text:
Mountain Grove, Missouri (CNN) -- Thunder clapped and rain fell just before Bionce, Sassy and the rest of Mark Argall's prize-winning dairy herd went up for auction.
Had the storm come a few weeks earlier, and if the drought had eased, it might have saved the cows -- some of which were named with a bit of poetic license ("You can spell names however you want," he said) for pop-culture divas and celebrities.
As it was, however, Argall's pasture was so dry that his cattle had nothing to eat, and the farmer was losing $75 a day just trying to feed them.
Five generations of his family have milked dairy cows in this secluded stretch of Missouri's Ozark Mountains, but the inch or so of rain that fell on this recent Thursday was too little, too late. Argall -- a 54-year-old with a wiry, broomstick mustache -- had no choice but to sell nearly all of his cows at a livestock auction.
"We were just trying to hold on, thinking things are gonna change, the grass is gonna grow, the hay is going to be there," he said. "And it just never did happen."
During the auction, he sent a friend outside to roll up the windows of his truck. He never would have thought he'd need to close them because of rain -- at least not now.
Triple-digit temperatures and sparse rain this summer produced one of the most severe and widespread U.S. droughts in a half-century. Most headlines have focused on the extent of the drought -- the fact that it enveloped more than half the country; or that temperatures in July were the hottest for any month on record in the continental United States. Somewhat lost in that national conversation are the stories of Argall and other small-scale farmers who are being pushed out of the only line of work they've ever known.
For them -- and for the rural communities that depend on their incomes -- the drought is far more than a news item. It's an earth-shattering event, one they worry could lead the dairy communities of southern Missouri to unravel.
And, perhaps saddest of all, farmers say the sell-offs could have been avoided.
"We didn't fail. We did everything right," said Argall's wife, Jeanette. "It was the system that failed us."
'It's frightening'
Other farmers fear they'll end up in the same spot as the Argalls.
They pray for rain and try to stay afloat financially.
But that limbo exacts a serious toll.
Stacey McCallister, a good-humored 44-year-old who raises dairy cows about 50 miles north of Argall, wakes up many mornings and vomits. The drought has shot his nerves. He doesn't know what to tell his 11-year-old son when, in tears, he asks his dad if they'll have to sell all their animals. And he didn't know quite what to do when six of his dairy cows keeled over, two of them fatally, on a recent morning because they'd eaten a particular kind of grass that was so dry it had become toxic.
"I'd love for my kids to be able to stay on a farm and make a living," he said. "But I'm gonna tell you: Unless things change, there's no way."
The "unless things change" part is key for McCallister. He is both praying for rain -- his church, First Christian in Mountain Grove, held an event just for that purpose -- and pressuring the government for policy changes that could help small dairy farmers.
This sort of jump into the political fray is unusual in this area, where people pride themselves on a self-sufficient, can-do attitude. The drought hasn't changed that, but it's made dairy farmers here feel that some cards are stacked against them.
They're in the rare position of needing to ask for help.
And they're not necessarily getting it.
The Obama administration earlier this month announced emergency drought assistance that included low-interest emergency loans; a federal buy-up of meat from livestock producers; and the opening up of some protected lands for livestock grazing.
None of those efforts are targeted at dairy farmers, however, dairy advocates say.
Missouri's governor, meanwhile, created a cost-share program to help farmers get access to water for their cattle, but McCallister said that's more of a Band-Aid than a real solution.
Michael Scuse, under secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said dairy farmers have not been offered enough of a safety net because Congress has not finalized an omnibus piece of legislation called the Farm Bill.
"Had we had a Farm Bill passed by now, there's a very good chance we could offer some additional assistance" to dairy farmers who are struggling because of the drought, he said.
Several programs that deal with emergency assistance for livestock owners expired in September 2011; and an insurance program for livestock producers, which he said "never had adequate funding," will be cut further in September and eliminated by October 1 unless new legislation is passed, he said.
Earlier this summer, the U.S. Senate and the House's agriculture committee passed versions of the five-year bill, which includes everything from food stamps to crop insurance. Much of the debate about the bill centers on programs to feed low-income people. The House returns from August recess on September 10, and could take up the measure then.
The bill in its current form would create an insurance program specifically for dairy farmers. Currently, most dairy farmers are uninsured, according to officials and policy experts; that makes them more vulnerable to the impacts of a drought or high feed prices, both of which have taken hold now.
The price of corn nationally more than doubled from July 2010 to 2012, to $7.36 per bushel, and hay prices have risen nearly 65% over the same period to $184 per ton, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. On the ground in Missouri, however, real prices can be twice that for hay and at least a $1 per bushel more for corn, since those materials have to be trucked in from wetter regions, said Larry Purdom, president of the Missouri Dairy Association.
And, some dairy farmers here want to see the federal government suspend a rule requiring one-third of the U.S. corn crop be converted to ethanol. There's some evidence, as Reuters reports, however, that removing the requirement would do little to help.
McCallister relayed some of these concerns to his congresswoman, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, when she visited the area this month. Emerson has tried and, so far, failed to push through emergency drought legislation that would aid dairy farmers. The Republican took to the House floor with a photo of McCallister's dried-up farm to make her point.
On a recent morning, she met about a dozen dairy farmers beneath a shade tree at an agriculture research station in Mountain Grove.
She sure got an earful.
"We need to be able to buy feed for our cattle to meet this winter's needs or there's gonna be people standin' here that's not gonna be standin' here next time," McCallister said.
"You made a penny off your last sale, didn't you?" the congresswoman prompted.
McCallister: "Feed price was $15.50 and milk price was $15.51. I probably lost $5,000 last month. That's where we're at. The more cows you milk, the more money you lose."
She vowed to follow up on the issues.
'They become your family'
It took only 30 minutes for an auctioneer to sell Mark Argall's 33 cows.
As rain pattered on the metal roof of the auction barn, they were showcased one by one behind a metal fence and in front of a 100-person crowd. Bright lights hung over the scene. An announcer offered motorboat-speed commentary, jabbering about weight and price and quality of their coats. Two men with long metal sticks smacked a wall of the cage and poked the cattle to try to keep them spinning like ballerinas for the buyers, who selected cattle by making almost imperceptible motions -- a wink, the tap of a finger.
All of it was, of course, difficult for Argall to watch. He chewed on the tip of a pen and sighed as Bionce, Cupcake, Maggie Mae ("You ever hear of Rod Stewart?" he said) and the rest earned less than half what they would have before this drought.
"They're not just numbers on a computer," he said. "They're members of the family."
His wife, Jeanette Argall, took it harder. She fled to her sister's house in Arizona that week so she wouldn't have to be around for the sale.
Jeanette Argall grew up near Kansas City, and when her husband brought her to his parents' farm near Stockton, "she didn't know which end of the cow the milk came out of," he said. But she took to dairy farming with unexpected gusto, naming each member of the Argall family herd with great care and decorating their kitchen with literally hundreds of cow-themed knick-knacks. There's a cow-shaped kettle on her stove; dozens of plaques for their achievements in "cow shows" cover the wall.
"I love cows. I love dairy farming. We eat, we breathe, we sleep dairy cows," she said. "It's a passion. It's a way of life. When you work so closely with these animals they become your family."
To a city dweller, that may sound far-fetched. But think about it this way: The Argalls witnessed the births of most of their cows; they fed them with cartoonish, oversized baby bottles when they were young; they talk to them; they know their personalities; they pat the necks of the nervous cows as they walk into a milk barn where vacuum-suctioned devices are stuck onto their udders to extract milk with mechanical, rhythmic efficiency.
The night before the auction, Meredith Argall, Mark and Jeanette's 33-year-old daughter, went out into the fields near Ava, Missouri, to say goodbye to her friends.
Among them was one of her favorites, Norman -- named after the main character in "Psycho." Norman was moody and a bit insane, but she trusted Meredith Argall.
"I told her she had to go somewhere else," she said. "Whether God was going to take her or whether she was going to a new home, (I told her) that we couldn't take care of her anymore."
This is the kind of family where a husband would give his wife bull semen for her birthday, just because she is so keen on developing the best herd possible -- to help their business grow, and to show the rest of the world how strong their herd was.
"She wanted him bad, bad, bad, so I surprised her with it," Mark Argall said of the bull, Black Star, whose genetics he bought for his wife's birthday more than a decade ago.
As one rainless day after another passed, the Argalls fought the idea of having to sell their cattle. But one day, Jeanette Argall said, a check for their milk came in the mail. The price had dropped. Their pastures were too dry to feed their cattle and, without getting more money for the milk, they weren't able to buy them enough to eat.
"I just couldn't take it," Jeanette Argall said, explaining why she left for Arizona before the day of the auction. "I couldn't stand watching people coming in and out of here with trucks and loading up my family."
Community on the brink
An hour or so up the road, cow food is about the only thing Green Acres Dairy is trucking in.
"About three weeks ago, I was about ready to change the name to Brown Acres."
That's Roy Oliphant, 30, who owns this farm with his wife, Jessica, who is so in love with the cattle they raise that her Facebook photo is a picture of Precious the cow.
The young couple went $400,000 in debt to buy the farm a little more than a year ago. They recently applied for a $20,000 loan, they said, to pay for some of the hay they need to help the herd survive the winter.
They hoped to be the next generation of farmers for the area.
Now they're "fighting to keep the place," said Jessica Oliphant.
"It's just not working," the 27-year-old said. "It's not going to be very long before we don't have any farmers around here."
Mountain Grove, the 4,800-person dairy town that links all the farmers in this region, is starting to feel the pinch of the drought as well. It's a relatively nondescript place, where white houses have porch swings and wind chimes hang from gutters. At the town square, Western-style brick buildings with wooden awnings surround a patch of walnut and oak trees. And one business, Brown's Hardware, has an ominous sign in the window:
"Going out of business"
"We rely on the farmers," said Joe Robertson, 76, who has worked there for more than two decades. "It's dry and hot. (The farmers) couldn't get out to do anything."
It could be just the first sign of trouble.
"There's a huge ripple effect" from the drought, said Emerson, the congresswoman. "If a farmer is making a profit -- not a big one, but a little one, even -- then they're going to go to the grocery store. They're going to go to the implement dealer. They're going to go to the beauty shop. They're going to go to the Hallmark store. They're going to utilize the services that are in those communities. And if our farmers aren't buying anything, then the implement dealers suffer. The hardware store suffers. Everybody suffers.
"And that's how you start having rural America wither away."
Mountain Grove's mayor, Delbert Crewse, says the concerns are overblown.
Town sales tax revenue is down more than 10% compared to a year ago, he said. But revenue is always variable, he said. "It will hurt the city," he said, "but it's not gonna be no closin' of the city or anything like that."
As more and more dairy farmers here sell their herds, however, others believe the drought could be the event to push an already struggling area and industry over the edge.
The day the Argall family sold off 33 of their cattle at the Norwood Producers Auction, about 10 miles west of Mountain Grove, four other farmers did the same. This year, 30 farmers have done so at that particular auction barn, according to its owner, Brian Hoover. All told, more than a third of Missouri's dairy cows will be gone by the end of the year, thanks largely to the drought, said Purdom, from the dairy association.
"It gets worse every day," he said.
The return home
After the cows went to auction on August 16, Jeanette Argall called her husband and asked him to drive to Arizona to pick her up. She'd made a mistake, she said. She shouldn't be away from the family farm during such difficult times.
So Mark Argall drove three days, round trip, to bring her home.
They arrived on Tuesday at about 2 a.m.
"I just sat in the truck and I just bawled."
Before the drought, the family had about 100 cows. Dozens were sold off bit by bit before the auction. Fortunately for the cows, while some of those auctioned off at Norwood did go to slaughter, many went to other dairy farms.
The family decided to hang on to only five of their prize cows. They'll drink the milk, make some dairy products, and give some of it away to their neighbors.
But they're out of the business.
"I got up this morning and looked out and the farm looks bare without the cows," Jeanette Argall said. "You just sit here and you just shake your head and you're like, 'Now what?'"
They trust God has a plan for the family.
They just don't know what it is.
"I'm going to have to figure out what I'm gonna be when I grow up," Mark Argall said.
He's thinking of moving the family -- with the five remaining cows, Gypsy, Olivia, Jezabel, Brandy and Annalese -- to Alaska so he can work on an oil pipeline. He'd never been west of Kansas before he drove to Arizona to get his wife. But at least, in Alaska, he knows there would be work. Or maybe he'll get a truck driver's license. Or maybe they'll sell cheese at a local market. Who knows?
None of that is what he really wants, though.
"I never wanted to do anything but milk cows."
Just like his great-grandfather, grandfather, father and children have.
"It's just a helpless, godawful feeling," he said.
The night of the auction, Mark Argall came home to milk the few cows left on his farm -- his five and a handful he'd already sold but was waiting to deliver.
He and his daughter, Meredith, walked through the dark and rain to their dairy barn. As the cows filed in, father and daughter petted them and offered comfort during the storm.
Just as they were finishing up, at about 8:30 p.m., the power cut off and the room went black.
"You've got to be kidding me," Mark Argall said.
It was the weather.
After some fumbling around, Mark and Meredith Argall let the cows back out into the pasture and made their way through the rain and back into their home.
Mark Argall bit a flashlight in his mouth and lit three candles.
"You're not going to find a dairyman that isn't an optimist by nature," he said, trying to stay upbeat. "It's just a prerequisite, I guess."
Minutes later, the lights popped back on.
Are you experiencing the drought where you live? Share your story with CNN iReport.
Drought may yield benefits for wineries and wine lovers
Farmer in the drought -- if you plant it, it might not come
Farmer: 'If you eat, this drought will affect you'
Complete coverage: U.S. drought 2012


text:
McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner will retire later this year, and the man who's replacing him is Don Thompson, the company's current president and COO.
He will be the first black person to take the helm of McDonald's since it was founded in 1955, and he's only the 12th to ever become CEO of a Fortune 500 company, according to Black Entrepreneur Profile.
The first black Fortune 500 CEO was Franklin Raines, who became CEO of Fannie Mae in 1999. Here are the others, from Black Entrepreneur Profile:
Clarence Otis Jr., Darden Restaurants
Kenneth Chenault, American Express
Rodney O'Neal, Delphi
Ursula Burns, Xerox
Aylwin Lewis, Potbelly (previously at Kmart, Sears)
Franklin Delano Raines, Revolution (previously at Fannie Mae)
Lloyd D. Ward, CleanTech (previously at Maytag)
Richard Parsons, Citigroup
Stanley O'Neal, Alcoa

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I am trying to create a GtkWindow that would be on top of all the windows. This includes Unity's Launcher and Panel. I am working on Kazam screen recorder and one of the options of the program is recording an arbitrary area of the screen.
For this, I open a GtkWindow and let user resize it and move it around the screen to the desired location. The problem is when user wants to resize the window over the Panel (or Launcher). It can't be done. It seems that window manager is preventing this.
I can move the window under panel and launcher if I ALT-drag it, but the problem because area selection window stays below Launcher and Panel.
Any ideas are more than welcome.


text:
615 N. Wolfe Street
Room E6136
Baltimore, Maryland 21205
E: email@example.com
DrPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 1987
MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 1981
MD, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 1978
JD, University of Guadalajara, 1972
Applied Epidemiology, health planning and evaluation, geographic information systems, health impact assessment, measuring health inequalities, urban health.
AMTRA Award (Advising, Mentoring & Teaching Recognition Award) for Outstanding Service. Student Assembly. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2018-2019
"Golden Apple Award". Johns Hopkins University and the Student Assembly. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2017-2018
"Distinguished Alumnus Award". Johns Hopkins University and the Alumni Association of the Johns Hopkins University. September, 2017
Numerary Member in Epidemiology. The National Academy of Medicine of Mexico. Induction Ceremony, June 28, 2017
AMTRA Award (Advising, Mentoring & Teaching Recognition Award) for Outstanding Service. Student Assembly. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2015-2016
Honorary Professor of Public Health. Recognition for Leadership in Professional Training in Epidemiology in the Region of the Americas. Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia, 2012
American Public Health Association. Recognition for outstanding service and dedication to the APHA Publication Board. 2011
Delta Omega Society. Alpha Chapter. Faculty Induction. Bloomberg School of Public Health. May, 2009
Member of the National Board of Public Health Examiners's Charter Class. 2008
Special Recognition by the Secretaria de Vigilancia em Saude of the Ministry of Health of Brazil for outstanding contribution and dedication to training Brasilian Epidemiologists in Epidemiology for Public Health Managers. Brasilia, Brazil, March 2006
2005 NASA GRANT:"Integration of NASA Earth Science Data into Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Health Analysis and Information Decision Support". PI: Carlos Castillo-Salgado, Pan American Health Organization. The Applied Sciences Program NASA Science Mission Directorate. Public Health.
2003. PAHO Special Award. 2002 Best/Outstanding Unit/Team Award. In recognition of the leadership in the use of innovative and creative approaches in the field of public health analysis. Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Washington, DC.
2002 US-Mexico Border Health Hero. Recognition for the leadership role in public health at the service of the communities in the Mexico-US border. US-Mexico Border Health Association and Field Office. PAHO/WHO Centennial Award. El Paso, Texas.
Promotion to P6 Level /UN/WHO-PAHO (Highest professional rank level in UN System). Pan American Health Organization, April 2000
OTHLI Award Medal from the Government of Mexico and the Program for the Mexican Communities Abroad, 1999. The President of Mexico gives this award to distinguished Mexican Nationals living abroad for their exceptional contribution to the development of the Mexican Community.
PAHO/WHO DIRECTOR'S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE, 1996. Panamerican Health Organization. World Health Organization. PAHO/WHO's highest professional staff award offered in recognition of outstanding contribution and services to the Organization as it discharges its missions and constitutional mandate. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., November 1996
PAHO/WHO SPECIAL RECOGNITION OF TECHNICAL PROGRAMS, 1993. Communicable Diseases Program, HPT. In recognition of the excellence of the professional work of its Staff in 1992. Washington, D.C.
National Dissertation Grant Award in Health Services Research, 1986. National Center for Health Services Research and Health Care Technology Assessment. Department of Health and Human Services. Rockville, Maryland.
Cultural Integration of Latin America Scholarship. Universidad A. de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jal, México. 1968
Honorable Mention. J.D. with Honors. Universidad A. de Guadalajara. Guadalajara, Jal, México, 1972
Public Health Scholarship. National Council for Science and Technology. Mexican Government. 1980, 1981
Recent publications


text:
Now you can change the appearance of FN as you preferred,.! _____ Pls go click "Profile" > "Modify Profile" > "Look and Layout" Then select, "Current Theme"
0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.
:?Owa Ithin SMS ma handa Hondai
Amme pissa danna dewal :P
Page created in 0.131 seconds with 22 queries.


text:
Bad AdviceComments
Jon Meacham, presidential biographer and evidently person who does not understand the presidencies he studies, offers some really bizarre advice for Barack Obama in his second term:
With his second inauguration just a few days away, Jon Meacham has some advice for President Obama: Take a lesson from your long since deceased predecessor Thomas Jefferson.
Meacham, author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, says one of the keys to Jefferson's success was that he built personal relationships with senators and members of Congress. He says Obama "has not been particularly good at this."
Every night Congress was in session, Jefferson would invite members to the White House for dinner and managed to forge friendships with even some of his staunchest critics.
"He wanted to weave attachments," says Meacham. "There's a wonderful story about a New England Senator from New Hampshire, a federalist, who came in 1803 two years into Jefferson's term believing Jefferson to be evil incarnate. And he came to dinner so much that by the end of the term they're exchanging pecan recipes."
In gaining personal friendships within Congress, Meacham says Jefferson was able to get the votes he needed to pass his agenda.
Um, no. It's entirely possible that Jefferson did become friendly with some Federalists. I don't know. But the Federalist Party as a whole hated the man and his agenda through his entire presidency. Let us not forget that the primary issue in the nation at this time was the United States' position vis-a-vis Britain and France. Around these issues revolved such lovely events in American history as the Alien and Sedition Acts, War of 1812, and Hartford Convention of 1814, where some Federalists advocated the secession of New England from the nation rather than live with Jeffersonian rule. Admittedly, by this time it Madison as president, but it was still Jefferson's party. The major policy issue of Jefferson's second term was the Embargo of 1807, the worst foreign policy move in American history. How did the Federalists, who Jefferson had so charmed by having them over for a glass of wine or whatnot, respond? They were infuriated. New England shippers openly flouted the Embargo, starting a vigorous black market trade with the British. Jefferson used federal agents to track down smugglers, leading to open condemnation of his tyrannical policies by his political opponents.
I'll admit that I am not a historian of the Early Republic. If this was the presidents between McKinley and FDR, I could offer deeper analysis of important pieces of legislation. So maybe there's something I'm forgetting, something where Jefferson's charm made an actual difference for his policy agenda. But I've never even heard of such a thing before when reading of the Jefferson presidency. It sounds like a massive projection by Meacham for what he wants to see from Obama.
The bigger point is the power of the belief among the Beltway punditry and Very Important People (here I include Spielberg and Kushner) that if the party in power (actually only the Democrats) just were nicer to Republicans, so much more could get done. Maybe Obama can invite Rand Paul to the White House and spin a 23 minute Lincolnesque story about some people he knew 20 years ago back in Illinois. Paul will be sure to change his mind and support gun control!


text:
Windows update client returns error code 8024500c upon Windows updates
August 2, 2018
Are you looking for support on Office error code 8024500c
This article explains you some quick self-troubleshooting steps and also direct assistance on screen sharing.
At first, we will understand the issue in detail with various checkups like system file health, network connection and other programs which are causing error code 8024500c.
It is not hard to resolve any issue if you know the facts for this error code 8024500c.
Do you have any different version of office program installed on your computer?
There are some cases where a duplicate program may cause you this error code 8024500c and subscription licensed issues.
Is your network connection working correctly?
If the Internet is not good enough there are bandwidth related issues, intermittent connection related issues or proxy connection issues which can cause you this error code 8024500c
How a system service or program files can related to the error code 8024500c?
It is possible to see this error if your files are corrupted. The system files gets corrupted usually due to the external sources interference like Infected USB or mass storage devices connected to the computer and working on a non-trusted connection. Also there are some spam email attachments which can induce the corruptions for your program.
It is always recommended to scan your computer and make it free from virus.
In some cases, users report where Windows updates harm their computers and corrupt their programs, it is a wrong perception. We suggest you to restore your computer to an earlier date when the computer was working fine and test to see if that resolved your error code 8024500c.
Uninstalling and reinstalling office is a regular choice by many users to fix the errors but we advise you to backup your data before proceeding with the uninstallation of a program.
This ensures your data is safe and you are always good to start with the reinstallation of a program.


text:
That old nemesis of shares — Europe — arose from the dead Monday, after an Italian election cast doubt on that nation's ability to implement austerity measures.
The selling was enough to saddle the Nasdaq Composite with its third distribution day, all major, in the past week. The S&P, for its part, notched its second.
Chart created using TradeStation. ©TradeStation Technologies, 2001-2013. All rights reserved.
A general rule of thumb is that three to five distribution days in a one-week period is enough to flash a sign of caution. Practically speaking, "a sign of caution" translates to a speculator raising some cash, or in some cases moving to an all-cash position. A lot depends on the action of the cycle's leading stocks.
With the S&P 500 off only 2.8% from last week's rally high and the Nasdaq Composite just 3.0%, it hardly seems a time to be running for the hills. That is, unless one is holding some of the speculative growth glamours.
As noted in Thursday's report, the somewhat curious aspect of this three-month advance in the averages has been that only a few growth titles with good liquidity have moved up more than 25% from breakout.
The ramification of this is that the more-modest post-breakout gains seen in growth leaders are scarcely enough to weather a 3%-5% short-term reaction in the averages, let alone an 8%-12% intermediate-term correction. As noted previously, growth issues tend to correct 1.5 to 2.5 times that of the averages, if not more, in many cases.
The current growth leadership is the type of generally lagging growth-stock performance that is consistent with the latter stages of a bull market. That cyclicals have led underscores this.
Meanwhile, the action of the past week is an example of how volatility is mean-reverting. A period of low volatility, such as what was seen in the seven days highlighted in yellow in the above chart, tends to lead to a high-volatility period, as seen in the last four days.
Increased volatility often signals a trend change. Following a trend change from down to up, it usually continues early into a new advance and also late in one.
The view here is that the mild reaction thus far is likely to extend longer than the four days already seen, and for two reasons: 1) the median decline from peak for a universe of 56 growth titles is close to three times that of the declines in the averages, and 2) the reaction to the Italian election was extreme in the currency market, reflective of a shoot-now, ask-questions-later type of sentiment among global participants.
Other concerns also persist.
For starters, the housing-related shares account for 25% of the leaders. Any serious dent to their charts would suggest an impairment to the economic expansion. In addition to the builders, which are off 8.6% on average...
Chart created using TradeStation. ©TradeStation Technologies, 2001-2013. All rights reserved.
Weyerhaeuser (WY), Louisiana Pacific (LPX), Eagle Materials (EXP), Nationstar Mortgage Holdings (NSM), Ocwen Financial OCN, +3.16% and Lumber Liquidators Holdings LL, +4.34%, et alia, come under pressure.
For a larger chart, please click here.
Chart created using MarketSmith. ©2013 MarketSmith Incorporated. All rights reserved.
For a larger chart, please click here.
Chart created using MarketSmith. ©2013 MarketSmith Incorporated. All rights reserved.


text:
Canyon Ultimate CF 9.0 with Ultrega cheaper.
The Giant TCR Advanced 3 is a fast, precise road bike that offers a smooth ride. We like it a lot.
We're a caring, sharing bunch here at road.cc, so rather than just give you a standard bike review, this time round we thought we'd write this one in response to the questions you asked and the comments you made when we published our Just In on the Giant a few weeks ago. It might work out well, it might be an absolute disaster but we'll give it a whirl and see what happens...
Wors asked: 'Can I ask what owners think of it comfort wise?'
Rowanb97 said: 'I don't own one but rode one for a weekend and it's very comfortable. A Fizik Arione saddle and a very nice carbon frame and fork make the ride a joy.'
Ray Heisey, who bought a Giant TCR Advanced 2 in January, added: 'The bike is fast, responsive, quiet and comfortable.'
We'd agree that the TCR Advanced 3 is pretty comfortable. It's not the most forgiving bike ever but it's nowhere near as harsh as that hugely oversized front end might lead you to expect. It actually provides a smooth, well-mannered ride.
All of Giant's road bikes are built to a compact geometry. As you'll doubtless know – but we'll repeat anyway, just in case you don't – Giant slope the top tube down towards the seat tube. That reduces the size of the frame triangles, the idea being to save weight and increase lateral stiffness.
A compact geometry also results in more of the aero seatpost extending out the top of the seat tube than would be the case with a standard design. All other things being equal, that provides a little extra damping over irregular Tarmac. Whether that's what is responsible or not we couldn't say for sure, but the Advanced 3's ride quality is good. It's not a soft ride but you'll be happy enough to rack up the big miles without coming home sore from getting repeatedly kicked in the butt.
As Rowanb97 suggests, the saddle helps on that score. Even though I know it's massively popular, I haven't been the biggest fan of Fizik's Arione in the past but it's finally starting to win me over. The manganese-railed version fitted to the Advanced 3 felt great throughout testing. I still don't understand why Fizik extend the rear section so far. I mean, no one actually sits back there, do they? Whatever; the saddle felt comfy so I'm not complaining.
The other factor that always has a big effect on comfort is your ride position. We have the XL (58.5cm) model of the Advanced 3, the largest size Giant make. It comes with a lengthy 60.5cm top tube and a 20cm head tube.
Those are exactly the same dimensions that Giant use on their TCR Advanced SL pro-level race bikes, so you are forewarned that this is an aggressive setup. Don't be misled by the 20cm head tube, by the way; the XL bike is for big blokes. I'm 1.90m tall and would have been better off with a size smaller.
Anyway, the point is that although you get 3.5cm of spacers underneath the stem, the Advanced 3 is designed with a racing geometry. As long as that's what you're expecting, you'll be happy with the ride position.
As Ray Heisey said, the Advanced 3 is also fast and responsive, and we'd put that largely down to the frame's stiffness. Just looking at the bike, you can tell that rigidity was top of the project checklist.
The front end is massive. Lots of manufacturers have moved away from standard 1 1/8in headset bearings so that they can beef up the size of the head tube and fork steerer for increased stiffness. This year Giant have introduced what they're calling their OverDrive 2 standard, using a 1 1/4in bearing at the top and a 1 1/2in bearing at the bottom – which is the same as Canyon, for example, use on many of their bikes.
The looks might take some getting used to but according to Giant, the OverDrive 2 design provides up to 30% more torsional stiffness than their previous OverDrive standard (1 1/8in and 1 1/4in) for greater precision and control. We'd say that's the single biggest defining characteristic of this bike. That front end just doesn't waver.
Sling the Advanced 3 lightning-fast through the turns and lean it over hard and it stays pin sharp and accurate. Haul on the brakes and there's not a hint of dive. Even when 100kg of Big Dave endo-ed the Advanced there was zero flex... and if it can handle that kind of abuse it can handle pretty much anything.
With oversized tubing everywhere, the rest of the frame holds equally firm. The down tube is a huge, square-edged affair and the bottom bracket area is built solidly too, housing a press-fit BB from Shimano.
The result is a frame that feels amazingly stiff under hard pedalling. Powerful riders in particular will love the fact that even out of the saddle sprints fail to induce any detectable sway through the centre of the bike. If you're after efficiency, the Giant certainly provides it, every morsel of energy that you can summon up getting converted directly into speed.
Rookybiker pointed out that: "Giant uses a lower-spec carbon fibre for the Composite frames. A TCR Composite frame weighs less than a TCR aluminum frame and more than a TCR Advanced frame.'
That's true. Giant use Toray 600 carbon fibre for their Composite bikes and Toray 700 for their Advanced frames, such as we have here. Then they use Toray 800 for their high-end Advanced SL bikes. The biggest difference between them is the weight for a given level of stiffness, each grade a little lighter than the previous one.
Giant weave the carbon fibre into cloth in their own composites factory and then mould the front triangle as a single piece. They then join it to the chainstay/seatstays section that's produced separately.
Speaking of the seatstays, Giant have tweaked the design compared to the TCR Advanced that we reviewed last year. They now remain as two separate entities all the way up to the seat tube rather than merging at the brake bridge, saving a little weight without forfeiting stiffness.
Various tweaks and changes in the layup mean that the Advanced frame is actually over 100g lighter than last year's model.
Mooman16 said: "The internal cable routing is pretty neat and tidy. The RideSense sensor works really well with my Garmin. Just don't be a numpty like me by wasting a half hour adjusting the wheel and cadence magnets wondering why nothing seems to work. You have to take the sensor out and then remove the plastic seal over the battery. Problem sorted.'
Last year's TCR Advanced had external cables but Giant have brought them inside for 2012. The rear brake cable heads backwards through the top tube while the gear cables enter the frame at the front of the head tube, the one for the rear mech emerging towards the end of the driveside chainstay. As well as tidying up the frame a little, this allows Giant to use the same frame for the Advanced 0 which comes with Shimano Ultegra Di2 electronic shifting.
In terms of performance, internal cabling makes little difference although it does reduce the possibility of contamination from water and road grime. You just need to be a bit more careful when it comes to maintenance. Fitting a new cable can be a nightmare if you don't follow the right procedure.
The RideSense sensor that Mooman16 refers to is a wireless computer sensor that's housed on the non-driveside seatstay. It's ANT+ compatible so you just fit magnets to the wheel and crankarm and it'll send speed and cadence info to a computer that uses the same system - a Garmin, for example. It's a handy piece of integration that, like the internal cabling, helps keep the bike neat.
dreamlx10 said: "I have the TCR Advanced frame from 2010, built up with Campag Chorus and Ambrosio/Record wheels. Very nice bike to ride. I would buy another one tomorrow, preferably the TCR Advanced SL with Record groupset.'
If you wanted that combo, like dreamlx10, you'd need to build it up yourself because that's not an option Giant offer.
The Advanced 3 that we have here comes with a full 105 groupset – 105 being the third tier Shimano road option after Dura-Ace and Ultegra. We're never quite sure which of Shimano's groups offers the best value for money but 105 certainly makes a strong claim. It offers a similar level of performance to its more expensive stablemates with a relatively small weight penalty.
You often get at least some Ultegra components on a two grand bike but you're clearly investing most of your cash in that Advanced frame. You could buy a bike with a higher component spec for the same money, but chances are you're going to take a hit on the frame. You pays your money and you takes your choice. Given the option, we'd definitely go for the better frame and upgrade any components we didn't like when they wear out.
Anyway, the 105 kit works really well. The shifters are comfortable and easy to operate, and the brakes are punchy. The chainset you get here is a 52/39T model and it's matched up to a 10-speed 12-25T cassette. That suits the racy character of this bike but I guess you might prefer a compact chainset, particularly if you ride in a hilly area. If so, you're out of luck. The Advanced 2 comes with a mechanical Ultegra groupset and the Advanced 0 comes with Ultegra Di2, both with 53/39T chainrings.
The Advanced 3 climbs well even without a compact. Hitting the scales at 8.3kg (18.26lb), it's a reasonable weight rather than a featherweight but that frame stiffness I've banged on about means it's solid when you get up on the pedals for the steep stuff. Giant's own alloy stem and bars help here, holding perfectly steady when others might twist.
Niallf said: "Whilst I was at first considering a wheel upgrade to race on, the Giant wheels that come with the package seem to be doing the job so I may not bother.'
Ah yes, Niallf, we're glad you mentioned the wheels because they're new. Giant have been working with DT Swiss to develop their own range of wheels for both their own bikes and as an aftermarket range. These SL1s come with 6061 alloy rims, forged 6000-series alloy hubs and DT Champion stainless steel spokes – 18 at the front, 24 at the rear.
They've spun smoothly on their sealed bearings throughout testing and they've remained true, which is always a good start. Weighing in at 1,775g the pair, they're not mega-light but they're an okay weight – roughly similar to a pair of Mavic Aksiums, for example. They lack a little energy maybe, but they're well built and the double-walled rims mean they don't flex about.
I'd upgrade them in time to something in line with the high quality of the frameset, but they do a decent enough job and they're big on reliability so there's no particular hurry.
The same isn't true of the black spoke protector. If this were my own bike, it would be off there in two minutes flat. I don't care if it's practical, I'm with Mooman16 on this. He said: "The black plastic disc between the cassette and the spokes is just plain ugly... once I need to change my cassette, the disc will be consigned to the same circular filing cabinet used to store the bell.'
To sum up, the TCR Advanced 3 is one of the stiffest and most efficient bikes we've ridden in its price band. It's solid when you put in the power and its tracking is superb however fast you ping it through the corners. Some riders would doubtless prefer a bit more give in the frame for a softer ride but it's still a pretty comfortable setup. Above all, this is a race-orientated machine with a competitive nature in its blood.
Fast, race-orientated road bike with precise handling and class-leading efficiency.
If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website
Make and model: Giant TCR Advanced 3 2012
Size tested: XL
State the frame and fork material and method of construction. List the components used to build up the bike.
Frame Advanced-Grade Composite
Fork Advanced-Grade Composite, Full-Composite OverDrive 2 Steerer, 1 1/4-1 1/2in bearings
Handlebar Giant Connect SL, 31.8
Stem Giant Contact, OverDrive 2
Seatpost Giant Vector Composite
Saddle Fizik Arione with manganese Rails
Shifters Shimano 105, 20 speed
Front derailleur Shimano 105
Rear derailleur Shimano 105
Brakes Shimano 105
Brake levers Shimano 105
Cassette Shimano 105 12-25
Chain Shimano 105
Chainset Shimano 105, 39/52
Bottom bracket Shimano, Press Fit
Wheels Giant P-SL1 WheelSystem
Tyres Giant P-R3, Front and Rear specific, 700x23mm
Tell us what the bike is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about the bike?
Giant use T-700 carbon fibre. They say, "T-700 raw composite material is painstakingly woven in Giant's own composite factory (a step no other major manufacturer undertakes), then handcrafted into framesets using Giant's advanced monocoque construction technique. The process produces extremely light, stiff and compliant framesets."
Giant say this about their OverDrive 2 fork steerer/head tube design: "Oversize headset bearings and a tapered steerer tube work in harmony to offer unprecedented steering performance with no additional weight. Both road and mountain versions feature massive 1 1/4-inch top and 1 1/2-inch bottom bearings.
"Compared to the already stiff OverDrive system, OverDrive 2 provides up to 30 percent more torsional steering stiffness. This huge leap forward translates into industry-leading steering precision. Whether you're sprinting for the finish or cornering hard in the most demanding conditions, you can ride with more power and confidence."
Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork?
Very good quality throughout.
Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? If so, was it a problem?
None in the XL size.
The frame stiffness means this is a very efficient bike.
It's not the lightest bike at this price but it's direct.
Did you enjoy riding the bike? Yes.
Would you consider buying the bike? Possibly, if only for the exceptional frame.
Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Yes, especially to someone after efficiency, even more so if they were a powerful rider.
Age: 41 Height: 190cm Weight: 75kg
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,
Mat has worked for loads of bike magazines over 20+ years, and been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. He's been road.cc technical editor for eight years, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a past winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer.
Canyon CF Ultimate 9.0 - €2099, so a shade under £1700 and yes it does have Shimano Ultegra - rear mech, crankset, and levers, not quite a full groupset though.
Definitely a lot of bike for the money but to be fair so it should be Canyon are an internet only operation so they've cut out a whole layer of the supply chain and a whole layer of margin too. Any bike from a purely online supplier should be cheaper than one you buy in a shop. That still doesn't make the Giant expensive though.
Giant have been renowned for building stiff carbon frames that still have some 'compliance' so are also particularly comfortable. Giant as a brand is not everyone's fancy (too 'Honda', not enough Italianesque flair?) but £2k is what it costs for a good quality carbon bike with 105 and decent OE wheels.
I don't think many people would be able to put enough force through the the 1.25~1.5" headset to feel a difference.
There is not much between 105 and Ultegra in the real world and TBH most bikes are so good these days it's hard to say which is 'better', you're better of choosing one that fits and you like the look and feel.
The latest versions of both can accept 30t on the back. Fitting a 12-28 or 12-30 cassette is a lot cheaper than a new chainset.
3ooo miles later and lovin' every mile on my Advanced 2. I agree that saying the bike is comfy is a relative thing,fast,responsive and quiet, well the proof is in the performance. The usual suspects I ride with are all over the hardware map. Cervelo, Trek, Jamis,Specialized,Orbea all show up on any givin Saturday morning. I've always been able to hold my own but I'm a lot faster this year and it's the new bike, the motor is the same. I may be getting stronger just because of all the base miles I put on. The bike is that much fun to ride. I hate to get off. I love laying back going into the sprint or the climb then exploding forward at just the right moment. But don't take my word for it, ask Robert Gesink, Team Rabobanks Tour of California Champion. He's riding the 3's tricked out big brother. I loved the stage 7 finish up Mt Baldy. To each his own as they say, Giant TCR Advanced for me with the standard crank and 12/25 cassette. Ultegra vs 105, Force vs Rival, maybe the lesser group and put your $$ in the wheel set. Be safe and enjoy the ride regardless of what you're riding. Visit me at http://www.rayheisey.com
I was more wondering whether or not the reviewer thought the 2012 TCR advanced is a better bike than the 2011 TCR advanced... Giant seem to be the only company that doesn't care what the bike looks like on paper, more how it rides... Loving my 2011 defy advanced and I don't know how they could have improved it for 2012
'Class leading performance'
erm, not according to the independant tests carried out each year by Tour magazine in Germany. Compared to the competition the Giant frame is heavy, not very stiff in the BB or headtube, and not very comfortable either.
Basically it's a shocker. Test results will be published in UK soon by rival brand, but they aren't going to edit the result so you really will be able to compare the frames of all the leading brands.
Tour magazine? What, the old 'add up the numbers and the biggest number wins' style of testing? no thanks.
You can build your bikes to do well in the Tour tests, if you like. Not surprisingly, the German brands do, since it's their home mag, so they win the tests. That doesn't necessarily make them the best bikes (although the Canyons are well reviewed everywhere) unless you believe that Tour's empirical jig data is the only important thing about a bike. Which I don't.
Regarding bike wts; make sure you are using the same scale for all bikes you are weighing. Shop A's scale is going to be different then Shop B's. Unless the scales is traceable to NIST (USA) or your nations office of wts and standards there is going to be a accuracy question. I think this is why manufacturers do not always publish weights, 2 different scales =2 different weights. Less is more, it's amazing the cost difference between a 17# bike and a 16# one, approx $1000.00. I'm saving up for some < 1400g hoops. Best of everything to you all. Come to Florida USA to ride. We ride 12 months out of the year. We're Flatlanders, big crank country.
Regarding bike wts; make sure you are using the same scale for all bikes you are weighing. Shop A's scale is going to be different then Shop B's.
Differences in frame weight are a minute part of the whole and lightest is not best. I'd argue that sizing/bikefit and the effectiveness of the key components attached to it are far more pertinent (never mind the weight and effectiveness of the biggest component - the one on top of the saddle).
As for relative stiffness, while some mag reviews wax lyrical and still leave me in the dark, a bunch of numbers from a jig don't really tell me how good a bike really is to ride. Which is what it's for, isn't it?
I demo'd a advanced sl3 yesterday to answer my own question. All I can say is WOW, this bike is awesome, it goes like the wind! Comfort wise, I did 120 miles and felt nice and fresh afterwards. I took it back to the shop and they asked if I wanted to borrow a defy, to compare. No need I have made my mind up! And 120 miles and 5500ft of climbing all in the 53 tooth ring


text:
Let me tell you about my Honours Project, I've been working on it for six months now and have just had a proposal for a paper I wrote about it accepted for the ISAAC 2012 Conference in Pittsburgh so it seems silly that I haven't written a blog post about it yet.
In my final year of University, I find myself working on an honours project that is both rewarding academically but also, through the enormous sense of satisfaction of helping people with Severe Speech and Physical Impairment tell stories where doing so has been frustratingly difficult in the past.
My project is an AAC project. That stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. AAC devices help those with Severe Speech and Physical Impairment (SSPI) communicate. People with SSPI vary greatly, while one user may have permanently or temporarily non-functional speech only, others may find themselves with much more physical impairments. They could be confined to a wheel chair much of their lives, or simply have difficulties with motor control, meaning they find it difficult to operate a mouse or keyboard efficiently.
A recent example of someone who found themselves without functional speech recently would be the British singer Adele who after surgery, was ordered by doctors to rest her voice, she downloaded an app on her phone to speak for her. However, most regular AAC users are more permanently affected by non functional speech and often posses severe disabilities that hinder their use of a computer.
Adele apparently attempted to download several text to speech apps for her phone and finally settled on one particular app that would allow her to swear. This is actually something that we share a belief in at Dundee University. AAC devices are a user's voice, under no circumstances should we censor them, even if they are designed for children. You wouldn't teach a child not to swear by cutting into their brain and removing the ability to do so. Perhaps in some kind of cross between Orwell and Asimov, this might make an interesting story but unfortunately, many AAC devices do indeed censor their users.
Probably the most famous user of AAC equipment is Professor Stephen Hawking. Hawking is a perfect example of someone with Severe Speech and Physical Impairment. With very little motor function, Hawking uses a computer attached to his wheelchair which he operates using a single switch that he presses using his cheek.
As so many AAC users do fall into this category of Severe Speech and Physical Impairment (SSPI), interface design becomes a huge factor as users with SSPI often require interfaces designed specifically for how they use a computer. For instance, users who, like Hawking, use a switch to select items on a screen will usually require what we call a scanning interface. This is where the system highlights a selectable element of a screen individually for a moment before then moving on to highlight the next element, after waiting for the desired item to become highlighted on their screen, the user can then hit their switch to select it. As you can imagine, this can be slow and tedious however, it is of course more accessible than not being able to use the interface at all. As such, systems need to be designed that respect how the user will be using their device. Other users may not need a switch interface and while they can not necessarily operate several small buttons, can in fact use a touch screen with large, easily understood buttons to choose from.
Another factor that needs to be remembered is that disabilities are in most cases combined with other disabilities. For instance, someone with SSPI is very likely to also have learning difficulties such as dyslexia. One issue that arises regularly in the AAC user community is illiteracy. As such, basic text to speech is often not the best method for an AAC device as if the user can not read or write, they can not type text to be spoken.
Chronicles – My Honours Project
For my honours project, I've joined the AAC Research Team at Dundee University where I've joined in the development of a new project called Chronicles, a narrative telling system for adults with SSPI.
While there has been lots of research and development (R&D) in AAC systems, most of these have been in aiding transactional communication. When we say transactional, we are referring to communication aimed at expressing needs, this could be as simple as "I want coffee" or "I need the toilet." However, in terms of narrative systems, there are less systems. Narratives is an AAC term that really just means stories. While this may seem like a simple matter, story telling is actually a major part of communication and you may not realise just how many stories you tell every day.
When you speak to your friends, you may tell them about what you did last night. You may tell your mother about a hard day at work or you may tell people about a vacation you went on. With close friends and family, people with SSPI are usually more comfortable telling stories, possibly because those who are close to them have less difficulties understanding gestures or the broken speech that some with SSPI are capable of. However, when meeting a new person, these stories are more difficult for users to tell and so they come to rely on AAC devices much more.
However, the other main part of communication is conversation. When you tell a story, you do not just tell the whole story all at once and take questions at the end of it, you say a sentence and you stop as the person you are telling the story to asks a question.
I had a nasty experience at the shops the other day.
Oh yes? What happened?
There was a robbery at the store!
Really?! Tell me more!
When we tell stories, interruptions and questions are a major part of the narrative and so a story telling system has to allow for the story to be told in individual utterances, allowing questions to be asked. This also allows the user to skip parts or tell the story in a different order to how it was written, allowing the story to be told in a different way each time to different people.
With most AAC systems, the user can enter a narrative in one long block of text that can't be interrupted or have the sequence changed to allow the user to respond to questions. As such, users with SSPI often don't tend to tell stories with AAC devices and would choose to have a communication partner tell the story for them instead. This may be a close friend or family member or a support worker. However, when faced with a situation where they wish to tell a story, if the user's communication partner is not present or indeed, if the communication partner with them does not know the story, many choose simply not to tell the story at all.
Chronicles aims to change this by allowing the user to generate their stories and store them in a system that allows them to be told as part of a conversation naturally and be kept with them on their own AAC device wherever they go. This extends the work already done here at Dundee University's by AAC Research Team members Rolf Black and Annalu Waller on a system called "How Was School Today…?" which generated stories for children based on what they had been doing in school, allowing them to tell stories to their parents and friends.
We hope to bring similar functionality found in "How Was School Today…?" to Chronicles, such as Natural Language Generation implementing data to text and text to speech. However, we plan to extend these proven applications of narrative telling to a device that can document all of a users life. And thus we arrive at the part I'm working on, how do you design an interface for those with Severe Speech and Physical Impairment that allows the user to easily find one story, from what could be hundreds!
Retrieving One Narrative From Hundreds
The work that I'm doing on Chronicles is to investigate how best the narratives we're collecting/generating are to be stored in a database on the user's system and most importantly, how the user interface should be designed to allow a person with severe physical impairment, learning difficulties, and possibly illiteracy, to easily retrieve a single narrative from a feasibly very large number.
This has been my challenge for the last six months and through evaluation from my initial prototype designs, it is the challenge that will continue for the final few months of my time at university.
One of the highest held principles at Dundee's School of Computing is User Centred Design. For many, this simply means designing a system with the user in mind, for us, it means that the user group you are designing for is involved in the actual design process. For the AAC Research Group at Dundee University, that means real AAC users with SSPI coming into the lab on a regular basis to give insight and thought into systems that we are designing. This may seem entirely obvious to you as a reader however the sad truth (tragic even) is that almost all AAC development in the world is done by researchers who have never spoken to a real AAC user in their lives!
At the start of this project, myself and my supervisor had several assumptions as to what kind of system Chronicles would be and more to the point, how its interface would appear and be used, however through speaking to real AAC users, we could see just how much interaction with our user group is invaluable. It is such an important factor that my supervisor, Dr. Suzanne Prior, wrote her PhD on the subject of user involvement in the development process of AAC systems.
We believed that a category system would be much more useful for finding stories than a timeline interface that would show stories in a line. We had in fact resigned ourselves to our belief so much that we were quite sure that such a system would not be developed at all. However, it turned out that when discussing their progress, our user group is often asked to to plot events in their lives on a time line drawn as a long winding road. This visual aid was actually much easier for them to picture events that have happened in their past and so, Chronicle's Timemap was born.
Notice that I haven't just come up with an interface based on what we believed would be a good idea, if I had, the system would look extremely different to what it does and after receiving poor results from evaluation, a prototype would likely have needed scrapped and a new one made up, by involving users in the requirements gathering process right from the start, time is not wasted building systems that just aren't suitable.
Evaluation of the initial prototypes, as designed based on the expert knowledge of real AAC users, has shown that the system is being received well. There are elements that through watching members of our own user group interact with, I now know need changes. Elements that I would not have thought of if I hadn't involved them in the testing process.
I'm now on to making adjustments based on really useful feedback and in a few weeks time, I will be giving each member of the AAC User Group that I've been working with a copy of this software to take home and test in a longitudinal study and with the current search engine that I'm implementing in the system, I'm looking forward to hearing how my efforts have been received. Even negative feedback is positive to the AAC Research Group as it teaches us more and more on how to design systems for users with Severe Speech and Physical Disability.


text:
- Description
The Podium Storage is the perfect scalable storage solution - it's been specially designed to accommodate and adapt to any size and type of audio visual collection. Different shelf depths are available to fit LPs, CDs and DVDs/Blu-Rays. You can choose any combination of these to create multiple configurations - adding in new shelves as your requirements change over time.
Easy to install and adapt and expand, the Podium Storage is handcrafted in our workshop from the highest quality 22mm solid oak plinths and 46mm² solid oak legs. The leg lengths can also be altered to match your needs.
Key Features:
Modular construction - add new tiers and change leg lengths as your system grows and changes
Made in solid Oak with a choice of 6 finishes: Natural, Black, White, Walnut, Oak or Mahogany
Each rack is finished with your choice of clear satin or gloss lacquer
Customisable – this rack can be any width or depth you require
External (WxD): 795x315mm
Internal (WxD): 683x315mm
- Additional Information
Width 795 mm Depth 315 mm No. of Tiers 3 Material Finish Natural Oak


text:
"Stargate Universe" ends its voyage tonight, with an episode that, while not intended to be a series finale, works well as one.
In "Gauntlet" (8 p.m. May 9, Syfy), Eli (David Blue) and Rush (Robert Carlyle) discover a way to track the drone command ships, only to learn that the drones have blocked the Destiny's path to every planet with gate and to any star that could repower the ship. The Destiny can stand and fight, or run and slowly run out of power and supplies.
With few options available to him, Col. Young (Louis Ferreira) backs a last-ditch, highly risky plan Eli has devised.
The episode is rife with suspense, butting heads and amazing space battles. But there is also a sense of cooperation among the crew as the battle the drones. It foreshadows what might have been in a Season 3.
No one involved with the production knew that "Gauntlet" would be the series finale while they were filming it, Brian J. Smith, who plays Lt. Matthew Scott, told me earlier this year. (The series cancellation came later.) But they did realize that things looked bleak for the series, with ratings so depleted since Syfy had moved the show out of its Friday night spot to Tuesdays.
"We were very happy [with the work] and I think a lot of us were starting to kind of make peace with the fact that we might not be coming back," he said.
Smith told me the episode ends with "probably the biggest cliffhanger that has ever happened on our show." He admitted that some of the characters find a resolution of sorts, but overall, "It's like a piece of music that just sort of stops in the middle of a measure in a way. Do you know what I mean? You still get the sense that there could be more."
Many viewers will be upset with the cliffhanger, but I feel "Gauntlet" makes for an optimistic if bittersweet series closer. (You'll have to let me know what you think after watching it Monday.)
There are several touching, emotional scenes and even little moments that give the characters (and me) some closure, from Eli meeting with his mother (marvelously played by Glynis Davies and Blue) to Varro (Mike Dopud) and T.J. (Alaina Huffman) locking eyes in what neither of them wants to be the final time to a blind Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence) gazing, through someone else's eyes, across a serene pond back on Earth.
Later in the episode, Col. Young (Ferreira) gathers his main crew members—Rush, Scott, T.J., Greer, Wray, Eli and Chloe—for a dinner before they embark on that final, crazy thing they have to do.
"We've been through a helluva lot together, that's for sure," Young says, beginning a toast that I will write more about after the episode airs. It's a moving tribute to the people around the table.
The scene was the final one shot for the episode, according to Smith, and turned out to be prophetic.
"The last scene that we shot is a really poignant scene … and it kind of felt like the end," Smith said. "Louis is giving this speech. We're in the mess [hall] and he is talking to everybody and you could see it in everybody's eyes that this might be it.
"Everybody was down there, all the producers, all the crew. I remember Louis coming up to me and going, 'My God, that felt like the end.' And it was. It ended up being the last scene that we shot of the series."
Smith knows that "Stargate Universe" became the most controversial series of the franchise, and that many people will not look back fondly. But he, like I do, feel it will hold up well over time. When I asked him what he wants fans' lasting impression to be, he was a bit stumped.
"That is a great question and it's hard to answer, too, because people's responses are so individual and it's so idiosyncratic," he said. "The people who I talked to who have enjoyed the show and have followed us from the beginning are going to remember that this was a smart show that had a lot of heart. [It was] full of characters who really cared about not just their own survival, safety and their own basic needs, but about everybody around them.
"I just hope they enjoyed going on the ride."
No worries there; many of us did.
"Stargate Universe" ends its voyage tonight, with an episode that, while not intended to be a series finale, works well as one.


text:
Eric Holder Wants To Stop And Frisk The NYPD
from the competition:-who-can-abuse-civil-rights-more? dept
The NYPD really loves its stop and frisk policy. The prospect of randomly stopping
exclusively minorities a random selection of New Yorkers really excites the department. And why not? The practice has done wonders to prevent crime in the city. Well, if you define "crime" as pot possession. Because the policy hasn't accomplished much of anything else.
Now the constitutionality of the policy is in jeopardy, awaiting a decision from Judge Shira "Don't Call Me Judy" Scheindlin, the judge the City decided to embarrass by commissioning a report accusing her of bias because the City is incredibly stupid.
When and if (OK, "when") Judge Scheindlin strikes down the current iteration of the policy, Eric Holder has a suggestion for how to remedy the violation. And Mayor Mike Bloomberg is none too pleased…
The Attorney General's office filed a brief yesterday outlining one option Judge Scheindlin might consider in awarding injunctive relief:
The News reports that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's office filed a brief yesterday requesting that if the NYPD loses the case and its stop-and-frisk policies are found to be illegal, "the court has wide discretion to enter injunctive relief," which "may include the appointment of an independent monitor." … Mayor Bloomberg is reportedly "outraged."
And we all know what an "outraged" Michael Bloomberg looks like.
Alex Pareene of Salon notes:
The NYPD obviously needs a monitor. The city argues that the department's own internal affairs bureau is oversight enough, but the IAB has failed to uncover or prosecute an array of recent examples of police misconduct and IAB veterans and plenty of cops who've dealt with the bureau say it's slow, incompetent, and bordering on corrupt. New York's Civilian Complaint Review Board is independent and thorough, but it also has no authority beyond issuing recommendations to the commissioner. A complete lack of accountability and oversight is part of Bloomberg's governing philosophy, which holds that he should be able to appoint people who answer only to him, and then those people should be in charge forever.
Not only is New York's IAB suspect, there are rumors (which I've been unable to confirm) that the Manhattan District Attorney is moving the office of the prosecutors assigned to these cases from an undisclosed location back to the main office. Placing prosecutors looking into police misconduct back in a building where multiple cops can watch potential informers enter and exit seems like foolhardy.
For all the flack that Eric Holder is taking (and all the flack Assistant AG Thomas Perez is about to get in his Secretary of Labor confirmation hearings), Holder's handling of civil rights has been aggressive and commendable:
Holder's Justice Department has actually had a very impressive record on civil rights cases. His Civil Rights Division, led by Thomas Perez, has not hesitated to investigate police departments for misconduct, and it has forced reforms in cities like in New Orleans. In March of this year, Perez announced an investigation into Cleveland police focusing on excessive force. Thomas Perez is decidedly one of the best things about the Obama administration. That he'd push the Justice Department to weigh in on the NYPD case, over the strong objections of Mayor Bloomberg, is laudable, especially because Obama himself has a strange obsession with winning the mayor's favor.
If she rules against the City, Judge Scheindlin may not accept the DOJ's offer, but it looks logical on paper. Federal agents pulling rank all over town is sure to make Bloomberg and the NYPD even angrier.
I guess the City doesn't like being singled out and subjected to humiliating spot searches to guarantee that it's in full compliance with the law. Go figure.
Filed Under: civil liberties, doj, eric holder, michael bloomberg, nypd, stop and frisk


text:
If you have a side sloping lot this is the plan for you. This four bedroom, two living space home has been designed to fit snugly to the contour of the ground giving more opportunity for indoor outdoor living.
Enquire now
Standard Features
Looking for more information? Please follow the prompts below and we'll get in touch as soon as possible.
The information you have shared will only be used by G.J.Gardner in accordance with our terms & conditions
A place to browse popular styles
Receive the latest news
By clicking Submit, you agree to receive information, promotions and offers from G.J. Gardner Homes.
The information you have shared will only be used by G.J. Gardner Homes in accordance with our
privacy policy


text:
April 01, 2003WHAT:
Steve Forbes, president and chief executive officer of Forbes, will deliver a talk at The Anderson School at UCLA at part of its Distinguished Speaker Series. Mr. Forbes will share his views on business, the economy and financial markets in the face of current world events.
Mr. Forbes is also editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, the company's flagship publication, which is one of the nation's leading business magazines, with a circulation of 900,000. Forbes and Forbes Global together reach a worldwide audience of nearly five million readers.
Mr. Forbes assumed his current positions in 1990. In addition to his leadership roles, he writes weekly columns under the heading of "Fact and Comment." A widely respected economic prognosticator, he has been honored with four Crystal Owl Awards for providing the most accurate economic forecasts.
Mr. Forbes twice took temporary leave from Forbes, first in 1995 and again in 1999, to campaign for the Republican nomination for the Presidency. Key to his political platform were a flat tax, medical savings accounts, a new Social Security system for working Americans, parental choice of schools for their children, term limits and a strong national defense. He continues to promote this agenda.
Mr. Forbes is also a final judge of the Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, which are the most prestigious awards in business journalism. The Loeb Awards, which honor writers, editors and producers who make significant contributions to the understanding of business, finance and the economy, have been sponsored by The Anderson School at UCLA since 1973.
Tuesday, April 15, noon to 12:45 p.m.
Korn Convocation Hall, The Anderson School at UCLA
Admission is free; however, RSVP is required. Please visit the following link to register: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/alumni/calendar/events/forbes/
Philip Little, 310-825-9983, firstname.lastname@example.com
Parking will be available in Lot 4, adjacent to The Anderson School at UCLA at a cost of $7.


text:
Oracle's Advice for 24th November 2018
Oracle's Advice - Tomorrow
Things to Be Careful About
Auspicious Activies to Do
24th November 2018
17th November 2018
Feng Shui Flying Stars 2007
Flying Stars Feng Shui is one of the many disciplines skills used in a Feng Shui consultation. The scope of the chart can be used for your home, office, building and even the world map (this is the basis for global forecasts). What makes this school of Feng Shui unique is its time-based approach to your surroundings. Auspicious as well as dangerous Stars will fly in from different directions depending on the year. To use the chart below, separate...
Feng Shui Flying Stars 2007 in Full
Error: You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MariaDB server version for the right syntax to use near '' at line 1


text:
COLUMBIA - As South Carolina's unemployment rate edged up from 8.6 percent to 8.7 percent from December to January, Beaufort County saw a larger increase.
Beaufort County's jobless rate grew upward from 7.3 to 7.7 percent. Jasper County's mirrored the state rate of increase, rising from 8.2 to 8.3 percent.
The nation's unemployment rate remained lower than South Carolina's but grew by 0.1 percent to reach a January rate of 7.9 percent.
Beaufort and Jasper counties ranked eighth and 10th lowest of 46 counties. Lexington County had the lowest rate at 6.8. Marion County registered the highest unemployment rate at 19.2 percent.
Higher jobless numbers for the Beaufort-Jasper area is likely tied to a sizable hit to the leisure and hospitality industry, which lost 4,800 jobs.
On the whole, South Carolina's non-farming jobs shrunk by nearly 34,000 from December 2012 to January 2013, settling at 1,839,400.
The drop from December to January is typical, according to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, due to seasonal layoffs and school closings between terms.
Losses by industry include 9,6000 shed in trade, transportation, and utilities, 8,500 in government, and 5,300 in professional and business services. The category of education and health services dropped 2,600.


text:
Elitserien Game Night: 3-5-13
Elitserien (Sweden)
Brynas 2 vs. Linkopings 4
Johan Harju, Brynas, 1-0-1, -2, 3 SOG, 0 PIM
Season totals: 55 GP, 18-10-28, -9, 16 PIM
In its regular season finale and with playoff action already a certainty, Brynas jumped out a lead early in the first but Linkopings would respond quickly and often, scoring three times in the first period and once in the second, to carry the match. Johan Harju opened the scoring in the first period when, while parked in front of and facing away from the net during a power play, he chipped a pass to his forehand side, wheeled and quickly shoved it on goal. The shot narrowly tucked past the outstretched right leg pad of opposing netminder Christian Engstrand and inside the right post, giving Harju his team-high 18th goal of the season and a fourth-place finish in total points. Skelleftea, the league's regular season leader in the standings, has chosen Brynas, which finished the regular season with a 17-20-6-12 record (75 points) that earned them the last playoff spot, to be its quarterfinals opponent. Both teams will square off for the first game of the pending series next Tuesday.
- 1384 reads
- Printer-friendly version


text:
tx_cowgirl on Family Tree Circles
view: full | list
Journals and Posts
This is a hard one....very little to go on
I have very little information on my grandmother Beulah Bessie Holmes Tackett. I have found that she is buried in the Dew Cemetery in Freestone County Tx, next to my grandfather. She was born June 6, 1925 and died June 23, 1982. She married my grandfather Cleveland ODell Tackett May 14, 1943 in Freestone County. They had 4 know children together and I believe there were 1 or 2 that were adopted out. That's all I know about my Holmes side. If anyone knows who my grandmothers parents were I would LOVE to find out. I know so very little about her and her family and what I do know I found in public records.
Thanks so very much!!
- Displaying 1-1 of 1 Journals
- 1
- of1


text:
Please note that adult content and activities are not allowed in femdominate.me Friends & Romance
Welcome to femdominate.me
Reset your login details
Please type your email below.
A password reset email will be sent to your email address immediately.
I am a real fetishist, not just some chick with a rubber dress.
Fetish and vanilla,good girl and bad girl,lover and friend.I am not here to judge,I am here to have a good time.I respect you,and I expect the same from you.I want you to be satisfied in every way when you leave my place,after all we both want the same thing,dont we?
I am one of the best. Why? Because I like what I do. And because I care.
Dominant men.Submissive men.Men who enjoy the game.I have many toys and outfits,and I like to show off.Just take a look at my pictures,I am sure you will see something you like there.And yes, I really am like that:)
Rude people. People who feel the need to ruin the fun.Why bother?Get that stick out off your ass and let s have a good time:)
448 Guests rated this model
awesome woman.
(Aug 24 2019)
Sorry it wasn`t working for me...
(Aug 21 2019)
Awesome fantasy!!!!
(Aug 07 2019)
Very kinky woman! sexy body, many toys
(Aug 03 2019)
amazing host love her will do anything to please
(Jul 11 2019)
She was so amazing...made me feel very welcome...she had me in the palm of her hands with all her beauty and sexiness...Take care my Pretty One...Ti amo mi Chula
(Mar 30 2019)
shes a treat for all of us and good being
loved her performance
(Feb 11 2019)
the best!
(Jan 05 2019)
You are The BEST!!!!
(Dec 25 2018)
very sexy 5 stars great anal!
(Nov 05 2018)
made me cum so fast!
(Oct 23 2018)
Always a perfectly Naughty girl
(Oct 13 2018)
Make your Models's day with a Virtual Gift!
These Virtual Gifts, available for you to purchase instantly, will be given to your Model as an earnings bonus. You can choose to tip IamFetishist or give a gift.
Goth bitch
Horny goth bitch, asking you to cum mmmmmm
Catsuit play
Watch me tease your brains out while wearing one of my tight black catsuits....and shiny red stockings :)
Most Popular
January 16, 2019
January 1, 2019
December 16, 2018
January 16, 2018
August 1, 2016
July 16, 2016
Best Role Player
March 28, 2016
This website is strictly for adults only! This website contains sexually explicit content.
You must be at least 18 years of age to enter this website.


text:
Language Translation
VirtualDJ comes in various Languages (English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Chinese etc). The translated sentences and words of VirtualDJ are included in the language xml files which are installed along VirtualDJ in /Documents/VirtualDJ/Languages Folder.
If you wish to translate VirtualDJ to your language (in case its not one of the available), you can copy the English (or any other) xml language file and save it as YourLanguage.xml at the same /Languages folder and then translate all the sentences you will find in the xml file which are enclosed with <SomeName><SomeName/>
Once the new xml file is created, the Language can be selected from within VirtualDJ Settings (Options->Language)
If you wish to share the Language File that you have created with other VirtualDJ Users, see here how to upload it.
See some Language Files uploaded by users.
Note : Use an Advanced Editor (like Notepad++ ) or an XML Editor and make sure it's set to UTF-8 encoding and not ANSI.
Language Update Tool
Languagediff is a tool to make it easier to update specific language files when english.xml is updated.
- Download languagediff.zip and extract it to Documents\VirtualDJ\languages
- Copy the most recent virtualdj.exe into the languages folder *
- Delete english.xml
- Run languagediff.exe
* Note : Keep in mind that when VirtualDJ is auto-updated, the language files are not. Only a fresh installation updates Language files (among others , like skins, samples, Guides etc).
- If english.xml doesn't exist, it is extracted from virtualdj.exe that you placed in the languages folder.
This ensures you start with the latest version of english.xml
- all other language.xml files are updated, compared to this english.xml
English.xml is also copied to english_xxxx.xml with xxxx being the current version number.
Leave these files in the languages folder so that the diff tool can use them on later english.xml updates to detect changes other than additions and removals.
Instructions :
Now you can edit the language of your choice.
- Search for items with a parameter "update="
For example:<invert_timecode update="Invert timecode control (for 1 timecode source, switch it through available decks, for 2 timecode sources, from 1 to 3, 2 to 4)">Invert timecode control (for 1 timecode source, switch it through available decks, for 2 timecode sources, from 1 to 3, 2 to 4)</invert_timecode>
Write the translation, and remove the update parameter.
- Next, look for deleted="yes"
These items should in most cases be removed from the xml, as they are not used in english.xml anymore.
- When finished, the language file is ready to be submitted for update.


text:
Schecter Guitar Research Hellraiser C-7 FR 7-String Electric Guitar WhiteProduct #515884 Schecter Guitar Research 515884 AAJ Extended Range Electric Guitars https://www.esnapw.com/rses/ESnapServlet?MerchantNumberSent=63655 false true true
- Write a Review
45 day price guarantee, 45 day return policy, 100% secure shopping
A drop-tuned slaying machine with all the necessary elements.
With seven strings and a long 26-1/2" scale length, the Schecter Hellraiser C-7 FR electric guitar is made to play heavy rock and metal music. Other heavy-rock essentials found on this beast include a set-neck with 24 extra-jumbo frets, solid mahogany body with quilted maple top, EMG 707-TW active humbuckers with coil-splitting, and a Floyd Rose Original tremolo bridge with a locking nut. You will never be happy with just six strings again after you experience the low end growl of the C-7 powerhouse.
Case sold separately.
Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.
- Construction: Set-neck with Ultra Access
- Scale: 26-1/2"
- Tuning: B-E-A-D-G-B-E
- Body: Mahogany
- Top: Quilted maple
- Neck: 3-piece mahogany
- Fingerboard: Rosewood
- Frets: 24 extra-jumbo
- Inlays: Gothic cross
- Pickups: EMG Active 707-TW
- Electronics: 2 Vol with push/pull coil-splitting/Tone/3-Way Toggle Switch
- Bridge: Floyd Rose Original Tremolo
- Binding: Abalone
- Tuners: Grover
- Hardware: Black Chrome
- Case sold separately


text:
Volga Germans
German Memories - Volga Germans Migration Towards Americas
By Rajkumar Kanagasingam
Ezine articles (http://ezinearticles.com)
A century after the first Germans had settled in the Volga region, Russia passed legislation that revoked many of the privileges promised to them by Catherine the Great. The sentiment in Russia became decidedly anti-German.
Russia first made changes to the German local government. Then in 1874, a new military law decreed that all male Russian subjects, when they reached the age of 20, were eligible to serve in the military for 6 years. For the German colonists, this law represented a breach of faith.
The Volga German men also had to join in the military and fought in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. One of these men died in the war. In the 1880s Russia began a subtle attack on German schools and other German institutions.
When Russia was reducing the privileges granted to the Germans, several nations in the Americas were attempting to attract settlers by offering inducements reminiscent of those of Catherine the Great.
Soon after the military service bill became law, both Protestant and Catholic Volga Germans gathered and chose delegations to journey across the Atlantic to examine settlement conditions in the United States. Volga Germans started arriving in the USA in the mid 1870s. Early destinations were in the heartland of the country around Kansas and later spread west to Washington, Oregon and California and East to Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
Volga Germans started arriving in Canada in the 1890s, later than other countries. Volga Germans settled in 3 provinces in Canada: Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Volga Germans settled primarily in 2 countries in South America: Argentina and Brazil. Starting in 1876 these countries were settled primarily by Catholic Volga Germans. While Brazil was the first South American country to be settled by Volga Germans, Argentina ultimately contained a vastly larger population of Volga Germans due in part to better farmlands.
In their new homes overseas, the Volga Germans initially continued their pattern of introverted closed German communities. The people of individual villages tended to travel together and settle together in their new homeland. It was not uncommon to find hundreds of Volga Germans from one village in one location in the new world. First they primarily settled among people of their own village, then among other Volga Germans, next among other Germans.
There was also emigration to North Caucasus in Russia where a number of colonies were established. In the 1890's when land became scarce there, migration was diverted eastward to Siberia. As the fear of a world war grew among the Volga Germans, it too encouraged emigration. What started as a trickle became a flood after the turn of the century. In spite of the large emigration, the Volga German population increased to 345,000 by 1897 and to over 500,000 by 1914.
Rajkumar Kanagasingam is author of a fascinating book - "German Memories in Asia" - and you can explore more about the book and the author at AGSEP
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rajkumar_Kanagasingam
Rajkumar Kanagasingam - EzineArticles Expert Author


text: A heartbreaking story involving a six year old and her first bike. Nobody paid more dearly than Savannah Nesbit. The six-year- old and her family lost their house in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood last month after failing to pay a subprime mortgage that adjusts higher every six months. Savannah got her first bicycle for her birthday read more


text:
I know at least one more person who sleeps with her iPhone in bed, but for those of you who use your nightstand for more than storing books and handcuffs, this Kensington Nightstand Dock looks like a perfect iPhone accessory.
When combined with the free Kensington Rise&Shine iPhone app—which shows the time and the weather—it converts your iPhone into a retro-looking bedside alarm clock. Maybe a way too expensive at $40, but it's a good idea. [Kensington and Rise&Shine App via Geeky Gadgets]


text:
Today the demo of the anticipated Mafia 2 game was made available to the general public with the full game becoming available a bit later this month – August 24th in North America and 27th in Europe. Mafia II takes advantage of Nvidia's PhysX technology and is going to be a 3D Vision Ready title, working well also with triple monitor 3D Vision Surround setups. What you need to we bell aware of is the fact that the game is quite demanding in terms of graphic power needed if you want to play it with maximum detail level and PhysX set to high, let alone in stereo 3D mode on top of that. The recommended to have GPU is a GTX 260 without using PhysX and 3D Vision and for more you better have a Fermi-based video card ready and SLI with at least 460s would be good to have in order to crank up the PhysX level and play in stereo 3D mode with comfortable framerates. For 3D Vision Surround Nvidia recommends you to have GTX 480 in SLI and an optional dedicated for PhysX graphics card which may be a bit overkill just for a single game, but Mafia II might as well turn out to be "the game" that is worth upgrading your PC for. I'm not yet sure how well it will work on ATI-based GPUs, but then again there you will miss the additional details provided by the PhysX support along with most likely no stereo 3D mode support, although you might still have some options for that.
The demo for the game is available on Steam and it includes support for bot PhysX (off, medium and high modes) as well as 3D Vision, so it can give you an idea on what to expect from the full game when it comes out. There is also a heavy benchmark mode that can show you a bit disappointing framerates even on hig-end configurations, because there is a lot of physical calculations going on in the scenes rendered in the benchmark and with PhysX set to high you'll be out for a surprise, especially if you test in stereo 3D mode with 3D Vision even on GTX 480. Anyway, you better try the demo yourself, it is available now, than to just read impressions from it, just be prepared that you might finally need an upgrade for your PC to fully enjoy the game. Below you'll also find some screenshots in stereo 3D mode that I've took inside the demo of Mafia 2, they are in 1680×1050 resolution, with maximum details, AA on (2x SSAA only) and PhysX set to High, so you can get an idea on what to expect. You may notice a bit of ghosting in specific scenes (it is a monitor-related issue, and not the game being responsible), but in overall the game looks great in stereo 3D as expected from a 3D Vision Ready title.


text:
|Automatic registration has been closed. If you would like to become a member here, please email email@example.com
I know of a church that doesn't believe in the rapture. Is this a sign that they are preaching false doctrine or is this an accepted belief in evangelical church these days? I've always been taught that Jesus will return so this is weird to me.
Hello Teresa welcome "home"
The Bible makes it absolutely clear that Jesus will return in Luke 18:8 Jesus Himself tells us He is going to return. 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Matthew 24:27 and a number of other scriptures tell us this too. However rapture as opposed to the Lord's return is a subject on which there are long standing differences of opinion. Rapture normally refers to a secret or semi-secret removal of Christin believers prior to the final return of the Lord Jesus. The word rapture does not appear in any literal translation of the Greek or Hebrew in the Bible and was not a doctrine of the early church. That does not necessarily make it false teaching. It does mean we need to look at the origin of the term and the teaching to understand what is and is not scriptural. The term many claim as the basis of the idea of rapture is apantesis. The word shows up only 2 other times in the Bible. Matthew 25:6 and Acts 28:15. In each of these other 2 instances it is also translated meet and the context implies going to go to greet someone who is coming and going to stay a while much like if your friend is flying into town and you go to the airport to meet her. She comes on home with you rather than your jumping on the plane and gong back where she came from. Believers will most definitely meet the Lord in the air but nothing tells us they are leaving it is equally likely that they are a welcoming party celebrating with Him at His joyful return. One scripture often used to support the idea of a secret catching away of believers is 2 Peter 3:10 where the day of the Lord is said to come like a thief in the night. In the modern western world we think of a thief as sneaking in quietly and trying to be unseen. That is not what a thief was like in Bible times. The thief came suddenly and with minimal warning but was anything but quiet. This thief rode in with shouts and trumpets and a band of shouting followers following hm. The idea was to make as much noise as possible. For that thief this sudden invasion was a way of taking control of the situation and making sure everyone obeyed his wishes. Our emphasis is to be on Jesus and the fact that He is coming as He promised not on the how and when.
I apologize that it has taken so long to answer between messed up computer and messed up happenings. Please forgive me.
1Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ... Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. Matthew 25:40 & 45
Last edited by Ann; 06-28-17 at 10:59 PM.
Thank you Ann! I'm sorry you had computer trouble. I didn't think it took too long at all though. That's such interesting information you gave me. I appreciate you! I should've studied it better before posting. I think the church is preaching that Jesus already returned. It bothers me extra because the pastors are relatives. I just don't want them to keep going down a wrong road. If they could believe such a thing, I'm concerned about what else.
I haven't posted here in a long time. Thank you for answering! Hugs!
|catching away, false doctrine, jesus, postmillenial, premillennial, rapture, return, second coming
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Linear Mode


text:
This headset makes it easy. Simply replace just the top, and not the amp. The Flex is a great choice for anyone who spends a lot of time on the phone. It's comfortable enough to wear all day long.
We're sure you won't find a better headset.
Sure, you can see the sleek styling of the GN2120 Flex headset in our photos. But to truly appreciate the design, you have to try it on. You'll be amazed to discover that it feels as good as it looks! At just 2.4 ounces, it's so well-balanced you can comfortably wear it all day. Just adjust the click-stop headband for a customized fit. The pillow-soft ear cushions rest gently over the ears.
The sound quality is excellent. The advanced noise-cancelling electret microphone filters out surrounding sound, so only the speaker's voice is transmitted. That helps you maintain a professional image in your calls—and makes it easier to be clearly understood.
You'll be able to hear the difference, as your callers' voices will sound much more natural and be far easier to understand.
It's guaranteed to work with your Plantronics amp.
This headset comes with a special 10-foot quick-disconnect cord, made to plug directly into your Plantronics amp. You can use it with confidence. We've thoroughly tested it—and we'll cover the warranty on your Plantronics amp. If our headset causes your amp to malfunction, we'll immediately replace it with a GN amp. You also get a 2-year warranty on your headset top.
Order a GN Flex headset and enjoy all this:
Before you order:
This headset is guaranteed compatible with your Plantronics A20, M10, MX10, CATM10, M12, or S20 amp.
If you have a Plantronics P10 Two-Prong Amplifier, please add a GN Netcom QD Converter for Plantronics P10 Amplifier (Item #7768) to your order.
Have an ACS amplifier?We have GN headset tops for you, too. Ask your Hello Direct representative for a complete list.
Also Consider...


text:
Boka Bruksvallarna
Bergfinken C
Area: Ramundberget
4 beds
The apartment is at ground level in a two-storey house with ski storage and attached parking space.
Entrance hall with drying cabinet. Family room with kitchen area (washing-up liquid and detergent included), dining area, lounge seating and TV. Laundry facilities available at the reception at Fjällgården.
Pets allowed, but no smoking.
Final cleaning and linen not included unless booked in advance.
The kitchen contains: Stove with oven, fridge with freezer, dishwasher and microwave.
Bedroom 1: Bunk bed. Bedroom 2: 130 cm
Bathroom: WC, shower and sauna (toilet paper not included).
Pets allowed Non smoking
About this accommodation
Good to knowPets allowed Non smoking
FacilitiesSki in/ Ski out (alpine) Sauna