text:
The Recycle Bin provides you with a handy safety net in case you delete some files and later change your mind. But on the other hand, it is also a huge waste of space and it could be regarded as something of a privacy threat. It's easy to forget that any of the files you have deleted can be recovered, and this means that anyone else who has access to your computer could access the files you thought you had deleted.
Although emptying the Recycle Bin will not render your file unrecoverable, it does make it much easier than normal to empty this temporary file repository. Having to locate the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop, right click and select the option to empty it means that it is something that is easily put off and often forgotten about completely.
This handy free utility adds an icon to the notification area of the system tray. This simple icon enables you to see at a glance, not matter which program you are in or what you are doing, whether there are any files in the Recycle Bin or not. But this tiny app can also be used to empty out the trash without the need to minimize your running programs to access the desktop.
This is a very basic tool, but there is scope for some very limited customization if you are comfortable editing .ini files. If you head to the program installation folder you can change the settings in the .ini files to change what happens when you double click the icon, choose whether a delete confirmation should be display, disable sounds and more.
Very basic but extremely useful – this is a throwback from several years ago when single purpose apps were all the rage.


text:
Welcome to Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, the heart of South East Queensland Country.
Toowoomba is the hub linking Queensland's Western Downs and Outback with Brisbane and is a leisurely two hour drive from the state's capital. It's where city meets country.
Located on the Great Dividing Range, Toowoomba and the surrounding area has a full range of services for its 160,000 residents in the Toowoomba Regional Council area (only Canberra is a larger inland city). The city is well equipped for meetings with:
- more than 80 venues
- a maximum capacity for 2,200 theatre style
- 12 venues available for 400+ delegates.
- Nearly 2,000 rooms and 4,000 beds in Toowoomba with another 300 rooms available in the surrounding area Read more

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It has a great porch and is really nicely laid out, simple and quick to erect, outer first if required so what's not to like!? The other tent is our Wynnster Mercury 9 'field hotel' for family camping. Also quick to go up (relatively speaking) outer first and sleeps 9 (in our case 4!) and suprisingly stood up to fairly strong winds up in Gairloch one 'summer' which took out some other tents.
So what was a I looking for, well essentially a basic 2 man tent like the Banshee but smaller and lighter, quite a tall order as the Banshee comes in at;
- Total Weight - 2.10kg
- Pack Size - 44 x 13cm
I wanted it for solo canoe camping but also Sea Kking where space in those little hatches is pretty tight, it didn't need to be palatial just water and midgie proof! The guys at Cascade Designs launched a new tent this year, the Nook and this is what we're looking at today. Cascade is the company behind MSR, Thermarest and Seal Line to name a few of their brands so have a great pedigree, are owned and run by outdoor folk and are based in Seattle so know what rain is!
The tent arrived very quickly and came with a footprint. Lighter weight tents can be a bit more fragile but it's good practice to use a footprint, I use one with the Omega as the days of heavy plastic bath tub style groundsheet are pretty much gone. The one I use was a heavy plastic groundsheet from my sadly now deceased Blacks Good Companion Major. Nice wee added bonus!
So the specs for the Nook are as per the website but the main ones are;
- Sleeps - 2
- Pack Size - 51 x 15cm
- Total weight - 1.59kg
- Fly Fabric - 20D ripstop nylon 1000mm DurashieldTM polyurethane & silicone
- Canopy Fabric 20D ripstop nylon
- Mesh Type 20D nylon no-see-um mesh <<< important bit!
- Floor Fabric 40D ripstop nylon 3000mm DuraShield polyurethane & DWR
- Interior Height - 96cm
All stack up fine, HH on the fly seems low but it's all PU coated etc.
So what does it look like packed,
Here we have the tent, second from the right along with the footprint, top left. A 3x3m DD tarp and a water bottle is in there for scale. It should be noted that the packed size is not the compressed size, there is a lot of slack in that bag and a couple of wide compression straps could almost half it if you really needed to. I can envelope it in 2 hands with fingers and thumbs touching so that's about 10/11 cm or so. I like having a larger bag to get the thing back into, it's a lot less hassle than having to meticulously fold the tent back up to get it back in the bag. It's a pet hate of mine, so thanks MSR!
Not the usual spring toggles either but something a little simpler from NiteIze, makers of the cool figure9's. It's a wee bit fiddly to get the hang of but once you've got it, it's really quick and no moving parts.
Nice design feature! (OK I'm easily pleased!)
Right, let's get going, footprint with some of my favourite rhino pegs, this will quite happily go in the tent bag but as it's going to be the muddiest and wettest thing in there, it's probably best to keep it in it's wee net bag.
when staked out looks like this, bottle for size;
Back corners have these ties
Note the QR clip, this lets you leave the inner at home and just pack the fly and footprint, would be fine in the winter but if there were any midges about it would be suicide! Would save a good bit of weight though. The front corners of the footprint have these, with a grommet for the poles, again for fly and footprint pitching;
Opening up the tent baggie we have from left to right, peg bag, pole bag, inner and fly;
Peg bag have these guys in there, 5 pegs, pretty good, not your usual throwaway pegs you get with a lot of tents and pole repair tube and a wee velcro thing for use with a walking pole, download instructions for more details on this guy.
So the front of the footprint is nicely indicated by the MSR logo. Put the poles together really quick and easy! These make a single crucifx shaped assembly and there's a short spreader pole (may get some red tape applied to that, easy for me to lose!) A quick word about the poles, they have been anodized with the environment in mind using a green process may not be much but a small step in the right direction, ironic when I'm paddling about in a huge plastic canoe, but maybe offsets a little...?
The crucifix pole has a nice wee thingy to keep the shape and yet still allow them to fold down, again nice design and I'm easily impressed!
Down goes the inner (first!) then poles go on top. Loop the cords on the inner corners onto your footprint pegs to keep things from moving about!
Pop the ends of the poles into the grommets of the inner, looks alarmingly bent but feels really good! Long straight pole goes into the grommet in the middle of the back edge.
Spreader pole goes in about halfway up, notice the clips for clipping on the rest of the inner to the poles, makes things really quick!
Insert the long pole into the grommet above the door and the inner is up. I call this bit the rhino horn, it does stick out a bit!
nice pod shape, plenty of ventilation as well but enough coverage to deflect any draughts coming in under the fly. The amount coverage on top is enough to catch any drips, lying in there there is surprisingly little space for drips to fall through, again a good bit of design!
Rear view
Interior view with a compact sleep mat in, the interior is 2.23m x 1.07m at the narrowest so more than enough for me. It's narrow though, I would struggle with 2 large alpkit mats in there but 2 of these guys would be fine.
Pushed mat over to 1 side
So that's the interior, plenty space for 1, actually ok for 2 but not much room for any kit, that'd need to go outside. Some detail shots now, midgie mesh looks good, pretty tight, should do the job fine!
Toggles for keeping the door back, plastic peg and fabric loop, pretty standard but found them a little fiddly
Zip, again not a heavyweight job so maybe need to take a little more care, zipped and unzipped really well though, not 'catchy' at all.
Left the flysheet off for photos but tbh a lot of the time you will be pitching this in the rain so wanted to try a 'fly first' pitching method as I think that's pretty important, getting the inside wet would not be a good thing, it being a bathtub and all! Looking at the fly, the sealing and reinforcement on it is brilliant, very impressed, really good taping and sealing!
For this test I simply dropped the inner but it could be under cover somewhere, remember you can pitch this 'footprint and fly' so it should work OK. I threw the fly over the poles and put the long pole through the grommet above the door to give you your rhino horn, and the same for the arched pole
Clip the QR clips onto the back of the tent onto the footprint (or the inner as I've done here)
and you're about done. There is enough structure to the tent to bring in the inner and working from the back, fix it to the rear pegs, put in the spacer pole and attach it to both the inner and the outer, clipping the clips onto the poles as you move back and then finish up with clipping it onto the rhino horn and doing up the rest of the pole clips. Hard to describe, easy to do! Peg out the porch and you're about done.
Porch is somewhat compact, which is a shame as I like a big porch, big enough for a smallish pack and boots etc so it should do fine.
The porch door opens both ways, from top to bottom and bottom to top, the zip at the top has a cover, you can also see the rhino horn here with the reinforcement. Point of wear/weakness here? Not sure, only time will tell
Bottom of the porch door, couple of points to guy out with neat wee adjusters. Guy them out, lift the wee handle and then pull the knot to tighten. Cool!
There's a couple of reinforced guying loops on each side which I'll probably use, they are close to the ground so some GITD paracord will work just fine and I can keep them really short which is good. It was pretty stable just pegged down so the extra guys are belt and braces.
Again (me harking on about design again!) nice job on the ventilation, there is one of these on each side, a flap with a semi rigid spacer which connects onto some velcro to keep it open and lets the air circulate to minimise condensation, these fold away really nicely but give you a whack of ventilation when open.
Guy points etc at the rear of the tent, not happy with that wee tab in the centre of the tent may guy that down too.
Me sitting inside the tent, I'm 6ft and wasn't in the highest part so not huge but at least you can sit up which is a surprisingly important feature!
Now for some glamour shots! Not of me you'll be pleased to know!
closed up for the night
I had a wee bit of concern about the colour, it's a bit bright but it blends in OK and would be hard to spot if I had pitched it under the cover of some trees or branches.
and the bugs liked it!
Looking at the pro's and con's;
- Quality is fantastic, couldn't fault it in anyway, not a thread or stitch or tear or blemish.
- Design is great, lots of really good features which all go together to make a great package
- Materials are very good, I thought a lightweight tent would feel fragile but the materials instill a good bit of confidence that they'll last a good while.
- Small and light, a good package and easily broken down into smaller packages.
- Roomy for one person
- 2 or 3 pitching options, fly and foot print, inner only under a tarp, fly first etc.
- Bug net is midgie proof
- Maybe some concerns over wear and tear around the rhino horn, maybe it's been well tested and it'll be fine, simply dont know. I will be taking extra care with that area.
- Price, not a cheap tent, 2 or 3 times more than the Banshee.
- Everything else is really minor
- Door loops were a bit fiddly
- A little cozy for 2
- Porch is a bit small for extended use
- Spacer pole could be mislaid, maybe making it red would be good
So... what's the verdict? I like it, I was a little put off by the price but in my opinion it's worth it, the features and design and materials are what you're paying for, it just feels like a good quality, well designed tent. I do wish it had a bigger porch though so you could use it as a base camp....
OK about that bigger porch thing..
The more Holmesian of you would have noticed the suspicious extra green baggie in this pic
but were too polite to say anything. Cascade decided to introduce a 'Gear Shed' for the Nook, they have one for their Hubba and Hubba Hubba tents. Now this seems to be a somewhat early release of this one as the package clearly says;
so sizewise, it looks big when packed but actually compresses a huge amount, not sure if it's just a bag they had lying around and just popped it in there, either way goes down to about 50x10cm and this isn't compressing it very much. There's not a great deal to it;
Left to right, pole bag, peg bag, and the gear shed itself. It's a single pole, 4 pegs a bit of what I think is dyneema guy line and that's about it!
There were no instructions sewn in but the Gear Shed for the other one was pretty straightforward so had a go! First of all collapse the existing porch. Then the Gear Shed grommet goes onto the rhino horn (remove the fly grommet, fit gear shed grommet, replace fly grommet) then assemble the pole and push it through the pole sleeve.
The Gear Shed (ok going to call it the GS from now on!) comes with a few plastic pole clips and these fit under the porch door and clip onto the pole (unsurprisingly) This pic shows the GS on the right and the Nook porch door rolled and tied back. The clips clip onto the pole you can see under the fly.
When you're all clipped up and ready to go it looks like this
Now pop the pole ends into the grommets on the ground and up she pops!
There's a guy line but no adjuster for it so I had to rig a fancy slip knot thing to tension the guy. The guy goes on the end to pull the pole away from the tent. You can see on the above pic the sun shining through to show how the pole clips on the GS connect to the tent arched pole. This is how it sits, any water land on top of the porch will run down towards the tent door but be unable to run up hill and run down to get dropped at the side of the tent. More on this later but first some more glamour shots.
Same style of zip but with a velcro storm flap
Now these I like! Another we design feature making it significantly less fiddly to tie the doors back. They should institute these plastic clips on all the loops but maybe round them off a little so no sharp edges to rub.
Inside it gives you a very useful space and has a handy wee floored area to put kit you don't want to get damp or to sit on while you take your boots off!
another few angles
In this pic I'm sitting on the wee ground sheet with my legs straight out, you can also see the way the clips work from this angle.
A great addition to the tent giving you a really useful space, super quick to pop up and as usual very well designed. However....
I think it looks a little ugly, I'm thinking this may be a direct copy of the hubba/hubbahubba GS as it seems too big on the left side. Making the pole a little shorter while lowering the head room would make it look a bit nicer and also shed water from the GS a little more evenly. A lot of the water will run left to right in this pic and then get dumped down at the door, pretty close to the sleeping area. I would have thought you would want to channel the water away from this area and dump it pretty much anywhere else??
So in summary, it's a great idea and a great addition to the Nook but it just looks a little inelegant and maybe not as well thought out as the rest of the set up. I can't find definitive pricing on it but (~170USD) so it would really depend on how much you wanted that extra porch space.
While I was sanitizing the area before leaving, I found this...
Sorry MSR, adjustable runner was in the package...


text: HANCOCK — The development of the Hancock Town Green is continuing. On Monday, May 19, a group of residents, led by Dick Robson, placed 14 memorial plaques at the base of the maple and crabapple Trees. Additionally, the selectboard purchased a raised memorial plaque for the Roxanne Sue Curtis Bowen memorial balsam tree that was installed this week.


text:
MR REPSOLE needed a new banner ad design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 3 designs submitted by 3 freelance designers.
repsole.com ran a contest earlier this year see below
We require the same overall design parameters, however the poster has now been in view on the DLR station platform at East India Dock for 5/6 months and needs to be refreshed to ensure we keep intrest as it is becoming to familiar to those that regularly use the stop.
See http://99designs.com/contests/3848/…ers/207875
Tag line "Product when you need It"
- Item 1..New refreshed design using original spec to draw attention
- Item 1... No radical change


text:
Camisole Bodysuit Pointelle
A sweet singlet bodysuit option. Made in our beautiful Pointelle fabric that's super soft and stretchy, has a thermal quality and delicate open weave. Cute to wear on its own, team with shorts for a summer outfit, or wear as an extra layer close to the skin in cooler weather.
Made from soft organic cotton. To minimise shrinkage, this fabric has been pre-washed at our GOTS certified factory.
GOTS certified
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product code: NB11571
- GOTS certified
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machine wash in cold or warm water with environmentally friendly laundry detergent
tumble dry on low or line dry
do not use fabric softener or bleach
see here for laundry tips
delivery and returns
Free shipping on all orders over $150 (excludes oversized items)
For more information about our flat rates and delivery, please see our delivery page.
You are welcome to return online purchases within 30 days, click here to view the full Returns Policy.
why choose organic cotton?
Organic cotton is fine, soft and strong. It is the ideal fabric for a baby's sensitive skin as it is grown and processed without the use of harmful chemicals. Conventionally grown cotton is one of the most destructive crops grown in the world today, whereas organic cotton farming promotes clean air, water and soil. Organic Cotton does not endanger wildlife or human health. So you can rest assured you are getting the most pure product, ensuring a healthy start for your baby.read more


text:
my manhattan: and the rain moves in.
28 comments:
- Jeneric Generation said...
I am glad you found your lens cap! That last one is especially beautiful. There is the slightest hint of fall in these pictures that makes me yearn for NYC and You've Got Mail.
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Sladjana said...
How gorgeous!
There is some magic in the air when rain starts falling ....
I have added cool emoticons to this message.
To see them go to http://x.exps.me?242efd6000c860f6255777619bd93f58
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- marissa (stylebook) said...
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Ana Magdalena said...
yayy you founded!!
we missed your beautiful photos.
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Mackenzie said...
ummmmm, i want to live in your manhattan. ivy covered things reserve a very special place in my heart! xo love your photos as usual, meg.
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Daina @ New York State of Mind said...
Great photos. The rain was so crazy last night! It was the perfect night for a movie marathon at my apartment by myself.
Hope you have a great weekend!
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
Love our city :-)
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
thunder storms are the best here in idaho, too! love the second to last image, especially. glad you found your lens cap!
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Jenni Austria Germany said...
everything jenny (top comment) said, i want to say. so...just read her comment again.
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Britti said...
Until last week we had a very rainy summer here in Germany and everyone complained, I liked it. Now it's so hot, and everyone complains again...
I really love your pictures. Especially #6, the light is just gorgeous. What camera do you use?
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- communikate. said...
I miss the excitement of a summer storm. Here in Portland it's like "oh...rain again? surprise surprise."
Oh, and yip yip for finding the lens cap! I love your photos!!
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Nostalgia said...
The pictures are beautiful, they make me miss NYC so much. I am thinking of a new camera too - Canon seems to be great. Did you go through a process of choosing between Canon vs some other brand (Nikon? Pentax?). I'm throwing a question in case you have time, but if not - I completely understand.
Also, if you feel like sharing, could you make a post about your favorite blogs? Something you follow on pretty much daily basis?
Thank you.
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Claire Kiefer said...
I've never been a photographer or had a fancy camera, but these are some gorgeous shots. Your Manhattan posts always make me want to hop on a plane to NYC for a visit.
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Stevie Leigh said...
Wasn't it crazy? I was trying to catch a cab in the downpour last night - yikes.
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Katie said...
Oh my gosh that sky!! Love these pictures xo
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- kura2025 said...
I love ivy covered buildings! I wish there was a way to achieve the look without all the damage ivy causes.
The shot of the storm cloud behind the bridge is fantastic! It realy makes the lights of the bridge stand out.
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
- Jennila said...
Love the thrill of seeing places I recognize- you passed Yura! and Ok Market! You make all parts of new york look absolutely beautiful and magical.
- Saturday, August 20, 2011
I'm glad you found it!! Beautiful shots!
- Sunday, August 21, 2011
- Cocoa said...
I absolutely love that you post on weekends!
and there's nothing like a crisp Canon image. (:
- Sunday, August 21, 2011
- Erin {pughs' news} said...
Yes to the first comment about You've Got Mail! I was thinking the same thing...
Beautiful photos, Meg. What a fabulous city you live in. One of these days, I'll get there to see it for myself!
- Sunday, August 21, 2011
- emily said...
i do enjoy your "my manhattans". and now that i am a new manhattan-er, i want to adopt something similar. i love it.
- Sunday, August 21, 2011
- Ashley said...
Oh my gosh Meg!! That last photo of the George Washington (correct??) bridge is amazing!! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pictures with us all. =)
- Sunday, August 21, 2011
- anna said...
lovely images. makes me want to take a nice little trip to the city!
- Monday, August 22, 2011
- ~BB~ said...
I absolutely LOVE your Manhattan photos. Thank you for sharing - as someone who's never been lucky enough to visit NY, I love to see pictures of the places I will go someday. And that storm is beautiful! So glad you captured it. {Have I ever mentioned how I envy your life in the city??}
- Monday, August 22, 2011
- Ashley Jean said...
so much green :)
love the photos.!.
- Monday, August 22, 2011
- paddle to shore said...
New york is beautiful under a giant cloud.
- Thursday, August 25, 2011
- Anna said...
Gorgeous photos. I love all the ivy!
- Friday, August 26, 2011
- Kate said...
I love all the ivy and greenery!
- Sunday, August 28, 2011


text:
|Posted: December 1, 2008
World Semiconductor Fab Construction Spending to Decline by 41 Percent
|(Nanowerk News) According to the World Fab Forecast report, recently released by SEMI, worldwide fab capacity is expected to grow by five percent in 2008 and is currently expected to increase between four and five percent in 2009.
|From 2003 through 2007, semiconductor fab capacity increased near or above double-digits rates annually, but as a result of the global economic uncertainty capacity growth rates will be much lower for both 2008 and 2009. Wafer fab capacity is forecasted to reach 16.1 million wafers per month (in 200 mm equivalent wafer size) by the end of 2009 compared to 5.4 millions wafers per month capacity expected by year end 2008. Spending on fabs equipping in 2009 is expected to reach lowest levels since 2003.
|As a reaction to global economic uncertainty, oversupply, and falling average selling prices (ASP), most memory companies are opting to close their 200mm fabs. However, a number of these companies are maintaining smaller, but positive growth rates for their 300mm fabs.
|During the fourth quarter of 2008, foundries are expected to reach the lowest levels of utilization since 2002, and these levels are expected to remain low through the first half of 2009. All foundries are expected to reduce their capex throughout the coming year. For 2009, foundries are expected to maintain the strongest growth rate, with about eight percent, followed by MPU, and then memory fabs. The capacity growth rate for 300 mm fabs will be 22 percent and 12 percent in 2008 and in 2009, respectively.
|Construction began on five new fabs in 2008, and in 2009, another six new fab construction projects are expected to commence. Spending on fab construction projects in 2008 is expected to decline by 41 percent year-over-year (YoY), as projects are pushed out or put on hold. In 2009, the Americas and Japan are expected to be the only regions with positive growth rates for construction spending. Key drivers of this growth are companies such as Toshiba, the Flash Alliance JV and Panasonic.
|The World Fab Forecast report provides in-depth analyses of capital expenditure, capacity, technology and products, down to the detail of each fab; and forecasts for the next 18 months. These tools are invaluable for understanding fab equipment and construction spending in detail, and learning more about capex for construction projects, fab equipping, technology level, and products.
|More information on these reports can be found at www.semi.org/fabs.
|SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. SEMI member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.semi.org.
|Source: SEMI (press release)
Subscribe to a free copy of one of our daily
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text:
Fri, 29 July 2011
"D" Day in the USA...Obama...Debt quotes from the past. Senator Rand Paul reacts the the Obama speech. Mark Mix coming to speak for Professional Educators in Iowa. Congressman Thad McCotter, presidential candidate...issues. Nuther presidential candidate, Fred Karger...wants to debate Michelle Bachman's husband.. George Terwilliger is an attorney who says the government is criminalizing everything....then, the power of propaganda...and how to neutralize it.
Direct download: mickelson-2011-07-29.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:15pm CDT


text:
Q As I waited in line after we watched a great soccer game at Levi's Stadium on Saturday night, I knew we would be in line for a while to board light rail. I did not expect to wait an hour and a half to board a Santa Teresa-bound train.
Could the VTA stop the empty Mountain View trains and redirect them to other lines that where waiting? VTA should have monitored incoming traffic so they could understand where the fan base was coming from and reacted with the outbound trains. It took way too long to get home and this was not anything like what a 49er game will be like with more rowdy/impatient fans.
Robert Harris
San Jose
A Good suggestions, and help may be on the way in time for the first 49ers home game on Aug. 17 to ease the postgame wait. An extra track will be completed by then, allowing the VTA to keep threethree-car trains at the ready near the stadium, so they can be put quickly into service to carry fans home.
Share with me your experience. How did you get to the stadium? Where did you park and how much did you pay? How was the trip down 680 and 880 from the East Bay, from 101 on the Peninsula and on 237?
Any tips for Aug. 17?
Q EPIC fail.
Thousands of people waiting for trains. No one apparently in charge. No communication to people waiting in line. Trains coming through infrequently. Trains leaving not completely full.
It was so bad, they may have lost their one chance at me and others taking light rail to a Niners game given their inability to handle a much smaller crowd. Finally, walked to our car approximately 2.5 miles away with kids in tow. Turned out to be the right call given how infrequently trains were passing us.
Craig and Kathleen Leclair
A A VTA contact gave the agency a B-minus grade and recommends taking a 49er-special bus. The VTA is running five express routes from Fremont, Vallco, Almaden, Gilroy and Eastridge on game days.
Q I was trying to park at the VTA station at I-880/Milpitas and take light rail to the Earthquakes game Saturday. I saw signs that said Levi's Event Parking and they were charging $15 for parking. There was no such sign at the Great Mall VTA station, but it was full. Was this lot legitimate?
David Chan
A Yes. VTA has begun a parking pilot program, charging at the two nearest park-and-ride lots for Levi's Stadium events — River Oaks on First Street and I-880 in Milpitas. You can get a guaranteed parking space at these lots. Go to Levisstadium.clickandpark.com for details.
Q I parked in Red Lot 5 at Patrick Henry and Tasman, and had no problems arriving or departing. Got there at 3 p.m. expecting the worst, and it was a ghost town — barely any cars or people. When leaving, the lot was nearly empty (probably a little after 10 p.m.). The Patrick Henry side of Red Lot 4 also looked empty. Thank goodness we didn't try to take light rail. The line to depart looked like a zoo.
Gregg Kitagawa
San Jose
A It was.
Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow, follow him at Twitter.com/mrroadshow or contact him at email@example.com or 408-920-5335.


text:
Scott Dunlap's blog of trail running, ultrarunning, triathlon, and other life adventures. I enjoy the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of outdoor events and the chance to meet cool people. This blog contains interviews, research, original fiction, new product ideas, and all things trail running.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Self-Sensing Cups...The Future of Hydration and Calorie Tracking?
Well okay, it's $199 for a cup ($99 if you pre-order now), so maybe not for everyone. But I can't help but nerd out on where this kind of technology could be in 3-5 years. Just to keep me off the 2x caffeine gels all night in a 100-miler would pay for itself. ;-)
Interesting fact - according to the National Health and Nutrition Education Survey, beverages are the number one source of calories for most adults. Here I thought it was just us athletes!
2 comments:
Did anyone else see that Nike product placement in the video? Hmmm....ReplyDelete
- Anonymous6/16/2014 01:41:00 PM
If you can't keep track of what you eat or drink throughout the day, then maybe a pen & notebook could help?ReplyDelete
Not a dig at you Scott, just a broad dig at the world's need to connect to everything via the latest gimmick.
Maybe I just feel old at 41 having just had a hip replacement & told my running days are over.
Great blog by the way.
I LIVE for comments! Please add your thoughts, let me know you stopped by, etc., and be thoughtful of others. Always best if you sign your name, of course.


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My name is James Miller and I'm Professor of Humanities and Co-Director of the Humanities Research Center at Duke Kunshan University.
My academic career began with the study of Chinese language and culture at Durham University in the UK. Since then I have become a leading interpreter of Daoist religion, through my study of the medieval Chinese religious movement known as The Way of Highest Clarity. Over the past fifteen years, I have published six books on Chinese religions, including most recently China's Green Religion (May 2017). I am committed to maintaining a strong publishing profile, and working with students to develop their own research programs and capacities.
More recently, however, I've become established as a key scholar of religion and ecology in China. China is now the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases and will eclipse the US as the world's leading economy within a decade. China is experiencing massive economic change and unprecedent environmental devastation. My concern is to understand how China's traditions, especially Daoism, continue to influence Chinese social imagination about nature and environment and to help develop a Chinese ethic of ecological sustainability.
I believe that academic research should be publicly accessible and socially relevant, and I am committed to employing social media and Internet technologies in order to enable people in Canada and across the world to understand how China is transforming the world. The story I want to tell is how China's entry onto the world stage is having a profound effect not just on the global economy, but on our religious and cultural traditions, and on our way of thinking about nature.
In addition to my publishing, I regularly speak at academic conferences, and give public lectures and media interviews on a wide variety of topics related to religion and culture in China. Media outlets have included the Washington Post, CTV Newsworld, CTV Canada AM, and the Christian Science Monitor. I have given guest lectures all over the world, from China's Fudan University, to the Australian National University and even the United States Naval War College. I have also consulted on legal matters related to Chinese religions in Canadian society, including preparing expert witness testimony for civil court proceedings.
As well as conducting research and teaching, I have also invested in developing administrative and professional competencies related to curriculum design, program development, recruitment, and vision for higher education. I have consulted for senior administration in issues related to international education and imagining new strategies for higher education. Prior to joining Duke Kunshan, I served as director of Queen's interdisciplinary graduate program in Cultural Studies, co-chair of the Religion and Ecology group at the American Academy of Religion,.and director of Queen's School of Religion.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch.
James Miller


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Kit Supplies
Hi there, my friend Jen Agosta designed a fancy new site for us with a shopping cart and everything. There's still good info. on this site but you will find all this and more on the new one. I will not post here any more after today. See you at www.urbancheesecraft.com!
Thank you friends, Claudia
This is a great page to visit if you've bought a DIY cheese kit from me or are considering it. Cheese making requires a bit of patience, flexibility and innovation but don't worry! If you don't already possess these traits, making cheese will help you practice them and who knows, maybe someday you can even claim to have them! I'm working on all this myself so I speak from experience.
This page is part User's Manual, part Supplies Info.
If you have any further questions, please send a comment and I will reply as soon as I can. Thank you!
Info. on Ingredients and Supplies:
Thermometers- I've recently switched from the glass, non-mercury thermometers currently pictured on etsy and artfire to heavy duty metal thermometers. The glass therms were great quality but since we're always seeking improvements and have found them, the switch is on! The temp range is the same 0-220 degrees F with increments of 2 shown- perfect for cheesemaking (you can also use it for cooking meat and even candy I think). We changed because unlike the glass thermometers the metal ones are not breakable, are also non-mercury and can be recalibrated by turning the nut under the display with small pliers (boil water=212 DF, twist the nut until you hit that temp, tada! you recalibrated). An added bonus, you can rest the metal thermometer on the edge of the pot either as is or by fitting the cover's pen clip onto the thermometer itself as shown in the photos. I don't know about you but I prefer this to constantly dipping the glass thermometer to check the temp.
Rennet– a coagulant used in cheesemaking. If you keep your tablets in the freezer, they will be nice and potent for at least 1-2 years. This is not the same as Junket brand rennet which is used for pudding-like desserts. If you use that rennet you will have to almost quadruple the amount for use in our recipes. From what I understand, it can be used for cheese if you want to try it.
We use Marschall's vegetarian rennet tablets developed from a mold strain called Rhizomucor miehei- completely void of any animal ingredients. Traditionally rennet was made of calf stomach lining. Concoctions made of plants such as nettles and thistles are also used with success around the world.
Cheese Salt– pure kosher flake salt without iodine or anti-caking agents (these interfere with cheesemaking)
Citric Acid– food grade acid derived from fruit. It's sour, sometimes called lemon salt. It is completely safe (you can buy it in spice sections of some grocery stores and it covers sour candies) but like lemon, can be an eye irritant and when it produces dust it can make you sneeze, so just be careful.
Butter Muslin– 100% finely woven bleached cotton used to drain cheese, butter, yogurt etc.
Cheesecloth– loosely woven cotton fabric used in all manners of kitchen and other crafts. Used interchangeably with butter muslin but it is not nearly as finely woven. UCC provides only Butter Muslin but I may sometimes call it cheesecloth out of habit.
Molds– for our purposes this refers to food grade, sturdy plastic containers with drainage holes. They drain cheeses and shape them into cool shapes.
The brown coffee bags are made of 25% recycled fibers and 40% post-consumer material. The lining is glassine which is a polished paper- not a petroleum plastic or corn plastic. It is completely recyclable and compostable at home, not a facility! Before you recycle though, consider that they are sturdy and that the tin-tie makes them very reusable. You can store your cheesemaking supplies in the bag, in your pantry, indefinitely.
The labels are completely recycled/recyclable and the adhesive is water-based.
The cardboard boxes are made of 100% recycled materials, sturdy and reusable as well as completely recyclable. You can store your cheesemaking supplies in the box, in your pantry, indefinitely or cover my labels and use the box for a gift!
Any more questions? Email us at urbancheesecraft (at) gmail.com.


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American Classic's Smokin' Gun wheelset is perfect for ripping through rock gardens and floating over the rough stuff. The massive rim profile widens the tire, creating increased air volume for improved control over gnarly terrain.
- 43mm wide tubeless rim profile with a 40mm inner width
- Jumbo rim profile widens the tire, creating more air volume resulting improved ground control
- 1,790 grams


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It's a common trope in cartoons, but in the real world, you just can't get a bottle to hold sound. And what kid hasn't tried? No verbal messages in a bottle for us, thanks to the laws of physics. At least, that used to be the case. The Re: Sound Bottle designed by Jun Fujiwara does exactly that.
Though it's not as simple as just yelling into an empty water bottle, the Re: Sound Bottle not only keeps the sound inside with its cork (kind of) but also rehashes them to make neat little bottled "songs" with all that found noise. It certainly makes for one weird message in a bottle. [Vimeo via This Is Colossal]


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international trading company | 136 West Main Street | Welland ON Canada L3C 5A2 | Tel. 905-788-3577
I have severe hearing problems - please contact me by e-mail
Searchable Data Base for visitors or business interested in
Ontario and Newfoundland-Labrador
Things to see and to do
Shopping, Investment
Sainte-Marie among the Hurons
Contact Information:N/A
Internet: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/sainte_marie_1ca.htm
Description:Samuel de Champlain, the founder of New France as Canada was called at that time, considered Christianizing as essential for a colonization. Only few Europeans had settled at this time in what we call today Canada and I learned that this was the first settlement in today's Ontario. For that reason Champlain supported the French Jesuits when they started to built a mission station in 1639 on the banks of the Wye River. It was called "Sainte-Marie among the Hurons". Hurons was the name which the French used for the Wendat nation.
Huronia Museum and Huron Ouendat Location
Contact Information:N/A
Hosts: N/A
Internet: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/huronia_1ca.htm
Description:The Location shows how the Hurons lived before the arrival of the first European settlers. Soon a friendship between these native people and the Jesuits was established. The Hurons lived in fortified Locations and did farming in the surrounding fields. They planted mainly corn, beans, some kind of pumpkin and sunflowers. Corn was one of the main sources for food
Fanshawe Pioneer Location in London
Contact Information:Fanshawe Pioneer Location, 2609 Fanshawe PARK RD. E., London, ON N5X 4A1, Phone: 519-457-1296, Fax:: 519-457-3364
Internet: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/fanshawe_ca.html
Description:The Location shows how life was in the country side during the 19 th. century in this area. Historical buildings have been moved to this park or replicas have been built to demonstrate this. We always approached friendly interpreters in historical costumes which could explain everything. Our web site will give you a little impression what to expect.
Point Pelee National Park on Lake Erie
Contact Information:Point Pelee National Park, 407 Robson Street, Leamington, Ontario N8H 3V4, Canada
Tel. 519-322-2365
Hosts: N/A
Internet: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/point_pelee01_ca.html
Description:Point Pelee is an attraction for all people who love nature. Bird watchers come epically in spring and fall to see the migration of birds. Another known attraction in autumn is the migration of monarch butterflies.
Ball's Falls, Conservation Area
Contact Information:N/A
Internet: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/balls_falls01_ca.html
Description:Whenever you visit the Niagara Region and its attractions in and around Niagara Falls you may be interested also in one of the hidden treasures with unspoiled nature, hiking trails and some history. All this you can find in the near by Ball's Falls Conservation Area. When you are here in October you should spend at least a few hours when Thanksgiving is celebrated in Ball's Falls. Local artist and crafts people show their work and sell it. Beautifully restored buildings from the former hamlet are filled with live.
Discovery Harbour at Penetanguishene Bay
Contact Information: N/A
Internet: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/discovery_harbour_1ca.htm
Description:Visit Discovery Harbour and join a guided tour. It is fun and you will learn many things about the living conditions in a military base at the beginning of the 19 th centaury.
Our "Sugar Bush" Adventure
Contact Information:N/A
Internet: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/sugarbush_ca.htm
Description:This is a tour in which you learn about the history of making the delicious maple syrup as well as about today's processes. On our tour we could try and purchase different maple syrup products.
The Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls
Contact Information:Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, 2565 Niagara Parkway, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada L2E 6T2
Tel. 1-877-642-7275
Hosts: Niagara Parks
Internet: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/butterfly_conservatory_eng.htm
Description:In order to be well prepared for that what you will see later, you should watch the well made video film which is shown in a designated room to the entrance. No additional fee is charged!
All efforts were taken to create a natural setting. This includes all the animals which you can find here. Our web site can never replace an actual visit.
Christmas drive through at the Welland Brethren in Christ Church
Contact Information:BIC Church Welland (check their web site)
Internet: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/BICC_drive_trough01.html
Description:The Welland Brethren in Christ Church celebrates since a few years the birth of our savior on their parking lot with a drive through. Volunteers show scenes related to this great event. No fee is charged and even a free CD is handed out which guides you through the different live displays.
Fort George in Niagara on the Lake
Contact Information: N/A
Internet: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/fort_george_ca.html
Description:Follow us on a brief tour through Fort George. Do not miss an actual visit. Check for special events!


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The Annual Meeting is the world's premier refining meeting,
assembling key executives and technical experts from refining
and marketing organizations worldwide, as well as representatives
from associated industries. The general session features high
profile speakers who will address current issues of widespread
importance to the refining industry. During management and technical
sessions, leading industry experts share valuable insights with
attendees on major issues, including energy and environmental
initiatives, and the latest technological developments impacting
refining and petrochemical industry management and performance.
AFPM sponsors a number of social functions that allow attendees
to network, contact old acquaintances, and make new contacts.
Approximately 30 industry supplier companies sponsor hospitality
functions that offer attendees an opportunity to develop or
maintain relationships with key suppliers of technology.
The International Petrochemical Conference is the world's
largest and most prestigious conference representing the petrochemical
The meeting consists of a variety of sessions covering key
political, economic, and environmental issues affecting the
petrochemical industry.The sessions emphasize global competitiveness
in the petrochemical business and are presented by recognized
experts in the areas of petrochemical markets, economics, and
AFPM also hosts a number of social functions which offer
attendees an opportunity to become acquainted with their business
associates. Various companies also sponsor smaller functions
to focus on specific areas of interest.
This conference is intended to provide technical and marketing information and case studies on petroleum-based waxes and base oils. The conference brings together the leading vendors, adopters, and developers of petrochemicals and base oils in an event that stresses learning, sharing and problem solving.
As an industry and as a nation, we must keep ourselves informed
about the many potentially devastating events that could change
the way refiners and petrochemical manufacturers operate. The
conference presents current topics of critical importance to
assist attendees in keeping themselves up-to-date on security
The AFPM Labor Relations and Human Resources Committee crafts
a program of speakers that covers topics such as: Labor Negotiations,
Workplace Legislation, Regulatory Changes to FMLA, ADA, etc.,
Healthcare, HR's Role in Plant Security, Identity Theft, and
other topics important to LR/HR professionals. This conference
will provide you with industry-specific information that you
will be able to use as soon as you return to your company.
The Conference format features speakers, panel discussions,
and breakout sessions on topics of interest to industrial relations
and human resources personnel in the refining and petrochemical
The National Occupational and Process Safety Conference features
an overview of safety challenges and issues affecting refineries
and petrochemical plants.
The Exhibition, held as part of the conference, gives attendees
the opportunity to meet and talk with representatives of companies
offering a variety of safety-related services to the refining
and petrochemical industries.
The culmination of the meeting is the Safety Awards Reception
and Banquet held on the final evening of the conference. This
event celebrates and honors the industry's excellent safety
achievements. Be sure to purchase your tickets for this event
when you register.
The Board of Certified Safety Professionals will grant CSP Recertification
points for attendance at the National Occupational and Process
Safety Conference without pre-approval.
This 3-day program includes keynote addresses, technical
and management presentations, discussion groups, structured
question and answer sessions, and an exhibition of products
and services. Presentations focus on improving reliability in
the refining and petrochemical industry, covering topics such
as effective maintenance organization, productivity, equipment
reliability, health and safety, training, environmental control,
predictive/preventive maintenance, maintenance and engineering
standards, inspection, procurement, and innovative reliability
The Exhibition, held as part of the conference, gives attendees
the opportunity to meet and talk with representatives from companies
offering a variety of goods and services to the refining and
petrochemical industries.
This seminar provides a forum for refiners to meet and share
information on the technological advances and regulatory developments
that affect the design, operation, and maintenance of FCC units.
The program includes a Q&A session with a panel of experts
and a number of workshops organized in three topic tracks. This
enables attendees to focus on a particular aspect of FCC operation
or to attend workshops that cover a broader range of interests.
The seminar is designed for people who solve the problems
associated with the operation and maintenance of FCCUs. The
Q&A session and the workshops encourage open discussions
which enable attendees to share their own challenges and benefit
from other attendees' experiences. Whether you are in Operations,
Technical Service, Maintenance, Reliability, or Process Engineering,
you will find a comprehensive program that meets your needs
for improving your FCCU's operation and reliability.
The Tabletop Exhibition, held as part of the seminar, gives
attendees the opportunity to meet and talk with representatives
from companies offering a variety of goods and services specific
to FCCU operations in the refinery.
The AFPM Operations & Process Technology Summit addresses real problems
and challenges that you face at your facility and will help
you sort through potential solutions as you discuss them with
panelists and other attendees. Today's competitive refining
environment requires attention to plant safety, superior technology,
innovation, and excellence in operations. The shared knowledge
of the refiners, petrochemical producers, catalyst and chemicals
suppliers, plant automation specialists, process licensors,
engineering firms, and other industry experts at the Operations & Process Technology Summit keeps you moving in the right direction
as you optimize your plant's operation.
The Summit program has five major components
to give attendees the industry's most comprehensive meeting
on refinery operations and process technology: the Q&A Panel
Sessions, the Principles & Practices Sessions, and the Operational Planning, Control & Automation Technologies Sessions, Cybersecurity Sessions and a table top exhibition.
The Q&A Sessions on Hydroprocessing, FCC, Crude/Vacuum
Distillation & Coking, and Gasoline Processes feature panels
of industry experts from refining companies and technology providers
who respond to questions and engage attendees in a discussion
of today's tough issues.
The Principles & Practices (P&P) Sessions are discussion-oriented
sessions, primarily designed for the engineer whose overall
operating experience is less than 20 years. The P&P Sessions
complement the information exchange that occurs in the Q&A
sessions. Each of the sessions addresses the fundamentals of
good operation and the foundational principles for the technologies
that are commonly employed. These sessions have short presentations
followed by a time where attendees can ask further questions
or present their own particular problems and benefit from the
collective experience of the other attendees.
The Operational Planning, Control & Automation Technologies (OPCAT) Sessions will
address the latest developments in supply chain management,
industrial control systems security, process control, plant
automation, and the supporting information technology systems.
The Cybersecurity Sessions focus on why cybersecurity risk management is now a paramount issue in the refining and petrochemical industries. Presentations will focus on contemporary cybersecurity topics, including industrial control systems, ransomware, risk management and supply chain security.
The Tabletop Exhibition showcases catalyst, chemical, and
technology providers, engineering companies, licensors, and
other industry suppliers in one convenient location.
The AFPM Environmental Conference focuses on regulatory and policy issues at the plant level. The meeting format consists of both technical presentations and question and answer sessions. The sessions are designed to address the impacts of various environmental regulations on refineries and petrochemical plants and to provide solutions and compliance mechanisms for a facility. A poster session highlights technologies and systems developed or used by organizations to improve environmental compliance and controls. The Conference features industry experts from refining and petrochemical companies.
American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers
1800 M Street, NW Suite 900 North
Washington, DC 20036
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You are hereHome | Learn About Wildlife | Defenders Magazine | Spring 2010 | Defenders View: Earth Day at Middle Age: Time to Recommit
Defenders View: Earth Day at Middle Age: Time to Recommit
by Rodger Schlickeisen, President
© Krista Schlyer
When friends reach 40, we celebrate their arrival at middle-age with black birthday balloons and gag gifts. We joke that the best is behind them and they're "over the hill." But those of us who have passed this milestone view it differently, convinced that at 40, one's best years are still ahead.
On April 22, Earth Day turns 40. Is it and the cause it promotes "over the hill?" Or are their best years still ahead?
The first Earth Day was conceived by the late Senator Gaylord Nelson as a day of learning. In response, schools nationwide organized environmental "teach-ins." But the activist spirit of the time took hold, and 20 million Americans also gathered to protest deteriorating environmental conditions. Rapidly growing pollution was a huge problem, as symbolized by one of America's rivers being so filthy it burst into flames. Some protestors wore gasmasks to emphasize their disgust with dirty air. Others stressed concern that fish, animal and plant species were going extinct at a frightening rate.
Since then we've made important progress. As a result of the increased understanding and energy generated by our Earth Days, and by the environmental movement they fuel, we now have a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and landmark laws such as the National Environmental Protection, Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts. We've returned wolves to the northern Rockies and Yellowstone National Park. We've kept the grizzly bear from going extinct. We've saved the bald eagle and brown pelican from being lost to the lethal pesticide, DDT. And much more.
But as we've become more seriously involved with protecting the Earth, we've also come to better recognize the enormity of our environmental problems, and the frightening trends of deterioration for which human activity is responsible. So, for example, we see mounting pressure on our imperiled wildlife. In the Southwest, the Mexican wolf is fighting for survival, with its numbers declining 20 percent last year. Also in 2009 the endangered Florida panther faced its most deadly year yet when 17 panthers were killed by vehicles. And the U.S. Department of the Interior wrongly removed protection for northern Rockies wolves (an action we're suing to reverse), allowing massive wolf killing there. The list of wild creatures in jeopardy grows longer: polar bears, wolverines, right whales, jaguars, black-footed ferrets and so on.
And while we work to protect imperiled creatures from the more traditional threats, they (and we) now face a larger, more complex and more insidious one: global warming. If we do not drastically reduce our heat-trapping pollution emissions, we will nullify most of our environmental successes of the past 40 years—and create new problems that at once dwarf and accentuate existing challenges.
Despite this reality, this Earth Day, like the previous 39, brings hope. Hope, most importantly, that our elected leaders will at last enact global warming legislation that decisively reduces our dependence on dirty fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. President Obama named this one of his highest priorities, and his administration is making significant investments in renewable energy—using the wind and sun to power our cities, offices and homes. Now, if only Congress will act, we could be on the verge of creating a new, clean energy economy that alleviates our most significant environmental problems.
For Earth Day and environmental protection, are the best days still ahead? For our children's sake, they better be. So this Earth Day, I urge you to re-commit yourselves: Write and tell your members of Congress to pass a real global warming bill. Or join Defenders' wildlife volunteer corps. Or visit our action center to learn about other possibilities. Help prove that for environmental protection, life begins at 40.


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Sophia ShopperPrevious Product Next Product
3-d fish painting
13"W x 10"H x 5"D. (Interior capacity: medium.)
6" strap drop.
Flared gussets define the modern silhouette of a spacious, ladylike faux-leather shopper.
Top zip closure.
Interior zip, wall and cell-phone pockets.
SHIPPING: Express International Shipping ---- see details
Returns Policy
Our products are guaranteed to give 100% satisfaction in every way. If you are not happy about a product, we offer you the following:
- Return it within 3 days starting from the day the item is received by you*. 100% refund of the value of the product once we receive your return and in good condition. OR
- Alternation fees involved if the dress doesn't fit (show us your receipts). The claim is up to 50% of the alternation fee.
Please note the buyer is responsible for the postage for the returning item.
Life should be this simple. We don't want you to have anything from Yannyexpress that is not completely satisfactory. Visit FAQ for more information or Contact us should you have any questions.
(Please note custom-made dresses are non-returnable.)
Please see the link below for our shipping rates by location.Shipping Rates by Location
During the checkout process, you will see a shipping estimator. You can use it to estimate your shipping cost before your actual purchase.


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A luminous Portuguese man o' war has floated onto our horizon to light up the last days of summer and herald the countdown to October's big reveal of all 100 winning images in the 50th Willdlife Photographer of the Year competition. Tickets for the 2014 exhibition have also just gone on sale.
Sailing by: Matthew Smith. Finalist in the Invertebrates category. Photographing at dawn's high tide in New South Wales, Matt used fibre-optic snoots to pinpoint the light and bring out the luminosity and beauty of an often unappreciated creature. Despite wearing a wet suit, he didn't avoid getting stung. Select images to enlarge.
The enigmatic shot (above) of a Portuguese man o' war, taken by Matthew Smith at sunrise in the strong winds and coastal waters off Australia's New South Wales, is one of the 100 fnalists chosen from almost 42,000 entries and will be the face of the WPY 2014 exhibition. Soon its presence will be felt in many London underground stations, around the Museum, and beyond to announce the opening of the exhibition here on 24 October.
Snake eyes: Marc Montes. Finalist in the 11-14 Years category. Marc took this skilful shot while trekking in a forest near his home in northern Spain. To snatch the portrait of the quick-moving three-foot snake, he used a wide aperture for a narrow depth of field.
A large Spanish grass snake's staring eyes, a Daubenton's bat snuggled in an abandoned German WWII bunker in Poland - taking a breath just once every 90 minutes - and a crowd of migrating cranes in a Rajasthan village are among several other wildlife wonders revealed now from the first finalists announced.
Lukasz Bozycki: Winter hang-out. Finalist in the Mammals category. Lukasz spent a week in an abandoned German WWII bunker in northern Poland photographing hibernating Daubenton's bats. He captured the frozen eeriness here with a cool-white balance camera setting and a flashlight on one bat on the ceiling.
This year of course is special for WPY. We celebrate the 50th competition, we launched our first ever People's Choice Award (which has received tens of thousands of votes to date), the exhibition will run a lot longer (all the way to next August), there are some great exclusive events coming up with big names in the photography world, and we have new categories to enjoy. I'm particularly intrigued to see the winning entries in the new mobile and timelapse awards.
The elegant crowd: Jasper Doest. Finalist in the Black and White category. Captivated by cranes and their migratory behaviour, Jasper took this on the roof of a friend's house in the village of Khichan in Rajasthan, where the demoiselle cranes flocked to feed. In black and white, the size and dynamics of the flock are emphasised.
We must wait now until October to discover who will be the 100 finalists and the overall winner of the 50th Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Only the panel of judges (below), who came to their decision in May following a rigorous selection process, already know all.
Watch this space and feel the tension mount. The overall winner and all the finalists will be announced at the prestigious awards ceremony held on the evening of 21 October.


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- How do I find out what is happening on campus?
- What are the Harrington Center's hours?
- Are microwaves allowed in residence hall rooms?
- Do I have to be Catholic to participate in Campus Ministry programs or events?
- How can I get involved with Campus Ministry?
- Where can I go to Mass at the Mount?
- What is the Office of Diversity & Inclusion?
- What are the Police staffing hours?
- Are Campus Police certified police officers?
- Is Orientation mandatory?
- Must Transfer Students attend Orientation?
- Should parents attend orientation with their son or daughter?
- How Can I Get Involved on Campus?
- How much do counseling services cost?
- Who can use counseling services?
- What happens in counseling?
The Calendar has up-to-date information about times and locations of upcoming events. Also check News.
The Harrington Center is open the following hours during the academic year:
- 7 a.m.-11 p.m., Monday-Thursday
- 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday
- 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday
- 12 p.m.-9 p.m., Sunday
There are shortened hours during the summer and over breaks.
No. Microwaves are not allowed in residence hall rooms. We do have microwaves you can use on each floor.
Absolutely not! We invite people of all faiths to join any of our programs. While our mission was formed in the Catholic Christian tradition, we enjoy the discussion and diversity of gifts and opinions offered by people of different faith traditions.
Events are scheduled throughout the year. Campus Ministry is not a club you have to join in order to participate, but some programs do require more than a one-time commitment like F.I.S.H. (Faith In Sharing) groups that meet weekly, or the student leadership team. To learn more, see Campus Ministry.
You can join us every Sunday night at 8 p.m. in the sixth-floor chapel for Sunday Mass. This is an awesome experience for many of our students, with great homilies and friendly priests, lively music and great fellowship.
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion initiates programs and resources that support a multicultural community. The office also provides resources for the unique needs of students of color and international students. We seek to preserve the rich heritage of multiculturalism by addressing the academic, spiritual, social, and cultural needs of all students.
The police department is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Is Orientation mandatory?
All first-time freshmen must attend an Orientation Session and Welcome Weekend. Traditional transfer students can come to both, but are only required to attend Welcome Weekend.
Adult students are strongly encouraged to attend Adult Orientation, which is a separate event from the above-mentioned Orientation and Welcome Weekend.
Parents are invited to attend Summer Orientation Sessions with students.
At orientation, there is a special track for parents where they can learn more about resources available to students, meet key staff and faculty members and learn how to support students during their college experience.
Welcome Weekend sessions are geared only to students.
There are a variety of opportunities to get involved. The Mount has more than 40 active student clubs and organizations including Student Government Association, the MSJ Dateline student Newspaper, Black Student Union, and the Campus Activities Board. See campus activities for more information.
Counseling services are free to students enrolled in any of the Mount's academic programs. You can make an appointment with a counselor by calling (513) 244-4949.
Any enrolled student may use the counseling services. You can also arrange evening appointments with a counselor.
When you make an appointment with a counselor, you will meet with a trained professional dedicated to providing a safe and confidential setting. You and your counselor will set goals and work out a schedule of meeting times. Students come to counseling for a lot of different reasons, including:
- Feeling alone, homesick, or having difficulty adjust to college life
- Having relationship problems/ family problems
- Having academic problems
- Feeling sad or hopeless
- Felling anxiety about taking tests, making friends or being in groups
- Having problems with self-image or self-esteem
- Feeling stressed about money or time


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Regular price $ 349.95
Bonefish roam from French Polynesia to the Bahamian fringes and beyond—and so should you. When it's time to take flight, pack light and stay bone dry in Simms' Acklins Jacket, featuring 3-layer GORE-TEX® Shell fabric with a rugged, rip-stop 20-denier face. Full-length pit-zips dump unwanted heat while doubling as stash pockets. The 3-point cinch storm hood with drop collar construction is fully customizable. And articulated sleeves and a fitted design maximize mobility for all-day casting comfort.
- New fit designed for warm weather, less layering & improved mobility
- 3-point cinch storm hood with drop collar construction, extended length mesh-lined hand pockets with 2 way zipper for easy access, venting & low profile bellow zippered chest pocket
- YKK® AquaGuard® VT10 CF lightweight/ flexible zipper with interior storm flap for added protection
- Articulated sleeves with VELCRO® cuff closure & adjustable bottom hem with kill switch d-rings
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Colonels come north seeking upset of 13th-ranked SpartansDec 1, 2012 - 4:57 PM East Lansing, MI (Sports Network) - The 13th-ranked Michigan State Spartans will try to bounce back from a loss earlier in the week when they host the Nicholls State Colonels at the Breslin Center on Saturday afternoon.
Nicholls has been quiet through the first three weeks of the season having played just three games, losing at Vanderbilt (80-65) and Missouri (74-54), and winning at home versus New Orleans (92-79). The Colonels won't return home until Jan. 3, 2013, when they kick off Southland Conference play.
After falling to UConn in the season opener in Germany, 66-62, Michigan State was able to reel off five straight wins, highlighted by a neutral-court victory over nationally-ranked Kansas, 67-64. The Spartans encountered a stumbling block in their first true road game however, losing at Miami-Florida on Wednesday night, 67-59.
Michigan State has won both previous meetings in the series with Nicholls by margins of 50 points or greater.
Nicholls struggled in its first two matchups against superior competition, but it showed its last time out that it can do some serious damage against teams more on its level. Against New Orleans, the Colonels drained greater than 60 percent of their field goal attempts, including 6-of-12 from three-point range, and they added a solid night from the foul line as well (28-of-37) on their way to a season-high 92 points. Pacing five players in double figures was Fred Hunter, who netted 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. The senior guard has been the team's go-to guy on the young season as he puts up 21.7 ppg on a lofty 62.2 percent field goal shooting. He also rips down a team-best 6.7 rpg. JaMarkus Horace also had a stellar shooting night (7-of-11) en route to 17 points. Shane Rilleux tallied 13 points and five assists while T.J. Carpenter and Sam McBeath scored 11 apiece. Carpenter and McBeath each put up 12.0 ppg and have combined to make 10 of the team's 18 three-pointers through three games.
Michigan State shoots a solid 46.5 percent from the field while sporting a field goal percentage defense of 38.6 percent, but the script was flipped in the loss to Miami, as it shot just 40.7 percent from the floor while the 'Canes made nearly 48 percent of their attempts. The Spartans didn't help themselves much at the foul line either, going 5-of-11. Keith Appling was one of the few players who put together worthwhile performances, scoring 15 points while adding five rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Gary Harris returned sooner than expected from a shoulder injury, logging 12 points and eight boards in 25 minutes off the bench. Appling has taken the torch as team-leader this season, scoring 16.6 ppg on 47 percent from the floor (including 11-of-26 from three-point range) while adding a team-best 4.1 apg. Harris has seen action in five games, scoring 12.0 ppg in those contests, and Branden Dawson (11.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg) has been the team's best asset in the low block. Adreian Payne (7.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Derrick Nix (7.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg) fill out MSU's strong and deep frontcourt, who have helped it log nearly a plus-10.0 rebounding margin.
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Related News
- Michigan State to No. 1 in AP poll, Villanova drops to No. 3 Jan 1
- Ward, Bridges help No. 2 Michigan State rout Savannah State Dec 31
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- Bridges has 33, No. 2 Michigan St swats away Houston Baptist Dec 18
- Top 25 roundup: Oklahoma upsets No. 3 Wichita State Dec 17
- Winston helps No. 2 Michigan State beat Oakland 86-73 Dec 16
- No. 2 Michigan State signs 5 players to hoops scholarships Nov 8
- Michigan State's Bridges tops AP preseason All-America team Nov 6
- Duke ranked No. 1 in AP preseason poll Nov 1
- Michigan State's players put on a show at Midnight Madness Oct 21
- Report: Draymond Green's FaceTime caught NCAA's attention Sep 15
- Magic honors late Michigan State coach Heathcote Aug 29


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AutoFarm announces an investment in gps-Ag, a provider of precision agriculture products that can be moved from vehicle to vehicle. The Australian company's current managers will continue to run gps-Ag as an independent company, and it will carry the same precision product lines. Herb Satterlee, CEP of AutoFarm, reports, "We don't expect a lot of change in the business. We like what we see and we want to be part of it."
AutoFarm, a division of Novariant, manufactures and markets GPS receivers and precision agriculture solutions for automatic steering and leveling.


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Major Section: EVENTS
Examples: (defthm assoc-of-app (equal (app (app a b) c) (app a (app b c))))The following nonsensical example illustrates all the optional arguments but is illegal because not all combinations are permitted. See hints for a complete list of hints.
(defthm main (implies (hyps x y z) (concl x y z)) :rule-classes (:REWRITE :GENERALIZE) :instructions (induct prove promote (dive 1) x (dive 2) = top (drop 2) prove) :hints (("Goal" :do-not '(generalize fertilize) :in-theory (set-difference-theories (current-theory :here) '(assoc)) :induct (and (nth n a) (nth n b)) :use ((:instance assoc-of-append (x a) (y b) (z c)) (:functional-instance (:instance p-f (x a) (y b)) (p consp) (f assoc))))) :otf-flg t :doc "#0[one-liner/example/details]")where
General Form: (defthm name term :rule-classes rule-classes :instructions instructions :hints hints :otf-flg otf-flg :doc doc-string)
name is a new symbolic name (see name),
term is a
term alleged to be a theorem, and
otf-flg and
doc-string are as described in their
respective documentation. The five keyword arguments above are
all optional, however you may not supply both
hints, since one drives the proof checker and the other
drives the theorem prover. If
rule-classes is not specified,
the list
(:rewrite) is used; if you wish the theorem to generate
no rules, specify
When ACL2 processes a
defthm event, it first tries to prove the
term using the indicated hints (see hints) or instructions
(see proof-checker). If it is successful, it stores the rules
described by the rule-classes (see rule-classes), proving the
necessary corollaries.


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…by attending one of my public events this month. Here's what I currently have scheduled (those sponsored by Federalist Society marked with an asterisk):
- Feb.7 at 4pm – Comparative Constitutionalism, Rule of Law, and Lessons from Iraq – NYU Law School*
- Feb.8 at 1pm – Panel on Judicial Activism (American Constitution Society conference on "Federal Courts, Inc.?") – NYU Law School
- Feb.9 at 1pm – Debate on the Constitutionality of Obamacare – Brooklyn Law School*
- Feb.10 at 10:45am – Debate on the Constitutionality of Obamacare – AMA Advocacy Conference at the Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC
- Feb.15 at noon – Is Dodd-Frank Constitutional? – Cato Policy Forum
- Feb.16 at 12:15pm – Debate on the Constitutionality of Obamacare – University of Akron Law School*
- Feb.16 or 17 - TBD – possible event(s) at Case Western and/or Cleveland State Law Schools*
- Feb.20 at 10:45 – "Are There Any Limits on Federal Power?" – Students for Liberty International Conference, George Washington University Marvin Center, Washington, DC
- Feb.22 at noon – Debate on Constitutionality of Obamacare – University of Arkansas Law School*
- Feb.23 at 12:20 – TBD – Southern Methodist University, Dallas*
As always, if you attend any of these events, please come up and introduce yourself. You can also follow my travels and travelogues on Twitter at @ishapiro.


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Scratched your wheels? We know exactly how annoying that can be. There are many tips on sprucing up your car's paint or preventing the interior from looking worn in the first place, but the wheels need attention too – especially since they usually take the brunt of urban driving; parallel parking and curbside drop-offs are a rim's worst nightmare. If your painted metal is looking the worse for wear, here's how to repair it yourself without spending a fortune.
Scratch filling primer
Wheel paint (to match your specific wheel color)
Clear lacquer
Paint thinner
Bondo spot putty
Sand paper 240 and 400 grit
Masking tape
Step 2: Clean the wheel. Soap-up, scrub and shine that puppy. Then use paint thinner to specifically clean just the damaged area and nothing more. You want to remove all polishes and waxes from the surface in order to properly repair it, which means you'll need to really rub the area, wipe it down and repeat.
Step 3: Once the damaged area is completely clean, you'll need to prepare the wheel for sanding. If the tire is still on, use the masking tape to cover the area underneath where the wheel meets the tire. You can use this time to completely cover the tire to protect it from paint as well. It may be a pain, but scraping paint spray off the rubber is much more tiresome.
Step 4: Gently sand the damaged area using 240-grit sandpaper. Once you've sanded it down a bit, wipe the area clean and apply the putty to the scrape. Just cover the specific area and don't worry about getting it flat and smooth because you'll be sanding it down. Let the putty completely dry before attempting to sand it smooth using the 400-grit sandpaper. You want to make sure it feels flush to the original wheel surface – a flat block will help to create the desired effect.
Step 5: Once again, if the wheel has not been removed from the car and tire you'll need to fully protect any exposed areas you don't want flakes of paint to stick to. It'll happen, trust us.
This is where the scratch filling primer comes in. Spray it on the repair area, let dry and then sand it down with 400-grit or finer sandpaper. Add more putty if there are any uneven areas and repeat. It's very important to clean off the overspray with a rag immediately after spraying the primer and paint. There's no reason to get paint anywhere but the area on which you're working.


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Niko Bellic
Niko Bellic (Serbian: Нико Белић, Niko Belić) is the playable protagonist of Grand Theft Auto IV. Born in Serbia, Yugoslavia, he worked as a soldier in the Yugoslav Wars and later as a gun-for-hire for organized crime syndicates in the United States.
Early life and family
It is suggested during The Cousins Bellic that Niko and Roman are from Serbia when Roman says Niko's English is "better than my Serbian". Their nationality is addressed in a handful of other missions, and hints at the same conclusion.
Niko's father was an abusive alcoholic, whom Niko despised; his mother, Milica Bellic, was a long-suffering woman, unhappy that her son grew up in such a harsh place. Niko grew up in the same neighborhood as Roman, whose father and mother were very similar to Niko's. In a conversation with Patrick McReary, Niko reveals that he had a brother who died during the Bosnian war. According to the dialogue in the mission, Taking in the Trash, Niko dreamt of becoming an astronaut when he was a child. In a conversation with Dwayne Forge, Niko says in the place he grew up, they did not have electricity until he was twelve.
Bosnian Wars
Niko grew up in the harsh environment of the Yugoslav Wars, and became a soldier himself as a teenager (The Yugoslav Wars being between 1991 and 1995, this means Niko was only 13-17 years old at the time). Niko says that he was betrayed "ten years ago", making it closer to 1997 or 1998 (although Florian claims that its was "twelve or thirteen years ago" in a phone call after the mission That Special Someone). He served as a helicopter pilot and an infantryman during the war, and during the mission Easy Fare, Roman alludes to him driving a tank (although given Roman's lack of first-hand experience, this is not necessarily true).
During the war, Niko both witnessed and committed numerous atrocities, which led to his cynical perspective on life, and a certain degree of regret, depression, and emotional detachment. Eventually, Niko's unit of fifteen men (most of them friends from his hometown) were ambushed by enemy forces, and all but three were killed: Darko Brevic, Florian Cravic, and Niko himself. Niko concluded that either Florian or Darko had sold the group out, and he vowed to uncover and kill the culprit, not only to gain revenge, but also to hopefully 'close the book' on the incident, and move on with his life.
Post-war life
Work was hard to come by following the war. In 1998 Niko's cousin, Roman had already moved to America to start a new life in Liberty City. Niko tells Kate McReary that after Roman left Yugoslavia, Roman's mother was raped and murdered but to spare Roman further devastation, he told him she died in a house fire. Niko did at least one prison stint in Europe, then worked as a human trafficker for Ray Bulgarin. During a smuggling run from Yugoslavia to Italy the boat sank in the Adriatic, Niko swam to safety, but everything and everyone else was lost. Bulgarin believed that Niko had intentionally scuttled the ship and stole his money; the gangster's reach was too great within Europe, so Niko joined the merchant navy to escape Bulgarin's influence.
Life in Liberty City
Niko spent seven months with the cargo ship Platypus, which eventually headed for Liberty City - Niko, his shipmate Hossan Ramzy and possibly others got off the boat to live in Liberty City permanently, hoping to live the American Dream. His cousin Roman sent emails to their entire family saying he lived a lavish life with several luxury homes, sports cars and girlfriends. Niko was also "looking for that special someone", namely revenge on a former war buddy who accepted a bribe and got most of the group killed. Of the three survivors - himself, Florian Cravic and Darko Brevic, he knew Florian was living in Liberty City.
Upon arriving in Liberty City, Niko realized that Roman's stories of success were entirely exaggerated; he actually lived in a small, decrepit apartment, ran a small taxi depot in Hove Beach, and owed gambling debts across the city to several powerful criminals such as the Albanian and Russian mobs. Niko begins committing crimes while handling Roman's two loan sharks - fighting off Dardan Petrela while working off debt for Vlad Glebov - and assisting Roman's regular customers such as Little Jacob in criminal activity. He also begins dating Michelle, a friend of Roman's steady girlfriend Mallorie Bardas. Niko kills Vlad after he found out Vlad was having an affair with Mallorie, and Niko and Roman are immediately kidnapped by Vlad's bosses Mikhail Faustin and Dimitri Rascalov, who are major figures in Liberty City's Bratva. Niko miraculously convinces Faustin to employ them instead of kill them, and eventually follows Faustin's rash order to kill the son of Kenny Petrovic. Dimitri talks with Niko in private, and convinces him to kill Faustin in order to be spared of Petrovic's wrath. Dimitri finally reveals that he is working with Ray Bulgarin and attempts to kill Niko and Roman. Roman's apartment and cab depot are bombed away, and they are forced into hiding with Mallorie's cousins in Bohan.
Mallorie puts Niko in contact with Manny Escuela and Elizabeta Torres for more work. Elizabeta, in turn, introduces Niko to Playboy X and Packie McReary. Elizabeta is eventually arrested, Michelle reveals to Niko that she in an undercover agent and forces him to work for United Liberty Paper, a front company for a very secretive law enforcement agency. Through his work with McReary, he becomes an associate of the Pegorino crime family. Meanwhile, Roman receives an insurance payment from his burned-down property, uses it to restart his business and finally becomes rich as according to Niko, Roman is a rich chopping board indicating that he is wealthy. Roman then buys a luxury penthouse in Middle Park East for both of them to live in.
Pegorino capo Ray Boccino gives Niko the location of Florian, who turns out to be innocent. Furthermore, Florian had changed his name to "Bernie Crane", came out as a homosexual and began secretly dating Liberty City's anti-gay deputy mayor Bryce Dawkins. United Liberty Paper, with help from Gambetti don Jon Gravelli, finally tracked down Darko Brevic in Bucharest and kidnapped him for Niko. Brevic confesses to accepting the fatal bribe because of his heavy drug addiction, and the player chooses whether or not Niko kills him or lets him live as punishment.
Niko is later asked by Don Jimmy Pegorino to help with a heroin deal and work with his bitter enemy, Dimitri Rascalov. The player chooses whether Niko cooperates or kills Dimitri before the deal takes place. If Niko participates, he is betrayed by Dimitri as expected. Either way, a hitman fails to kill Niko at Roman and Mallorie's wedding, and Niko wants to kill Pegorino. Pegorino and Dimitri are both eventually killed. Depending on Niko's choice, either Roman Bellic or Kate McReary is the one killed at the wedding. At the game's end, Niko muses on the American Dream and concludes that it is a hollow promise, which no one can achieve.
At the end of the game, a Weazel News report states that Niko is wanted for questioning by the police (although not as a suspect), for the events at his cousin's wedding.
Niko's immigrant status is uncertain, and arouses the suspicion of the LCPD and FIB. Although Niko often protests while fleeing police that he "has [his] papers", Roman says that Niko does not have a visa.
Niko is very protective of his family and loved ones, particularly his cousin Roman, whom Niko constantly has to worry about due to his gambling habit, and Roman has an indiscreet nature of frequently getting the pair into trouble. He is withdrawn among strangers, but has good manners, and shows a softer side with love interests like Kate McReary and Michelle; that said, the horrors of war, both witnessed and perpetrated by Niko, have given him a great sense of guilt, and an ambivalence about the value of human life — he warns away pursuers and expresses regret over his past violence, but also feels that killing is all that he can do, readily taking on jobs which necessarily involve murder. He has an explosive temper when he is betrayed, manipulated, or his loyalty is questioned, but he is also quick to help the defenseless and unfortunate, even those he merely meets in passing; he apparently possesses a sense of idealism which was wounded by his wartime experiences. Unfortunately, such a split attitude leads to hypocrisy — Niko, for example, appears to genuinely sympathize with the McRearys' grief over the demise of one of their brothers, despite having secretly committed that murder himself.
Niko's bitterness at the murder of his friends during the war has consumed him, and he is unable to let it go, taking on several highly dangerous jobs merely to enable his quest for vengeance. Several of his friends, most notably Roman, urge him to find a new reason to live, and there are many morality choices for Niko to emphasize his trait.
Niko's businesslike manner usually leads him to behave more maturely and cautiously than his acquaintances, although with acquaintances like Brucie Kibbutz, Bernie Crane and Roman, this is no surprise. He has an apparent distaste for illicit drugs, turning down Little Jacob's offer of marijuana and warning against Packie's cocaine habit; he also finds it distasteful to traffic in cocaine and particularly heroin, although this may be due to the heavy jail sentences they attract as much as any moral qualms. He is skeptical of American mainstream culture, which he sees as shallow, hypocritical and debauched, and has trouble relating to Roman's fascination with the country.
Niko has a certain degree of pity for other people, even random strangers, and feels obliged to help others who cannot help themselves. Most missions involve Niko doing jobs for money, particularly one occasion, after meeting a troubled young girl, Marnie Allen; he even gives her some of his own money multiple times to help her out.
Niko almost always refuses alcohol when it is offered to him (he asks for water in the mission Ivan The Not So Terrible) except for the mission The Holland Play where Playboy X pours him a glass but immediately before taking a sip, Niko changes his mind and puts the glass on a table. There is a scene where Niko does drink a glass of Vodka (on the rocks) in the mission One Last Thing while talking to Jimmy Pegorino, but this is understandable considering what he has just been through. Niko does however enjoy a drink, but knows the time and place for it. He refuses alcohol outright in instances where he needs to keep a sharp mind, such as during missions.
LCPD Database record
Surname: Bellic
First Name: Niko
Age: 30
Place of Birth: Unknown
Affiliations: Linked to Russian and West Indian Criminals in Broker
Criminal Record:
- 2008 - Grand Theft Auto
- Recent immigrant to Liberty City from Eastern Europe.
- Appears to be avoiding allegiance to one particular criminal organization.
Naming and language errors
"Niko" means "Nobody" in the Serbian and Bosnian language. The surname "Bellic" would not exist in the Serbian, Bosnian or Croatian languages, as these do not allow consecutive consonants (i.e., the double-L in "Bellic"); "Bellic" is also pronounced with a hard 'c' ("bel-lik") throughout the game — Niko himself uses the incorrect pronunciation when introducing himself to the receptionist at Goldberg, Ligner and Shyster in the mission Final Interview. A proper pronunciation would use a hard 'ch' (as used in-game with the names "Darko Brevic" and "Florian Cravic"); a more authentic rendering of Niko's surname would be Belić. At one point, Florian, speaking in his native Serbian, pronounces the name correctly; "Bellic" may simply be an Anglicized version of "Belić".
The first name "Niko" is distinctively Croatian, rather than Serbian — the Serbian equivalent would be "Nikola". In the mission Final Interview, Tom Goldberg refers to Niko as "Nikolai", although this is an assumption on his part — he begins their interview by saying, "Hello Niko; what's that short for? Nikolai?" Niko does not respond and no one else calls him "Nikolai" in the game.
Niko's voice actor, Michael Hollick, is American, and the accent he assumes for Niko is not a Serbian one; Niko's spoken Serbian is frequently mispronounced or wrongly emphasized.
Ironically, a Croatian preview of the game uses his incorrect rendering of his name. [1]
- As Niko is either a protagonist or not a traveling companion in each GTA IV-era game, he's not assigned a favorite radio station. However, he tells Little Jacob that "this city has some incredible music" and that he is a keen reggae fan. He tells Pathos and Patrick McReary that he doesn't really listen to rap music.
- In the opening cutscene of The Lost and Damned during the mission Clean and Serene, Niko can be seen in the background roughly brushing past a pedestrian, right before you hear the LCPD report of the motorcyclists wearing no helmets. Oddly, Niko shouldn't even be seen in Alderney, as this contradicts GTA IV; at the time of the mission, Niko is restricted to the boroughs of Bohan, Broker and Dukes.
- Niko appears to be visually inspired by Sasha from the movie Behind Enemy Lines (2001), which takes place in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war. Sasha's clothes are even available to buy in the Russian Shop.
- Niko has a scar on his left eyebrow.
- Niko had a childhood crush on a girl from his village, named Mila Tadic. Roman will confirm this during friend activities.
- In artwork and earlier screenshots, Niko had often been seen wearing fingerless gloves. The files still remain in the PC version (confirmed) and can only be used with an in-game Trainer. Obtaining them in the game without modding is impossible. The reason why they have been removed from the final version of the game is unknown, but it is likely due to the fact that they are not very inconspicuous.
- In early beta versions of GTA IV, Niko had slightly thicker hair and sometimes he can be seen with a buzzcut, neither of which appear in GTA IV, but still exists in the game files.
- Niko, along with Patrick McReary, can be fought and killed in The Ballad of Gay Tony mission Ladies Half Price. Niko and Packie have a colossal amount of health, and their deaths do not affect the story [2].
- Vladimir Glebov calls Niko "Yokel" multiple times in the game. Yokel is a derogatory term for people who grew up in poor countries.
- Niko was a speeder and daredevil before he even left his home country, as Roman comments that he is still a crazy driver.
- In a conversation with Manny Escuela during Escuela of the Streets, he claims that he stalked a woman in Europe..
- One of Niko's girlfriends, Alexandra Chilton, frequently reveals on her blog that Niko has a very large penis, comments refer to his "bulging package" and how "well-hung" he is. After Niko sleeps with her for the first time, she writes on her blog that she is to discuss this with her friends, Heidi & Paige. Alex also comments that he can be rough and kinky, including a session where he "bullfrogged" her over a washing machine, which she recorded and spanked her with a frying pan, amongst others. She also writes how she once had to steam clean her whole flat after he left. Alex wonders if all Europeans are like that, which also ties in with Niko's cousin, Roman, and his attitude towards sex, as who is often on the prowl for young college girls.
- It can be noted that without the player's control, Niko will never hit female pedestrians. For example, when Niko carjacks someone, the animation can sometimes see him punch or kick the occupant of the car, but he only does this to male drivers. If the driver is female, Niko will just pull her out of the car and not harm her. Rockstar Games included this so as to fit with the personality that had been created for him. Also, some Random Character missions require Niko to beat up men for assaulting women. The only time Niko hits a female without the player's input is during the two-part mission, I'll Take Her, where he punches and knocks out Gracie Ancelotti in order to stop her behaving eratically when he tries to kidnap her for the McRearys, and later when she is tied up, he slaps her to get her attention for a photo to prove to her father he has her held hostage. This is directly copied in TBOGT by Luis Lopez, when he also hits Gracie to shut her up during Ladies Half Price.
- There is a possible reference to Niko in a competing game, Saints Row. There is a commercial featuring a man named Vlad with an East European accent (Jason Zumwalt, the same voice actor that voices Roman), with hints that he is a human trafficker, and claims he is willing to have the player's family killed.
- If Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend is played after Pest Control, Niko tells Packie that he has intentions of going after Bulgarin.
- Niko is currently the only protagonist to originate from Europe, although Tommy Vercetti and Toni Cipriani have European roots.
- Niko was voted 13th in the 2011 edition of the Guiness World Records for the Top 50 favourite game characters.
- Niko Bellic is mentionned in an episode of Criminal Minds, a young serial killer who like video game took the nickname of Niko Bellic but one main character knew that's the name of the main character of a "very famous video game".
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- As the protagonist, he appears in every mission.
- The Lost and Damned
- Clean and Serene
- Buyer's Market
- Collector's Item
- Credits (TLAD)
- Knowing Me, Knowing You (Voice only)
- The Ballad of Gay Tony
See also