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...from CBS Entertainment
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11 -- It's the ultimate "Who-Dunnit" when Roger Daltrey, the legendary lead singer of the rock group The Who, guest stars in a surprise role that will keep viewers guessing, on an upcoming episode of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, Thursdays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The song "Who Are You," by The Who, has served as the theme song for CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION since the show's inception in 2000.
Roger Daltrey has been a world-famous star since the early 1960s when he began his career as the lead singer of The Who, and has since become one of the most popular vocalists in rock music history. The band has sold 100 million records, toured the world several times, including gigs at New York's Metropolitan Opera House and Carnegie Hall, and has been inducted into The Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame. Daltrey has also enjoyed a very successful solo career that yielded several hit singles and has maintained a successful acting career since the 1970s. A Golden Globe nominee for his portrayal of the title character in "Tommy" (the film adaptation of The Who's famous rock opera), he `has amassed a multitude of film and television credits, ranging from Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors" and Jonathan Miller's "The Beggar's Opera" to the television show "That 70's Show." He has also completed filming for "Extreme History," a series for The History Channel. His theater credits include "A Christmas Carol" and "The Wizard of Oz." Daltry is currently on a major worldwide tour with The Who, promoting their current album, "Endless Wire."
CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION is a fast-paced drama about a team of forensic investigators trained to solve crimes by examining the evidence. They are on the case 24/7, scouring the scene, collecting the irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that will solve the mystery. Gil Grissom, shift supervisor, heads the team of investigators at the Crime Lab in Las Vegas. The team includes Catherine Willows, a hard-working single parent with a checkered past and a teenage daughter she's raising on her own; Warrick Brown, a top analyst with insider knowledge of the gambling world; Nick Stokes, a true-blue stand-up guy who empathizes with victims via his own experiences; Sara Sidle, a dedicated and inquisitive investigator who has more than a professional interest in Grissom; and Greg Sanders, the wacky tech analyst turned field investigator. The CSI team members also work closely with Capt. Jim Brass, the former chief, now assigned to Homicide, and Dr. Albert Robbins, the ever-professional medical examiner. They are also supported by David Hodges, a lab technician with a specialty in trace and foreign-substance analysis, and Sofia Curtis, a former officer-turned-CSI, whose frustration with lab politics has led her to return to the police force.


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Basics of RF Amplifier Test With the Vector Network Analyzer
1 Hour | Webcast - recorded | Where & When
What is the Webcast About?
Characterizing the fundamental performance of RF amplifiers is a critical stage in the research and manufacturing test environments. The amplifiers must meet strict specifications in order that the systems can comply with regulations for industries.
This presentation describes how to perform efficient and accurate measurements for RF amplifiers with modern vector network analyzer (VNA), especially highlights leveling features for accurate characterization of power-dependent active components. The presentation also discussed optimizing test systems for easy and fast amplifier measurements with the VNA's capabilities.
Who Should View this Webcast?
- Engineers making basic measurements of RF amplifiers such as S-parameters, gain compression, harmonic distortions or pulsed-RF in communication or aerospace & defense industries.
- Test system designers trying to optimize tradeoffs between the system cost, speed and measurement accuracy.
Where & When
|For more information
|At Your PC
|Enroll for the Mar 13, 2012 recording
Prices shown are list prices and are subject to change without notice.
Training & Event Materials
Basics of RF Amplifier Test With the Vector Network Analyzer Webcast Slides
Mar 13, 2012 Webcast Slides
Seminar Materials 2012-03-13

subset: commoncrawl


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Reef The Lost Cauze - I Wonder
Video For Reef The Lost Cauze "I Wonder" Off Of "A Vicious Cycle" Dropping October 28th.
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The company's archives
The movement of goods and passengers along the River Thames has been central to the City of London's development. This trade has largely been controlled, since the sixteenth century, by the members of the Watermen and Lightermen's Company. The Company's records, held by the Manuscripts Section of Guildhall Library, reflect its rich and diverse history. As well as court and committee minutes, financial records and letter books, there are records of the company's estates and charities, in particular its almshouses at Ditchling, Sussex and its former almshouses at Penge, Kent.
Tracing your family history using the records of the Watermen and Lightermen's Company
There is much of interest for the family historian. The trades of waterman and lighterman frequently continued through several generations of a family and so records can often be traced through a long span of years. Those admitted to the freedom of the company did so, until the late 19th century, exclusively through apprenticeship, and so it is usually best to begin a search for a freeman in the apprenticeship records.
We suggest that readers begin by searching the apprentice binding books 1688-1908 (Ms 6289) and the apprentice affidavit books 1759-1897 (Ms 6291), which together will tell you the name of the apprentice, the date and place of his baptism, the date his apprenticeship begins, the name of his master and the date he became a free waterman.
From 1865 the Company started to take on older members, who did not fit within the age range permitted through the apprenticeship system. They were taken on as members after a shortened training period of two years after which they obtained a contract licence. Their admissions can be traced in Ms 19548A (this covers the period 1865-1926).
Readers who are keen to find out more about their ancestor's career can search the quarterage books (Mss 6819, 6404, 6402, 6401, covering 1764-1923), which record addresses or moorings, subscriptions paid to the Company and occasionally dates of death.
Individuals can often be traced in the Company's complaint books (Ms 6301-6305 cover the period from 1802) which were used by individuals to air their grievances about other members. The number of individuals who appear in these records is surprisingly high (in the region of twenty percent of members) but they are not indexed. You need to search through the relevant period to see if you can find your ancestor as a complainant or as a defendant. Even if you are not able to find a particular person, these give a valuable insight into the day-to-day working lives of those on the River.
There are a variety of sources which record Sunday ferry services (e.g. Ms 6292, 1721-1831) including the names of individual ferrymen and the money they earned. There are also registers of lighters, barges, passenger boats etc which also provide names of their operators and addresses of moorings (e.g. Ms 6308, 6309, 6311 mainly covering the late 19th century and early 20th century). These records are more piecemeal than the apprenticeship records and they do not cover the entire period of the Company's history. You can see the extent of these by consulting the handlist to these records in the reading room of the Manuscripts Section.
You may find records of the end of an individual's career as the Company provided pensions to Company members and their wives. There are account books of pensioners receiving money from the Company 1794-1928 (Ms 6400) and records of payments made to those resident in the Company almshouses in Penge 1841-1859 (Ms 6602).
Accessing the records
Many of the company's records are available for consultation on a self-service basis, in the form of microfilm, from which printouts may be made (by personal callers only). A handlist of the records is available to readers in the reading room. Any enquiries concerning records not held by the Library should be addressed to The Clerk, Watermen's Hall, 16 St Mary at Hill, London EC2R 8EE.
Name indexes of apprentice bindings, 1692-1949, apprentices affidavits, 1759-1949, and contract licences, 1865-1926 have been compiled by R. J. Cottrell of 19 Bellevue Road, Bexleyheath, Kent DA6 8ND (e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com). He charges £5.00 to search under one surname in the bindings' index, and £1.00 to search for an individual name in the affidavits' index (please make cheques payable to Trueflare Ltd and enclose a large SAE with your request).
Microfiche copies of the indexes are available for consultation in the Manuscripts and Printed Books Sections of the Library and can be purchased from R. J. Cottrell. The index is also available for purchase on CD-ROM together with a complete list of Doggett's Coat and Badge Winners.
The Library holds a number of published works on the company, a list of which can be consulted at L37 in the Printed Books Section's London subject catalogue. Also of interest is Henry Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor, which includes 19th century interviews with watermen and lightermen.
The Corporation of Trinity House also licensed watermen. These men were ex-mariners and therefore became watermen in their 30's, 40's, 50's or 60's rather than at 21. They were also much fewer in number than the Company's watermen. The only surviving register of Trinity House watermen covers 1829-64 (Ms 30335).
The History of the Watermen and Lightermen's Company
Until the mid 18th century London Bridge or boat were the only means by which to cross the Thames. Because of the potential difficulties this posed the Corporation of London was appointed Conservator of the Thames in 1193, its duties including the licensing of boat operators on the river. There is evidence to suggest that the Corporation passed regulations in 1370 governing watermen, i.e. those who carried people by boat across the river. Acts to regulate charges were also passed by Parliament in 1514 and 1555 to make the passenger safe, both in the durability of the boat and in the reliability of its owner.
The Company of Watermen was formed in order to put an end to what a 1566 Act of Parliament calls divers and many misfortunes and mischances, caused by evil and ignorant persons who robbed and spoiled of their [passengers'] goods, and also drowned them. Its original function thus differs from the City livery companies in that it existed not only to protect the economic interests of its members but also to bring them and their activities under control. Elizabeth I granted the company its arms in 1585, while the ordinances performed the function of a charter. This was eventually granted in 1827.
The structure of the company was that of a fellowship. Officers empowered to license operators were not elected by members but appointed by the Lord Mayor. In 1641, following a twenty year campaign, the wishes of ordinary members were taken into account; licensed watermen elected 55 assistants who nominated twenty candidates for office. Out of these twenty the Lord Mayor appointed four to join the previous year's four who continued in office. Measures to promote safety and efficiency soon appeared; a system of 1696, for instance, meant that boats and their owners had to bear a number and operate from an approved plying place. Printed tables of fares became an annual publication by the early 18th century.
In 1700 the lightermen, i.e. those who unloaded cargo from ships and carried it into port by lighter, joined the watermen, having formerly been members of the Woodmongers' Company. In the long run this greatly benefited the company, if not the watermen themselves, since the bridge building programme of the late eighteenth century and the introduction of steamships in the early nineteenth meant a decline in demand for the waterman's skills. With the expansion of the Port of London, on the other hand, the lightermen flourished.
The company differs from the City livery companies in several ways. Its influence on the Thames stretched from Gravesend to Windsor, so that, unlike most of the City livery companies, its members were often drawn from areas some considerable distance from the City of London. Since the Thames Conservancy
Act of 1857 the western limit of jurisdiction has been Teddington Lock. Also, the company has no livery. One reason for this might be that the freedom of the City that the liveried would enjoy would exempt them from impressment into the Navy -a fate inflicted upon many members of the company from the fourteenth century. Guildhall Library Ms 10799 contains correspondence with the Admiralty relating to impressment and the compilation of a list of those members eligible for service in 1855, while Ms 6386 records the names of 105 company members killed or invalided in action in the early 19th century.
Although this tradition is no longer practised, others flourish. The will of Thomas Doggett (a Drury Lane comedian), dated September 1721, provided for a scarlet coat and a silver badge with a representation of Liberty on it to be awarded annually by the Fishmongers' Company; these were then to be rowed for by six watermen within a year of completing their apprenticeships. The race, from The Swan, London Bridge, to The Swan, Chelsea, has taken place annually ever since, save the war years. Guildhall Library Ms 7269 (Fishmongers' Company: papers relating to the Doggett prize, 1721-1832) includes some lists of competitors and winners, 1815-32. A complete list of winners of Doggett's Coat and Badge race for the years 1716-1907 may be found in T. A. Cook & G. Nickalls, Thomas Doggett Deceased, 1908 (Guildhall Library B/D654). However, further incomplete lists for the years 1780-1880 are included in the Autumn 1991 issue of Cockney Ancestor, and for 1902-1963 in the Fishmongers' Company programme of Livery Receptions, 1964 (Guildhall Library Pam 11200). All these are available in the Printed Books Section of the Library. A list of winners 1780-2004 may be found in the Manuscripts Section's leaflet Thomas Doggett's Coat and Badge Race. Further information about the race can be found in R. G. Crouch, The coat: the origin and times of Thomas Doggett's immortal wager: the story of the oldest annual sporting contest, 2005, at www.portcities.org.uk, www.ParishRegister.com and on the Company's own website www.watermenshall.org.
It is less well-known that there was a Watermen's School in Putney, founded in 1684 by Thomas Martyn after he had been rescued from the river. 20 sons of local Putney watermen were admitted when the school opened in June 1718. The school was situated in Southfield House at the junction of Oxford Road and Putney Bridge Road. This building was demolished in 1887 to make way for the extension of the District Line. The school moved to new premises, but closed in 1911. The Thomas Foundation still exists and today provides grants for the sons and daughters of watermen. The surviving documents of Thomas Martyn's Charity School 1716-1977 are held by Wandsworth Museum, The Courthouse, 11 Garratt Lane, London SW18 4AG. Please note that the permission of the Foundation is required for access to the archives. Details are available from Wandsworth Museum.
Leaflet Guides to Records
Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section


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Frost & Sullivan has chosen Grundfos Management A/S as the recipient of the 2007 Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award in the water and wastewater industry for its superior product portfolio and focused customer-centric approach.
"Grundfos is renowned for its strong presence and distribution network spread across 40 countries, which has enabled it to understand the local markets and provide customized solutions for its customers," says Frost & Sullivan research analyst Dushyant Mehra.
"In recognition of its continued capability to deliver pioneering solutions that positively influence customers' overall productivity, Frost & Sullivan is proud to present Grundfos Management A/S with the 2007 Company of the Year Award in the world pumps market for the water and wastewater industry," said Mehra.
Each year Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in all operations. The award is based on numerous factors including the company's business development, competitive strategy, and leadership within a particular Frost & Sullivan industry research group (IRG).
The recipient is perceived to exhibit outstanding management, consistent growth, and positive economic impact on customers. Exceptional customer service has been noted as crucial to success, coupled with the ability to combine technology and successful strategic initiatives. The award recipient has also demonstrated superior market growth skills through significant gains in the market during the research period. This company has the know-how to take advantage of market changes through the execution of innovative strategies within the existing competitive landscape.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.


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The Jacka & Lee Majors (Feat. Paul Wall) - Patty Cake
off of the "GoBots 2: D-Boy Era" album, currently in stores.
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Less than a month after the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the Kern County community of Taft was rocked by a school shooting of its own.
This morning, a 16-year-old student at Taft Union High School walked into his first period classroom and shot another student with a 12 gauge shotgun. The victim is in critical but stable condition, according to Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood.
"The student that is in critical condition we believe was an intended target, one intended target, of this suspect," Youngblood said.
He said the shooter also attempted to shoot another student. "He named a second one that he tried to shoot and evidently missed," said Youngblood.
The school was locked down, and the suspect is now in custody.
During a press conference today, Youngblood said the situation was a tragedy. But it could have escalated further, were it not for the actions of the classroom teacher and a campus supervisor.
"The heroics of these two people goes without saying," he said. "To stand there and face someone that has shotgun, who has already discharged it and shot a student – that speaks volumes for these two young men and what they may have prevented. They knew not to let him leave that classroom with that shotgun, and they took that responsibility on very seriously and we're very proud of the job they did."
The two adults spoke with the student while he was still armed, allowing the other students to evacuate the classroom. They eventually convinced him to put down the gun. The teacher did receive a pellet wound to the head, but is OK.
Earlier that morning, school staff had discussed the emergency lockdown process, said Bill McDermott, the superintendent of Taft Union High School District.
"And that's exactly what they did this morning," he said.
The school will be closed on Friday and will reopen on Monday.
Our earlier Valley Public Radio staff report:
UPDATE - 11:50 a.m.
The Kern County Sheriff's Department released the following statement:
One student has been shot and airlifted to a Bakersfield hospital. Suspect is a student and is in custody and the weapon has been recovered. Shooting occurred in the Science Building at Taft High School. Kern County Sheriff's Office is in the process of evacuating and securing the school.
Kern County sheriff's deputies responded to reports of a school shooting at Taft Union High School today shortly after 9:00 a.m.
Law enforcement officials have confirmed two individuals were injured. One victim was taken to Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield via air ambulance.
That patient's condition is not known at this time. Reports indicate one person is in custody following the incident.
Valley Public Radio will have more information as this story develops.


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It'sagreatdayforhockey! wrote:The fwd lines that the people want to see:
RT @PensInsideScoop: #Pens change lines: 14-87-9 26-71-18 24-11-48 25-27-45. D-pairs: 44-4 37-7 47-5
I like it.
count2infinity wrote:yeah, can't you just switch kunitz and sully? i think crosby would work well with dupuis and sully.
Malkamaniac wrote:Dislike breaking up the best line in the NHL.
sharpshootr55 wrote:Big turnout on the island tonight...
PghSkins wrote:NO MERCY. KILL 'EM ALL, LET GOD SORT 'EM OUT
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Wartorn and desolate, Rhode Island is not an island you want to find yourself on. Wildlife is scarce, water is whatever you can squeeze out of a leaf and the shelter... well, let's just say that a roof made of spider webs and guano doesn't exactly protect one from the elements. It's a harsh and unforgiving world in this New England wasteland. Days are spent baking in the sun while nights are filled with the cacophanous litany of the insect opera. Nerves are rattled, sanity is fleeting and you try to hold onto any semblance of hope until that fateful hour when you're marched into the arena humiliated and outcast, forced to fight to live another day. The Pretty Pony seems to have a neverending cache of rainbows on his side. Will he be stopped? Can he be stopped? Let's recap, shall we?
We continue our Nicaraguan frolic in the thick of night surrounded by rain and realizations. Federal Agent Sanitation Sergeant Phillip Sheppard wasn't the least bit surprised by what he saw go down at Tribal Council. Not only did Langley implant a chip in the back of his head where messages can be transmitted, but Rob also told Phillip exactly what was going to happen prior to the Council meeting. Pulling a fast one over Phillip T. Sheppard is an impossibility. If anyone anywhere even attempts to lie to him, they'll find themselves hanging from their thumbs with electrodes (read: tiny crabs) attached to their nipples and questioned mercilessly until either secrets are spilled or the crabs die and fall off. But, until Phillip can catch enough crabs and build his interrogation room, he's decided to employ the C.S.W.R. method instead. As I'm sure most of you are not part of the intel community and don't have access to such privileged information, allow me to break it down. C.S.W.R. stands for Cuddle & Snuggle With Rob. It's highly effective and is used in POW camps all over the globe. You simply snuggle your intended target into submission. Either he'll give up all his secrets or you'll have a Brokeback moment. It's a win-win situation for all parties involved. Never underestimate the power of a hug.
On the surface one might think this particular C.S.W.R. was unsuccessful. Rob was grumpy the next morning, he complained of Phillip lodging various appendages into his back and the girls were so traumatized by the tighty pinkies that they couldn't even bear to look in his direction anymore. A novice might consider this mission a failure, but look again dear readers. After only one night of C.S.W.R., Rob has decided that maybe keeping Phillip around for the long haul isn't a bad idea after all. He's annoying, he's inappropriate, he likes the limelight... he's the perfect person to keep around and take the heat off of Boston Rob. After all, if the attention isn't on you then you're as good as safe 'til the Merge. Congratulations Phillip Sheppard, mission complete! Now, please report to HQ for debriefing.
Over at Zappa (Zapatera) the mood is very different. There's hugging and kissing, potato sack races in the sand, fishing contests, tilt a whirls, bumper cars, buy 3 churros get a 4th free. It's just what you want in a Survivor camp - peace, love and happiness. Steve, The Cuddler, is very pleased with the Lucifer-free atmosphere. It's one big happy family now and there's plenty of room for Stephanie and Krista to join in. The Brady Bunch had Oliver. The Cosby's had Cousin Pam. Hell, even Who's The Boss had Billy. Surely, there's enough joy and room in the shelter to bring Stephanie and Krista into the fold. They'll never be as loved as an original alliance member, but they're welcome to hang out and contribute. First things first though, two people need to go to Rhode Island (Redemption Island) and serve as witnesses for the duel. After a random choose with tiles, Stephanie and Krista are the chosen two. Julie is happy for them. Let them go to Rhode Island. Seriously, what harm can they do the tribe way far away on a deserted island?
This brings us to the barren wilderness known as Rhode Island. The starved and exhausted gladiators are marched in before the crowd of four in the stands. Rob and Grant are representing Omarion (Ometepe) with the doublemint twins representing Zappa. The Pretty Pony (Matt) is a little thinner yet his mane still shines and the yellow of his shirt still sparkles. Kristina, on the other hand, stares blank-faced straight ahead and I can't figure out if she's spent from her night with Pretty Pony or dying to get home and have a bubble bath and a glass of wine. Bitch better get her game face on cuz it's time to rumble. Players have to race to collect puzzle pieces. Once all the pieces are collected, they will use those pieces to assemble a cube. First person to get it right stays alive. Survivors ready, go.
Pretty Pony and Kristina begin to transport their puzzle pieces one by one and it's unclear exactly how heavy the pieces are. Both seem to be moving with ease until Kristina suddenly starts grunting. It was Monica Seles on the tennis court in that moment. Pretty Pony, on the other hand, had pieces balancing on his eyelashes and pinky toes. I wonder what the hell those blocks were made out of. It wasn't foam but it wasn't stone. I'll bet Phillip would know what it was. He knows everything.
Pretty Pony thinks he's making some headway, but has problems placing his final pieces and chooses to start over. Meanwhile, Kristina is flailing on the ground trying to suck some water out of the very stones she's trying to place. Poor gal is dehydrated and I think her muscles have begun to feed off of one another. So while Kristina is raising two fingers to the lanista and pantomiming "Need. Water. Now.", Pretty Pony decides this is the perfect time for chitchat with Mr. Boston Rob. He lifts a chunk of the puzzle with his thumbnail, glares at Rob and announces, "You rascal!" Ohhh it's on now! It's so on, it's awwwn. Pretty Pony is furious! Glitter is shooting out everywhere, stars aren't twinkling anymore, I think I saw a rainbow get smooshed. The boy wants answers dammit. His halo hung limply to the side as he said, "I still don't understand why you voted me out." Kristina continued to mimic rain falling into her mouth and Rob just looked on and laughed. It's hard to take a platinum haired beauty with sparkly nailpolish on his hooves seriously. Since the Pony wasn't getting the answers he's seeked, he decided to finish his puzzle instead. Kristina begins to dig herself a shallow grave in the sand and PRETTY PONY STAYS ALIVE!!!
One would think Dimples would be in awe of Pretty Pony's gladiatorial prowess, but instead he's more interested in what's going on in the stands amongst the looky loo's. The conversation turns to Rob and Grant and their former relationship with Pretty Pony when out of nowhere Stephanie pipes up and says she wishes she had a tribe she could be loyal to. In fact, she thinks yellow (Omarion's color) might look good on her. Krista nods and mumbles, "Me too." Oh shut up Krista. Your job is to sit and look sour faced when you don't get your way. Leave the idea making and negotiations to Stephanie please. Stephanie's the girl who's been turning tricks forever. She knows the ins and outs of how to make a dollar whereas Krista is the tweaked out newbie who's just along for the ride. Rob likes what the girls have to say, but naturally he's skeptical. Meanwhile, Dimples pries Kristina's buff from her cold dead hands and hurls into the fire. Later Kristina. We hardly knew ye.
Back at Omarion, Ashley and Natalie are hard at work discussing microwavable rice pouches. Mascaroni (Andrea), on the other hand, is busy gathering wood, chopping vegetables, dusting the shelter and cleaning out the chamber pots. She's a hard little worker and just because Rob is away for the day doesn't mean the camp stops running it's day to day operations. Phillip, hiding in a bush covered in fatigues, watches the girls interacting and takes detailed notes in his coloring book. He writes, "Natlee - crab. Ashlee - crab. Mascarpone cheese - yummy, possible alliance member." He puts his coloring book back in his pants and waits for the perfect moment to strike.
Little does Phillip know that Mascaroni is also less than thrilled with Natalie and Ashley. She doesn't see them as crabs per se. She sees them more like useless lumps of flesh who do nothing but braid each other's hair, bathe luxuriously in waterfalls, inspect one another's skin and hold hands while they navigate slippery rocks together. Meanwhile poor little Mascaroni is hauling lumber, skinning wild boars and installing electricity in the shelter. She doesn't need Rob or Grant to tell her what to do. She can upgrade the pipes to copper all by herself thank you very much. Phillip sees all of this and begins to make his move. He tells Mascaroni that he likes her and considers her the best female worker in the camp. He drags her into the woods for a short but dignified ceremony where he pins a medal made of crab claws on her bikini top. "I hereby declare that you are the best girl worker in Omarion!", he shouted. Then he got a message in his earpiece and ran off to help wave a submarine into shore. This twosome may not be as iconic as cheese and macaroni, but it's definitely "Phillip and Mascaroni" - has a nice ring to it, don't ya think? With Phillip's contacts at SD-6 and Mascaroni's hard working farm girl ways, this could be a formidable pair. We'll just have to wait and see.
On the other side of the jungle, we have another twosome - Stephanie and Krista. They've committed the ultimate act of betrayal by pledging their loyalty to Rob and now they're wondering how they should spin this for the rest of the members of Zappa. If they had it their way they'd hop a plane back to the States and move in with Lucifer for good. They're like so like over this like tribe now. But, since they can't just up and leave they'll tell the Zappa's everything that happened except for that little part where they promised all their future votes to Rob. Somehow these two chuckleheads actually think they'll make it to the Merge intact. Unless they start making some friends or looking for scapegoats, I tend to think all their highfalutin talk is all for naught.
A new day dawns at Zappa and The Cuddler (Steve) is in rare form. "There's no 'I' in team.", "The team is above everything else.", "With a team there is only success.", he says. Either Steve has smuggled in a slew of Stephen Covey books or we may have a Phillip 2.0 on our hands. Steve is an odd duck and I've had my eye on him since the first five minutes of episode 1 when he kept rubbing Lucifer up and down his back. Since then, I've seen him rub Rooster, Mike and David. I don't think it's homoerotic at all. I just think he's one of those people who has no concept of the phrase "personal space". He's the Close Talker from Seinfeld. He's the guy who invites himself to your parties and considers himself part of your group. He's nice enough but you know deep down inside that given too much rejection he'll snap and hold you captive in his basement. He's that guy.
Then there's Useless Krista. Krista likes to talk a big game, but her problem is that she doesn't do anything about it. She's mad everyone is so happy in her camp. It drives her bananas that there's no strategizing going on. Well, pumpkin, why not get off your ass and try to reel in someone from the big alliance over to your side? Sitting around bitching about it is just as annoying as The Cuddler giving motivational speeches. Why not try to buddy buddy up with David? Or perhaps pitch to Julie what a threat Rooster could be? Do something! Anything! Don't just sit there and bitch about how boring everyone is. Have you ever thought of maybe doing some strategizing yourself or do you need a big strong man to do it for you? At least Stephanie is contributing and making meals for the troops. Lumpy Krista just sits and sneers about how no one is as cool as she is. It's no wonder her last name is Klumpp. Lumpy Klumpp. Perfect.
And now we arrive at the big challenge. I'm really sick today you guys so I'm going to kind of cruise through this. One person on each tribe will the The Caller while the rest of tribe is blindfolded. Using only verbal commands, The Caller will guide the tribe to collect bags of puzzle pieces. Once all the bags are collected, The Caller will then unscramble the puzzle pieces to spell a phrase. First tribe to complete the phrase that pays wins Immunity and a Reward of coffee with muffins and danishes and doughnuts and whatnot. As Zappa has extra players, they sit out Steve and Julie. Because Stephanie is bossy (according to Sarita), she'll be calling for Zappa while Rob will be calling for Omarion. Survivors ready, go!
The Callers begin their commands and the teams make their way to their first bags. For the most part both tribes remain neck in neck until Rooster starts complaining that no one is directing him anywhere. Stephanie tells him to shut up because it's not his turn yet. Rooster yells some more. Eventually, he gets his turn and then turns right when he's supposed to go left. Somehow all the bags get back to The Callers and they begin to work on their puzzles. Rob knocks one of his pieces on the ground and Stephanie starts spelling out phrases that clearly make no sense. After not too long, Rob realizes he's missing one of his pieces and locates it in time. Unscramble, unscramble, unscramble OMARION WINS IMMUNITY!!!!
Immediately Zappa blames their loss on Stephanie and wonders why David wasn't the one solving the puzzle. Apparently, because he's a law student he's also a master puzzle solver. Now, I don't know if this is true or not, but the only time I've seen David try to solve a puzzle was when he threw the competition and failed. Before that I think it was Lucifer who solved all the puzzles, right? If David really wanted to solve the puzzle, he should have spoken up louder and told Sarita to step off. Was Lucifer right when he said that Sarita running the show? All I see is a hippy trying to keep the peace. That's hardly a leader in the making.
So over at Omarion everyone is enjoying the Reward and the mood is one of merriment. Ashley is orgasming into the muffins while Phillip breaks into a jaunty side to side shuffle dance. We got to see his beautiful whites (that's code for his teeth) and all that little boy angst he was holding onto has apparently slipped away... for the time being. As a matter of fact, Phillip is feeling so good, he wants to get his massage on. He asks the ladies if anyone would care to rub him down. In a flash every half eaten muffin hit the ground and all the womenfolk ran into the jungle in search of safety. Ashley climbed up a tree, Natalie scurried into a cave and Mascaroni fled to the nuclear fall out shelter she had built herself earlier in the day when she had some extra time on her hands. Phillip looked around, shrugged his shoulders and then helped himself to the feast left on the ground. No biggie. Maybe Rob is in the mood for some more C.S.W.R.
While Phillip was busy dancing and getting powdered sugar all over his face, Grant decided to stick his nose in the coffee can only to discover a scroll inside. He instantly takes the can over to Rob and sticks it in his face. Winking he says, "Smell this. You got to smell this. Smell *wink wink* this amazing coffee." Rob sees the scroll and together the two dance their way out of the camp passing the coffee can between them making sure no one else is the wiser. "It was like a well choreographed football play", says Rob. Once they're far enough away from camp, Rob takes the scroll out, stuffs it in his pocket and instructs Grant to take the coffee can back to camp. Under the guise of hiding the scroll, Rob actually goes into the woods, digs up his old nonsensical scroll and trades it with the new one. This way Grant trusts him, the Idol is still a secret and the easier-to-solve-newer scroll is all but a memory. Very clever Mr. Rob. Very clever indeed.
Back at Zappa, the mood is very different. There's no dancing, there's no massaging (even The Cuddler is sad) and there's definitely no searching for Idols. Instead, everyone is all upset that David "The Puzzle Guy" didn't get to solve the puzzle. Again, I ask, how is the David "The Puzzle Guy? Did I miss the episode where he delighted us all with his Crostic and Cryptogram solving skills? Was there a jumbled Rubik's Cube on the island that David solved in a matter of seconds? Are there Sudoku puzzles tattooed on his back in honor of his great puzzle solving skills? Maybe I've had too much NyQuil over the past 5 days - after all, I am seeing trails - but I'm still very confused as to where David got this mysterious puzzle solving reputation. He's a nice enough guy I guess, but I haven't seen him so much as play a game of Boggle since he's been in Nicaragua. The only time I remember David solving a puzzle was in the water wheel challenge where he purposely did not solve the puzzle. If I'm wrong about this, let me know in the comments. I can't think straight right now.
The Cuddler isn't really mad at Stephanie for losing. He's mad at the team for not acting like a team. Huh? Mike agrees and says it's a personnel problem. In the morning they'll go to HQ and make a formal complaint. They'll tell Michael who'll tell Toby who'll take it up with Jan and then a meeting will probably be held in the conference room. Maybe Angela can plan a party. Jim and Pam will flirt and, in a few weeks, after wading through all the bureaucratic tape, there will be a solution. In the meantime though, Sarita doesn't want to give up on Stephanie just yet. She tells Julie that between Stephanie and Krista, Krista is probably the better choice to go home. At least Stephanie contributes and tries in challenges. Lumpy Klumpy Krista is just furniture.
Now we arrive at Tribal Council. Lumpy Klumpy wastes no time bitching about how there's no strategizing in the tribe now. Again, what's holding you back buttercup? You don't need a man to tell you what to do you know? Make some moves on your own! She compares the tribe to the Brady Bunch, but I'll have you know that it wasn't all peaches and cream on the Brady Bunch. Greg smoked cigarettes, Jan had the wig incident, Marcia broke her nose and don't even get me started on Peter's "pork chops with apple sauce" phase. It's easy to sit and point fingers at what you think everyone else isn't doing, but take a look at yourself Krista. What have you done for Zappa lately? You didn't scramble, you didn't defend yourself, you didn't try to create new alliances. All you did was sit and bitch which is why you, Lumpy Klumpy Krista, are the 5th person voted out of Survivor: Redemption Island.
So, what did you guys think of last night's episode? Are you glad Krista is gone? Will some suballiances begin to emerge on Zappa? Do you like the taste of Phil and Mascaroni? Comment it out bitches and have a great day! Sorry this was so short and kinda blah today, but an evil vicious disease I caught from a seemingly cute baby is ravaging my body right now and I have to go dunk my head into a vat of acid. I'm convinced that's the only way I'll feel better. I should be back to my old self next week.


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Monday, January 25, 2010
While You're Waiting for the the Next Video, Why Not Try Some New England Clam Chowder?
New England Clam Chowder
Makes 6 servings
1 pound little neck clams, washed
1 cup water
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 (10-ounce) cans whole clams, drained
2 cups cold clam juice (note part of this may be made up from the drained canned clam liquid, but clam juice has a stronger clam flavor)
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
fresh chopped parsley to garnish
oyster cracker to garnish
Bring one cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the little neck clams, cover tightly, and cook for a couple minutes, until the clams open. Remove the clams to a bowl and reserve. Stain the cooking liquid and reserve.
In large saucepan, over medium heat, cook the bacon in the butter until almost crisp. Remove the bacon with slotted spoon and reserve, leaving the butter and rendered bacon fat in the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the onions. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the cold clam juice, slowly at first. Add the reserved clam cooking liquid. Bring back to a simmer and add the potatoes. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Note: at this point some chowder heads like to smash some of the potatoes against the bottom of the pan with a masher to add body to the soup. Optional!
Stir in the canned clams, milk, and cream. Reduce heat to low, and cook until just heated through. Do not boil. Add the reserved little neck clams, and cook for another minute. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
Serve hot topped with the reserved bacon, parley, and oyster crackers.
16 comments:
- Priscilla - She's Cookin' said...
Love clam chowder and this looks delicious - do you do all the food photography, too? And video, And the cooking? Wow! I just started a cooking blog in SoCal, no professional training - just a home-cook extraordinaire;)
- January 25, 2010 at 5:07 PM
Being a born and bred New England girl, I was worried that the red stuff was tomato...then I was gonna have to vetch. I'm glad it's bacon. (I'm always glad it's bacon)
- January 25, 2010 at 6:42 PM
- iliea said...
could you include hints on how to adapt this recipe for fresh clams??? any pointers??
- January 25, 2010 at 10:40 PM
- Chef John said...
For all fresh just omit the 2 cans, and steam a couple dozen more clams in step one and proceed as directed. You can give them a rough chop after they cool. You'll still want the 2 cups of clam juice though. (and no cheese! ;-)
- January 25, 2010 at 11:11 PM
- Tamar@StarvingofftheLand said...
Okay, John, I think it's high time we had the shells-in-food debate. Your recipe looks fabulous, of course, as all your recipes do (don't get me started on the Boston cream pie), but I've always had a problem with shells in my food. It's hard, when you're sitting at the dinner table, to get the shellfish out when the shells are hot and covered with soup, or Bouillabaisse, or marinara sauce, and still be elegant and refined. (And you know how concerned I am with elegance and refinement.)
You seem to have a sophisticated, food-oriented readership. Perhaps you should ask them to weigh in. This is a debate whose time has come.
- January 26, 2010 at 9:13 AM
- Unknown said...
Hi, I'd like to know if the bacon fat is a necessary part to this recipe. Is there something I can substitute for bacon?
- January 26, 2010 at 11:21 AM
- Chef John said...
That would be a great debate! I'm swamped the next few days, but I'm thinking a FW/SOTL cross-posted debate between us is in order.
I will take the pro-shells in soup side (aka the right side) ;-)
- January 26, 2010 at 2:16 PM
- Tamar@StarvingofftheLand said...
You're on! A cross-post debate it is. I almost feel it's unfair, though, given that my side (the anti-shell side) is so clearly correct. It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel but, hey, I'm not proud. (I went fishing at a hatchery once.)
Let me know when you're ready, and we'll meet at high noon outside the saloon.
- January 26, 2010 at 3:29 PM
- Chef John said...
oh, it's on. :-)
- January 26, 2010 at 4:14 PM
CJ, will you be wearing clam shells as spurs?
I gotta say, there's a time and place for shells in your food. Lobster=yes. Crawdaddies=a must. Shrimp=usually. Mussels=always. Clams=seldom. Paella=a given. Omelets=never. So there's my wishywashy stance.
- January 26, 2010 at 9:49 PM
- Unknown said...
chef john..........does it tastes like hooters' clam chowder? i love their clam chowder so i guess i'll try this one.thanks
- November 15, 2010 at 1:42 AM
Made this tonight! Good stuff indeed!!!!
- November 13, 2011 at 9:58 PM
- Unknown said...
sorry such a late comment on an older post but, no shells! nothing worse than fancy to diner that you have to pick shrimp tails off or pick at hard shells in a dish.
Only exceptions, the obvious, pick n peel, steamers, new orleans bbq shrimp, etc. imho. good stuff chef
- October 9, 2013 at 7:50 PM
- Mokole said...
Also sorry for an even later comment...but is there anyway to repost this video. The current link is broken and I really enjoy watching them before trying stuff out.
- April 11, 2018 at 5:00 PM
- Unknown said...
Hi Chef John, I would like to request if possible, the video of your clam chowder. Please show it again or send it through my e-mail. Thank you.
- April 25, 2018 at 9:11 PM
- Unknown said...
I would like to add to the requests for the video. It appears that About.com is no longer about. Thanks!
- May 19, 2018 at 7:47 PM


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Throwing away food is like throwing away money. These recipes will help you stop wasting both — and make your leftover food taste totally new.
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- "Grindelvald. That is Grindelvald's sign"
- —Viktor Krum, commenting on Xenophilius' Necklace at Bill and Fleur's wedding.[src]
Xenophilius Lovegood's necklace was an ornament that he wore to Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding. Some, like Viktor Krum suspected him of being a Dark Wizard, but actually the necklace simply bears the symbol of the Deathly Hallows to show that he believed in them and was used as a symbol to recognise other seekers of the Deathly Hallows.


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A whole lot of people really do not know why a great number of single women go for married men instead of going with a single guy but they do. The trend of single women for cheating men has been increasing in every society and mostly young girls who are in their mid-20's prefer to go with men who are married. The following are some of the reasons why the single women looking for cheating men trend is always rising:
- Single women are looking for a casual affair:
No one wants to be alone; everyone wants someone on their side to satisfy their physical and emotional needs. A woman who is more career oriented prefer to go with a married man, just because they don't want to get involved in long term relationships or they don't think it is the right time to start a serious affair, and for that they choose to go with men who are married, as they can start a casual affair with them.
- Don't want to get bound that early:
Having an affair with a single guy might lead to marriage and kids, and this thing can surely bound women to achieve their goals, therefore single women for cheating men is the order of the day, as in such type of affair they don't become constrained in anyway and can achieve their desired goals while limiting their relationship.
- Not ready for a serious relationship:
Women who prefer to follow the trend of single women for married men are mostly the one who are not ready to start a serious relationship or are confused in this regard. Therefore in order to get out of their confusion and experience the fun of the relationships they prefer to date cheating men, as in this way they are able to learn all the ups and down's of the relationship.
- To save one from Live-in relationships:
Most women do not prefer to go into relationships, as they find it difficult to cope up with that, therefore they prefer to go with a married man instead of a single guy, just because a married man would never ask them to share a boarding, as he also needs to cope up with his family life. In order to save one self from live – in relationships women prefer to go with men in relationships instead of a single guy.
- Limited or no restrictions:
Having an affair with a cheating man allows a woman to live her life freely, just because a man cheating would never impose too many restrictions on her and she will be allowed to live her life in her own way. Other than that she is not bound to give time to the married man. However in the case of a single guy everything is completely opposite, therefore career oriented woman do not prefer to go with a single guy in the early years of her career life.
Single women for cheating men trend is surely on a high rise these days and a whole lot of women are interested in going with married men instead of single guys, as a whole lot of benefits are connected with a married man that cannot be availed by being in a relationship with a single guy.
Are single women looking for married men hard to find?
Nowadays we have seen a growing trend in single women looking for extramarital affairs. There are numerous reasons for this strange trend. One of the reasons could be the disturbed. Now there are more women and lesser men. Statistics show that every man can marry at least two women. As there are more cheating women these days, they might not be left any other choice but to seek out extramarital affairs.
Apart from that there are many other reasons for this trend.
- According to a study made by university of Louisville, single women looking for extramarital affairs are indulging in mate copying which means that if a man is with another woman it means he is worthy of it as he might possess some qualities which impress her. This just creates a wish to run after the same man just because he has been successful in making one woman fall in love with him. In other words he has been tried and tested if he is good to his wife he can be good to her as well.
- Single women looking for married men might be looking for some challenge or thrill in it just for the sake of fun. Now women find it easier to get into a relationship in which there are no strings attached. Single women looking for extramarital affairs might just want to be independent and only have some support in the form of a cheating man as the man might also want some relationship without any responsibilities as he already has a lot.
- Another main reason of single women looking for married men is that she might be attracted to his money. That is why she does not bother if he is married or single she just is interested in his money. For that matter the guy just gets carried away by her charms and keeps on spending listlessly on her. As long as is that she might find him handsome and could not resist but falling in love with him. Now here we can't blame either of the two. Falling in love is somewhat an involuntary experience so it just happens and the person can't control herself or himself for that matter.
- Falling genuinely in love with a married man is quite rare nowadays as single women might just want to have some romance or dating partner and if they can't somehow find a single partner they could just get hold of whatever comes easily their way and there is a lot of possibility it might be a married man.
There is no hard and fast rule to single women looking for no strings attached play, but they can have different motivations and reasons for doing so. Some single women might have failed in getting a single partner and have become over aged are some reasons they look for men in a relationship as these men might be more accommodating than single men. Whatever the reason it surely is a danger for the social fabric.
Why a great number of women looking for married men at work?
These days the trend of women looking for affairs at work has become way much common, as you can find this thing in almost every office that the office colleagues are having an affair with each other. Another odd thing is that both married and unmarried women are mostly looking for a married man at their work place instead of a single guy.
A great number of people don't even know why a women looking for cheating men at work is becoming more common than searching for a single guy at work place, as a whole lot of benefits are attached with a single guy. A single guy is normally young and healthy and can satisfy a woman's needs in a better way as compared to the elderly one, as he is energetic and has much more stamina. A whole lot of married men who are having affairs at their work place with married or single woman do not know about the reason either. Following are some of the reasons why married or single woman might be looking for married men at work.
- To get a raise or promotion:
Getting a raise and a promotion is everyone's desire; some get it through the hard work while others try for an easy way. It is surely an easy way to get a raise and promotion by having an affair with the boss or any other senior official of the company, as that senior official would be able to deliver them what they really want. Most of the senior officials or executive officers are usually married or are well established and are able to deliver them what they desire that is raise and promotion, therefore ladies looking for no strings fun at work is on the rise. One of the reasons for this thing is that elderly or attached men are considered way more successful, however it's just one women's point of view.
- To satisfy their sexual needs:
Most of the married women who are not satisfied with their sexual lives but still want to cope with their husband and family are also looking for married men at work to build a new sexual relationship.
Women are interested in going with a married men because they think it is safe for them to go with such a guy who already possesses a family, as in their relation both would be cautious enough and will try their best to keep their relation a secret, and their relation would only be targeted towards satisfying their sexual needs nothing more! However in the case of a single guy, he might get attached to her who will cause woman a whole lot of trouble therefore to avoid this scenario married women try to go with a married men. This is one of the biggest reasons why women looking for married men at work is becoming common.
No matter whatever the reason is married men cheat, all of them are tough and can cause a whole lot of problems for both parties if they get exposed in front of their respective families, as this thing will cause a devastating blow to both the families which might lead to the divorce.


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Vikings Track and Field Compete at Iowa State Classic
MARSHALL, MO -- The Missouri Valley College track and field teams took part in Iowa State Classic over the weekend in Ames, Iowa.
On the men's side Junior Kenneth Kipng'etich took 22nd in the 400 meter run in a time of 49.98. In the 800 meter run Freshman Ignacio Franco took 27th in a time of 1:57.37. The distance medley team of Sophomore Xavier Ramon, Senior Kyland Sims, Kipng'etich, and Franco came in 11th place with a time of 10:37.10. In the non-seeded high jump Sophomore Andrew Longboy took seventh place with a jump of 1.94 meters. Junior Dewayne Williams took 17th in the non-seeded long jump with a jump of 6.40 meters. In the seeded long jump Junior Tyler Davis came in 8th place with a jump of 6.45 meters. The 4X400 meter relay team comprised of Davis, Franco, Williams, and Kipng'etich took 24th with a time of 3:25.34. Junior Keith O'Neal took 49th in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.26.
On the women's side Sophomore Sarah Niemeier took 32nd in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:24.08
The indoor track and field teams will next be in action at the Heart of America Athletic Conference championships Feb. 15 and 16 in Lamoni, Iowa.


text:
HOUSTON (Reuters) - A community college student who said he had fantasized since childhood about stabbing people to death went on a slashing spree at his Houston campus on Tuesday, wounding at least 14 people, two of them critically, before bystanders subdued him, police said.
The suspect, identified as Lone Star College student Dylan Quick, 20, was charged with three counts of aggravated assault stemming from the rampage, carried out with a weapon described by the Harris County Sheriff's Department as a "razor-type knife."
Eyewitness accounts cited in local media reports on the attack said the weapon appeared to be a box-cutter or "exacto" knife.
The campus, part of a Houston-area community college network, was placed on a security lockdown and closed for the remainder of the day.
The northwest Houston campus where the attack occurred has about 20,000 students.
According to a sheriff's department statement issued Tuesday night, Quick told investigators who questioned him that he had harboured fantasies of stabbing people to death since he was in elementary school, and that he had planned the attack for some time.
Fragments of the blade used in the assault were found in at least one of the victims, and additional broken blade pieces were recovered from "the area where the cutting occurred," the sheriff's office said. The weapon's handle was found in Quick's backpack when he was taken into custody, the sheriff's office said.
The suspect appeared to have acted alone, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia said.
Of the 14 people known to have been injured, two were listed in critical condition, four in fair condition and eight others had minor injuries, Garcia said.
Garcia said that students and faculty in the vicinity quickly responded to subdue the suspect.
Michael Chalfan, a student at the college, said he saw police shooting the suspect with a stun gun. Chalfan said he was in a drama class with Quick about a year ago and described him as an eccentric student who carried a stuffed pet monkey around campus and regularly wore workout gloves.
"He dresses weird," Chalfan told reporters.
Rand Key, chief operating officer of the college system, said the campus would reopen on Wednesday.
In January, at another campus of Lone Star College in the Houston area, three people were shot.
The Lone Star College System has six colleges and several smaller centres in the Houston area, with a total of about 90,000 students.
The Tuesday incident was the latest in a series of attacks at schools across the country during the past year.
The most deadly of those, a shooting rampage in Newtown, Connecticut, last December, left 26 people dead, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
In Taft, California, in January, a student armed with a shotgun opened fire at a high school, critically wounding a fellow student before two adult staff members talked the boy into giving up his weapon, and he was arrested.
The attacks have prompted calls for tighter security at the nation's schools and a drive for tighter gun control laws.
(Writing by Steve Gorman and Corrie MacLaggan; Editing by Andrew Hay, Gunna Dickson, Greg McCune, Bernard Orr and Lisa Shumaker)
Did you find this article insightful?


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Special acknowledgment must be made to two very important people in my life. The first is my inspiration to begin blogging and the man that introduced me and inspired me in becoming a social media consultant: Patrick Kitano. Pat, my former business associate at Domus Consulting Group and close friend, is truly a thought leader in the social media space and one of the original first adopters of Twitter and Facebook.
The second hero in my rise into blogging and social media is my current business partner Susan Hanshaw, A former Vice President in a large direct marketing firm and marketing expert, it was Susan who helped me believe in my abilities and was instrumental in launching my public speaking career. She means the world to me.
Dateline March 31, 2012
Today is my 5 year anniversary as a blogger. Although my instincts say write a post about my accomplishments and experiences as a blogger, my judgment says that's too self serving. Instead, I will dedicate this short post, #718 to my thoughts on Google and why they have provided free products to the masses.
Google's Premise
Long before consumers had privacy issues with Google, Google understood the "social graph" and how the information we provide to them, through all of their free product offerings, could impact their ability to deliver target specific advertising that works.
Today, Google understands that Google+ is the "glue" that binds together their product offerings. They have rewarded consumers and brands that have adopted Google+ with SEO benefits. Any free product that Google offers is done, first and foremost, to capture your personal information, your habits, your favorite things-people-places. Eventually all of this social graph intelligence will help them continue to build better advertising product offerings and in the future truly build a real-time search engine that prominently includes "social signals" and not just questionably link stuffed websites.
Conclusion: Citizen Journalist Power to the People!
Blogging is the lynchpin driving force behind Web 2.0. We have finally gained control over our own information. We now are "citizen journalist" with the power that blogging has represented in the democratization of content, news, and personal information. We are in control and own our destiny like no other time in history. We have wrestled this control from the greedy, over confident, and monopolistic print and television media that had a stranglehold over us for over a century.
It's a new day, a new era. Are you taking advantage of your rights? Join me in standing together forever for the rights and freedoms that every person enjoys to take control of their story and present it to the world. . . long live citizen journalism, blogging, Google, and the spirit of discovery!


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Collection Items
Map[A map of Fairfax County, and parts of Loudoun and Prince William Counties, Va., and the ... LC Land ownership maps, 1251 Relief shown by hachures. Shows western Washington D.C. region, including fortifications and names of some residents. Title derived from Stephenson's Civil War maps, 1989. Pen-and-ink on tracing...
- Contributor: Brown, Samuel Howell - Hoffmann, J. Paul
- Date: 1864


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Difference between revisions of "SNT: Reconstruction Viewer"
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 [[Image:reconstruction-flycircuit-reference.png|none|thumb|300px|FlyCircuit]]

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 [[Image:reconstruction-viewer-whole-mouse-thalamus.png|none|thumb|300px|Allen Mouse Whole Brain + Thalamus]]

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 [[Image:reconstruction-viewer-zebrafish-reference.png|none|thumb|300px|Max Planck ZBA]]

Revision as of 18:13, 17 July 2019
|Rec. Viewer
SNT's Reconstruction Viewer is a powerful OpenGL 3D visualization tool for both surface meshes and reconstructions
- It can be used as a standalone program or from withing SNT
- Features:
- Advanced rendering supporting axes, transparency, color interpolation and path smoothing
- Interactive scenes (controlled rotations, panning, zoom, scaling, animation, "dark"/"light" mode)
- Tools for management and customization of scene elements
- Ability to render both local and remote files on the same scene
- Loading of surface meshes of several template brains (Drosophila and Allen CCF (Allen Mouse Brain Atlas))
Starting the Viewer
The Reconstruction Viewer may be used as either a standalone program or from within SNT. To open Reconstruction Viewer as a standalone program, go to Plugins › NeuroAnatomy › Reconstruction Viewer. To open the program from within SNT, use the "Open Reconstruction Viewer" option in the 3D tab of the SNT dialog. If there are any tracings currently loaded in SNT, they will be displayed in Reconstruction Viewer after opening. Note that, for performance reasons, some Path Manager changes may need to be synchronized manually from RV controls.
Scene Interaction
The display canvas supports multiple modes of interaction, including controlled rotations, panning, zoom, scaling, animation, and alternation between "dark" and "light" modes.
- Panning Right-Click + Drag
- Rotation Left-Click + Drag or Left/Right arrow keys
- Zoom Scroll the mouse wheel or use the +/- keys
- Animation Double Left-Click
- Snap to Top/Side View ^ Ctrl + Left-Click
- Toggle Axes A
- Toggle Camera Mode C
- Toggle Dark Mode D
- Fit View to Visible Objects F
- Reset View R
- Snapshot S
- Help H (notification) or F1 (list)
RV Controls
Scene Controls
This menu provides control over the rendered scene.
- Fit to Visible Objects Computes a bounding box containing all objects of the scene and adjusts the zoom level to ensure all objects are within the camera view.
- Stretch-to-Fill Stretches the projection on the whole viewport.
- Impose Isotropic Scale Squares the aspect ratio of the selected dimensions, leaving the others unchanged.
- Reload Scene Resets the zoom level to the default, fitting and centering all scene objects into the camera view. The current rotation setting remains unchanged. Note if some drawables in the 3D scene are not being rendered properly when this option is selected, it will prompt to rebuild the scene completely.
- Rebuild Scene Clears all objects from the scene then rebuilds them from scratch.
- Wipe Scene Removes all objects from the scene. Note this action cannot be undone.
- Sync Path Manager Changes If the 3D scene contains any trees that are currently stored in the Path Manager, re-render these trees to reflect any change in the path structure given by the Path Manager.
Manage and Customize Neuronal Arbors
This menu relates to the import, customization and management of rendered reconstructions.
- Import File... Imports and renders a single reconstruction file (".swc" or ".traces"). A color may be chosen on import or applied later using the "Customize" sub-menu. Note that loaded files will not be listed in the Path Manager.
- Import Directory... Imports and renders all reconstruction files in a directory. A single color may be applied to all reconstructions or they may be colored uniquely. Note that loaded files will not be listed in the Path Manager.
- Load from Database Allows import and rendering of reconstruction files fetched from the FlyCircuit, MouseLight and NeuroMorpho remote databases.
- Customize A sub-menu containing color coding and rendering options for plotted reconstructions.
- Assign Color... Assigns the chosen homogeneous color to all selected reconstructions.
- Color Coding (Individual Cells)... Applies morphometric color mapping to selected reconstructions. The chosen LUT is used to assign a metric-based color gradient to each reconstruction.
- Color Coding (Group of Cells)... Applies morphometric color coding to a selected group of reconstruction. Note that this option uses the chosen LUT to assign a homogeneous color to each reconstruction in the group based on the chosen metric.
- Color Each Cell Uniquely Applies a unique homogeneous color to each selected reconstruction. Note this option will override any previously applied color mapping to the selected reconstructions.
- Thickness... Specifies a constant thickness to be applied to the selected reconstructions. Note this value will only affect how Paths are displayed in the Reconstruction Viewer.
- Translate... Specifies a translation to be applied to the selected reconstructions. To avoid overwriting data from a tracing session, this command is only available in the standalone viewer.
- Remove Selected... Deletes the selected reconstructions from the scene.
- Remove All... Deletes all reconstructions from the scene.
Manage and Customize 3D Meshes
- Import OBJ File(s)... Allows import and rendering of Wavefront OBJ files, commonly used to represent surface meshes of anatomical structures.
- Customize sub-menu providing control over rendering parameters of surface meshes.
- All Parameters... Allows adjustment of the color and transparency of the selected mesh(es) and their computed bounding boxes in a single menu.
- Color... Sets the color of the selected mesh(es).
- Transparency... Sets the transparency of the selected mesh(es).
- Remove Selected... Deletes the selected mesh(es) from the scene.
- Remove All... Deletes all imported mesh(es) from the scene.
Reference Brains
This menu contains several Drosophila and Mouse reference brains.
- Drosophila (Adult)
- FlyCircuit FlyCircuit Drosophila reference brain
- JFRC2 (VFB) Janelia Farm Research Campus Virtual Fly Brain
- JFRC3 Janelia Farm Research Campus Drosophila reference brain (Version 3)
- Adult VNS Adult Drosophila ventral nervous system reference
- Drosophila (Embryonic)
- Larva L1 Drosophila 1st instar larval stage
- Larva L3 Drosophila 3rd instar larval stage
- Mouse (Adult): Allen CCF Navigator Import and navigation system for the Allen Adult Mouse Common Coordinate Framework. Selecting this option imports the Whole Brain reference, and presents a GUI allowing search and import of Mouse Brain ontologies contained in the Allen Common Coordinate Framework v3.
- Zebrafish (Embryonic)
- Max Planck ZBA Max Planck Zebrafish Brain Atlas
Analyze and Measure
This menu houses several functions to measure and analyze loaded reconstructions.
- Measure Shows a table of summary statistics for selected reconstructions. If measuring multiple tracings, the table can be sorted by column.
- Distribution Analysis... Plots a histogram of the selected metric. If multiple reconstructions are selected, a single analysis is conducted on the group.
- Sholl Analysis... Runs the Sholl Analysis plugin found in Analyze › Sholl › Sholl Analysis (From Tracings). Note only one reconstruction may be analysed at a time.
- Strahler Analysis Conducts Strahler Analysis on the selected reconstruction. Note only one reconstruction may be analysed at a time.
Tool and Utilities
- Debug Mode Logs detailed information about plugin usage to the Console.
- Take Snapshot Saves a PNG image of the current scene to disk. The default directory may be changed in the Reconstruction Viewer Preferences.
- Record Rotation Animates a rotation of the current scene and saves each frame to disk. The save directory, rotation degree, duration and frames per second may be adjusted in the Reconstruction Viewer Preferences.
- Color Legends Contains options relating to the adding and management of LUT-based color legends.
- Keyboard & Mouse Sensitivity A sub-menu with options for sensitivity of mouse and keyboard scene interaction. Note that a default shared sensitivity parameter can be specified for panning, zooming and rotating (using hotkeys) in the Reconstruction Viewer Preferences.
- Pan Accuracy Sets the responsiveness of panning. A lower step size is more responsive.
- Rotation StepsSets the number of degrees of a single rotation step. Note this preference only applies to rotations made with the Left/Right Arrow keys.
- Zoom Steps Sets the percentage of a single zoom step.
- Keyboard Shortcuts... Shows a list of all Reconstruction Viewer keyboard shortcuts.
- Preferences... Configurable preferences for snapshot recordings, keyboard and mouse controls, and the preferred scripting language for the Viewer. Preferences persist across plugin sessions.
- Script This Viewer... Opens an instance of the Script Editor with pre-loaded extensible boilerplate code for advanced scripting of Reconstruction Viewer. For an example of the scripting capabilities of Reconstruction Viewer, see Reconstruction Viewer Demo (Python) at Templates › Neuroanatomy › Analysis in the Script Editor.


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Emergency responders rushed to the scene of a Quinceañera party in San Francisco to treat 14 people, all of whom were then taken to the hospital in "moderate condition" for ingesting an unknown substance.
Of the 14 people, seven are minors. One 9-year-old is in critical condition. Police ruled out a HAZMAT situation, and sources said that it seemed as if a "watermelon candy substance" could be to blame.
The birthday celebration was being held at the Women's Building, where several community and social service events are held. The San Francisco Fire Department asked that people try and avoid that corridor of 18th Street and Valencia.
U.S. & World
People taken to the hospital reported heart palipitations, rashes and shortness of breath, according to officials. One woman leaving the building told NBC Bay Area reporter Christie Smith that those who got sick had a foamy-type substance coming from their mouth.
"It appears this is a candy substance, but that has to be vetted and verified," said Jonathan Baxter of the San Francisco Fire Department.
Anyone who knows anything or has any symptoms is asked to call the police.


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Android Gaming Weekly : Mini Motor Racing, Machinarium, Big Win Hockey, Ninja Slash
Welcome back to our Android Gaming Weekly column, where we recap all the new releases and highlights every Wednesday. We post small bits throughout the week related to Android games, Read on for this week's best in Android gaming. Source : AndroidandMe
Top 7 New Games This Week
I always try to find the top rated games each week, but now I'm going to limit my recommendations to the Top 7 games. The number of quality games comes and goes each week, but I felt like 7 suggestions was a nice odd number that I could achieve each week. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments below.
Developer says: "Discover the award-winning, steam punk world of Machinarium, navigating a clever little robot called Josef from the scrapheap into the city to save his robot girlfriend. Solve puzzles, quests, brain-teasers and mini-games to rid the city of the wicked Black Cap Brotherhood robots. Gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and animations bring the robot's story to life, using unique comic bubbles and symbols to convey the plot."
Taylor says: I'm going on a road trip this weekend, so I need a new puzzle game to burn up some time. The video sold me and I just handed over my $3.99. I'll let you know how it was next week.
Mini Motor Racing
Developer says: "Mini Motor Racing plays like a favorite remote-controlled car showdown, combined with modern tech to nitro-boost your engines! Play multiplayer against up to four of your friends via WiFi! Race in campaign competitions for big rewards! Upgrade your skills and cars to win more! It's all here in Mini Motor Racing."
Taylor says: Reminds me of Micro Machines Racing, which I played for countless hours. Asking price is $1.99, but early reviews are good with a 4.3 average score.
Doraemon Fishing 2
Developer says: "You will start going fishing as Doreamon, Nobita or Shizuka and try to feed the beloved dinosaur Pisu. Besides casting the hook as deep as possible to collect coins and catch fishes while avoiding sharks, with the new gameplay, players will touch on fishing jumping out and flick them towards Pisu."
Taylor says: I think I have a thing for Japanese game music. Game was so odd I just had to share it.
Big Win Hockey
Developer says: "CREATE your own unique dream team, COMPETE against opponents from around the world, WATCH your team battle it out on the ice, BOOST your player's passing, shooting, skating and other skills and get ready to hoist the Daily Trophy for the ultimate BIG WIN!"
Taylor says: I'm not even a fan of hockey and this game looks awesome. It's free so you have nothing to lose.
Lunar Racer
Developer says: "Strap on your moon boots and fire up your nitro boosters! The real space race is about to begin! Sure there's racing games… but then there's racing games with powerups! Ever tried racing with homing missiles, land mines, bubble shields and gravity thrusters? Yeah, didn't think so!"
Taylor says: It's from the developer of Super Stickman Golf and it's free. Graphics look simple, but gameplay looks addicting. Average early review score is 4.8.
Developer says: "Bubble-like circles, so called 'Plopps' emerge all over the place and start growing. When you tap on a Plopp, it explodes and a shockwave is unleashed. If other Plopps are hit by this shockwave they also explode causing big chain-reactions!"
Taylor says: This developer just uploaded four new games to the Google Play store and they all look pretty unique. Plopp looked the most interesting to me out of the bunch. It runs $1.25, so you might want to wait for more reviews to come in before you buy.
Ninja Slash!
Developer says: "Are you tired of always and only cut fruit? No problem! You're one step away from starting the final cutting experience! Run, Jump and Slice at the same time!"
Taylor says: Odd combination of running and slicing gameplay looks hard as heck. I think this looks pretty fun, and it only costs $0.99. The developer has a good track record, so I think it's a safe buy.
Android Games Coming Soon
Gameloft finally supports the ASUS Transformer Prime
This week Gameloft updated their popular MMORGP game Order & Chaos with a new dungeon called Sailen: The Lower City. More importantly, they finally added support for the ASUS Transformer Prime. Keep an eye on other Gameloft titles for future Transformer Prime support.
N.O.V.A. 3 dropping any day now
Speaking of Gameloft, we still expect NOVA 3 to be available any day now. The iOS version went on sale last week for $6.99 and we expect the Android version to cost the same. Check out the Gameloft Blog for first impressions of the game. (Gameloft, I will freaking love you if you release this on the Prime!)
Will Max Payne Mobile ever come to Android?
Another week and another delay. This game was supposed to be released in April, but it keeps getting pushed back. We were told several times that it would be available in previous weeks, but I honestly have no idea when it is coming out. Keep an eye on @RockstarGames for updates on the release. They seem pretty focused on Max Payne 3, so we might not hear anything for awhile now.
Shoot the Zombies arrives May 24th
It wouldn't be right if we didn't mention at least one zombie game this week. DroidGamers reports that Shoot the Zombies from Infinite Dreams will arrive on the Google Play Store around May 24th. This game is the sequel to Shoot the Birds, but this time you have to protect your pumpkin farm from a plague of undead, evil zombie birds.
Games I'm currently playing
Sonic 4 Episode II: This is the biggest release of the week so I just had to try it. I grew up on Nintendo and Mario, so I never really spent much time with Sonic. I played several Sonic games over the years, but I never finished one. I just got a wireless controller for the ASUS Transformer Prime and HTC One X, so look for my review in the coming weeks.
What Android games are you playing?
Find any great new Android games this week? Share your favorites in the comments below so we can check them out.


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Chih Kang Chu-Fangsuo Bookstore
At Design Interviews
Interview with Chih Kang Chu : Frank Scott: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?. Chih Kang Chu : Chu's initial proposal was centered around "The Secret Scripture Library". Scripture libraries have been found around either in or under Buddhist temples for centuries and have an extended meaning of stored wisdom in Mandarin Chinese. This concept really resonated with Fangsuo and was immediately accepted. In the fourteen month process that ensued, neither party wavered on this core concept of a Secret Scripture Library. .Frank Scott: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?. Chih Kang Chu : In the beginning there was no definitive picture for how the Cheng Du - Fangsuo Bookstore should look aesthetically. However, it was imperative to the owner that the bookstore had to have Chengdu (provincial capital of Sichuan, China) running through it's very core. With this in mind, the Chu Chih-Kang team began research on the city and found significant historical connections to the site, such as links to Daci Temple and one of the most famous monks in Buddhism - Xuan Zhang of the Tang dynasty. This research also brought to light the emotional connection that people of Sichuan have with "Wo" (a nest, cove or home) and "Bai" (intentional placement or design). In the thousands of years of Chinese history, there have been numerous and infamous quests for ancient scriptures and the wisdom that they hold. This spirit of exploration was something that Chu wanted to capture in the Fangsuo Bookstore. Moreover, Chu not only wanted people to experience this quest into the unknown, but he also wanted the bookstore to have the solemnity of a temple since books represent some of mankind's most deep and profound wisdom. Chu envisioned a bookstore that embodied the essence of ancient scripture libraries, but he also wanted a space that spoke to the Sichuan people and their way of life. Sichuan people lead a slow-paced and relaxed lifestyle and they love to socialize. Within the province you'll always find spaces where you can nuzzle down and read a book or coffee shops where you can socialize with your friends. These spaces represent how central "Wo" (a nest, cove or home) and "Bai" (intentional placement or design) are to the Sichuan people. .Frank Scott: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?. Chih Kang Chu : The Fangsuo Bookstore Project was completed in 14 months. From start to finish there were around 50 revisions to the design and Chu invested almost four times the manpower and resources compared to other projects. "There is no wasted effort, when one is not afraid of adversity and puts their all into something" - Chinese proverb. For Chu, this attitude drove him and his team towards the finish line of this project. .Frank Scott: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?. Chih Kang Chu : Chu's initial proposal was centered around "The Secret Scripture Library". Scripture libraries have been found around either in or under Buddhist temples for centuries and have an extended meaning of stored wisdom in Mandarin Chinese. This concept really resonated with Fangsuo and was immediately accepted. In the fourteen month process that ensued, neither party wavered on this core concept of a Secret Scripture Library. .Frank Scott: What made you design this particular type of work?. Chih Kang Chu : Designing a bookstore has always been a dream for Taiwanese designer Chu Chih-Kang. The inception of this dream came almost 14 years ago when Chu came across some interesting bookstore designs. Chu has always been attracted and inspired by interesting bookstore designs because they are not simply commercial shops designed to sell books. They are spaces that collect and share knowledge as well as being spaces for relaxation and contemplation. For Chu, to be able to create such a place is the ultimate achievement. When the opportunity arose to partner with Fangsuo Bookstore on their latest project, there was absolutely no doubt in Chu's mind as to whether or not he would accept this opportunity. .Frank Scott: What is the most unique aspect of your design?. Chih Kang Chu : For Chu, the written word represents the collection of shared knowledge and wisdom. With this foundation of our known world we explore the unknown future. To encourage the customers to join him on this journey of exploration, Chu has infused the space full of imagery of the vast cosmos, with designs of constellations and planetary diagrams. Chu really wanted for people visiting to feel that they were in the vast depths of the cosmos. Following the theme of the cosmos, the entry to this building is through a sculpture shaped like a meteor. This mysterious tunnel is intentionally designed to feel narrow and confined for those passing through. This near claustrophobic experience is then followed by the immediate release into the large open space where you feel the pressure immediately released. The journey through this meteor, this ark to knowledge, is designed to release tension and allow customers to enter the space with a relaxed frame of mind, open to discovery and enchantment. .
Chih Kang Chu-Fangsuo Bookstore Images:
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Lincoln Mug
As low as £1.38
Lincoln earthenware mug|~One design from our essentials collection|~Mug capacity 280ml|~The quoted price includes: Printed 1 colour around the mug|~|~Dimensions: 107 (tall) x 73mm |~Print area: 150 x 65mm
Product Code
Lead Time: 10 working days from artwork approval
How long will delivery take?
Delivery time varies from product to product, on average most products take 3 weeks from artwork approval.
What is the minimum order quantity (MOQ)?
This depends on the product; low cost promotional items have a much higher MOQ compared to premium corporate gifts.
What is origination?
This is the cost of preparing your artwork and setting up the print machinery. The cost of origination will vary depending on the product and the print method that is used. The number of print colours will also have an effect on the origination cost. If you order online the cost of origination has already been included in the price and will not be charged additionally.
Why do we get charged repeat origination?
In some instances even if you are placing a repeat order you may still be charged a repeat origination. This will usually be less than the original set up, but it will still be charged as the print machinery still needs to be set up in the same way.
Why do we pay carriage – can we collect from you?
We outsource the print of our merchandise products to specialist printers with expertise in decorating different merchandise products and materials to guarantee the highest quality of print on your promotional products. Your branded merchandise gets delivered to you directly from our printer, which is far more cost and time effective.
Why do we pay carriage on each item?
If you order multiple promotional products it is possible that they will be sourced from different suppliers and printers located mainly in the UK, Europe and Far East. We work with a huge range of different suppliers and printers who specialise in particular areas. For example if you order corporate lanyards and t-shirts from us, it is likely that your lanyards will be printed in the Far East and your t-shirts will be printed in the UK. Your printed products will be delivered to you directly from our chosen specialist printer to save you time and money.
Why can't my artwork be supplied as a PDF, JPEG or a TIF file?
To ensure the best possible print results we ask that your artwork is supplied as a vectorised EPS file this is because this file format allows us to fully edit your artwork. We can make it bigger or smaller to fit required print areas without losing any quality. We can also change the colour of the text if required. A PDF, JPEG or TIF file does not allow us to edit the artwork in the same way and we cannot guarantee the required print quality.
How should I send my artwork?
Please send us your artwork via email as a vectorised eps file.


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A Grinch Xmas tree!
(All photos by the author).
Weve done it.
This week sees us close the circle in our 2014 trek through the lower 48 contiguous United States. The auspicious event occurred in the state of Georgia just north of Macon, which was our final press stop for the 2014 tour. Fans of this site will remember our passage through the town of Macon earlier this year. But beyond just the southern rock music scene, Macon has lots to offer, and our re-visit taught us that its always worth giving any destination a second look. [Read more...]


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Let It Snow…
January Snowfall 2011 • Seminary Campus • Deborah Belonick
Poet Emily Dickinson made falling snow sound romantic:
It sifts from leaden sieves, it powders all the wood,
It fills with alabaster wool the wrinkles of the road.
It makes an even face of mountain and of plain, —
Unbroken forehead from the east unto the east again.
It reaches to the fence, it wraps it, rail by rail,
'Till it is lost in fleeces; it flings a crystal veil....
But, here at our seminary in Crestwood, we're just wondering if it ever will stop!
This winter 61" inches of snow have fallen on our campus, far exceeding the average annual snowfall of 38" and quickly approaching the record snowfall of 89.5", which "flung a crystal veil" over Westchester County during the winter of 1995–1996.
Nonetheless, the snow has inspired a number of photographers, including our Dean, Fr. John Behr, and our Associate Director of SVS Press, Fr. Benedict Churchill, to snap scenes of wintry wonders. We want to share these beautiful images of "powdered wood" and "alabaster wool" with our readers, and nod to Ms. Dickinson, who understood so well the transformative effects of fallen snow.


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EXECUTIVE EDITOR--AUTOWEEK.COM BOB GRITZINGER: I am not terribly enamored with this version of the Z, though it's hard to argue with the car's subtle smokey appearance. I also really like the little touches, such as the way the side marker Z badge blinks when you lock the doors. Nice.
What I don't like is the car's harsh powertrain, which was an asset when the car first came out, but now seems like an anachronism. Nissan doesn't have a smoother engine and tranny it can insert into this car? It just seems really mechanical and harsh. It all does the job, and the SynchroRev Match setup is slick and works well, but I'd like a little more refinement in my $40,000 sports car. Maybe Nissan should have focused some of its energy on refining the 3.5-liter instead of just boring the thing out to a new displacement.
In contrast, the rough edges have been smoothed out elsewhere, in places such as the interior, where leather appointments cover nearly every important surface, including the formerly balky plastic center-console hatch. I really like the use of little LED lights to indicate fuel load and temperature, using small horizontal spaces for that information to avoid cluttering up the speedo and tach.
I like the Z, but it seems Nissan owes more in a 40th Anniversary Edition than just some paint and trim.
MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: Goodness, Gritzinger, what on Earth would make you think an anniversary edition would be anything more than paint and trim?
This type of package is, unfortunately, the standard "special edition" MO of most car companies these days. I'd be far more surprised if this 370Z turned up actually boasting a host of true performance upgrades. That would, you know, make too much sense.
The trimmings here are nice, and I like the red seats and door inserts, though they might be too garish for some. Personally, I'm not too thrilled with the LED fuel gauge. It looks cool, but a conventional gauge makes me a little more comfortable because it gives a better sense of exactly how much fuel remains. Then again, I'm not saying I think I would ever accidentally run out of gas because of this avant-garde design, so perhaps I shouldn't criticize it. But it's a mental thing for me.
When it comes to the stuff that truly matters, however, I'm a bit torn over this latest Z car. I was a big fan of the original 350Z, and I probably drove our long-term test car more than anyone. Yet a few things came to annoy me by the end of that year, and I think I'd feel the same way after significant time with this car. This engine just feels too unrefined, and the whole car is loud. Those traits are welcome in some sports cars, and I welcome them to a degree here as well, but with this Nissan, you also start to feel like all the rumbling and roaring amounts to more show than actual go. The car is certainly quick but doesn't feel as forceful as you might expect.
The shifter's action is also the same as always: notchy and requiring a decent amount of effort to slot shifts home. Its movements are relatively slow, which I dislike. While the S-mode SynchroRev Match is a unique feature that will make life easier--and driving the car a lot more fun--for many people, it bothers me that it allows someone to drive well without having to put in the time to learn or practice the skill of proper downshifting. I'm not suggesting that people need to be licensed racers to qualify for purchasing a road car, but I wish more would like to try and learn to drive well.
You can, thankfully, turn off S-mode if you want to do the work yourself. But the ongoing implementation of such systems speaks to a broader issue: the dumbing down of drivers and cars. In a real-world, sales-floor sense, I can't blame Nissan for offering what is in effect a cheater's way to heel-and-toe downshift. It is a cool feature that opens up a performance window otherwise closed to average drivers.
At the same time, though, I continue to wonder what's next. How about a manual transmission with systems such as antistall (we already have the hill-holder clutch in many cars, which I welcome) and some sort of computer control that makes it impossible for anyone to make lurching upshifts? Wouldn't that go along nicely with the now-available perfect downshifts? Then, when a potential customer says to a salesman, "I really love this car, but I can't drive a stick," the salesman can reply, "Oh no, don't worry. You don't have to know how to drive a stick to drive this stick. Sure, you press the clutch pedal and move the shifter around, but in reality, you aren't doing anything. The car does it all for you!"
At the rate these things are developing, I don't think this is a pipe dream. And that depresses me. We already have sports-car companies, even Ferrari, dropping manual gearboxes from their lineups in favor of paddle-shift hardware. So I like to dream that the relatively few cars that still feature true manuals would . . . feature true manuals. Otherwise, if you slowly remove the actions and skills that made driving fun for all these years--for enthusiasts, anyway--what are you left with? Maybe at a staggering 33 years old, I'm just too out of touch with what constitutes fun. Maybe the new generation is too busy doing other things behind the wheel to care about or bother with trivial tasks like shifting gears. And that's what scares me.
Regardless, this 370 is still a lot of fun to drive hard and fast. It has very good brakes and very good brake-pedal feel. The steering makes it easy to put the car where you want it, and this Z remains a throttle-steering ball of enjoyment. It's far from perfect, but I still look forward to driving it when the opportunity arises. I just wish it would have evolved a little more than it has over the past seven years or so.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Yep, nothing like a special paint job, specific interior color scheme and special badges to celebrate 40 years of the Z car. More power and maybe sharper handling would be a more fitting celebration, but that would be asking too much. At least we've still got the Nismo version if we want improved performance.
But getting back to this car, I do like the graphite paint job and the smoked Ray's wheels. As previously mentioned, the interior on the 370Z is a giant leap forward compared with that of the 350Z, with nice soft-touch surfaces throughout and small premium details such as the stitching on the center stack.
I can't really defend the 370Z's rough-sounding V6 besides saying that it is big on power and throttle response. Also, it's a sports car, for crying out loud! There's nothing wrong with a little bit of engine noise, right? Shifts from the manual are good for a Nissan product and the SynchroRev Match system works beautifully. Yes, I agree with Mac that it's a little sad when the system will make any yokel look like a heel-and-toe downshifting fiend, but so is the declining availability of cars with manual transmissions in general.
The car feels much lighter on its feet than its predecessor and is easily rotated around corners using the throttle, which is always fun. Ride quality is a little stiff but manageable for daily use and it returns good grip in corners. The steering has a nice weight to it and fairly good response. Overall, it's a solid sports car which wouldn't be a half-bad consolation prize if you can't afford a GT-R.
As a big Japanese car fan, I would still take the Mazda RX-8 over this. Yes, even with the oil-consuming rotary engine and low torque. That car's chassis is one of the best on the market in my opinion and remains one of the purist performance cars out there.
2010 Nissan 370Z 40th Anniversary Edition
Base Price: $35,380
As-Tested Price: $40,160
Drivetrain: 3.7-liter V6; RWD, six-speed manual
Output: 332 hp @ 7,000 rpm, 270 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm
Curb Weight: 3,232 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 21/19.8 mpg
Options: Sport package including SynchroRev Match, limited-slip differential, 19-inch forged wheels, performance tires, front chin and rear spoiler, Nissan sport brakes ($3,000); 40th-anniversary edition with graphite exterior paint, red seats and door panel inserts, seatback logo, 40th-anniversary seats, badges, floor mats, car cover, commemorative plaque, strut tower brace, smoke wheel finish, red brake-caliper finish, accent stitching, 40th-anniversary license-plate frame ($1,200)