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Have you seen me? (Artist's concept. Credit: ROSCOSMOS).
By now, you've heard the news; Russias Phobos-Grunt (Grunt meaning Soil) spacecraft is stuck in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Launched on November 8th out of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Zenit rocket designed to place the Mars-bound spacecraft worked flawlessly, and then silence. Since that fateful evening, engineers have tried without avail to hail the stranded spacecraft. This loss represents quite a blow to exploration of the solar system. One of the first spacecraft to head towards Mars from the Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, Phobos-Grunt was ambitious, with plans to land on the Martian moon Phobos and perform a sample return mission. And of course, the view of Mars from Phobos would have been stunning! Also lost was the 250lb Chinese Yinghou-1 spacecraft, which would have orbited Mars for two years studying the local environment.
As of this writing, engineers are continuing to attempt to establish contact with the spacecraft, but thus far to no avail. The loss is eerily similar to that of the Russian Mars 96 spacecraft that fell back to Earth near the Chile-Bolivia border after also failing to leave Earth orbit in 1996. Mars 96 contained 200 grams of plutonium fuel which was to power surface penetrator experiments, and Phobos-Grunt also carries its own variety of toxic fuel in the form of 16,000+ pounds of hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. Hydrazine is nasty stuff; F-16 aircraft use the rocket fuel to run their emergency power units. During our stint in the USAF, we were told in our yearly aircraft safety training that hydrazine smells like ammonia, but also that if you could smell it, it was already probably too late! In any event all eyes are now turning from getting this spacecraft to Mars to just where its going to come down during re-entry. Phobos-Grunt is currently parked in a 51.4° degree inclination orbit, similar to the International Space Station (both were launched from Baikonur) but of course, neither would be accessible from the other. ISS astros did have the opportunity to attempt and get a visual on the spacecraft, and reported no flash of the engine attempting departure from LEO. Phobos-Grunt is in a 208 x 334 kilometer altitude orbit, and completes a circuit around the planet every 90 minutes. Heavens-Above now has predictions up on their main-page, and I was able to catch it in orbit this past Saturday morning with binocs as it passed by the bright star Aldebaran. Id say it was about a magnitude fainter than the star, between magnitude +1 and +2. I can also attest that the prediction was within 30 seconds accurate, and the brightness was steady, which suggests no current tumbling is being experienced by the spacecraft. The way the orbit has been evolving has suggested to some that perhaps the spacecraft is still able to fire thrusters on its own, although is unable to communicate.
Just what will happen to Phobos-Grunt? Well, current predictions are for it to burn up in our atmosphere by January of 2012; chances are that it will come in over the ocean (over 70% of the span of its orbit) and most of its hazardous payload will burn up on re-entry. The thought certainly isnt a comfortable one, however, and there is some precedent to preemptively shooting down hydrazine-laden spacecraft such as was done for the spy satellite USA-193 in February 2008. Its a good thought-exercise to wonder what options might exist if we still had a space shuttle on hand, but we dont; Clint Eastwood isnt going to saddle up anytime soon and go after Phobos-Grunt ala Space Cowboys.
If theres any lesson to learn from this, its that perhaps spacecraft need to be equipped with an autonomous de-orbit option. The bad PR gained by Phobos-Grunt will now no doubt be spun into negative press for the upcoming Mars Curiosity launch on November 25th with its own plutonium payload. Yes, were biased in favor of space travel, and we know were editorializing, but we echo the words of Carl Sagan in saying that Space travel is the best use of nuclear material I can think of the previous launches of Cassini and New Horizons attracted a scattering of protesters and no doubt Mars Curiosity will be no different. They even co-opted two of our personal heroes, Michio Kaku and Ralph Nader to their cause, but Im sorry, our Carl trumps your Ralph and Michio, any day. I feel that in this instance, the fears of the protesters are misplaced; coal-fired plants, for example, release substantial amounts of radioactive radon, uranium and polonium into our atmosphere every day. The plutonium on Curiosity is containerized in graphite and purposely over-engineered to survive a launch mishap. For example, plutonium discarded by the Apollo 13 mission near Fuji (aboard the Lunar Module to be used as part of the ALSEP lunar surface experiments) has never shown signs of leakage after decades of sweeps of the area. Again, not comforting, especially if it was deposited in your backyard, but like with questions of energy in general, space travel often presents the devil you can live with scenario the alternative is to turn away from space exploration and become a risk adverse society.
OK, done editorializing now let the troll-mail begin. Do get out there and watch for Phobos-Grunt as it makes a pass overhead in the coming weeks. Strange to think, this is on the heels of the recent UARS and ROSAT re-entries lots of continuing drama in LEO!
Extra credit: Another Russian interplanetary mission has been long suspected of being the source of the infamous Kecksburg, Pennsylvania UFO incident which occurred on December 9th 1965 the failed Kosmos-96 spacecraft bound for Venus launched on November 23rd of that year!


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A branch fell off my lovely peach tree today, so I'm going to try to pickle the little unripe peaches.
500g unripe peaches
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
3 cloves of garlic
125ml of vinegar
hot water to fill jar
Prick the peaches and add to the jar
Mix sugar, salt and vinegar and add to the jar
throw in the garlic...
[ Continued ]
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Cloth Nappy Tree gives you a free, unbiased and privacy rich place to discuss and recycle your cloth nappies. Save time, money and our planet by inspiring and helping others.

subset: commoncrawl


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joshster necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 144 diseños de 30 diseñadores freelance.
We're from Make-Sure, we've developed an online age-verification system for under 18's which will stop adults being able to pose as kids.
The strength of the system will be when many children are validated by Make-Sure - creating a trusted marker of authenticity and enabling children themselves to identify immediately individuals who are not validated and who they should refrain from communicating with.
We're a young company, looking to offer a clean, accessible brand identity that expresses confidence, reliability, security and safety.
Key target audience for service will be children under 18. They will be web saavy and aware of modern design and contemporary styling. They will be drawn to the service in order to verify their identity so they will be conscious about security and internet safety.
The logo must also be acceptable for parents looking into the service for their children as well as online businesses such as social networks as well as internet safety organisations and press who will come to the site in order to review our service and determine the nature of our product offering.
The logo will be used internationally so must not include images and/or text which may be perceived as offensive in US, Asia, Australia and EU. Opportunity to use an image or style that may represent strength or security in any of these cultures - see Starbucks use of a mermaid.. in Japan a mermaid is seen as lucky and so Japanese consumers had greater brand trust in the company from the outset.
As we're involved with Internet safety and children the logo must express our brand values of safety, reliability, confidence, strength, security and accessibility.
If symbols or graphics are to be included we would like them to express how people will be brought together within a 'circle-of-trust' or environment of authenticity when they use Make-Sure.
The name of the service is "Make-Sure", with our current URL of http://www.make-sure.com/.co.uk.
We are intending to change the future name purely to MakeSure so the logo will require adjusting at that time.
We're looking for the logo to be suitable for web and print and provided in the usual format.
We're open to designer creativity with respect to colours and design but looking for a new, clean, modern design that is simple. The website design will be clean, with lots of white spaces and a great UI so the logo must be consistent.
Please experiment with different colours, textures. Variations on light/dark backgrounds to represent web/print media.
The logo can be made up of text only, or it may incorporate some additional graphic/image or illustration.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
By Nicoguaro - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
This is my "moderator post" for Week 3 in eTextbook Teachers (#ebookevo). This is where I will offer some advice and support. I will try to be useful, I know you have a lot of work to do. Week 3 is going to be the week in which you map out your ebook chapter and make a final choice of the publishing option for your ebook.
I will focus on mind mapping here, simply because I already wrote a blog post about publishing last year. Feel free to read that too, even though most of what I wrote about there refers to Week 4.
And, if you are wondering which publishing option I will choose, it will be FLIPHTML5. I used it last year and I was happy with the result. It looks like a digital book and you can embed videos, links and images. There is also the option of enabling PDF download, which is perfect if the students want to print your book or read it offline. FLIPHTML5 can be used online, or downloaded to your computer. And it is free.
So, mind mapping. Why should you do it? I can think of three reasons:
1. Mind mapping will help you think and brainstorm. I literally brainstormed my ebook chapter into my mind map this year. I started with two separate ideas. Idea 1 was that I wanted this chapter to be about learning vocabulary. I wanted my upper-intermediate students to learn some new vocabulary and I wanted them to become more effective vocabulary learners. Idea 2 was that I wanted to use a poem and create some activities connected to it. This second idea came to me thanks to one of the #ebookevo participants, Mary Hillis, who suggested it to me in the first week of our workshop. The poem is called When I Am Old, I Shall Wear Purple. So how do I connect a poem about old age and learning vocabulary? Here's what I came up with:
2. The second reason is that mapping it out will help you organise yourself better once you start writing your chapter, by providing a visual reminder about what your chapter should contain. Of course it is not final, you can keep adding to it. And, by creating it, you are not committing yourself to everything that you have included. You are still in the brainstorming stage and you are allowed to change your mind.
3. Last but not least, a mind map is a beautiful visual. You can use it at the beginning of your chapter to let your students know what it is going to be about. You can use it at the end of the chapter to remind them what they have learnt, or as a benchmark. You can even invite them to add their own comments and visuals to the map.
There are many mind mapping tools and they are mostly easy to use. It all depends on your preferences and the device you are using. If you want to create it on your phone, you will want a phone app. I have used my Windows tablet and Nova Mind was my app of choice. It is relatively easy to use and the Lite (free) version is quite decent. You can save the map in a variety of formats and they even provide a free cloud for your maps. Here's what mine looks like online, in the cloud. And here's the one I created for my last year's chapter.
I would love to hear about other ways you use mind mapping in TEFL, as well as your experience with other mind mapping tools you have tried. Please post the comments here in the blog, or in our Google+ group.


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According to a post on ToyotaNation, a Lamborghini dealership employee allegedly got into a street race with a Viper GTS while delivering an ultra-rare Lamborghini Countach once owned by Mario Andretti. Guess what happened next?
Here's the scoop from Shoguns, who posted the photos:
This happened on the 45 north feeder road in between Rankin and Richey. Which is about a mile down the road from Lamborghini of Houston. Turns out this car was street racing an 06 Dodge Viper GTS and they both somehow lost control. What makes it even worse is that the lamborghini was previously owned AND SIGNED by Mario Andretti himself! It was a mint condition 1989 25th Anniversary version with less than 6,000 kilometers on the odometer. The car was just purchased from Lamborghini of Houston earlier today and one of the Lambo techs was driving it. He was on his way to deliver it to the new owner that supposedly paid over $100k for it.
We're not surprised. We grew up driving up-and-down this stretch of I-45 and it's not well designed and full of bad drivers in fast cars. What may be worse is the description of the Lambo from the dealership (our emphasis):
Lamborghini Houston is pleased to offer this Ultra Rare 1989 Lamborghini Anniversary Edition Countach with only 5,919 original kilometers in the extremely rare Rosso Siviglia Red over Tan leather. Yes, this was 'race car driver' Mario Andretti's personal car. He has signed the rear wing and his name is still on the Title. It is as close to brand new as possible. This incredible rare collector's Anniversary Countach will be sold quick.
Don't miss this irreplaceable '89 Countach!
Thankfully, the wreck doesn't look to be too severe. We've put a call into Lambo of Houston for full details and they said they would call us back, though they seemed aware of what happened. Below are the full photos of the car from the dealership. Hat Tip to Sean!


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NEW ORLEANS - A trial has started for the high-stakes case against BP and other companies involved in a deadly rig explosion that spawned the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier is scheduled to hear several hours of opening statements Monday by lawyers for the companies, federal and state governments and others who sued over the disaster. Barbier is hearing the case without a jury.
The trial is designed to identify the causes of BP's well blowout and assign percentages of fault to the companies. That will help determine how much more each has to pay.
Months of negotiations have failed to produce a settlement that could have averted the trial. Eleven workers died in the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig.


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Video: LINES Ballet in Alonzo King's Rasa, which will be part of the Israel Festival.
Spring festival fever has hit Israel. The Big Stage Festival is in full swing at Suzanne Dellal in Tel Aviv. There's many Shavuot festivals planned around the country, and several of them focus on dance and movement. And from May 24th to June 11th, the Israel Festival will bring world-renowned performing artists in all disciplines to Jerusalem.
The Israel Festival has been a mainstay of the spring festival season since its founding in 1961, though its character has evolved over time. From its roots as a music festival in Caesarea, the event expanded to include theater and dance. The Israel Festival moved most of its performances to Jerusalem in 1982, and it remains there today.
Although it bears this country's name, the Israel Festival is truly an international event showcasing high-quality art from both in and out of Israel. A quick survey of this year's dance offerings alone yields four different countries from three different continents (and that's besides Israel!).


text: RE/MAX Evolution Open Houses October 5-8, 2018 Posted on October 4, 2018October 3, 2018 by Jeff Grice Stop by and talk with one of our Gold Coast Area Specialists at one of many open houses – OR – Contact any of our Gold Coast Specialists to "open" any house just for you! And enjoy a view of each of our featured homes for sale…. And featured homes for lease…. Contact us to help you to sell your home and find the home of your dreams! Our focus is on the coastal cities including Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Corona Del Mar, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente, Huntington Beach etc and inland cities including Palm Springs and Beverly Hills. Make it a great day! Jeff Your Name (required) Your Email (required) Subject Your Message This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Related posts: RE/MAX Evolution Open Houses October 4-6 2019 RE/MAX Evolution Open Houses October 19-21, 2018 RE/MAX Evolution Open Houses October 26-28, 2018 RE/MAX Evolution Open Houses – October 21-22 2017


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Price: $799.00 to $999.00


text:
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High-intensity training has become extremely popular among fitness enthusiasts in the past few years, with an increased interest in performing challenging workouts to enhance fitness and reap the benefits of short intense exercise. Traditionally this type of training was reserved for athletes to enhance sports performance, but now it has become a common method of fitness training. The benefits of this type of training are well documented in research. This short intense workout style can increase aerobic capacity faster then steady-state training, and increase fat utilization for energy causing a bigger changes in body composition, just to name a few benefits. This has lead to questions about whether older adults can experience the same benefits in a safe way.
Having just returned from speaking at the annual American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) convention in Atlanta, Georgia, these questions were addressed and discussed with some very enlightening information. Currently the ACSM Guidelines for Older Adults are based on general resistance training guiding principle for developing strength endurance. ACSM recommends a low-to-moderate intensity range of 65 to 75 per cent of one-repetition maximum to boost strength and reduce the risk of injury (see sidebar).
The current guidelines provide an excellent starting point and will provide health benefits, but new research shows that older adults can train at higher intensity exercise levels then once believed. Research with older adults in high intensity exercise programs, specifically heavy resistance and power lifting exercise, have shown excellent fitness gains and functional strength for many activities of daily living.
The aging process typically causes a decrease in muscle mass at a rate of approximately 5 per cent per decade from the age of 40, with a rapid decrease after the age of 65. There has been much discussion as to whether this is the natural aging process or has it been accelerated due to an increased sedentary lifestyle after the age of 60.
A decrease in muscle mass and diminished neuromuscular efficiency causes a reduction in speed, agility, balance, co-ordination and power. The accumulation of these losses greatly affects overall skills, which significantly increases the risk of falls.
Fitness is lost without exercise, however the good news is it a renewable resource and will be gained with activity. Just as a sedentary lifestyle can threaten health, an exercise program with appropriate levels of strength and power training can provide numerous health benefits and stimulate muscle growth even in the later years.
Higher intensity exercises not only do wonders for the muscular system it stimulates hormone production. Research indicates seniors that performed power-training workouts with more explosive movement such as throwing a medicine ball or kettle bell swings had an increased production of the hormones testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factors, which all lead to a muscle growth and more youthful appearance.
Strength represents the amount of force a muscle can generate whereas power is the velocity of force being produced. This represents the speed at which a muscular system can be activated to produce the required movement. Strength training exercises are typically executed at a slow and rhythmical tempo whereas power training requires speed with controlled movement. For people over the age of 60, age-related loss of muscle power can occur approximately twice as quickly as loss of muscle strength, suggesting that muscle power is a more critical variable in age-related functional decline.
As with any exercise program, current health and fitness is critical to the appropriateness of exercise selection. Medication, lifestyle, injuries, illness and health related concerns determine the starting place and progression of exercise. Older adults should consider working with a certified exercise specialist or participating in a group exercise program that is specifically designed for older adults to advance exercises at a progressive rate. Current movement function or loss of movement, mobility and strength are considerations in effective exercise choices. Always consult your physician prior to starting an exercise program.
The big message is that healthy active older adults can perform high intensity exercise with great health and fitness benefits. Grey hair and wrinkles are a natural process of aging however when it comes to muscles and physical training the body has a great capacity to adapt even as we age. In fact, some experts argue the muscle do not know age.
Helen Vanderburg, owner of Heavens Elevated Fitness and Yoga, Elite Athlete, World Champion Synchronized Swimmer, Renowned Fitness Trainer, Master Trainer for Fusion Fitness, Schwinn Cycling, BOSU and Total Gym. Motivational and Corporate Wellness Speaker. Find her online at heavensfitness.com and helenvanderburg.com.
American Council of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Older Adults
Frequency: 2 to 4 times per week with 48 hours of rest between resistance training sessions.
Exercise selection: One to two multi joint exercises for each of the large muscle groups: legs, abdomen, back, chest, shoulders and arms; machines recommended over free weights, for safety.
Intensity: 65 to 75 per cent of one-repetition maximum (1-RM).
Repetitions: 10 to 15.
Sets: 1 to 3.
Rest interval: 2 to 3 minutes between sets.


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MOORESVILLE — Cathy Hocking wasn't particularly worried about her daughters driving through the night from Phoenix to watch the Good Friday sunrise over the Grand Canyon. She was more anxious about what they might do once they got there.
Her eldest — Karli Richardson, 20, a graduating senior at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix — had a thing for four-wheeling; her youngest — Kelsey Richardson, a precocious Western Carolina University junior — picked jumping out of a perfectly good airplane over a party for her 18th birthday last July. Adventure? It filled them up.
So when the Mooresville-native sisters called on Kelsey's phone a little after 11 last Thursday night to say they wanted to spend one of the final mornings of their spring break chilling out together on the edge of a majestic red-rock cliff, she told them: Now listen to me — do not climb over the rails and take some stupid picture that you think's gonna look cool, and fall off. People do it. Don't do it. Be careful.
Cathy could practically hear them rolling their eyes, and could literally hear the exasperation coming through the speakerphone on their end. Mommmmm... We know, Mom. We know.
I mean it, Cathy said.
Mom, we love you, we gotta go, they said, laughing at her, waving her off. They hung up abruptly.
But just a few minutes later, Cathy's iPhone chimed with a message from Kelsey: Mom, you know we were just teasing, right?, the text said. We're gonna be fine. It's gonna be OK. And Kelsey repeated again: We love you.
"So they got in the car, they headed to the Grand Canyon... and they died," Cathy Hocking told the Observer Thursday, as she prepared to spend a few hours at her Mooresville home working on her daughters' eulogies. "I know he died, too; I know I'm not the only one hurting. I can truly understand his parents' pain, because I know it. But it doesn't mean I'm not angry, and I think we have the right to be angry."
An unimaginable tragedy
In fact, Karli and Kelsey Richardson never made it out of Phoenix.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the two sisters died just after 2 a.m. last Friday, when Karli's white 2003 Pontiac Sunfire collided with a vehicle driven by a 21-year-old college student who was speeding down the northbound lanes of Interstate 17 in the wrong direction.
There were no signs of either vehicle attempting to brake or avoid the collision, investigators said, and their cars were so crumpled that it reportedly took hours for Phoenix fire crews to free their bodies.
In the case of the person at fault — Keaton Allison, 21, who was originally from Colorado Springs, Colo., and like Karli was a student at Grand Canyon University — authorities have not ruled out the possibility that he was driving under the influence. (A spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Public Safety on Thursday told the Observer that the medical examiner's toxicology reports were still pending.)
Less than six hours later, Cathy Hocking was wrapping up tax-preparation chores at her Mooresville home with her husband, Gary, from whom she is separated. (Perry Richardson is Karli and Kelsey's birth father, but Gary Hocking raised them, Cathy says.)
When the knock came, and Cathy opened the door to find two state troopers standing on the front steps of her Mooresville home, at first, she honestly believed for a second that she was getting hauled off to jail.
Are you Cathryn Hocking?, one of them asked.
Yes, she said, nervously.
Can we come in?, he asked.
As she waved them inside, she recalls, "I actually thought, Oh my God, I finally cut off the wrong person. They filed a complaint. They're gonna say, 'You have the right to remain silent.' I really thought they were gonna arrest me," she says.
But when the officer asked, Are you the mother of Karli and Kelsey Richardson?, just like that, two lives flashed before her eyes as the world fell out from under her feet.
'A team that couldn't be beat'
In that flash, she saw Kelsey, her carefree 18-year-old, who was swooned over by modeling agencies thanks to her remarkable beauty and her height (she stood 6 inches taller than Karli), but who passed on offers to make a living in front of cameras to study pre-med at Western Carolina - with an eye toward focusing on pediatric oncology at either UNC-Chapel Hill or Duke.
And in that flash, she saw Karli, her 5-foot-5-inch "ball of fire," who just turned 20 last month, and who had celebrated with a 10-day trip to visit her boyfriend, Dale, in Okinawa, Japan, where he's serving in the U.S. Army. It seemed to everyone around them that the two would eventually marry, after he was out, and after Karli had gone on to earn her master's.
They were strong individuals, but they also were a package deal, and as girls growing up in Mooresville, Kelsey and Karli were inseparable, their mom says.
They shared a bedroom until around the time Karli turned 10, at which point Gary and Cathy Hocking gave the sisters their own rooms. "And every morning for about the first eight months when I woke up," Cathy recalls, "they'd be in each other's bed. I was like, Really??"
But they were more than just nighttime comfort to one another.
"They were a team that couldn't be beat," Cathy says. "They just loved to be together. They did so much together. Practical jokes, dates, they went to Christian camp together, they played softball together, they went to school together, and they went to parties together.
"I mean, they had separate friends, but if Karli's friends came over to spend the night, Kelsey would be in the room; if Kelsey's friends came over to spend the night, Karli would be in the room. ... They were inseparable. Oh, God, they were so close."
Karli left for Arizona the summer after graduating from Statesville's Collaborative College for Technology and Leadership — an early-college high school program that Kelsey completed, too — but whenever Karli came home to visit, they slept in the same room. If they slept, that is; plenty of nights they'd stay up gossiping long after their parents went to bed.
On April 27, Karli was to graduate with a B.A. in communications from Grand Canyon, a Christian university of about 20,000 students near downtown Phoenix. Kelsey wasn't going to be able to come out then because she had a big biology test at Western that conflicted, so the sisters planned the spring-break meet-up.
"Kelsey flew in Tuesday night," Cathy Hocking says, "and all day Wednesday and Thursday they palled around together. Karli even said, 'Mom, we're not spending a lot of time with friends. I really just want to spend one-on-one time with my sister.' "
The next thing she knew, her girls were calling to say they were heading to watch daybreak at the Grand Canyon, and the next thing she knew after that, the troopers were at her front door.
Are you the mother of Karli and Kelsey Richardson?
Cathy crumpled to her living room floor, screaming, crying. They hadn't said it out loud yet, they hadn't explained how or why or when, but it was clear: Karli and Kelsey were gone.
'They had to die together'
What's not gone, however, are their memories.
In the week since Cathy Hocking got the worst news of her entire life, yes, she's experienced numbing shock, unimaginable sadness and intense anger, but she's also given herself permission to laugh again.
She laughs as she talks about Karli and Kelsey's pet name for each other: Issy. Not Sissy — Issy. She laughs as she explains that even in adulthood, the pair relished the opportunity when they got together to curl up on the couch and watch favorite old episodes of "Scooby-Doo." She laughs about how Karli would spend an hour getting ready but how Kelsey — "the model! — spent 10 minutes and didn't care."
Cathy has also been heartened by the outpouring of support from all sides.
She says Johnson Carriage House & Meadows in Mooresville is hosting the reception at no charge, and the caterer is charging half of what it normally does; Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home of Huntersville also "cut their cost by thousands"; friends donated the burial plot at West Lawn Memorial Park in China Grove; and everyone from fellow members of The Cove Church (where Karli engaged kids in worship every Sunday for years as a "Cove Kids" teacher, and where Kelsey played piano) to complete strangers have sent food to the house, she says.
Cathy attended a vigil for Kelsey Wednesday at Western Carolina, where friends told her how they wouldn't have passed classes without tutoring help from her younger daughter; next Wednesday, Cathy flies to Phoenix to walk in Grand Canyon U.'s graduation ceremony, at which she will accept Karli's diploma while clutching her older daughter's cap and gown.
And between now and then, Cathy and Gary Hocking will honor and bury their girls in the way many people think they were meant to be buried. Not that anyone ever imagine they would be gone nearly this soon, not that the magnitude of the tragedy isn't anything less that enormous.
But "people have said it to me all week: 'They had to die together,' " Cathy Hocking says. "If Karli had lived, she would never have been able to live down that Kelsey was gone, and vice versa. The other could have never lived with it. So that's what everybody says: 'They had to die together.' "
In the end, she says, "they both loved the Lord. They both knew Jesus as their personal savior. We know where they are: They're in heaven."


text: Hair extensions shampoos are essential to keep hairpieces fresh and clean. These weave shampoos and braiding shampoos are suitable for both human hair extensions and synthetic hair extensions. Some of them are designed exclusively to clean bulk hair and probably the buyers choice is this spray on braid shampoo by African Pride. On the other than this weave shampoo is one of the top selling shampoos for weaves. Some of these hair extension deodorizers can be used on both hair extensions and loose hair, like this braid and extension cleanser by African Royale. This glue removing shampoo by Pak's is one step formula for both wigs and hairpieces.


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You see them displayed in Christmas movies as a phenomenon of the North Pole. But the Aurora Borealis, as they are scientifically referred to, are actually visible from areas of the earth much farther south than the north pole. If you want to enjoy the beauty and wonder that is the Northern Lights, here are a few interesting things you should know:
- The name Aurora comes from the name of the Roman goddess of dawn.
- An Aurora in northern latitudes are called aurora borealis (northern lights). An Aurora in the southern latitudes are called aurora australis (southern lights).
- The plural of aurora is aurorae.
- An aurora occurs when highly charged particles from space collide with atoms in the earth's atmosphere. This makes the atoms excited, meaning they start moving at a rapid pace. The way they release this energy is to accelerate along the earth's magnetic fields, which will emit the energy in the form of light.
- Solar flares are the most common occurrence that induces an aurora in the atmosphere.
- Solar wind is constantly blowing past the earth, contained in this wind are particles that agitate the atoms in our atmosphere. When the sun flares, the wind become stronger so aurorae are most likely to occur then
- Norther and southern aurorae mimic each other.
- From a distance, the aurora will appear as a greenish glow or even a faint red. From a closer location, the light can appear as a vivid green color.
- The green color is due to the emission of oxygen as the atoms begin to slow down from their excited state.
- Blue colors come from nitrogen atoms gaining an electron (becoming excited) and red colors occur when the nitrogen atom slows back down to it's normal state.
- Often they look like a curtain of light in the sky that can change shape every few seconds, or even hold their shape. They can also emit it a simple reddish or greenish glow in the sky, without any movement at all.
- Aurorae can occur on other planets.
- The sun has an 11-year sunspot cycle during which sunspot activity first increases than decreases. Aurorae are most commonly seen at the peak of that cycle and during the three years afterwards because of the increased strength of solar wind produced. The last solar cycle started in January 2008. The max of this cycle is expected to hit in 2011 and 2012.
- Pictures taken by space ships of the aurora are even more amazing than what you can see from earth. NASA's website has a good array of options.
Natalie Clive is a writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers is a useful website that can help students find the best online universities where they can earn a college degree. Individuals with a college degree are more likely to have a higher quality of life.


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I am trying to create a routing application with OSM data. What I am working with is an almost square area of about 30x30 kilometers, so nothing too big. But when I do something like
SELECT the_geom FROM dijkstra_sp_directed('roads_clip','6','2','true','true');
It does not select anything. Both the table and the source and target vertices exist, as well as a possible path between them. This code is a part of a larger block that is about to insert the selected path into a new table, here's what it looks like:
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS shortest_path_table;
CREATE TABLE shortest_path_table(gid int4) with oids;
SELECT AddGeometryColumn( 'shortest_path_table', 'the_geom', -1, 'MULTILINESTRING', 2 );
INSERT INTO shortest_path_table(the_geom) SELECT the_geom FROM dijkstra_sp_directed('roads_clip','6','2','true','true');
All I get after running this is an empty shortest_path_table.
I have already used this code before and every time (until now) it worked like a swiss watch, so this time the problem seems to be in the data. When I run
SELECT assign_vertex_id('roads_clip', 0.00001, 'the_geom', 'gid');
I get a nice and useable network of vertices, but dijkstra_sp_directed does not return any result. When I modify the tolerance to 0,001 it can find a way. The problem is, that the vertex network is a mess (I need a lot more vertices) and the route pgRouting returns is an even bigger mess (see picture: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/89/pgrouting.png/ )
As you can see, not only the returned route (in purple) is a complete nonsense, but also many streets have no vertices assigned, and that is not very useful.
I also tried this: http://www.pgrouting.org/docs/howto/validation.html and the result, (if I set the tolerance in assign_vertex_id to 0,00001) is pretty much the same as the image displayed at the bottom of the page.
So I know something is wrong with the data, the question is: What it is? And how can I fix it?
Thanks for your help


text:
Soft Strike
The Soft Strike zone on the FLEX NRG works with the FLEX Tail to absorb shock and reduce stress on joints and muscles. The advanced ergonomic design not only improves comfort, but also aids in weighted traction under the heel, as the larger Snow Brake traction element is fixed to the Soft Strike zone. Finally, Soft Strike makes for a quieter overall experience while snowshoeing.


text:
Cairns South ECCN Membership
Our members play a vital role in developing and delivering community specific outcomes for our children and families. We invite you to become a member of this network by simply completing the electronic Membership Form to the left, or downloading the membership form below.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
We look forward to seeing you soon.


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Home > POS Computer > 15-inch LCD POS Computer > Elo 19C2 > E274831
Elo E274831 15-inch LCD POS Computer
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19C2 Touchscreen Computer
Specs: Intel 1.66GHz Atom Dual-Core D510 Processor, 2 GB DDR2 RAM, 160 GB HD
Touch Technology: AccuTouch
OS: No Operating System
Other: Fanless
Specs: Intel 1.66GHz Atom Dual-Core D510 Processor, 2 GB DDR2 RAM, 160 GB HD
Touch Technology: AccuTouch
OS: No Operating System
Other: Fanless
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About This Product
For a complete product description, including technical specifications, warranty information, and additional models please visit the main 19C2 page.
This is not the recommended version of this product.
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Product Technical Specifications
Listed specifications may not apply to every part number including the one listed above. Contact us and we will happily verify whether this part number is compatible with your current hardware and software.
- Processor: Intel 1.66GHz Atom Dual-Core D510 With 1MB L2 Cache
- Memory: 2 GB DDR2 RAM
- Display Type: 18.5" Diagonal Active TFT color LCD, resolution 1366x768
- Touch Technology: AccuTouch (Zero Bezel Resistive), IntelliTouch (Multi-Touch Surface Acoustic Wave), iTouch (Zero Bezel Surface Acoustic Wave)
- Ethernet: LAN RJ45 (Gigabit)
- Storage: Internal 2.5" SATA HDD 160GB
- Ports: 6 USB 2.0, 2 USB to Serial RS-232, 1 LAN RJ45, Audio 1 line-in 1 line-out 1 mic-in
- Expansion Options: Optional Parallel, Optional Cash Drawer Kit, Optional 2nd VGA Expansion Kit, USB Wireless Kit, 56k Modem PCI-E Card, 2nd 160GB HDD, 64GB SSD, 4GB RAM Upgrade
- Operating System: Windows 7, POS Ready 2009
- Power Supply: External 12VDC universal-type power supply brick - AC input voltage: 100-240VAC Input frequency: 50-60Hz - Max output power: 150W (Max. draw: 170W)
- Dimensions: Including Stand: 18.7" x 14.9" x 8.9" (475mm x 380mm x 226mm)
- Operating Temperature: 32�F to 95�F (0�C to 35�C)
- Storage Temperature: -22�F to 140�F (-30�C to 60�C)
- Humidity: 20% to 80%
Environmental Specifications


text:
|Thread Tools
|19 January 2018, 09:49
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
DamienD's WinUAE Collection
Heya guys,
...not really sure where to put this thread so decided to it can live under the project.MAGE section.
Now that Toni has released WinUAE v3.6.0 with the awesome "boxart" panel, it's probably a good time for me to unleash my collection into the wild (minus any games that I've purchased plus APC&TCP titles).
I've been working on this on / off for 12+ years now. It's mainly a disk-based collection but in the past 2 years I've been adding in:
You can see the current list of games here.
Using all my knowledge / reading forums / loads of testing; I feel that all included files are 100% working versions, although obviously I cannot fully guarantee this...
The collection is 6.32GB WinRAR'd and 11.90GB uncompressed. I've also written a nice batch file that does everything for you:
1) Extracts the files from the WinRAR archives to "C:\WinUAE".
2) Removes old and applies the required registry settings.
3) Copies a WinUAE shortcut to your desktop.
ransom1122 has been using this for 2+ years now and commented in another thread:
Ok, a few things to note:
Also, in some of the <gamedirs> you will find cheats, hints, level codes, manuals, maps, strategies, tips, walkthroughs which have been painstakingly formatted by me to be printer friendly and in a consistent layout / format. To view these from WinUAE, right-click on the title bar of the "boxart" panel and select "Open Game Folder":
Finally, if you don't like any the above settings it's very easy to change all configurations to suit your needs in a matter of seconds using Notepad++ and "Search" --> "Find in Files". For example:
Turn off "Scanlines":
Change "gfx_filter_scanlines=50" to "gfx_filter_scanlines=0".
Change "gfx_filter_scanlines=25" to "gfx_filter_scanlines=0".
Turn off "Onscreen LEDs":
Change "show_leds=true" to "show_leds=false".
Interesting Statistics - Base Install:
6.32GB WinRAR'd 11.90GB Extracted 11,772 Files 2,315 Directories 26 AmigaCD games 10 Arcadia ROMs 2,196 Disk-based games 94 HDFs (patches / trainers applied when applicable) 55 HDFs [native installs] 26 HDFs [AmigaCD] 13 HDFs [WHDLoad] 330+ Cheats / hints / level codes / manuals / maps / walkthroughs etc. 2,300 Title / screenshots (manually taken by me)
Interesting Statistics - Base Install & Update Packs #1 - 38:
21.60GB WinRAR'd 37.90GB Extracted 15,409 Files 3,069 Directories 56 AmigaCD games 16 Arcadia ROMs 24 CD32 games 7 CDTV games 2,792 Disk-based games 211 HDFs (patches / trainers applied when applicable) 124 HDFs [native installs] 56 HDFs [AmigaCD] 7 HDFs [ShapeShifter / MAC] 24 HDFs [WHDLoad] 455+ Cheats / hints / level codes / manuals / maps / walkthroughs etc. 3,050 Title / screenshots (manually taken by me)
Anyway, I'm now going to give a copy to DH and 4 others so that they can play around and give feedback. PM me if interested
Once this has occurred I'll then share with anyone that wants it
Last edited by DamienD; 28 May 2020 at 16:00.
|19 January 2018, 09:49
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
Additional information since the thread's initial post...
Decided that I should add a new post directly after my initial one in the thread; I can do that, one benefit of being a Global Moderator
Reason being, some questions have come up and so this saves me PM'ing answers to FAQs
Ok, will be broken into sections, it's been quickly slapped together so...
Apply the latest version of WinUAE to the collection: WinUAE v4.3.0
Choose / apply the desired "GUI & BoxArt" size (Registry or .INI file):
... Default
... WinUAE_1366x768_Larger GUI_INI & REG.rar
... WinUAE_1920x1080_Larger GUI_INI & REG.rar
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...4&postcount=30
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1693
Important Keys:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=213
Required - install "DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010)" for D3D9:
... https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/down...s.aspx?id=8109
Setup a "custom" resolution of 720 x 576:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=266
What to do if games are stretched / not the correct aspect ratio when in Fullscreen mode:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=837
Update Pack #1:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=498
Update Pack #2:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=582
Update Pack #3:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=685
Update Pack #4:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=711
Update Pack #5:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=763
Update Pack #6:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=809
Update Pack #7:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=847
Update Pack #8:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1093
Update Pack #9:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1215
Update Pack #10:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1267
Update Pack #11:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1307
Update Pack #12:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1332
Update Pack #13:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1352
Update Pack #14:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1369
Update Pack #15:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1438
Update Pack #16:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1538
Update Pack #17:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1590
Update Pack #18:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1682
Update Pack #19:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1716
Update Pack #20:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1783
Update Pack #21:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1854
Update Pack #22:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1940
Update Pack #23:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=2021
Update Pack #24 - Part 1:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=2217
Update Pack #24 - Part 2:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=2347
Update Pack #25 - Part 1:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2399
Update Pack #25 - Part 2:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2413
Update Pack #26 - Part 1:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=2426
Update Pack #26 - Part 2:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2457
Update Pack #27:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2458
Update Pack #28:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2472
Update Pack #29:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2480
Update Pack #30 - Part 1:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2484
Update Pack #30 - Part 2:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2493
Update Pack #31 - Part 1:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2545
Update Pack #31 - Part 2:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2612
Update Pack #32 - Part 1:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2640
Update Pack #32 - Part 2:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2677
Update Pack #33 - Part 1:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2704
Update Pack #33 - Part 2:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2746
Update Pack #34 - Part 1:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2773
Update Pack #34 - Part 2:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2798
Update Pack #35 - Part 1:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2833
Update Pack #35 - Part 2:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2851
Update Pack #36 - Part 1:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2895
Update Pack #36 - Part 2:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2906
Update Pack #37 - Part 1:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=2982
Update Pack #37 - Part 2:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=3025
Update Pack #38 - Part 1:
... https://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p...postcount=3073
Games in my collection that I cannot share:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=2003
Can I put the directory / files anywhere?:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...4&postcount=52
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=135
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=953
What to do if my collection / WinUAE takes ages to start from your internal HDD or USB device:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1132
How to add in additional games yourself:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1031
Taking your own title / screenshots for additional games you've added:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=106
Why haven't you included x, y, z CD32 or CDTV game in your collection?:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=1184
What about my personal collection? Will things be affected?:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=194
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=240
"Setup.exe" not displaying text correctly / taking ages for action / is it working?:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=148
Extraction issues:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...1&postcount=75
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=161
Various reviews:
... ransom1122
... JLPedro
... nysavant
... happymondays
... Billwin
... johnnypop
... TroyWilkins
... gradius3
... simonmanchester
... Simmo76
... Decypher
... ransom1122
... Bullwinkle55
... Bullwinkle55
... wizball71
... ross
... haps
... warfalcon "aka" SIRIaX
... Viceroy
... Thunderbird77
... synchro
... mcgeezer
... TroyWilkins
... remowilliams
... purejaguar
... terlan
... Magix
... bohemist
... Pixelfill
... Exodous
... RetroJoe
... Amberhound
... StevenJGore
Where the various "Ports / Conversions --> Amiga" came from and who's responsible:
... http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=85200
Information about [unreleased] Amiga games:
... http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=83574
Last but not least; plus definitely the most important thing; support the main man Toni Wilen:
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...4&postcount=70
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=136
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=184
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=186
... http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...&postcount=218
Ok, I didn't really want to have a section for this but since I've had a few PMs asking how to donate for the time / work involved.
If you really want to then of course you can, click here for my PayPal account.
*** Update ***
Please see this post...
Current status of donations / distribution: see these posts: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th...
Last edited by DamienD; 28 May 2020 at 13:00.
|19 January 2018, 14:24
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Cresco, PA, USA
Age: 49
Posts: 1,114
Awesome! Can't wait for it to be peer reviewed and ready. Sounds like another "ultimate" Amiga setup but this time for winuae. Sweet.
|19 January 2018, 15:38
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
My collection has been tested to perfection by me over the past 12+ years, time and time again
The files / configurations / settings used are top notch; in the past if / when I've found an issue, said game has been investigated and then replaced if a better one exists.
All 2300 games work without having to mess around; just double-click and go
The only things people may want to change is aesthetic stuff like:
... Display settings to suit your preference.
... Scanlines on / off.
... LEDs on / off.
Anyway, these are the game which I cannot share due to being purchased / APC&TCP titles: http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=...postcount=2003
Last edited by DamienD; 24 November 2019 at 10:50.
|19 January 2018, 15:50
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Cresco, PA, USA
Age: 49
Posts: 1,114
Well, I would be one of the first to ask once it's "ready". I know it's ready now, but I am never excited about large downloads because I don't just love running 80's and 90's era computers, I live in the 1990s with my internet access being 1 up 3 down DSL. So waiting is OK with me.
|19 January 2018, 16:15
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
Ok, then sent me a PM with your address and I'll post you a USB stick
...only thing I ask in return is feedback; good or bad.
|19 January 2018, 17:31
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Szeged
Posts: 203
Sounds very interesting. I mean I would really like to try it out, if you intend to share it.
Last edited by happymondays; 19 January 2018 at 17:42.
|19 January 2018, 17:57
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
Yes, of course I intend to share otherwise I wouldn't have even bothered creating this thread in the first place
...currently I'm uploading all numerous 500MB split archives to my file hosting site, ready for distribution to anyway that is interested
Stay tuned!
|19 January 2018, 19:46
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Szeged
Posts: 203
Nice, thanks a lot.
|19 January 2018, 21:12
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
All parts now uploading to my Mega.nz page
You need to PM me if you want a copy
*** rant on ***
...and for people wondering why I just don't upload everything to the EAB File Server.
Simple really, out of 2300 games there are 265 x .IPF files in my collection.
Reason being:
a) Cracks of these games were shite.
b) Cracks were missing important or hacked screens.
c) Cracks are spread over more disks than the original so "disk swapping hell" occurs; I totally understand the reasons why though.
From my perspective, I'm not about to replace these .IPFs with sub-standard .ADFs in my collection...
Anyway; to be totally blunt; I don't really care about the SPS / IPF team anymore... for 15+ years we've abided by your rules and for what???
When's the last time any SPS / IPF member actually visited EAB, let alone answered various questions from numerous people who've submitted dumps / heard nothing back / not received files???
Fact; every single .IPF in my collection is easily obtained from a 3 second Google search (and has been the case for over a decade now) so why should EAB not being able to upload these and be forced to respect your rules for nothing in return???
...not to mention, as the Amiga is getting close to 30 years old now; it's harder and harder for people to actually puchase these original disks. Plus, even if they can at extoronate prices, the chances are that they will be damaged / unreadable or probably modified.
So, well done SPS / IPF team for preserving all these for only your own gratitude / the lucky few / elite!!!
In years to come nobody will actually remember the Amiga or any of these games...
Good job; take these games you've presevered to your grave as opposed to sharing them with the community that matters
*** rant off ***
Last edited by DamienD; 19 January 2018 at 21:35.
|19 January 2018, 23:08
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: The bottom of the bottle
Age: 3
Posts: 190
Great stuff Damien.
Next time your back home, I will have to shout you a couple of beers, I already owe you a couple from years back for the snes DVD.
|19 January 2018, 23:13
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
My friend; no worries
PM me your address in Oz and I'll post you a USB stick on Monday (GMT)
|20 January 2018, 11:43
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
Phew!!! All now uploaded; 13 x 500MB files
People who PM'd me, you now have mail
|20 January 2018, 15:13
Old retro god.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Northolt, West London
Age: 58
Posts: 647
Damien, just got all of it and set it up....Bloody marvellous!!
Thank you for your attention to detail and time, its a work of art mate!
Looking to alter the scan lines, never a fan
I'm sure I can sort a multi file find and replace type thing..
Can't blame you re the IPS annoyance, that sort of thing happens across the board in emulation as you know.
Back to your pack
|20 January 2018, 15:19
Amiga Demoscene Archive !
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Italy
Age: 45
Posts: 1,627
Are "your" games TOSEC games or they come from other sources too ?
|20 January 2018, 16:04
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
To switch scanlines off in all configuration files just do this:
Last edited by DamienD; 22 September 2019 at 13:00.
|20 January 2018, 16:08
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
|21 January 2018, 15:53
Old retro god.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Northolt, West London
Age: 58
Posts: 647
Ah, thank you for the Notepad++ tutorial, love that program...
Much appreciated...
/Paul buys Damien a virtual pint of whatever he's having!
Hopefully the others love this pack as much as me
|21 January 2018, 16:17
Global Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London / Sydney
Age: 43
Posts: 17,416
...considering at least 15 other people now have this and yet only you has been bothered to provide feedback (which is all that I ask really after sharing my 12+ year project)
Oh well; I know this collection rocks anyway so...
|21 January 2018, 16:32
Amiga Demoscene Archive !
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Italy
Age: 45
Posts: 1,627
DamienD they probably need time to discover the new treasure and let you know something about it
Personally speaking you already know that i'm interested in demos and not games
I like only the music of the games, not playing those, so no need for me to have this great pack you created
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|10 February 2016 00:02
|DamienD's SNES DVD...
|Retrogaming General Discussion
|03 November 2008 09:54


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It's not just the amazing attractions that made the resort great. It's the amazing attention to all sorts of details, the staff who are the most helpful and friendly of any park you'll ever see, and not just "better" but light years, in a totally different category better. The level of service at these parks is not even something you can really describe in photos, video, or text. It's just something you have to experience, and once someone experiences, they get it.
And then of course the clientele of the park helps make of the rest of the awesome. It's very very rare that you will ever encounter anyone rude or obnoxious, and if you do, chances are very high it's an American or Chinese guest. There is no theme park guest culture more polite and in tune with common sense as Tokyo Disney. And IMO, the guests around you make up a HUGE part of the overall experience. I mean, I feel my liking of Shanghai Disneyland would have been so much better if it wasn't filled with the local clientele. And coming to Tokyo Disney just makes you appreciate the Japanese so much more after being in China.
As you read the report below, some of you may ask "why did we go during such a busy time?" The answer: COUNTDOWN PARTY!!! Countdown Party or "New Years Eve" is a very special time at Tokyo Disney. They open the parks for a special "overnight" new years event from 7pm - 7am. It's the only time the parks stay open later than 10pm, they do a very special fireworks show, and it's one the hardest tickets to get of any Disney event around the world! You either have to be staying at a resort hotel on New Years Eve (and just look up the prices! The hotel we were staying at was $1,000 per night, and that's one of the CHEAPER options) or you have to enter a Japan-only lottery for tickets! It's a wonderful event and if you've been to the parks before, it's not a huge deal with the crowds.
Anyway, we've talked about Tokyo Disney so much that I'm not sure what more there is to say, but please feel free to ask questions as it's a park we love to talk about. Let's get on to some photos and video....
There is no better sight in the world than this right here!
Tokyo Disney Resort taking us to Ikspiari for some dinner & shopping! Going to head there tonight since our first full day at the park is tomorrow!
Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015
Nice to see this pizza place at Ikspiari still delivering amazing food!
Current view of Tokyo from our hotel room at Tokyo Disney!
We are here!!!
A little bit of morning glow behind the castle!
We are in line for Pooh and already have our first FastPass in hand!
About to ride one of the greatest Disney rides ever created!
Pooh's Hunny Hunt really is an amazing example of "trackless dark ride" technology! Absolutely incredible!
Just like to point out we're currently in a switchback without a rope & Japanese are perfectly obeying it. No line jumping of any sort. No one crossing over. Just a single file line switching back at the end as if there was a rope in place. Never in America!
It's a requirement that every Japanese guest have something Duffy on their person.
Elissa is so happy her rodents are being featured on the current seasonal merch/food guide!
Yes, they do Haunted Mansion Holiday at Tokyo Disney and this makes us very happy!
Really love Haunted Mansion Holiday. Hope someday it comes to WDW!
It's one of the busiest day of the year here but we've already done Pooh & Mansion and have FP for Monsters and Thunder!
Next up... a tour through the Jungle!
Japanese Jungle Cruise was great! Loved the indoor projection mapped scene! Our skipper was awesome!
This crazy line to get FP took less than 5 minutes due to the amazing Japanese staff & clientele!
Been crazy busy day but we've already gotten on Mansion, Pooh, Monsters, Jungle & have FP for Thunder & Space! If you know how to navigate the park, even when it's very busy you can get on a lot of stuff. You don't have to rush around like crazy but GET TO THE PARK EARLY! We suggest an hour before the park opens. That might sound rough, but it's WORTH IT when you see just how much more you can get done!
We've taken a lunch break from the park to go cook up some raw meat in Ikspiari!
Remember this place at Tokyo Disney Ikspiari! Delicious lunch full of meat!
I love that they have Clarice as a character here at Tokyo Disney!
This 45-minute line for Pirates took a total of 22 minutes! Gotta love Japanese efficiency!
Tokyo has the classic version of Pirates with the Jack Sparrow upgrade. Please replace this version and all old and outdated versions with the new Shanghai version!
In a past life and an alternate universe, a mouse once paid me to work here...
Time lapse video of the Western River Railroad!
Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015
Current line for Big Thunder Mountain is 180 minutes! But not for us! Thank you FastPass!
Just for you BIG ladies...
I love that the Country Bear Jamboree here is half in Japanese and half English!
This woman making the Mickey waffles may be my favorite person of all Tokyo Disney!!!
Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015
Would you believe this is the first popcorn we've had all day? And yes it's delicious!
It's SHOWTIME! Gonna check out the Main Street Electrical Parade: Dream Lights and Once Upon a Time. Anyone who knows me fairly well knows that I am *NOT* a fan of the classic Main Street Electrical Parade (other than the world's longest bacon strip float) but Dream Lights is, IMO, the version of the Electrical Parade they should have EVERYWHERE! In fact, whenever I hear someone say "oh, Orlando should get Paint the Night" I assume they haven't seen Dream Lights. I'm not even a parade person and it's fantastic! Here's the replay of our live stream from our visit...
Just watched the Electrical Parade! Now going to hop on Splash Mountain! Single rider line FTW!
Love the Tokyo Disney version of Splash Mountain! So very similar but also different than Florida's version!
Up next...Once Upon a Time! Their amazing castle projection show!
While Walt Disney World now has a version of this castle show, it's not the same. The Orlando version doesn't have all the segments, the lasers, as much pyro, or the additional projections on the side. It's still a great show though, but the Tokyo one is amazing! Here's our replay from the live stream:
Time for a ride on Space Mountain! Here one minute of the light show on Tokyo's mountain!
Kristen from @OceanSprayInc shows Jack how to harvest cranberries! @WaltDisneyWorld #EpcotFoodFestival @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/UMnKfUdzS5— Theme Park Review (@ThemeParkReview) September 26, 2015
Yay! Space Mountain!!!
Just did a one-two punch in ToonTown with Roger Rabbit and Gadget's Go Coaster!
And we are ending our day at Tokyo Disney just like we started it! On Pooh's Hunny Hunt!
Wow! What an absolutely amazing first day at Tokyo Disney! We got an insane amount done for such a busy day! Other than the slight pain of getting up at 6am to be at the park by 7am, at no point were we "rushed" through the day. We took it easy, got lots of FastPasses, and even took two hours out of our day for lunch. But look at how much we accomplished! This is one of the busiest days of the year and we still did every "mountain" in the park, lots of dark rides, saw two shows (technically three as we did watch the fireworks also) and really just had a fantastic day! More updates from Tokyo Disney coming soon!


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OTTAWA — Because babies born into families with autism are more likely to develop the condition, experts have turned their attention to the younger brothers and sisters of children with the diagnosis.
The assumption is that a better understanding of these baby siblings could lead to ways to diagnose children earlier, giving more of them a head start on behavioural therapy.
Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum co-authored the largest study (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/3/e488.short) to date on the risk of autism recurrence among siblings.
His team has found that parents who have one child with autism have a one-in-five chance of having another child with the condition — a much higher risk than previously thought.
The risk jumps to one-in-four if a couple has a boy and goes even higher — to one-in-three — if parents already have two children with autism.
While there are signature behaviours in babies who go on to develop the disorder, autistic characteristics are very hard to detect in children as young as six months, cautions Zwaigenbaum, a developmental pediatrician at the University of Alberta.
Indeed, at six months, most of the babies who go on to develop autism are in line with their peers. Many smile when their parents smile. Most will perk up when someone calls their name.
However, while most babies around this age develop the strength and coordination to hold up their heads and sit independently, some babies who go on to develop autism do not. "They may be floppy. Some can't hold their head up," says Zwaigenbaum, who's also director of the Autism Research Centre at Edmonton's Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.
These early motor problems are one of the best-established early warning signs, although it's unclear why they occur.
After six months, the development of babies who go on to develop autism seems to level off or even regress, while their typically developing peers become more social and talkative. By 12 months, many children who are later diagnosed with autism become extremely withdrawn.
They don't cue into what other people are doing, but may be intensely interested in inanimate objects. For example, they may stare at toys, but not play with them in ways other children do. "They're almost like little scientists, looking and examining these toys," says Zwaigenbaum.
After 18 months, children who go on to get the diagnosis start to show more recognizable signs of autism. They avoid eye contact and develop repetitive behaviours.
While there are a small number of children who can be diagnosed before age two, a majority of them won't show clear signs of autism until then, says Sally Ozonoff, lead author of the baby-sibling study and one of Zwaigenbaum's collaborators.
"After a decade of this work, I personally am not sure that we'll be able to diagnosis everybody with autism, on the average, before (age) two," says Ozonoff, the vice-chair of research at the University of California MIND Institute, an autism research centre.


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Camping chairs usually put their folding functionality before comfort, resulting in a seat that's easy to transport but not ideal for lazy weekend lounging. The Mantis perfectly blends both form and function with a laidback design that packs away small enough to stash in a backpack.
At $US120, you'll be paying a premium for the seat that weighs less than a kilo, but when assembled it can support campers up to 113kg, providing what looks to be the most comfortable spot to kick back in at any campsite. And if you run out of bunks or sleeping bags, we're pretty sure it wouldn't take much to doze off in this recliner. After all, isn't the real reason for camping to sleep through mother nature's majesty?
[Alite Designs via The Awesomer]


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Student accepted to all 8 Ivy League schools
New York teen has quite the decision in front of him
A New York teen has quite the decision in front of him after being accepted to all eight Ivy League schools.
Kwasi Enin, 17, scored a 2,250 out of 2,400 on the SAT and ranks in the top 2 percent of his class.
But he told Newsday he never thought he'd get into Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania AND Yale.
"I thought I would get one or two," the Long Island teen said. "I simply thought I would apply. I knew it was crazy."
Enin was accepted to Princeton in December and got word from the remaining schools on March 27.
He wants to follow in the footsteps of his parents, immigrants from Ghana, and study medicine, according to Newsday.
Enin said he's leaning toward Yale, but still has to compare "all these wonderful schools."
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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"Golf Course Lawns was an answer to prayer for my Lawn"
Jane L. Hampton
"Golf Course lawns got rid of all my weeds, especially clover"
Milton M, Pelham
"My lawn was a mess when Fred Cheney first looked at it. Now its the nicest in the neighborhood."
Pat O. Atkinson
"I had 100% crabgrass and now my lawn is 100% weed free!"
Roger L. Chester
"Tick treatment is working very well. No ticks on the dog or us."
Michael A., Londonderry
Fremont Lawn Care Services
Premium Turf Care for golf courses, estates, condominiums and residential lawns is what Golf Course Lawns is known for. Our Fremont lawn care services are not only provided by a team of professionals that have years of experience on golf courses, athletic fields and fine estate turfcare, we also promise a virtually weed-free, insect and grub free lawn!
A partial list of Fremont NH Lawn Care Services include:
Herbicides and Weed Control
Comprehensive pre-emergent and post-emergent applications are essential for a virtually weed-free lawn. Both Crabgrass and Broadleaf weeds require two applications each by early summer for complete control. Since more weeds germinate in July and August, a Fall weed clean up is required in September.
Pre-emergent Crabgrass Prevention and more!
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Grubs can be prevented by a June or July application that must be watered in. Once an outbreak occurs, a more costly application of existing grubs can be applied when needed. Grubs are capable of devastating a lawn in less than a month. Apply Grub Prevention before eggs hatch in the hot summer months and Grub Control when grubs are active.
- Chinchbug Control
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Lawn Renovation
Our lawn renovations start with accurate soil tests and a detailed analysis of the "microclimate" that is your specific turfgrass area. Soil type, available nutrient level, pH, shade and sun levels, mowing patterns, mowing quality and frequency, watering capability and timing are all significant issues that need to be addressed to give you a quality golf course lawn!
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Our non-burning, environmentally safe Organic based fertilizers feed your lawn steadily over the season. They also enhance the microbial activity in your soil which help your lawn thrive.
- NPK Granular Fertilizers for slow release
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- Winterizer for quick green up in the Spring
- Micronutrients for optimum soil nutrition
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We use a combination of latest generation safe systemic and contact fungicides. Our Golf Course level diagnosis will help identify the exact disease for optimum control.
- Red Thread control
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Special Services for Commercial Turfgrass and Large Acre Applications
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Additional Fremont Lawn Care or Questions
If you have a need for a lawn care service not listed or have any questions regarding our Fremont lawn care services, please call us at 603-425-8273 or email. We also wanted to leave you with our basic program for a virtually weed and insect and grub free lawn!
Spring Fertilizer and Crabgrass Preventor
Complete Fertilizer and Broadleaf Weed Control
Summer Fertilizer and Grub Prevention
Organic Fertilizer plus Surface insect control
Fall Fertilizer an Broadleaf Weed Control
Winterizer and micro-nutrients


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Janet MacLeod is an award-winning artist who lives and maintains her studio in Newburyport, MA. For many years she had a highly regarded graphic arts career before retiring to pursue her lifelong dream of fine art. Since then, she has immersed herself in the world of landscape painting in the studio and plein air, studying extensively in oil with J. C. Airoldi and pastels with Karen Jones. She has also taken numerous plein air workshops with artist such as Richard McKinley, Albert Handell, Doug Dawson, Susan Olgivie, and Kevin Shea to name a few.
MacLeod's subjects range from local (and Cape Cod) marshes to the castles and skies of Scotland to New Mexico to imaginary landscapes. Simple abstract design and bold color are qualities she strives for in each piece.
Ms. MacLeod has been accepted into numerous international, national and regional juried shows since beginning her art career including: Connecticut Pastel Society "Renaissance in Pastel 2010", 2010 Roddy Show at Concord Art Association, the 2009 Juried Exhibition of the International Association of Pastel Societies, Faber Birren National Color Award Show, "CT+5" at the West Hartford Art League, "Its Pastel" at the Pastel Society of New Hampshire, "Pastels Only" at the Pastel Painters of Maine, Newburyport Art Association's Regional for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and the 16th Annual Show at the Pastel Society of Oregon.
Janet has won several awards including the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Award for Pastel at the Newburyport Art Association and twice in the Pastel Painters of Maine "Pastels Only' show.
She is a member of the following art associations:
North Shore Arts Association (artist member), Pastel Society of America (juried associate member), Connecticut Pastel Society, Pastel Painters of Maine, Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, Pastel Society of New Hampshire, Concord Art Association, Newburyport Art Association, and the Newburyport Ten.
Janet's work can be found regularly at the Newburyport Art Association, North Shore Arts Association, and on-line at www.jnmacleod.com. She also welcomes studio visits.


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Hi all,
Just to make my question clear, first I have a short explanation about my task. I would appreciate if you tell me any comment for each step of my work, since i am beginner in this stuff.
I want to render an image for display on a multilayer display, based on the z values of the picture. I found Blender as a rendering tool (it means i am completely new ) to have the z values of an image and then use those value to make two images, as a 2 layer image, in opengl.
So, for extracting z value in Blender, I opened a .blender image, clicked on "Render" menu, then wrote a short script of Python, like:
import bgl
zbuf = bgl.Buffer(bgl.GL_FLOAT, [100*100])
bgl.glReadPixels(150, 140, 100, 100, bgl.GL_DEPTH_COMPONENT, bgl.GL_FLOAT, zbuf)
But I got for all z values 1.0. I know almost nothing about working with Blender. Is there something I am missing?
And, is the process that i am going to do with the whole idea correct or achievable?
Thanks in advance
Multilayer image rendering (and some scripting errors)
Scripting in Blender with Python, and working on the API
Moderators: jesterKing, stiv
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LITTLE ROCK — A Pulaski County circuit judge erred when he granted a robbery suspect's motion to suppress evidence seized from his North Little Rock home, a divided state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
LITTLE ROCK — A Pulaski County circuit judge erred when he granted a robbery suspect's motion to suppress evidence seized from his North Little Rock home, a divided state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
In the 5-2 decision, the high court ordered a new hearing in the case of Kendrick Robinson, who was arrested in 2011 in the armed robbery of a Sherwood gas station.
During a hearing, Robinson, who was charged with aggravated robbery, theft of property and possession of firearms, argued that evidence found in his home during a search was illegally obtained because the Sherwood officers who conducted the search were out of their jurisdiction.
During the search, officers found a .30-.30 rifle, ammunition, a spent casing from the gun and other items.
Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen granted Robinson's motion, saying the search violated his constitutional rights because there was no interagency agreement cooperation between Sherwood police and North Little Rock police.
In Thursday's majority opinion, written by Justice Donald Corbin, the high court said the search was constitutional.
"Contrary to the circuit court's finding, there is no rule of criminal procedure, statute or case law establishing a bright-line rule that in order for a police officer to execute a search warrant outside his jurisdiction there must be an interagency agreement or interagency cooperation to validate the search," Corbin wrote.
Joining Corbin in the majority were Chief Justice Jim Hannah and Justice Courtney Hudson Goodson, Paul Danielson and Cliff Hoofman.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Karen Baker said the Supreme Court did not have jurisdiction to consider the appeal.
"Because the issues brought on appeal by the state are not important to the correct and uniform administration of the criminal law, the matters before us do not constitute a proper state appeal," she said. "Accordingly, we do not have jurisdiction and I would dismiss the appeal."
Joining Baker in the dissent was Justice Josephine Hart.


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One stock that might be an intriguing choice for investors right now is AK Steel Holding Corporation . This is because this security in the Steel - Producers space is seeing solid earnings estimate revision activity, and is in great company from a Zacks Industry Rank perspective.
This is important because, often times, a rising tide will lift all boats in an industry, as there can be broad trends taking place in a segment that are boosting securities across the board. This is arguably taking place in the Steel - Producers space as it currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 46 out of more than 250 industries, suggesting it is well-positioned from this perspective, especially when compared to other segments out there.
Meanwhile, AK Steel is actually looking pretty good on its own too. The firm has seen solid earnings estimate revision activity over the past month, suggesting analysts are becoming a bit more bullish on the firm's prospects in both the short and long term.
AK STEEL HLDG Price and Consensus
In fact, over the past month, current quarter estimates have risen from 6 cents per share to a 8 cents per share, while current year estimates have risen from 32 cents per share to 33 cents per share. This has helped AK Steel to earn a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), further underscoring the company's solid position. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
So, if you are looking for a decent pick in a strong industry, consider AK Steel. Not only is its industry currently in the top third, but it is seeing solid estimate revisions as of late, suggesting it could be a very interesting choice for investors seeking a name in this great industry segment.
The Best Place to Start Your Stock Search
Today, you are invited to download the full, up-to-the-minute list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 ""Strong Buy"" stocks – absolutely free of charge. Since 1988, Zacks Rank #1 stocks have nearly tripled the market, with average gains of +26% per year. Plus, you can access the list of portfolio-killing Zacks Rank #5 ""Strong Sells"" and other private research. See these stocks free >>


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Plastic Pipe and Fitting Testing
- Overview
- Benefits of Certification
- Why Work With NSF?
- Certification Process
NSF International is the plastic industry's leading testing and certification organization, with proven experience in certifying various types of plastic pipes and fittings used in today's global applications. From drinking water to radiant floor heating systems, our experts can help ensure your product is tested and certified against the appropriate standards for your distribution and can even help you expand into international markets with ease.
The NSF mark is the industry's most widely recognized and most respected certification mark for plastic piping products.
Benefits of Certification
NSF certification ensures your product meets health and performance standards for plastic pipes and fittings required by regulators, public health officials and manufacturers. All major model plumbing codes require third-party certification. Additionally, NSF test data collected may be submitted to other agencies (such as ASSE, CSA, IAPMO, ICC and others) to maximize reach while minimizing costs.
For manufacturers and public health officials, NSF certification benefits include:
- NSF mark recognition, faster market access and expedited regulatory acceptance
- Third-party confirmation, reducing potential liability issues
- Ongoing support related to technical development and regulatory requirements
- Online listing of certified products, including product type, product trade name, manufacturer name and location
Why Work With NSF?
The NSF mark is accepted in all U.S. states and all Canadian provinces and territories. NSF International is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI-Accredited Product Certification Body - Accreditation #0216), International Accreditation Service (IAS) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) for its testing and certification programs.
The NSF mark, well respected by public health officials, retailers and consumers, is recognized as a symbol of product quality and integrity. Our responsive personalized service quickly guides your products through the certification process, ensuring that they get to market on time and on budget. We offer bracketing services wherever possible to help keep costs down, and provide the pricing up front so there are no hidden surprises down the road.
Certification Process
While our product evaluations are thorough, our process is simple and efficient. A dedicated NSF project manager serves as your single point of contact from application to approval for a streamlined, efficient certification process.
- Your company submits an application.
- Your company and suppliers provide formulation, design specifications and product end use information.
- We review formulation and engineering specifications.
- We perform a plant audit and sample collection.
- We conduct laboratory testing.
- We grant certification for compliant products.
- Our follow-up program includes unannounced inspections and annual testing.
Our experts can help you reduce your overall costs and expedite your time to market by bundling services and reducing the number of contracted service providers and facility audits.
Drinking Water Treatment Units Must Now Meet Stricter Requirements for Lead Reduction Certification
- 4 months ago
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The joint committee governing the American National Standards for drinking water treatment units recently lowered the...
Stefan Buck Appointed GM of NSF International's Global Drinking Water Treatment Programs
- 11 months ago
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Stefan Buck has been promoted to General Manager of NSF International's Global Drinking Water Treatment Unit...
U.S. Drinking Water Products Standards Published as National Standards of Canada
- 1 year ago
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The American National Standards for health effects of drinking water treatment chemicals (NSF/ANSI 60) and plumbing...
COVID-19 and Its Effect on Your Building Water Health
Webinar: COVID-19 Updates for NSF International's Water Certification Programs
FAQ on Desk Audits for NSF International's Water Certification Programs
Private Label (ANF) Listings
Plastic Materials Certification
Certification of Your PVC Ingredients
Custom Testing and R&D Lab Services
Health Effects of HDPE Pipes and Fittings for Potable Water Applications
How do I know plastic plumbing products are safe for use?
Most state drinking water regulations and local plumbing codes require PE and PEX tubing and fittings conveying drinking water to meet NSF/ANSI Standard 61 to ensure components will not contribute harmful levels of contaminants to drinking water. All U.S. model plumbing codes and 46 of the 50 U.S. states require PVC drinking water system components to meet the requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 61.
What is NSF/ANSI Standard 61?
NSF/ANSI Standard 61: Drinking Water System Components-Health Effects is the American National Standard for health effects of drinking water system components. It establishes the health effects requirements for the chemical contaminants and impurities that are indirectly imparted to drinking water from products, components and materials used in drinking water systems.
NSF/ANSI Standard 61 is overseen by the NSF Drinking Water Additives Joint Committee comprised of representation from the regulatory community, the manufacturing industry and user groups. The American National Standards Institute accredits NSF standards development procedures to ensure a balanced committee of stakeholders develops the standards in an open process. The NSF Council of Public Health Consultants, a group of 30 representatives from academia and local, state and federal regulatory agencies, provides technical advice on and oversight of the NSF standards.
The NSF Health Advisory Board is a standing task group that consists of toxicologists from the U.S. EPA, Health Canada, state and provincial agencies, industry and private consulting firms. This group is responsible for reviewing and approving all allowable contaminant concentrations that are published in NSF/ANSI Standard 61.
How are plastic pipe, fittings and system components tested?
First, we perform a formulation review of the material to determine what possible contaminants could leach out into drinking water and what type of chemical extraction testing is necessary. Our policy does not allow lead as an ingredient within plastic pipe formulations.
We expose products to formulated exposure waters, and then analyze these exposure waters for contaminants. We use three separate formulated waters during product exposure: pH 5.0 and pH 10.0 (with 2 mg/L available chlorine for PE pipe and fittings) for extraction of metallic contaminants, and pH 8.0 for organic-based contaminants.
PE products are tested at an ambient temperature of 73° F (23° C). PEX tubing samples containing water are heated to 140° F (60° C) for domestic hot water systems or 180° F (82° C) for commercial hot systems.
Products are conditioned by exposure to the formulated waters (with the addition of 2 mg/L available chlorine for PE products) for 14 days, with water being changed on 10 of those days. We then analyze the water collected from the final 16-hour exposure period for contaminants. Any contaminants found must be below EPA or Health Canada levels for regulated contaminants. For non-regulated contaminants found, NSF/ANSI Standard 61 sets health based pass/fail levels based on review of available toxicity data using the risk assessment procedures in annex A of the standard.
What types of analyses are performed on PEX tubing?
Water exposed to PEX tubing and associated fitting systems is tested for the following contaminants as required by NSF/ANSI Standard 61:
- VOCs (Volatile organic compounds)
- Semi-volatile compounds (base neutral acid scan by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy)
- Phenolics
- Regulated metals including antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, selenium and thallium
- Methanol
- Tertiary butyl alcohol
- MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)
- Any other potential contaminant identified during the formulation review
These test methods are capable of detecting contaminants in water as low as 4 parts per billion (4 ppb) and lower, equivalent to a 0.0000004 percent concentration.
What types of analyses are performed on PE pipe and fittings?
Water exposed to PE pipe or fittings is tested for the following contaminants as required by NSF/ANSI 61:
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Semi-volatile compounds (base/neutral/acid target and scan by GC/MS)
- Regulated metals including antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, selenium and thallium
- Any other potential contaminant identified during the formulation review
What types of analyses are performed on PVC products?
Water exposed to PVC products is tested for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phenolics, residual chloride monomer (RVCM), antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, selenium, tin, thallium, phthalates (for flexible PVCs) and any other potential contaminant identified during the formulation review.
How do I know if plastic plumbing products meet this requirement?
Plastic pipe, fittings and system components meeting the health effects requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 61 bear either the NSF-61 mark or the NSF-pw (potable water) mark on the print string. The NSF-pw mark indicates the product meets the health requirements of NSF/ANSI 61 as well as the performance, long-term strength and quality control requirements of NSF/ANSI Standard 14: Plastic Piping Components and Related Materials.
If a PEX product has only an NSF-rfh mark, this indicates the product has only been evaluated for radiant floor heating applications.
If a PVC product has only an NSF-dwv or NSF-sewer mark, the product has only been evaluated for drain, waste and vent applications or for sewer applications, respectively.
Where can I find NSF listed products?
NSF certified products can be found in our online listings.


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I'm tired of this whole "4 star" silliness.
I'm tired of people wanting coffee bars to be restaurants, of whining about baristas not sucking up to customers - of the whole stupid idea.
There is a reason it's called a coffee bar.
"Barista" is a bartender.
Coffee bars should be like bars.
Baristas should be bartenders.
Is there a "4 star" movement in bars?
How many times have you heard people talk about "lovable surly" bartenders?
When I go to Toronado in SF do I get cranky about the fact that it's beat up? That there are no linen tablecloths? That it's kind of a dive? Do I refuse to tip because the bartender hasn't smiled at me and in fact has been a bit abusive.
Why? Because they are the best beer bar in the US.
Why? Because the beer they serve is incredible, the bartenders know their beer, their selection is amazing and their commitment to (or even obsession with) these great beers is incredible.
Do they serve panini? Do they offer blended drinks?
Hell no!
They are a BEER BAR.
And this is the model we should be following.
Passion. Committment. Taste. Vision. Single-minded obsession.
So... with that...
I announce the formation of the B.W.A (Baristas With Attitude).
We're bastards, we're surly - but we know coffee, we're passionate about coffee and we're going to get you the best damn coffee you've ever had.
'Cause if what you want is someone to blow smoke up your ass there are a thousand places for that - but if what you want is to share a passion for great coffee and get a great coffee drink, then a crumb scraper isn't going to mean shit to you.
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Karl Schroeder has 5 past events. (show)
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