which remains under construction. Due to ongoing construction at the site, practices are currently set to be closed to the public. The new stadium is on target to be fully ready for the 2015 softball season.
Continue to check back to LibertyFlames.com for further details on this event.


text:
The Ontario OCK 12" one piece molded D"" handle machete is great for surveyors, construction workers, hunters, campers, gardeners, landscapers and 1000's of other outdoor uses. Features 1095 carbon blade, zinc phosphate finish, full tang construction.
Technical Information
- Blade Steel: 1095 Carbon Steel
- Blade Length: 12"
- Overall Length: 17.25"
- Handle Material: Polypropylene
- Sheath: Sold Separately (Midway Part Number 284704)


text:
if i do:
mycolumn LIKE ISNULL('%'+@Param+'%', mycolumn)
when @Param is set to null is '%'+@Param+'%' still null and therefore the mycolumn is set to equal itself? Or does the second part never run because the first always has a value?
that woulda been my guess, yeah, assuming the plus sign means string concatenation
what happened when you tested it?
To be sure you get the results you're looking for, you could do the following:
LIKE (CASE WHEN @Param IS NULL THEN mycolumn ELSE '%'+@Param+'%', END)
steve, that's the same as the ISNULL/COALESCE function
(and you've got a spurious comma in there)
however, rather than using code which will end up generating mycolumn LIKE mycolumn, i would prefer to see the stored proc test @Param and then ~not~ generate the LIKE comparison at all
Not exactly - ISNULL / COALESCE uses the condition as the value
I used @Param as the condition and '%'+#Param+'%' as the value.
Look again:
LIKE (CASE WHEN @Param IS NULL THEN mycolumn ELSE '%'+@Param+'%' END)
Minus the comma, it will work, even if '%'+null != null
Good point, though.... I was just focused on answering his question, not considering the overall performance of it lol.
Perhaps the simplest solution would be:
WHERE (@Param IS NULL
OR mycolumn LIKE '%'+@Param+'%')
If @param is null, it should never get to the like comparison.
After some testing we found that the first statement is still null even with wild cards - therefore the column is set to itself.
We did further testing and wondered if this would be a better way of doing this:
declare @test nvarchar(50)
select test from davetest
where (@Test is null OR
test like '%' + @test + '%')
i would prefer to see something along these lines (using pseudocode) --
IF @Test IS NULL
SELECT test FROM davetest
SELECT test FROM davetest
WHERE test LIKE '%' + @test + '%'
Not really an option as this would mean writing the same huge SQL statement 4 or 5 times in the code. We also like to keep our SQL in the database and our code on the pages
okay, so instead of multiple queries, construct a single sql string and then EXEC it
sqlstring = 'SELECT test FROM davetest WHERE 1=1 '
IF @Test IS NOT NULL
sqlstring = sqlstring + 'AND test LIKE ''%'' + @test + ''%'''
IF @somethingelse IS NOT NULL
sqlstring = sqlstring + 'AND somethingelse LIKE ''%'' + @somethingelse + ''%'''
I vote for the "OR" clause... the conditional query construction will likely save minimal overhead, and adds way too much complexity to the sproc... the required maintenance of an app built like that doesn't cost-justify the added performance... will be cheaper to buy a bigger server than hire a DBA to manage your complex sprocs.
whoa, that's hyperbolic
if i tole you oncet, i tole you a thousand times, don't exaggerate
Honestly, your solution is optimal, sure, but honestly probably not more than 10% faster than what I suggested with the OR clause (if that), and requires significantly more work to decipher - even for a senior resource.
In my above statement, I'm not talking about one query... but about general philosophy... to build out an app with highly complex stored procedures as a basis generally involves the requirement for high-level resources to manage it... I've been involved in such developments in the past... where DBAs overly-complicate the DB layer at the sproc / UDF level for (at best) marginal increases in performance, just to justify their 6-figure salaries.
To me, the ideal is have a DB layer that's maybe 90-95% optimal yet requires neither a DBA nor senior developer to decipher.


text:
Return to site home page
Under leadership of Carol Keogh, ESI's revenue has grown 4,000 percent.
ESI Ergonomic Solutions announces that Carol Keogh, president and CEO, was named a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Award in the Mountain Desert region.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards program recognizes high-growth entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Under the leadership of Keogh, ESI's revenue has grown 4,000 percent. The Entrepreneur of the Year award coincides with ESI's celebration of 25 years providing workplace comfort through ergonomic solutions.
"I am honored to be included with such a dynamic group of innovative people," said Ms. Keogh. "ESI's recognition through the Ernst & Young program reflects the importance of our industry continually innovating and keeping pace with changing market needs."
Now in its 27th year, the Entrepreneur of The Year Program has expanded globally to recognize company builders in over 140 cities and in more than 50 countries throughout the world. A gala event for the winners will be held in Denver on June 20, 2013.
Regional award winners go on to compete at the national level. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 16, 2013.


text:
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 6/2/2013 (1658 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The only other time I've started a review by writing about a restaurant's wine was the first time I reviewed Santa Ana. But in a city where a markup of double is considered moderate, and markups of triple not at all unusual, this place deserves bravos for its average markup of $5 on its well-selected list.
What's more, not only can you take your unfinished bottle home, you can even bring your own wine with you, if you choose, for a mere $5 corkage fee, which is one reason Santa Ana is one of this year's bargains.
The other reason is the food. The menu isn't long on choices, but most of them are delicious. Portions are so huge they necessitate sharing (or at least doggy bags containing tomorrow's lunch), and prices so reasonable that two diners who share an appetizer and a pasta, for instance, will have dined very well for $26 (plus wine, tip and taxes, of course).
All appetizers are $10, which bought the most extravagant portion of plump, juicy shrimps I can remember (close to two dozen, I think), Mediterranean-style, in our case -- simply floured, lightly spiced and sautéed in olive oil. All'arrabbiata, with garlic, herbs, chilies and white wine is an alternative. Sausages come in two versions also -- the fiercely fiery Sicilian, with roasted red peppers, dabs of thick, spicy La Bomba sauce and Parmesan, or the milder Neapolitan with tomato sauce and asiago.
The one-price policy prevails in other areas as well. All of the mammoth salads, for instance, are $6 single or $9 double. Our single Santa Ana -- greens, bits of asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan -- was more than enough for three of us.
There are no entrées, just pastas, and all, with only two exceptions, $16. My favourites were the fungi linguine, which is spiced up by La Bomba sauce and liberally fleshed out with crunchy wild mushrooms, and a satisfying old-school rendition of penne tossed with a really meaty meat sauce.
The exceptions to the $16 pastas are the $21 linguine with mixed vegetables (good), topped by either wood-fired salmon (just OK) or chicken breast (unsampled).
Most of the food is cooked in a wood-fired oven, and how you feel about the pizza may depend on whether you have the wood-fired ($13 for 11 inches) or the stone-baked ($23 for 15 inches). I was disappointed in the latter in the past and tried the wood-fired this time -- much better, with a thin, tasty crust. Satisfaction may also depend on your choice of topping. Severely anemic tomatoes -- and skimpy at that -- turned the margherita into one big blah, but the four-meat version was delicious. There are dessert pizzas as well ($10 each) but after a starch-laden meal one of the luscious gelati might be a wiser choice ($6).
Entry is through a kind of foyer where shelves are stocked with jars and packages of Italian products. It is separated by a wall that is one huge wine rack from a spare but smart and softly lit dining room, with dark grey walls, and a few splashes of colour in the big prints of wine glasses
Although takeout is available from 11:30 a.m., the restaurant is open at 4 p.m. -- the safest time to arrive without a reservation, although, personally, I wouldn't try it. The place is perpetually packed and, according to our server, they already have bookings for April. There are only 40 seats, and even on a weeknight you may be told that you can have your table for two hours only. But while you are at that table the service will be exceptionally friendly, helpful and attentive.
-- -- --
Of course, it's cheaper still to drink your own wine in your own home, and if you pair it with a spread of Portuguese food you'll have a delicious meal at unbeatable prices. Much as I wish Ninho de Portugal were a restaurant, this grocery store-cum-bakery does the next best thing: preparing hot meals for takeout. There are always a few meats available on any day of the week but for the motherlode you have to come on Saturday.
Most of the prepared meats cost from $17 to $27 a kilogram, among them two always-available pork preparations: small but meaty ribs that are aromatic with garlic and paprika; and pork belly with a more intense salty-sweet flavour, which is almost as chewy as jerk, but remarkably low on fat.
Also available daily is the bifana sandwich, an incredible bargain at $3.25 for a roll packed thick with slices of wine-marinated pork loin, sautéed onions and (if wished) a splash of the house-made hot sauce.
On Saturday there's also marvellously moist, flavourful chicken -- sold by the platter of three pieces with equally big chunks of roasted potatoes for $4.25. (If you can't wait until Saturday, a day's notice will guarantee you an entire roast chicken with potatoes for $15). They also make two of my favourite desalted cod dishes: bacalhau a bras -- sautéed strips of the cod, potatoes and onions with scrambled eggs; and the deep-fried, fluffy-centered codfish cakes, which make ideal appetizers. Rabbit has also occasionally been available, but not on my last visit.
You could start by nibbling on slices of the house-made chourico sausage (mild or hot), and, for a rare and delicious cheese course, pick up a wedge of the semi-hard, slightly sharp Topo Sao Jorge.
For dessert there are wonderful little custard tarts in puff pastry, or a creamy, cinnamon-sprinkled rice pudding. And nothing goes better with my morning coffee than their coconut buns, the crisp cinnamon twist or a slice of brioche-like sweet bread.
Pick up a Portuguese wine or two, and you've got dinner. And if you go on Saturday, get there early -- the food is ready to go by 9 a.m., I was the first one there at 9:15 a.m., and by 9:30 a.m. there was a lineup behind me.
Correction: The phone number for The Grove Pub is 204-415-3262. An incorrect number ran in last week's Uptown.
To see the location of this restaurant as well as others reviewed in the Winnipeg Free Press, please see the map below or click here.
Restaurants marked with a red flag were rated between 0.5 to 2.5 stars; yellow flags mark those rated between 2.5 to 4 stars; and green flags mark those rated rated 4.5 to 5 stars. Locations marked with a yellow dot were not assigned a star rating.


text:
An examination of the rules behind English grammar, focusing on the components known as verbs and adverbs, which name and describe the action or state of being necessary to compose sentences.
Learn how to research, understand, and arrange information about your ancestors.
Fundraising wunderkind Bilaal Rajan shares his tips for effective fundraising, using examples from his own amazing life to show how it can be done and how you can have fun doing it. The second part of the book is a section entitled Eight Principles to Maximize Your Full Potential, which includes exercises to help you identify and attain your dreams.
Learn how to use blogs to record your ideas online for everyone to see.
Learn how to plan and ask fascinating interview questions.
Activities provide tips and instructions for organizing and presenting information to a group.
Activities provide tips and instructions for making use of the Creative Commons.


text:
- Home
- Registration
- Spring 2017
- Fall 2017
- Coaches
- Managers
- Referees
- Volunteering
- Info/FAQ
- About SM AYSO
- About Our Soccer Programs
- Cultural Exchange Team
- 5v5 Tournament
- League Champion Teams
- Extra Program
- Spring Scrimmage Program
- Spring Select Program
- Sunday Soccer Opportunities
- Turkey Tournament Info
- Upper Division
- U7 Division FAQs
- Very Important Players
- Board & Staff Contacts
- FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
- Fields & Safety
- Information for Players
- Kids Zone
- Lost & Found
- Administrative Access
- 2016-2017 Parade of Champions
Spiritwear Ordering Instructions
Read these as there is some unique information that you need to input specifically for Region 20.
- Select "Continue to Spiritwear Store" at the bottom of this page.
- Scroll down until you see a blank empty box. Enter 0020 in that box and press enter.
- Enter your information and press Register
- Click "Region 20" located in the red area at the top of
- Select your Region 20 item.
Add to Cart.
Feel free to shop for any other items Soccer One offers:
shoes, cleats, shin guards, books, DVDS (including "So You Decided to Play Soccer" by our own Alex Mebane), etc.
You are eligible to receive the VIP discount price on all non-Region 20 merchandise (which will be reduced at checkout).
- Once all items have been selected, choose Proceed to Checkout.
- Section 1 – Billing and Shipping Information
Complete all information as requested
- Section 2 - Payment Information
Complete all information as requested
Enter your credit card information.
- Section 3 – Shipping:
*** IMPORTANT - Type your division & coach name in the Shipping Address box (i.e., U10G-Smith).
If you have more than one player that you are ordering for, select either one. This is to help with delivery & distribution and does not affect personalization.To eliminate your shipping costs, orders placed by the deadline below will be delivered to our Spirit Wear Coordinator (address was sent to you via email). Team Managers will then be able pick up all team orders from our Spirit Wear Coordinator per instructions that will be sent at a later date.
- Section 5. Special Instructions:
Please note desired personalization on eligible merchandise.
Please type name EXACTLY as you want it to be embroidered. First names or nicknames only.
If you are ordering multiple items, please note each item, size and the personalization desired for each – i.e.,
YL Lined Windbreaker - "Marc",
AS Warm-Up Jacket - "Karen".
If any item is not noted here, then it will be assumed you do not desire any personalization.
$6 per Name will be added to your total upon processing at SoccerOne, however it will NOT appear at Checkout.
- Select Confirm Order.
- Note about total cost: Shipping charges may appear. You will NOT be charged for shipping if you order by the deadline. Embroidery charges do NOT appear. You WILL be charged for embroidery. Soccer One will email an invoice to you with the proper charges that will be charged to your credit card. If you see a discrepancy on the emailed invoice, please contact Soccer One immediately.
All items are custom-ordered and are non-returnable. Please select your size carefully & double-check all spelling.
Items will be shipped to our Region's Spiritwear Coordinator who will notify Team Managers how, when and where to pick up their team's order.
DEADLINE FOR ORDERS TO AVOID SHIPPING CHARGE: JANUARY 16th.
Continue to Spiritwear Store at Soccer One
The Spiritwear Store will open in a new window, so you can easily refer back to these instructions.


text: An advertising startup that uses a pay-for-performance model, called TellApart, announced today that is has successfully raised $13 million in Series B funding led by Bain Capital, which brought the total amount raised to nearly $18 million.The company was founded by two former Google product engineers, Josh McFarland and Mark Ayzenshtat. TellApart assigns a Customer Quality Score to each individual customer, based on the customer's onsite behavior patterns (products viewed, items purchased, etc.). The data is then compiled into a CQScore that distinguishes high value customers from ordinary customers, hence the name, TellApart.


text:
SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo women's basketball team (7-18, 1-14) fell to the Eckerd College Tritons (14-10, 7-8), 65-61, in double overtime fashion, Wednesday evening in Sunshine State Conference action from the Marion Bowman Activities Center.
Holding a seven point lead at the end of the first half, and a five-point lead with under a minute to play in regulation, the Lions could not maintain their advantage as Eckerd used an eight-point second overtime to steal the double overtime win.
The Lions posted three double-figure performances. Aside from Kannara Lewis' game-high 19, Christina Granville collected her second consecutive double-double and third of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Chelsea Connelly matched Granville's double-double effort as she bucketed 11 points and hauled in 11 boards. The performance was her fourth double-double of the season.
Facing a six-point, 16-10, deficit with 12:12 to play in the first half, the Lions went on a 12-2 run which was capped by a three-point basket by Elise Clyburn to claim a 22-18 lead. Allowing Eckerd to score only three points over the remaining five minutes, the Lions extended their eventual seven-point halftime lead behind back-to-back three's by Clyburn and Lewis.
In the second half, the Lions withstood an early Tritons' run as they cut the lead to one, 28-27, with 16:36 left. Lewis exploded for the next six Lions' points. In a half where Eckerd never led, the Lions kept a running margin of five overt the course of the game until Connelly sank her only three-point basket to give Saint Leo a six-point lead with 2:02 left. The 53-47 lead dwindled over the final two minutes as Eckerd went on a 7-1 run, eventually forcing overtime, tying the game on a three-shot foul with three second on the clock.
After matching only three points in the second overtime, the second overtime proved to be another offensive struggle. After Chelsea Williams connected on a free throw to put the Lions up 61-57, the Tritons did not allow Saint Leo another point over the course of the game. A one point game with under a minute to play, six straight points by Kati Rausberg gave the visitors the four-point victory.
"I'm proud of our girls," said Head Coach Nikki Jessee. "This group of seven plays hard and is very coachable. I'm looking forward to Barry and building upon what we have started this season."
The Lions crashed the boards hard out-rebounding the Triton, 56-53. Eight of the Lions 19 shot makes came from behind the three-point line, while Eckerd led in second chance points (13), and points in the paint (34).
The Lions will return to action on Saturday, February 25, when they close-out the 2011-12 regular season in Miami Shores, Fla. against the Barry Buccaneers. The SSC showdown is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
For the latest news, information, and updates on the women's basketball team, visit SaintLeoLions.com.


text:
Musical ChairsLogic Grid puzzles come with a handy interactive grid that will help you solve the puzzle based on the given clues.
Grandpa Lowell is a carpenter with five granddaughters whom he absolutely adores. He wanted to do something very special for all of their upcoming birthdays and ended up taking on a very large task. He decided to hand craft rocking chairs for them, each from a different type of wood, each with their names embossed and a music box attached to each playing a different song. From the clues given, determine the age of the granddaughter, the type of wood used, and the melody the chair played.
Girls: Amanda, Bonnie, Christine, Sylvia, Tanya
Age: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8
Wood: Birch, Cherry, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
Melody: "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," "Rock-A-Bye Baby," "Rock-A My Soul," "Rock Me Gently," "Rock of Ages"
1. The oak chair was made for a girl who is exactly twice as old as Amanda (who isn't four years old). Sylvia isn't the intended recipient of the oak chair. The birch chair wasn't built for the eight-year-old (who isn't Christine).
2. The mahogany rocker will be given to the child who is exactly twice as old as Bonnie, but younger than the at least one other child. The six-year-old isn't the intended recipient of the chair that plays "Rock Me Gently".
3. The music box that plays "Rock-A My Soul" is attached to the chair made for the grandchild who is exactly twice as old as Sylvia. Bonnie is exactly half as old as the intended recipient of the chair whose music box plays "Rock-A-Bye Baby".
4. The chair that has the music box that plays "Rock of Ages" will be presented to the three-year-old, while the two-year-old is getting the cherry-wood chair.
HintThe melodies in the grid were condensed to fit in the spaces provided (i.e. Candy Mtn = Big Rock Candy Mountain, Rock/Baby = Rock-A-Bye Baby, etc.)
AnswerBonnie, 2, cherry, "Rock Me Gently"
Amanda, 3, birch, "Rock of Ages"
Sylvia, 4, mahogany, "Rock-A-Bye Baby"
Christine, 6, oak, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain"
Tanya, 8, maple, "Rock-A My Soul"
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
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text:
William Hague just colourfully summed up what sounds like a pretty poor Israeli effort to offer consular access to detained activists.
Because of the Israeli "lack of preparation" and confusion over the status of some detainees, Hague said British diplomats were being forced to "go to the prison, hammer on doors and ask people if they are British". Read more


text:
Tru64 UNIX®: Enterprise UNIX for HP AlphaServer systems
Tru64 UNIX
- Tru64 UNIX V5.1B-6
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- Documentation
- Information library
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- Send us your comments
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Evolving business value
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- Tru64 UNIX roadmap ›
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- New Zealand DST update ›
- Tru64 DST advisory ›
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News and features
- HP Tru64 UNIX V5.1B-6 is available ›
- Internet Express for Tru64 UNIX V6.10 ›
- HP announces the contribution of its Tru64 UNIX Advanced File System (AdvFS) source code to the open source community. ›
- Advanced Server for UNIX (ASU) V5.1B-5 available ›
- Latest version of Insight Manager agent is available ›
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- Java 1.4.2 updates available for Tru64 UNIX ›
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UNIX is a trademark of the Open Group.
Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.
The Java™ Platform, Standard Edition, Development Kit (JDK) for HP OpenVMS is distributed with OpenVMS and is available for download.
Java and all Java based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.


text:
Portsmouth: Easy ride
Type:Beginners or family ride
These rides are a great way to start group cycling. Typically we spend two to three hours cycling with a break for coffee and cake somewhere on the way. We don't do big hills and we try to keep to quiet roads or cycle paths where we can.
More detail here.
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Location address and information:
The Spring Centre East Street
Contact name:Andy Henderson
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Here's some elementary info on my current language project, called Avdenio. Essentially its an attempt at a global auxiliary with vocabulary derived from 14 major natural languages. I'm hoping to get some feedback and help with the beginner's course and lexicon, which I am now working on. Comments can go to email@example.com - Luke
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 1) - In the Avdenio Alphabet
O Satrekas Eleteiri em Jaor Rienen (Zaste Eo) - Feo Djihir Avdenion
Common Orthography:
Elei riener sa umeirta hari to glaeji en merve to jao. Jer sa andavta val raesan to vieke, teoskae jer sjola gama nan andur feo imanstis. (All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards each other in the spirit of brotherhood.)
Precise Orthography (marked for stress and euphonic vowels):
Élei riénër sa uméirta hári to ëgláeji en mérvë to jao. Jer sa andávta val raesán to viékë, téoskae jer sjóla gáma nan ándur féo imánëstis.
IPA Transcription (common mode with diphthongized vowels)
[ˈɛleɪ̯ ˈrɪ̯ɛnɛr sa uˈmeɪ̯rta ˈhari tɔ (ɛ)gˈlaḙʒi ɛn ˈmɛrvɛ tɔ ʒaɔ̭. ʒɛr sa anˈdavta val raḙˈsan tɔ ˈvɪ̯ɛkɛ,ˈtɛɔ̭skaḙ ʒɛr ˈʃɔla ˈgama nan ˈandur fɛɔ̭ iˈman(ɛ)sˌtis.]
Avdenio Alphabet
The Avdenio Language
Avdenio is an artificial hybrid language and alphabet intended as a means of global communication. It is both an international auxiliary language and an 'art-lang'; the structure and behavior work to favor aesthetics, flexibility and consistency of use. The Avdenio project was created by artist and amateur linguist Luke Wright.
Most of the vocabulary in Avdenio has been derived from fourteen major world languages: Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, English, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Telugu. The name of the language is a compound of avdén "combination" and io "language", which respectively come from the Russian объединять and Mandarin 語. A native alphabet is also offered, which likewise takes origin in widely used writing systems. The result is a breed of global creole, which uses words that are already mnemonically familiar to learners of many backgrounds.
The rules of grammar are clear but adaptable to speech habits and personal preferences. Avdenio sentences can be phrased as agglutinative, analytic or synthetic arrangements, and the inclusion of elements like case and tense are always optional to the speaker. Avdenio can make precise specifications in meaning, or leave most elements up to context, as per the preference of the speaker. The phonetic system of the language is crafted to be attractive, but not at the expense of fluid pronunciation. The characters of the native Avdenio alphabet have one-sound-per-letter correspondence, but with a loose admittance of allophonic variation. This makes it easier for most people to read and speak aloud and still be clearly understood.
Notable Features:
• A grammar that has no rule exceptions, but at the same time allows for variability of word arrangement. For example, the phrase "the woman will call her two dogs" is usually rendered o ién kálva dus péirur jen, but is also acceptable analytically as o ien va kal dus er péiru en je, synthetically as o iénes péirurem dúsem jénem káljeva, or even agglutinatively as o-ièneskálva jèndùspéirurem. With the optional use of articles (i.e. suffix/prepositions) such as (e)m for the accusative case and (e)s for the nominative, many word orders are possible. The phrase "I can speak Avdenio" can be arranged in SVO order without articles as ve kànkása Avdénio, with prepositional articles as em Avdénio a kànkás es ve, or with the suffix counterparts as Avdéniom ves kànkása. The flexibility of articles for verbs, adjectives and nouns give Avdenio the ability to be personalized.
• Provisions for easy pronunciation, especially lenient allophonics, and the letter ë ienkúlai, which in English is called the 'euphonic /e/' or 'connecting /e/'. This phoneme is written /e/ or /ë/, and is generally pronounced near a schwa [ə, ɘ, ɜ] or a closed frontal vowel like [ɛ, e̞, ɪ, ɨ] (i.e. the vowels of English "bull", "bell" or "bill". The Avdenio system of euphonics uses this optional semi-vowel to split up consonant clusters that may occur when word parts are combined. E.g. avdàrj (compound root of "lift up") + da (verbal past tense article) > avdárjëda "lifted up". The /ë/ is optionally added between the root and article, splitting up the difficult consonant cluster of the non-standard variant avdárjda. It is also possible to prefix /ë/ to words starting in clusters or ending in consonants, e.g. gláeji > ëgláeji "equal", rik > ríkë "government". While the central register of Avdenio advises the use of /ë/ in particular situations, it is ultimately up to the speaker.
• A concordance with the natural course of language evolution: The emergence of local and community dialects are anticipated and even encouraged by the systems of grammar, writing and pronunciation. The central register of the language, called the "common mode", is always offered to arbitrate between differential dialects or "local modes". It should be understood that the common mode gives guidelines rather than rules, which would act to petrify the use of Avdenio. The core list of roots (currently under development) will likewise be open to amendment, even allowing new words from languages not originally included by the author.. The ultimate adoption of new vocabulary depends on the consensus of the speaking community.
• Diverse sources of vocabulary: The core roots and articles take almost exclusive origin in fourteen widely spoken languages, spanning many linguistic families. However, these are definitely distinct from their originators, as in the case of adénsë, which stems from the English "attention" and has the same meaning. The sound is similar but distinct. Some of the most successful auxiliary languages have favored European sources, though a few have recognized the need for universal inclusion in a common language. Avdenio is meant to be familiar to as many people as possible, and so the population of linguistic communities is a high priority. It is also intended that borrowing from these natural languages will encourage Avdenio speakers to study them. This will increase multilingualism, and help the natural and artificial modes of communication to co-evolve rather than compete.
Avdenio - int'l hybrid language
The place to discuss your conlangs and conlanging.
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Re: Avdenio - int'l hybrid language
I'd like to see what you mean by a morphology that can be agglutinative, analytic, and synthetic.
Re: Avdenio - int'l hybrid language
They way the articles can function as prepositions or as suffixes allows sentences to be grammatical in a number of forms. The sentence "The family has been staying in a white house near the mountain" is rendered in the common mode as "O djade ra abeska leo roem vaesi ner o javel". The order can mimic analytic languages by separating all roots and articles, as in "O djade ra eska abe leo roem i vaes ner o javel", or it can follow agglutinative trends by clustering more word parts together, : "O-abraskadjade vaesroemleo o-javelner." As for synthetic/fusional grammar, perhaps that's an inaccurate claim since articles in Avdenio all carry a seperate meaning and cannot be fused. It is safe to say that Avdenio can mimic word order and prescriptions in natural synthetic languages, i.e. nouns and adjectives can agree in gender and number, and verbs can take personal markers.
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Villagers in Freshford and Limpley Stoke have become the first in the country to get within touching distance of a Neighbourhood Plan, giving them more power to determine the future of their communities.
Stephen Williams MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, councillors and officers from both Wiltshire Council and bath and North East Somerset Council met the team of parish councillors and other volunteers last Monday to learn about their work.
The draft Freshford and Limpley Stoke Neighbour- hood Plan includes the parishes of Freshford in BANES and Limpley Stoke in Wiltshire. The Plans allow communities to lay down fixed guidelines for development in their area which are used to help decide on planning applications.
Mr Williams said it was a unique project because it was one of the first involving two parish councils and two different unitary authorities. The Government's Localism Act of 2011 aims to involve as many people as possible in deciding where new developments are put.
"This is done at parish levels and the advantage is that it had community involvement from the start to end, when there will be a referendum. It was clear people in the villages are very engaged with it," Mr Williams said The two parishes have already done extensive local consultation over the past two years, with more than 50 volunteers involved in creating the plan.
It will now go to BANES and Wiltshire Council for consultation ahead of an independent examination and a local referendum.


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The Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi will come this century
Part 2 Characteristics of Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the Hadiths (14/20)
The Hypocrites in the Time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be the Worst There Have Ever Been
The Community of Hazrat Mahdi (as) will Resemble ''Pure and Fertile Wheat.'' Hypocrites, Who Leave Them, on the Other Hand, will be Like ''Vile and Loathsome Weevils in This Wheat
Al-Asbagh ibn Nabata says: Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, said: "... No more will be left of you than kohl on the eye or salt in food. and I shall give you an example: a man had a quantity of wheat. He cleans it out and puts it indoors, but he returns after a long time he sees it is full of weevils. He again sieves and cleans it and brings it indoors. But when he returns after a long time it is again full of weevils. He cleans it again and repeats the operation. EVENTUALLY HE IS LEFT WITH a VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF HEALTHY WHEAT THE WEEVILS HAVE NOT HARMED. That is how you are. ONLY a VERY SMALL GROUP OF YOU WILL REMAIN UNTOUCHED BY CORRUPTION." (Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Said also relates the same hadith.) (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 246)
The hadith tells us the hypocrites who emerge from the community of Hazrat Mahdi (as) resemble "loathsome weevils infesting wheat." the community of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is compared to "a blessing that promised for the future that will be opened out and sowed like wheat, and will grow and flourish, and will bring abundance." Hypocrites are described as "vile and loathsome entities like weevils that try to damage the wheat from the inside."
The hadith describes how the wheat will be cleaned but will again be infested by weevils, and that its owner will keep repeating the process until no weevils are left. In the same way that the parasitic and loathsome weevils are removed from the wheat like filth, so the people of Hazrat Mahdi (as) will eventually be rid of the hypocrites and work as an immaculate community.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will Recognize People with Hypocritical Natures From Their Appearances
... From Abu Bashir:
On the Subject of the Coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as), There will be Those Who Say, 'Allah and His Messenger Have Promised Us Nothing More Than An Empty Deception'
WHEN THE HYPOCRITES AND PEOPLE WITH SICKNESS IN THEIR HEARTS SAID, 'WHAT ALLAH AND HIS MESSENGER PROMISED US WAS MERE DELUSION'." (Surat al-Ahzab, 12)
In the Qur'an, Allah tells us that there will be people who say, "What Allah and His Messenger promised us was mere delusion." In the indicated meaning, this verse refers to the situation of those people who have lost hope of the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and the Hazrat Mahdi. These people "deny the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and the Hazrat Mahdi," which the Prophet (saas) reveals in the hadiths, and they claim that the Prophet's (saas) words on this subject are supposedly "unfounded." Many writings appear in many places today, saying that the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not be coming and, even more important, even people known as Islamic scholars issue statements along those same lines.
The truth of the matter is, however, that the fact that these people believe that "the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) is untrue" and a supposedly "empty promise" is one of the things that our Prophet (saas) has promised us will happen. Because one of the portents of the End Times in the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) that the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) is close at hand is the widespread nature of words to the effect that "Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not come and there is no such person as Hazrat Mahdi (as)." Some of the hadith on the subject read:
"Allah will send Hazrat Mahdi (as) when people have despaired and say 'THERE IS NO SUCH PERSON AS HAZRAT MAHDI'." (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 55)
"... HAZRAT MAHDI (as) WILL COME, with the standard of the Messenger of Allah (saas), WHEN HOPE OF HIS APPEARANCE HAS BEEN ABANDONED, and when scourges rain down on people's heads..." (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 55)
... HIS [HAZRAT MAHDI'S (as)] COMING WILL BE AT a TIME OF HOPELESSNESS AND DESPAIR. (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 274)
HE [HAZRAT MAHDI (as)] WILL APPEAR WHEN PEOPLE HAVE LOST ALL HOPE OF HIS COMING! How fortunate those who live in his time and help him will be! Woe to those who harbor enmity toward him, to those who oppose him and his commands, and to his enemies! (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Nomani, al-Ghaybah al-Nomani, p. 301)
Dawud ibn Kathir Riqqi says: "I asked Imam Abu Abdullah: ... This coming [of Hazrat Mahdi (as)] is taking so long that our hearts have shrunk and we are dying from profound sorrow. and he said, 'THAT APPEARANCE WILL TAKE PLACE WHEN PEOPLE ARE EVEN MORE DESPAIRING AND WHEN SORROW IS EVEN GREATER.'" (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Nomani, al-Ghaybah al-Nomani, p. 208)
This period, in which the portents of the End Times are taking place one after the other, shows that the return of the Prophet Jesus (as) and the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as) are close at hand. By Allah's leave, these two holy personages will appear just as described in the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) and will cause Islamic moral values to prevail across the world.
The Hypocrites will be Fearful of Hazrat Mahdi (as)
"MANY MORE PEOPLE WILL AVOID SINS OUT OF FEAR OF HIM [HAZRAT MAHDI (as)] RATHER THAN OF THE QUR'AN..." (Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi, Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyah, p. 6)
Some people will be fearful of Hazrat Mahdi's (as) powerful foresight, wisdom and intelligence. They will therefore have to behave as if they had faith and to live as Muslims. They will lack the strength and courage to be immoral.
Hypocrites Being the Troublemakers and Coldhearted
... but THEIR HEARTS WILL BE HARD LIKE THE HEARTS OF WOLVES. (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 60)
LET NOTHING HINDER YOU FROM SWEARING ALLEGIENCE (FROM BEING HIS FOLLOWER, FROM FOLLOWING HIM) HIM, THOSE WHO HINDER YOU ARE THOSE WHO ALWAYS SHELTER BEHIND CORRUPTION. IF THEY SPEAK, THEY SPEAK EVIL and if they are silent they are peccable and impious. (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 252)
How the Hypocrites in Hazrat Mahdi's (as) Community Follow the Antichrist
... Then THE CITY OF MEDINA AND ITS INHABITANTS WILL BE SHAKEN THREE TIMES, AT THIS NONE OF THE MALE AND FEMALE HYPOCRITES (IN MEDINA) WILLL REMAIN, THEY WILL ALL GO TO HIS SIDE AND HE WILL THUS EXPEL THE FILTH (IMPIOUS PEOPLE) IN MEDINA, IN THE SAME WAY THE BLACKSMITH'S SHOVEL REMOVES FILTY IRON AND RUST, AND THAT DAY WILL BE CALLED THE DAY OF LIBERATION. (Ibn Majah, Vol. 10, p. 331-335)
The Appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as) After the Hypocrites Have Left
Sulayman ibn Bilâl says: Imam Jaffar Sadik narrates from his father, and he from his grandfather, that Hazrat Hussein said: One day, a man came to Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and said: "O, Commander of the Faithful! Tell us of Hazrat Mahdi (as)." and he replied: "HE IS THERE (HE WILL APPEAR IN a FAR-DISTANT PLACE) WHEN THOSE WHO MUST LEAVE GO, AND WHEN BELIEVERS ARE FEW AND THE TROUBLEMAKERS HAVE GONE." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 250)
Hazrat Mahdi (as) and His Followers will Not be Harmed By Those Who Leave Them
From Hazrat Muawiyah: "The Day Judgment will not take place until one from my community rules over everyone. THEY WILL TAKE NO NOTICE OF BEING ABANDONED BY THOSE WHO LEAVE THEM nor of those who help them. (Ramuz Al-Ahadith, 472 - Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad - Bukhari - Muslim)
From Hazrat Jabir: THIS WILL CONTINUE VICTORIOUSLY DESPITE THOSE WHO DEPART. HIS OPPONENTS AND THOSE WHO LEAVE HIM WILL DO HIM NO HARM... (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah)
From Hazrat Savban: at Allah's command, a COMMUNITY FROM MY UMMAH WILL CONSTANTLY AND HEROICALLY STRIVE AGAINST THE FOE, AND THEIR OPPONENTS WILL DO THEM NO HARM. This will continue until the Judgment Day. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, 286)
The Cleansing of Hazrat Mahdi's (as) Community From the Hypocrites
Abdullah ibn Umar Yamani relates from one account that Imam Muhammad Bakr said: "YOU WILL BE CLEANSED AS KOHL IS CLEANSED FROM THE EYE, O SHIITES OF THE FAMILY OF MUHAMMAD. and the owner of the eye knows when he will apply the kohl to his eye, but he does not know when he will remove it. IN THE SAME WAY, HE WHO FOLLOWS OUR LAW AND COMMANDS IN THE MORNING WILL LEAVE IN THE EVENING. AND HE WHO FOLLOWS OUR LAW AND COMMANDS IN THE EVENING WILL LEAVE IN THE MORNING. (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 241)
"... YOU WILL BE SIEVED OUT, IN THE SAME WAY GOLD IS SIEVED OUT, AND LIKE GOLD YOU WILL BE PURIFIED AND UNCONTAMINATED..." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 236)
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will Struggle Against the Hypocrites, Who will Occupy the Very Lowest Level of the Flames
He [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] will depart from them for a time, and thus people of deviance will be separated. So that the ignorant will say: There is no need for the Family of Muhammad [one from the line of our Prophet (saas)] in order to reach Allah." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 161)
Throughout human history, Allah has sent prophets and messengers to tell every people of the true faith, proper moral values, the existence of the Hereafter and the temporary nature of the life of this world. Allah makes these messengers as an instrument to call people to salvation and the true faith.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) is also a messenger, whose coming our Prophet (saas) says will take place in Hijri 1400, and who will lead people to salvation. By the hand of Hazrat Mahdi (as) Allah will also intellectually neutralize the system of the antichrist those satanic systems such as Darwinism, materialism, communism and fascism that inflict suffering, tensions and war on the world, drowning it in blood and tears. In the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) people will believe in Allah, adopt the moral values of the Qur'an, live according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (saas) and dwell in peace, brotherhood, unity and security.
Before that climate, however, Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers will live out of sight for a time. During that time, hypocrites who seem to be Muslims on the surface but who do not in fact believe will emerge from among his followers and abandon Hazrat Mahdi (as), saying things like; "We have no need of anyone descended from the line of the Prophet (saas) in order to believe in Allah." In the same way that Allah's prophets, messengers, mujaddids (revivers), mujtahids (scholar who derives legal rulings), great scholars and holy figures have been rejected by the deniers throughout the course of history, some hypocrites will also emerge from among his followers and reject Hazrat Mahdi (as):
If they deny you, those before them also denied the truth. (Surah Fatir, 25)
The fact is, however, that at times when people turn away from religious moral values and when evil, violence, injustice and immorality increase, Allah has always called people back to the moral values of the true religion by sending prophets, messengers, mujaddids, holy figures and pioneer of salvation to tell communities about the true faith, forbid them from unlawful and enjoin them the right.
Children of Adam! If Messengers come to you from among yourselves, recounting My signs to you, those who have faith and put things right, will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Surat al-A'raf, 35)
In the End Times, when corruption and evil have grown, when lawful things are regarded as unlawful, and unlawful things as lawful, Allah will send Hazrat Mahdi (as), the greatest mujaddid (a great scholar sent at the beginning of every century in order to teach the truths of the faith according to the requirements of the time), judge, pioneer of salvation and Qutb al-A'zam (chief of Allah's saints on Earth) of the End Times. The master Said Nursi describes in his Letters how Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be sent at the time of the worst corruption of the End Times:
"...at the time of the greatest corruption at the end of time, Almighty Allah will send a luminous person as both the mujdahid (reviver), and mujaddid (great scholars and leaders who deduce decrees from the verses and hadiths), and ruler, and the Mahdi, and Murshid (guide), Qutb al-A'zam (the greatest leader of the time), and that person will be from Ahl al-Bayt, from the Family of the Prophet (saas). (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Letters, 29th Letter, Seventh Section, p. 514)
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will rule among people with the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas). No matter how much the hypocrites and deniers seek to hinder him, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will, by Allah's leave, perform his duty in the finest manner possible.
The term "Family of Muhammad" also once again indicates that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be descended from our Prophet (saas).
The Hypocritical Character From the Hadiths of the Prophet (saas)
MANY MORE PEOPLE WILL AVOID SINS OUT OF FEAR OF HIM [HAZRAT MAHDI (as)] RATHER THAN OF THE QUR'AN..." (Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi, Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyah, p. 6)
Asbag Ibn Nabata says: Ali, Commander of the faithful, said: "... No more you than kohl on the eye or salt in food will remain. and I shall give you an example: a man has a quantity of wheat. He cleans it and stores it in his house. When he returns to it a long time later, he sees it is full of weevils. He cleans it again and again puts it in his home. When he comes back to it after another long time, he sees it is again infested with weevils. He repeats the same processes. WHAT EVENTUALLY REMAINS IS a VERY LITTLE HEALTHY WHEAT THAT WEEVILS CANNOT HARM. You are like that. at the end, a small group of you will be left that corruption cannot harm." (Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Said also transmits the same hadith.) (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 246)
Those who abandon or are opposed to him (Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be able to do him no harm. He will continue on the path of victory despite those who abandon him. (Ahmad Diya ad-Din al-Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, p. 487; from Al-Tabarani's al-Mu'jam al-Kabir)
... From Abu Bashir: Imam Jaffar Sadik said this about the verse: "You would know them by their mark" (Surah Muhammad, 30): ALLAH KNOWS THEM, HOWEVER THIS VERSE HAS BEEN REVEALED CONCERNING THE QAIM [HAZRAT MAHDI (as)]. HAZRAT MAHDI (as) WILL KNOW THEM (THE HYPOCRITES) FROM THEIR FACES AND WITH HIS COMMUNITY, HE WILL (SPIRITUALLY) DESTROY THEM. (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 283)
O people, Almighty Allah has certainly FORBIDDEN YOU THE CRUEL, THE HYPOCRITES AND THEIR FOLLOWERS and has made Hazrat Mahdi (as), the most auspicious of the community of Muhammad ... your commander, so join him. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 31)
From Nahj al-Balagha: the Lord of believers (saas) said: "When he [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] hides away from people, NOT EVEN TRACKERS WILL BE ABLE TO SEE ANY TRACE OF HIM... (Kitab al-Ghayba, [Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 51], Ansariyan Publications, Collected by: Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, Iran-Q'um, 2003, p. 186)
... at the end of time two currents of irreligion will gain strength:
THIS WILL CONTINUE VICTORIOUSLY DESPITE THOSE WHO DEPART. HIS OPPONENTS AND THOSE WHO LEAVE HIM WILL DO HIM NO HARM... (Transmitted by Hazrat Jabir (ra); Great Portents of the Judgment Day, 487/6)
At Allah's command, a COMMUNITY FROM MY UMMAH WILL CONSTANTLY AND HEROICALLY STRIVE AGAINST THE FOE, AND THEIR OPPONENTS WILL DO THEM NO HARM. This will continue until the Judgment Day. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah)
He [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] will depart from them for a time, and thus people of deviance will be separated. So that the ignorant will say: There is no need for the Family of Muhammad [one from the line of our Prophet (saas)] in order to reach Allah." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Nomani, al-Ghaybah al-Nomani, p. 161)
Verses in the Qur'an About Hypocritess
They Encourage Rebellion Against the Prophet
Do you not see those who were forbidden to confer together secretly returning to the very thing they were forbidden to do, and conferring together secretly in wrongdoing and enmity and disobedience to the Messenger? and when they come to you they greet you with words Allah has never used in greeting you, and say to themselves 'Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?' Hell will be enough for them! They will roast in it. What an evil destination! (Surat al-Mujadala, 8)
Conferring in secret is from Satan, to cause grief to those who believe; but it cannot harm them at all, unless by Allah's permission. So let the believers put their trust in Allah. (Surat al-Mujadala, 10)
They have already tried to cause conflict before, and turned things completely upside down for you, until the truth came and Allah's command prevailed even though they detested it. (Surat at-Tawba, 48)
They try to conceal themselves from people, but they cannot conceal themselves from Allah. He is with them when they spend the night saying things which are not pleasing to Him. Allah encompasses everything they do. (Surat an-Nisa', 108)
They have the word, 'Obedience!' on their tongues but when they leave your presence, a group of them spend the night plotting to do other than what you say. Allah is recording their nocturnal plotting. So let them be and put your trust in Allah. Allah suffices as a Guardian. (Surat an-Nisa', 81)
Hypocrites Bearing News and Their Bringing Nothing But Harm and Evil
If they had gone out among you, they would have added nothing to you but confusion. They would have scurried about amongst you seeking to cause conflict between you, and among you there are some who would have listened to them. Allah knows the wrongdoers. (Surat at-Tawba, 47)
Among the people there are some who say, 'We believe in Allah and the Last Day,' when they are not believers. They think they deceive Allah and those who believe. They deceive no one but themselves but they are not aware of it. There is a sickness in their hearts and Allah has increased their sickness. They will have a painful punishment on account of their denial. (Surat al-Baqara, 8-10)
The men and women of the hypocrites are as bad as one another. They command what is wrong and forbid what is right and keep their fists tightly closed. They have forgotten Allah, so He has forgotten them. The hypocrites are deviators. (Surat at-Tawba, 67)
Hypocrites are Unable to Appreciate Allah's Messenger and Believers
But all might belongs to Allah and to His Messenger and the believers. But the hypocrites do not know this. (Surat al-Munafiqun, 8)
They Choose to Stay Behind
Those who were left behind were glad to stay behind the Messenger of Allah. They did not want to struggle with their wealth and themselves in the Way of Allah. They said, 'Do not go out to fight in the heat.' Say: 'The Fire of Hell is much hotter', if they only understood. (Surat at-Tawba, 81)
They are People Who are Scared
They swear by Allah that they are of your number, but they are not of your number. Rather, they are people who are scared. If they could find a bolt-hole, cave or burrow, they would turn and scurry away into it. (Surat at-Tawba, 56-57)
... Like panicked donkeys, fleeing from a lion. (Surat al-Muddathir, 50-51)
They are Full of Hatred Towards the Believers
There you are, loving them when they do not love you, even though you have iman in all the Books. When they meet you, they say, 'We have iman.' But when they leave they bite their fingers out of rage against you. Say, 'Die in your rage.' Allah knows what your hearts contain. (Surah Al 'Imran, 119)
Or did those with sickness in their hearts imagine that Allah would not expose their malevolence? (Surah Muhammad, 29)
... They are indeed a disputatious people. (Surat az-Zukhruf, 58)
If something good happens to you, it galls them. If something bad strikes you, they rejoice at it. But if you are steadfast and guard against evil, their scheming will not harm you in any way. Allah encompasses what they do. (Surah Al 'Imran, 120)
If they come upon you, they will be your enemies and stretch out their hands and tongues against you with evil intent, and they would dearly love you to become unbelievers. (Surat al-Mumtahana, 2)
They Seek to Set Believers Against One Another
As for those who have set up a mosque, causing harm and out of disbelief, to create division between the believers, and in readiness for those who previously made war on Allah and His Messenger, they will swear, 'We only desired the best.' But Allah bears witness that they are truly liars. (Surat at-Tawba, 107)
If it had been a case of easy gains and a short journey, they would have followed you, but the distance was too great for them. They will swear by Allah: 'Had we been able to, we would have gone out with you.' They are destroying their own selves. Allah knows that they are lying. (Surat at-Tawba, 42)
Among them are those who listen to you and then, when they leave your presence, say to those who have been given knowledge,'What was that he just said?' They are those whose hearts Allah has sealed up and who follow their own desires. (Surah Muhammad, 16)
They Believe That Allah's Promise is Not Close
At that point the believers were tested and severely shaken. When the hypocrites and people with sickness in their hearts said, 'What Allah and His Messenger promised us was mere delusion.' and a group of them said, 'People of Yathrib (Madina), Your position is untenable so return!' some of them asked the Prophet to excuse them, saying, 'Our houses are exposed,' when they were not exposed; it was merely that they wanted to run away. (Surat al-Ahzab, 11-13)
Hypocrites Will Suffer the Worst Punishment
The hypocrites are in the lowest level of the Fire. You will not find any one to help them. (Surat an-Nisa', 145)
Give news to the hypocrites that they will have a painful punishment (Surat an-Nisa', 138)
They Break Their Word After Giving It
Those who break Allah's contract after it has been agreed, and sever what Allah has commanded to be joined, and cause corruption on the earth, it is they who are the lost. (Surat al-Baqara, 27)
You see many of them taking those who are unbelievers as their friends. What their lower selves have advanced for them is evil indeed, bringing Allah's anger down upon them. They will suffer punishment timelessly, for ever. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 80)
If they had been overrun from every side, and had then been asked to revert to kufr, they would have done so and hesitated very little about it. Yet they had previously made a contract with Allah that they would never turn their backs. Contracts made with Allah will be asked about. (Surat al-Ahzab, 14-15)
Verses of the Qur'an Concerning How Pagans, Hypocrites and Deniers Will Be Hostile to Hazrat Mahdi (as) and His Community
Anyone who is the enemy of Allah and of His angels, and of His Messengers and of Gabriel and Michael should know that Allah is the enemy of the unbelievers.' (Surat al-Baqara, 98)
Among the people there is someone whose words about the life of the world excite your admiration, and he calls Allah to witness what is in his heart, while he is in fact the most hostile of adversaries. (Surat al-Baqara, 204)
You who believe! Do not take any outside yourselves as intimates. They will do anything to harm you. They love what causes you distress. Hatred has appeared out of their mouths, but what their breasts hide is far worse. We have made the Signs clear to you if you use your intellect. (Surah Al 'Imran, 118)
Allah knows best who your enemies are. Allah suffices as a Protector; Allah suffices as a Helper. (Surat an-Nisa', 45)
When they come to you, they say, 'We believe.' But they entered with disbelief and left with it. Allah knows best what they were hiding. You see many of them rushing to wrongdoing and enmity and acquiring ill-gotten gains. What an evil thing they do! (Surat al-Ma'ida, 61-62)
In this way We have appointed as enemies to every Prophet satans from both mankind and from the jinn... (Surat al-An'am, 112)
Arm yourselves against them with all the firepower and cavalry you can muster, to terrify the enemies of Allah and your enemies, and others besides them whom you do not know. Allah knows them. Anything you spend in the Way of Allah will be repaid to you in full. You will not be wronged. (Surat al-Anfal, 60)
We brought the tribe of Israel across the sea and Pharaoh and his troops pursued them out of tyranny and enmity... (Surah Yunus, 90)
Then on the Day of Rising He will disgrace them, and say, 'Where are My partner gods for whose sake you became so hostile?' Those given knowledge will say, 'Today there is disgrace and evil for the unbelievers.' (Surat an-Nahl, 27)
In this way We have assigned to every Prophet an enemy from among the evildoers. But your Lord is a sufficient guide and helper. (Surat al-Furqan, 31)
They retort, 'Who is better then, our gods or him?' They only say this to you for argument's sake. They are indeed a disputatious people. (Surat az-Zukhruf, 58)
Do you not see those who were forbidden to confer together secretly returning to the very thing they were forbidden to do, and conferring together secretly in wrongdoing and enmity and disobedience to the Messenger? and when they come to you they greet you with words Allah has never used in greeting you, and say to themselves 'Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?' Hell will be enough for them! They will roast in it. What an evil destination! (Surat al-Mujadala, 8)
You who believe! Do not take My enemy and your enemy as friends, showing love for them when they have rejected the truth that has come to you, driving out the Messenger and yourselves simply because you believe in Allah your Lord... (Surat al-Mumtahana, 1)
When you see them, their outward form appeals to you, and if they speak you listen to what they say. But they are like propped-up planks of wood. They imagine every cry to be against them. They are the enemy, so beware of them. The curse of Allah be on them! How they are perverted! (Surat al-Munafiqun, 4)
You who have iman! Some of your wives and children are an enemy to you, so be wary of them. But if you pardon and exonerate and forgive, Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat at-Taghabun, 14)
Among the people there is someone whose words about the life of the dunya excite your admiration, and he calls Allah to witness what is in his heart, while he is in fact the most hostile of adversaries. (Surat al-Baqara, 204)
O Prophet, struggle against the unbelievers and hypocrites and be harsh with them. Their shelter will be Hell. What an evil destination! (Surat at-Tawba, 73)
Do not obey the unbelievers and hypocrites and disregard their abuse of you. Put your trust in Allah. Allah suffices as a Protector. (Surat al-Ahzab, 48)
If the hypocrites and those with sickness in their hearts and the rumour-mongers in the City do not desist, We will set you onto them. Then they will only be your neighbours there a very short time. (Surat al-Ahzab, 60)
There was a group of nine men in the city causing corruption in the land and not putting things right. They said, "Let us make an oath to one another by Allah that we will fall on him and his family in the night and then say to his protector, 'We did not witness the destruction of his family and we are telling the truth.'" They hatched a plot and We hatched a plot while they were not aware. (Surat an-Naml, 48-50)
He knows the eyes' deceit and what people's breasts conceal. (Surah Ghafir, 19)
Allah will defend those who believe. Allah does not love any thankless traitor. (Surat al-Hajj, 38)
When those who are unbelievers were plotting against you to imprison you or kill you or expel you: they were plotting and Allah was plotting, but Allah is the Best of Plotters. (Surat al-Anfal, 30)
They desired to trap him but We made them the losers. (Surat al-Anfal, 70)


text:
ATI MultiGPU Done Right: The Radeon X1800 CrossFire Editionby Derek Wilson on 12/20/2005 9:00 AM EST
- Posted in
- GPUs
40 Comments
Back to Article
t3h l337 n3wb - Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - linkThe only place you can get one is Ebay, where there are 2 listings, and they're like $700+... Reply
DjDiff - Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - linkI'm curious whether crossfire would increase AVIVO performance or not. If not, will there be drivers in the future that will benefit from crossfire when using AVIVO? Reply
dualblade - Friday, December 23, 2005 - linkreferring to playback, or the hardware encoding feature?
playback is already at 1080p with a single x1800 of any sort so i don't think that needs improvement. crossfire hardware assisted encoding might be a really good thing. i imagine a dual core crossfire setup could become a real encoding/rendering powerhouse Reply
Scarceas - Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - linkbleh no product... Why is it so hard to launch? Just don't announce your product until you've already shipped it. DURRR!!! Reply
Thalyn - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkWhile I'm still here, I thought I'd point out what seemed to be a strange anomaly in the Quake 4 benches to see if someone can provide an answer.
Under 4x FSAA, the GTX 512 cards are listed as performing better in 1920x1440 than in 1600x1200. Oddly enough, the results are almost right in the middle of the 1280x1024 and 1600x1200 scores, though if you re-plot the graph with the 1600 and 1920 results reversed it doesn't match the trends set by any other hardware in the list.
Is this a typo, or something more sinister? And, more curiously, why didn't Derek make any mention of it at all?
-Jak Reply
Leper Messiah - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkYeah, I mentioned this a bit higher...haven't gotten an answer yet... Reply
Thalyn - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkOne thing I would be curious to see is how the ATi cards fare with a small tweak done under B&W2. There's a setting which can be changed in one of the .INI files which makes the game run exponentially better on most hardware I've seen it "trying" to run on - including my own X800 Pro AGP, an two mate's 6600GT AGP and 5800 Ultra AGP.
I believe the file is called "graphics.ini" in the data subdirectory - change the detail settings to be 3 1 3 instead of 3 0 3. It does disable two of the options in the ingame graphics menu (and I have heard it can result in "squares" under fields and such), but the performance increase is substantial, to say the least. Oddly enough, just disabling these two options on their own doesn't make anywhere near as much of a difference.
Sadly, once it's running well you quickly find out that it wasn't worth all the effort, but I would still be curious to see the results from tests under such conditions. NVidia apparently fixed this bug with one of their post-release drivers (hence the disparity of scores), and there's also a 1.2 patch being prepared as we speak which will hopefully level things off somewhat, but in the meantime this is the best we've got.
-Jak Reply
Beenthere - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - link...card-of-the week mentality. So I finally decided to do some research to see what the B.F.D. was with having one or more $700+ video cards in a PC. I went out and bought the Lanparty UT SLI Mobo, (2) FX57s so I could find the fastest O/C'ing one, (2) Asus 7800 GTX 512s, (2) 520W OCZ Power Stream PSUs, 2 x 1024MB OCZ EB Platinum 4800 modules, a Corsair ice water-cooling system for the FX57 and Nvidia chipset (until I get to vapor cooling), an Antec P160 Performance case and an HP L2335 23" display.
Everything went together fine and I spent several days overclocking the two FX57s until I was able to run almost stable at 3.9 Gig. @ 1.625V w/34 degree cold water. And to my surprise my 3Dmark 2005 showed an incredible 18,240 score !!! WOW, I was just blown away. I was starting to understand what the enthusiasm was all about for the latest-greatest-trick of the week PC hardware. After several weeks of tweaking I now have my system stable most of the time and it simply fly's !!! Not only that but the blue LEDs look so cool at night, and my friends are impressed as H*LL that for less than $6,000 I have a PC that will cook my breakfast, bring in the newspaper, make the utility company rich, heat my house, make Nvidia rich, clean my car, wash my clothes and even do word processing. I can even log on to the Net .00000000000000001 seconds faster than my old dumbazz Athlon 939 3000 that I spent $1,000 on total and which runs rock stable at 2.4 Gig. And at a resolution of 1920 x 1200 I'm able to get a frame rate in any video game of at least 60. This allows me to sit 6'-8' away from my monitor to minimize eye strain when I play video games for 18 hours or more at a time.
Without a doubt I am one broke but very happy camper. NOW - now I understand the point of spending $700 or more on a Vid card and $1000 on a CPU and hundreds on memory, and PSUs, and trick PC cases, etc. And my friends think I am the coolest guy they know cause I got this BLING machine. Whatta life !!! If only I had known years ago... Reply
AdamK47 3DS - Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - linkYou forgot the sarcasm tags <sarcasm> </sarcasm> Reply
dali71 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - link
And for those who want the best of the best (and really can afford to burn money), that's still going to be the $1400 dual 7800 GTX 512 setup.
Really? And exactly WHERE can I find this mythical $1400 setup? Reply
Vol2005 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkDunno what about 512gtx-Sli, but single one is http://www.pcpop.com/doc/0/121/121711_5.shtml">no more "the best of the best" since "eax 1800xt top" beat it in most d3d benchies. ( not to mention it's price some $20-50 more than standard xt)
Fenixgoon - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkD3D benches are different than real world performance - and for just about everything (if not everything, correct me if i'm wrong), the GTX 512 blows away the GTX 256 and x1800XT. The x1800 XTPE, or whatever's next in line, is *supposed* to compete with the GTX512. Almost seems like nvidia caught ati flat footed on this one. Reply
Vol2005 - Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - linksorry, maybe i was a bit unclear
but the thing is that asus x1800xt-top IS x1800xtpe, indeed. And as you've just said the real competitor to gtx512 according to article that i refered.
As to real world perfomance, it's still uclear to me what do you mean.
Maybe i'm wrong, but aren't the majority of the modern games using d3d? Even if not so, i think these results are fairly enough prove that the gtx is no longer the fastest.
Of course, this has to be proven further by other reviewers Reply
bob661 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkYou should've bought it when it was released. It was available then. Nothing mystical here. Reply
Leper Messiah - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - link6 frame per second increase in 1920x1440? eh? Reply
Tanclearas - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkCome on! There are over 100 people in EVGA's step-up queue waiting for the 7800GTX 512MB, but you have a problem with ATI's availability?!
Nvidia got LUCKY with the 256MB 7800GTX that it was ready to launch with no real competition. Nvidia was able to sit on it until sufficient quantity were ready. ATI (sort of) launches the X1800XT and Nvidia falls back to the same old launch tricks. If you're going to hold one company accountable, you have to hold them all accountable! Reply
bob661 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - link
quote:LOL! That's some retarded logic you got there pal. Reply
If you're going to hold one company accountable, you have to hold them all accountable!
Tanclearas - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkSo you're saying Nvidia's should not be held accountable for supply issues, but ATI should be held accountable? Please tell me you were being sarcastic. Reply
bob661 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkI'm saying it's retarded because when Nvidia released their cards, you could buy them that day. Unlike ATI that even SAYS it will be different this time around and STILL fails to deliver. If neither companies produce enough to meet demand then they underestimated demand and that's something different entirely. Reply
Tanclearas - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkSo ATI could have shipped about five cards to the top 10 retailers, and ATI would have completely fulfilled your expectations. They just would have "underestimated demand".
That's a huge load of crap you're shovelling there. Both companies are still more interested in appearing to be in a leadership position than they are actually ensuring they are making deliverable products. I just can't understand why so many "journalists" have their heads shoved so far up Nvidia's ass they can count their fillings. Reply
almvtb - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkHas anyone ever compared SLI and crossfire performance using a dual core compared to just a single core cpu? I mean if there is enough overhead for sli or crossfire a dual core chip could improve performance. Reply
kristof007 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkI don't know if that dual core thing would work. I mean it might but the two slower CPUs would not help in my opinion. Games are single threaded so the multi CPU wouldn't take off the overhead .. at least that's my knowledge of it. Reply
almvtb - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkSee I thought that was a big deal with one of the latest Nvidia driver releases. That it was made multithreaded so that in a situation such as when you have sli or any other kind of driver overhead it would be taken care of by the a second core if one existed. I do not know it was just a thought that i had never seen discussed, so I thought I would ask. Reply
bob661 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkThat was an ATI driver release that had the multithreading stuff, I think. Reply
kilkennycat - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkWe shall shortly soon find out whether Crossfire is serious or just a ATi marketing straw-grabbing ploy to get some suckers (er, "enthusiasts") not to buy SLI. If the compositor is fully integrated into EVERY R580 GPU, (thus never requiring a masterboard and implementing the board communications via a passive bridge a la nVidia) then we shall finally know that ATI is serious with Crossfire. It was probably a stupid cheese-pairing management decision not to integrate the Crossfire functionality fully into the R520 GPU, or else Crossfire does not have enthusiastic support from ATI engineering and is purely a ATi marketing ploy anyway. The R580 details will reveal the truth. Reply
Spacecomber - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkWhat changed since the http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2466...">Battlefield 2 GPU Performance Analysis article? It seemed like you were able to demonstrate the advantages of SLI in those benchmarks.
Space Reply
bob661 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkI think AT has a different benchmark now for BF2. Reply
Spacecomber - Thursday, December 22, 2005 - linkAs far as I know the only thing that has changed along the way are the addition of BF2 patches (according to the overclocking the Athlon X2 article, they are up to using the 1.03 patch) and newer nvidia drivers. I believe they are still creating a demo and running it with the timedemo option. With this being such a popular game (BF2), it seems like it would be worthwhile to confirm whether SLI/Crossfire does or does not offer significant improvements for BF2. Reply
ViRGE - Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - linkYa, DICE seems to screw up demos with new BF2 patches. Reply
ElFenix - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linki wonder if you can change b&w2's name to make the score go up as well. maybe there is poor optimization going on in the catalyst AI? Reply
tuteja1986 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linki meant to say BF2 :( i know i am an idiot >>> Anyways please forgive me and i have a 7800GTX so don't call me a ATI fanboy , i can even take a screenshot if you want :! Reply
tfranzese - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkSo were back here today with the CrossFire solution that should have been: the ATI Radeon X1800 CrossFire Edition.
we're Reply
tfranzese - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkSo lets all throw a shit fit about every company that ever announced a product only to have availability weeks to years from that announcement.
Anandtech staff is just as bad as it's two year old readers who tie emotions in with silicon. Grow up and learn some patience - if you can't wait, buy someone elses product and stop your whining. Reply
tuteja1986 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkcrossfire does great in DOD source , Black and White 2 and it beats Nvidia 7800GTX 512MB SLI . how ever it doesn't great in DOOM 3 engine. FEAR and Chaos theory it manages to defeat the 7800GTX 256MB SLI easy but in high quality of chaos theory it keeps up with 7800GTX 512MB. X1800XT crossfire has only one problem and that it suck in DOOM engine benchmark but overall its great. Reply
jonny13 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - link"crossfire does great in DOD source , Black and White 2 and it beats Nvidia 7800GTX 512MB SLI "
You obviously didn't read the article if you thought Crossfire did great in Black and White 2. It failed to get above 12 fps and was over 50% slower than a single x1800XT at times. Reply
BigLan - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkNo x1800 master cards showing on Newegg or CompUSA's website as of 10AM EST. Really hope ATi make good on their availability promises this time. Reply
michaelpatrick33 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkI think the R580 chipset and videocard will be the real crossfire shot at SLI. This feels a little early generation SLI to me and they seriously need to get rid of the dongle, LOL. I can't wait to see the R580 in relation to the 7800GTX 512 market edition card. Reply
radekhulan - Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - linkProblem is that current ATI Crossfire setup is way inferior to NVIDIA SLI, despite big heading "ATI MultiGPU done right", and I do not believe this will change much with hyped R580.
With NVIDIA I can:
- mix any similar cards, being it 6800GS/GT, 7800GT, 7800GTX, 7800GTX-512, thus saving costs
- get much better drivers
- get support for user defined game profiles, thus when I purchase a new game, I do not have to wait a month or two for card producer to come up with new drivers and that game support (ie. with ATI I will play new games using SuperTiling with 0% to -50% "improvement", with NVIDIA I will create a new game profile using e.g. AFR2 and get immediate 90% improvement)
- there is no huge external dongle, and I guess picture quality should be better as well with SLI
- there is much better availibility of NFORCE4-SLI chipsets / motherboards
- I can connnect up to 4 monitors to NVIDIA SLI, but I cannot to Crossfire
- I can switch NVIDIA SLI on/off without restart
- I get better performance with NVIDIA SLI
ATI Crossfire seems still like an afterthought, nothing else, while NVIDIA SLI is a technology incorporated into the core. If I want to game on 1600x1200, the only real option is to get NVIDIA SLI.
I understand that Anandtech cannot bash Crossfire too much, to keep good relations with ATI, free products, shows, trips, etc., but I belive that superiority of NVIDIA SLI is very clear here.. Reply
Visual - Thursday, December 22, 2005 - linkI don't know what you're talking about.
- you can't mix any of the cards you listed with each other, except a GTX with a GTX512 (gotta use only 256mb from each, and run the 512 model at the normal GTX speeds);
- dont see how drivers are better
- dunno if a profile tool/editor for ati exists or is in the making, so cant comment on this; but you're overestimating the improvement on nvidia
- its just a cable; your guess about the quality comes from what grounds? guess what, you guessed wrong.
- point, unless you go intel; but i seriously hope both ATI and nVidia will release unlocked crossfire drivers that work on any dual16x board
- last i checked, you can't use the outputs on the secondary card in SLI mode, you have to switch SLI off first; i might be counting on outdated information, but i doubt it.
- yeah, and you do that how often? i bet its much fun and enjoyment... no seriously, you're right that this is a convenient feature as occasionally you'd have to switch it, but it doesnt seem too important does it? plus there's no telling if crossfire can't do the same eventually.
- again an unfounded claim
Indeed Crossfire seems like an afterthought to me too, and nVidia's superiority here is (atleast was, until recently) clear. But that's the good part of competition - nVidia forced ATI to "afterthink" something out, and it will be getting better with time. Crossfire is just as serious an option as SLI, and if you stick with your "the only real option is to get NVIDIA SLI" you're just purpously closing your eyes.
Think what you want, I don't really care. But don't preach unfounded fanboyism without expecting to face differing oppinions. Reply
coldpower27 - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - linkHowever, 7800 GTX 512 is not the competitor for R580, that competitor is G71, which is supposed to be due in Early Feburary as opposed to R580's Late January. Reply


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The AFL temporarily withdrew three players with illicit drug problems from competition, and has "retired" another three who were unable to control their addictions.
The league has also used "intelligence" gleaned while working with players under the voluntary illicit drugs policy to identify those with possible criminal connections and the potential to use performance enhancing drugs.
The AFL's chief medical officer Peter Harcourt told an anti-doping conference in Zurich last November that while the majority of players who transgressed did so because of "one-off, stupid, risk taking behaviour that happens in social situations," about 5 per cent of those who tested positive had mental problems. That number rose to 50 per cent for players who found themselves on two strikes.
He said another group was "basically disengaged, probably a bit narcissistic, a bit anti-social, and we think this is where we're starting to push our knowledge about these individuals - who have clearly got some regular criminal contacts - into our targeting program and our test distribution under our anti-doping code to look for performance enhancing drugs, because we're now learning that all these different types of criminal activity are all linked."
While Harcourt said most players had been able to modify their behaviour after returning a positive test, he revealed the league had "had to retire" three players since the poliicy was formed with the support of the players 10 years ago. Another, former Hawthorn midfielder Travis Tuck, is the only player to have reached three strikes, been named publicly and suspended.
Harcourt told the conference that three players had had psychotic reactions to illicit substances, five had taken illicit substances to deal with certain psychiatric symptoms and the league had needed to "temporarily withdraw" another three players "because of substance abuse issues that needed to be treated."
A further five had exhibited "attitudinal and personality type issues, but the bulk are just silly, risk taking behaviour," he said.
"If you think about it, you've got an open situation where you're talking openly with a player about their substance abuse. Part of that analysis is to work out the attitude of the individual and how they're engaged in what you're dealing with."
The players agreed to take part in out-of-competition testing for illicit substance use in 2005, provided there was confidentiality and that they were supported with counselling and medical assistance, which Harcourt enphasised in his address.
In 2013, 15 players tested positive to illicit substances - down from 26 in 2012 - and Harcout told the conference that drug use by footballers was significantly lower than it was for Australian men in the same age bracket. The league conducted 1998 tests in 2013, up from 1979 in 2012. One player reached his second strike, down from two in 2012.
The AFL Players Association said while it was unfortunate Harcourt's comments had been made public via YouTube, they illustrated the role the illicit drug policy played in supporting player health and wellbeing.
"We understand that Dr Harcourt made these comments at a medical conference and was not aware it was being filmed," said Ian Prendergast, the AFLPA's general manager of player relations, in a statement.
"The IDP is an educational and medical based model, which exists on the basis of confidentiality for all individuals involved.
"We know that the medical approach to drug use is the best way to protect players' health and wellbeing. It is imperative that privacy and confidentiality of players is maintained, and that the comments made by Dr Harcourt are not sensationalised."


text:
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Daytona Beach police say they think a woman had a gun hidden in her bra when she robbed a bank Monday.
Police said the woman walked into the TD Bank at 1590 South Nova Road just after 4:30pm.
Investigators said she handed the teller a note written on a withdrawal slip that said, "Give me all your money." The suspect then displayed a small gun that was inside her bra.
The teller handed over an undisclosed amount of money before the woman left the bank and got into a waiting black SUV, possibly a Cadillac or Lincoln.
The woman is described as about 5 foot 7 inches and about 140 to 160 pounds.
Police think she was wearing a wig at the time of the robbery.
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Nate Williams at 386-671-5209.
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