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In a new white paper, Beekman Wealth Advisory founder Elizabeth Anderson counsels women on how not to become a "bag lady" with six common sense lessons. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, here's a definition:
Bag Lady Syndrome: The irrational fear of not having enough money, and, in the extreme case, of ending up destitute and homeless. According to one survey, a "startling 90% of American women said they felt financially insecure", and nearly half responded that they suffered "tremendous fear of becoming a bag lady", including 48% of those with annual incomes over $100,000.
In the daily business of managing a client's portfolio, it is sometimes easy to lose sight of our clients as individuals, with fears and concerns that spill over into their financial lives. While putting client interests first is part and parcel of an advisor's role, Elizabeth says it can be especially important when they are in the grip of high emotional distress caused by an event such as death or divorce, or even with someone who has irrational fears about becoming a bag lady.
As someone who routinely puts herself in her clients' shoes, I asked Elizabeth to turn the tables and give advisors lessons for helping clients in these types of stressful situations. Here are her four 'lessons' that advisors can take to hear.
Lesson #1: Build Personal Relationships With Your Clients
Elizabeth shared a story with me about two of her clients, a brother and sister. They lost their mother, one of Elizabeth's first clients, suddenly, in an accident. It was obviously a traumatic time for them. Elizabeth took the daughter to lunch, gave her a hug and expressed her condolences. Then they talked, not about finances, but about her Mom. "The daughter told me that I was the first person who spoke to her as a human," says Elizabeth. "The estate lawyer was focused on estate planning matters with her, the accountant was focused on preparing the estate tax return,and other money managers were focused on transferring assets," she added.
According to Elizabeth, after someone has been divorced, widowed or loses a parent, advisors often tend to focus on the financial aspects of the situation. When clients are feeling the pain of a real loss, just to say "I'm really sorry" or "I realize what you are going through" can be the words they most want to hear.
In general, Elizabeth counsels clients not to make any important financial decisions at times of high emotions. "When your client comes and wants to sell everything or move, counsel them to stop, take a deep breath and think it through," she says. This approach will work if you have a relationship built on trust. By contrast, if it's a relationship that is "sporadic or based on selling products to someone and you suddenly show concern, that sort of approach may not work."
It all boils down to building deep relationships based on trust and relating to your clients as individuals, not portfolios.
Lesson #2: Learn to Say "No" to Your Client
In Elizabeth's 30+ years in the business, she has seen many examples of advisors putting clients into risky investments such as junk bonds, at great risk to the principal, to attempt to generate the level of income the client wants. "If someone wants to withdraw 8% a year, advisors need to learn to say "No" and to explain the tradeoffs and implications," says Elizabeth. She adds that you need to be honest with clients about what their portfolio will support.
She told me that even independently wealthy clients can overspend. For instance, she has been hired by parents who have adult children with a spending problem. Her role is to help heirs understand that they must fit their lifestyle to their wallet.
How do you politely say "No" or explain what spending level a portfolio can support? Elizabeth calculates a sustainable spending rate for clients. She does a break-even analysis that says if you want to be able to spend X% of the portfolio, then Y% is the target return you'll need to earn on the top line.
For example, she went through the exercise with a family that wanted to spend 7% per year from a balanced stock–bond portfolio. What they found out was that the family would need to earn more than 19% on the stock portfolio on the top side, which is obviously not achievable on an ongoing basis after taxes and inflation. "When you can put numbers around things, such as telling clients they are likely to run out of money in seven to ten years at current spending levels, they tend to understand why they have to make different choices," Elizabeth says.
Lesson #3: Make Sure Your Trust Has Been Earned
Elizabeth believes that if someone gets paid to sell risky products, they will sell risky products. If they get paid for leveraging a portfolio, they will leverage the portfolio. Your expertise and your business model are important factors when it comes to earning your clients' trust.
Beekman Wealth Advisory is compensated on fixed dollar retainer fees. The firm doesn't get paid more or less based on the specific products or strategies it proposes. She believes this approach conveys to clients that the firm has the client's best interests at heart for the long term. Regardless of your business model she advocates being up-front and transparent about how you are compensated. This will go a long way to earning trust, she says.
"If you buy a clunker car, at worst case maybe you'll have to buy a new car," Elizabeth says. "But if you get bad financial advice and lose money, the consequences may be much more severe. Some people you may want to trust on a personal level—your doctor, your hairdresser, your brother-in-law–shouldn't be your source of advice about financial matters."
To demonstrate your know-how, advisors need investment experience. "Having CFP, CFA, or CPA credentials, beyond brokerage licenses, is helpful," she says.
Lesson #4: Encourage Your Clients to Ask Questions
Elizabeth has been at many meetings where an advisor talks on and on, but doesn't notice that he or she is speaking at a level investors don't understand. She says that terms such as 'alpha,' or 'beta' or 'upside capture' are meaningful to advisors, but not to even high-net-worth private clients who don't understand and don't really care." Advisors need to encourage clients to ask more questions. "If you have open communication with your clients, in the aftermath of a death or divorce, it can be especially important to counsel them to take more time to think further about their decision making."
Moreover, she says that many private investors know when something is wrong. "They have a pretty good idea if they are spending too much money or that it really isn't a good idea to quit their jobs or make large gifts," she says. "Some of the time the most important thing you can do is listen and confirm what they already know in the back of their minds."
At the end of the day, wealth management is a relationship-driven business. Clients don't ever want to worry about the potential risks of becoming a bag lady. Building trust and strong communications will go a long way towards providing the peace of mind that clients need, particularly in emotionally-charged situations.
Elizabeth Anderson, CFA, is the founder of Beekman Wealth Advisory LLC, a boutique financial consultancy providing highly customized services to families and individuals. Cynthia Stephens is the Vice President of Marketing for ByAllAccounts, a leading provider of account aggregation.


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Toboggan Disc Golf Course / front 9 featuring Feldberg, Orum, Leviska, Blakely
Added by Pete Crist
Joe Wander › March 8, 2010 at 8:07am
Peter - Thanks for adding the Videos option. Great job as usual.
Joe Gabris › March 9, 2010 at 5:31pm
Look at how easy they make the approach look on hole 6.
Garrett Graham 4G's › March 9, 2010 at 7:00pm
loads really choppy for me
Stephen Moore › March 15, 2010 at 7:06pm
Broken hand and still knocking down putts...unreal
Nathanael "Nasty" Scott › November 12, 2010 at 1:16pm
this is awesome, to see top tier players playing those holes. Give you an idea of where you stand. FAR behind. lol
Jason "Rage" morton › February 18, 2011 at 3:39am
Broken hand on a tree and still nailing putts? dave is a savage warrior. can't wait for his new course at blue lake. That will be the closest course to me :D

subset: commoncrawl


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Developers who are proficient with SQL are accustomed to posing questions to SQL Server in its native tongue. However, SQL statements are arcane, and you can't expect your Web site's visitors to be able to create complex query statements to extract the information they're looking for. You can try to anticipate visitors' requests and add parameters to a catalog of queries, but writing all the possible SQL statements for how a visitor might extract information is a monumental chore. For example, Listing 1 shows an SQL query to retrieve stage information for a shooting match held on a particular date. Table 1 shows the results for January 16, 1999.
Imagine a fairy-tale world in which developers didn't need to create such queries. In this world, your Web site's visitors can use a simple English phrase to ask for any information in the database, and the Web server magically dishes out the correct results. To receive the results in Table 1, a user can type the following English query statement:
Show the stages for 1/16/1999.
You can use Microsoft English Query 7.0 to make that fantasy a reality. English Query uses knowledge of the English language with information you provide about the structure of the underlying data to convert a simple English phrase into an SQL statement.
Although English Query offers the functionality of a standalone product, you can find this tool in the \Mseq directory on the SQL Server 7.0 CD-ROM. However, English Query isn't new to SQL Server; SQL Server 6.5 Enterprise Edition includes English Query 1.0. If you'd like to explore English Query before you install this tool, Books Online (BOL) contains information about English Query, a tutorial, and descriptions of two Web samples.
Installing English Query is simple and takes only a moment. The tool requires 12MB of hard disk space on your development system. The Setup program installs four components: Core, which is the query engine; Developer, which is the domain editor; Help; and Samples. After installation, I suggest you walk through the Help file's tutorial, which uses the pubs database, to learn the concepts and terminology of English Query.
Creating English Query applications is a straightforward pvocess. When you create an English Query application, you're creating a cross-reference that lets the English Query engine translate between an English phrase and the SQL statement that extracts the correct information from a particular database. The English Query engine can handle plural word forms, sentence structure, and other facets of the English language, but it needs you to specify the relationships between the entities, synonyms for entities, and an entity's type (e.g., whether an entity represents a time, place, or person). This process can be tedious for databases with several entities and relationships, so English Query provides tools to minimize this tedium: Autotrait, Autoname Import Structure, and a wizard that walks you through application creation.
The English Query domain editor is the tool you use to import the structure of your database, identify your domain's major and minor entities, create relationships between those entities, test sample visitor queries, and build the application for deployment. Screen 1 shows the English Query domain editor during the early stages of developing an application.
The domain editor is also the tool you use to define an entity's properties. Screen 2 shows the properties of an entity called stage. In this example, when a visitor uses the word stage, SQL Query editor will display three fields. You can also define an entity's synonyms; in this example, I defined the phrase stage info as equivalent to the word stage.
After you define all the entities and their relationships, English Query compiles the information you provide into a domain knowledge file with the extension .eqd. The runtime engine, which provides an object-based interface to English Query, then uses this file. The English Query engine is a COM component, so you can use it from virtually any Microsoft application. (Although you might be tempted to apply the COM English Query engine in applications that use databases other than SQL Server, ignore this temptation. The SQL commands that English Query generates take advantage of features unique to SQL Server.)
The domain editor lets you test questions against the application you're building. In some cases, English Query interactively refines users' questions. For example, English Query will ask visitors for clarification if they pose the following query:
Show me all shooters in Washington.
In this case, English Query doesn't know whether the user wants information about the city or the state.
Testing your application reveals questions that English Query can't interactively refine and requires you to modify the application. Listing 2 shows a basic English Query object. You begin using English Query by instantiating an instance of the component. Next, the code tells English Query to load your definition file. Now you can use the ParseRequest method to submit questions to English Query.
English Query's Help file contains an object model that shows the relationship among the steps of the runtime engine. (Figure 1 shows how BOL illustrates this model.) You can use this model to visualize the following events. Submitting a question to English Query will generate one of several possible results. The result might be a command that answers the question, or the result might be a SQL statement that you must run against the database to provide the answer. Another possible outcome is that English Query might need clarification about the question. A third possible outcome is that English Query doesn't understand the question. This result might mean the developer didn't provide English Query enough information during development or that someone asked a nonsense question. Track questions that English Query can't answer so that you can modify your domain model to fix the problem.
After you're satisfied that your English Query application is working, you're ready to deploy it to your Web server. To begin deployment, copy the .eqd file to the Web server directory that contains the Active Server Pages (ASP) for your application. Be sure to set read and execute or read and script privileges on this directory.
English Query Tips
English Query works best with normalized databases; however, your circumstances might mandate a structure that is not fully normalized. In this case, you can use views to solve problems that non-normalized databases cause. The English Query domain editor doesn't automatically import views. To add a view as an entity, select Table from the Insert menu and enter the name of the view. The English Query Help file provides examples of how to use views with non-normalized data.
Another tip is to define a primary key for each table in your English Query application. English Query requires primary keys to perform joins between tables to satisfy user requests. If you haven't defined keys in your database, you will need to define them in the domain editor. English Query can't build your application correctly without primary keys.
When you develop English Query applications, remember that case is significant. For example, English Query knows that you are asking about a proper noun because you capitalize the words in the query. Finally, if you're running Internet Information Server (IIS) 4.0 with the Windows Scripting Host (WSH), the fastest way to build and deploy a test application is to run the setupasp.vbs macro from the C:\programfiles\microsoftenglishquery\ samples\asp2. This macro automatically installs and configures your data, so you can start testing immediately.
The effort you put into an English Query application is worthwhile. Visitors to your Web site will be pleasantly surprised at the ease with which they find information.


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Friday, September 6, 2013
Office of College Advancement
Ohlone College
Fremont, CA-Breakfast and Bloody Marys, putting contests, golfing on "member's only" course, prize-packed "Hole-in-One" and longest drive contests, cocktails, awards reception, raffles, silent auction, and more are all part of Ohlone College's 29th Annual Golf Tournament at Castlewood Country Club.
The 2013 Founding Sponsor, Fremont Bank, developed the tournament 29 years ago to raise funds for Ohlone Renegades Athletic teams, and has provided support for the tournament and to Ohlone College for many years.
This year's 29th Annual Ohlone College Golf Tournament, presented by FORM (Fremont Orthopaedic & Rehabilitative Medicine), is held on both the hill and valley courses of the Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton on Monday, September 23, 2013. "This is our signature athletic event of the year," said Chris Warden, Dean of Kinesiology, Athletics, and Newark Campus. "Our teams and coaches are gearing up for a great event. It's an opportunity to thank the community for their strong support of our programs." Proceeds benefit the Ohlone College student athletic programs.
The tournament is packed with entertaining activities and prizes including longest drive, "closest to the pin", most accurate drive, and multiple Hole-in-One contests featuring prizes such as a $10,000 CD from Fremont Bank. In addition to a tasty lunch provided on the course, hospitality tents will keep players refreshed throughout the day.
The tournament is followed by the College's Athlete of the Year awards at a special reception with an athletic basket raffle and silent auction opportunities.
To register or for more information please visit www.ohlonecollegegolf.org. The tournament sold out last year and registration is now underway.
[ View Press Releases Index. ]


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Unfortunately, it appears that far too many healthcare providers don't follow this rule. There aren't very many that even have an emergency plan in place. However, this will soon need to be remedied. HIPAA security general rules state that not only must a patient's privacy be protected, but the ePHI is available at all times — even in the case of an emergency. All healthcare providers, regardless of size, will need to implement some kind of disaster planning, regardless of their situation, in order to be in compliance with these regulations.
EMR Add-On's that Provide Physician Benefit
MedCPU is a part of the inaugural NYC Digitial Health Accelerator class. They have developed a new concept that will likely to very helpful to many. It analyzes free text notes and structured data, and checks for compliance with rules and to identify any deviances. The company described one hospital using the services the company provides as a benefit given to doctors who use EHR. This is just one of many add-ons available, but some are seeing them to be a large reason why some doctors want to adopt EMRs.
Video: The Horrors of Generic HIT Training
Need a break from the day-to-day monotony? Be sure to check at this video on the horrors of generic HIT Training. It "offers a wry take on what happens when EMR training isn't relevant for the doctor who's getting the training. In this case, we witness the plight of a heart surgeon who's forced through a discussion on primary care functions that she neither wants nor needs."
Study: EMR ROI Stronger In Low-Income Setting
A recent study revealed something interesting. Hospitals in low-income areas actually may have a decent return on investment when an EMR is integrated. Three different areas were looked at and analyzed, and it was found that after five years of having an EMR, the hospital examined had a net benefit of over $600,000. Not all hospitals will benefit this much, but it's encouraging to see more EMR success stories popping up.
Get Peace of Mind and Avoid the ER With Snap.MD
It's the middle of the night, and your child breaks out in a rash all of his or her body. The doctor's office doesn't have middle of the night, on-call doctors, so the only option is the ER, right? Maybe not for long. Snap.MD, a new telemedicine system, may help parents decide if the Emergency Room is the best course of action. Parents of pediatric patients are connected to physician, who will help evaluate the situation via video conferencing.


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The Pirates got their eighth 1-run win last night, scratching out just enough runs against one of the best pitchers around, Roy Halladay. Most of the credit should go to Zach Duke, Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan and Octavio Dotel who held the Phillies to one run.
Unfortunately I missed this game, instead going to see Ironman 2. My short review from twitter: Fun popcorn movie. Turn off your brain, ignore the plot holes and enjoy the ride.
In Atlanta, Bobby Cox was ejected from a game for the 155th time, extending his own all-time major league record. I hope he ends up with exactly 162, which would mean that for his 29 seasons managing he was essentially tossed out for an entire year. Alas, his current rate of 155/4385 means he's only likely to be thrown out 4-5 more times. Time to pick up the pace Bobby!
From the always over-hyped NYY/BOS series: Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera blew the lead, Jonathan Papelbon came back from a terrible outing the day before to record a shaky save. I only care about this because I need Papelbon to rebuild some value in my AL only league.
Milwaukee: You got one good year out of Trevor Hoffman. Be happy with that.
Florida: Much has been written already about Hanley Ramirez's lollygagging and subsequent benching. My favorite take come from Craig Calcaterra: "I have never won the "you can't come out of your room until you apologize" game with my son. It's way easier to be bad than it is to be good. I wish that weren't true, but it is."
I've always hoped in the back of my head that the Blue Jays' third baseman would start a rally of people trying to effect change by staying in their automobiles for an extended period of time. This movement would of course be called the Edwin In-Car-Nation.
Programming note: I'm headed out to the Grand Canyon tomorrow for a long weekend. I don't expect to post any new blogs while I'm gone, but I may post some pictures to twitter. You should be able to catch those on the left sidebar, or you can just follow me.
Filed under: baseball, Pirates, Uncategorized | Tagged: baseball, Bobby Cox, Edwin Encarnacion, Evan Meek, Grand Canyon, Hanley Ramirez, Ironman 2, Joba Chamberlain, Joel Hanrahan, Jonathan Papelbon, Mariano Rivera, Octavio Dotel, Pirates, Roy Halladay, Trevor Hoffman, Zach Duke | 2 Comments »


text: Home Social Media News Azaad News Tv Decrease in dollar value by 10 rupees Social Media NewsAzaad News Tv Decrease in dollar value by 10 rupees By ZoonTV - December 31, 2019 RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Bilawal bhutto big offer to MQM Important party supported to bilawal bhutto Who new election commission of pakistan ? NAB amendment ordinance rejected Latest pics of hareem shah Hamari Talaq Nahi hui !!! Shahroz Sabzwari clarifies rumors about his Separation with Syra Sialkot police latest video viral Gharida farooqi tweets on imran khan Pakistan zindabad salogan in india Bilawal bhutto arrested big breaking news India was excluded from the world map All cases against Nawaz Sharif ended Imran khan warns of 'false flag operation' by India | Speech at an event in KP Sania Nishtar exposes Zakat thieves | Benazir Income Support program | Press conference Amazing Solar Eclipse 2019 videos from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore | Must watch What was doing Bonnie Kapoor few minutes before death of Sri Devi? 2020 will be the public's year | Faisal Javed speech today | 25 Dec 2019 PM Imran Khan is Quaid e Azam's soldier | SAPM Firdous Ashiq Awan speech today Shehryar Afridi press conference with evidence against Rana Sanaullah PM Imran Khan's name is "Ehtasab Khan" | Sheikh Rasheed speech today LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply Please enter your comment! Please enter your name here You have entered an incorrect email address! Please enter your email address here Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.


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Fighting COVID relies on us all. Please give what you can to meet the surging needs for our elderly, homeless and families during this health crisis.
Correctional Re-Entry Services
Pioneers in correctional services for the formerly incarcerated
A pioneer in Correctional Services for 123 years, we champion the humane treatment of prisoners.
Individuals who have broken the law and have been sentenced to serve time behind prison walls generally receive little regard from the majority of society.
Over the years, the "system" has awkwardly labeled these individuals such monikers as ex-felon, ex-offender, ex-con, parolee, probationer, former convict, once-convicted criminal, formerly incarcerated, and the latest, politically correct, "returning citizen." The latter sounds as though someone has been spending some long and happy months abroad and is just now finding their way back home to America.
But the truth is the designation isn't as important as the person. These are real people—mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, husbands and wives. And for whatever reason, they have now found themselves as an added statistic to another prison report, but they are every bit as human as we are. They are desperately seeking the same basic things as we are and approaching their future with some amount of trepidation just as we are.
Maud Booth, our co-founder, knew this. Booth once said, when she spoke to a group behind prison walls, "When you have served your time, I will nurse you back to health, I will get you work, above all, I will trust you. I will help you over the rough places but, mind you, I will not carry you."
Today, Volunteers of America continues to address the issues that these citizens face as they make their way back into the communities from which they came because we believe everyone deserves a second chance - and the respect and dignity that goes along with it.
We provide services to help offenders successfully transition from prison to a productive life in the community and we help rehabilitate adult offenders and steer youth to set new, positive directions for their lives. Our services include halfway houses and work-release programs, day reporting, diversion and pre-trial services, residential treatment, family supports, and dispute resolution and mediation services.
"I think they are accomplishing things I don't believe they would have accomplished had I continued down my path of drug and alcohol abuse. It wasn't until I came to live [at a Volunteers of America, Dakotas halfway house] that my attitude and thinking began to change."Jaime, a young mother of three talking about her kids
Backed by our previous legacy of services, our correctional professionals of today continue to develop innovative evidence-based service models to serve the disconnected and socially disadvantaged persons re-entering society after periods of incarceration.
Our unique partnerships within local communities represents one of the nation's best opportunities to engage citizens in the process of offering acceptance, service and guidance to formerly incarcerated citizens. These efforts, not only provide life-changing benefits for the formerly incarcerated, but also make a direct impact on the health and vitality of the local community.
Specialized Case Management Services
Volunteers of America is a leader in the development of programs that provide specialized case management services to first-time offenders or targeted offenders, such as those charged with DUI (Driving Under the Influence) or domestic violence. Intensive supervision and support can also divert youth from the court system or incarceration. Specialized intensive case management services are provided to pre-trial defendants in the community who may otherwise be incarcerated while awaiting trial. Participants are connected with substance abuse and other services.
Residential Treatment
Specialized in-patient intensive treatment programs using cognitive behavior approaches, coupled with more traditional twelve step and relapse prevention services, are helping break the cycles of recidivism and are provided for both individuals, women parenting children as well as for youth referred by the criminal justice system.
Community Sanction & Re-Entry Centers
We provide a continuum of proven service models to help offenders rebuild their lives and re-enter their communities. Through services such as literacy training, housing location, and alcohol and substance comprehensive treatment, case management, offenders gain skills and are empowered to succeed. Residents secure employment, participate in education and life skills training and learn to give back to their community through community service experiences. Programs are operated through agreements with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Probation Department, as well as states and counties. Programs are operated in over 50 residential re-entry facilities located across the country.
Day Reporting
Volunteers of America also assists communities and governments by providing cost- effective and efficient services through day reporting. Day reporting provides low-risk offenders with a way to make amends to the community and serve their sentences or parole sanctions in a community center without the incurring the high cost of a prison stay. These centers assess an individual's needs, develop specialized treatment and/or case management plans, and emphasize employment and skills training. All offenders are monitored to ensure that the individuals served are meeting expectations.
- Related Services
- Substance Abuse
- Mental Health


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|Confused About Etiquette
|By Joel Benjamin
|September 27, 2006
Hello Joel,
You likely do not remember me, but back in 1981, we had a piece of pizza for lunch together at Famous Ray's on 6th Ave and 11th St, while we were both in high school and playing in a tournament at Bar Point. Those
were the days....
Anyway, my question. I read recently that Kasparov forgot to push his clock in a game against Karpov in a WC match, and that Karpov just sat and waiting, but the stakes are somewhat higher.
What should you do when your opponent makes his/her move, and then forgets to press the clock? Should you just sit there and wait? That seems kind of unsportsmanlike. However, you are not supposed to bother/talk to your opponent during a game except to offer a draw, but is this an exception?
Confused about etiquette,
Rob Bernard
Glen Ridge, NJ
Hmm, I don't remember that happening in a K-K match. But if your opponent forgets to hit his/her clock, you might as well tell him/her. Sure, you could sit there and wait. It probably won't help you win the game. But it will definitely make your opponent angry. So unless you like to make enemies, point out your opponent's oversight.
Plus if you don't say anything and leave your opponent's clock running, he/she might just try to make another move.
While it is a bit sleazy to let the clock run in this situation (I saw it happen once in a U.S. Championship; it led to some unhealthy relations), it is not illegal to do so. So everyone out there: Do not forget to press your clock! While most opponents will be good sports, you can't count on it.
Joel Benjamin


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- Summary
- FAQs
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Exploring Mars
The Sun's fourth planet is the nearest thing in the Solar System to Earth's twin. Well into the 20th century, many people believed it to be inhabited; some serious astronomers as well as science fiction writers wrote much on the subject of Martians and their civilization. By mid-century, better telescopes and more careful observation had pretty well ruled out the existence of civilized Martians, but there were high hopes that the planet's seasonal colour changes were signs of growing vegetation. And if there were plants, all manner of other life might be out there.
So it is no surprise that space scientists, designers and engineers found Mars an alluring prospect right from the dawn of the space age. Apart from dreams of Martian neighbours, the planet is the most accessible from Earth: at its closest approach, it is less than 60 million kilometres away. A spacecraft on an energy-saving transfer orbit has to follow a much longer, swooping trajectory. But even so, a fairly modest amount of boost will take a spaceprobe from Earth orbit to a Mars rendezvous.
The very first Mars probes were launched by the former Soviet Union in October, 1960 - just three years after Sputnik 1. Both failed before reaching Earth orbit: 'accessible' is relative, after all, especially with first-generation space technology. But the Russians and their American rivals persevered.
The Americans made the first successful fly-by with Mariner 4 in July 1965. Mariner was a technical triumph, but it also brought disappointment. Not only were there no Martians. The planet's surface, as seen in Mariner's brief scan, was a cratered moonscape, and its 'plants' turned out to be nothing more than seasonal duststorms.
Later probes, including several landers, brought somewhat better news. True, they found that Mars is utterly arid, with a whisper-thin atmosphere - 95% carbon dioxide - that is too tenuous to protect its surface for sterilising ultra-violet radiation. And it is bitterly cold. Even on a midsummer day at the Martian equator, surface temperatures rarely reach 15 degrees; in the winter night, they fall to around -130. As for life: when NASA's 1976 Viking landers tested the Martian soil for biological activity, they found nothing definite.
But almost forty years of robotic exploration have revealed a fascinating world of deep valleys and huge, extinct volcanoes, where ice-crystal clouds sometimes linger in a salmon-pink sky. So the attraction remains. Mars is still the most Earth-like of the planets. The Martian environment may be inhospitable, but it is far more welcominging than the searing surface of Venus. A Mars day is close to the earthly 24 hours and the planet has a matching tilt, so there are Martian seasons and even weather patterns that correspond at least a little to our own. And the question of Martian life is still far from settled.
Mars is dry today. But spacecraft photographs - the entire planet has been mapped from orbit - show that water most likely once flowed on its arid surface. There are many etched river valleys and boulder-strewn flood plains that have no other easy explanation. Clearly, Mars was once much warmer. Even if the planet bears no life today, it may have done so in its youth. Possible fossil bacteria have already been found in a meteorite of Martian origin: there may be plenty more waiting for us on Mars itself.
There may be more than just fossils, too. For years, planetary scientists have been asking themselves: where did all that water go? Much of it probably evaporated into space. But there is some evidence that some at least is still there, underground. If so, there is a good chance that Martian life has gone underground with it: Earth has plenty of bacteria that could thrive in similar conditions, and life is nothing if not tenacious.
The search for life is a major element of all present and future Mars missions, including ESA's Mars Express which entered Martian orbit on 25 December 2003. In the longer term, it's also of interest to ESA's Aurora Programme, which has the task of taking human spaceflight beyond the ISS and out into the solar system over the next thirty years. Along the way, Aurora will be guiding the development of improved soft-landing technology and broadband interplanetary communications, as well as sophisticated robot science packages. But there is a limit to what robots can do. As a step towards its prime goal, Aurora might consider a sample return mission that could bring Mars rocks back for more thorough analysis on Earth.
"Ideally, we want to bring back not just any random rock," says ESA's Franco Ongaro. "We want to be able to tell the spacecraft: 'That rock over there!'" If Aurora comes up with those broadband communications - and without them the mission is likely to be impossible - the Internet will allow millions of people to share the adventure.
A Mars Sample Return mission might also involve our first attempt at interplanetary exploitation. Instead of lugging propellant for the return trip all the way from Earth, the lander systems could include technology that would generate rocket fuel from Martian resources.
Ultimately, though, Mars exploration plans should result in an even greater adventure - a human mission. Astronauts are vastly more capable than even the smartest robot, but they are also vastly more difficult and expensive to transport. Unlike robots, they eat and breath; and if their environment is too uncomfortable, they can become tetchy and depressed. For a human Mars expedition to be possible, new technologies will have to be developed and tested: not only soft-landing methods and in-situ fuel processing, but life-support engineering for a long haul far from home and perhaps entirely new rocket systems, possibly based on new types of propulsion, which will reduce the time spent coasting through space.
A human Mars mission, perhaps with the Moon as a first target or even as a way station to the Red Planet, would represent the culmination of the programme's efforts. And just incidentally, it would also guarantee that there was life on Mars: human life.


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Vigil honors Kansas teen killed in pond crash
Desirae Crossland's sister tried to save her
Friends and family members of a 15-year-old Kansas girl who died in a weekend crash on a rural road gathered to remember her Tuesday evening.
Desirae Crossland was riding in a car with her sister and another friend when it skidded on a patch of ice and lost control. The car rolled and landed upside down in a roadside pond.
"We were in the water for about 15 minutes," she said. "It was the worst 15 minutes of my life."
She said she tried kicking the windows as temperatures dropped.
"My sister kept saying, 'Felicity, come on. I don't want to die. Please please please,' you know," Crossland said. "I was like, 'Desi, I'm going to get you out of here. We're all going to get out of this car.'"
She said she must live with the guilt of being behind the wheel for the crash, but she also knows she did everything possible to save her sister.
She said the last thing she said to her sister before finding a way out of the car and blacking out is to tell her she loved her and would never take her for granted.
Felicity Crossland spoke to hundreds of her sister's friends and classmates from Atchison High School. People lit candles and shared stories about Desirae.
Desirae Crossland will be buried later this week. Her sister and friend went to a hospital for treatment of hypothermia, but neither suffered severe injuries.


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John Ambrosia
Other than the cowboy, there may not be a symbol that more powerfully evokes the American ideals of autonomy and individualism than the automobile. Those icons came together at halftime during the Super Bowl, when Chrysler aired an ad featuring Clint Eastwood. Before delving further into the ad, its fallout and what it says about the short-term fortunes of the automotive metals sector, some context is needed.
What became the auto bailout began in September 2008 with $25 billion in loans from a bipartisan Congress and then spread into a roughly $80-billion investment started by President Bush in December 2008 and completed by President Obama in 2009. We all know the results: Chrysler and General Motors are back on their feet, profitable and successful; millions of jobs were saved; and the rescue of the auto sector greatly helped steel, aluminum and other metal sectors.
Here is where Eastwood and the ad come in, a TV spot that still has some people upset. What caused all the fuss? Well, in part, this: The people of Detroit . . . almost lost everything. But we all pulled together, now Motor City is fighting again, Eastwood said in the ad. We all rallied around what was right, and acted as one. Because thats what we do. We find a way through tough times, and if we cant find a way then well make one. All that matters now is whats ahead. How do we come from behind? How do we come together. And how do we win? Detroits showing us it can be done. And whats true about them is true about all of us.
This sounds like good old non-partisan American optimism and resilience, right? Well some took the ad as a ringing endorsement of the auto bailout and, by extension, Obama. The auto bailout, even though bipartisan and successful, still troubles many politicians and their supporters, who openly say they would rather have let auto companies fail and shut down than be saved by public intervention. This voices the ultimate sacrifice of the general welfare on the altar of a were all on our own ideology.
There may be many businesses that benefit from a retrenchment into such an approach, but not the metals industry. In this months issue, we focus on automotive metals, galvanized products and scrap. The things that these metals go into need commonality: roads, bridges, buildings, pipelines, etc.
When Eastwood spoke during that ad, he spoke of an America that can still make good on its common promise. When we as a nationwhether the private sector, the government or some combination of the twoact upon the sentiments of the Chrysler ad, jobs are created and the metals sector becomes more profitable. To paraphrase Eastwoods defense of his work in the ad, if steel or any other industry wants to run with the spirit of that TV spot, Go for it.
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Every month American Metal Market takes a statistical look inside the marketplace.
We actually don't know who his investors are. At the point when we are ready, we will investigate further. There are just so many things to handle and there are a lot of items to be considered with the project."
-- Charles C. Mitchell, Barstow city manager


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'Paul Talling is a connoisseur of these lost waterways' - BBC The One Show
This website has been created to promote the book of London's Lost Rivers by Paul Talling (the follow up to his Derelict London book). Over the years this website is expanding to cover many other London water related topics.
Recently added to this website are chapters on London's Lost Canals and London's Lesser Known Rivers such as the Hogsmill, the Cray, the New River,the Darent & the Ravensbourne. Many more to follow including the Mutton Brook, the Beck and the River Crane to name but a few. I have a programme of guided walking tours of some of London's Lost Rivers and doing the same again in 2020 when you can join me (see the Guided Walks page for more info). Note that tickets for every single walk from 2013 to 2019 sold out far in advance so it is essential to book as soon as dates are released.
London's Lost Rivers is the latest book by Paul Talling
Available in all bookshops or to order online via Foyles, Waterstones, Amazon and WH Smith
Here is a summary of the 22 rivers/streams/ditches, 8 canals and 8 docks/wharves that the 192 page book covers
Major Rivers
River Westbourne - (Hampstead to Chelsea Bridge via Kilburn, Bayswater,Hyde Park, Knightsbridge & Sloane Square)
River Tyburn - (Hampstead to Pimlico & Westminster via Regents Park, Marylebone, Mayfair & Buckingham Palace)
River Fleet - (Hampstead & Highgate Ponds to Blackfriars Bridge via Camden Town, Kings Cross, Clerkenwell & Smithfield)
River Walbrook - (Shoreditch to Cannon Street via the Bank of England)
River Effra - (Upper Norwood to Vauxhall Bridge via West Norwood Cemetery, Tulse Hill, Herne Hill, Brixton & Kennington Oval)
Waterways of West London
Bollo Brook - (Ealing Common to Chiswick via Gunnersbury & Turnham Green)
Stamford Brook - (Acton to Furnival Gardens,Hammersmith)
Parr's Ditch - (Brook Green to Riverside Studios, Hammersmith via Talgarth Rd)
Counter's Creek - (Kensal Green Cemetery to Chelsea Creek via Shepherds Bush, Earl's Court & Stamford Bridge)
Waterways of Central London
Grosvenor Canal - (Victoria to Chelsea Bridge via Pimlico)
The Cumberland Arm - (Camden via Regents Park Barrracks)
Tyburn Brook - (Marble Arch to the Serpentine, Hyde Park)
The Cock and Pye Ditch (Seven Dials to Victoria Embankment via St Martins Lane)
Waterways of South London
Falcon Brook - (Streatham to Battersea via Tooting Bec Common & Wandsworth)
River Neckinger - (Elephant & Castle to Bermondsey)
The Rotherhithe Mill Streams - (in and around Southwark Park Road)
Earl's Sluice - (Denmark Hill to Deptford via the Old Kent Road)
River Peck - (Honor Oak to Bermondsey via Peckham)
The Grand Surrey Canal - (Camberwell to Rotherhithe via the Old Kent Road & Surrey Quays)
Croydon Canal - (West Croydon to New Cross via Forest Hill & Brockley)
Waterways of East London
The Black Ditch - (Shoreditch to Limehouse via Whitechapel & Stepney)
City Canal - (Isle of Dogs)
The Royal Arsenal Canal - (Woolwich)
Romford Canal - (Romford to Dagenham)
Tributaries of the River Lea
The Royal Gunpowder Mills Canals - (Waltham Abbey)
Muswell Stream - (Muswell Hill to Palmers Green via Bounds Green)
River Moselle - (Highgate to Tottenham via Wood Green & White Hart Lane)
Carbuncle Ditch - (Tottenham)
Hackney Brook - (Holloway to Old Ford via Stoke Newington & Hackney)
Pudding Mill River - (Stratford)
Docks and Wharves
The London Docks - (Wapping)
The Surrey Commercial Docks - (Rotherhithe)
Millwall Dock - (Isle of Dogs)
Deptford Dockyard
The West India Docks - (Isle of Dogs)
The East India Docks - (Blackwall)
The Royal Docks - (Canning Town, Silvertown & North Woolwich)
Woolwich Dockyard
Following the success of my walking tours to promote London's Lost Rivers I will organise some more guided walking tours of these lost rivers, canals and docks in 2020 - see Guided Walks page for what is planned so far and join the mailing list at firstname.lastname@example.com
Here via You Tube is a short item about Paul Talling's Lost Rivers on BBC1
Below is a slideshow of some photographs that didnt make it into the book (see also NEW PICS and GUIDED WALKS page)
Other websites by Paul Talling:
For a Great budget hotels in Kings Cross , Contact The County Hotel London


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Don't know what to get your partner this Valentine's day? Here are some suggestions to get your ball rolling.
Apple's Product Red merchandise
These are Apple products that have been given a red accessory or splash of colour. They are special products not only because your partner will love them (honestly, who wouldn't want to receive an Apple product?), but also because money from the purchase price of these products goes towards the Global Fund to help fund AIDS programs in Africa. The products available in the Product Red line up include: iPod Touch, iPod Shuffle, and iPad Smart Case.
An engraved Apple product
While on the subject of Apple iPods and iPads, if you're thinking about buying one, why not get it engraved with a personal message as well (up to two lines of 32 characters each). You can even ship it in a box with a red ribbon, which would put a smile on even the most hardened face. But you need to act now if you want the delivery to make it on time.
Google's red product: a Nexus 5
On the Android side of the fence, Google has a red Nexus 5 that would be perfect for Valentine's Day. It runs Android 4.4 (KitKat), and is hands-down one of the best value smartphones on the market. Order it now and it will leave the warehouse in 1-2 business days, which means it might make it to you by V Day.
Sing her (or him) a song
There is an app called LaDiDa in the App Store that's apparently capable of 'reverse karaoke'. It'll make you sound good (like a professional, the app description claims), thanks to the AI that has been implemented. We're not game to use it, but give it a go with your favourite love song and see if it gets you anywhere (it'll cost you $2.99). Email us if you have any success.
Use apps to make food
They say the way to anyone's heart is through delicious food, and an app called Yummly from the App Store makes the bold claim of allowing you to have "every recipe in the world in your pocket". The question is: how good are you at following recipes? You might need to get in some practice during the week before you impress with a delicious romantic cook-up on Friday.
Select the perfect wine
While we're on the subject of food, how about some nice wine to go along with it? Use the Delectable Wine app, which is free from the App Store. You can take a photo of a bottle of wine in a store to get reviews on that wine, helping you to make an informed product decision. Simple.
Beats headphones
Expensive headphones are always a hit on Valentine's Day, and these Beats headphones are as expensive as it gets (or you could select the classier B&W P5 Maserati headphones if your partner is a car enthusiast). The Beats are quite comfortable, they sound good, and they have splashes of red colour (or you can get them in full red, too).
UE Boom
A Bluetooth speaker is a better gift, though, mainly so that you can share your music with your partner rather than shelter yourself away in your 'phones. The Ultimate Ears Boom speaker can be used pretty much anywhere thanks to its internal battery. Bonus: it's coated in a plasma armour that makes it water and stain resistant.
GoPro Hero3+
If you and your partner are active, outdoorsy types, get a GoPro Hero3+ camera so that you can capture all of your adventures in up to 4K resolution. It's mountable, wearable and also waterproof to 40m when encased.
SimpleHuman Sensor Mirror
You probably can't get this delivered from the US in time for this Valentine's Day, but keep the SimpleHuman Sensor Mirror in mind as a gift for another time. It's basically a mirror that can automatically light up as your face approaches it. It has a tru-lux light system that simulates natural sunlight, allowing for a colour-correct view of a person's face. It also does 5x magnification for superior make-up application, allowing you to see great detail and correct any imperfections.
Fix your sleeping schedule
The LARK Un-Alarm Clock and Sleep Sensor is a silent alarm clock. It includes a sleep sensor to track your sleeping behaviours and quality of sleep. The sensor wirelessly sends your sleep patterns to your LARK Up app. It shows you how you slept, how long it took you to fall asleep ,and how many times you woke up. It is also handy for couples who have conflicting sleep schedules. It allows you to wake up silently while your partner can continue to rest. The device connects wirelessly to your device and you wear a wristband whilst sleeping. The alarm works by delivering rolling vibrations into your wrist.
Ditch regular computers, get a Chromebook
Chromebooks are a hit these days because they are low-cost, lightweight and fairly simple to use (they are based on a Web browser, after all). You just need to make sure that your partner is into the whole Google ecosystem of products; make sure they use Gmail for email and Drive for their document creation and organisation. The new HP Chromebook 11 is one of the sexier models to hit the market, with its fresh white finish and multi-colour detail on the lid. Toshiba's Chromebook is also a sexy little beast.
If you're looking for more Google-related apps and content, check out the top Valentine's Day Deals from Google's Play Store.


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Jessica Simpson Baby Shower Pictures
Jessica Simpson Wears Blue For Her Very Pink Baby Shower
Jessica Simpson capped off an exciting weekend with a very special event in LA on Sunday. Jessica celebrated her baby shower with family and friends, including sister Ashlee and her son Bronx, mom Tina, Cacee Cobb, and Jessica Alba and her youngest daughter Haven. Jessica's fiancé Eric Johnson was also seen leaving the party with presents loaded into the trunk. The bash was organized by Mindy Weiss and included fresh flowers, hay stack decorations, gifts wrapped in pink, and sweet lollipop favors with a fun note. Jessica wore a blue snakeskin dress for the fete, which took place after a busy few days. Jessica kicked off the weekend with a date night at Mr. Chow's with Eric on Friday and continued with a St. Patrick's Day lunch in Venice, CA, Saturday.


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Bruce Madsen, one of BIM managers for our San Francisco office says, when working in a reflected ceiling plan, it is helpful to know where the furniture occurs.
Revit provides UNDERLAY tools to make this easier.
- You can work in the Ceiling Plan while viewing the Floor Plan as an Underlay.
- NEW – You can work in the Floor Plan while viewing the Ceiling Plan as an Underlay. (this can be useful for MEP tasks).
The examples below, show a floor plan and a reflected ceiling plan:-
To see the furniture in the RCP, turn on the UNDERLAY in the VIEW PROPERTIES, as shown below:-
- What is new is that it is possible to see the Ceiling in a Plan view.
Turn on the UNDERLAY and change the UNDERLAY ORIENTATION from Plan to REFLECTED CEILING PLAN:-
· Note: It is also possible to see an underlay from a level different from the current level, if needed.


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Complete Story
Van Hollen Announces Multi-State Settlement With DISH Network
By: Attorney General JB Van Hollen
Satellite company stacked up complaints about sales practices
MADISON - DISH Network, L.L.C. has agreed to pay restitution to consumers and to enter into an agreement that limits how it can market services in the future to settle consumer protection allegations with Attorneys General in 46 states. The states alleged the satellite TV provider and its third-party retailers engaged in deceptive and unfair sales practices. The company denied any wrongdoing.
"I am pleased to announce the settlement today and to announce the possibility of consumer restitution for eligible consumers," said Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.
In addition to the restitution, DISH Network, L.L.C. will pay the states $5,991,000. Wisconsin will receive $20,000.
The settlement resolves the states' allegations including that DISH Network:
- Refused to accept responsibility for the misconduct of its third-party retailers and installers;
- Made telemarketing calls to consumers in violation of do-not-call rules;
- Failed to disclose all terms and conditions of their customer agreements, including the availability of rebates, credits and free offers;
- Did not disclose that purchased or leased equipment was previously used and/or refurbished;
- Made reference to competitors' price offers when the goods or services being compared were materially different; and
- Charged customer credit cards and debited bank accounts without providing adequate notice and obtaining appropriate authorization.
Tennessee led the multistate investigation along with Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Washington. The following states participated in the settlement: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Unresolved complaints sent to Dish Network or their State Attorney General since January 1, 2004 are eligible for the restitution program. Dish Network will notify consumers that they are eligible for the restitution program by sending a claims notice to those consumers. Additionally, consumers can file a complaint with Dish Network, their state Attorney General, state consumer office, or with the BBB by December 14, 2009 to be considered for the restitution program as long as the complaint is about activity that took place within the last 2 years. Consumers who are not satisfied with the company's offer of restitution may choose to file a claim to be decided by a third-party claims administrator. Questions or complaints regarding the refund process can be addressed to: DISH Network, L.L.C., Dispute Resolution Team, P.O. Box 9040, Littleton, CO 80120 or by e-mail at email@example.com
Assistant Attorney General Nelle R. Rohlich represented the State.
Source: http://www.doj.state.wi.us/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=1402&z=1


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A little counseling might help get the Israel-U.S. partnership back on track.
Every relationship can have its rocky patches. Plenty of marriages that have lasted as long as 60 years or so will have to make a few visits to the therapist's couch to work things out.
The United States and Israel should be checking their appointment books to schedule an emergency session. Vice President Joe Biden's state visit in March is only part of the story. He was there to demonstrate the Obama administration's support for the state of Israel and to jump-start long-stalled peace talks.
But Biden's visit disintegrated into a diplomatic divorce hearing when the Israeli housing ministry chose to announce a new plan for a 1,600-unit expansion in East Jerusalem soon after his plane touched down. That plan would continue the expulsion of Palestinians out of a section of Jerusalem they hope to one day use as the new capital of a Palestinian state. Clearly elements within Netanyahu's coalition wanted to send a message to the Obama administration, and Obama's team quickly replied in kind, denouncing the decision and demanding an official investigation of the snub and a dramatic gesture from Netanyahu aimed at getting the peace process moving again.
The problem is that the current Israeli government, comprised of some of the most radically Zionist political blocs in Israel, has little true interest in moving the peace process along. Many are openly hostile to the notion of a Palestinian state and are eager to continue the "security" annexations of what's left of the West Bank. The intentions of Netanyahu's cohorts are certainly clear to the Arab street, providing fodder for al-Qaeda's recruitment campaigns.
That's why in addition to openly condemning the housing expansion plans, Joe Biden told Netanyahu, according to one Israeli paper, Yedioth Ahronoth, that U.S. and Israeli strategic goals were heading for an unprecedented divergence.
"This is starting to get dangerous for us," Biden allegedly told Netanyahu's representatives. "What you're doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. That endangers us and it endangers regional peace." (Biden later denied using these exact words, but his muddled replay wasn't much different.)
Biden's warning follows an earlier indication of the degrading relationship betweenthe two countries. During a January 16 briefing at the Pentagon, a team of senior military officers sent by U.S. Central Command Chief Gen. David Petraeus met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen to share Petraeus' concern that the failure to make any progress between Israelis and Palestinians was threatening U.S. strategic interests.
During a March 16 appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Petraeus himself said: "The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors . . . foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel. . . . Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support. The conflict also gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas." These moments offered a rare public view of discord between Israel and its patron.
What happens next is anyone's guess. It's not clear that President Obama is ready to consider more dramatic measures, such as aid suspension, to express his displeasure with Israel's current leadership. Prime Minister Netanyahu, despite a few expressions of embarrassment over the timing, not the content, of the housing policy, doesn't truly appear much concerned about the growing rift between the two strategic partners.
Indeed many within his government have been eager to loudly pronounce their indifference to U.S. pressure and their clear personal animus toward the U.S. president, a deeply unpopular figure in Israel. But the sudden uptick in tension does offer one new opportunity at least in what has become a completely moribund peace process: the permission to speak plainly and clearly about conflicting goals and strategies regarding the two-state solution and other components of a comprehensive regional peace. Sometimes clearing the air, though unpleasant, is the first step toward saving a struggling relationship. Now if we could just get some face time with Dr. Phil.


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Item Description
Statement, William Phillips, Sworn before Samuel Lecompte, Chief Justice of Kansas Territory
Author: Phillips, William
Date: May 23, 1855
William Phillips, a Leavenworth resident, testified before Chief Justice Samuel Lecompte and described an incident in which Phillips, an anti-slavery proponent, was tarred and feathered by a group of Weston, Missouri pro-slavery supporters.
Location of Original: KSHS Call Number: Henry Miles Moore Collection, #450, Box 1, Folder 2
Item Number: 100356 Number of images: 2
Keywords: Antislavery; Border ruffians; Chief justice; Lecompte, Samuel D. (Samuel Dexter), 1814-1888; Phillips, William; Proslavery; Proslavery activities
pg. 1
pg. 2


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While the California-based Tachi Palace Fights promotion is just days away from broadcasting its final event of the year on MMAjunkie.com, the promotion already is making arrangements for its first show of 2011, Tachi Palace Fights 8.
MMAjunkie.com today confirmed with Tachi Palace Fights official Jeremy Luchau that TPF middleweight champion Leopoldo Serao defends his belt against nine-time UFC veteran David Loiseau while flyweight title-holder Ulysses Gomez puts his belt on the line against top contender Darrell Montague.
Additional main-card matchups include Jesse Forbes vs. Mike Moreno and John Gunderson vs. Dominique Robinson.
Tachi Palace Fights 8 takes place in February at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino and Lemoore, Calif. Broadcast plans and an exact date for the event will be announced shortly.
Serao (17-7 MMA, 2-0 TPF) brings a three-fight win streak to the cage. The Brazilian submission ace, who has clashed with such notables as Murilo "Ninja" Rua, Jorge Santiago and Assuerio Silva in a career that dates back to 1998, claimed Tachi Palace Fight's first-ever middleweight title in September with a hard-fought victory over veteran Anthony Ruiz.
Meanwhile, Loiseau (19-10 MMA, 0-0 TPF) fights for the first time in the U.S. since 2007. The Canadian striker is perhaps best known for his June 2005 TKO win over Charles McCarthy at UFC 53 in a fight that remains a staple of all UFC highlight reels. While "The Crow" recently was released from the UFC following an 0-2 run, the two octagon losses are his only two defeats in his past six trips to the cage.
Gomez (7-1 MMA, 3-0 TPF) returns to Tachi Palace Fights after a one-fight stint under with Bellator Fighting Championships. Gomez moved up to bantamweight for Bellator's season-three tournament and defeated Travis Reddinger before a staph infection forced "Useless" to withdraw from the competition. A submission ace, Gomez owns five of his seven wins via submission.
A Millennia MMA product, Montague (8-1 MMA, 2-0 TPF) earned his title shot with a September knockout win over Luis Gonzalez. With slick submission skills and knockout power witnessed by seven submissions in eight career victories, Montague is considered by many MMA observers to be one of the sport's top flyweight prospects.
Additionally, two-time UFC veteran Forbes (14-5 MMA, 0-0 TPF) meets Team Buhawe team member Mike Moreno (4-2 MMA, 0-0 TPF) while three-time UFC veteran "Quick Guns" Gunderson (30-11-2 MMA, 0-0 TPF) faces scrappy Goon Squad fighter "Fallen Angel" Robinson (5-4 MMA, 3-2 TPF).
As a reminder, MMAjunkie.com's free and live stream of the "Tachi Palace Fights 7: Deck the Halls" event is scheduled for Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT).
Tachi Palace Fights (whose frontrunner was Palace Fighting Championships) is one of the West Coast's most popular promotions, and the organization has produced dozens of UFC and WEC regulars. The revamped Tachi Palace brand launched in 2009, and the Dec. 2 show marks its fifth of 2010.
For more on "Tachi Palace Fights 7: Deck the Halls" and Tachi Palace Fights 8, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: David Loiseau)


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Poor man's steak, made with bottom round steak and slow simmered in a cream soup mushroom gravy with caramelized onion.
Steak and Gravy with OnionThe first cookbook I ever received, was the 1973 red, ring-bound Betty Crocker's Cookbook, given to me by my mama. I still have it. Anybody else?
Round steak and gravy is one of the first dishes that I learned to cook from Betty Crocker as a young bride, what seems now 100 years ago, though the dish has gone through a bit of transition since back then. In fact, I'd say that the School of Betty Crocker was the beginning of my book learnin' culinary education!
As a young couple, we were pretty much dirt poor back in those days - I can't recall how long we used lawn furniture in our living room before we got an actual couch, chair and recliner - but I can tell you, it was awhile. Course, at that age, didn't matter much to us! Our first purchase as a young married couple was not furniture, but a Curtis Mathis console television that we bought on time and let me tell you, we were big time to own one of those. Funny thing though... we managed just fine to be happy without a lot of material trappings back then. Boy have times changed for couples now - they go into a marriage with student loans, a big mortgage and notes for new cars and furniture. It wears me out just thinking about it.
Anyway... round steak was far less expensive than a prime cut of beef back then so this dish quickly became a favorite. I don't know why I don't make it more often these days, because its easy, filling and tasty, and the meat and potatoes eatin' Cajun loves it. It definitely isn't so cheap anymore though!
Not much to the prep work with this really, and it works just as well in the crockpot as it does on top of the stove, so it's perfect for this time of year when time is short and the holidays are approaching.
You start by caramelizing some onion - add in a bit of garlic too if you like; remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
Season and pound the meat on both sides to tenderize it. I use a blade tenderizer - sure is easier than Mama's old meat mallet, which I actually do still own. If you've got some anger and resentments to work out, the mallet might be helpful. Once tenderized, cut the meat into serving sized pieces.
Dredge in flour and brown in oil
Remove the meat and deglaze the pan with a little bit of water.
You're deglazing because we want to scrape up the fond - all of those brown yum-yums that happen in the bottom of the pan from browning the meat. That's flavor y'all! Mix the soup, water, crushed dried thyme, and a bit of Kitchen Bouquet together, pour half of that into the pan and stir to combine.
Add the meat to the skillet turning it to coat both sides. Add the caramelized onions on top of the meat.
Pour the other half of the soup mix on top, cover and simmer about 2 hours, or until meat is very tender. If you're doing this in the crockpot, you'll simply transfer all of this to the cooker.
I almost always serve this with homemade mashed potatoes and my quick fix sweet peas or southern style green beans made with onion and bacon - one man pleasin' meal around my house for sure!
Be careful when you pick up round steak for this recipe because very often the package will be marked simply as "round steak," when it is actually top round, the leaner and more costly part of the round and not really appropriate for this recipe.
A telltale sign is if the meat is already in serving size pieces, rather than the larger steak as pictured above. This recipe is more suited for a braising steak, the cheapest cut - or what is known as bottom round. After long stewing, whether stovetop or crockpot, the result will be fall apart tender and delicious.
For more of my favorite recipes using round steak, visit my page on Pinterest!
If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!
Recipe: Round Steak and Gravy with Onion©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 20 minYield: About 4 to 6 servings
- 3 tablespoons of cooking oil (canola, vegetable)
- 1 onion, sliced (about 3 cups)
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 3 pounds beef bottom round steak, or other braising steak
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- About 1/4 cup of water for deglazing
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 soup can of water
- 1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme, crushed
- 1 teaspoon of Kitchen Bouquet
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have caramelized, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Remove onion and garlic from pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, season the meat lightly on both sides with salt and pepper and pound with a meat mallet to tenderize. Cut into 6 to 8 serving sized pieces, and dredge in the flour, shaking off any excess. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same skillet you cooked the onion in over medium heat, and brown the steak on both sides in batches, setting the pieces aside as you brown them and adding additional oil as needed.
Deglaze the pan by adding in about 1/4 cup of water to the empty skillet, simmering and scraping up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Meanwhile combine the cream of mushroom soup, water, thyme and Kitchen Bouquet in a small bowl. Add half of the soup mixture to the pan juices and stir until blended. Return the meat to the skillet, turning to coat each piece and top with the caramelized onions. Pour the remaining soup mix over the top, cover, reduce heat and low simmer, stirring and turning occasionally, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is very tender.
Transfer meat to a platter or on individual plates and pour the gravy over the meat. Serve with homemade mashed potatoes or rice and a green salad or vegetable, like southern style green beans with bacon and onion.
Crockpot: Prepare as above, except, place 1/3 of soup mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Top with half of the browned steaks, half of the onions, another 1/3 of the soup mixture, layer in remaining steaks, onions, deglazed pan drippings and last of the soup mixture. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until meat is fork tender.
Note: Braising steaks are best for this dish. Braising is not recommended for top round (which is often just marked as "round,"), so use an eye or bottom round steak for this dish. Good braising steaks include chuck eye, chuck arm, chuck 7-bone steak, mock tender, chuck tender steak and flat iron.
Variations: Substitute cube steak for the round steak. May also add in about 2 cups of sliced mushrooms.
Source: http://deepsouthdish.com
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User Experience House Design
Between 1945 and 1966 Arts and Architecture magazine commissioned a series of case study houses which have become icons of modernism.
Since I'm both an architect and a web product designer, I thought it would be fun to design a building the way that web applications are. Use Case Study House is a pun on the Case Study program and a reference to use case design which is fundamentally different from the way buildings are planned.
Web Design vs Building & Product Design
Web design has come along way in the last few years, since the rise of User Experience (UX) specialists, who are closer to architects in what they do than traditional web designers were. That is not to say that some web designers weren't good UX people, it's just that the perception of the role of web designer meant that they were marginalized into graphic design.
Again, this is not to say that graphic design is marginal, just that the web is not a graphic design medium but a product design one. This is why many corporations ended up with good looking, Flash-based websites that were largely useless in terms of doing the things a website is supposed to do. At the other end of the spectrum were the pure usability people like Jakob Nielsen who knew how the web worked but produced things that looked awful. A user's experience is not just determined by functionality but by all sorts of things such as history, culture and perception, or nobody would use a qwerty keyboard or drive a speed limit breaking Porsche.
Because the web is relatively new, web design still has a way to go before it mirrors what architects and product designers do. For example, VP product is not a standard role in startups and where it is its usually less senior than the CTO, or VP of marketing. Much enterprise software and earlier dotcoms were not design driven cultures, so marketing or product marketing people would gather features and have the final say on what was passed to engineering. In architecture this system is only used for low design quality design & build projects.
For web design to move beyond User Experience to be more like Architect driven design, UX people need to be both more technical and more aesthetics driven. [ Update, February 1st 2011: What I should have added here is that UX should also be less about, brainstorming, interviews, focus groups or research – in architecture this constitutes preparation of the brief is often done by the client, and has little to do with the actual process of designing things. ] The role needs to expand from UX so that a 'product' person will actually design the architecture of the system (schemas, hardware and scaling strategy, and specify exactly what the product does), but from a designer rather than engineering perspective. I've been banging on a about this for years, but few people seem to relate to the problem, so this is not conventional wisdom and possibly wrong.
Somebody said (can't remember who) that if the great 19th Century engineer, Brunel, was alive today he would have been a software designer. Software design is more interesting because there are things that haven't been done being innovated all the time, its like being an creative engineer in the Victorian era, and so if people aren't ready to design software the way architects design buildings, what about trying to design a building based upon web design methods – nothing complicated just a single diagram.
The diagram
The picture above is the end result. The title is a play on the Case Study Houses of the 1940s. Its not a UX design but a UX inspired one. Neither is it an engineering one – its doesn't use UML or all of the very structured diagram methods 1. because they don't map to this process and 2. because I don't like them for these kinds of tasks. Things like UML work for very well defined rational scenarios but user focused design like a house or consumer software is rarely rational, its based on intuitive feel, so you can invent your diagrammatic language as you go along, mix metaphors and use things inconsistently, in order to get the message across to another irrational human being.
How its different
Web design is very linear, its all about flow and eliminating the niche, to get the bulk of people through a primary use case. Many architects tend to think of buildings as objects, the greatest ones, such as Frank Lloyd Wright, often thought about them as interconnected spaces but they focused on the spaces rather than the flow through them – this is analogous to looking at the stage set rather than the choreography. I've often wondered what it would be like to design a building like you would choreograph a dance – so that the end design was a picture of a person moving rather than the environment and where if that was sophisticated enough the environment would be defined by the person's movement.
User Experience based design is more like choreography.
A specific example
I stayed in a hotel recently where the bedroom was connected to the bathroom by a small dressing room corridor. This arrangement really worked – clothes were neither in a ball on the floor on the bedroom or bathroom and the whole flow of getting up and going to bed worked like a perfectly executed dance or a good website, with everything where you wanted it and in the right order. So much so that I measured it (always carry a tape measure).
Why is this at all interesting?
Good design is often about things which seem mundane and obvious after the fact. An example of this on the web would be the 'permalink' – few people can remember that before humble online diaries informed people like the New York Times how to publish on the web, you often couldn't share a link to a news story (it would be at a url like 'topstory' which changed when the top story changed). In the architecture world, most people don't have dressing rooms or walk in closets, but this is less a function of cost and space than of design, most houses have corridors and cupboards. so in the flow based design above the bedroom module uses the same flow as was in the hotel. Added to this flow is a connection to laundry. In the UK in small houses many people put a washing machine in the kitchen, in the US laundry is more often in a basement and in Hungary the washing machine is usually in the bathroom. The last arrangement makes most sense, but it would be better to combine the US and Hungarian model with a flow which has laundry going from a space between washing and sleeping to a laundry area – e.g. with a laundry chute.
The design
The overall concept of the design is to separate the spaces into active and passive, and look at the day to day activity flow to determine how to subdivide and arrange them. Most rooms in houses are based on obsolete uses, hence the ubiquity of loft spaces – which were obviously based on re-using industrial spaces that were not originally designed to be lived in at all. The drawing room has merged with the living room which in turn has morphed into a TV room as the kitchen and dining room have also merged, giving more living space. This is what starts to move towards spaces which are defined less by activity than by type of activity and the type of environment. This, for example, is how traditional Arab courtyard houses worked based on prototypes in Baghdad – rooms were multipurpose and labeled according to the type of climate in them. A house subdivided primarily into active and passive spaces could have a very different feel for each: cozy, soft, dark for the passive, larger, bright, hard surfaces for the active one and this would in turn create different flows.
For a view of what this would look like in reality, I applied a watered down version of the active/passive subdivision of space to the barn we converted into our home, below are two pictures of it, to illustrate the point.
The passive space is, cube shaped wooden and windowless, while the active one is rectangular with hard surface and bright overhead rooflights and proportions scaled down from a banqueting hall which make it appear much larger than it really is.
Active space:
A new room type, the 'Maker' Space.
Going beyond this rough active/passive concept for the flow diagram for Use Case study house #1, I though it would be interesting to add the activities that often happen in the garage which has gone beyond the role of storing cars to being a place of creative activity throughout the US, everything from bands to Apple computer started life in the garage. I brought this space into the house and along side the main active space (the dining area) so that there was an activity space that was all to do with play and making things. A maker space.
Active zone:
The original bedroom flow has been created as a module which can be repeated multiple times and linked to the service spaces (which are all humid – kitchen, bathroom).
Sleeping module:
This might all seem pretentious – the end result is just a simple diagram and its by no means a complete design. But its a diagram that has a lot of work put into it to make it the right diagram, and that's what makes a good design for a web application.
This content was originally published here.


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|1 Capsule Contains:
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Servings: 90
Serving Price: $0.17
Price Per Capsule: $0.16
For Digestive Health*
Enzyme Probiotic Complex contains 9 distinct, naturally-based protein, carbohydrate and fat-digesting enzymes to help support the body's natural digestive process.* These enzymes help break down protein into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars and fats into fatty acids that your body absorbs as nutrients for energy needs and cell growth.* If protein, carbohydrates and fats are not properly digested as they pass through the stomach, they may be broken down by the bacteria in the gastro-intestinal tract, which could cause a feeling of discomfort during or after a meal.
For Intestinal Health*
Enzyme Probiotic Complex also contains 2 billion bio-active probiotic microorganisms per capsule (at time of manufacture). Probiotics not only support microbial balance of healthy intestinal flora, but assist in the body's natural digestive process and contribute to the optimum functioning of the immune system.* Intestinal microflora imbalance may lead to inefficient digestion. Additionally, intestinal microflora helps promote absorption of nutrients, further supporting digestive health.* As a unique combination formula, Enzyme Probiotic Complex is the ideal choice for those individuals looking for a superior level of dual nutritional benefits to help maintain thorough and efficient digestion and gastro-intestinal wellness.*
Suitable for Vegetarians.
|Amount Per Serving
|% Daily Value
|Bio-Active Probiotic Complex (2,000,000,000 CFUs at time of manufacture)
|Lactobacillus Acidophilus, L. Bifidum, L. Bulgaricus, L. Brevis, Bifidobacterium Lactis
|Digestive Enzyme Complex
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|Amylase (from Aspergillus Oryzae) (241.5 DU) (Carbohydrate Enzyme)
|Lipase (from Aspergillus Niger) (78.8 FIP) (Fat Enzyme)
|Protease 4.5 (from Aspergillus Oryzae) (210 HUT) (Protein Enzyme)
|Lactase (from Aspergillus Oryzae) (12.1 ALU) (Carbohydrate Enzyme)
|Cellulase (from Trichoderma Longibrachiatum) (5.3 CU) (Carbohydrate Enzyme)
|Hemicellulase (from Aspergillus Niger) (5.3 HCU) (Carbohydrate Enzyme)
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Review: 'Transcendence' Is Exciting and Engaging, If Ultimately a Little Unsatisfying
Warner Bros.
Transcendence has lofty goals for a high-profile blockbuster. It attempts to address a deep philosophical question – what, is it exactly that makes us human? – in a film that is part sci-fi adventure, part action-thriller and part ominous warning, as well as having a strong emotional arc that connects all of these different threads. In short, it's the kind of film that attempts to both blow you away and make you think about the world around you, but with so many different elements competing for equal screen time, it doesn't quite manage to transcend (sorry) the high expectations it establishes for itself, even if it does succeed in creating an exciting, entertaining experience.
The film centers on Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp), a brilliant scientist who has been working alongside his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) to develop a sentient, omniscient artificial intelligence that will eventually know more about the universe than it is possible for humanity as a collective to ever understand. Their goal is to use this knowledge to cure disease and heal the planet, but the anti-technology terrorist organization RIFT wants to stop their work before it goes too far. However, their assassination attempt gives Evelyn and Will's best friend Max (Paul Bettany) the push they need to finish his research, and they successfully manage to upload Will's consciousness onto their AI.
It's then that Transcendence really takes off, as the first act takes its time establishing the science behind the film and the laws in which everything functions. It's a necessary, if somewhat slow, process, but it all pays off once Depp is off screen – or rather, on a computer screen (sorry, jeez) – and the stakes are raised, with Will quickly becoming smarter, more powerful, and more dangerous than Max and Evelyn could have anticipated.
Though Depp is the marquee name, he's easily overshadowed by his co-stars, who carry the film's emotional thread and do the bulk of the heavy lifting. The real star is Hall, whose blind devotion to her husband and his work slowly gives way to an understanding of the reality of what they've done. As Evelyn is truly the protagonist of the film, to whom we adhere the entire way, Hall is permitted to showcase the small, quiet changes that her character undergoes, perfectly befitting of the large span of time that the film covers. Though she's long been a underappreciated talent, giving wonderful performances in smaller films, her work here will hopefully earn her the kind of attention she deserves.
Warner Bros. Entertainment
But if the main character of the film is Evelyn, the one that the audience most identifies with is Max, who is torn between his devotion to his friends and his understanding of the dangers of letting things go too far. Bettany subtly plays out that internal conflict in all of his scenes, and even though Max is the least developed of the three main characters, he makes it easy to root for him. Depp, meanwhile, is relatively flat as Will, although he does have some truly terrifying moments as the AI, delivering his lines in a calm, soothing manner that hints at the inhuman coldness that lurks beneath the surface.
As the characters' perspectives shift and change, so does your allegiance. Transcendence's ability to manipulate the way the audience views these characters and their goals without making it obvious is one of the film's strengths. It's also the main source of tension, which make the few full-on action sequences even more exciting, as you're never quite sure who you want to have the upper hand.
And yet, despite the edge-of-your-seat action, the engrossing personal relationships and interior conflicts and the beautifully shot scenery, there's something missing from Transcendence to make it a truly satisfying experience, most likely due to the fact that the film attempts to pack so much into its 119-minute run time that certain threads are left hanging. At one point, the film jumps ahead in time by two years. While it's necessary for the events of the third act to unfold properly, everything that isn't Evelyn and Will's storyline gets short-changed, and it feels as if a massive piece of the plot gets left behind.
Similarly, many of the supporting characters are flimsy and one-note, with Kate Mara's RIFT leader Bree suffering the most. The script does a cursory job of explaining her reasoning for starting the organization, but from there, she fades into the background, occasionally chiming in with a plan or a threat. Ultimately, Wally Pfister's directorial debut falls somewhat flat, and all of the stunning visuals and compelling performances can't quite make up for the fact that the pieces just don't click together in the right way.
But it's the pieces themselves — the minimalist computer labs contrasting with lush forests, the thrilling chases and the quiet character moments, and a truly exciting last-minute twist — that make Transcendence an experience well worth having. It might leave you a little cold in the end, but the journey you take to get there just about makes up for it.


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As a little personal project, I am trying to move the mouse without using the MOUSE_EVENT function.
I have installed a custom mouse driver (moufiltr) and am trying to use the MouseClassServiceCallback routine.
Would it be possible to use MOUSE_INPUT_DATA to move the mouse ?Code:VOID MouseClassServiceCallback( _In_ PDEVICE_OBJECT DeviceObject, _In_ PMOUSE_INPUT_DATA InputDataStart, _In_ PMOUSE_INPUT_DATA InputDataEnd, _Inout_ PULONG InputDataConsumed );
I am looking for some examples to learn from, but I have been unsuccessful.
This currently works perfectly :
but I would like to avoid using the MOUSE_EVENT function to achieve the same result.Code:void Mouse::click(int ms) { mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTDOWN, int(X), y, 0, 0); Sleep(ms); mouse_event(MOUSEEVENTF_RIGHTUP, int(X), y, 0, 0); }