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Information is power. >:)Phonebooth said:This wins the "longest thread title ever" award.
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I personally find one of its most useful features to be that it can show you how many of your guild mates and friends are online at any given moment, then let you hover your mouse over the number to see a tooltip list, with clickable names for whispers or invitations, just like a regular IM program.
To be honest, I actually tried out its competitor, Titan Panel, long before I had heard of Fubar, and then switched to Fubar because it feels more flexible and lighter on my system. Fubar is made with Ace, which usually helps addons feel smoother somehow; the difference between Fubar and Titan is what made me go looking for other Ace addons. Also, the other thing I love about it... is that it's called "Fubar!" and most of its companion module addons end in "fu", as in "QuestsFu" and "MoneyFu!" I just love my addons with a extra helping of humor sauce.

subset: commoncrawl


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New ad targets Pryor over judicial nominations
A conservative group is airing a television ad criticizing Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor for supporting President Barack Obama's judicial picks, the latest organization to wade into the air war surrounding Pryor's re-election bid next year.
The Judicial Crisis Network on Friday said it would begin airing the ad over the two weeks in the Little Rock area. A consultant for the Washington-based group said it purchased about $95,000 worth of air time to begin running the spot Saturday.
The spot criticizes Pryor for supporting the president's judicial nominees, calling them liberal activist judges. Pryor's campaign dismissed the ad as a false attack.
Pryor was first elected in 2002 is running for re-election against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton.


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- This event has passed.
Weekly Living Card Game Night
December 19, 2018 @ 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
An event every week that begins at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, repeating until December 31, 2018
Living Card Games are a form of Collectible Card Game where the card pool is easy to get, and each game brings its own unique experience. You can go on a cooperative adventure in the Lord of the Rings Card Game and Investigate a mind bending story in Arkham Horror. Or you can fight other players for honor and the rights to rule in Legend of the Five Rings and Game of Thrones respectively!
Play at Diversions and meet and play with other players who share the same passion for the game as you might! Or come in and try a new game, who knows, you might even get hooked.
Read all about Living Card Games at Fantasy Flight's Website here:


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Inside Merch Fit Tee - Merch Black
$29.99 $59.99
Designed in Byron Bay, Australia, this product is a part of our endeavour to use more environmentally sustainable fabrics. For more information check out our Thrills Sustainable Future page.
- Regular fit true to size
- Our model wears a size medium and is 185cm/6'1" tall
- 70% Cotton 30 % Linen Reversed 180gsm Jersey
Linen is one of our sustainable focus fabrics - Linen, made from the flax plant is biodegradable, strong and breathable, antibacterial and beautiful. Using less water than cotton to grow, the flax plant is not only pest resistant, but one of the oldest known fibres to mankind!


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Saturday, 28 April 2012
Direct Sound EX-29 Extreme Isolation Headphones
My old Sennheiser CX-300 headphones were nearing the end of their 2 year warranty. They had a small, but not too discernible split near the top of the plug. It didn't affect the sound, but I thought since it was my last chance to have it repaired, and maybe give it an extended lease of life.
While it was getting repaired I had to use what I had in the downtime. I tried to tolerate a pair of the most horrible in-ear headphones I got on my Jetstar flight to Australia. With all treble and no bass, it only lasted one day.
I like over-ear headphones, probably more for the retro aesthetic look rather than any other reason. I LOVE the sound of my Kenwood KH-K1000 cans, but they easily leak audio making them unsuitable on the trains. And besides I sent them back to Australia!
While looking through Shibuya on the 3rd of March, I was again considering the Sennheiser HD25-1 II. They sound great and have easily replaceable parts. Close by I saw the Direct Sound EX-29 Extreme Isolation headphones.
I'd heard about these through seeing Paul Gilbert use them live and part of his first Signature Fireman guitar release a few years ago.
Also watching this video turned me onto their sound isolation features.
I switched between the Sennheisers and these to try to discern any noticeable differences especially with bass as the HD's had a spec down to 5 hz, but to my ears both sounded excellent, so with the price difference (and points I got from my last purchase) I decided to get these.
The clarity is very nice. They sound quite balanced. The bass is not hyped, so all kinds of music I listened to were equally pleasant and the stereo separation was very clear. I let her hear it too, and she wanted mine! It was her birthday at the end of the month so I decided a week later to get her a pair as well.
All's well until April 21st when I was getting to work. I just took them off my head and the cup clip on my right side had snapped off the headband! Like all new things I baby them carefully so I was quite shocked.
From looking at some forums, it looks like this was a common problem. I was going to take them into the Shibuya store where I bought them, but I figured with my poor Japanese it'd be better, and quicker to go straight to the source.
I emailed Direct Sound's customer support and found them to be absolutely fantastic. They sent the replacement parts immediately so by the 28th, they were as good as new.
From looking at this video, it looks like they have made the headbands more durable, so I guess time will tell. But seeing how they responded quickly and professional, I'd still recommend these if you want a great pair of cans.
I get some strange looks when I walk around with these, but really, being a foreigner in Japan is par for the course for getting strange looks so.. meh. They get a little sweaty with prolonged use, and I'm sure in the Summer it will get much worse, but for now I'm quite happy with them.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm
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YANKEES: Pettitte injured in loss to Mariners
NEW YORK -- On a night of injuries, the Seattle Mariners patched together just enough pitching to win.
Andy Pettitte and Chris Stewart became the latest Yankees to get hurt, and emergency Seattle starter Hector Noesi pitched into the fifth inning in place of ailing Aaron Harang to lead the Mariners over New York 3-2 Thursday night.
Pettitte (4-3) left after 4 2-3 innings because of an injured back muscle near his left shoulder. New York said Pettitte hurt his trapezius muscle, and there was no immediate word on his prognosis.
Chris Stewart, who took over as the Yankees' starting catcher when Francisco Cervelli broke a hand last month, limped off after the seventh inning and was replaced by Austin Romine.
Harang, Seattle's scheduled starter, felt a twinge in his back Wednesday and notified the Mariners, who in turn told Noesi to prepare for his first big league start of the season.
A 26-year-old right-hander, Noesi was acquired by the Mariners from the Yankees in January 2012 in the trade that sent promising pitcher Michael Pineda to New York and made four relief appearances for Seattle this year. He gave up an unearned run and three hits in 4 1-3 innings, leaving with two on.
Lefty Oliver Perez (1-0), his career revived in Seattle, entered with runners at the corners and struck out Brett Gardner and retired Jayson Nix on a popup. Perez has inherited eight runners this year and hasn't allowed any to score, according to STATS.
Carter Capps, throwing 98 mph heat, got out of trouble in the eighth after Curtis Granderson's one-out double by retiring rookie David Adams on a popup and striking out Ichiro Suzuki.
Tom Wilhelmsen finished to remain perfect in 11 save chances. He allowed a one-out single to Gardner, who stole second and third. He struck out Nix -- leaving right-handed batters 0 for 30 against him this year -- then retired Robinson Cano on a groundout to shortstop.
Mariners manager Eric Wedge was ejected in the second inning when he argued from the dugout on a called third strike against Raul Ibanez, who had homered three times in the first two games of the series.
Trailing 2-1, Pettitte struck out Kyle Seager for the second out of the fifth and reached for his right side with his left arm.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi went to the mound accompanied by pitching coach Larry Rothschild and a trainer. They spoke with the left-hander for a while, then Pettitte trotted to the dugout and was replaced by Shawn Kelley, a former Seattle pitcher.
An inning earlier, Pettitte ran into foul territory on the third base side to make a basket catch on Ibanez's shallow popup.
Pettitte allowed two runs, four hits and three walks in 4 2-3 innings with five strikeouts. He had been seeking his 250th big league win.
Dustin Ackley hit an RBI double in the second, and the Yankees tied the score in the bottom half when Granderson singled on a slow roller, took second as Noesi's throw skipped past first for an error and scored when David Adams doubled for his first big league RBI.
Brendan Ryan, in a 5-for-60 slide, had a go-ahead infield single to the shortstop hole with the bases loaded in the fourth.
Morse then homered off Kelley in the sixth, a drive that bounced off the divider between Monument Park and the Yankees bullpen in right-center for his 10th homer this season.
New York closed to 3-2 in the seventh on an RBI single by Cano, with Ryan rushing his throw from shortstop and bouncing it to first. Stewart appeared to injure a leg crossing to third on the play.
Girardi said SS Derek Jeter (broken ankle) should be out of a walking boot soon. ... RHP Joba Chamberlain (strained oblique) will need at least one more minor league rehab outing before the Yankees activate him from the DL. ... New York 1B Mark Teixeira (wrist) hit several long homers on curveballs off a pitching machine at the Yankees' minor league complex in Tampa, Fla. 3B Alex Rodriguez, coming back from hip surgery in January, is hitting off a tee and swinging at soft toss flips in a batting cage as he wraps up his second week of baseball activities. ... Travis Hafner (sore right shoulder) took batting practice and hopes to be able to play Friday. ... The Yankees optioned RHP Brett Marshall back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and recalled RHP Dellin Betances from the Triple-A team. ... Granderson, in his third game back from a broken arm, made his third career start at DH and had three hits. ... Suziki's seventh-inning single stopped an 0-for-22 skid. ... Seattle OF Franklin Gutierrez (strained right hamstring) was to start a rehab assignment Thursday night at Triple-A Tacoma.


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Posted 8 years ago
(3979 items)
These were also in the little box rescued from the trash today. There are loads of these - perfectly preserved. I can't imagine why anyone would save these, but they are definitely a memento of an everyday, mundane 'thing' from those days. I'm surprised by how many different cities are represented!
Does anyone collect these?


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This northern elephant seal pup rescued from Point Arena in Mendocino County. He still had a full black coat, indicating he was very young, since elephant seals shed their black coats a few weeks after birth. He had become separated from his mother, and was dehydrated and malnourished upon admission to our hospital. Most pups are fed fish milkshakes (ground up fish mixed with multi-milk formula and salmon oil) until they are at least one month old, but Cueball was very unique because he started eating solid fish just five days after being rescued. Cueball's spunkiness earned him the Center's title of Animal of the Year. Within a month of his rescue, a fat and healthy Cueball was released at Point Reyes National Seashore.
Thank you for your generous donation and for making a difference in the life of a marine mammal like this former patient.


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That dream vacation that seems financially unreachable can now be had through an age-old payment method: layaway.
For as little as $100, you can book and start a payment plan for trips almost anywhere in the world.
"Layaway gives people flexibility and the ability to afford a vacation when everyone is watching their pennies," says Laurie Bowden, vice president of strategic accounts at SearsVacations.com, a division of Sears Holding.
The pay-before-you-buy method has been around since the Depression, another time when credit was tight and jobs were scarce. Retailers have resuscitated the practice since the recession started, as a means to encourage consumer spending. Consumers have used it not only to purchase big-ticket items and vacations, but also as a money-management tool.
"It has allowed more people to commit earlier to a trip and to commit more often," says Marty Seslow, vice president of marketing and sales for Gate1Travel.com. "We are seeing more and more bookings early in the year for trips in September, October and November."
Gate1 has offered a pay-as-you-go plan for many years, Seslow says, but didn't advertise it as a layaway program until its sales took a big hit in 2009. Since then, business has grown in double digits every year, and Gate1 is already tracking bookings 30% ahead of last year's record results — an increase Seslow attributes to layaways.
"It empowers the consumer with a little more choice," he says. About 60% of his customers use the plan.
Only a handful of companies offer layaway vacation programs. Gate1 requires a nonrefundable deposit of $100 on most packages, though the payments for cruises and trips to some destinations are considerably higher. Sears Travel looks for 20% of the total cost of the trip, while Suzi Davis Travel in the Midwest wants $99 to book the trip. Westside International Travel, on the West Coast, will ask for $100 to $150 per person. Most won't charge you a service fee but may impose a cancellation fee.
The payments generally can be made on any time schedule you want, as long as the final payment is made 30 to 45 days before the trip (sometimes earlier for cruises and international trips). You can book cruises more than a year in advance, but airfares can't be booked more than 11 months in advance. Some companies don't allow you to put airfares on a payment schedule, because the prices can change so quickly.
British Airways launched a layaway vacation package earlier this year that entails a much heftier down payment. For flight-and-hotel and flight-and-car vacation packages between $3,000 and $3,499, a $900 deposit is required at booking. For holidays costing between $3,500 and $3,999, the deposit jumps to $1,050. Full payment is due 10 weeks before departure.
Sears's Bowden says she's seen an uptick in family cruises with layaway plans. "It's not only for the budget-conscious, but it allows families to be flexible for bigger trips," she says.
Average vacation costs vary widely, from about $1,500 per person, according to a 2012 American Express survey, to Gate1's average of about $2,500 per person. That adds up quickly if grandpa and grandma are taking the whole family on a cruise. A seven-day Alaska cruise in July through Gate1 costs roughly $1,600 per person, which includes flights from New York to Seattle. That would set a family of six back by about $10,000, or about $833 a month for a year, not including the down payment.
When you're spending that much money on a vacation as much as a year in advance — even with the layaway option — it might be advisable to take out travel insurance. That will cost an extra $100 to $149 per person.
As with anything you purchase, read the fine print first. Down payments and due dates will vary based on the destination and on the policies of the transport and hotels.


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Back in the days of captive insurance agents, when the agent was personally acquainted with his customers, it was fairly simple to be sure beneficiaries received death benefits and annuities stopped on the death of the annuitant, according to Todd Eyler, research director for Aite Group's insurance practice. In fact, sometimes beneficiaries weren't even aware that they were due a benefit until the agent made sure it was paid.
"The captive agent from Prudential or New York Life or MetLife knew your kids, your family. [The agents] would contact the company [for you] and everything was taken care of," said Eyler. "But the trend is away from captive relationships to direct sales. Changing names, divorces, people changing addresses every seven years [makes that much more difficult.]"
Not that it was the insurance company's job to find beneficiaries. According to the Aite Group's recent report "Unclaimed Death Benefits: Technology Aspirin for a Big Headache," which Eyler authored, "state insurance laws do not require life insurers to determine when a policyholder has died, locate beneficiaries and instruct them to file a claim, or pay a claim in the absence of a valid death certificate." That meant unclaimed death benefits sat on a company's books and in its investment accounts, saving it money and perhaps even earning some.
States got involved in whether, when and how insurers tracked down beneficiaries in the wake of the financial crisis. Since 2011, according to Aite's report, states "have focused on unclaimed property in general and unclaimed life insurance death benefits in particular as a way to help generate additional revenue." They ran into a little problem with that, however.
Insurance companies were using the Social Security Death Master File—the database used to "deny Social Security benefits to the deceased"—to determine when annuitants had died so that benefits could be stopped. But insurers were not engaged in the same level of due diligence to find beneficiaries of life insurance policies. Instead, Aite's report said, "state investigations found that many life insurers had used this database to confirm that annuity contract holders had died, allowing the insurer to stop payments, but had not used the same data to pay out death benefits due to rightful life insurance beneficiaries."
What followed, according to Aite, were "[u]nclaimed property audits, multistate regulatory settlements and class-action lawsuits surrounding unclaimed life insurance benefits."
But even companies that proactively search out beneficiaries can find themselves stymied by the very source of information they rely on. The Death Master File is, to put it mildly, less than accurate. Eyler wrote that the file does not include people who are not receiving Social Security benefits; railroad and state public employees; and, since November 2011, data sent to it between 2002 and 2011 by the states' vital records agencies "for privacy reasons."
Furthermore, the SSA maintains two files. The complete file is accessible only to the SSA and approximately six other federal agencies. The "public" file—excluding about 60% of the data—is accessible to entities such as insurance companies.
To top it off, access to the file has been restricted to protect against identity theft. The file has been publicly accessible, usually for a fee, since 1980. The Budget Act of 2013 allowed access for "certified users" for a fee, but what constitutes a certified user is still being decided.
The financial services community has gone so far as to form the Coalition for Implementation and Reform of the Death Master File to ensure that the requirements for user certification will not block insurers and others with legitimate purposes from gaining access to the file.
Eyler's report provides insight into another aspect of the problem: the potential for insurers to outsource the search for beneficiaries and even the contact with them once they have been found.
Said Eyler, "Even if you can confirm that someone has passed on, [the next step] is contact." There's a credibility factor if a beneficiary gets a call out of the blue "saying, 'Someone has died and you'll be paid half a million dollars.' Some [outsourcing] companies do a pretty good job" of that, but beneficiaries "need someone to connect with them in the right way."


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Asthma is a type of inflammatory disease of the lungs. It causes difficulty while breathing and brings on attacks of coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest and shortness of breath. It causes inside walls of an asthmatic's airways swollen or inflamed. The swelling or inflammation causes the airways extremely sensitive to irritations and increases the susceptibility to an allergic reaction.
Market for Asthma inhaler device is growing it is mainly drive by the rise in the prevalence of Asthma and chronic lung disease. The global market for Asthma inhaler device is expected to reach significant by the end of the forecasted period and is expected to grow healthy at a CAGR .
Get a sample report at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1653 .
Key Players for Asthma inhaler device market:
Some of the key players in this market are:GSK, Merck & Co., Inc. (US), 3M (US), Aristopharma Ltd. (Dhaka), SRS PHARMACEUTICALS PVT. LTD. (India), Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd (India) and others.
Study Objectives of Asthma inhaler device Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 7 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Asthma inhaler device market, To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth, To analyze the Asthma inhaler device market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective, To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by type, by end users and its sub-segments. To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market, To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Asthma inhaler device market.
Global Asthma inhaler device market has been segmented on the basis of device typewhich comprise ofMetered-Dose Inhaler, MDI with a Spacer, Dry-Powder Inhaler and others. On the basis of technology; market is segmented into manually operated inhaler devices, digitally operated inhaler devices and others. On the basis of end users; market is segmented hospital, clinics, retailers and others.
Browse complete report at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/asthma-inhaler-device-market .
The report for Global Asthma Inhaler Device Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regions.
Table Of Contents
1 Report Prologue
2 Market Introduction
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Scope Of Study
2.3 Research Objective
2.4 Assumptions & Limitations
2.4.1 Assumptions
2.4.2 Limitations
3 Research Methodology
3.1 Research Process
3.2 Primary Research
3.3 Secondary Research
4 Market Dynamics
4.1 Drivers
4.2 Restraints
4.3 Challenges
4.4 Opportunities
5 Market Factor Analysis
5.1 Porter's Five Forces Model
5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers
5.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers
5.1.3 Threat Of New Entrants
5.1.4 Threat Of Substitutes
5.1.5 Intensity Of Rivalry
5.2 Supply Chain Analysis
6 Global Asthma Inhaler Devices Market, By Type
6.1 Manually Operated Inhalers
6.2 Digitally Operated Inhalers
Ask Question to Expert at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1653 .
7 Global Asthma Inhaler Devices Market, By Product
7.1 Dry Powder Inhaler
7.2 Metered Dose Inhaler
7.3 Others
8. Global Asthma Inhaler Devices Market, By End User
8.1 Hospitals & Clinics
8.2 Respiratory Care Centers
8.3 Home Care
8.4 Others
9 Global Asthma Inhaler Devices Market, By Regions
Media Contact
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Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/asthma-inhaler-device-market-1653


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DREAM COME TRUE: Beers on beach with Thor and Bourne
IT'S not every day you get to ride some waves and sink back a couple of cold ones with two Hollywood heartthrobs, Matt Damon and Chris Hemsworth.
That's exactly what a group of lucky locals experienced while on the beach at Double Island Point at the weekend.
Isabella Wood, her sister and a couple of friends had planned a relaxing trip to the beach when they stumbled upon the celebrities.
Ms Wood said she was actually sleeping when her friends tried to wake her to tell her about the celebrities' presence.
"I was asleep at the time and when my friends told me I just thought they were kidding so I went back to sleep," she said.
"But then they came back and said it was definitely them so we took over some beers and the boys had a surf with them."
A huge Matt Damon fan herself, Ms Wood said it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"They were really friendly and down to earth," she said.
"They wanted to take selfies with us and we had a good chat."
Ms Wood said the stars even admitted they were jealous of her and friends.
"They said it was epic that we got to live in such a beautiful area," she said.
"They loved it here. Chris had been showing Matt and his family around as obviously Chris lives close by in Byron."


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Giant lock Luke Charteris says Wales will use next month's clash against Australia at the Millennium Stadium to put their World Cup disappointment behind them.
Wales were the surprise package of the tournament in New Zealand, as a side brilliantly led by Sam Warburton marched to the semi-final stage.
But in their semi-final against France, an early red card for Warburton and some wayward goal kicking saw them suffer an agonising 9-8 defeat to miss out on a place in the final.
The physical and mental toll of that defeat was clear to see in the 21-18 third place play-off reverse to Australia.
Charteris revealed the anguish felt in the Wales' changing room that day, but hopes for a very different post-match experience on December 3.
"It was not a good place to be," said the 6ft 9in second row. "There were a lot of depressed people in there.
"The way the last two weeks at the World Cup went against France and Australia meant there were a lot of sad boys.
"We had worked so hard and to finish like that was hard to take, but that's what is so good about this game, it means we can't dwell on it.
"We have a good opportunity to start again and build towards the Six Nations.
"We finished the World Cup on a bit of a down and that's not how wanted to finish and we want to turn that around against Australia.
"The performance against them was probably the worst we put in all campaign but hopefully this time we can put that right and get a good win."
Charteris, 28, came of age as a Test forward in New Zealand, turning in a string of tireless performances which were capped by the remarkable tally of 16 tackles he made in the first half of the quarter-final win over Ireland.
But the Newport Gwent Dragons' forward, who is confident of overcoming a wrist injury in time to face the Wallabies, is not resting on his laurels.
He said: "I'm not going to complain (about the plaudits). It's always nice, and it gives you confidence going forward, but have to keep going forward and putting in the performances.
"I missed out on the last World Cup and it was an ambition of mine to play in one, and I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the experience and tried to get the most out of it and I think that attitude came across in how we played as a team."
The December 3 appointment in Cardiff, which will mark record try-scorer Shane Williams' 87th and final Test, will also be the first time Wales have played in front of their own fans since returning from New Zealand.
The semi-final appearance against France brought a crowd of 61,000 to the Millennium Stadium to watch the game on the big screens, a gathering greater than the attendance at Auckland's Eden Park for the game itself.
And Charteris admits it gives the home side another added incentive to claim the scalp of Robbie Deans' men.
He said: "The support we had was massive, we probably weren't aware of how much support we had back at home.
"To have more people sat in the stadium watching the semi-final on a screen than in Eden Park watching the game, that's pretty amazing considering the time of day it was.
"The boys are determined to put in a good performance in and get a good win for the fans."


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BIS recommends that the agency that supplies temporary staff records details about the new vacancy and notifies the worker if their role has "substantively changed". The draft publication, issued in April from BIS, implied that this was a requirement for agency worker suppliers under the new regulations.
"It is not enough that a line manager has changed but not the job requirements or that the agency worker has transferred between similar administrative functions or has moved within a single, relatively small business unit or has been given a different pay rate. None of these things by themselves would be sufficient. There has to be a genuine and real difference to the role," BIS said.
BIS said that the 12-week qualifying period that agency workers will have to successfully complete before being eligible for the equal rights can be stopped or paused. It said that the "qualifying clock" will be reset to zero when an agency worker starts work with another company, moves to a new role within the same company or there is a break between assignments with the same company of more than six weeks, the guidance said.
Accrual of weeks within a temporary workers' qualifying period will pause when the worker does not work for a company for a period under six weeks long, the worker is incapacitated from work or on jury duty for up to 28 weeks, or the worker is on holiday, BIS said.
A pause also occurs when the workplace closes for a planned shutdown, such as Christmas, or the worker is not able to work because of industrial action at the company, BIS said.
The qualifying period will continue to accrue when a worker takes a break from work due to pregnancy or childbirth within 26 weeks of their child being born, BIS said. Maternity leave breaks, adoption leave or paternity leave also count towards the workers' qualifying period, the guidance said.
Agency workers' rights are not retrospective so for agency workers employed on 1 October 2011, their 12-week qualifying period will start from then, the Regulations say.
The Regulations say employers must give agency workers access to facilities from the first day they are employed. BIS said that the facilities include the staff canteen and car parking, even when the facilities are not on-site, but said that companies did not have to offer "enhanced" access rights to some benefits permanent staff receive.
"For example, where membership to a crèche involves joining a waiting list, the agency workers would also be able to join the list and would not be given an automatic right to have a crèche place. Nor is it about access to off-site facilities and amenities which are not provided by the hirer, such as subsidised access to an off-site gym," the BIS said.
BIS suggested that employers provide new temporary staff with an induction pack that includes information about where they can find details about internal job vacancies. The new regulations require this information to be available to staff from their first day in the job.
"This right will not apply in the context of a genuine 'headcount freeze', where posts are ring-fenced for redeployment purposes, or internal moves which are a matter of restructuring and redeploying existing internal staff in order to prevent a redundancy situation," the BIS guide said.
An agency worker is "someone who has a contract with the temporary work agency", such as an employment contract or agreement to provide services personally, "but works temporarily for an under the direction and supervision of a hirer", the BIS guide said.
"The definition of an agency worker excludes those who are in a 'profession or business undertaking carried out by the individual' where the hirer is a client of customer of the individual (ie a genuine business to business relationship). It is still possible for someone in a profession or in a business to be an agency worker if there is no such client or customer relationship," the guide said.
BIS will publish a guide to the Regulations from an agency workers' perspective shortly.
Copyright © 2011, OUT-LAW.com
OUT-LAW.COM is part of international law firm Pinsent Masons.


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Who Are We?
QinetiQ Inc. is an innovative C5ISR Systems and Technology leader. Our company is built on a foundation of advanced technology, systems engineering, rapid prototyping, and improved operational sensing. We work with the latest technological developments in government, industry, and academia, leveraging that knowledge to rapidly advance the state of the art, combining cutting edge sensor technology with innovative research in fields such as sensor science, signal processing, data fusion, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and augmented reality (AR).
We are a world-class team of professionals that build Ground Systems, Solider Systems, Airborne Sensing and Processing Technologies and Integrated C2 solutions. Our customers are always our number one priority and our mission is to empower and protect American Warfighters and Security Forces!
Your Contribution to Our Mission:
To Land This Job, You Need:
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain:
DOD Secret
Why QinetiQ Inc.?
No One Has Time for Long Job Applications!
We completely understand. That is why we have made the application process easy. We promise. This will be simple.
If because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to email@example.com or call (540) 658-2720 Opt 4 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.
QinetiQ Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, age, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.


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If Malibu Country returns for a second season, it will have to be without showrunner Nastaran Dibai.
As first reported by Entertainment Weekly, Dibai is leaving the series, TVGuide.com confirms. The comedy, starring Reba McEntire and Lily Tomlin, finished its first season in March, and hasn't been picked up yet.
Fall TV Scorecard: Which shows are returning? Which aren't?
Dibai stepped in as showrunner in October, following the departure of series creator Kevin Abbott. Dibai has also served as a producer on According to Jim, Happily Divorced, and Retired at 35.
This is the second showrunner loss in two days for ABC. Revenge's creator Mike Kelley stepped down on Monday after two seasons.


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Senior Responsible Officer (Probation Officer) - Advertised on behalf of Essex CRC - Sodexo
Colchester, HC CO2 7BA
About the Job
Salary £31,271 per annum
37 hours per week, 27 days holiday + 8 bank holidays, defined contribution pension scheme, company sick pay, group discount scheme.
There is an expectation that operational staff work some evenings and weekends to enable service users to be supervised without jeopardising their employment.Job Introduction
Are you interested in working directly with service users? Are you interested in playing an important part in changing lives for a safer community within your local area.
We currently have an opportunity for Senior Responsible Officer/Probation Officer (qualified Probation Officers and Social Worker) to join Essex CRC.
If you want to join an innovative, creative and high performing organisation, we offer challenging and rewarding roles and the opportunity to make a positive contribution to reducing reoffending in within the local area. We offer excellent opportunities for personal and professional development and are committed to supportive induction, appraisal, supervision and career development.
We are looking for people with different experiences and knowledge areas and are keen to ensure that we recruit the best people for the role. If you are either a Qualified Probation Officer or a Qualified Social Worker, then we want to hear from you and talk to you more about this role.Main Responsibilities
As a Senior Responsible Officer/Probation Officer, you will work directly with service users – assessing and managing risk of offending and harm; sentence planning; and supervising and enforcing Community Orders, licences and prison licences. You will assess service users' needs to achieve community reintegration, monitor their progress and help them to achieve the successful completion of their orders/licences. You will also keep records and prepare documentation and reports.
Your role will include careful management of risk and determining whether this has risen to the point where serious harm is likely, liaising with the National Probation Service and a range of specialist agencies and contributing to the development of practice for the future.The Ideal Candidate
You will be required to demonstrate resilience, excellent inter-personal, communication and organisational skills, sound judgement and an ability to resolve complex problems. Successful candidates will communicate enthusiasm, commitment, motivation and the ability to be both fair and firm in challenging situations.
The Diploma in Probation Studies, PQUIP, CQSW, Diploma in Social Work or equivalent qualification is essential for these posts. We will only be able to proceed with a Diploma in Social Work if the Probation module has been completed. We have a number of staff currently who have come into the organisation via both Probation and Social Qualification routes.
We would welcome applications from candidates who have recently or are shortly due to qualify as well as more experienced colleagues.


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In 2008, "Wrock Chicago" brought 30 bands, three stages and thousands of fans from across the world together for an epic celebration, ending with sweaty teens and twenty-somethings dancing around in full-wizard gear, squid heads and English school-boy ties. Among this melee, onstage, a multi-band jam cranked out an impromptu version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," with the iconic refrain of "a denial" supplanted, lyrically, by two different words: "Harry Potter."
This is wizard rock, a musical genre mixing an obsessive love of J. K. Rowling's series and an obsessive need to set that love to music. Wizard rock bands unabashedly worship at the altar of Harry Potter, singing songs about characters and happenings from the series with nerdy, gleeful creativity. Fan lore names Harry and the Potters, a punkish group of striped-tie-and-glasses-wearing lads out of Massachusetts, as progenitors, which led to Draco and the Malfoys, which then led to . . . 500 wizard rock bands and counting.
Wizard rock bands tour the country, make records and play shows in libraries and malls, all while glorifying a love for "reading and rocking." The 2007 documentary We Are Wizards tells the story of this emo-nerd-book hybrid, where bands have names like the Basilisk in Your Pasta, Ginny and the Heartbreakers, Shrieking Shack Disco Gang, Big Whompy, MC Kreacher, the Giant Squidstravaganza, Gryffindor Common Room Rejects and the Hermione Crookshanks Experience.
Not to be left out, we decided to enlist the help of Xenia, our resident 15-year-old Harry Potter superfan (girl's read the series six times, for God's sake!). Xenia was more than able to deliver a quick assessment of some of the more well-known wizard rock videos.
Since the Hogwarts crew is separated into houses depending on their varying levels of abilities, strengths, wizard blood or muggledom, we rated the wizard rock bands on a scale from 1 to 5.
1. Dumbledore Ultimate wizard status! Considered the most powerful wizard of his time, Dumbeldore was headmaster at Hogwarts until his death in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
2. Gryffindor Founded by Godric Gryffindor, this house values courage, bravery, loyalty and nerve. "They're people that won't take things sitting down," says Xenia. "They're brawny rather than brainy."
3. Hufflepuff These are the kids who don't really fit into other houses. They're loyal and hard-working, and their spirit animal is a badger, if that tells you anything.
4. Ravenclaw The super-smarties of the school. Creative and intelligent, they rule when it comes to wit, talent and brains.
5. Slytherin The house for people who have pure wizard blood. They're of "noble descent" says Xenia, but also the source of most of the "dark wizards," hence a negative reputation.
So without further ado, on with the wizard rock . . .
1. Harry and the Potters, 'The Godfather'
Rating: 2 (Gryffindor)
Xenia explains that this song is about Sirius Black, who in the third book reveals himself to be a good guy instead of a bad guy. The music is super-catchy, a cross between early Green Day and Bright Eyes. The band writhe and screech before a crowd of screaming Potter fans, mainly girls, a scene that repeats itself throughout many of the live videos.
"I like that he wrapped the cord around his head," says Xenia. "A lot of the songs I've seen or heard them do, they're pretty accurate. They don't mess things up. They've obviously read the books and seen the movies, and they put that into their songs." Sample lyric: "We've got to save Sirius Black - from something worse than death - But how can we do it - when our teacher is a werewolf on the loose?"
2. Draco and the Malfoys, 'My Dad Is Rich'
Rating: 4 (Ravenclaw)
This is one of the bigger bands in the wizard rock movement, but that doesn't impress our teen expert. "Their lyrics are really good, but their songs are kind of slow. They're just not quite as good as Harry and the Potters." She thinks they take the sarcasm a bit too far, but that the lyrics are pretty accurate for how Draco Malfoy might think.
"He's singing, 'My dad is rich and your dad is dead,' and he's making fun of Harry for that because it makes Draco feel superior," she notes. Sample lyric: "You may have freed our house elf - and brought doubt to our family name - but your parents still got toasted by a big green glowing flame"
3. The Whomping Willows, 'Cedric Had It Coming'
Rating: 1 (Dumbledore)
Xenia likes this one so much that she reposts the link onto Facebook immediately. "I'm creating a new category, because this is really good. It's pretty clever," says Xenia. "The lyrics are spot-on and ironic." The song has a pensive, sad feel to it, which makes sense given the subject matter of Cedric being killed even after he was nice to Harry. Sample lyric: "Oh, Cedric why'd you go into that maze? - Haven't you ever seen a Hollywood movie before - in which a minor character gets slain - to benefit the survival of the big star?"
4. The Hungarian Horntails, 'I Am a Dragon'
Rating: 3 (Hufflepuff)
This song is the most punk rock out of the bunch—think Daniel Johnston on speed, sung by a little boy who attacks his guitar with an energy not seen since Pete Townsend broke his Gibson at the Cow Palace in 1967. "I am a dragon and I don't care!" the young wizard rocker screeches.
"They are by far the cutest, most adorable band," says Xenia. "I can't rate them, because that wouldn't be fair since they're only nine." Eventually, she breaks down and, with a laugh, gives the boys a Hufflepuff. "I wouldn't listen to them on my own time. They have a cool band, but they're just kids." Sample lyric: "I am a dragon and I don't care - I just like burning Voldemort's butt"
5. The Parselmouths, 'What Kind of Name Is Hermione?'
Rating: 2 (Gryffindor)
Two girls take the bratty, sneering ethic of '90s era riot grrrl band Bratmobile and mix it with some serious ministry-of-magic wizard action. One of the more popular bands on the wizard rock scene, the Parselmouths represent just one of many girl-fronted wrock bands out there. "It sort of seems like something Slytherin girls might say, because none of the Slytherins like her, and the band name is sort of associated with Slytherin, so it makes sense," says Xenia. "The lyrics are pretty clever, because Hermione is a know-it-all a lot of the time, and she does have crazy hair." Sample lyric: "What kind of name is Hermione? - It makes me think of something whiny - like cats!"


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Which sort of RPG is the Witcher?
John somehow – i.e. Couldn't Think Of A Funny Joke (But – hey! – as if that's ever stopped him before) – missed out the Witcher from his round-up of PC game releases this week, so it's worth bringing to your attention, as it's the biggest release unless you're a foot-to-ball fan. It looks like this.
And that's you, The Witcher. No matter what you want – like, say, looking like someone who isn't a incy-wincy bit derived from top Albino Eternal Champion and general glorious self-obsessed fuck-wit Elric – that's still you. This threw Dan Whitehead over at Eurogamer in his review, where he argues – pretty much – if you can't create your own character, it's not a role-playing game. Which was such a debatable claim, it (er) immediately provoked a debate. In fact, I initiated it, because upon reading the review's intro, I mumbled "Christ, Dan, you're going to get slaughtered for that, mate", so I thought by getting it rolling in a relatively pleasant way, it'll save the inevitable Final-Fantasy fan arriving throwing a stroppy trantrum in the manner of a final Fantasy character.
But still, it is a perennial question (i.e. It gets argued on forums only slightly less often than Whether Games Or Art) and I thought I'd try and do relatively brief take on it. Feel free to provide yours, as one of the main reasons to lob this stuff in public is so people can pick it to pieces, so I can rethink gaping flaws.
Let's quote Dan's position to start us off…
"Let's talk about the term "role-playing game", shall we? It's one of those phrases that has slipped into the gaming vernacular so easily that we tend to forget what it actually means, and end up using it all wrong. Common wisdom has it that any game in which your character earns experience and levels up accordingly can be tucked away under the RPG blanket. For me, that's only half right. The clue's in the name – role-playing. Games in which you create a role and then act out that character in the gameworld. Without the freedom to come up with your own virtual identity, what you're really talking about are adventure games with a few RPG trimmings."
Okay, Dan's got an immediate flaw which we'll gloss over which is irrelevant. There's no link between the phrase "role-playing" and "create a role and act out that character in the game world". Dan believes that the ability to create a character is absolutely fundamental to the genre. So, Final Fantasy and any other JRPG aren't an RPG which he'd recognise. In the comments thread he says that Planescape: Torment (i.e. You are the Nameless One) is the exception to prove the rule, but – like most exceptions which prove the rule – is just a big nasty flaw. If I made half a dozen games like Planescape Torment, would there now be seven exceptions to the rule? At what point is the rule just wrong? (Clue: As soon as there's an exception).
Riffing off him, and other people's positions, the general argument that a role-playing game is based around the idea of meaningful character customisation. Some (i.e. most western ones) front-load some of it – so allowing you to define your character in a way before you start. Almost all will allow you to customise it as you progress – so the character you are at the end of the game will be very different from the one at the start, and almost certainly very different to what you're mate's character would be at the end (even if they started at the same place). Some would argue that this customisation must be irreversible (i.e. you are changed forever) and some would demand it has to be an abstract system rather than anything justified in-game (i.e. Levels and stuff rather than gaining mechanical bonuses). The latter would mean System Shock 2 isn't an RPG, and Bioshock – which both apply to, as you're able to swap in and out your abilities- certainly isn't. Though the latter would also make Guild Wars not an RPG too. Or City of Heroes with its Respecs, because – surely – it doesn't matter how big the periodical gap between completely redefinining your character is if you can redefine your character.
The second part of the RPG – which Dan doesn't touch – is trope of RPGs resting upon some manner of abstracted statistical element. So your characters abilities will increase, they will do more damage, just because they're a better character without any direct input from the player. In other words, while RPGs can have a player's skill effect the result (i.e. they know when to use certain abilities or whatever), they RPGs are indirect tests of skill. Direct tests of skill are the province of arcade games.
As far as how RPG is used in general discourse, those two pretty much cover it. But in any debate, there's a second position which comes up – what can best be termed as the Naive position. That is, "Role-playing game" – it's a game where you play a role. That is. People who are making this argument are normally – consciously or not – trying to expand the definition to include things which are covering RPGs' traditional terrain without without being built on Dungeon & Dragons' foundations. We're mainly talking about things like Elite. Elite, by entering a world of space-trading and piracy, you go forth and genuinely craft yourself a life by your choices and actions.
While there's merits to the argument as a thought-piece or propaganda, within a half-second people of it being posed, someone will note that this definition is ludicrously fluffy and all-encompassing. In Doom you play the role of a marine trapped in a space-station, so Doom is a RPG. In Space Invaders you play the role of the pilot of a turret, as the final line in defence of a besieged Earth. In Tennis for Two you play the role of a tennis player, disembodied probably.
Reductio ad absurdum (You Wot? – Ed) would imply this argument just can't be true, and people move on. Except you can accept the results and you end up in a position where – yes – 95% of games are role-playing games, and that's just how it is. Which, frankly, is something I have a degree of time for – as it focuses in on some key points to do with how videogames and pen and paper games are connected.
Basically, they were designers approaching the same problem (i.e. creating an immersive fantasy world for people to lose themselves in) with massively different technologies. If you're working with paper, dice and human imagination, one of the few (Probably only, but I'm sure that there's a smart-arse who could) ways that you can create a game which allows you to simulate a fantasy world is something that looks a lot like D&D. They can't put player skill being part of a game, unless they go the Physical LARP direction. Which, you may note, that some people eventually did.
So, abstractly, in a universe where D&D didn't appear (Which is feasible. D&D is an odd one in that it's a type of game which could have been invented for the entire length of human history only came about in the late part of the twentieth history. We had dice and paper and thinking forever, after all…) it's possible that videogames could have been called "Role-playing games" as a group. It fits, after all.
Which leads to me my take on the RPG, at least in terms of daily use. "RPG" is a purely historical thing. In the same way "Spartan" doesn't mean "From Sparta" any more, but rather a set of values and beliefs (i.e. Less pillows and bedclothes. Less fancy clothes. Sit-ups now, probably), "RPG" is completely divorced from the meaning of the words. It just means "mechanics derived from D&D" and even games which fulfil the aims of RPGs better than 99% of RPGs (i.e. Elite) aren't. Any attempts to push it further than that is deliberate perversion and demagoguery on the part of the developer.
(Which isn't a bad thing – Looking Glass considered System Shock and Thief RPGs by other means…)
Or that's my take, anyway. Tonight. For at least fifteen minutes.
That said, the Eurogamer thread did lead to a definition I'd never heard before from AlpTighen when someone threw the Naive Position out there.
Ehhhm… no. But that's a common misconception. A role-playing game is one in which characters have disparate abilities, and players must use cleverness to accentuate their positives and eliminate their negatives.
"Roles" in this case being things like "tank" or "healer" or whatever.
Which is an interesting take I'm not quite sure what to make of.
(And I've got to run to John's 30th birthday party now, so I suspect there may be typos-a-plenty in here. I'll fix them in the morning, so be gentle)


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One of America's most genuine kooks, Phyllis Diller, passed earlier today at the decidedly serious age of 95. Diller was a very funny woman who cultivated a certain bizarre, disheveled look, and it's nice to know that she made sure her cars had a similar over-the-top look. Hence her love of that most unloved of over-the-top cars, the Excalibur.
Diller's favorite car, an Excalibur, of course, was customized with power steering to prevent massacres, and had its original, smallish headlamps replaced with what she calls "Gangster Lights."
She'll be missed, especially as one of the very few people who seem to be the right fit for an Excalibur.


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August Metalworking Business Index: Industry Growth Flattening
With a reading of 49.5, the Metalworking Business Index showed that the metalworking industry has contracted for the second month in a row, but the two months of contraction have been extremely shallow. Because the index compares the current month's activity with the previous month's activity, the index is saying that overall, the metalworking industry currently is performing at a level just below the peak activity of this cycle.
Also, the graphs for the overall index and sub-indices had been declining for five or six months. However, the downward trend line in each graph appears to have been broken in August. We will need to see a couple more months of data before that call can be made definitively.
All but one sub-index had a positive percent change in August. New orders continued to contract but did so more slowly. Production increased in August. New orders will need to start growing again for this to continue. Backlogs contracted more slowly. New orders will need to grow or production slow down for this to be a continuing phenomenon. Employment continues to increase in the metalworking industry. Supplier deliveries are still lengthening, indicating strength throughout manufacturing, but they are lengthening more slowly.
While future business expectations have been muted (with the passing of healthcare reform and the presidential election probably playing a significant role), expectations improved in August. Future expectations still are slightly below average since the inception of the MBI, but they are back above the previous lows in this expansionary cycle. Planned capital spending over the next 12 months has remained relatively flat. This could be an indication that businesses are not concerned enough about the future to alter their investment plans.


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When Bellator Fighting Championships kicks off its second season-four show on MTV2 on Saturday, a familiar face will be part of the lightweight tournament's opening round.
Bellator 36 takes place at Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, La., and two-time lightweight-tournament finalist Toby Imada (28-15 MMA, 4-2 BFC) returns for a third tourney run and hopes of an elusive championship.
Imada, a recent guest on MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), spoke about competing in front of a larger audience and what he's learned from his past tourney fights.
"I'm looking forward to the whole MTV thing, curious to see how it all plays out," said Imada, who is 4-2 in the organization. "I understand there's going to be a lot more people to look at it and a bit more diverse crowd, age group and everything. So, it's like, 'Here's another chance. Maybe do a few more things, just look for that opportunity and get people to start talking again.'"
That opportunity comes against organizational newcomer and decorated judoka Ferrid Kheder (18-6 MMA, 0-0 BFC) in the co-main event. Imada said his past tournament experience has helped him create an efficient fighting style.
Five of Kheder's past six fights have ended via knockout or submission win, and the decorated judoka has yet to be finished in 24 professional fights. Imada fully expects a competitive matchup when he steps back into the Bellator cage.
"He's going to be a tough guy; no one's finished him," Imada said. "It will be a pretty good accomplishment to be able to be the guy that does."
Imada wants to get the finish, but due to the 12-week tournament, he can't be overly aggressive and risk an injury. So if he needs to rely on a decision, he'll take it.
But it's not his preference.
"The decision would make sense; however, I'm not really looking for any decisions after last year," he said. "I'm going to try to finish everybody."
The decision he speaks of is his split-decision loss to season-two champion Pat Curran this past June in the seaon-two tournament finale. While Imada has moved along in his career, he hasn't forgotten the loss.
"I don't think I'm quite over it yet," he said. "I can deal with it. I've moved on, but I'm not really letting it go. If the topic ever comes up, you're going to get a hiss out of me."
Although that loss doesn't sit well with him, his Bellator success speaks for itself. All of his Bellator victories have come via submission, and he owns one of the sport's most marvelous highlights: an inverted-triangle choke of Jorge Masvidal in the season-one tourney, which earned him "Submission of the Year" honors at the 2009 World MMA Awards.
Of course, the Bellator paycheck doesn't hurt.
"Well, the pay is exceptional," Imada said. "Not to toot my own horn, but everyone's like, 'You talk about promotions and everything being so good. When are you going to be in the other ones?' I'm like, 'Honestly man, I probably make more than just about almost anyone in any organization, so I'm happy where I'm at.'
"I may not have all the fame, fans and hype, but I'm good, and the pay's hard to beat."
For more on Bellator 36, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.
MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.


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Big four absent in preferred bank stakes
None of the big four rank in the top 10 when it comes to Australia's preferred bank, new research shows.
Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, National Australia Bank and ANZ are all outranked by their smaller rivals, according to data compiled by consumer feedback website ProductReview.com.au.
ING Direct is number one, according to more than 3500 reviews on the website.
It is followed by Heritage Bank, a customer-owned business, and ME Bank, which was established by super funds and unions.
Other top-10 banks include Bendigo Bank, Bank of Cyprus and Macquarie Bank.
All four of the big banks received an average rating of 2.6 out of 5.0 on the ProductReview website, leaving them well down the list.
"Typically, people are trending away from the big providers as they look for better deals and personalised service," website spokesman Samuel Williamson said in statement on Friday.
But, the latest industry statistics show the majors remain a dominant force in the banking industry, holding many times the funds of those at the top of ProductReview's latest rankings.
Commonwealth is the largest holder of deposits with more than $344 billion on its books, and Westpac has issued the greatest volume of loans at $405 billion, data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority shows.
ING holds just $29 billion in deposits and $41 billion in loans.
Heritage and ME Bank are even smaller, with just $5 billion and $8 billion in both deposits and loans, respectively.
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Triathlon canceled after competitor drowns training for it
David Finley was a Missouri State Police sergeant
Organizers have canceled the Ozark Valley Triathlon following a drowning at Lake Wedington Saturday afternoon.
Police said they found the body of David Finley at about 9 p.m. Saturday night.
Finley was a Missouri State Police sergeant. He was in the area to compete in the Ozark Valley Triathlon at Lake Wedington.
Finley and other competitors were training in the lake Saturday afternoon when witnesses said they saw him struggling then disappear under water. When Finley did not resurface, they called police.
The Washington and Benton County dive teams found his body in 20 feet of water.
Ozark Valley Triathlon organizer posted a message on the event website saying the triathlon was canceled. They will be contacting all the competitors and they will refund all entry fees.


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Bellator Fighting Championship officials today released the final fight card for this week's Bellator 26 event, and the card contains eight total contests.
The full lineup includes six bouts not previously announced by the promotion, though MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported each of the new fights.
The newly announced fights include Mike Hayes vs. Alexey Oleinik (heavyweight tournament bout), Aisling Daly vs. Lisa Ward (115-pound female tourney bout) on the main card, and Rudy Bears vs. Zak Cummings, Kevin Croom vs. Brian Davidson, Brian Imes vs. John Ott and Jeb Chiles vs. Demetrius Richards for the evening's untelevised "local feature" fights.
Bellator 26 takes place Thursday, Aug. 26, at the Kansas City Power & Light District in Kansas City, Mo. The main card airs on FOX Sports Net.
Hayes (12-3-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC), who fought eight times in 2009 alone, enters the tourney with a four-fight win streak that includes a unanimous-decision win over Steven Banks at Bellator 21 in June. Early in his career, when Hayes won his first seven fights, he made a single appearance for Strikeforce and topped Matt Kovacs via decision.
Hayes (12-3-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC) was originally expected to face undefeated South Korean fighter Hae Joon Yang (5-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC), but Oleinik (27-5-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) ultimately took the slot.
After losing to current UFC fighter Chris Tuchscherer in a 2008 YAMMA Pit Fighting tourney, Oleinik posted a 12-fight undefeated streak. However, the streak came to an end in November in the finale of a single-night eight-man tourney. Oleinik suffered a TKO loss to Polish standout Michal Kita at the Russian-based ProFC event.
Oleinik's resume includes a host of rare submissions, including the trachea-crushing Ezekiel choke, which he's successfully implemented six times in pro competition. Bulldog chokes, heel hooks, a scarf-hold armlock and an inverted armbar also dot his resume.
Daly (9-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC) makes her Bellator debut after racking up nine straight wins in Europe, including her native Ireland. Only her most recent fight (a decision win over Maiju Kujala) went the distance. She puts her perfect record on the line against Ward (13-5 MMA, 1-0 BFC), a six-year vet who most recently topped Stephanie Frausto at Bellator 22 in June.
Bears (11-5 MMA, 1-1 BFC) fights for the third time under the Bellator banner.
After fighting for a variety of promotions on the regional circuit since his 2007 debut, Bears debuted for Strikeforce in a November 2009 Challengers Series loss to top prospect Tyron Woodley. Bears then suffered a knockout loss to Brent Weedman at Bellator 16 in April, but he bounced back with a submission win over Brian Green at Bellator 22 in June.
Meanwhile, Cummings (10-2 MMA, 0-0 BFC) makes his Bellator debut.
A then-undefeated Cummings made waves in February 2009 with a split-decision win over UFC veteran Terry Martin. Cummings has since dropped two-straight fights – a Strikeforce Challengers contest with current Strikeforce title contender Tim Kennedy and a Midwest Cage Championships bout with Elvis Mutapcic.
In their first fight, Cummings (1-0 at the time) defeated Bears (2-1 at the time) via third-round submission.
Croom (1-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) makes his promotional debut. Croom lost his professional debut to current Bellator bantamweight tourney participant Jose Vegas in a February 2009 contest but has since bounced back with a submission win this past November.
Meanwhile, Davidson (5-2 MMA, 0-1 BFC) seeks his first Bellator win. Davidson earned a TKO win at Strikeforce Challengers 5 in November, but the Team Grindhouse dropped a unanimous decision to Danny Tims at Bellator 16 in April.
Imes (5-4 MMA, 0-0 BFC) and Ott (5-7 MMA, 0-0 BFC), who each make their Bellator debut, are also engaging in a rematch. Imes took the first meeting in April 2009 with a first round knockout.
Finally, Chiles (5-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) makes his organizational debut against Richards (5-4 MMA, 0-1 BFC), who seeks his first Bellator win.
The once-beaten Chiles has earned four of his five career wins via stoppage, while Richards, who lost via submission at Bellator 22 in June, is currently mired in a three-fight slump.
For additional coverage of Bellator 26 and other upcoming Bellator shows, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Alexey Oleinik)


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Guitar Amplifier Heads
Electric guitars are undeniably one of the most popular instruments in the entire world. They've found their way into nearly every culture and genre, which has the very welcome side-effect of guitars having the widest breadth of choices around when it comes to accessories. That naturally includes guitar amplifier heads, and there are tons of options here to suit any playing style, genre, instrument or preference. Every serious guitar player should definitely have at least one amp head in his or her collection.When you're deciding on an amp, one of the most important things to figure out is whether you'll go for a solid-state or vacuum tube design. Each of these has pros and cons, so it's really a matter of matching it to your needs. For example, tubes are the undisputed kings of vintage tone, and tons of guitarists swear by them. On the other hand, solid-state circuitry is lower-maintenance and delivers a clearer, more technical sound, which is ideal for touring and precise play. There are also amplifier heads that sit on the fence, like hybrid designs, which usually combine a tube preamp with a solid-state power amp. Another interesting concept is the modeling amp: these are designed to accurately replicate the tone of classic amplifiers, so it's as if you have a whole collection of vintage amps compressed into one.Apart from the electronics that they're based on, another defining feature of amplifier heads is the power level they put out. More often than not, this corresponds directly to the speaker cabinets you're going to plug in. The bigger the venue and the bigger the drivers, the larger and more powerful the amp head to power them. In light of that, it might be confusing as to why some models, like the 5W Randall RD5H Diavlo, are so small. The answer is actually quite simple: these low-powered amps are the perfect ones to use in the studio or at a jam session, plugged directly into a mixer or a compact speaker. This way you can still have the tone-shaping benefits of a dedicated amp head even in situations where high power just isn't necessary.Considering how many different places and methods there are for playing guitar, there are lots of reasons to own not just one amplifier head, but several. Whether you decide to pick out the most versatile head possible for multi-purpose use or to equip yourself with a whole collection of purpose-built models for every situation is up to you. What really matters is that you've got the flexibility to make those choices thanks to the impressive selection of amp heads available here.


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PRIVACY POLICY Scope of TOR HOTEL GROUP Privacy Policy
Tor Hotel Group (THG) appreciates your interest in its services and your visit to this website. This privacy policy describes the personal data collected or generated (processed) when you use Tor Hotel Group's websites ("Sites"), mobile applications ("Apps") and official social media profiles . It also explains how your personal data is used, shared and protected, what choices you have relating to your personal data and how you can contact us. THG is committed to the highest standards of data privacy and will only use your information for clearly described purposes and in accordance with your data protection rights.
This Privacy Policy applies to all websites, mobile applications and official social media profiles which link to this policy and are published by Tor Hotel Group (TOR Hotel Group, The Excelsior, City Hotel, Eagles Palace, Eagles Villas) and describes the personal data collected or processed when you use Tor Hotel Group's websites, mobile applications and social media official profiles.
Our Sites contain links to third party websites which are not subject to this privacy policy. We are not responsible for their content, use of personal information, or security practices.
If you have any queries about how we use your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Officer at email@example.com OR our customer services team at email@example.com
Information we collect
"Personal data" is any information that can be used to identify you or that THG can link to you. TGH collect (may automatically) certain information when you use, access, or interact with us via our websites.
THG uses browser cookies and similar technologies (collectively, "cookies") to collect and store certain information when you use, access, or interact with us via our websites. When you visit our site we may also collect information on an ongoing basis through Google Analytics about what pages you access or visit, and information about your use of our site, for example the pages viewed, the website from which you came to visit our site, changes you make to information you provided to us and your transactions including by use of cookies. THG may, for example, collect information about the type of device you use to access our websites, the operating system and version, your IP address, your general geographic location as indicated by your IP address, your browser type, the content you view and features you access on our websites, the web pages you view immediately before and after you access our websites, whether and how you interact with content available on our websites, and the search terms you enter on our websites. For information about how THG uses cookies and the choices you may have, please read further below.
When you directly register to use our services we may ask you to provide certain personal information including your full name, email address, contact number, registration and payment details, such as your bank account and payment card information. THG collects your personal data when you provide it to us, for instance by visiting our website, sending us an email or entering into a contract; when you sign up for an event; When you subscribe to our newsletter to receive exclusive offers and the latest news on our services.
During your stay, we record your itemized spending to properly assemble your folio, which sets out your room rate and other expenses billed to your room. We also record this information to comply with financial reporting requirements, including those imposed by auditors and government regulators. We may also collect certain information as required by local laws (e.g. passport number). Information particular to your stay may also be stored (i.e. health issues, payment difficulties, special requests, service issues). This stay specific information is stored in our CRM system and is combined with information from previous visits that you have made to one of our hotels. Certain information regarding your service preferences is also stored centrally by us and may be made available to other THG's properties through the guest history database. You may advise the hotel if you do not want personal preferences shared. In addition, we may retain the content of any document (including letters, comment cards, electronic documents such as e-mails and other similar forms of communication) that you send us before, during or following your stay. This information may be shared with employees of the hotel.
Information of children
Our websites and services are generally not directed to children under 16. Tor Hotel Group does not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16 without parental consent. We will delete any Personal Information collected that we later determine to be from an individual younger than the age of thirteen (13). If you are a parent of a child younger than age thirteen (13) and you have a concern about information that may have been provided by your child to us, please contact us at email@example.com
What do we use your personal data for?
Personal Information is collected to assist us in making your reservation and providing the services you request at any of our properties, to ensure we meet your needs while you are staying with us and/or to allow us to contact you in relation to matters that arise from your stay with us. By keeping certain stay related Personal Information on file, such as information regarding guest history and itemized spending, guests of THG have the ability to confirm prior transactions and reconcile statements or invoices. In the normal course of our business, to allow us to manage your reservation on the basis that processing is necessary in order to perform our contract with you to provide our services;
We may use the Personal Information you provide to send you newsletters regarding our properties and to advise you of promotions or to inform you of offers or other information that may be of interest to you. You will be able to opt-out of such communications at any time by sending us an email at: firstname.lastname@example.com.
We wish to contact Guests to conduct surveys or focus groups to receive your views of our properties and service delivery. Occasionally we will combine information from a number of Guests to better understand trends and Guest expectations.
Who do we share your information with?
Third parties that process data on our behalf (such as marketing agencies, infrastructure providers, management systems, it & information security professionals, law firms etc.) in order to pursue our legitimate interests and perform a contract.
Disclosure of Data Transfer & Third-Parties
THG may pass on your personal data to third parties after first obtaining your consent for purposes that you explicitly approve.
THG may pass on your personal data to third parties without first obtaining your consent for purposes allowed under required collection and processing under GDPR, including but not limited to where such data is required to provide website or user security, authentication, fraud-protection, or anti-spam protecting;
Third-Party Service Providers
Our services may be used in conjunction with services provided through a variety of third parties, such as Google. The use of information provided by you to such third parties is governed by their privacy policies, not our Privacy Policy. THG is not responsible for such third party privacy policies or their compliance with such policies.
The THG Privacy Policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, third-party advertisers. Please consult the respective privacy policies of such advertisers for more information.
International Data Transfers
We may transfer, access, or store personal information about you outside of the European Economic Area ("EEA"), Switzerland, or another country that requires legal protections for international data transfer. When we do, we will ensure that an adequate level of protection is provided for the information by using one or more of the following approaches:
We may transfer personal information to organizations that participate in Privacy Shield for transfers from the EEA or Switzerland to the U.S.
We may transfer personal information to countries that have privacy laws that have been recognized by the country from which the data are transferred as providing adequate protection for the data. Where personal data is transferred outside of the EEA to a data importer in a country that is not subject to an adequacy decision by the European Commission, data is adequately protected by appropriate safeguards, such as industry- standard GDPR – compliant contractual clauses with third parties.
We may rely on other transfer mechanisms approved by European or Greek authorities
Legal Bases for Using Your Personal Data
There are different legal bases that THG relies on to use your personal data, namely:
Your Rights
You have six basic rights under privacy and data protection laws related to the data we process about you. You do not have to pay a fee, and we will aim to respond to your request within 30 days. We will honor the requests you make related to your rights as the law allows, which means in some cases there may be legal or other official reasons that we may not be able to address the specific request you make related to your rights. You may:
To make enquires and/or to exercise any of your rights in this Privacy Policy please fill this form and send it to our customer service team at email@example.com
Keeping and Securing Your Data
We will keep personal information about you for as long as we provide services to you, as long as you work for or with us, or as long as we are addressing a concern, question, complaint, or request you have made to us, as applicable to our interactions with you. If we have a contract or other agreement with you, we will follow the retention obligations of that agreement.
We may keep data longer if we have a legal obligation to keep it or to maintain necessary records for legal, financial, compliance, or other reporting obligations, and to enforce our rights and agreements. We also may keep data about you for statistical analysis or research purposes.
Deletions of data, pursuant to properly issued, valid, and verified GDPR-related requests from a person or entity with rights to make such a request, will occur within a reasonable timeframe; data in backup archives that is unlinked may take longer to delete than active data.
We restrict access to your information to only those persons who need to use it for the relevant purpose. Our retention periods are based on business needs and your information that is no longer needed is either irreversibly anonymised or destroyed securely. Where we don't need to keep all of your information in full, we will obfuscate or aggregate it, for example, web activity logs and survey responses. This is to ensure that we do not retain your information for any longer than is necessary.
We take appropriate security measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. We also have implemented measures to maintain the ongoing confidentiality, integrity and availability of the systems and services that process personal information, and will restore the availability and access to data in a timely manner in the event of a physical or technical incident.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy was last amended on 25 September 2018
Data Protection Officer
We have appointed a manager to oversee compliance with this privacy notice. If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how we handle your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Officer at firstname.lastname@example.com OR our customer services team at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Cookies policy
THG collects information, which may include personal data, from your browser when you use our Sites. We use browser session cookies, which are temporary cookies that are erased from your device's memory when you close your Internet browser or turn your computer off, and persistent cookies, which are stored on your device until they expire, unless you delete them before that time.
We use a variety of methods, such as cookies and pixel tags to collect this information, which may include your (i) IP-address; (ii) unique cookie identifier, cookie information and information on whether your device has software to access certain features; (iii) unique device identifier and device type; (iv) domain, browser type and language, (v) operating system and system settings; (vi) country and time zone; (vii) previously visited websites; (viii) information about your interaction with our Sites such as click behavior, purchases and indicated preferences; and (ix) access times and referring URLs.
For example, we use cookies and pixel tags to track usage of the Sites and to understand our customers' preferences (such as country and language choices). This enables us to provide services to our customers and improve their online experience. We also use cookies and pixel tags to obtain aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction, to identify trends and obtain statistics so that we can improve our Sites.
Managing your cookie settings
If you do not want to accept cookies, you can block them by adjusting the settings on your internet browser. Please note that because this is a setting on your browser, this adjustment may also block cookies for any website you visit. You can visit www.aboutcookies.org, which provides detailed information on managing cookies in popular browsers.
You can completely disable cookies in your browser at any time.Blocking cookies may affect your ability to benefit from the conveniences afforded by the use of cookies, may affect your ability to use certain customization features associated with creating a user profile, and, in the case of cookies that are strictly necessary for the website to operate properly, may affect your experience of the website.
Videos and other features on our site use Flash cookies to collect and store your preferences, such as volume. Flash cookies are different from browser cookies because of the amount of, type of, and way that data is stored. Cookie management tools provided by your browser will not remove Flash cookies. To learn how to manage privacy and storage settings for Flash cookies . Some cookies may be placed by third party service providers who perform some of these functions for us.Based on what function cookies have and the purpose for which cookies are used, there are four categories of cookie: strictly necessary cookies, performance cookies, functional cookies and marketing cookies.
Cookies on this website that do not require approval.
Cookies that are essential, also known as 'strictly necessary' cookies enable features without which you would not be able to use the website as intended. These cookies are used exclusively by THG and are therefore known as first-party cookies. They are only saved on your computer while you are actually browsing the website. An example of why strictly necessary cookies are used is so that when you open the car configurator, you receive a version of it which corresponds to the data volume which your current Internet connection can handle. Without these cookies, some services cannot be provided – for example, remembering previous actions (e.g. entered text and vehicle configurations) when navigating back to a page in the same session.
Another example of what these cookies do is facilitate a switch from http to https when you change pages, so that the security of data transmitted is maintained. Furthermore, a cookie of this kind is used to store your decision about the use of cookies on our website. Your consent is not required for the use of strictly necessary cookies.
Strictly necessary cookies cannot be disabled using the features of this website.
Cookies on this website that require approval.
Performance cookies
Gather information about how a website is used – for example, which pages a visitor opens most often, and whether the user receives error messages from some pages. These cookies do not save information that would allow the user to be identified. The collected information is aggregated, and therefore anonymous. These cookies are used exclusively to improve the performance of the website, and with it the user experience.
Functional cookies
Enable a website to save information which has already been entered (such as user names, languages choices, and your location), so that it can offer you improved and more personalised functions. Functional cookies are also used to enable features you request such as playing videos. These cookies collect anonymous information and cannot track your movements on other websites.
Marketing cookies
Are used to deliver adverts and other communications more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and to help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. They remember whether you have visited a website or not, and this information can be shared with other organisations such as advertisers (this includes advertising technologies on websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter). Cookies for improving group targeting and advertising will often be linked to site functionality provided by other organisations.
Third party cookies on our Sites
Third parties may also collect data directly from your web browser and the processing of this data is subject to their own privacy policies. Our standard advertising terms and conditions do not permit our advertisers to drop their own cookies for profiling or retargeting without your consent.
We also use third party cookies on our Sites that fall into the categories above ("third party cookies") for the following reasons:
Our website uses cookies software provided by Google Analytics to monitor visitor usage to better understand how the website is used. The software will save a cookie to your computer hard drive in order to track and monitor your engagement and usage of our website, but will not store, save or collect personal information. If you would like to read Google's privacy policy please see here: .
Advertisers sometimes use their own cookies to measure performance and to identify fraudulent or non-human traffic. To the extent that you have given them your consent to do so, advertisers may also provide you with targeted advertising based on their data. For example, advertisers may use a profile they have built either on their own site or on sites that you have previously visited to present you with more relevant advertisements during your visit to www.torhotelgroup.gr.
We welcome questions, comments, and concerns about our cookies policy and privacy practices.
If you have any queries relating to this cookies Policy or our use of your personal data, please contact our Data Protection Officer at email@example.com OR our customer services team at email@example.com
If you contact us with a privacy complaint it will be assessed with the aim of resolving the issue in a timely and effective manner.
Changes to this Policy
We may make changes to this Policy from time to time based on changes to applicable laws and regulations or other requirements applicable to us, changes in technology, or changes to our business. Any changes we make to the Policy in the future will be posted on this page, and where we change this Policy in ways that also affect how we process personal information about you, where appropriate, we will notify you directly via email or other direct contact with you, and we also will post a notice on our home page that this Policy has changed. If we materially change the way in which we process your personal data, we will provide you with prior notice, or where legally required, request your consent prior to implementing such changes. We strongly encourage you to read our privacy policy and keep yourself informed of our practices.


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Last year I wrote an acrostic poem titled Advent, and I have been astounded in the past 4 weeks how many times it has been viewed. The search terms stats on my blog show that a lot of people have been searching for Advent acrostic poems. Since it is a topic of great interest, I decided to write another one. It is quite different from the first but carries the same Great News of hope found in a manger.
Angels to the shepherds sing
Divine arrival of the King
Victory is now in sight
Emmanuel comes this night
Need of all mankind is met
Thankful hearts, He paid our debt


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China's Hu Jintao urges party control, curb on corruption
- A leadership change is under way in China
- Hu Jintao has been president a decade
- Hu outlined future plans in speech to party congress
BEIJING (AP) — China's President Hu Jintao admonished his ruling Communist Party on Thursday to combat official corruption that has stoked public anger while urging colleagues to maintain firm political control, as he prepared to hand over power after a decade in office.
Hu opened a weeklong party congress with a speech that cited many of the challenges China faces — a rich-poor gap, environmentally ruinous growth and imbalanced development between prosperous cities and a struggling countryside. Yet he offered little fresh thinking to address a flagging economy and meet demands from within the party and the public for more open government.
Instead, the 90-minute, wide-ranging speech gave Hu a chance to define his legacy and lay down policy markers for his successor, Vice President Xi Jinping, while marshaling his clout for the main event at the congress: the backroom politicking to install allies in the collective leadership Xi will lead.
"For Hu Jintao and his leadership, the most important thing is to make sure that he would have as much influence as possible in placing new members in the new generation of leaders," said Ding Xueliang, a Chinese politics expert at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Always an occasion for divisive bargaining, the leadership transition has been fraught, buffeted by scandal and by the sinking economy that has fed public anger over a party increasingly seen as consumed by power and corruption.
In recent months, one top leader, Bo Xilai, has been purged after his wife murdered a British businessman; a top aide to Hu was sidelined after his son crashed a Ferrari he shouldn't have been able to afford and foreign media reported that relatives of Xi and outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao had traded on their proximity to power to amass vast fortunes.
Hu sounded the alarm on rampant graft, calling on party members to be ethical and rein in their family members.
"Nobody is above the law," Hu said to the applause of the 2,309 delegates and invited guests gathered in the Great Hall of the People, with Xi and other party notables on the dais behind him. He later said, "If we fail to handle this issue well, it could prove fatal to the party, and even cause the collapse of the party and the fall of the state."
Hu mentioned corruption and efforts to fight it 16 times and said China needed more effective laws and rules to eliminate conflicts of interest, though he did not propose asset disclosures or other detailed measures that reformers have urged.
Hu also drew the line on political reform, a catchphrase for everything from greater transparency to democracy, insisting that the party and its leading position would remain firmly intact.
The party has "been through a crisis of political legitimacy since the Bo Xilai affair and they're trying to mend that," said Jean-Pierre Cabestan of Hong Kong Baptist University. He said Hu wants "to demonstrate that China needed the Communist Party as a leading force and that they will improve, but at the same time, clearly indicating that the party should remain in the saddle, and the only one in the saddle."
The congress also comes during a crisis with Japan over disputed islands, and though Hu did not mention it by name, he said China faced complicated security threats.
China would further modernize its armed forces and "resolutely safeguard China's maritime rights and interests and build China into a maritime power," Hu said.
Stakes have seemed higher still this year for the party and the public, with China seemingly facing a turning point. The old model of heavily state-directed growth that lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty and made China an economic powerhouse is faltering in the face of rising domestic debt and a weak global economy. Meanwhile, the government has to contend with the public's continued expectations of higher living standards and for less corruption and greater accountability, if not outright democracy.
In a sign of the public disquiet, four ethnic Tibetans in Sichuan and Qinghai provinces set themselves on fire on the eve of the congress in protests against Chinese rule of Tibetan areas, London-based rights group Free Tibet said, adding that it was the most such self-immolations in a single day.
At dawn in Tiananmen Square, next to the congress venue, a woman in her 30s threw pieces of torn paper into the air and shouted "bandits and robbers!" — a curse often leveled at corrupt local officials. She was taken away by the security forces which have smothered all of Beijing for the congress.
Despite China's economy and society being entwined with the world through trade and the Internet, the congress itself seems from another era. Most of the delegates are drawn from the ranks of the 82 million-member party to make the event appear broadly representative while the real deal-making is done by a few dozen power-brokers behind the scenes.
After the delegates stood for the national anthem, the congress paused for a moment of silence to remember Mao Zedong and other revolutionary leaders. A golden hammer and sickle, the party's symbol, hung on the wall behind Hu. On the rostrum, dressed in a Mao jacket, sat 95-year-old Song Ping, a veteran revolutionary and party insider. Hu's predecessor, Jiang Zemin, sat in the center, symbolic of his vital position in the bargaining over the next leadership.
Hu's speech is also a consensus document, the result of more than a year of drafting and redrafting by a committee. While laying out Hu's legacy, its vagueness might appear to give latitude to Xi to branch out in new areas. But it also seemed to turn aside calls in recent months from retired party notables, commentators and government think tanks to embark on a meaningful opening of the political system and shift resources away from cosseted and wealthy state enterprises.
Hu's platform is a grab-bag of ideas meant to promote more balanced growth and stronger party rule that goes under the clunky phrase "the Scientific Outlook on Development." Hu called this platform "a powerful theoretical weapon" to guide the party.
His report also stressed that economic growth remained the chief solution to China's problems.
Hu set a target for doubling the size of the country's economy and per capita income from 2010 to 2020, implying an 8 percent annual growth rate that economists say may saddle China with higher debt and more waste and prevent a rebalancing away from state companies to private companies and households.
"Only development counts," Hu said.