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2014 BMW 4 Series First Look
Denial is not just a river in Egypt. The BMW 3 Series Coupe that we've known and loved for decades has just become the 2014 BMW 4 Series. Why the name change? Because BMW wants you to think that the 2014 4 Series is more special than the plebian four-door 3 Series. To that effect, Bimmer is taking the Spinal Tap approach with the 4. "The new 4 Series Coupe represents something more than its BMW 3 Series cousins," says the press release, "[A] 3+1, if you will." That logic parallels Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel's explanation as to why his amps go up to 11 instead of the usual 10 -- "Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten…these go to eleven."
Despite the Spinal Tap nomenclature, the new two-door certainly looks sharper than the related 3 Series. The production 4 Series looks virtually identical to the striking concept we first saw in January at the 2013 Detroit auto show. It gets the same slightly-raked 3 Series-inspired front-end, large air intake, flared wheel arches, L-shaped taillights and "Air Breathers" and "Air Curtains" as the concept. As we mentioned in our look at the 4 Series Concept, the Air Breathers and Air Curtains are just fancy names for aerodynamic aids that help improve the 4 Series' aerodynamic qualities, giving it a claimed 0.28 Cd; the only thing breathing in the 2014 4 Series will be its engine and occupants.
Size-wise, the 2014 4 Series rides on the same 110.6 in wheelbase as the 3 Series, is 0.1 inches longer, 2.7 inches wider, and just 0.6 inches lower than the sedan. Thanks to the widened track and lower roofline, BMW says the 4 Series has the lowest center of gravity of any car currently in its lineup.
Under the hood the new 4 Series Coupe sports the familiar "TwinPower" turbocharged I-4 and I-6 engines, eight-speed automatic and six-speed manual transmissions, and rear- or all-wheel drive. The quick-shifting automatic will be standard, with the manual available as a no cost option. The 2014 428i gets the 328i's 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4, which makes an identical 240 hp and 255 lb-ft of torque. The 2014 435i gets the 335i's 3.0-liter turbocharged I-6, which makes 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. BMW expects the 428i to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds with either transmission (matching our test figures for the 328i), while the 430i will accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds with the manual and 5.0 seconds with the automatic. We've achieved a 4.7 second 0-60 mph run for the criminally-underrated 335i with the automatic, so we wouldn't be surprised to see a 4.5 second run out of the 435i. Max speed for both 428i and 435i is an electronically-limited 155 mph.
Both 4 Series cars will get the 3 Series' familiar EfficientDynamics systems and drive modes. Though BMW has yet to release the 4 Series' EPA ratings, we expect the 428i to net around 22/34 mpg city/highway depending on transmission and drivetrain, and the 435i to get around 20/30 mpg on the EPA cycle.
BMW didn't change much to the 4 Series' suspension in its transformation from the 3 Series other than fitting firmer shocks and springs, revising its spring and damping rates, bushings and bearings, and adding stiffer anti-roll bars. For those looking for more out of their 'Ultimate Driving Machine,' Bimmer is offering two sport suspensions on the 4 Series - an adaptive sport suspension as part of the Dynamic Handling Package, and an even stiffer M Sport suspension. The latter also includes 18-inch lightweight alloy wheels (optional 19-inch wheels are available on the 435i). Other M Sport gear includes the optional M Sport Brake kit, which features blue four-piston aluminum fixed calipers up front and two-piston units in the rear, paired with large discs.
As with the 3 Series, the automaker will offer a variety of BMW Lines for the 4 Series: Sport Line, Luxury Line, and M Sport, all of which add unique exterior and interior trim to the car. The Luxury Line adds chrome touches to the BMW signature kidney grille, window trim and rear bumper, as well as adds twin chrome exhaust tips. Luxury Line 4 Series models also get unique multi-spoke wheels. The chrome treatment continues inside with chrome trim on the center stack, though BMW breaks it up with "Ash Grain fine wood" trim.
2014 BMW 4 Series Sport Line models, on the other hand, get the same treatment as the 3 Series Sport Line models - the exterior gets black trim in the grille and on the B-pillars, black exhaust tips, and with the 4 Series-specific Air Breathers also getting blacked-out touches. The 4 Series Sport Line gets the 3 Series Sport Line's lightweight five-spoke alloy wheels, black and red interior trim, and the aforementioned sport suspension.
For those that can't wait until the 2015 BMW M4 makes its debut, Bimmer is offering the M Sport line on the 2014 4 Series. The M Sport Line includes the aforementioned M Sport suspension, brake kit, and wheels, as well as a unique front bumper with larger air intakes, side skirts, a rear diffuser, and M Sport-specific Estoril Blue Metallic paint. Inside the M Sport gets an M-designed steering wheel and foot rest.
As expected, the 2014 4 Series is available with the same tech as its sedan counterpart. Optional equipment includes navigation, a heads-up display, Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go (which allows the car to essentially drive autonomously in stop and go traffic), and your standard assortment of blind spot and lane departure warning systems. The latest itineration of iDrive is also available on the new 4 Series Coupe, which gives the driver online access, advanced real-time traffic info, and a touchpad integrated on top of the iDrive controller.
The new 2014 BMW 4 Series is expected to hit showrooms late this summer with a $41,425 base price for the rear-drive 428i, and a $46,925 sticker for 435i with rear-wheel drive, including destination and handling. With BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive system the 428i's price jumps to $43,425, and the 435i's price creeps up to $48,925.
The 2014 4 Series Coupe only represents BMW's first 4 Series salvo. With 4 Series 'is one better' ideology than the 3 Series, we can just see an M4, a 4 Series Convertible, and possibly even a 4 Series Gran Coupe on the horizon. Get ready, the 4 Series is coming, and it'll be exactly one better than you ever imagined.
2014 BMW 4 Series
- Base Price: $41,425-$48,925
- Vehicle Layout: Front engine, RWD/AWD, 4-pass, 2-door coupe
- Engine: 2.0L/240-hp/255-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4; 3.0L/300-hp/300-lb-ft turbo DOHC 24-valve I-6
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic; 6-speed manual
- Wheelbase: 110.6 in
- L x W x H: 182.6 in x 71.9 in x 53.6 in
0-60 mph:
- 5.0-5.7 sec (mfr est)
- EPA City/HYW Fuel Econ: 20-23/30-33 mpg
- On Sale: Summer 2013


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We have a responsibility to our neighbors to not cause them to stumble. We should behave in a way as to not cause our neighbor to stumble. It matters not one bit if the offensive image is art or we call ourselves artists. That does not change our responsibilty.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=107986\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Howie, Stumble?? Mistakes??? Who or what gives each of us the right to think that another may stumble? I think those judgements only reflect arrogance. Julie[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=107995\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Regardless of what we think we have a responsibility to those around us. Think of it as a kindness to others. You may not care but others might, so it is simple courtesy to attempt to consider how others feel. Don't be the person who is so concerned with what they want that they aren't even willing to think of others.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=108014\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Two last comments on the locked topic.Julie, seldom if ever, are you forced to look at eithre violance or lesbians. A third choice could be neither.Michael, is the standard for LL now anything that is tamer than anything you have seen is OK? Whether it is tamer or not is arguable, and irrelavant to many of us. Are there really degrees of wrong?The request was not for censorship or deleting the image, but merely for a warning that nudity was coming. My question for Michael now is "How can you ban nudity from posts on this site?"[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=108279\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
... I'm merely asking "is there a limit that we impose upon ourselves, as photographers, when posting images or do we cover it under one wrap of creative expression?"
Actually, I'm with you Nils. I generally avoid these topics like the plague. I have no idea why I responded to this one (certainly wasn't looking for a debate, much less an argument). Well...that's enough from me on this topic...I'm off to read things of more interest to me, like seeing how others are struggling with or mastering Lightroom, CS3, and other post processing tools....MUCH MORE INTERESTING [a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=108486\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

subset: commoncrawl


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Having scooped an Oscar for one of his songs from The Lion King soundtrack, Elton John knows a thing or two about writing music for movies, but he's certainly set himself a curious challenge with his latest film project.
It's been announced that the star's film company, Rocket Pictures, is to produce Pride and Predator, a sci-fi horror film that features aliens landing in the middle of a costume drama.
BBC News reports that John's partner David Furnish will act as producer, while the Rocket Man himself will supervise the music and fulfil the role of executive producer.
It quotes Furnish as saying: "It felt like a fresh and funny way to blow apart the done-to-death Jane Austen genre."
It's certainly fair to say that nobody has ever done anything quite like this before, but maybe there's a reason for that.
Pride and Predator will be filmed in London later this year.


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Porsche SE sued for 213 million euros in damages
The holding company of German carmaker Porsche has received a fresh lawsuit linked to its 2008 attempt to take over Volkswagen - a 213-million-euro ($275 million) claim from the family of a deceased industrialist.
The action from HWO, a firm linked to the family of Adolf Merckle, has been brought at a court in Braunschweig, northern Germany, where Porsche SE already faces damage claims exceeding 4 billion euros from investor lawsuits over the same issue.
"We consider this to be unfounded and we will defend ourselves," a spokesman for Porsche said on Thursday, confirming the lawsuit had been received. German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported the HWO suit earlier on Thursday.
In January, the Merckle family confirmed it would seek damages from Porsche SE via conciliation proceedings, but the Stuttgart-based holding company declined to pay, according to the Porsche SE spokesman.
Billionaire Adolf Merckle committed suicide in January 2009 while his business empire, including stakes in HeidelbergCement and drug wholesaler Phoenix Pharmahandel, crumbled following bets on VW, increasing debt and a drop in the value of HeidelbergCement stock.
Plaintiffs have accused Porsche SE of camouflaging its takeover plans in 2008 and secretly piling up a holding in VW.
When Porsche SE disclosed its stake in October 2008, VW common shares surged to 1,005 euros within days, briefly making VW the world's most valuable company as short-sellers such as Merckle raced to buy back stock they had borrowed to bet that VW shares would drop.
The Braunschweig court dismissed two minor lawsuits against Porsche SE on September 19, sending a discouraging signal to claimants including Elliott Associates and other U.S. investment funds seeking damages.
($1 = 0.7751 euros)
(Reporting by Andreas Cremer and Christiaan Hetzner; Editing by Mark Potter)


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Night skin treatment recalled over glass danger fears
The Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate for Night 2ml, sold at Boots, is included in Liz Earle The Botanist's Cabinet.
Following the discovery of small traces of glass being found in one batch (number 6T) of the product, the company has a precautionary measure, recalled all products with batch numbers 6T, 6F and 6P.
Customers are advised to stop using it and dispose of it, and asked to visit their nearest Liz Earle counter to obtain a replacement, an alternative product, or a refund.
The batch code can be found on the cap of the vial and on the outer sleeve.
Queries can be made by contacting the Liz Earle Beauty Co. Customer Centre via :email: [email protected], or by phone: UK 0800 413 318 / ROI 1800 937 540
A company statement said that Liz Earle Beauty Co. were "disappointed" about the issue, adding that they were "committed to providing… the highest quality and service.
"Liz Earle Beauty Co. offer their sincere apologies for any inconvenience that may be caused.
The statement added: "If you've bought this for someone else, please let them know about this as soon as possible."


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In this chapter
- Prisons versus jails: What's the difference?
- EnhanceLink Initiative: What were the major findings?
- Staffing: What do organizations need to keep in mind?
Prisons versus jails: What's the difference?
The terms "jails" and "prisons" are often used interchangeably, but they represent different kinds of facilities.1 Jails are locally operated or managed short-term facilities for persons awaiting arraignment or trial who, if eligible for bail, may be unable to post it. Jails may also house parolees who have violated their terms of release or sentenced individuals awaiting transfer to prison.2 "Jail systems vary from rural lockups of a few cells to large city jail systems with thousands of detainees."3 Since jails are not homogeneous, readers should always check with their jail facilities about processes and procedures, and adapt this guide as applicable to the site in which they'll be working.
How fast detainees leave jails can vary between individual jails and from individual to individual. On average, nearly one quarter of jail detainees are released within two weeks.4 According to a recent study specifically focused on felony defendants in large urban areas, approximately 50 percent of these individuals were released within 2 days.5 All are released or transferred within 1 year.6 See "Prisons Versus Jails: What's the Difference?" in the accompanying training manual to learn more.
EnhanceLink Initiative: What were the major findings?
The goal of the EnhanceLink initiative was to link HIV-infected releasees with primary HIV care in the community and for those so linked to stay in care and adhere to antiviral therapy. The initiative proved cost-effective from a societal perspective.7 The number one predictor of success in achieving a good medical outcome was a caseworker addressing future medical needs.7 EnhanceLink grantees achieved a successful linkage rate of at least 60 percent.8 To read about the EnhanceLink findings in greater detail as well as lessons learned, see the associated training manual and pocket guide that accompanies this document. (For additional information, see published articles from EnhanceLink grantees.)
Staffing: What do organizations need to keep in mind?
It is important to hire culturally competent staff who truly want to work with this population and are understanding of their needs. Inmates have been let down many times before, and your staff is meeting inmates at a time when they may be particularly reticent to open up and trust authority figures. As one EnhanceLink grantee summarized, "All patients, especially inmates, can sniff out BS right away."9
Prior to embarking on a jail intervention, it is imperative that you have buy-in within your organization before you engage with jail authorities and inmates. When possible, grantees sought to hire staff reflective of the racial and ethnic backgrounds of the client population; bilingualism was especially valuable.
Staff roles and titles varied based on the size of the EnhanceLink grantee organization and the number of clients served. Your linkage program should be customized to your particular site—to what services may already be available within your jail and what you're able to take on. For instance, while not all grantee sites were able to create a dedicated position for court advocacy, all grantee sites voiced the helpfulness of such a role. In smaller programs, more than one responsibility was often performed by a single staff member.
HRSA's request for proposals called for a strong evaluation component. Common roles to address evaluation included:
- program evaluator
- research assistant, and
- data manager.
Linkage staff roles included:
- manager
- discharge nurse/linkage coordinator/resource coordinator
- service navigator/outreach worker
- patient educator
- court advocate/court liaison.


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Do you like Linux, but need to use DOS programs? Dean Oisboid recently braved the wilds of the Linux DOS emulator and has returned with the answer.
Welcome back. In the first Novice-to-Novice article, we installed Linux to an existing DOS setup using UMSDOS and without needing to repartition. This is one of the great beauties of Linux for PC users—being able to try it without losing their DOS setup.
If you read the first article, you know it took me a few tries to get a good installation, the problem primarily being not enough hard drive space despite reserving 150 megabytes for this purpose. Since then, I must confess, I reinstalled one more time, and by being very picky regarding which files to install, I managed to keep Linux down to about 80 megabytes of the 150 available.
Also I discovered that Slackware defaults to four virtual consoles set up for login, with X coming up on the fifth virtual console. While this was great for switching between screens using the Alt-F buttons, the resulting lack of RAM (I only have 8 MB) interfered with many programs, most notably seyon (a modem program) under X-Windows. The solution was to edit the /etc/inittab file and comment out (by putting a # character at the beginning of the lines mentioning tty3 and tty4) the third and fourth virtual consoles. Rebooting with this freed up a lot of memory, allowing X and seyon to run a bit smoother.
For this article, we'll explore a unique facet to Linux: running MS- or PC-DOS under Linux via dosemu. (Windows emulation using WINE is still in its infancy and was covered in the August 1994 issue of Linux Journal.)
Why try dosemu? Put simply, emulators allow you to use multiple operating systems at one time. The flexibility that this gives the user is something that is not available in Windows and DOS, but it is available under Linux. There are also other emulators available for other operating systems; the brave can try an Apple II+ emulator or an "iBCS2" emulator that allows the user to run binaries intended for other Unix systems. You can see that Linux may well stand as the vanguard of a quiet yet extraordinarily powerful revolution—that of function and utility over sheer profit margin.
Enough of that, let's do it!
For the record, I tested version 0.53 patch level 28 of dosemu. This is the distribution I received on my Slackware Professional 2.1 disks. (As always with projects in development, these versions were obsolete even before the CDs were mastered.) The latest development version of dosemu is 0.53pl45 as of this writing, and the developers plan to have a stable, public release available soon after Linux 1.2.0 is released.
I copied /tsx-11/ALPHA/dosemu/Development
/pre0.53_28.tgz to /usr using mc, the Midnight Commander—the great Norton Commander clone—which also, via an option under F2, allowed me to unzip and untar the file once it was copied over.
If you have purchased any Linux documentation, you may have discovered that information on dosemu is skimpy. There is a HOWTO, but it doesn't cover using the emulator in conjunction with UMSDOS nor how to begin, except for a reference QuickStart to a file that comes with dosemu. Looking through this file, another thing you'll notice is that dosemu will need to be compiled. Time for a heart attack.
Two immediate caveats: One, you will need to have bison and flex (installed from Slackware's `D' set), otherwise the compilation process will crash. Second, you want to backup any important DOS files and prepare a DOS system boot disk. I insist!
If you want to compile this version of dosemu, the installation recommends having a sum total of 12-20MB of RAM and swap available. My computer has only 8MB of RAM and dosemu just wouldn't compile. Swap space was definitely needed. I had not ever tried setting up swap but decided to give it a try.
Novice Note: If you decide to create a swap space (while using UMSDOS) you must—must, must--repartition your hard disk. If you go through the creation process without repartitioning and referring to that partition, expect to lose something. My hard disk got slaughtered! Linux wouldn't recognize directories. A reboot wouldn't bring up DOS. Panic? Heart attack? Wet pants? Oh yes, and then some. Luckily I had a DOS boot disk, and Norton Disk Doctor was able to put things right and restore the FAT (File Allocation Table) and system files. Sigh of relief! This is how religions get started.
What I really wanted, since it doesn't require repartitioning, was a swapfile for my swap. Peter Scott of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory pointed this out to me and gave me a clue as to the commands to do the job. In a normal Unix system, he also mentioned, you would want a large partitioned swap space, around 50MB or so. I shook my head; my hard drive was down to 30MB because of a sudden influx of vital games and work-related data. [Linux requires less swap space than normal Unix systems because it uses memory somewhat differently—ED]
According to the System Administration manual, you create a swap file called /swap with the following:
dd if=/dev/zero of=/swap bs=1024 count=8192 mkswap /swap 8192 sync swapon /swap
This will create an 8MB swap file. Even if you decide to skip using dosemu, you could still benefit from using swap. For example, I've been playing with a copy of Netscape in X, but without swap, it wouldn't allow me to access the preferences menu. It would crash. But with the swap active, preferences and other menus became available. This was a real testament to the value of swap space.
In order to cause the swap file to be used each time you boot, you can add swapon /swap to your /etc/rc.d/rc.local file. However, a better way is to add the line:
/swap none swap defaults 0 0
to your /etc/fstab file. This will cause the swap to be automatically added at the best possible time.
If you ever desperately need the disk space back, you can delete the swap file with:
swapoff /swap rm /swap
If you have added a line to /etc/rc.d/rc.local or /etc/fstab, make sure that you remove that line.
With a swap file in place and active, I tackled the compilation of dosemu again. Reading through the QuickStart file knotted my stomach but I followed instructions. The command:
make most
started the dirty work of compilation. I do not have TeX (an advanced typesetting system) installed, so this was the correct command instead of make doeverything. After some time of grinding, the compilation finished. No crashing errors! The instructions then said to copy hdimage.dist to /var/lib/dosemu/hdimage and also to copy and edit /examples/config.dist to /etc/dosemu.conf.
Editing /etc/dosemu.conf was straight-forward. The only lines I really had to change were for my mouse and modem; I also had to uncomment the reference to:
disk { image "/var/lib/dosemu/hdimage" }
The sample dosemu.conf file that was provided has extensive comments explaining what to do.
With that done, I then prepared the recommended boot disk by returning to DOS and formatting a system disk. Then back to Linux.
Finally, I typed in dos, and sure enough, the boot disk booted and I was staring at the familiar A: prompt. From there if I typed C: I was brought to an image of a C: drive.
Nice, but not what I was expecting. The goal was to be able to access my current DOS system through Linux, not have a faux DOS image.
Going back into the /etc/dosemu.conf file, I switched the hard drive reference to:
disk { partition "/dev/hda1" 1 readonly }
This would allow me to access the hard drive but not change anything because of the readonly mode. Yet when I started dosemu nothing happened. What the heck, I changed the disk reference to:
disk { wholedisk "/dev/hda" }
which would allow full and potentially dangerous access. Typed dos and sure enough dosemu started to load. First thing noticeable was a message saying something about QEMM (Quarterdeck's memory manager program) not being loaded because the processor was already in Virtual 86 mode. Without QEMM, many of the other memory residents didn't get loaded. A check using DOS mem showed that the mouse and CD drivers were missing (not surprisingly, since dosemu provides its own mouse and CD drivers). Yet in all, I had 599K free RAM. Not too bad. However, the real test would be to run a program. [dosemu provides the basic functionality of QEMM—it provides as much EMS and XMS memory as you want it to—ED]
Unfortunately, while the documentation says that wholedisk access is dangerous, it is easy to miss why it is dangerous. It turns out that a DOS file system can be destroyed by using wholedisk access to that partition while that partition is mounted by the kernel, either as a Ms-dos or UMSDOS file system.
After experiencing some file system damage, I found out that there is a way to make my DOS C: drive also be my C: drive under the DOS emulator without doing damage and without booting from a floppy. Taking a hint from a comment in dosemu.conf, and with a little help from a friend, I first edited config.sys on my boot floppy, adding the line:
device=a:\emufs.sys /dos/
which makes the /dos directory under Linux show up as C: under dosemu. I also added the line:
a:\lredir d: linux\fs\
to autoexec.bat to make the Linux root directory show up as D: under dosemu, to make it easier to access some Linux files from within dosemu.
I then enter
dd if=/dev/fd0 of=/var/lib/dosemu/floppy
with my boot floppy in drive A. Then, in the floppy configuration section of dosemu.conf, I changed
floppy { device /dev/fd0 threeinch }:
floppy { heads 2 sectors 18 tracks 80 threeinch file /var/lib/dosemu/floppy } floppy { device /dev/fd0 threeinch }
by modifying and uncommenting a few lines. I changed the bootC line to bootA and removed the wholedisk line that damaged my files. Now I could boot without a floppy in the drive, but C: was still C:. [There are other ways to do the same thing, but this works fine—ED]
Sadly, it still seemed that nothing would run. Quattro Pro 5 for DOS crashed mightily. Warlords II did the same. The crashes were bad enough to not only lock up the computer but when I did a Ctrl-Alt-Delete to reboot, the screen filled with colorful garbage. This rather pretty effect also happened if I switched virtual consoles.
Although I hated to ask for any help, I sent a message to James MacLean, who is the current maintainer of dosemu, asking if anyone else had success using dosemu under UMSDOS. Three replies came quickly back from Mr. MacLean, Marty Leisner, and Lars Marowsky-Bree. All offered help, which I politely declined because their very replies gave me the incentive I needed—the knowledge that, indeed, someone had succeeded!
Back in Linux, I glared mightily at dosemu.conf—and bless it if the answer wasn't there all the time. A section of the configuration file deals with the video setup. Originally I had chosen:
video { vga console }
but I should have chosen:
video { vga console graphics }
to enable graphics. This worked! When I ran dos and picked the bare boot setup, sure enough, I could now run programs like Warlords II or Quattro Pro 5.
But the mouse wouldn't work. AAARRGHH!! OK, exitemu to return to Linux, edit /etc/dosemu.conf, and change the line from:
serial { com 1 mouse }
serial {com 1 device /dev/mouse }
and try once again. No good. DOS just couldn't find the mouse as if...as if the mouse were already in use. GPM! (General Purpose Mouse driver) My Linux setup automatically loads gpm upon booting. Using top, I located the process number for gpm and kill-ed it. [killall gpm would also work—ED] Back to DOS, load the mouse driver. YES! DOS recognizes the mouse. YES! Warlords II runs with mouse support! YES! Quattro Pro v5 runs with mouse support! NO! FoxPro 2.6 crashes because of memory problems (I expected that but the lucky streak was there and I had to press it). [FoxPro 2.6 can also be run with the correct configuration—ED]
Whew! Despite all my problems with compiling, swaps, and pretty color crashes, I consider dosemu an incredible achievement. That DOS can run under Linux is mind-boggling. Sure, dosemu can be rough going for us newbies but the potential reward makes up for it. There are a few things being worked on now that will make it easier. One is the FreeDOS project which is writing a free version of DOS. It will run under dosemu just like MS-DOS, except that dosemu can be distributed with it pre-installed, saving the user (that's you!) the pain of installing a legally-owned copy of MS-DOS, PC-DOS, or DRDOS to get started. Also, the public release of dosemu should be very stable and easier to distribute.
Next month, the lighter side of Linux as Novice-to-Novice descends into the depths of DOOM and tackles blasting sound using a SoundBlaster. Until then...


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The Pinball Arcade
Developer: Farsight Studios
Publisher: Farsight Technologies
Genre: Pinball
Release Date: 04/10/2012
If you've read Diehard GameFAN for any length of time, you know I'm a huge pinball fan. In fact, this is my third pinball review of 2012, having already reviewed Zen Pinball 3D for the 3DS and Epic Quest for the PS3. I even nominated Addams Family Pinball for a successful entry into our Video Game Hall of Fame. So of course I was excited when I learned Farsight was making a new pinball compilation for the PS3. I was doubly excited when I learned The Pinball Arcade would be digital reconstructions of some of the most famous and beloved pinball games of all time. With the announcement that the purchase of the PS3 version would net you the Playtation Vita one for free, I was ecstatic. After all, I needed SOMETHING to play on that besides Disgaea 3 With Farsights announcement that Bride of Pin-Bot, Medieval Madness, Attack From Mars, Cirqus Votaire, Funhouse and Monster Bash are all on their way as DLC, could my beloved Addams Family Pinball be far behind? After all, look at all the Bally/Midway titles! Of course, it doesn't matter WHAT games Farsight is able to license if they don't play very well. So is this double shot of pinball worth your ten bucks? It's time to find out.
Let's Review
1. Modes
The Pinball Arcade comes with four classic pinball tables, each by a different pinball company. The oldest is Black Hole from Gottlieb. The others are Theatre of Magic by Bally/Midway, Tales of the Arabian Nights by Williams and finally, Ripley's Believe it or Not by Stern. Each of the tables are nicely replicated although there are a few very minor things hardcore fans of the tables will notice, like Theatre of Magic not having its Mortal Kombat 3?/Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 code anymore.
Black Hole is the most unique table of the four, with a mini game of pinball that is not only set in a lower level of the machine, but everything is reversed – including gravity as the ball falls up and the flippers are at the top. Sure it's an optical illusions, but it's still a nifty design. Black Hole is very stingy with points compared to the other tables and it's my least favorite.
Tales of the Arabian Nights is a pretty fun table. Here you'll be using all the ramps and locations on the board to complete "stories." Completing a story earns you a jewel. Earn enough and you save the princess. It's all fairly neat. Multi-ball is very easy to trigger so expect to see a lot of balls on the screen.
Ripley's Believe it or Not has you travelling the globe in search of weirdness and points. Each continent has its own special goal. Complete it and you earn one of Ripley's "letters." As in the letters in the word Ripley's. Earn all seven and you "win." There are a lot of neat things on this board, from a giant shrunken head to various goals to accomplish. It's a very chaotic board by design, but it's also designed to make sure even novice pinball players can activate various quests and thus rack up some big points.
Finally we have my favorite board in the set, Theatre of Magic. This thing is amazing. It's always been a favorite pinball table of mine and it holds up wonderfully as a video game. There are tons of ramps, hidden secrets and more. It's the easiest board to score big on, but the hardest of the boards to "beat." There are multiple ways to get multi-ball and all sorts of neat goals to trigger. This board alone should have you falling in love with the game.
So I enjoy three of the four boards. I'm indifferent to Black Hole and I love Theatre of Magic . Getting both sets of tables for two different system, and for only ten dollars to boot? This is an awesome deal. Down the road The Pinball Arcade will have tournaments, challenges and the like, along with more boards to download. You can edit the board settings like in Zen Pinball or Marvel Pinball, but that's okay, because this games ensures you play each board the way they were meant to be. Awesome across the board.
Modes Rating: Great
2. Graphics
All the tables look wonderful, whether you're talking the PS3 or the Vita version. At times, you might even forget these aren't the real thing once you are on a roll. Of course the PS3 version of the game has more detail and everything on the screen can be seen better, but the Vita version is no slouch either. Some might even find the Vita version easier to rack up a high score on. The detail may be less, but the smaller screen makes it easier to keep track of things.
Now obviously, these tables aren't going to push the graphical capabilities of the PS3 to its limits. They're digital reconstructions of things that were never high definition or graphic intensive to begin with. It's pinball after all. The Matrix bits look as they always did. It's just this part is now in the upper left hand corner of the screen since the back of the cabinet isn't there like it would be with a real machine. What's here won't blow you away if you've been reared on Gears of War or Heavy Rain, but long time pinball aficionados will be quite pleased with the virtual reconstructions here.
Graphics Rating: Enjoyable
3. Sound
All of the music, sound effects and yes, even the voice acting, have been perfectly preserved in this collection. Now note that all of the voice acting is pretty bad, but that's part of the charm. Plus having the original voices will make fans of these tables far happier than if they re-did them. I mean, you can't help but love the terrible fake Caribbean accent of the shrunken head on the Ripley's board, or the nasal, almost atonal female voices in Theatre of Magic or Tales of the Arabian Nghts. It's all a blast of nostalgia.
The music in all four tables are still as wonderful has ever. Whether it's the creepy sci-fi tones of Black Hole or the incredible high fantasy sounding score for Theatre of Magic, the music to these tables really helps make the game feel authentic. Add in the sound effects that actually sound like a little metal ball hitting a bumper or flying up a twisting ramp and pinball fans really don't have much more they can ask for. I'm quite please with the aural aspects of all four tables and it gives me hope that we'll be hearing the late Raul Julia in a downloadable table at some point in the far future.
Sound Rating: Good
4. Control and Gameplay
I really enjoyed my time with all four tables. Each one has a set of goals to accomplish in exchange for a silver trophy (You can earn it twice – once on the PS3 and once on the Vita). Once you earn that, the goals are upgraded to some pretty intense things. Beat these and get another silver trophy. To do that though, you'll have to master the game.
Controls are pretty straightforward. Use the right analog stick as the plunger, the two shoulder triggers as flippers and the left analog stick to tilt the machine. I find that the tilt doesn't work especially well as its effects seem to be reversed. By that I mean, if you tap the analog stick right the table tilts left. Odd choice to make and there's no way to swap out controls or reverse this.
As well, there seems to be a bit of almost miniscule lag with the flippers at time and I've seen a few cases of extremely wonky physics in my time with The Pinball Arcade. These are all minor things to me but some more…zealous pinball enthusiasts will probably swear a blue streak at these things. I got annoyed and cursed when a ball didn't follow the trajectory it would have in the real game (say straight down like a rock instead of at an angle), but would I rather pay a dollar twenty-five for each digital recreation, or several hundred to a thousand dollars for the real thing, plus trying to find space for the machine and the upkeep on repairs? It's not much of a choice to me.
For the most part, the tables perform quite well and I'm happy with what's here. it is frustrating to see the occasional bug or glitch in the table, but there's nothing here that is game breaking. It's just a reminder that we still can't perfectly recreate a physical pinball table in digital format quite yet.
Control and Gameplay Rating: Enjoyable
5. Replayability
You have four tables for two systems. Each version of the game has their own trophies and goals, so if you're doing well on one, you can probably do it on the other Sony system and net yourself those trophies a second time. Of course, those are secondary to things like advancing further in the table, setting a high score, beating your friend's high score and, of course, just plain having fun with some of the best pinball tables ever made.
There's a lot of replay value just in these four tables, and with more classic conversions on the way, you can easily spend dozens of hours, if not more, with The Pinball Arcade. I know I'll be picking up all the tables that come out for this, if only to support keeping these tables alive and helping younger or more casual gamers encounter them for the first time. Whether you want to play on a big screen plasma, or pass the time on a flight or bus ride, The Pinball Arcade has you covered.
Replayability Rating: Great
6. Balance
Talking about balance for four pinball tables is a bit tricky as they all play so differently. You could make the case that some of the tables have their flippers too far apart, making it easier to lose a ball than in other tables. Some balls don't have a ball save, while others do. Some tables let you have insane scores, while others give out a very low score by design. So how do you talk balance when each table has their own design goals?
Well, the only thing one can do is look at each table individually, Black Hole is pretty bare bones compared to most of the tables, it's extremely easy to lose the ball on either level of the table and the flippers are the slowest to react. It's not a bad table, but you can definitely see that it's the oldest of the four in this collection and most pinball fans can look at it and say that there are few things they would tweak.
Tales of the Arabian Nights is well designed. About the only complain I have is trying to do the harem sneak. It's hard to pull that off. Everything else is pretty solid. There's some wonky ball physics here and in Ripley's but that the developers of the digital version's fault, not the table itself.
Believe it or Not is probably the least balanced table of the four, but it was purposely designed to be both inviting to newcomers or casual pinball fans but also filled with some things specifically for pinball wizards. It's very easy to lose a ball down one of the gutters or see it drop straight down between the flippers here. This table also has the most physics issues and you'll see a ball go down instead of up when you hit it, thus losing you the ball.
Theatre of Magic is the best designed of the four tables. It can be a bit hard to get the ball in the "basement" when you first start playing and one of the goals for the higher echelon is a bit unfair as it's completely random as to whether that target even comes up for you. Still, it's the most solid of all the tables.
All in all, there's room for improvement with all of these tables in some respect, but everything here is still quite well done. Building a solid digital pinball game is hard enough. Re-creating a classic physical one in electronic format is even crazier.
Balance Rating: Enjoyable
7. Originality
Digital pinball is pretty common these days. On my PS3 alone I have Zen Pinball, Marvel Pinball, Pinballstik and now The Pinball Arcade. The only thing that really sets TPA apart is that these are recreations of classic pinball titles. Some of the table for The Pinball Arcade have already been digitally reconstructed – not only for current gen systems but by FarSight themselves! Tales of the Arabian Nights is on Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Several of the DLC titles for this game are on there as well. Black Hole is on the Gottlieb collection too. So half the tables on this collection half be released by FarSight several times before. Only Ripley's and Theatre of Magic are newly collected. That's a bit disappointing. So if you have all of FarSight's pinball games released over the past two console generations (or handhelds), you probably have half the game already. Still you're getting both the PS3 and Vita versions of the game for a flat ten bucks, so it's still a good deal if you just want the two new tables.
It'll be interesting to see if FarSight keeps rehashing out the same tables they already have licenses for, or if The Pinball Arcade will end up primarily consisting of new tables that have never been converted into video games. Only time will tell.
Originality Rating: Bad
8. Addictiveness
I had a really hard time putting this game down. I started off with the Vita version and ended up playing the game until the battery died. I wasn't playing for trophies or anything. I just wanted to see how good of a score I could get and how many of the imposed goals I could beat. What can I say? I love pinball. A few days later I moved on to the PS3 version and began plugging away at that version as well. Even though I had already played the hell out of each table on my Vita, the PS3 versions still felt as fun and enjoyable to me as ever. Pinball is extremely hard to put down, especially after you've had a solid game going. You may play for a lot of reasons – higher scores, beating your friends, beating the tables, getting trophies or whatever. In the end though, you'll find yourself saying, "Just one more game…" or spending hours on something that was just meant to be a quick game.
Addictiveness Rating: Good
9. Appeal Factor
I don't think I've ever met a gamer that doesn't enjoy pinball in some respect. Which makes it a shame that physical tables are so hard to find these days. I'm lucky enough to live near the actual physical Pinball Hall of Fame, so I can get my fix whenever I want. Most people don't live anywhere near a single table, much less of collection of them. At least we can still enjoy digital versions though, right?
Let's break down the pricing for those few still on the fence about purchasing this. For ten dollars you get four tables. That's $2.50 per table. But wait – you also get the Vita version when you purchase the PS3 version (or vice versa) so that's technically two games or eight tables for ten bucks. That's $1.25 cents a table. If you play each table roughly five times, you've basically paid for the game itself! Remember, back in the day, pinball was a quarter per game to PLAY, not own. So this is just mind bogglingly awesome to older gamers like myself.
The only people I can see not getting their money's worth here are those that flat out don't like pinball, have a thing against digital recreations of pinball tables or digital-only titles. For everyone else, this is pretty much a must-have, especially with more tables to come.
Appeal Factor Rating: Good
10. Miscellaneous
I'm really glad to see FarSight back hard at work at preserving classic pinball games. I was disappointed in The Williams Collection for the 3DS as it was missing three tables compared to the other versions of the game, but that at The Gottlieb Collection consumed a decent amount of my time. Now FarSight has not only brought us a few new tables with the promise of more to come, they're doing it even cheaper than they have before! That's awesome. I'm still incredibly blown away by the fact FarSight bundled both the Vita and PS3 versions of the game together for one low price. It's gives people more support for their Vita (which the system desperately needs. There's what, half a dozen games coming out for it in the next eight months? OUCH.). It also gives players the option to play on a big screen or to take pinball on the go. About the only thing missing from this package are some of the Pinball tables I'd love to see get a new digital life, like Addams Family and Jurassic Park. I have my fingers crossed that we'll get them in the near future.
The Pinball Arcade has all the promise of being everything a pinball fan could want. You're getting classic tables preserved as video games, two versions of the game for one low price, and the ability to play at home or on a handheld. What more could one want?
Miscellaneous Rating: Unparalleled
The Scores:
Story/Modes: Great
Graphics: Enjoyable
Sound: Good
Control and Gameplay: Enjoyable
Replayability: Good
Balance: Enjoyable
Originality: Bad
Addictiveness: Good
Appeal Factor: Good
Miscellaneous: Unparalleled
FINAL SCORE: Good Game!
Short Attention Span Summary
The Pinball Arcade is a wonderful game no matter how you look at it. For only ten dollars, you are getting four classic pinball tables faithfully recreated for the console world, but you're also getting it for both the Playstation 3 and the Playstation Vita. That's an incredible deal no pinball fan should pass up. Hell, even if you're new to pinball, you should grab this two piece set of faithfully reconstructed tables as it will give you a glimpse of not only why this genre of gaming is so fondly remembered, but a taste of arcade glory days to boot.


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I've been playing bass guitar since I was 12, and while I've always loved the playing music side of playing music, I've never been much on the lugging-equipment-around aspect. I deplored it so much, in fact, that I quit the wedding band business for a time, only coming back when the band agreed to hire roadies to take care of our gear for us. Even breaking out the practice amp was a chore I avoided, which meant that I didn't rehearse nearly as much as I suppose I should have.
If only I'd had IK Multimedia's AmpliTube iRig – a tube-shaped dongle that plugs into the headphone jack of your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, turning it into, for all intents and purposes, a guitar amp. And not just a guitar amp, but your choice of several, thanks to its accompanying app, called AmpliTube—at version 3 as of this writing.
A Talented Duet
The iRig cleverly includes its own headphone jack, so you can still plug your headphones (or speakers or line out to a sound system.) This not only lets you hear yourself with a richness your i-device's speakers could never deliver on their own, it lets you practice without disturbing the rest of the household — something my father would have certainly appreciated during my high school rock band phase. But perhaps even more importantly, it allows you to hear yourself with no latency (the lag between the time you hit the strings and the time you hear the resulting sound.) Your bass (or guitar, for you six-string aficionados) plugs in via a 1/4-inch jack. The unit is light, unobtrusive and simplicity itself —all adjustments are done within its software partner, the AmpliTube app. And that's perhaps the real beauty of the iRig; like Apple, IK Multimedia controls the hard ware and software—the whole widget—and can therefore make sure the duo works seamlessly together.
Similar set-ups have been around before for use with a Mac: Griffin's iMic, for instance. And more recently, I've used an M-Audio USB interface for the same purpose. None of these, however, is nearly as elegant and portable as the iRig. And none of those older solutions provides such easy access to an array of virtual amplifiers as AmpliTube. The free version, available for both the iPhone/iPod rouch and iPad, comes with 24 gear models with more available through in-app purchases. The US$20 version boasts 160 pieces of gear including vintage and classic rigs. The company says there are 51 individual stompboxes and effects, 31 amplifier preamp & power sections, 46 speaker cabinet models, 15 high end stage and studio mics, and 17 post amp rack effects. A free Fender amplifier is also available as a separate app. Unfortunately, the apps are not Universal; pay $20 for the iPad version and you'll still need to pony up an additional $20 for your iPhone. It's a trend that seems to be waning, but is still all-too prevalent with iOS apps in general.
Command Performance
I found the sound quality to be quite good, with the various amps, stompboxes and dials options providing responsive and realistic adjustments to the instrument's sound. And since there are few things more boring than an unaccompanied bass solo, I was glad to see the app can import songs from the iPod app to play along with. (The iOS architecture doesn't allow the songs to be access directly, thus the requirement to import them into AmpliTube.)
Happily, the AmpliTube app now has the ability to record your sessions, so your bravura performances can be saved for posterity. That means the iRig isn't merely an amp in your pocket, it's a whole recording studio.
The software is simply gorgeous: elegant, richly detailed and functional, using a metaphor of photo-realistic equipment, including amps, mics, stompboxes and even reel-to-reel recording equipment. It's lovely without going overboard or getting in the way of functionality.
Encore, Encore
At $40, the AmpliTube iRig is a downright no-brainer for any bass (or guitar) playing i-device owner, and its feature-rich companion app opens a whole world of rigs to try. It makes rehearsing so convenient I'm tempted to start up another band.


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Carlene Murphy's Whole-Faculty Study Group Model
Finding Time for Study Groups to Meet
Finding time for study groups to meet is the number one issue for faculties considering and those that have adopted WFSGs. It is the one common obstacle schools face in the study group process. We want to say with conviction: There is time in the school day for teachers to collaborate, if the administration and faculty are willing to change other things! Schools have been most creative in how they have found time to make the whole-faculty study group process work in their schools, including the following twenty-four approaches.
1. Release students early one day a week. Many schools exceed the minimum
number of instructional minutes required by the state. For such schools, releasing students early one day a week would not require changing the dismissal time the other four days. For schools that do not exceed the minimum instructional minutes, adding minutes to one or more of the other four days would be necessary.
2. Have a "late start" day once a week when students report to school one hour later on that morning. This gives the teachers one hour for study groups to meet.
3. Have a "late start" day once a week that begins only 30 minutes later than the other four days. The teachers report 30 minutes earlier and two half-hour blocks are put together for one hour of study group time.
4. Use teaching assistants to release teachers for study group meetings. A team of five teaching assistants can release five teachers the first hour of the school day for the five teachers to have their study group meeting. For the last hour of the day, the team of teaching assistants could cover the classrooms of another five teachers. Each day, two study groups could meet. For schools that have ten or fewer study groups, this plan has worked.
5. Use teams of parents or business partners to release teachers for the hour their study groups meet.
6. Pair teachers. Teachers from one study group take students from teachers in another study group for the first or last 30 minutes of one day. The next day, the process is reversed. Because teachers arrive at least 30 minutes before students arrive and stay 30 minutes after students leave, an hour block is created for study group meetings at the end of a day or at the beginning of a day. In combined classes, students have individual study, reading, and journal writing time; students work one-on-one with each other; clubs meet; and other types of student planned activities are initiated.
7. Identify a team of five substitutes that spend a day every other week at the school. On that day, the team releases five teachers at 9:00 a.m. to meet as a study group and continues to do this each hour of the day. The team of substitutes moves from class to class. As many as six study groups meet on that one day. For schools that have more than six study groups. The team of substitute teachers returns for part of another day. On the weeks that the substitute teachers do not provide released time, study groups meet for one hour after school.
8. Limit faculty meetings to one afternoon, e.g., Wednesday, a month. On the other three Wednesdays of the month, study groups meet. Some districts expect teachers to reserve one afternoon a week for faculty or other types of meetings.
9. Use part or all of daily team planning period once a week. On one day a
week, the planning period is labeled "study group" time. During that hour, teachers meet in their study groups.
10. Permit teachers to use WFSGs to earn compensatory time for their after
school study groups. The one-hour weekly study group meetings equal two full days of staff development time. Therefore, on two days designed as staff development days on the school calendar, teachers do not report to school.
11. Dismiss students two hours early one day a month and have each study group submit a plan to the principal for another two hours during each month.
12. Dismiss students two hours early on one Wednesday a month. On another Wednesday of the month, teachers meet after school in study groups. On the other two Wednesdays, the principal has a faculty meeting.
13. Design an assembly model to give teachers time to collaborate during the school day. This option also provides enrichment opportunities for students. Special assemblies are scheduled every other week at the school. The assemblies are part of a cultural arts enrichment program that is funded by the school's PTA or the school's adopters. Various art groups, such as a theater group, the Opera, the Symphony, a Ballet group, storytellers, dancers, musical groups, drama clubs, and other performing groups present programs to the students. On assembly day, there are two assembly periods that are an hour and a half in length. Half of the classes in the school are scheduled for each assembly. Each period consists of two 45-minute performances that occur concurrently. Half of the students scheduled for an assembly period go to one of the 45-minute performances and the other half goes to the other performance; then, they switch. This creates a 1 1/2-hour block of time for the teachers, who attend study group meetings during the block of time their students are in the assembly. Administrators, paraprofessionals, and parents stay with the students during the two assembly periods. Classroom teachers have the responsibility of delivering and settling the students in the designated area (e.g., cafeteria or gym) and getting students when the two performances are over. Students know that teacher are meeting in study groups while they are in assemblies. When students return to their rooms, they share with their teacher what they have learned. Likewise, teachers share with students what they learned in study group meetings. A principal has reported that on assembly day, parents show up who are not scheduled to assist and ask, "May I help?" On alternating weeks, when assemblies are not scheduled, study groups meet for an hour after school.
14. Do an analysis of the number of instruction minutes in a regular school day. If it is determined that the school is "banking" time in terms of instructional minutes, specify the number of minutes. For example, a high school exceeds by 5 minutes daily the minimum number of minutes per day for instruction. To have time in the school day for study groups to meet, take the accumulated 5 minutes and combine it with the time from a staff development day. This means that the school had 26 days on which it could begin classes 45 minutes later. On one day a week, study groups meet from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., with classes starting at 8:20 a.m. and all periods were shortened. On the other 4 days, classes begin at 7:30. Students know that on study group day, the bell schedule is not the same as on the other 4 days.
15. Take the holistic approach to when all of study groups would meet. All of the
Times allocated on district and school calendars for staff development and staff meetings are viewed as one big block of time; this includes full days, half days, and after-school time. Instead of focusing on the exact weekly clock hours study groups meet, focus on tasks that must be completed over a period of time. For example, after looking at several databases, one faculty made the decision that all eight study groups would focus on reading instruction. Another understanding was that groups would cover the same material in the same block of time, but how they did it was up to each group. Blocks of time to cover the predetermined content were established. For instance, through a
whole-faculty consensus process, it was decided that from December 11 to February 12, study groups would cover teaching vocabulary with context clues, work identification and phonics, and comprehension questioning. The groups would look at the calendar and see all segments of time as a whole and decide how they would organize that amount of time to cover the research and shared practice on the predetermined content.
16. Allow teachers to select for themselves when their study group will meet once a week. At one school where this was done, not only did groups meet at different time; they met on different days. Several study groups met early in the morning; others met during lunchtime or during planning periods; still others met after school; and one met in the evening. Teachers accounted for their professional development time, and on designated staff development days, teachers were not expected to attend meetings.
17. Redesign a modified day plan that may have been in place prior to the initiation of the study group process. At one school, the modified day, Monday, was formed by having the school start five minutes early and end five minutes later on Tuesday through Friday, making the student's day 8:40 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. four days a week. On Mondays, the students leave at 1:45 p.m., and the teachers leave at 4:25. Prior to study groups, teachers spent that block of time doing individual teacher preparation, meeting in committees, and participating in faculty meetings. Now, one hour of that block of time is for study groups to meet.
18. Reconfigure a modified day. One district has one day per week that is modified so those students are dismissed 2 hours earlier than on the other 4 days. Generally, this time is for individual teacher preparation time, faculty meetings, and district meetings. When five elementary schools elected to initiate the study group process, those schools reconfigured the modified-day time. Four faculties decided to use 1 hour of the 2 hour time block for study groups. The faculty at the fifth school decided that study groups would meet every other week for 1 1/2 hours. On study group day after study group meetings, the whole staff meets together for half an hour to report on the progress of each group.
19. Schedule weekly common planning periods for teachers in the same study group.
20. Enlist college students who are willing to spend one day a week at the school. For example, college students participating in Eco Watch, an outward-bound environmental leadership program are expected to do classroom and school wide environmental activities with elementary students. This allows teachers to meet in study groups. The college students keep a record of the hours they spend in school, and at the end of the school year, the hours are converted into dollars for college tuition.
21. Make allowances for the time teachers spend after school in their study groups. If teachers are expected to stay 45 minutes after student are dismissed and a group of teachers in a study group stays an hour and a half beyond dismissal time, those teachers will be allowed to leave earlier than the 45 minutes on the other days of the week. A version of this idea would be for schools where teachers, by contract, are expected to stay 45 minutes after students are dismissed, the 45 minutes being shortened to 30 minutes on 4 days, carving out an hour for all study groups at the end of 1 day a week.
22. Release teachers from their teaching duties for an hour and a half each week. The students would remain at school, being dismissed at their regular times. Professionals are from universities, health care facilities, community agencies, business, and city
and county governmental agencies consider how volunteers can provide instruction in foreign languages, physical education, athletics, nutrition, civics, drama, music, art, environmental education, and other areas for the students during the hour and a half time. Students could be grouped differently than in the regular classes, forming larger and smaller classes across grade levels. PTAs consider budgeting funds for this purpose where funds are required.
23. Establish a silent reading time for the first 30 minutes one morning a week. Have volunteers in the classrooms. The teachers would begin meeting in their study groups 30 minutes before school starts and continue meeting until the silent reading period is over.
Last Updated 4/17/09 11:09 pm by Site Administrator
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BillboardIn its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends. |
Términos y frases comunes
acts Alanis Morissette album America artist audience Awards band band's Billboard Billy Bob's Boston chart Clem Snide club D-VHS dance deal debut disc distribution Drowning Pool DVD-Video Edel EMI Recorded Music Entertainment fans featured film Godsmack Issue Date Jagermeister Jammin Jay and Silent jazz Jerry Brenner Kay Hanley live look Lost Highway Records March Metheny Mighty Mighty Bosstones million movie Music Group music industry musicians Nashville Oldies Ozzfest play president Pressplay radio station Reagon regional promotion release retail Rhino RIAA rock Rodriguez Roswell Sense Field showcase signed Silent Bob singer singer/songwriter singing single SnoCore songs songwriter soundtrack stars Steve Streisand studio talent there's tion tour tracks Virgin Virgin Records Warner Bros week Weigle York ZZ Top


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Cheese is one of the fattiest foods you can eat, and it's also high in unhealthy saturated fats. However, it also adds calcium, flavor, and satiety to your meals. Both of these cheeses are rich in flavor. Feta, a soft cheese, usually tops Greek salads and pastas. Cheddar also goes great on salad, sandwiches, and by itself. Which cheesy delight will set you back the fewest calories and fat? The Winner: Feta! A 1-ounce serving of feta cheese provides 80 calories and 6 grams of fat. This makes it a better choice than cheddar, which contains 120 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving. Next time you're about to top a salad with cheddar, think again! Try to choose low-fat or fat-free cheeses whenever possible. A fat-free serving of cheddar is much healthier than its full-fat counterpart, with only 45 calories and less than half a gram of fat.
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This week's headlines;
- A third of companies in Australia have no women in key management jobs.
- Big data could be a big problem for workplace discrimination law
- Tattoos and piercings the norms for employees
- Chicken dance not grounds for dismissal
- White-collar eavesdropping will cure itchy feet
- Slow wage rises show Australia's industrial relations system is working
- Business raises the case for workplace laws change
- Labor accuses PM of hiding workplace reforms because of Victorian poll
- Talk not cheap: Cutting down chat will create big savings, say ATO public servants
- Fortescue Metals Group admits drug use by workers an issue for mining company
- Is this the ultimate flexible workplace?
- Fact check: Is workplace discrimination against older people costing $10 billion a year?
Articles summaries and links can be found on the Jobs in HR site here (mobile friendly)


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A reverse mortgage is a loan for seniors age 62 and older. Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs), the most common type of reverse mortgage loans, allow homeowners to convert their home equity into cash with no monthly mortgage payments.1
After obtaining a HECM, borrowers must continue to pay property taxes and insurance and maintain the home according to FHA guidelines. Typically the loan does not become due as long as you live in the home as your primary residence and continue to meet all the loan obligations.
Reverse mortgage loans are commonly used to pay for home renovations, and medical and daily living expenses. Homeowners who have an existing lien often use the HECM loan to pay off their existing mortgage and eliminate monthly mortgage payments.
What is a reverse mortgage loan, for starters, it uses a home's equity as collateral. The amount of money the borrower can receive is determined by the age of the youngest borrower, interest rates, and the lesser of the home's appraised value, sale price, and the maximum lending limit.
The funds available to you may be restricted for the first 12 months after loan closing, due to HECM requirements. In addition, you may need to set aside additional funds from loan proceeds to pay for taxes and insurance.
The loan does not generally have to be repaid until 6 months after the last surviving homeowner moves out of the property or passes away. At that time, the estate typically sells the home to repay the balance of the reverse mortgage and the heirs receive any remaining equity. The estate is not personally liable for any additional mortgage debt if the home sells for less than the payoff amount of the reverse mortgage loan.
Reverse Mortgage Eligibility
To be eligible for a reverse mortgage loan, the FHA requires the youngest borrower on the title to be 62 years or older. Borrowers must also meet financial eligibility criteria as established by HUD. If there is an existing mortgage on the home, it must be paid off with the proceeds from the reverse mortgage loan.
Eligible Homes Types for a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage
Most single-family homes, two-to-four unit owner-occupied dwellings or townhouses, and approved condominiums and manufactured homes are eligible for a reverse mortgage loan. The home must meet FHA minimum property standards.
When the reverse mortgage loan does become due, the borrower's heirs/estate can choose to repay the reverse mortgage loan and keep the home or put the home up for sale in order to repay the loan. If the home sells for more than the balance of the reverse mortgage loan, the remaining home equity passes to the heirs.
If the home sells for less than the owed balance, the estate is not required to pay more than the value of the home at the time the loan is repaid.
A reverse mortgage loan is "non-recourse", meaning that if you sell the home to repay the loan, you or your heirs will never owe more than the loan balance or the value of the property, whichever is less; and no assets other than the home must be used to repay the debt.
Distribution of Funds
HECM loan proceeds can be received in any combination of the following options:
• Line of credit – draw as needed up to the maximum eligible amount
• Lump-sum – a lump sum of cash at closing (only available on fixed-rate loans)
• Tenure – monthly payments for the life of the loan
• Term – monthly payments for a specific number of years
Borrowers may access the greater of 60 percent of the principal limit amount or all mandatory obligations, as defined by the HECM requirements, plus an additional 10% during the first 12 months after loan closing.
The combined total of mandatory obligations plus 10% cannot exceed the principal limit amount established at loan closing. The borrower may also need to set aside additional funds from the loan proceeds to pay for taxes and insurance.


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GRAND RAPIDS — Exercising an option has taken on a whole new meaning for Blue Bridge Ventures LLC, as the commercial real estate adviser recently bought the Riverfront Building, the former home of the once successful Riverfront Fitness Center.
Blue Bridge CEO Jack Buchanan said the firm purchased the mortgage on the 60,000-square-foot, two-story structure at 975 Ottawa Ave. NW from Republic Bank and also assumed some of the former owner's liabilities. The deal, he said, closed last month.
Nearly 30 percent of the building is leased to Spectrum Health. The region's largest health care system signed a 10-year lease, with options, to keep its occupational health center at the site. Spectrum has 17,380 square feet on the structure's lower level.
Blue Bridge plans to turn the rest of the first floor and the second level into a fitness center. Buchanan said the firm, which also develops properties, would lease that space to an experienced health-club operator instead of trying to develop the business itself. Two operators are putting together proposals to lease the space and operate the center.
The transaction was attractive for Blue Bridge on a number of fronts. One was that the Riverfront Fitness Center had 1,400 members when it closed its doors less than three years ago. Blue Bridge Partner Michael Sytsma said the fitness center was profitable, but went dark because the firm that owned it had financial problems from other holdings. According to county records, Cascade Management Group was the previous owner of the building.
Another reason behind Blue Bridge's decision to buy was the growth the North Monroe Business District has experienced since the fitness center closed. With more businesses and more employees in the district — the same one that Blue Bridge is located in — the firm is pretty sure that membership at a new club can top the roll of the old one.
"Not knowing who exactly the operator will be, we don't know exactly what all the plans are. But our plan is to have a very nice club that is consistent with downtown and the North Monroe area," said Buchanan.
"We think there is a need for a club here," he added.
Sytsma said when they've visited the building, people have stopped them and asked if they were reopening the fitness center.
"These are people who were there before. They are familiar with the facility and the convenience of the location, and they want that again," he said.
Another reason for the purchase is the infrastructure for a fitness facility is already in place. The courts, pool, weight room, exercise areas and locker rooms are in good condition. Finally, the building itself is physically fit — meaning renovation costs are manageable with the biggest expense likely to be fixing the roof.
"It's premature to figure out what the numbers exactly are because from a planning standpoint that has to be determined," said Sytsma.
"Where the money is needed is in finishing it (more) than what the style is going to be. But, structurally, it's not a gut and redo — it's in great shape," said Buchanan.
Buchanan said he couldn't identify either operator bidding to run the fitness center due to contractual agreements, but he added that one currently owns fitness centers in the area. He said he hopes to be able to name who will run the club by late winter. By then, he will know what the center will look like.
"It depends on which way we go and who leases the space," said Buchanan. "From what we've seen right now, it's definitely going to be a club."


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Over the past week, WikiLeaks has released 133,887 US diplomatic cables from around the world - more than half of the entire Cablegate material (251,287 cables). The new release was met with a sustained Denial of Service (DOS) attack during the first 36 hours. WikiLeaks had to rely on back-up servers for some hours. With supporters' help, WikiLeaks was able to bring in additional servers to stave off the attack.
For the first time, the diplomatic cables are available from every country that has US diplomatic representation. Until now, many countries had been excluded from the news stories, partly due to WikiLeaks media partners' geographical bias, and partly due to Wikileaks' resource constraints in establishing new media partnerships (there are now over 90).
Nine months ago today, WikiLeaks launched Cablegate together with four media partners (Der Spiegel, El Pais, Le Monde, the Guardian) and the New York Times (who obtained the cables from the Guardian). The US administration and allied media groups responded with threats and intimidation. WikiLeaks and an alleged source, US intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, bore the brunt of these attacks. During the first weeks, calls to kidnap and assassinate WikiLeaks staff, and particularly its founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange, were frequent. Shortly thereafter, VISA, MasterCard, PayPal, Bank of America and Western Union unilaterally prevented WikiLeaks from receiving donations from its supporters. The unlawful financial blockade of our publication continues, although WikiLeaks is suing VISA Europe and MasterCard, and has filed a complaint with the European Commission for serious breach. (For ways to donate, see http://wikileaks.org/support ). A secret grand jury in Virginia is deciding whether Julian Assange, a journalist and Australian national, can be charged with espionage for the publication of this material.
Rationale: release of 133,887 cables
Cablegate launched nine months ago today. Despite the amount of material yet to be reported on, mainstream media organisations in Europe and the United States have slowed their rate of publishing Cablegate derived stories. This has led to the misperception in Europe and the US that WikiLeaks has been less active in recent months. In fact, WikiLeaks has stepped up its activity, establishing new partnerships on each continent with local media organisations that can contextualise the cables and carry out in-depth analysis. WikiLeaks has gone from its four original partners in November 2010 to over ninety as of this month (August 2011).
The decision to publish 133,877 cables was taken in accordance with WikiLeaks' commitment to maximising impact, and making information available to all. At the beginning of the month, the number of cables published had only reached the 20,000 mark – under 10% of the total. The cables that had been reported on also demonstrated a less than satisfactory representation on the world map.
Through crowdsourcing, WikiLeaks hopes to maximise the impact of the information in the diplomatic cables by allowing universities, investigative journalists, human rights advocates, lawyers, and prosecutors to access the source material all over the world. Crowdsourcing has proved to be a success: regional issues overlooked by our initial Western partners have been picked up around the world even journalists who did not have access to our materials at institutions like the Guardian are revealing important stories. Mainstream newspapers, chiefly outside of Europe and the United States, are picking up on the #wlfind hashtag on twitter. People across the globe are looking at the cables that report on their own countries: they are finding stories of corruption, risky local construction projects, stories of environmental degradation and candid analysis of their political landscape.
New stories include nuclear safety in China, a letter from the UN rapporteur to the US mission in Geneva inquiring on the reason why a US army soldier was not prosecuted for the killing of a Reuters journalist, a cable suggesting that the peaceful resolution of the conflict with North Korea may pose a risk to US interests in China because it may lead to China asking the US to leave its army base (some of the #wlfind stories are listed below).
Crowdsourcing and journalism
Stories of the recently released material is being shared on twitter under the #wlfind hashtag. The site www.cablegatesearch.net is a powerful tool for those scouring the cables: it enables keyword searches for over 140,000 released cables. This page also has a 'comments' field where readers can share research and valuable contextual knowledge regarding the cables, as well as link cables across themes and countries. Crowdsourcing allows for the significance of the material to grow organically: along with readers' geographical diversity comes a diversification of subject matters and a plurality of angles.
Crowdsourcing is not at odds with journalism. WikiLeaks has witnessed how the #wlfind hashtag has led to stories being published in the mainstream press. The crowdsourcing of the bulk of the cables will assist journalists to sift through the tens if not hundreds of thousands of cables relating to the contemporary history of their own region. Readers are discovering that even the media organisations with the most resources, WikiLeaks' original partners, do not have the capacity to sift through all the cables nor report on all the big stories. It is a shared responsibility, then, for citizens, journalists, and researchers to comb through the material and find its local and global significance. Those stories that established media organisations are unable or unwilling to report on due to fear of being sued, or conflict of interest, or both, should nevertheless be in the public domain and available for everyone to access.
With crowdsourcing, WikiLeaks is also observing another interesting phenomenon: cables that have been previously published are also finding their way to the #wlfind hashtag. Cablegate stories that have already been reported in national papers or in a different language have not transcended borders – this is now changing as the readers scour the cables. Crowdsourcing is drawing attention to new angles on previously published cables and helping to maximise the impact of the release.
We encourage you to use the cablegatesearch.net tool and to share your finds through articles, or applying the hashtag #wlfinds on blogs and social networking sites such as twitter and Facebook. Readers are also encouraged to stay informed on how to optimise research through the WikiLeaks twitter feed and website.
29 August 2011
Please see '30 new revelations from #wlfind' here for further information.
Cables released between 25th and 28th August
Origin, Count
Secretary of State, 5727
Embassy Ankara, 4043
Embassy Tokyo, 3810
Embassy Madrid, 2619
Embassy Amman, 2165
Embassy Hanoi, 2042
USUN New York, 1980
Embassy Mexico, 1941
Embassy Paris, 1937
Embassy Khartoum, 1925
American Institute Taiwan, 1895
Embassy Kuwait, 1853
Embassy The Hague, 1846
Embassy Kabul, 1762
Embassy Tel Aviv, 1757
Embassy Kinshasa, 1685
Embassy Buenos Aires, 1547
Embassy Colombo, 1533
Embassy Bangkok, 1523
Embassy Jakarta, 1510
Embassy Brasilia, 1485
Embassy Beijing, 1484
Embassy Harare, 1417
Embassy New Delhi, 1399
Embassy Baghdad, 1392
Embassy Ashgabat, 1385
Embassy Abuja, 1372
Embassy Santo Domingo, 1336
Embassy Rome, 1271
Embassy Ottawa, 1229
Embassy Vienna, 1210
Embassy Abu Dhabi, 1208
Embassy Bogota, 1176
Embassy Santiago, 1171
Embassy Wellington, 1171
Embassy Dhaka, 1141
Embassy Moscow, 1131
Embassy Tegucigalpa, 1101
Embassy Nairobi, 1096
Embassy Pretoria, 1091
Embassy Cairo, 1076
Embassy Astana, 1060
Embassy Zagreb, 1049
Embassy Manila, 982
Embassy Lima, 963
Embassy Islamabad, 928
Embassy Bridgetown, 921
Embassy Guatemala, 903
Consulate Jerusalem, 894
Embassy Seoul, 886
Consulate Adana, 884
Embassy Kingston, 878
Embassy Muscat, 872
Embassy Yerevan, 847
Embassy Belgrade, 838
Embassy Kathmandu, 795
Consulate Sao Paulo, 752
Embassy Maputo, 751
Embassy San Salvador, 746
Embassy Asuncion, 744
Embassy Quito, 730
Embassy Berlin, 725
Embassy Port Au Prince, 722
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City, 696
Embassy Rabat, 674
Embassy Ndjamena, 671
Embassy Managua, 658
Consulate Lagos, 634
Embassy Bratislava, 630
Embassy Phnom Penh, 625
Embassy San Jose, 623
Embassy Addis Ababa, 621
Embassy Dushanbe, 616
Embassy Athens, 606
Embassy Prague, 602
Embassy Accra, 590
Consulate Guangzhou, 568
Embassy Lilongwe, 566
Embassy Sanaa, 532
Consulate Hong Kong, 516
Embassy Minsk, 503
Embassy La Paz, 495
Embassy Djibouti, 494
Embassy Maseru, 494
Embassy Dublin, 493
USEU Brussels, 493
Embassy Damascus, 490
Embassy Manama, 478
Embassy Paramaribo, 476
Embassy Canberra, 470
Embassy Sofia, 466
Embassy Kuala Lumpur, 462
Embassy Panama, 457
Embassy Brussels, 447
Embassy Vilnius, 443
Embassy Conakry, 442
Embassy Rangoon, 441
Embassy Dar Es Salaam, 437
Embassy Tallinn, 427
Embassy Lisbon, 415
Embassy Dakar, 413
Embassy Tbilisi, 413
Embassy Tashkent, 408
Embassy Singapore, 405
Embassy London, 401
Embassy Tunis, 397
Embassy Niamey, 389
Embassy Beirut, 388
Embassy Nicosia, 388
Consulate Istanbul, 385
Embassy Ljubljana, 380
Embassy Kyiv, 375
Embassy Warsaw, 374
Embassy Antananarivo, 372
Embassy Bucharest, 368
Embassy Stockholm, 366
Embassy Kigali, 353
Embassy Riyadh, 353
Consulate Kolkata, 351
Embassy Helsinki, 349
US Office Almaty, 347
Embassy Caracas, 344
Embassy Ulaanbaatar, 333
Embassy Oslo, 331
Embassy Baku, 329
Embassy Bishkek, 329
Embassy Pristina, 327
Embassy Riga, 314
Embassy Skopje, 311
Embassy Port Of Spain, 307
Consulate Shanghai, 302
US Mission Geneva, 302
Embassy Vatican, 297
Embassy Cotonou, 294
Embassy Tirana, 294
Consulate Chennai, 286
Embassy Budapest, 283
Embassy Georgetown, 281
Embassy Kampala, 270
Consulate Frankfurt, 268
Embassy Montevideo, 263
Embassy Sarajevo, 249
Embassy Freetown, 248
Embassy Monrovia, 238
Embassy Dili, 232
Embassy Abidjan, 223
Embassy Algiers, 220
Embassy Doha, 214
Embassy Chisinau, 212
Embassy Nassau, 208
Embassy Reykjavik, 201
Embassy Luanda, 193
Embassy Yaounde, 193
Embassy Belmopan, 189
Mission USOSCE, 189
Embassy Gaborone, 182
Embassy Lusaka, 178
Consulate Mumbai, 175
Embassy Bamako, 173
Mission USNATO, 168
Consulate Surabaya, 167
Embassy Podgorica, 164
Consulate Casablanca, 162
Consulate Chiang Mai, 158
Embassy Vientiane, 156
Embassy Copenhagen, 152
Embassy Tripoli, 152
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan, 148
Consulate Halifax, 136
Consulate Toronto, 132
Embassy Grenada, 119
Embassy Port Louis, 118
Embassy Bujumbura, 115
Consulate Chengdu, 114
Embassy Asmara, 114
Consulate Rio De Janeiro, 111
Embassy Suva, 108
Consulate Monterrey, 106
Embassy Bern, 105
Embassy Ouagadougou, 104
Consulate Vladivostok, 100
Embassy Bangui, 100
Embassy Nouakchott, 97
Embassy Lome, 94
Embassy Windhoek, 92
Embassy Luxembourg, 89
Embassy Libreville, 87
Consulate Munich, 85
US Interests Section Havana, 81
Consulate Nogales, 78
Mission Geneva, 78
Embassy Banjul, 75
Embassy Mbabane, 75
Consulate Dusseldorf, 73
Mission UNESCO, 73
Consulate Thessaloniki, 72
REO Hillah, 68
Consulate Dubai, 67
Embassy Brazzaville, 67
Consulate Cape Town, 66
Consulate Jeddah, 66
Consulate Montreal, 65
Embassy Valletta, 58
UN Rome, 55
Embassy Kolonia, 54
REO Basrah, 51
Consulate Melbourne, 49
Consulate St Petersburg, 47
Consulate Durban, 45
Consulate Hamburg, 44
Embassy Praia, 43
Consulate Lahore, 39
Consulate Vancouver, 38
Consulate Johannesburg, 37
Consulate Osaka Kobe, 37
Consulate Karachi, 34
Consulate Yekaterinburg, 34
Consulate Quebec, 33
Consulate Guadalajara, 30
Consulate Barcelona, 29
Consulate Hamilton, 27
Embassy Port Moresby, 27
Iran RPO Dubai, 25
Consulate Tijuana, 23
Consulate Shenyang, 20
Consulate Hermosillo, 19
Consulate Milan, 19
REO Kirkuk, 19
Consulate Amsterdam, 18
Consulate Guayaquil, 18
Consulate Curacao, 16
US Delegation, 15
Consulate Auckland, 14
Consulate Calgary, 14
Consulate Naha, 14
Embassy Malabo, 13
Consulate Fukuoka, 12
Consulate Recife, 12
Consulate Naples, 11
American Consulate Hyderabad, 10
Consulate Ciudad Juarez, 10
Embassy Apia, 9
Consulate Florence, 8
Consulate Leipzig, 8
Consulate Matamoros, 7
Consulate Perth, 7
Consulate Sydney, 7
Embassy Koror, 7
Embassy Majuro, 7
Consulate Strasbourg, 6
Consulate Dhahran, 5
Consulate Nuevo Laredo, 5
Consulate Peshawar, 5
Embassy Tehran, 5
Consulate Izmir, 4
Consulate Kaduna, 4
Consulate Marseille,4
Consulate Nagoya, 4
Consulate Sapporo, 4
US Delegation FEST TWO, 4
Consulate Merida, 3
US Mission CD Geneva, 3
Consulate Krakow, 2
REO Mosul, 2
Consulate Alexandria, 1
Consulate Belfast, 1
Consulate Ponta Delgada, 1
Department of State, 1
Embassy Mogadishu, 1
Embasy Bonn, 1
Total, 133,887


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Election sups: Early voting uneventful
By Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, FL — Early voting proceeded un-eventfully Monday election supervisors said, portending, they hope, an easy run up to this month's primary and the general election in November.
With large numbers of absentee ballots already returned, inclement weather and the relatively early primary date, the lines have been short, and in some cases non-existent, at sites around the state, supervisors surveyed Monday said.
Early voting in most of the state began Saturday.
Despite the millions already spent on federal, state and local elections, many voters are still preoccupied with other issues as they pack up beach chairs and send their children back to school.
"Early voting is consistent but slower than we would have liked," said Susan Bucher, Palm Beach County elections super-visor. "…This is the earliest primary election that I believe we have ever had and I am afraid that families are still on vacation and people with homes outside of the state are not back yet."
Other supervisors said they were seeing moderate activity, with some reporting stronger turn out despite having fewer early voting locations than in 2008.
"It's been running very smoothly," said state Division of Elections spokesman Chris Cate. "I haven't heard of any reports of confusion on election times. Everyone has been able to find out where their early voting locations are and getting in to vote."
There had been concerns about confusion over early voting because 62 counties began the process Saturday, while five other Florida counties started last week. Florida changed its election law last year, shortening the early voting period. But the change hasn't been approved in the five counties by federal officials, so they're operating under the state's old election law, with more early voting days.
But several supervisors said Monday (Aug. 6, 2012) there didn't appear to be widespread confusion.
In Martin County, nearly 800 voters cast ballots over the weekend at a single early voting location.
In 2008, election officials netted about 660 voters at five locations open around the county.
A tight budget forced Elections Supervisor Vicki Davis to pare back during the primary.
"For primaries, it just was cost prohibitive," Davis said.
If history repeats itself, the pace of early and absentee bal-lots will quicken for the general election and additional early voting sites will be available. In 2008, 69 percent of Martin County voters cast ballots by mail or voted early.
Collier County Supervisor of Elections Jennifer Edwards said she expects a 30-35 percent turnout for the primaries as voters face a packed Republican primary for Congressional District 19.
"There are a lot of local races that are sparking interest," Ed-wards said.
In Miami Dade County, 6,467 early votes were cast as of Sunday, the second full day of early voting in there. In Palm Beach, 3,147 early ballots had been cast.
Early voting numbers so far appear to be dwarfed by absentee ballots coming in.
In Pasco County, 1,939 early votes had been cast by the end of business Sunday.
Pasco election officials have received 11,344 absentee ballots, of which 6,337 were cast by Republican voters and 3,662 came from registered Democrats.
In Palm Beach County, nearly 17,100 ballots have been returned of 47,251 that were mailed.
Miami-Dade officials have received 61,703 absentee ballots returned from among 158,943 that were mailed out over the part three weeks.


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Pop-up shops, hotels, and restaurants are all the rage, and dining cars are standard on most long-distance trains but what do you call a pop-up restaurant on a subway car? Earlier this month, a 6-course mobile gourmet meal was served on board a New York City subway car by supper club A Razor, A Shiny Knife with participation from "culinary collective" and Gadling favorite Studiofeast. Diners rode from Manhattan's 8th Avenue station on a Brooklyn-bound L train, feasting on caviar, fois gras, and filet mignon, all in under an hour. Courses from several supper clubs were prepared and plated before getting on the train, and perfectly timed to be served by waiters boarding at specific stops. A maître d'hôtel oversaw the luncheon, refilling water glasses (no alcohol allowed as per the MTA) and helping to stabilize makeshift "tables" tied to subway poles with twine.
The full menu posted on Studiofeast's website included:
– Hamchi Crudo, Bone Marrow, Trout Roe, Laproaig, Sweet Lime
– Foie en Brioche, Port Wine, Raisin,
– Ramp, Black Garlic, Cippolini, Morel, Thyme
– Petit Filet Mignon, Pomme Puree, Asparagus
– Pepper Jam, St Andre
The twelve lucky foodies (including two "walk up" visitors from Argentina pulled in to cover no-shows) were treated to the gourmet meal which cost an estimated $1,600, ending with gold-leaf-dusted panna cotta. The subway authorities were not satisfied customers, though no one was arrested or fined for the stunt. "Subway trains are for riding, not for holding parties," said Charles F. Seaton from the MTA.
Event organizers have yet to announce their next meal-on-the-go, but the video hints at another unlikely location: San Francisco's Alcatraz. Hoping for your own moveable feast? The Dinner in the Sky team is available for rent around the world.


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Immediately, you put a lot of pricing pressure on an important source of revenues and profits for Google.Rather than trying to play the advertising game, Microsoft could seek to end the game. It could seek to eliminate the high margins advertising brokers, like Google, currently enjoy.
Turning the delivery of contextual ads into a free service for publishers would put Google under financial pressure ... but it wouldn't cause any harm, of a material nature, to Microsoft.
Turning the AdSense market into a free market would help neutralize that edge and generally redefine the competitive dynamic to Microsoft's benefit.
No surprise that I agree with Nick on this one given that I have made similar arguments in the past. Back in Dec 2005, I wrote "Kill Google, Vol. 2", where I said:
AdSense revenues -- revenues from ads placed on other sites -- may be particularly vulnerable to attack. This was 43% of Google's revenue in Q3 2005. With these ads, the owner of the site gets roughly 70% of the revenue from the ad. Google takes the other 30%.A few months later, I wrote "Kill Google, Vol. 3", where I said:
It seems like Microsoft could do a fair amount of damage here by trying to drive the share the advertising engine takes in this deal to near zero. To do that, it just needs to launch its own AdSense-like product and be willing to set its take to its breakeven point.
If I want to beat Google? I would throw everything I have got at an AdSense killer.Of course, since Microsoft just spent $6B to try to compete in the advertising market, killing the market may be less attractive that it was in the past. Too bad. It might have been a good way to save $6B.
AdSense is now about half of Google's revenue and their future growth. Microsoft should strangle Google's air supply, their revenue stream.
Microsoft should use its cash reserves to make being an advertising provider unprofitable for others, lowering ad broker revenue share to near 0%.
Microsoft should ruin AdSense, undermine it, destroy it. There should be no business in AdSense-like products for anyone.
If Microsoft wants to win, it should play to its strengths. It should not seek to change the game. It should seek to end the game.


text: Hi all, We are in the process of procuring a fairly large computer, and one option we are looking at is a Beowulf-type Intel (or AMD) cluster of around 50 nodes with Myrinet. For the types of applications we are looking at, a single node Pentium 4 with RDRAM performs much better than a PIII, probably largely due to the better memory bandwidth. One of the vendors tells us that the current generation of P4 or Xeon processors are less optimised for I/O, and are therefore less suitable for a massively parallel machine, and we are recommended to go for a Pentium III cluster instead. Do members of this list know about serious issues of this kind with P4s? We have also heard horror stories about dual Pentium III machines, with up to 40% performance loss if the second CPU is also running a calculation. Is this really so bad? I would expect Xeons to be less prone to this effect, because the likely bottleneck is the memory bandwidth. Is that so? Is there any advantage in using RDRAM or DDRAM with a PIII? How do Athlons with DDRAM compare (both on the I/O / communication issue and general floating point performance)? There are different groups involved, but one of the applications we would like to run is NWChem, a quantum chemistry program. Computation patterns are much like Gaussian, but the program is designed for massively parallel computers, so it runs very efficiently in parallel (given a fast interconnect). Like Gaussian, it is very memory demanding, doing floating point calculations on large arrays, and also uses a fair amount of (local) scratch disk I/O. I would be grateful for any answers to the questions above. See you, Tanja -- ===================================================================== Tanja van Mourik Royal Society University Research Fellow Chemistry Department University College London phone: +44 (0)20-7679-4663 20 Gordon Street e-mail: work: T.vanMourik at ucl.ac.uk London WC1H 0AJ, UK home: tanja at netcomuk.co.uk http://www.chem.ucl.ac.uk/people/vanmourik/index.html =====================================================================


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