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|System: Xbox 360, PS3*
|Dev: From Software
|Pub: NAMCO Bandai
|Release: March 20, 2012
|Players: 1-10
|Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p
|Mild Language, Violence
by Sean Engemann
Developer From Software took a recent detour from their Armored Core series to bring us a little hardcore fantasy called Dark Souls. But now that we've had our fill of insanely challenging medieval mayhem, it's time to return to the post-apocalyptic world full of big metal toys. Armored Core V brings the series back after a four-year vacation, and this time it's all about the multiplayer. However, a game cannot bring a satisfying online experience and leave everything else in Purgatory, and unfortunately that's what has happened here. But let's deconstruct these little machines and see which parts are good and which are scrap.
I typically start with a plot synopsis, but with Armored Core V, I have to conclude that there really is none. The cinematic opening sequence reveals a wasteland filled with cities that have been emptied of inhabitants, with constant testing of new weaponry to be mounted on the Armored Cores. There is a scuffle between factions, with rogue clusters filling the gaps, consisting of ten story missions and several dozen quick side missions, but the campaign is more a bland appetizer than anything. Thankfully, almost all the missions can be played with one or more teammates, which brings us straight to the meaty multiplayer.
Your very first objective when you start a fresh game is to set up your pilot with a call sign, an emblem, and some colors, then it's straight to choosing a clan. You can narrow your search to people from a certain location, language, and gaming style (such as casual or hardcore), but in the end, you'll likely start your own, or simply pick one with a cool name and hope you didn't join a bunch of n00bs.
Once you've finished your registration, you'll be greeted with the pre-mission screens, where you can view the map and get briefings, check out the rest of your team, or head on in to the assembly room, all of which will confuse you to the point that you'll dive for the instruction manual only to find a mere five pages with absolutely zero help. To say the initial confusion decks you in the face is an understatement, but as with any steep learning curve, you will eventually become familiar with it.
Most of your time will undoubtedly be spent in the assembly room, pouring over screens full of statistics and tailoring your preferred craft, which is guaranteed to be unique from anyone else's thanks to the robust customization. There are six weapon slots—two for each arm and one for the shoulders—as well as an ultimate weapon slot. But there are also two bay units, a head, a core, arms, legs, FCS (Fire Control System), a generator, a booster, and recon units to equip. So, as you can see, it is extensive, and each body part is varied itself. Weapons are categorized in groups such as pistols, rifles, shotguns, plasmas, etc., while the base of your Armored Core could be bipedal, quadrupedal, a tank, or more. Each equipment piece has different factors such as weight, energy (consumption, output, and recovery), and many other criterion, as well as a specific defense. Firepower is classified into three energy categories: Kinetic, Chemical, and Thermal, and understanding and utilizing proper reconnaissance on the battlefield could be what tips the scale.
The armory fills with new equipment as your clan levels up and amasses Team Points. Completing missions, whether on your own or with a squad, will fill your Points pool and put currency in your wallet. Most of the story and order missions (side quests) allow you to bring at least one partner along, which is exponentially more fun than going offline and playing solo. Even if you're the only one logged on at the time, you can still hire players outside your faction as mercenaries, or enlist yourself as a Man of Honor.
However, it is only with your own clan that you will benefit from the game's most appealing mode, Conquest. Since the entire game is essentially a persistent online atmosphere, zones are ruled by opposing teams, just begging to be liberated. This means you can attempt to swoop in and claim the land for yourself. You must have a prerequisite amount of Team Points to perform an invasion, and failure in a mission means a loss of those points. But having a five-on-five frantic match will certainly make your desire for continued expansion insatiable. I unfortunately did not get that pleasure, as my forays into Conquest were against teams not currently online. However, spending a little cash on defense turrets and A.I. mechs could prove to be the security that keeps the borders impregnable. My CrimsonChaos teammates and I found even those sentries to be a worthwhile challenge.
The combat itself is based more on strafing and quick punches than in previous titles, with the mechs being built roughly half the size of former models. The urban environments factor heavily into the new tactics, as boosting up skyscrapers and twisting through alleyways will be common maneuvers in Armored Core V.
The combat HUD is simplified, with a circular reticle and nothing else. However, by quickly clicking into Scan Mode you'll be able to get a bearing on the targets (and crucial information if you've tossed a recon near an enemy), any nearby caches and garages, and an objective guide. However, since most of the game is so frenetic, you'll have to gain some experience to competently watch your stats on the bloated menus while still focusing on the action. This early in the game's lifespan, all my PvP encounters have been spent with an arena full of players running and gunning. However, as the game ages, more refined tactics will bear fruit. Eventually, the men will be separated from the boys as the truly dedicated climb the leaderboards.


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This Excel file contains the tools: DaytrendTools_20110831.xls
These tools are explained in the posts below. If you have had trouble understanding them, please try again (or contact me). I updated them recently.
If you have settled into your ways of using these tools, and would like to blog about them, feel free. I'll be glad to help you get the most out of them. Thanks. If you don't have blog, we could publish them under your name on my blog.
How to Use the Momo and ProMomo Tools: Post from 5/14
If you are using ProMomoUP or MomoUP, suggested start dates: 8/23, 8/11, 8/9, 7/19, 6/27, 6/20, 6/14
If you are using ProMomoDOWN or MomoDOWN, suggested start dates: 8/16, 7/25, 7/8, 6/1, 5/11, 5/2
Where are the Persistence UP and DOWN Lists? In the Excel file above. Post from 1/23
What are the SectorsUP and SectorsDOWN tools? Post from 1/31
What is the ListBuilder? Post from 2/14
If you are having trouble with any part of this, or have questions, please contact me. daytrend at gmail.
To get the most from these tools, you will need a Windows machine with Excel macros enabled. Most traders will find the ListBuilder useful and it requires macros. The Sectors tool also requires macros for ease of use. Without macros, you will be able to see all the data. Macros on a Mac, even versions that claim to run VBA, do not work correctly.

subset: commoncrawl


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Whether it stems from growing up in Norwich, he didn't say. But Thomas McCarthy doesn't mind a tough neighborhood.
Whether it stems from growing up in Norwich, he didn't say. But Thomas McCarthy doesn't mind a tough neighborhood.
Wednesday's post position draws for the 135th Kentucky Derby placed McCarthy's General Quarters at No. 12 in the field of 20. Directly to the 3-year-old colt's right, at No. 13, is 3-to-1 favorite I Want Revenge. The $2 million race's two second choices, Dunkirk and Pioneerof The Nile (both 4-to-1), are No. 15 and 16, respectively.
"It's great. That's just what we wanted," McCarthy said by telephone from Louisville's Churchill Downs, site of the 11⁄4-mile Derby. "We wanted between 8 and 12, and we got it."
General Quarters, trained and owned by McCarthy, was installed at 20-to-1 morning-line win odds.
The 1952 NFA graduate said he would be mapping strategy with jockey Julien Leparoux today and Friday.
"I think we're spot-on," McCarthy said.
General Quarters' victory in the April 11 Blue Grass Stakes qualified the colt for the Derby and turned McCarthy into a national celebrity. The story of a 75-year-old cancer survivor with a one-horse stable competing in his first Derby after 50 years in the business has proved irresistible to reporters.
"He's all over the place," Nancy Green, McCarthy's sister who lives in Groton Long Point, said of her brother's sudden fame. "I never thought something like this could happen for him after all these years."
Green, a 1955 NFA grad, will be at McCarthy's side Saturday. Another sibling, Patrick McCarthy of Texas, is also slated to attend. Thomas McCarthy's wife, Pat, and their five children will be trackside as well.
McCarthy's Cinderella tale is one of many in the most emotion-packed Derby in decades.
Dunkirk's jockey, Edgar Prado, was immortalized in a statute unveiled this week at Churchill Downs that honors the late Barbaro. Prado rode Barbaro to victory in the 2006 Derby but the horse suffered a tragic breakdown in the Preakness Stakes two weeks later.
The horse's heroic struggle for survival was recounted by Prado in a 2008 book called "My Guy Barbaro."
Dunkirk, runner-up in the Florida Derby, is trained by Todd Pletcher. Although one of the country's most successful trainers of recent years, Pletcher is trying to break an 0-for-21 streak in the Kentucky Derby. Pletcher has three horses in this year's race.
Joe Talamo, riding in his first Derby aboard I Want Revenge, has promised to donate $25,000 to Children's Hospital of New Orleans if he wins because of the hospital's policy of treating people regardless of their ability to pay. Jeff Mullins, trainer of Wood Memorial-winner I Want Revenge, is looking for his first Derby win.
Trainer Larry Jones and jockey Gabriel Saez got filly Eight Belles into last year's Derby, where she finished second but suffered fatal injuries and had to be euthanized on the track. Jones and Saez are back this year with Friesan Fire, running at 5-to-1 from post No. 6.
Pioneerof The Nile trainer Bob Baffert, named to the Hall of Fame last week, has narrowly missed winning the Triple Crown four times. Baffert has enlisted Garrett Gomez, the nation's leading jockey the past two years, to get him the Derby-Preakness-Belmont Stakes trifecta that hasn't been won since 1978.
The rivalry between General Quarters and Musket Man also looms large. The two dueled in several races at Florida's Tampa Bay Downs this year. Musket Man, breaking from post No. 2 Saturday, will be ridden by Eibar Coa, who piloted General Quarters to victory in the Blue Grass.
After Coa opted to stay on Musket Man, winner of five of six including the April 4 Illinois Derby, McCarthy picked Leparoux. The French-born Leparoux, looking for his first Derby win after two previous tries, is on his way to becoming "one of the all-time greats," McCarthy said.
Leparoux, 25, is the country's third-leading jockey with $5.3 million in earnings, winning 18 percent of his races and finishing "in the money" (first, second, or third) at a 45 percent clip.
Leparoux has yet to ride General Quarters, winner of three of 11 races, but that doesn't bother the trainer.
"We have everything we need to win," McCarthy said.
Norwich Bulletin


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Avoid Hiring The Wrong Moving Company
Hiring a company to move you is a decision most of us have to make at least once in our lives. For some professionals, choosing a moving company is nearly a yearly ritual. Here are a few tips to keep you from choosing the wrong moving company.
Filed under: Moving Tips And Help | No Comments »


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Walter H. Brooks (Walter Henderson), 1851-1945
Walter Henderson Brooks, author and Baptist minister, was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1851. He studied at the Wilberforce Institute in Ohio, and he received his B. A. from Lincoln University (PA). In 1876, Brooks was ordained a Baptist minister, and he served as a Sunday School Missionary for the American Baptist Publication Society for two years (until 1878). From 1882 until his death, Brooks served as pastor of the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, D. C. During his career, Brooks was a strong supporter of temperance movements. He also wrote several articles on African American Baptist history. Walter Henderson Brooks died in 1945.
Karen Ruffle


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Should The Olympics Add "Ballroom Dancing" To It's Field Of Categories? (New Mark Ballas Interview)
Should the Olympics add "Ballroom Dancing" to it's field of categories (or any kind of dancing)? I sure think so. If they have Ice Skating And Ice Dancing, etc., why not Ballroom Dancing? Mark Ballas remarked on it in a new interview with OK! Magazine. Do you agree or disagree?
"I think it would be a great Olympic sport, just because we're athletes," the hoofer, 26, tells me this week while promoting his gig performing at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana's Summer With The Stars event taking place now through Aug. 16.
"With what we do, we have to train hard, but the technicality is it's extremely difficult, it's amazing to watch. It's like any pair sport — you have synchronized diving and all that kind of stuff. The one thing that would be difficult is making sure the judging was fair."
Let us know what you think and be sure to read the full interview here. Mark also talks of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte dancing in the future on Dancing With the Stars as well as his trip to the Dominican Republic to take part in Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana's Summer With The Stars where he'll join fellow Dancing With The Stars All-Stars competitor Joey Fatone.


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When it comes to buying or selling real estate, no one should have to wait any longer than necessary. Delays caused by a lack of diligence can cost clients dearly. A missed deadline may mean a higher interest rate or loss of a loan commitment. Failure to deliver a contract on time may mean loss of a sale.
I make a commitment to all of my clients, purchasers and sellers alike. This commitment means that I work diligently and quickly to produce results.
The old saying "All good things come to those who wait" does not apply to real estate.
Please give me a call today at (501) 730-1155 to schedule an appointment to discuss your real estate needs. I look forward to hearing from you soon.


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Yee-Haw! The Cowpokes Win One
[Policing Wall Street]
Having been responsible for ruining the world economy I can't say I shed any tears when the big banks were burned by purchasing, not selling, credit default swaps.
A credit default swap is a derivative contract; originally it was an insurance policy that was designed to off-load risk on a debt instrument, such as a bond.
It had a worthwhile purpose-reducing risk for pension funds.
It later degenerated into a Wall Street version of a Mafia-run craps shoot out in the old Las Vegas. At least in the old Las Vegas, the days when Teamster pension funds lent money to the Mob, you knew that you were being cheated.
The Wall Street Journal reported that a small Texas brokerage firm, Amherst Holdings, sold credit default swaps, which guaranteed the principal amount, on bonds that were backed by subprime mortgages.
The fat banks, including J.P. Morgan Chase and Royal Bank of Scotland purchased these credit default swaps for as much as 80 and 90 cents on the dollar.
This factors in a 95% chance of default. The big banks were so certain that the mortgages would default that they had begun to celebrate when they purchased the bonds.
The banks expected to get on base not with a triple-but with a bunt. But the banks did not factor in the pitcher (brokerage firm) and the first baseman (the clients).
The banks thought that they were playing against Roger Craig, Marvelous Marv Throneberry and "Choo-Choo" Colmeman for the '62 Mutts, err, Mets.
Little did the banks know that they were betting against Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Vada Pinson, Frank Robinson and the Big Red Machine-and Rose had already wagered on the outcome.
Amherst, a small group of Texas cow-traders, sold these credit default swaps for their own accounts and that of their clients.
The mortgages had a face value of $27 million.
But the big banks purchased approximately $130 million of credit default swaps on a $27 million bond issue.
There they were, the Masters of the Universe shortchanging these cowpokes from Texas; telling them to get back on their horses and ride out of town. The New York Bankers were here.
Then in April the Masters of the Universe received a monthly remittance report that showed that the bonds had been paid off. The Wall Street Typhoons were outraged.
How did these cowpokes from Texas, these fellows who ride horses and not Lamborghinis like us, dare to cheat us? After all, the big bankers were the Masters of the Universe.
Well, it goes like this: The loans outstanding had fallen to less than 10%.
Gee the Wall Street Wizards wondered, someone had purchased these bonds. And when there is less than 10% of an issue outstanding, the company that collects the payments and forwards the payments to the investors can purchase and retire the loans.
So at the behest of Amherst, the servicer Aurora Loan Services purchased the remaining bonds. Which meant that there were no longer any bonds outstanding and the credit default swaps had expired; worthless.
The market value of the bonds was just $3 million, yet the bonds were redeemed for $27 million. The banks screamed: "Market manipulation."
What did the big banks including J.P Morgan and Goldman Sachs do? They had a conference call-but decided to do nothing.
Why would the bankers do nothing when they had lost money? Because the big banks had earned tens of billions of dollars by rigging the credit default swap markets and then insuring that the firms, which had sold them the swaps would default.
The big banks did not want an investigation by the government into their own market manipulation.
Please feel free to post your articles directly or submit them for publication to email@example.com
"Speaking Truth To Empower."
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text: DSC_0533 By Mike Senese, 08/23/2018 @ 12:02 pm= | Full size is 1163 × 776 pixels Date Taken: 01-Jan-1970 00:00:00Focal Length: 0mmAperture: f/0ISO: 0 Mike SeneseMike Senese is the Executive Editor of Make: magazine. He is also a TV host, starring in various engineering and science shows for Discovery Channel, including Punkin Chunkin, How Stuff Works, and Catch It Keep It. An avid maker, Mike spends his spare time tinkering with remote-control aircraft, doing amateur woodworking, and attempting to cook the perfect pizza. Follow @msenese


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When it comes to economic development, the old rules don't apply. The communities that understand the new rules are the ones that will get the jobs.
When it comes to economic development, the old rules don't apply. The communities that understand the new rules are the ones that will get the jobs.
The old rules operated sort of like this. Step one: Find a flat piece of ground. Step two: Use local resources and government grants to run pipes to that ground and maybe build a 50,000-square-foot empty building. Step three: Wait for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, or whatever it was called at the time, to call with a prospect offering $10-an-hour jobs.
Those rules don't apply today, not when so many low-skilled jobs have been automated or sent overseas.
Under today's rules, employers are looking for a trained and trainable workforce and a livable community that will attract and retain senior and technical personnel. After all, the people deciding where to locate the facility might have to live there, too.
Brad Lacy, Conway Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, told me his city spends its efforts building the city, not marketing it, because employers have such good data available that a brochure won't tell them anything they don't already know.
College towns like Conway have a huge advantage in this new environment because they have an educated workforce, abundant training opportunities and diverse amenities. Last week, HP, which earlier this year cut its payroll by 500 at its Conway location, announced it was bringing 200 high-skilled jobs to town that will pay more than the ones that left.
Still, Randy Zook, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said cities without four-year schools can compete for jobs — just not always the same jobs for which college towns compete. Those communities need to make themselves as attractive as possible, starting with improving their public schools and working with nearby community colleges, even if those colleges are 20 miles away in the next city. People will drive for work.
And, like college towns, cities without four-year schools must build upon their own strengths. Stuttgart, for example, is nowhere near a university, but it has a two-year college campus and calls itself the duck hunting capital of the world. The executives deciding where to locate a facility just might be duck hunters.
"What I hear in manufacturing plant after manufacturing plant is our biggest problem is the quality of life for our senior personnel, for our management and technical people," he told me. "They come and they're concerned about the schools, they're concerned about just the whole range of quality of life issues like restaurants to movies to just things to do for their family. Those are the things that people pay attention to."
The next few years offer an opportunity to create jobs in Arkansas. Walmart has announced it will buy an extra $50 billion in American-made goods over the next 10 years. At the same time and not coincidentally, it's becoming less advantageous for some manufacturers to operate facilities in China. Wages are rising there, pollution is a huge problem, its utilities are less than fully developed, and it's expensive to ship products back across the Pacific Ocean.
Many of the manufacturing jobs that return will be different from the ones that left. During a visit to the Frito-Lay plant in Jonesboro, Zook watched Star Wars-like processes being used to make snack foods. He watched one well-paid employee control automated pallet trucks – forklifts without the forklift drivers – that moved products from production lines to a warehouse where no humans were present.
"You just sit there with your mouth open thinking, 'Good Lord, she's sitting there doing the work of what used to be 20 people,'" he said.
Moving forward, manufacturing jobs will be higher-tech, higher-skilled and higher-paying, but there will be fewer of them needed. Which communities will get those jobs? The ones that are ready for them.
Steve Brawner is a freelance journalist, a former newspaper editor, and a former aide to former Gov. Mike Huckabee and Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market:
Avon Products Inc., up $3.51 to $20.79
Fourth-quarter earnings were far better than anyone expected, turning the long-suffering cosmetics company into the biggest gainer on the S&P 500.
Masco Corp., up $2.22 to $20.01
Shares jumped to levels not seen in about five years as the home improvement and building products company rides a wave of recovery in the real estate market.
Cubic Corp., down $3.40 to $45
Transportation-related operating income tumbled 26 percent in the first quarter, defense profits plunged 80 percent, and Benchmark analyst Josephine Millward stripped the company of its "Buy" rating.
Dun & Bradstreet Corp., down $6.60 to $78.68
The credit and business data company posted a 7 percent decline in revenue, deflating the hopes of investors that latched on to what they saw as a company with tremendous growth potential.
StemCells Inc., up 35 cents to $1.99
A small company and a small sample of patients, but StemCells reported that two of three patients with "complete" spinal cord injury at chest level, which means they had no nerve function or feeling below the area that was injured, experienced greater sensory function a year after treatment.
Facebook Inc., down 89 cents to $27.37
A Bernstein Research analyst downgraded the social network company. He said prices for ads were "anemic" in the fourth quarter and while much of the upside to the stock price has been priced in, downside risks loom.
Amyris, Inc., down 31 cents to $3.52
Even with the biofuel company burning through cash, Raymond James analysts note that the stock this year is soaring, up nearly 23 percent at the close Monday. That's too rich for analyst Pavel Molchanov, who downgraded the stock.
Apple Inc., down $12.03 to $467.90
CEO Tim Cook took the stage at the Goldman Sachs investor conference and didn't seem to say what investors, who have sent company shares down sharply, wanted to hear.


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Earth from Space: A blue lagoon
The Niau atoll, located in the central South Pacific Ocean, is highlighted in this Proba image. Niau is one of nearly 80 coral reef atolls that forms the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. The Tuamotu is the largest chain of atolls in the world, stretching some 2000 kilometres, and has a total land area of 850 square kilometres.
The Tuamotu Archipelago, first discovered by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, is divided into nine groups, with Niau belonging to the Centre West Group. The archipelago was dubbed the 'Dangerous Archipelago' a couple hundred years ago because a high number of ships wrecked on its reefs and atolls. The coral reefs have formed atop a volcanic mountain range that spanned the area two to three million years ago. The islands produce pearl shell and copra (the dried meat of coconuts from which coconut oil is extracted).
Niau, 8 km in diameter and 8 m high, lies near the west end of the archipelago some 250 km east-northeast of Tahiti. As seen in the image, Niau is comprised of a completely enclosed 3.3-square-km lagoon. The narrow strip of land surrounding the lagoon is marsh vegetation and has an area of 2.1 square km.
The marsh is believed to contain the most extensive fresh-to-brackish-water of all the Tuamotu atolls, which has earned Niau a place on the Protected Area list of the United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC).
In 1947, Norwegian ethnologist and explorer Thor Heyerdahl brought attention to the Tuamotu Archipelago when he and five companions sailed their raft, Kon-Tiki, 7 000 km across the Pacific Ocean from Peru in South America to the Tuamotu atolls, proving Heyerdahl's theory that Peruvians could have reached Polynesia in this manner. The adventure took 101 days.
ESA's Proba satellite acquired this image on 6 October 2005 with its Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS), designed to acquire hyperspectral images with a spatial resolution of 17 metres across an area of 13 kilometres.


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You won't appreciate the night until it rips you awake late in the afternoon; until it forces you to stare down the cold yellow sun. Then you'll know the day-walking ghosts—the ones who fraternize amongst parkland rose beds, unaware that their garden tea has aged one hundred plus years. These specters who sport ring-around-the-collar or cut-outs in their chests smile stupid at one another while the drink they swallow whizzes down between their legs like healthy streams of urine. At first you might think that ignorance isn't so bad; but as the sun begins to descend, necks will bow and chests will weep anew in recognition of reality. Lamenting will stir the twilight, and whisk the sky into black—you'll recognize the increasing heavy, and at the height of the Witching Hour, you will fathom the pain of a ghoul.
You will finally understand your own kind.
Kindra M. Austin is an indie author (her books can be found here), a founding member of Indie Blu(e), and a writer/managing editor at Sudden Denouement, Blood Into Ink, and Whisper and the Roar. A Sagittarius Valkyrie from the state of Michigan, she likes craft beer, and classic big block muscle cars. You can find her filing through the souls of the slain at poems and paragraphs


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Snippet Name: Kill Dupes- "Shoot On Sight"
Description: Absolutely, positively removes duplicate records from a given table.
Comment: (none)
Language: PL/SQL
Highlight Mode: PLSQL
Last Modified: March 03rd, 2009
Description: Absolutely, positively removes duplicate records from a given table.
DELETE FROM my_table
FROM my_table
GROUP BY delete_col_name);
SQL University.net courses meet the most demanding needs of the business world for advanced education
in a cost-effective manner. SQL University.net courses are available immediately for IT professionals
and can be taken without disruption of your workplace schedule or processes.
Compared to traditional travel-based training, SQL University.net saves time and valuable corporate
resources, allowing companies to do more with less. That's our mission, and that's what we deliver.


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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police say vandals have spray painted hate graffiti on several Jewish houses in Jaffa, a mixed Israeli and Arab neighborhood of Tel Aviv.
Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said swastikas and "Death to Jews" were sprayed onto houses and shops early Wednesday. He said police have launched an investigation.
Israeli Jews and Arab Muslims and Christians generally coexist peacefully in the port city. Hate crimes there are rare.


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"Nancy Thayer has a deep and masterly understanding of love and friendship, of where the two complement and where they collide."—Elin Hilderbrand
Heat Wave
"Vintage Nancy Thayer . . . Enjoy Heat Wave along with a cool drink . . . and plenty of sunblock."—Huntington News
"A heartwarming novel that will take readers on an emotional roller coaster full of family connections, hysterical summer guests and the drama of everyday life."—Nantucket Today
"A wonderful story set in the beautiful scenery of Nantucket . . . While there is a love story here, there's so much more."—Bookreporter
"Walk along the shore with [these] girls. . . . Beachcombers hits home for those of us women who have loved, lost and forgiven ourselves and others in the quest for love and serenity."—Wichita Falls Times Record News
"Thayer's sense of place is powerful, and her words are hung together the way my grandmother used to tat lace."—Dorothea Benton Frank
"A charming and fun summer read . . . Readers will love this story of family and love."—The Plain Dealer


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04 March 2009
Dougall Part 3
Not to ignore the fact that Dougal/Dugald is an ancient first name, far and away predating what we know today as surnames. Highlanders knew or greeted each other by their patronymics which identified their fathers. And if that raised any doubts among a culture with a limited imagination when it came to naming their children, most of them could add their paternal grandfather's name. "Names were sometimes carried into two or three stages by using Vic (Mhic, the genitive of Mac). Sixteenth-century examples are Angus MacDonald Vic Angus, son of Donald MacAngus, and Alastair MacAllane Vic Ane Vic Coull."(1)
One of my potential ancestors is Iaian McNeill Vc Innes, meaning Ian (or John), son of Neil who was the son of Innes.(2) Celtic Bards were a customary part of the clan fabric, preserving and memorizing the intricate genealogy of their leading families. In an illiterate society, they were expected to declaim and entertain at social gatherings. And let us not confuse the Gaelic language with that of the other part of the country – Scots, or Lowland Scots.
It would make more sense–to me anyway–that the "adoption" of Dougall as a surname sprang from some man named Dougal/Dugald who migrated to the area around Edinburgh and whose descendants had lost or dismissed their Highland origins and clan or old community affiliation.
My imagination was captured years ago when I read of Dugal, son of Somerled, who became Lord of the Isles in the 12th century. Then I was seduced by the global fashion marketing spawned by Queen Victoria's devotion to Balmoral Castle and all things Scottish. Ah yes. Those brawny lads in their colourful kilts. The proud regimental backbone of the British army. The novelty of Highland games and the thrill of the bagpipes. The images thrive to this day, most of them manufactured to a point a poor old crofter wouldn't recognize. Anyone can claim a clan affiliation and deck themselves out in tartan ties, kilts, shawls, blankets and what have you. Maybe hang a clan chief's hereditary coat of arms over the fireplace in the family room, obliviously committing an illegal act.
Illustration from http://www.tartansauthority.com/
Then I became a genealogist and guess what? My ancestors were likely not prancing around in clean argyle socks and immaculately pleated kilts with silver pins. Researching ancestors goes hand in hand with seeking the realities of contemporary history—the social, political, economic, religious, literary and legal context for my people. How boring is it to say John Dougall lived on a farm in West Lothian, Scotland? Where is that place on a map? Who owned the farm? What was his working life like? His home life? What was happening around him in the nearby towns or in the country itself? What influences or pressures made him decide to go to Canada? You can't always answer all the questions, but looking for them makes all the difference.
Now that we have that all cleared up, don't forget your handed-down family stories much closer to home. The tales are personal historical sources. They may be altered through time, they may be incomplete, they be may be biased and embellished, they may be mixed up, but they are yours—to save and investigate.
I was all over the map with that one.
(1) William L. Kirk, Jr., "Introduction to the Derivation of Scottish Surnames," 1992, Clan Macrae Online (http://www.clanmacrae.org/documents/names.htm : accessed 14 January 2009).
(2) Nicholas Maclean-Bristol, From Clan to Regiment, Six Hundred Years in the Hebrides, 1400-2000 (UK: Sword and Pen Books, 2007), pp. 78-79; citing Inverary Castle Papers, Fullerton Transcripts 2 July 1679; MSS AT 1679, Edinburgh University Library.
2 comments:
Enjoyed your article. Am reading a book on Freemasonry & the Temple which goes back to before 1000 in Scots history. Had no idea there was such a connection to France.
Highlanders, especially those of main families were educated and not illiterate! Education became mandatory in Scotland in the early 1700's - one of the reasons they did so well when emigrating. Most were literate from the age of 6.
Lauraine (Smith) Syrnick
- Saturday, 14 March, 2009
- BDM said...
Thanks for your comment, Laurine. It's true that education was introduced early on, but the western islands (which I should have mentioned) had a mixed history. In 1764 Dr. John Walker reported that the Isle of Coll was "without any Church, Manse, Glebe or School." The island had last had a "publick" school "39 years past." The First Statistical Account says two small schools resumed about 1784. Apparently, obtaining funds to provide a teacher's salary was a big issue in the 18th century.
- Saturday, 14 March, 2009


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Lives of people are looped in the program called 'Karma'. We get what we give. But that may not come from the same source where we have given. The source may be altered but, the result stands unique. What we have to give? What has to be given? Why we are getting again or pain in our course of life, where we find no concrete reason.
Knowing the ins and outs of Karmic aura that's surrounding us, driving us and leading us would certainly sooth our feelings, bring answers to unknown questions and ultimately teaches us the purpose of life and also shows the way to salvation. Depending on the 'samskara' or the 'soul constitution' of people, they take the deserved benefit from that 'knowing'. And the only developed science that makes us 'know' is 'Astrology'. And the terms used in that science to bring inference are planets, rasis, stars and yogas.
It should be underlined, that the astrology was developed by rishis with their clairvoyance when there was no telescope, no spacecraft and no tools to peep into the universe. But after Galileo's discovery of telescope, scientists have almost seen the same 9 planets those were seen by rishis centuries ago.
Janmakundali.com attempts to answer the questions that come across in daily lives. Answers to these "Unanswered questions" can be found in the Doctrine of Karma Siddhanta, which in turn is linked to "Jyotishya" Janmakundali.com continuously works on this to help people know about their "Karma" and find solutions by following Remedies.


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Ali Larter Is Pregnant With Second Childby Thomas Chau | PopCrush
It looks like Ali Larter's family is going to get bigger once again!
The 'Varsity Blues' and former 'Heroes' star revealed on 'The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon' last night, Aug. 8, that she is pregnant with her second child.
Before joining Fallon on camera, Larter teased her announcement to fans on Twitter, saying, "Backstage at @fallontonight I'm going to surprise @jimmyfallon with some big news!"
The 38-year-old actress gave birth to her first son, Theodore, in 2010. Larter is married to Hayes MacArthur, a stand-up comedian and actor. The two met on the set of the movie, 'National Lampoon's Homo Erectus.' The two had dated for three years before getting married in 2009.
Larter is currently starring as the female lead in the TNT's 'Legends.' The show stars Sean Bean as an undercover FBI agent who changes his identity for each case he works on. Larter plays Crystal Quest, an operative who has a history with Bean's character. The show premieres on TNT this Wednesday, Aug. 13.
Congratulations to Larter and MacArthur on their upcoming bundle of joy!


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Ghanzi, Botswana–This is the first installment from reporting on cheetah conservation and human/predator co-existence from Southern Africa. We begin in Botswana….
Its my first week volunteering and observing the work that Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB) does from their base camp located outside the town of Ghanzi.
From what I can surmise on this hot morning, the job takes place behind the wheel. OK, I am exaggerating, but the truth is that locations are not close by. They are many miles away, down ungraded gravel roads, and those are the ones in fair condition. Turning off the main road is a guarantee of throwing the tires out of alignment, and once one turns off, it can be another long bumpy ride way into the bush before reaching the final destination of a farm house, a marking tree, a local community, a cattle post, etc. The trusty Toyota Hilux that CCB uses takes a beating. Petrol and repairs are vital to be able to just get a day's work done.
This morning, we (Andrea, Phale, Max and myself ) are traveling to the community of New Xade (Xade is pronounced with a "click," but most Westerners will say it with a hard "K" sound), a new town on the edge of the CKGR (Central Kalahari Game Reserve — the second largest game reserve in the world) to introduce ourselves, make connections, and a plan to return for more intensive outreach.
The drive reveals miles and miles of scorched earth on either side of the road. If a fire rages on communal lands such as these, it is left to burn. We start to wonder if the village is still there, based on the vast expanse of blackened bush and ground. A few hours drive, and we arrive in a sparsely populated village where a local man points us in the direction of the administrative office.
The entire interaction takes place in the Setswana language, the lingua franca of Botswana. Max and Phale do most of the talking/listening and interpret for Andrea. They ask what wildlife issues the community has, how they kraal (corral) their livestock, and which specific animals may be a challenge for the farmers. The chief of New Xade tells us there is a community meeting taking place that afternoon and we should poke our heads in and see if there is an opportunity to learn about what is going on.
The surrounding communities of the CKGR are forming a trust to plan how to manage their lands and open up to tourism. In a large room inside a schoolhouse, around 40 people gather to talk and be heard. The entire meeting is also in Setswana and I'm completely lost, but do my best to infer inflections in speech and body language. I'm still lost.
The good news is that the MC of the meeting and others are very welcoming to our unannounced arrival and make room in their schedule for Max and Phale to talk and field questions. They decide to speak briefly, then listen to the meeting before speaking again. This turns into a marathon four hours that goes beyond the group's lunchtime. I'm a little amazed nobody has mutinied yet in the name of low blood sugar, but people are polite (albeit fidgety) and everyone on the MC's schedule gets their turn to speak.
After Max answers a few basic questions and talks about starting a project in the area, and with the meeting still going strong, we leave for cheetah camp. It's important to be off the roads after dark if we can help it. Livestock and wildlife regularly run into the road, and accidents are, sadly, a frequent event in Botswana.
Plans are made to return with more comprehensive outreach for New Xade and a relationship starts to take place between CCB and locals. This is long term, slow work. It doesn't happen overnight and this is but one day of primary introductions, including nearly 4.5 hours of drive time.
Follow this story and you'll notice I use the word "perseverance" throughout. Conservation is reaching out to people, listening to each other, and moving forward little by little.
Stay tuned for more days-in-the-life of cheetah camp, Ghanzi; Cheetah Conservation Botswana.


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Welcome to iHeroGames.com, iHeroGames is the largest source of the best free online hero games including batman games, SuperMan games, Iron Man games, spiderman games, pokemon, power rangers games, ben 10 games, spongebob games, dora games, and much more. Play Games on the i Hero Games!
Welcome to Hero games, Our arcade features a selection 26 of the highest quality Hero games, all completely free to play. including Royal Offense, Pixel Escape, Mad Burger 2, and more.
We hope you'll enjoy your time here and get back to play on hero games again :)


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TORONTO — Again and again, perhaps even dozens of times, lawyer Brian Shiller mentioned the Toronto Sun and the allegedly defamatory article in question. He spoke of "sensational" headlines for the purpose of influencing the then-underway election and spoke of his poor client as "roadkill."
Honest to Pete, the mythical "reasonable person" so often referred to in these proceedings, wandering into Ontario Superior Court Judge John Macdonald's courtroom in Toronto Monday, would have been certain it was the oft-cheeky tabloid that was being sued.
But no, the paper isn't part of the lawsuit.
Rather, it is the fellow whose remarks back in August of 2010 the newspaper brazenly torqued — and in this business, all newspapers do that from time to time, with one newspaper torquing one way and another torquing the other — who is being sued, that is, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.
Despite a week of by-the-seat-of-your-pants instruction in libel and defamation law that is a byproduct of Ford's trial, I for one still have no clue why or how it is that the alleged roadkill's lawyers aren't also suing the Sun, as is the norm.
The purported roadkill is George Foulidis, the operator of the Boardwalk Café, whose corporate name is Tuggs Inc., in Toronto's eastern beach.
He is a handsome 53-year-old who was first awarded an exclusive 20-year lease to build and operate a restaurant on the prime piece of city-owned waterfront parkland.
This was done through a Request for Proposal, an RFP.
As that lease approached its expiry in 2007, Foulidis naturally enough began to try to negotiate for its renewal.
Sadly for him, city staff — on high alert after a recent judicial inquiry into untendered computer lease contracts — decided the city ought to issue another RFP.
Happily for him, city council and various committees ultimately told their own staff to blow that RFP idea out their bums, and gave Foulidis another 20-year lease anyway, with more exclusive rights over more beaches land in what is arguably an even sweeter deal.
At the time that new lease was being finalized and finally signed, Ford was running for mayor and the election campaign was in full swing.
On Aug. 11, he popped into the Sun for a meeting with the editorial board.
It was a friendly affair, perhaps akin to the reception a policy wonk would find at an editorial board meeting at The Globe and Mail.
A tape of this meeting was belatedly discovered and is now in evidence at the trial, as is a 30-page transcript. The tape is replete with much chuckling, lots of softball questions, and is brilliant evidence of the old definition of editorial writers as those who come down from the mountain, after the battle is over, to shoot the wounded.
It was only late in the meeting, on Page 22 of the transcript, that Sun columnist Sue-Ann Levy raised the issue of what she called "the Foulidis contract". On her second try, Ford replied, "Wha … On the Tuggs?"
He then went on to say the three phrases — an apparent reference to the deal being corrupt, that the deal "stinks to high heaven" and that he wished "you guys knew what happened behind closed doors" — that are the alleged libel of Foulidis.
It's the reference to "corruption" that really stung Foulidis, as he testified here last week. He knew the deal was genuinely controversial; there had, two years earlier, even been placard-waving protesters objecting to his lease, and the local councillor, Sandra Bussin, took considerable heat for having gone to bat for the deal.
All of that he could bear, Foulidis essentially said. But to label the deal corrupt was too much to bear, and greatly embarrassed him.
The strange thing about the $6-million suit is that it was the Sun that went to town on the corruption angle, not Ford.
The next day, the paper gave over its front page to a picture of Ford (looking remarkably younger than he does now; the bloody job does age the occupant) and the headline, in war-size type, "Council 'corrupt'".
A subhead read, "Ford lashes out at Boardwalk decision," and inside was the offending story.
Ford's actual remarks about the deal are milquetoast, even circumspect, compared to the play the paper gave the story, though it's certainly clear from the whole tape that he was a strong proponent of tendering and loathed the "horse-trading" that routinely went on at council.
And that infamous meeting, at which council gave the final thumbs up to the deal, was in fact preceded by a three-hour secret meeting, just as Ford had remembered.
His lawyer, Gavin Tighe, will argue that the certified copy of the minutes, showing the break for the confidential meeting, should be considered evidence, and then will complete his closing remarks Tuesday.
Mea culpa: In a column about this last week, because I am a moron, I conflated Ford's testimony about that secret meeting (where councillors, he said, "went snake, ballistic" in fear the deal could be killed and frantically worked the room) with Sandra Bussin's earlier support for the Tuggs' deal and said she was there. In fact, Ms. Bussin recused herself from that entire meeting, the closed-door part included, and didn't vote. She had similarly recused herself from all votes on the deal from February of 2007 on. Apologies for the goof.


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National Safety Program
The National Safety Program was developed to address serious issues that impact operators of GSA Fleet vehicles. On average, 115 people die every day in car accidents in the United States (one every 13 minutes). GSA Fleet is determined to create specific programs that will help:
- Minimize crashes;
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- Ensure customers are more alert when driving.
GSA Fleet has over 200,000 vehicles in customer hands. The mission of the National Safety Program is to reduce overall crashes and incidents by targeting specific areas of risk, and establishing consistent messages of safety awareness among GSA Fleet vehicle drivers. GSA Fleet Safety offers Online Driver Safety Courses at no additional cost to GSA Fleet leasing customers.
Check out Fleet's Driver Safety Resources portal on Fleet's Drive-thru customer portal where you'll find:
- Fleet Safety Newsletters;
- Safety short-video links;
- Fact sheets;
- Poster PDFs; and
- Additional training and more.
For more on managing your Fleet's safety, visit Accident Prevention.
Additional Fleet Safety Resources:
- Executive Order, Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving
- Department of Transportation's Distracted Driving focus
- Latest state cell phone laws: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety [a nongovernment website]
- Traffic safety statistics: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [a nongovernment website]


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Behind The Grind: Pro-Skater Terry Kennedy! Speaks On Being Clowned For Skateboarding, His First Endorsement & More!
Behind The Grind: Pro-Skater Terry Kennedy
Nigel D. traveled out to L.A. to talk with pro skater, Terry Kennedy, about his rise in the pro-skating realm. Terry Kennedy speaks on the struggles he overcame such as violence and stereotypes in his community. He speaks on what it took to become a pro skater and how it changed his life.
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


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AKTO / t.shirts
Graphic Design proposal for AKTO's t-shirts / August 2014 / AKTO (meaning Arts & Krafts Technologies) is a studio/project in the fields of arts and crafts, industrial and product design, conservation and restoration, and interior design/restoration, that continuosly seeks to showcase and evolve through the latest and most innovated solutions. AKTO seeks to connect all its departments to achieve greater outcomes in the creative processes of its work, acknowledging the evolution of art, its functions and understanding as an established connection of fields, all independent and at the same time boosted due to necessary multidisciplinary connections. To create, evolve, adapt and transform is AKTO's basis in the continuous process of ecological and sustainable solutions.


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Steve Poland brauchte ein neues Logo Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 184 Designs von 36 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
I have run 3 other contests on here and guaranteed the prizes. Have been pleased by both. I'm responsive to designs and provide feedback.
I'm this guy: http://blog.stevepoland.com/about
serial web entrepreneur
love the web
former writer for TechCrunch
The logo should include a 2- or 3-color scheme, which we'll then utilize throughout our website [once we design that]. Since this is a website for Buffalo, NY, the obvious color schemes are for either the Buffalo Bills team (blue, red, white: http://bit.ly/cOacI0 ) or Buffalo Sabres team (blue, gold, white: http://bit.ly/dBJkYu or http://bit.ly/afCuf6 ).
I'm looking for a clean, simple, nice logo that can help build the brand.
YOUR LOGO SHOULD BE ON WHITE BACKGROUND. Feel free to put the favicon idea on there as well.
[the logo should work well on a solid color background as well -- possibly inversed colors or something]
Our website will be a comprehensive listing of concerts coming to our town of Buffalo, NY, USA.
Things that identify Buffalo, NY:
- our city hall (and our skyline) http://bit.ly/cUeZFd & http://bit.ly/9ZJfpM
- chicken wings http://bit.ly/9Y3pwx
- a buffalo animal (like our sports logos) http://bit.ly/aiRAS4
- hockey and football (Sabres & Bills)
Some ideas:
- stencil font? Maybe like a speaker w/the band's letters on it.. it'll be a speaker that says BuffaloConcerts.com in stencil spray-painted lettering. Maybe the speaker/amp will look like the Buffalo skyline? [maybe with a guitar or two sticking up in the skyline? and drum sticks]
- possible fonts:
- Something incorporated into the logo that relates to Buffalo… like city hall, chicken wings, a 'buffalo' similar to the sabres/bills logos.
– buffalo cityline [which would primarily be focused on our city hall], but with a guitar sticking up as well? almost like it's part of the skyline. – possibly a piece of music equipment, like what a band would bring on stage—the casing for an amp, or guitar, etc—how it has the white stencil'ing on it. This could say 'BUFFALOCONCERTS.COM' somehow—and/or possibly the 'amp' or speaker that it is on… could be a regular speaker, or it could be like the Buffalo skyline.
Competitors: eventful.com, songkick.com, pollstar.com, ticketmaster.com
Here are my 3 other contests I held, so you can get a feel for what I like:
Our logo needs to be small and legible enough to fit onto a guitar pick [for promotional purposes]. Examples of a guitar pick: http://www.guitarpickshop.com/page2a.html
The 'mark' can be used as a favicon and elsewhere.
The end logo should be in vector -- likely illustrator format with all layers included and neatly organized, just in case we need to mod it later. Style guide of the colors and fonts used. Favicon.ico, 200px wide transparent PNG, 600px wide transparent PNG. Black/white, greyscale, color versions in vector.
Finden Sie heraus, wie ein Designwettbewerb funktioniert, oder lernen Sie mehr über unsere Logo-Design-Angebote.


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Two of the best!
Its that time of year again; time for a roundup of astronomical calendars for the coming year, the perfect gift for that special space-obsessed someone. Equipped with a good wall calendar, you and yours never need miss that obscure asteroid occultation or opposition ever again. [Read more...]


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Jake Sorofman works at rPath, a company that provides tools for automating application deployment and maintenance across physical, virtual, and cloud environments. Contact Jake at [email protected]
To paraphrase philosopher Thomas Hobbes, 2009 was nasty, brutish and not short enough. It was a year characterized by uncertainty and punctuated by pain. It was a year of survival -- a year of sacrificing to serve the most basic needs. It was a year many of us may prefer to forget.
Another famous philosopher (Plato) rightly observed that necessity is the mother of invention. Adversity forces us to innovate, economize and solve problems creatively.
That's why -- despite hardscrabble days -- 2009 is a year we shouldn't soon forget. In fact, it's a year we ought to remember -- as the year that changed enterprise IT. You see, 2009 brought us to the brink -- and on the way, it forced us to think.
And in the process, we learned to adapt. Which is a good thing because this adaptation is by no means temporary.
Mercifully, the tone next year is bound to be more positive -- more hope, less sky-is-falling despair. But I can assure you that the IT agenda will focus, once again, on cost reduction. Only this time, it won't be tactical. It will be strategic.
Which brings me to my 2010 predictions, offered in no particular order:
1. Virtualization Rising. Not surprisingly, this juggernaut will continue to top the agenda for 2010, as physical hardware spending continues to contract under the "halo of the hypervisor" -- a technology with a cap ex ROI that is hard to beat.
2. Clouds Forming. Still early days for cloud, but 2009 science projects will give way to real enterprise production usage, as IT leaders are emboldened by non-production experience and competitive pressures mount. Expect the first half of the year to be more of the same, with real success stories appearing in the back half.
3. Storm Warnings. Cloud will march on, but we'll see more handwringing about the hidden costs of this approach. Security and data privacy will continue to top the discussion, but we'll see a heightened awareness of the climbing management costs caused by explosive growth in the number of running software systems.
4. Self-service IT Takes Shape. Inspired by the rise of the cloud and the pressure to remove the IT bottleneck, leadership will get serious about service catalogs and self-service initiatives that delegate key IT tasks to decentralized stakeholders, reducing costs and allowing IT to -- finally -- move at the speed of business.
5. Conquering Complexity. The growing diversity of software and interdependency of software systems will collide with the accelerating pace of change and compounding growth in server volume to create a complexity mess of nightmarish proportions. Taking this on will be a major priority for IT leadership.
6. Automation Expands. IT will expand investment in process automation to deal with exploding complexity, enable self-service initiatives, standardize ad hoc processes, and "do more with less." Particularly notable will be release automation because it offsets the system management costs of virtualization and cloud.
7. IT Roles Shift. The emergence of cloud and other self-service compute models and the continued growth of process automation will force IT roles to shift from doing to directing. Defining and enforcing policies will become the new role of IT.
8. The Application-Centric Data Center Emerges. IT will "get lean," shifting from infrastructure- to application-centric in orientation. Systems will become complete, self-contained and self-describing, including just the infrastructure they require to run. They'll be set free to run anywhere -- internal and external, physical, virtual or cloud. The application will become the unit of deployment and the unit of management -- and IT will get out of the infrastructure business.
So, that's it -- eight IT predictions for 2010. Let's see if I hit the mark after we ring in the New Year. In the meantime, let me know what you see on the horizon.


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Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine. ~ Lord Byron
Hey, look! This post has words!
I'm one month into my 365 project, so I figured it was time for some reflection
Wow. This is hard. I didn't expect the 365 project to be easy, but I also didn't expect to have days where I wander around the house in the late evening desperately looking for a subject to photograph. Thankfully, this hasn't happened too often and I've had just as many days where I have to choose my photo of the day out of five or six great pictures.
Throughout January I spent some time thinking about just what I want to get out of this project. My main goal is to document my life. It's already working. When I look back on the January pictures I am reminded of some ordinary days that would otherwise be forgotten. That alone makes this project worthwhile.
This project also has me looking at the world differently. I'm noticing light and shadow more than I ever have. I also spend my time at red lights looking all around me instead of staring blankly at the car in front of me.
I'm grateful that so many of you have stuck around while I take this blog in a new direction. Thank you.
On to usual blog topics…
I posted a picture of my finished Kermit Sweater on January 10. Here are some more pictures:
I'm pretty happy with how this sweater turned out. I could easily have gone down to the next size. The sweater is huge. I like my sweaters a bit baggy, but this is pushing it. I intended for this to be a casual sweater (for knocking around the house or to wear while running errands) so I'm not too disappointed. I'm thinking about shortening it a few inches, though. The Cascade 220 grew a lot (lengthwise) when it was soaked.
As always, details are on my Ravelry page.
My current WIP is a lovely pair of pink socks:
Unlike the rest of the country, we've had a pretty mild winter in my neck of the woods. So when the world froze over earlier this week, I had to get outside and capture it:
I always have a tough time getting nice pictures of Romeo, so I was thrilled with this one:
I've also been taking an obnoxious number of dog pictures:
Maybe next year I should post a dog picture a day. I don't think I'd have a problem doing that!


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Over the weekend, the Romney campaign endorsed the view that the Obamacare mandate does not impose a tax. This, of course, is President's Obama's campaign position, though not the position his lawyers took before the Supreme Court.
Scott says Romney's position shows, among other things, that he is not the ideal candidate to don the mantle of opposition to Obamacare. That's true, and always been true. Because Romney imposed an individual mandate in Massachusetts, there were always going to be limits on the lines of attack he could launch against Obamacare. Specifically, as I see it, Romney is limited to arguing that the Obamacare mandate is unconstitutional, that Obamacare goes too far in regulating the health insurance industry and ultimately the delivery of healthcare; and that Obamacare is fiscally irresponsible. As I argued here, Romneycare is largely immune to these arguments.
Given this state of play, it's not clear that Romney loses anything additional by taking the position Obamacare does not impose a tax. Had Romney called it a tax, he still couldn't criticize it as such. After all, he imposed the same kind of tax in Massachusetts. Moreover, if Romney agreed that the individual mandate imposes a tax, he would be on weak ground in arguing that it is unconstitutional – one of the three good arguments available to him notwithstanding Romneycare.
In any event, I think Romney is still well-situated politically when it comes to Obamacare. Out-and-out rejectionists will strongly favor Romney over Obama on this issue because Romney considers Obamacare unconstitutional and has promised to do what he can to repeal and/or nullify it. Those who like Obamacare will, of course, favor the President on this issue.
But there is a middle-ground sentiment on Obamacare. Many believe that serious reform is needed to extend health insurance coverage to a large portion of the uninsured, but think Obamacare goes too far. They don't hate Obamacare the way rejectionists do, but they consider it misguided. These voters will tend to favor Romney on this issue because he has shown that he shares, and is prepared to act on, their goal of broader coverage, but opposes the excessive approach the Democrats have adopted.
For purposes of winning an election, there are worse places to be than near the middle.
JOHN adds: It seems to me that Romney has gotten something of a bad rap for his adviser's statement that he doesn't think the mandate is a tax. Romney has said that he agrees with the Scalia/Thomas/Alito/Kennedy opinion, which says that the mandate is not a tax and that Obamacare is unconstitutional. Romney has always said that Obamacare is unconstitutional, so he is being consistent; but, as Charles Krauthammer has said, on this issue consistency is not the cardinal virtue. I agree with Paul that the current sturm und drang will pass, and the bottom line is that those who dislike Obamacare will vote for Romney, who pledges to repeal it.


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Computer Generated Messages (BORING!)
Hello Davidchola2, greetings and welcome to the Narutopedia! Thanks for your edit to the Anko Mitarashi page.
We do hope that you will stay for a long time. Enjoy your stay as we work to become the best Naruto info site out there. BELIEVE IT!
If you're looking for something to do why not look over the Forums or more specifically Narutopedia Collaboration for a list of projects we're working on. And the Community portal has a lot of recent discussions and places to go listed on it.
Please leave a message on my talk page if I can help with anything! -- Jacce (Talk) 09:08, July 11, 2011
Real Talk Page (ALELUIA!)
Ask me whatever you want but my phone number!
Image policy
Please read it before uploading any more files. Omnibender - Talk - Contributions 16:09, December 24, 2011 (UTC)
Re: Kyuubi12345
I'm not an admin, so I can't do anything. I've reported it to an admin to have it dealt with :)
In the mean time, just continue to undo his edits :) --Speysider Talk Page | My Image Uploads | Tabber Code | My Wiki | Channel 23:40, August 4, 2012 (UTC)
Since you are the only one having your sig in the template namespace, could you please move it to your userspace? It would be nice to have template namespace to be reserved for only content templates.~ UltimateSupreme 15:03, January 29, 2013 (UTC)
I moved it to User:Davidchola2/Sig.~ UltimateSupreme 03:28, January 30, 2013 (UTC)


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Lifework necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 82 diseños de 16 diseñadores freelance.
My Brilliant Next
We're a new career renewal company being formed to support people in major career/life transition. Services we will provide include educational courses, individual & group coaching, a membership community, as well as wilderness retreats & treks.
Target Audience
Midcareer professionals who are "between dreams" – they have outgrown one work/life fit but don't know what they really want next. They do know they want a career & life that is more meaningful and passionate. Yet they're not sure what they are passionate about anymore.
Our market is college educated, from 35-55 years old. 60%+ are women. While most are not overtly spiritual - they value personal growth and many are actively exploring their spirituality.
We are looking for a logo for our new website and blog – My Brilliant Next.
My Brilliant Next is the title for a blog that will be central to our start. It will also be the domain name for our website.
A metaphor that will be central to the company's identity is "New Fire." New Fire relates to a tradition in several cultures (including Native American) of lighting a new fire at the pause between the end of one cycle and beginning of another. It represents renewal - the rediscovery of purpose.
Our working tagline is: "Re-discovering Purpose & Passion – for a Work and Life you Love.
An idea that I've sketched as a promising direction to work in is attached. We are very open to seeing approaches completely different from the sketch. What we do like about the sketched concept is that the graphic conveys "Brilliant" as inner brightness & vitality - "filled with light".
1. It is critical that the logo has a memorable graphic mark that can be used on its own - separate from the logo type.
2. The typeface should be clear, simple and bold. We imagine the word "Brilliant" as the major type element drawing the eye – probably significantly larger than the other words. Would like to experiment with "NEXT" in all capitals.
3. The graphic and type elements should integrate very well.
Please feel free to experiment with colors!
The files we will require are:
Print file format - .ai (CMYK)
Web file format - .jpg and layered .psd (RGB)
(Please do not use any stock images or clip art in the logo)
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Hey everyone, first-time poster and new user here. This software is amazing and the potential for brush customization is what made me pick it up in a heartbeat.
However, when it comes to even basic math, I can be a gigantic noob.
I'm sure I can't be the only one who feels a bit intimidated by brush customization, as there are lots of people out there who are as deficient in mathematics as they are proficient in art. So far, I've had a bit of fun with trial and error, but I know I'm missing some vital knowledge to really get a feel for the process. I understand waveforms from working with them in audio production, for just one example, but I can't seem to visualize their application in brush making. The workshops and controllers reference have been somewhat helpful...but I was wondering if it's possible to create a more visually intuitive guide for the math dummies? Perhaps something with more before/after images of commonly used controllers, and some elaboration on the structure/input of parameters and how to ensure they interact effectively?
I apologize if there's already a thread about this. (I looked, but I could have missed something.)


text:
COBB, Calif. —
A small earthquake has jolted Northern California but there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey says a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 struck at 2:09 a.m. Thursday in Lake County. It was centered near the small rural community of Cobb, about 70 miles northwest of Sacramento.
Some reports say it was felt as far away as San Francisco, some 70 miles away.
Seismic activity is common in the area.