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Batwing sleeve dress, 6/2013. 105
Added Jun 2, 2013
by Mary Athey
Antrim, Co Antri...
I could'nt wait to get my hands on this issue after seeing the preview. Theres so much i want to make from it.I had the tie dye fabric for a couple of years just waiting on the right pattern.The stripey fabrics quite new and was a bargain. I made the tie dye one first and loved it so i decided to make another. I love both. The strap i added so i can wear a bra instead of strapless.The stripe dress is slightly different in that i closed up most of the sleeve.I did'nt like seeing the inside of the fabric when i moved my arm. the tie dye one looked ok so i left it pretty much as per the pattern.I don't think i'll make another?? lol maybe the top in chiffon but if i do i would underline the dress rather than line it.This is a really great dress pattern and i think it looks good.
the based on would'nt let me add this?? so its burda 6/2013 dress 105/106 x
Material Notes
19 Comments Sign in to add a post
Jan 5, 2016, 01.39 PMby DivineMissM
it looks gorgeous on you! I am planning it for a friend with a similar figure to yours.. and I love the idea of a knit fabric.\ Thanks for the inspiration!
1 Reply
Jan 5, 2016, 03.17 PMby Mary Athey
Thank you, this is a great pattern x
Sep 7, 2013, 11.11 PMby sixteenstitches
Love this you look gorgeous. Love the print too!! Very bright and fun.
1 Reply
Sep 8, 2013, 03.21 PMby Mary Athey
thank you so much, it's one of my favourite patterns x
Aug 3, 2013, 08.32 PMby Yolanda Bravery
love the dress, the material is perfect for it!
1 Reply
Aug 3, 2013, 08.52 PMby Mary Athey
thank you so much for your lovely comment x
Jun 23, 2013, 07.38 AMby jasmari
Gorgeous dresses and such a lovely fabric. You really look great in those dresses!
1 Reply
Jun 23, 2013, 07.53 AMby Mary Athey
thank you so much, this is such a great pattern and so easy to make up x
Jun 12, 2013, 08.38 PMby The Tropical Sewist
ooh yay I was thinking of making this one and wondered how it would look in non-satin fabrics, and there you went and made one! It looks lovely on you – so bright and cheery and that added strap is so genius!
Couple questions: Did you have to modify the pattern to make it in jersey instead of satin? And, is the armhole on the side with the drape low enough to be indecent when the arm is lifted? I found that lots of RTW batwings result in me flashing my underwear!
3 Replies
Jun 12, 2013, 09.04 PMby Mary Athey
hi and thanks for the lovely comment. first of it sews up really well. the lining takes care of anything showing on the batwing side. i wave my arms about like a right diva when dancing lol. I think this dress suits jersey so well as the drapes fab. go for it!! its a great pattern and so versatile, thats why i made two lol. if you look closely you'll see i closed the batwing on the stripe one. the inside was just to white and it upset the balance of the dress if you get my drift. it stil looks good but hangs slightly different, more like a ruffle. the tie dye one i left as the pattern stated as it looked good on the inside x
Jun 26, 2013, 03.44 AMby The Tropical Sewist
thanks for the very helpful tips! I'll just have to get off my lazy butt and start sewing!
Jun 26, 2013, 05.17 AMby Mary Athey
hi having two kids age 2 and 4 is hard work, how do you manage to sew lol. i had lily age 7 months fri sat and sunday. i said to my daughter i love having her but i need to finish some projects!! my daughter said just finish them as lily will be fine. I don't think so, she whizzes round like mad in her baby walker knocking things down and grabbing everything within arms reach . i waited until she went home before i started sewing lol.
Jun 6, 2013, 04.30 PMby Moimisie
They all look really nice on you Mary! Congrats on your summer wardrobe…. Sadly, I haven't had the time lately to do much sewing….
1 Reply
Jun 6, 2013, 05.11 PMby Mary Athey
thank you, i'm taking next week of work for a break so i'll be sewing away lol x
Jun 5, 2013, 01.15 PMby Super Jeanette
Gorgeous dresses! You're ready for summer :) We're also having our first sunny and hot days here in Switzerland and it feels good! Fizz is so cute and fluffy <3
1 Reply
Jun 5, 2013, 02.04 PMby Mary Athey
thank you so much, its been gorgeous here the last few days and its supposed to be lovely for the next week!! yayyyy!! fizz is the most gorgeous sweet little boy. He's deaf so he's an indoor cat. I'm in the process of making a harness so i can take him outside.Any harnesses i've bought have'nt worked properly and hes escaped.I'll measure him properly x
Jun 3, 2013, 10.59 PMby Amycorinne1
I love the colors and it looks beautiful on you, the fit is great!
1 Reply
Jun 4, 2013, 05.07 AMby Mary Athey
thank you for your fab comment x
Jun 3, 2013, 07.04 PMby Jolands
Lovely dresses Mary. You shine in them!
1 Reply
Jun 3, 2013, 07.09 PMby Mary Athey
thank you so much xx
Jun 3, 2013, 03.38 AMby ronnielee
Mary you are the Jersey Queen…and a big up to you, you know how to have fun! Love it! These colours look great on you!
1 Reply
Jun 3, 2013, 05.09 AMby Mary Athey
thanks ronnie, i do love my jersey. I know a lot of sewers shy away fron it but i do love using it. i don't like any restrictive fabric on me as i have IBS. I can go out feeling great then bloat during the night. The jersey expands with me lol x
Jun 2, 2013, 07.12 PMby pictureit17
Great dresses, they look really comfy too.
1 Reply
Jun 2, 2013, 07.26 PMby Mary Athey
thank you,they are comfty and hide a multitude of sins lol x
Jun 2, 2013, 07.09 PMby Helguchi
What a gorgeous cat!!! Beautiful. Also the dress are very nice, love the stripes one. You look fantastic and both of them. The style really suits you.
1 Reply
Jun 2, 2013, 07.28 PMby Mary Athey
thank you so much for that fab comment. Fizz is my baby, he's deaf so he stays indoors. He has the most beautiful nature as well. I worked out a kind of sign language for him and he's one smart cat x
Jun 2, 2013, 05.36 PMby Angie H
Both dresses are fabulous and adding the straps on one side was genius!
1 Reply
Jun 2, 2013, 05.50 PMby Mary Athey
thank you so much, i like everything to stay put when i'm dancing lol so the strap helped and it hid my bra x
Jun 2, 2013, 04.22 PMby kisses
Love the fabrics and dress Mary…the tie and dye one is my favorite. The style is simple gorgeous on you and your pics scream fun
1 Reply
Jun 2, 2013, 04.36 PMby Mary Athey
thanks kisses, this is a really good pattern and would look fabulous on you. I needed something kind of straight forward to show of the fabric and this style was ideal x
Jun 2, 2013, 03.35 PMby ctharp
Lovely fabric and pattern! Your dress is super pretty…
1 Reply
Jun 2, 2013, 03.52 PMby Mary Athey
thank you for your lovely comment x
Jun 2, 2013, 03.24 PMby Zsuzso
You look fab in those dresses. Love it.
1 Reply
Jun 2, 2013, 03.53 PMby Mary Athey
thank you, its a really nice pattern x
Jun 2, 2013, 01.26 PMby zsyzu
Your dress looks really nice and I love the colors on the fabric. You always look like your having a wonderful time and I love your cat Fizz.
1 Reply
Jun 2, 2013, 01.34 PMby Mary Athey
thank you so much, the patterns a good one. I think these would look good with sandles for during the day on holiday as well. It was my sisters birthday and ww had a lovely night. fizz is an absolute darling. He's like my baby lol. He's deaf so hes an indoor cat. I'm working on a harness jacket for him at the moment so i can take him outside.Every one i bought has been rubbish and he's escaped. I'm using leather for the outer and fleece for the inner. I'll post if it turns out well x
Jun 2, 2013, 11.15 AMby liliv-1
Georgeous dresses Mary! Good choise of the pattern, it is a very flattering style on you. Your cat is very pretty!!
1 Reply
Jun 2, 2013, 01.36 PMby Mary Athey
thanks liliv and it just goes to show that stripes going across the body don't make you wider x
Jun 2, 2013, 10.48 AMby KristinaBerisha
this is so beautiful, and the colours are fab. Love it and fits you great. Nice !
1 Reply
Jun 2, 2013, 01.37 PMby Mary Athey
thank you kristina, i felt great wearing the tie dye one out last night. I'm wearing the other one this friday for an elvis night x
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Kelly Osbourne has broken her silence over reports she was so drunk on a recent flight to Atlanta, Georgia, she had to be carried off the plane, revealing she was trying to drown her sorrows after her brother Jack's Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.
Passengers on the flight took to Twitter.com and Facebook.com to reveal all about the TV star's tipsy behavior, and now Osbourne has confessed the stories are largely true.
A statement issued by Osbourne, who insists she wants to be honest to her fans and followers, reads: "I'm not going to say I didn't do something when I did it. I got drunk on the plane to Atlanta. It was on an empty stomach, and before I got on the plane a gentleman came up to me and asked me how my brother was doing and told me about his brother having MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and directed me towards a website.
"On the plane I started looking at the website. It described how bad certain cases of MS got, and it made me lose it because I've sat through my mother having breast cancer, my dad almost dying from a bike accident, and now it's my brother, who's my best friend. I lost it."
But Osbourne is keen to play down some reports of bad behavior, insisting she simply and quietly got drunk, adding, "It's not like I was f**king claiming there was a colonial woman on the wing… I was so out of it they had to land the plane or something. I got drunk on a plane, big deal."
And she has also taken aim at those who believe a former addict, who underwent a spell in rehab for a drug problem, shouldn't be drinking at all.
Osbourne adds, "The way I live my life after going to rehab is not the way that most people do. It isn't. Yes, I still drink and I've always said that. I do have the occasional drink. I'm not using, I haven't. I won't. I'm not going to do that. I had a moment of just 'is this really happening to me all over again?' – and unfortunately it was, in front of everyone.
"I'm not one of those starlets that's drinking vodka out of a water bottle thinking no one knows. If I'm going to have a f**king drink, I'm 27 years old. I'm going to have one. Unfortunately I decided to have one on a plane to Atlanta and burst into tears. I can't stand knowing that he (Jack) probably is thinking that it was because of him being diagnosed that I made a fool of myself. I made a fool of myself regardless of Jack and I hate that that's even out there."
Kelly Osbourne has broken her silence over reports she was so drunk on a recent flight to Atlanta, Georgia, she had to be carried off the plane, revealing she was trying to drown her sorrows after her brother Jack's Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.

subset: commoncrawl


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Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (UK - BD)
Chris has finally finished his review of the final instalment of the original trilogy
A year has passed since Luke Skywalker's fateful confrontation with Darth Vader, and the young Jedi has journeyed to Tatooine to free Han Solo from the clutches of the vile gangster, Jabba the Hutt. With the aid of Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and the faithful droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, he succeeds in rescuing his friend and putting an end to the crime lord's reign of terror. Upon their return to the Rebel fleet our heroes learn of the construction of a second, more powerful Death Star, the final stages of which are being supervised by the Emperor himself. In order to destroy the Death Star's defence systems Han leads a small team to the forest moon of Endor, while Lando heads up the Rebel fleet, leaving Luke to face Vader and the Emperor alone…
Although often seen as the 'lame duck' of the original trilogy, I'm actually quite fond of Return of the Jedi. It's easily the most action-packed of the original films, with an exciting opening act and a multi-layered finale that delivers both action and drama. The special effects work is superior to anything seen in the previous films, we are (properly) introduced to a variety of new and interesting characters (including Jabba and the Emperor), and it serves as a satisfying resolution to the events of the preceding movies. So why does it have such a bad reputation?
There have been many theories put forward to explain Jedi's supposed inferiority, raging from directorial interference to lack of interest by the actors. The story goes that George Lucas was not happy with director Richard Marquand's performance, and that Lucas himself actually directed much of the film. There has also been a fair bit made of Harrison Ford's reluctance to be involved with the project, and some feel that he all-but phoned in his performance. Others are against the inclusion of the second Death Star, citing it as nothing more than a rehash of the first movie's plot (ex-producer Gary Kurtz is among the detractors). However, perhaps the biggest criticism is of the furry little Ewoks, the presence of which is seen by many as nothing more than a marketing gimmick to sell toys to kids, rather than a genuine plot device.
However, while I can see where people are coming from with these comments, I don't necessarily agree with all of them. I do agree that there's a bit of a slump in the middle of the film, but I think it is made all the more obvious because of the tremendous amount of action that surrounds it. I also agree with the comments about Ford, at least to a certain extent, as he's nowhere near his wise-cracking best. Still, much of this can be explained by the hardships he endures and his character arc - he's gone from rogue smuggler to self-sacrificing hero. Other than that, I think the film hangs together rather well. There's plenty of character progression, the performances are no less 'hammy' than the previous films, and our own history has taught us that it is possible for a technologically inferior people to overcome a technologically superior force.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I really don't feel that Return of the Jedi deserves half of the flack it gets. Sure there are flaws, but it retains all of the charm, action and excitement that made the other OT films so great. This is especially true of the original version of the film, which escapes the full-on CGI dance number, Sarlacc beak, Gungans yelling 'wessa free' and a demonic looking Hayden Christensen. Of course this brings us to the Blu-ray release of the film, and as in 1997 Retun of the Jedi has undergone a number of changes. These range from what I consider to be pointless but fairly harmless effects shots (a larger door on Jabba's palace, a new carbon thawing effect, Ewoks that blink) to perhaps the most controversial change since the whole Greedo shooting first thing.
If you had even a passing interest in this set you've probably already heard that the climactic scenes aboard the second Death Star now feature added 'Nooooooooooo!' courtesy of Darth Vader, which quite frankly strikes me as a very odd change. At a guess it would seem that it was added because of Lucas' love of audio-visual symmetry. 'Nooooooooooo!' was among one of the first words words uttered by the new-born Vader, so it seems fitting that it would be one of the last, but for my money the change is unnecessary. As originally presented we could see Vader's thought process behind the mask, and it loses some of its impact when made explicit. The audience aren't imbeciles. I had no problem understanding the subtitles of the scene as a child, so why change it after almost thirty years? Other than that, well some of the little niggles from the DVD release have been addressed, but others haven't. Lightsabers are improved, if still inconsistent, and the Emperor's long-standing 'head slugs' have finally been banished. Unfortunately there are still some pretty obvious garbage mattes around ships. It's a pity that these long-standing issues couldn't have been cleaned up at the same time Lucas was tinkering with other elements.
As with the rest of the saga, Return of the Jedi arrives with a 2.35:1 widescreen (1080/24p AVC) transfer. Unfortunately it's another inconsistent transfer, if not quite as frustrating as A New Hope. Although parts of the film look pretty damn good others appear to lack resolution and have a harsh, digital look to them. The opening scenes in Jabba's Palace are very impressive, with varied colour rendition for the creatures and some nice detail in the close-ups (the Jabba puppet looks particularly gruesome). Colours still look a little over-saturated to my eyes, particularly skin tones, but if you've made it this far through the trilogy, or indeed the saga, I doubt it will faze you. Some scenes still have odd colour shifts, particularly the Tatooine scenes, or more specifically those during the Great Pit of Carkoon sequence, which looks magenta at times. Thankfully some of more obvious colour issues, such as lightsabers, have been addressed, although again not completely. The now-infamous 'see-through' sabers during the climactic duel are now back to their original brilliance, but elsewhere they are still lacking their white cores and proper colours. Contrast is still an issue during some scenes, with the Death Star explosion looking more muted than I would expect, but generally it's not too bad. Although black crush is still a minor issue I wasn't too bothered by it.
As mentioned earlier detail is quite decent for the most part, but there are noticeable periods where the quality takes a nosedive, looking worse than everything that surrounds it. I don't even want to speculate why this is, but it's quite noticeable. Other than that I marvelled at some of the model work, which still stands up to scrutiny in high-definition (yes, even the rancor), and I noticed all sorts of little bits and pieces that had previously evaded me. Like the other films in the original trilogy we still have to contend with some 'Lowry grain' and I'm fairly certain some noise reduction was applied, but on the positive side the image is very clean and free from artefacts while still retaining a pleasing amount of grain (even if it is frozen at times). On the whole I think Return of the Jedi is the least impressive of the original trilogy from a visual standpoint, which is puzzling given that it's the most recent of the three. While I remain convinced there's room for improvement I'm fairly happy with the finished result given the limitations of the source used for the BD transfer.
The sixth and final film in the saga comes equipped with one of the most active DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 tracks of the lot, thanks largely to the set-pieces that take place in a variety of locations. The opening scenes see the camera pan down to reveal a Star Destroyer rumbling through space before launching a shuttle and accompanying TIE Fighters, which zoom across the sound-stage on their way to the new Death Star. From here on the track only gets livelier, with plenty of action in Jabba's palace as Luke fights the rancor, not to mention the great set-piece at the Pit of Carkoon as laser bolts whip through the air and the hum of the lightsaber resonates around the room. There's a bit of a lull in the middle of the film during the takie bits, but there is an exciting speeder bike chase that really puts you in the middle of the action as huge trees whip past your head at super speed. As soon as the Battle of Endor kicks off all hell breaks loose, and as with most of the other films the climatic battle is fought on numerous fronts. One moment you'll be dodging AT-ST laser fire along with the Ewoks, the next you'll be twisting and turning in your seat as the Millennium Falcon winds its way through the sea of TIE Fighters, and then you'll be ducking to avoid the deadly blade of Darth Vader's lightsaber. It's cool stuff.
Thankfully the atmospherics aren't forgotten. The early Tatooine scenes feature all of the sounds you'd expect to find in the court of a vile gangster like Jabba the Hutt, and the sounds of the desert are as familiar as ever. However, probably the most impressive moments come as our heroes make their way through the huge forests of the Sanctuary Moon, complete with varied lifeforms that constantly chirp, whoop and screech. There's also plenty of chatter from the Ewoks during the crowd scenes. As with the other films bass is pretty monstrous, with even seemingly innocuous things like the opening of door to Jabba's palace eliciting an almost unreasonable amount of low end from the sub. All of the explosions (and there are a few) have a solid whack to them, particularly the Death Star's explosion.
While Empire is probably my favourite of the Star Wars scores there is much to enjoy about John Williams' Jedi music. It's full of ominous, foreboding pieces that signal the arrival of the Emperor (pieces that became his signature in the prequels), along with plenty of rousing movements to accompany the action scenes. Particular favourites are 'Sail Barge Assault', 'Parade of the Ewoks' and 'Into The Trap' (well, the whole 'Battle of Endor' really). Once again if I had to criticise I would say that the music and effects are often overpowering, but it's clear that all six of the Star Wars films were mixed intentionally hot for their Blu-ray releases. That minor caveat aside this is a really enjoyable mix.
If you've read the other reviews this section should be pretty familiar by now. The disc includes two commentary tracks, the first of which is the old 2004 track with George Lucas, Ben Burtt, Carrie Fisher and Denis Muren, and the second is a new patchwork track featuring Kenny Baker, Jim Bloom, Jeremy Bulloch, Ben Burtt, Anthony Daniels, Warwick Davis, Peter Diamond, Richard Edlund, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Stuart Freeborn, Steve Gawley, Mark Hamill, Paulk Huston, Lawrence Kasdan, Howard Kazanjian, George Lucas, Ian McDiarmid, Ralph McQuarrie, Dennis Muren, Frank Oz, Ken Ralston, Norman Reynolds, Phil Tippett, Robert Watts, Billy Dee Williams and John Williams. The older track is a pretty dry affair, which is in-keeping with the tracks on both A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and while the newer track is stitched together from many separate interviews it's the more entertaining and informative of the two for my money.
Return of the Jedi is probably just about deserving of its reputation as the weakest of the original films, but even so I enjoyed watching it again after a fairly long period. It's true that I prefer the original version of the film with the original music ('Lapti Nek' and 'Yub Nub'), lack of revisionist CGI nonsense and absence of Hayden Christensen's scary face at the end, but even so the core of the film remains intact. Yes, even with Vader's new 'Noooooo'. Visually this is the weakest of the original films on Blu-ray, with a number of sequences suffering from a visible dip in quality and a harsh, almost digital look to some scenes, but the audio is just as good and the extras achieve parity. As with the other films I believe that there's still room for improvement, but I have to concede that this is still a pleasing effort.
* Note: The above images are taken from the Blu-ray release and resized for the page. Full-resolution captures are available by clicking individual images, but due to .jpg compression they are not necessarily representative of the quality of the transfer.
Review by Chris Gould
Suitable for all
Disc Details
Release Date: 12th September 2011
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 English, Dolby Digital 5.1 French, Dolby Digital 5.1 Portuguese, Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish, Audio Description Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
Extras: Audio Commentaries
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Richard Marquand
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy and Sci-Fi
Length: 135 minutes
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Seeking Simone is a lesbian web series about online dating. Follow the adventures of Simone Selkin as she dates her way through gay Toronto!
Season 2 is now over - stay tuned for news on what's next for Seeking Simone!
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At one time or another, every potter gets frustrated at the wheel. Whether struggling to center the clay or attach a handle with precision, potters of all levels crave advice and answers, and world-renowned ceramicist and YouTube sensation Simon Leach has plenty to give. In Simon Leach's Pottery Handbook—a book-and-DVD package—he presents clear tutorials and loads of original instruction on all of the core techniques, from studio setup to basic throwing, to applying appendages, trimming, glazing, and firing. For each technique, detailed step-by-step photography captures the subtle, intricate movements that typically fly by too fast to be learned when watching a video lesson; callouts then lead readers to the relevant video on the DVD so they can see the technique demonstrated in real time—an ideal combination that makes learning from the master easy.
Author: Simon Leach
240pp., 8.5x9.5
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Item # SEL0099Item # SEL0099
Your comfort is worth it.
When a racing saddle is too firm, but you need a saddle that's still ready to pedal, the Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow Saddle deserves a look. Designed specifically for a woman's anatomy, it employs built-in shock absorbers and comfort enhancing gel inserts in order to take the discomfort out of your ride.
The foundation of the Diva is its nylon shell. Essentially, this material provides the shell with a boost of support, while still providing a natural level of flex for comfort. However, its dimensions vary from the boilerplate 131mm width and 275mm length of the SLR line of saddles to a 152mm width and a 270mm length. It also differs is in its level of padding. Selle Italia ranks this saddle as an 'L3' in its Identity Matching System, meaning that it possesses a similar level of firmness to SLR Super Flow and the Max Flite Gel Flow saddles. In terms of padding, you'll find that the Diva is quite ample. In fact, the L3 designation is reserved purely for comfort. And, in addition to this, Selle Italia also gave the Diva a shock absorber. This makes it ideal for those with large-width sit bones and high pelvic rotation. And for anyone who also prefers a medium-profile design, the Diva has one of the higher measures from rail to top-of-cover in the Selle Italia line (54mm).
Further differentiating itself, the Diva features an ample-sized cutout along the center-channel of the saddle. As a result, that pressure is directed to your sit bones (ischial tuberosity), which are far more adept at supporting your body weight. Additionally, they're able to do so without causing numbness during long rides. This principle is further supported by the wide cut out, as it removes pressure from the pudendal nerve. Essentially, this is a nerve that runs from around the third vertebrae, all the way down towards your foot. And when compressed at the perineum region, it is one of the major contributors to numbness. So, by relieving the very threat of pressure, your blood flow remains consistent, eliminating numbness. To put it into perspective, the cutout is slightly narrower than the one found on the SLR Max Flow, which provides more surface area to work with.
The Diva features Selle Italia's Vanox Tube rails. They're slightly heavier than the carbon fiber rails that are found on the top-tier SLR offerings, but they're light enough to keep the weight at around a respectable 255 grams.
The Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow Saddle is available in a 152x270mm size and in the colors Black and White.
- Large anatomic cutout
- Nylon base
- Vanox rails
- Generous 152mm width
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Reviews & Community
Does the trick
- Familiarity: I've used it several times
I bought this seat for my wife. It is not super comfortable but fits her better than her previous seat. She preferred her Terry Butterfly saddle but this saddle works as well.
I just purchased this seat as well! Do you have any suggestions for a bike bag to place below the seat? I'm a cycling newbie & have heard some seats allow for a bag to clip in underneath and some don't. I can't find anything on the diva that suggests which type it can use.
There are lots of bags out there. Most use Velcro straps to attach to the seat rails and seatpost.
Amazingly Comfortable Saddle
Used the Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow Saddle on a 425 Mile bike tour and experienced a comfortable ride.
I just purchased this seat as well! Do you have any suggestions for a bike bag to place below the seat? I'm a cycling newbie & have heard some seats allow for a bag to clip in underneath and some don't. I can't find anything on the diva that suggests which type it can use.


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The Primer
NFV (Network Function Virtualization) is a transformative technology whose advent has been highly anticipated for 3 years now. NFV Management and Orchestration (NFV MANO), in turn, is the heart and brain of the NFV architecture. In this blog, I'll start with a high level description of the NFV MANO architecture followed by challenges that the industry faces in adopting this architecture.


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Terri K. Baron, partner, McDermott Will & Emery
Terri K. Baron has been promoted to partner in the Chicago office of McDermott Will & Emery LLP. She focuses her practice on a broad range of estate and wealth transfer planning issues. Baron advises clients on estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes, wealth transfer planning, estate and trust administration and closely held business succession issues. She has significant experience structuring and administering complex trusts and estate plans, reorganizing closely held business entities and implementing leveraged wealth transfer techniques. Prior to joining McDermott, Baron worked for a division of the private wealth management group at a leading global investment firm in New York. Baron earned her J.D. from University of California-Los Angeles School of Law. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University.
Copyright © 2018, Hartford Courant


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The ever-expanding Midwest cover crop market has increased opportunities for Willamette Valley seed producers to grow alternative crops such as radish and clover seed.
Willamette Biomass Processors hopes valley growers also consider growing oilseed flax.
The Rickreall, Ore-based oilseed processor has increased the number of acres it contracts for flax seed each of the last three years and hopes to do so again this summer.
Tomas Endicott, vice president of business development for Willamette Biomass, makes a convincing argument that flax production fits well in grass and wheat rotations, is easy to grow and profitable.
"Growers looking for a broadleaf rotation, broad-spectrum weed control in-crop, with no seed cleaning and quick payment just 30 days after harvest will understand the value of flax," Endicott said.
Carl Haugerud, of Scio, Ore., said he has had good experiences with flax since adding it to his rotation in 2010. "We have been able to improve our grassy weed control and disease control in our following winter wheat crop," Haugerud said.
Net returns for flax are similar to wheat in most years, Endicott said, especially when grown on less-productive wheat ground. Flax also can be grown on heavier annual ryegrass ground where it is not in standing water, Endicott said.
Flax typically is planted in early spring, does not require irrigation, and is harvested in August. Yields in the Willamette Valley have averaged around 2,000 pounds to the acre, Endicott said.
Willamette Biomass sells processed flax seed to livestock producers, pet-food manufacturers and a small amount to specialty product manufacturers.
The crop competes for acreage with several alternative crops that have risen in popularity in the Willamette Valley in recent years due to the expansion of the Midwest cover crop market, including radish.
Radish seed production in Oregon has increased from around 2,500 acres in 2010 to an estimated 15,000 this summer, according to Terry Ross of Integrated Seed Growers in Amity, Ore.
Radish is excellent at building soil organic matter, breaking up soil compaction, increasing water infiltration, scavenging for nutrients and suppressing weeds, Ross said.
"Radish markets are continuing to expand," Ross said. "Five years ago, the white radish that was grown here in the Willamette Valley was going primarily to the sprouting market. The cover crop market is definitely the big dog in the show now."
Crimson clover seed production also has increased substantially in the valley in recent years, Ross said, going from around 7,500 acres in 2010 to around 13,000 acres this summer. Crimson clover is the most widely produced clover in the valley, Ross said.
In pounds shipped, annual ryegrass seed is Oregon's biggest contributor to the Midwest cover crop market, Ross said. He estimated that seed companies move between 20 million and 25 million pounds of seed annually into the Midwest cover crop market.


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Crossmark Global Investments' Victoria Fernandez on the outlook for stocks.
As the experts predicted, volatility returned to the markets in the first half of the year. But, even while the major U.S. stock markets experienced some gyrations, they managed to close higher for the second quarter.
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Over the second quarter, The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 55.56 points to 24,271.61. The SP 500 rose 2.07 points to 2,718.37. The Nasdaq Composite added 62 points to finish at 7,510.3.
The gains in the quarter were modest, so what are market experts anticipating for 3Q? The consensus seems to be that the U.S. economy remains strong, with lots of positive
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"Buckle up, as the calendar isn't doing anyone any favors over the next few months. In fact, out of the four-year Presidential Cycle, the next quarter has been among the worst for stocks," explained LPL Research senior market strategist Ryan Detrick.
But, he added that with expanding earnings, strong housing data, improving retail sales, and near-record highs in confidence, "We see very little reason to expect a recession over the next 12-18 months —let alone next quarter."
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I know, I know, this whole debate happened in the end of February, but since it is the General Election coming up and I've got a terrible backlog of things to get published here on the blog, I thought it was just as good to get it out of the way. And furthermore, this is not a debate that gets old, it is highly topical and it is about gender, bodies and control. Which is basically stuffs that gets written about in this blog.
First of all, I am not suprised that he is wrong. It is not something unusual, and usually I would not give a toss about him in this blog, but his recent outbursts caught my attention.
Apparently, he is very much against the sexualisation of kids and don't allow his daughter to listen to Lily Allen. Bloody hell. Ok, so here we go again. First of all, I'm not very much a fan of small girls underwear that is geared towards making them into 'sex kittens' from the time they are 7,8,9 years old. Nor am I a fan of poledancing kits for kids in the same age. But that is not because I am against sex or believe that pole-dancing is the most evil thing ever. We live in a fantasy world if we think that kids are 'innocent' because of their age. There is nothing there to 'protect' or rather, the only thing we need to save kids from is from ourselves. Our own rotten appreciation of sex and lust. There is no age in which you are 'innocent' and then after that you turn into someone who is 'guilty'. You don't wake up one morning with a scarlet letter 'S' for sinner.
And while there could certainly be stricter restrictions on how advertisement is geared towards children, I don't think the most harmful one is just the sexualised kind of advertisement and products. If you walk down on the high street, or to Hamleys, you will notice what expectations there is on children today, according to what gender they are perceived as belonging to. We all know of the colors, the activities and the attitudes this foster and pointing fingers towards a padded bra or outspoken singer.
And this is where the populist idiot David Cameron comes into the picture. Because what he is complaining about is nothing new under the sun. Au contraire, it is something that goes along the line of the argument like But-think-about-the-children! And we all know how very well that works.
Because Cameron has a daughter, the focus has been there pretty much, but it is also symptomatic of what I have written before about a body that is female. No matter what age, a female body is a site of regulation, strangulation and modification.
As one of journalist so brilliantly expressed, this is not so much about the kids. It is true, that they live in a reality that is sometimes dangerous, and there are threats to those who are not mature to handle life on their own, but that has more to do with us. And when a kid explore the dress-up drawer, they do not do that because they want to have sex or shoot someone in the stomach with a AK47. But it is still the girls that our dear Cameron is so concerned with. Because they dress in feather-boas, they apparently become Heard of fantasy? About creativity? The sad thing is that we are working very hard to constrict that very fantasy and that creativity already.
But this is not only about the kids, or female children. This is about a larger picture, and it is one in which there is a constant worry about what is happening to females everywhere. Ariel Levy's 'Female Chauvinist Pigs' is one which questions the very base on which the 'raunch culture' lies, a base which is perceived as 'liberating' and fulfilling.
And I can agree with many of the criticisms, I'm one of those who pretty much is so fed up with burlesque, fed up how streamlined the bodies that we see are. It is the 21st century version of the 70's but the problem is that there is nothing in sexuality to liberate, there is nothing that is trapped or needs to be unleashed. There is nothing deep in there in our bodies that needs to be found and put on display. Instead we need to know how we make ourselves understand sex and what possible consequences this might have. It is not a project that one can finish, never ever. Instead it is a journey and a endless exploration, and I would prefer if there was something more open in general, not making sex in to something special, something threatening, something incredibly powerful. By giving sex so much importance it becomes so important. And by importance I mean sex in a sex-negative, hetero-normative, binary way of looking at it.
And it is here that I can't really say what I want to say as good as I would like it to, so I'm going to quote my favourite blogger Penny Red:
Young women and girls are blamed for their concessions to misogynist, 'pornified' sexual culture even as we are told that we're so thick we can't help but be complicit. Apparently, there is no middle ground between being an independent, dynamic young thing who makes joyful millions selling her body and the subsequent book-deal, and a cringing, broken victim of porn culture crying tears of shame into her cleavage. Elements of this binary thinking reinforce a stereotype which is just as damaging to young women as the 'happy hooker' fantasy beloved by bourgeois filmmakers. As the furore over 'raunch culture' escalates, all this baby-boomer moral hand-wringing is beginning to sound less like radicalism and more like priggishness. It's sounding less like genuine concern, and more like good old-fashioned slut-shaming.
I'm not arguing that raunch culture does not hurt young women. It hurts us deeply. It encourages us to lessen, cheapen and diminish ourselves, to think of ourselves as vehicles for the sexual appreciation of men who still hold economic sway over our lives. It makes us understand that what we look like is as important or more important than what we do, whether we're lap-dancers, librarians or lazy-ass freelance journalists like me. It warps our understanding of power, intimacy and desire and urges us to starve and torture our bodies and neglect our intelligence. It sells us a fake, plasticised image of empowerment that, for most of us, is deeply disempowering – as many wealthy and powerful middle-aged men and women have recently observed.
I am not asking for us to pretend that raunch culture is unproblematic, or that it's uncomplicatedly fun to be a Southend lap dancer. I am asking for honesty. I am asking for an analysis that is more rigorous, more grounded in an understanding of the gendered basis of capital, an analysis that is less focused on recalcitrant sexual morality. I am asking for an analysis that addresses itself to young men, who also consume and are affected by the brutally identikit heterosexual consensus. Most importantly, I want a consensus that actually gives a voice to young women, not just those who work as strippers or glamour models, but all young women and girls growing up in a culture steeped in this grinding, monotonous, deodorised sexual dialectic.
Censorship should never be an alternative to challenging the roots of patriarchy. Instead of slapping a blanket ban on pictures of tits, we need to look harder at the economic basis for sexual exploitation and at the reasons why many women make the choice to comply with raunch culture. Today's young women are neither soulless slags nor tragic victims: we are real people with real desires and real agency, trying to negotiate our personal and sexual identities in a culture whose socio-economic misogyny runs far deeper than conservative commentators would have us believe.
I am not even sure that strippers have that much of a voice, but rather the corrected version of something that can best be resembled to the Belle DeJour version of sexwork, further exploited by the crappy television show. And with this, I'll leave you for a nice Sunday, and hope the may-weekend is as nice as you want it to be.


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Job Seekers
Community Developments Investments (Fall 2013)
How 'Green' Investments May Qualify for CRA Consideration
AWEAA worker at a Peachtree City, Ga., plant welds cranes and hydraulic excavators for use in turbine construction.
Sharon Canavan, Community Relations Expert, OCC
Loans and investments financing "green" buildings, energy-efficiency improvements, wind farms, solar panels, or other renewable energy systems do not in and of themselves qualify for positive consideration under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Neither the CRA nor its implementing regulations specifically address these types of activities. If a loan or investment (activity) has a primary purpose of community development, as defined in the CRA regulation, however, the activity could receive positive CRA consideration, as long as the national bank's or federal savings association's (bank) geographic requirements also are met. An activity is considered to possess the requisite primary purpose of community development if a majority of the dollars or beneficiaries of the loan or investment meet one or more of the enumerated community development purposes.1
The CRA regulation defines community development as the following:
(1) Affordable housing (including multifamily rental housing) for low- or moderate-income (LMI) individuals;
(2) Community services targeted to LMI individuals;
(3) Activities that promote economic development by financing businesses or farms that meet the size eligibility standards of the Small Business Administration's Development Company or Small Business Investment Company programs (13 CFR 121.301) or have gross annual revenues of $1 million or less;
(4) Activities that revitalize or stabilize
(i)LMI geographies;(5) Loans, investments, and services that
(ii) Designated disaster areas; or
(iii) Distressed or underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income geographies designated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the OCC; or
(i) Support, enable, or facilitate projects or activities that meet the "eligible uses" criteria described in Section 2301(c) of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), Public Law 110-289, 122 Stat. 2654, as amended, and are conducted in designated target areas identified in plans approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in accordance with the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP);
(ii) Are provided no later than two years after the last date funds appropriated for NSP are required to be spent by grantees; and
(iii) Benefit low-, moderate-, and middle-income individuals and geographies in the bank's assessment area(s) or areas outside the bank's assessment area(s) provided the bank has adequately addressed the community development needs of its assessment areas.
Thus, the installation of energy-generating equipment, in and of itself, is not a qualified activity, because this activity does not on its face meet any of the requirements listed above. There are instances, however, where wind energy-related loans or investments could potentially meet the CRA's requirements.
For example, small loans to businesses that manufacture, install, or maintain wind energy generation equipment may receive positive CRA consideration under the review of a bank's retail lending activities, particularly if the loans are made to businesses that have gross annual revenues of $1 million or less. To the extent that loans to such businesses also meet the definition of community development, examiners may discuss the community development aspects of the loans in the narrative portion of the bank's CRA public performance evaluation.2
An investment in a manufacturer or installer of wind energy components that located to, or retained its location in, an LMI area where its activities will produce jobs for LMI individuals may qualify for CRA consideration because the activity meets the definition of community development by helping to revitalize or stabilize the area by creating jobs for LMI individuals and attracting or retaining businesses. The company need not be a small business, because there are no restrictions on business size as it relates to job creation or retention, or on business creation or retention under the definitions of revitalization and stabilization.3
Some investments in wind energy facilities are structured to take advantage of more than one type of tax credit. In a "twinned transaction," a bank makes two separate equity investments into a single fund—one investment is allocated toward either an investment tax credit (or production tax credit) and another investment is allocated toward a new markets tax credit (NMTC). For example, the single fund uses the two equity contributions to invest in a community development entity (CDE), which in turn invests in a wind energy manufacturing or installation company that is a qualified active low-income community business. CRA consideration should be available for the entire amount represented by both investments in the single fund once the investment is made in the NMTC-eligible CDE, which is presumed to promote economic development.
Any loan to or investment in a Small Business Development Center, a Small Business Investment Company, a Rural Business Investment Company, a New Markets Venture Capital Company, or an NMTC-eligible CDE is presumed to promote economic development and, therefore, should qualify for CRA consideration.4 In addition, the fact that an investment into an NMTC-eligible entity is structured in a way to take advantage of an additional or different tax credit should not preclude CRA consideration for the full amount(s) invested in the CDE.
Bankers should refer to the "Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Community Reinvestment" (www.ffiec.gov/cra/pdf/2010-4903.pdf) and 75 Fed. Reg. 47 (March 11, 2010), p.11642, for examples of qualifying community development activities. Bankers also should consult with their OCC supervisory offices to discuss the facts and circumstances of specific activities for which CRA consideration is desired.
1See 75 Fed. Reg. 11642, 11649 (March 11, 2010), at __.12(h)−8.
2Intermediate small banks making qualified community development loans to small businesses can opt to have the loans reviewed under the OCC's lending test or the community development test. Large banks making loans qualifying as small business loans as well as community development loans can only report them as small business loans. Intermediate small banks have the option of having small loans to businesses that also meet the definition of community development loans considered under either the lending test or the community development test. For large banks, if a small loan to a business meets the definition of "small business loan" as well as the definition of "community development loan," it may be reported only as a small business loan.
3Detailed information on what activities revitalize or stabilize an LMI geography can be found in the "Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Community Reinvestment" at 75 Fed. Reg. 11645, 11647, and 11649 (March 11, 2010), p. 11642, at __.12(g)(4)(i)—1, __.12(g)—2, and __.12(h)—5 (at www.ffiec.gov/cra/pdf/2010-4903.pdf).
4Ibid., p.11646, __.12(g)(3)—1.


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Lederhosen used to be worn for physical labor because of their durability. Basically a pair of leather shorts with attached suspenders, Lederhosen are mostly worn today as leisurewear. At Oktoberfest they are the standard and they are a must for any Oktoberfest enthusiast planning a trip to the festival in Munich.
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Not everyone wants to invest in a pair of Authentic Lederhosen. For everyone else we have a wide variety of Oktoberfest costumes; our most popular costume, InCharacter's Bavarian Guy, is an affordable option that supplies you with everything you need - Lederhosen, matching suspenders, a matching hat, knee length socks and a white pullover shirt. Use it to dress up for your next Oktoberfest party!


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filesCatalog 1.5
This is a utility for organizing, cataloging and searching your files stored on any media including hard drives, compact disks, ZIP disks, tapes and flash cards.
It scans the media, indexing the files and saving information about them in the catalog. Some additional properties and summary information are extracted and saved for a number of file types, such as applications, Microsoft Office documents, MP3 sound files, HTML documents and Acrobat PDF documents. You can then work with the catalog even if files are not on available media.
filesCatalog lets you create groups of volumes in the catalog. Likewise, you can mark any catalog items and save the list of disks, folders and files created in such a way. You can generate a report on the catalog contents in the form of a HTML file. You can search the files and media either by name or by keywords or by the description that you enter for any item in the catalog. You can also search by the additional properties extracted for some file types.


text:
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stock futures pointed to a slightly downbeat open on Wall Street on Wednesday, but trimmed losses after a batch of economic data. Housing starts in January tumbled as severe winter weather dampened demand. Wholesale prices climbed by more than expected.
Investors are also waiting for the minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy-setting this afternoon.
Deal news drove up shares of Zale Corp. and Signet Jewelers Ltd.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average US:DJH4 fell 30 points, or 0.2%, to 16,077, while those for the S&P 500 index US:SPH4 lost 4 points, or 0.2%, to 1,833.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index US:NDH4 slipped 3.75 points, or 0.1%, to 3,671.25.
On Tuesday, the Nasdaq COMP, +0.61% recorded its eighth consecutive session of gains, the longest since July 2013, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.38% ended lower, weighed down by disappointing earnings from Coca-Cola Co. KO, -0.77%
"Wall Street is currently eyeing a relatively flat start to the day's trade, although the latest building permits and housing starts data both for January could have some impact here. There's every chance that the extreme cold weather that gripped the U.S. last month will end up weighing here and this in turn could end up weighing on sentiment," said Joao Monteiro, analyst at Monex Capital Markets, in a note.
Economic data: Housing-starts, PPI
Construction on new U.S. homes tumbled in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 880,000, according to government data released Wednesday. Particularly poor weather hit construction last month, according to economists polled by MarketWatch, who had forecast a starts rate of 945,000 for January, compared with an originally estimated rate of 999,000 for December.
U.S. producer prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in January under the government's new formula for measuring wholesale inflation, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Excluding the volatile categories of food and energy, core prices for wholesale goods rose 0.4%. A new index that tracks prices of goods and services meant to be sold to consumers increased 0.2%.
Discuss key earnings announcements before and after results come in. Learn more
Later in the day, the minutes from the Federal Reserve's policy-setting meeting in January are likely to grab attention. At the meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to cut back its asset-purchase program by another $10 billion and the minutes will give investors a better chance to understand what the Fed officials are thinking. The minutes are out at 2 p.m. Eastern.
In other central-bank news, two non-voting members are slated to speak. Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart will talk about the economic outlook at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., at 12:15 p.m. Eastern, followed by St. Louis Fed President James Bullard's speech on the U.S. economy and monetary policy in Washington, D.C. at 1 p.m.
Movers: Zale, Devon Energy Corp
Shares of Zale US:ZLC jumped 40% in premarket trading after Signet Jewelers Ltd. SIG, -0.73% UK:SIG UK:SIG said it would buy its smaller rival for around $690 million or $21 in cash for each Zale share. Signet shares rose 13%.
In other deal news, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. said it would buy Devon Energy Corp's DVN, -0.52% energy assets for $2.8 billion. Devon shares rose 1.8% in premarket trade.
Herbalife Ltd. HLF, +0.86% gained 1% ahead of the open. The nutritional-supplement company late Tuesday reported fourth-quarter earnings excluding one-time items of $1.28 a share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast $1.25 a share on revenue of $1.25 billion. Herbalife also projected adjusted earnings of $5.85 to $6.05 for the year.
On the earnings calendar on Wednesday, Tesla Motors Inc. TSLA, -0.69% is forecast to post fourth-quarter earnings of 22 cents a share, while Safeway US:SWY is expected to post earnings of 47 cents a share in the fourth quarter.
Carlyle Group CG, +0.82% shares rallied 8.3% after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings of $71 million. Economic net income totaled $576 million. Private-equity firms view economic net income as a better gauge of performance because it includes unrealized gains and employee compensation.
Overseas: UK unemployment rate rises
In other financial markets, the dollar rose against the pound after the U.K. unemployment rate unexpectedly rose in the three months to December, easing pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates. Interest-rate hikes tend to be supportive for that country's currency. The dollar index edged up after housing and inflation data in the U.S.
European stocks traded mostly lower, while Asia markets closed mixed. Most metals prices declined and oil prices inched higher.
More must-reads from MarketWatch:
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Bank error 'bankrupts' customers
Tesla needs to hit these numbers to sustain its gains
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text:
MANTECA - Guillermo Nunez scored 18 points and fellow senior Eric Melgar had 13 to help the Sierra boys basketball team claim a 50-41 Valley Oak League win against crosstown rival East Union on Friday night.
MANTECA - Guillermo Nunez scored 18 points and fellow senior Eric Melgar had 13 to help the Sierra boys basketball team claim a 50-41 Valley Oak League win against crosstown rival East Union on Friday night.
The Timberwolves (19-0, 11-0 VOL) extended their winning streak to 19 games after matching East Union's physical intensity in the constant din of a boisterous student cheering section in the packed Sierra gymnasium.
"We're not going to make excuses," said Sierra coach Scott Thomason, who lamented his team's turnovers and poor shooting. "Give East Union credit - they played hard. Our crowd was loud and we liked it, even though it was hard to hear the officials or to call a play. We want this place to be a hostile environment.
"Our seniors were 14-0 last year and also won (VOL) championships their freshman and sophomore years," Thomason said. "They have a chance to do something pretty special if they can win it again this year. People don't understand how hard it is to stay focused and hungry every game (in a winning streak)."
Sierra broke away from an 8-8 tie with a 9-0 run to grab a 17-8 lead over the Lancers (16-7, 5-6) after the first quarter. East Union battled back, and senior Jordan Kron's bank-shot 3-pointer helped pull his team to within 25-21 at the half.
The Timberwolves led 30-25 late in the third before Nunez hit two free throws and a 3-pointer to give Sierra a 35-25 lead going into the final quarter. Justin Patton scored six of his nine points to help hold off the Lancers before fouling out with a just more than a minute left.
Kron and junior teammate Jacob Danhoff each scored 13 points, and senior Justin Nieto added 10 in the loss.
"We know and (Sierra) knows this is a rivalry," Lancers coach Brett Lewis said. "We just have to approach it like any other game. I was happy with the intensity we brought to play as well as we did against them. We knew what to expect when we came in to play here. It was a slugfest."
- Scott Niendorf, Record Correspondent
At West, Gabe Vincent scored 12 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter to help St. Mary's pull away and clinch the Tri-City Athletic League title. Zach Zeyen had 17 rebounds and nine points, and Devin Williams scored 12 points for the Rams (18-7, 7-0). Michael Young scored 10 points for the Wolf Pack (17-8, 4-4).
At Edison, Joshua Johnson scored 20 and Richard Newell had 11 for the Vikings (10-16, 4-4 TCAL), who outscored the Eagles 33-14 in the second half. Carl Coleman scored 15 points for McNair (11-14, 3-5).
At Stagg, Nico Brusa had 22 points as the Tigers (13-12, 5-3 TCAL) beat the Delta Kings (5-20, 0-8). Ramiro Ramirez led Stagg with 12 points.
At San Andreas, Treyveon Merriweather scored 17 points, and Eric Deanda and Kameron Vales each scored 15 for the Knights (21-1, 7-0 Central California Athletic Alliance). Robert Caesar scored 12 for Sierra Ridge/Rite of Passage (9-6, 3-4).
At Lodi, Benny Simi scored 24 points and Jordan Belasco scored 12 to lead the Flames (16-8, 6-2 SJAA), who made nine 3-point shots. Colizel Lewis scored 15 points for the Yellowjackets (9-16, 1-7).
At Merced, Holden Butler scored 16 points and David Lerma had 14 for the Eagles (20-4, 6-1 CCAA). Luke Lange scored 10 points for the Knights (1-16, 0-7).
At Sacramento, Alex Simmons had 17 points but the Mustangs (13-7, 6-2 Big 8 Conference) fell short against the Hawks (10-12, 4-4). Jacob Belasco had 18 to lead Cosumnes River.
At Sacramento, Lisa Valentine had 26 points, making six 3-pointers, leading the Mustangs (14-7, 6-2 Big 8 Conference) to an easy win over the Hawks (12-9, 2-6).
At San Andreas, Brianna McGinness scored 14 points to lead the Redskins (17-6, 10-2 Mother Lode League). Carianne Waldera scored eight points and had 13 rebounds for the Lions (4-20, 2-10).
At Monterey, sophomore Stevie Robinson had a double and three RBI as the Mustangs scored three runs in the fifth and sixth innings to get the win in their season opener. Freshman Sam Held pitched 5 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run to get the victory.
At Pacific, Taylor Hughes hit .361 and had 16 kills and four blocks to help the Tigers (4-3) beat the Banana Slugs (1-4) 21-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-15 at Spanos Center.
Marco Grasso had 39 assists and Christian Ahlin had six blocks for Pacific.


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Kevin Milliken, commissioner of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL), and Striker Coach Topper Cogan have announced the 2012-13 Striker season schedule for home games, which will be played inside Ford Arena.
The eight game home schedule is as follows: Saturday, Dec. 1 vs. Dallas Sidekicks; Saturday, Dec. 8 vs. Arizona Storm; Saturday, Dec. 29 vs. Dallas Sidekicks; Friday, Jan. 4 vs. Rio Grande Valley Flash; Friday, Jan. 11 vs. Chicago Mustangs; Saturday, Feb. 2 vs. Real Phoenix; Sunday, Feb. 10 vs. Rockford Rampage; and Saturday, Feb. 16 vs. Rio Grande Valley Flash.
Ticket prices are $25 (field side), $18, $15 or $9 with special pricing available when buying for groups of 10 or more people. Individual game tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 12 at the Ford Park box office, ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000, H-E-B on Dowlen Road and the Beaumont Civic Center. Season tickets can be purchased online at texasstrikerssoccer.com
For team tryouts, contact coach Topper Cogan at chris [dot] cogan [at] gmail [dot] com.
[1] http://theexaminer.com/sites/default/files/Texas_Strikers_Logo.jpg
[2] http://theexaminer.com/stories/sports
[3] http://theexaminer.com/tags/soccer


text:
1x {{usedProd.DisplayName}}
This product is no longer available or has been replaced by a newer model.
Very little signs of use with no more than a few cosmetic marks on the screen, base or rubbers. Lenses may show some light wear.
Lens shows very little signs of use, lens shows very few cosmetic marks and scratches including light wear to the grips and lens mount
The optics of the lens show light dust throughout although this will not affect images in any way.
Lens is supplied with: White Box, Caps
Lens shows very little signs of use, lens shows very few cosmetic marks and scratches including light wear to the grips and lens mount
The optics of the lens show light dust throughout although this will not affect images in any way.
Lens is supplied with: White Box, Caps
The Sony E16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS Lens is a retractable zoom lens perfect for travelling and other scenarios that require a lightweight, compact camera and lens combo. When fully retracted the E16-50mm lens is just 29.9mm, yet covers a wide 16mm to 50mm range (35mm equivalent 24-75mm) for flexible shooting. The lens features one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) and four aspherical elements, resulting in a ...Back to top
Compact and lightweight design
Despite a 3x magnification ratio covering 16 mm to 50 mm (24-75mm 35mm eq.), the SELP-1650 is thin and lightweight thanks to a retracting mechanism that reduces the lens to just 3/16" (29.9 mm). It truly enhances the portability of E-mount cameras, giving users the means to capture spontaneous moments when on trips with a light and compact camera/lens combination.
Built-in Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization
The built-in Optical SteadyShot image stabilization system provides a 4-stop (approx.) shutter speed advantage, making it significantly easier to achieve crisp, blur-free images and video.
ED glass and Aspherical lens elements
The SELP-1650 is equipped with one ED and four Aspherical elements, resulting in a high-performance lens that is surprisingly compact. The elements correct for curvature of field on the wide-angle side and spherical and chromatic aberration on the telephoto side for beautiful, accurate, high-contrast reproduction across the entire image.
POWER ZOOM for smooth zooming
The SELP-1650 is the first lens with an electrically driven zoom mechanism. As soon as the camera is powered on, the lens extends and is instantly ready for shooting. A dual-function control ring is used for both zooming and manual focus.
|Aperture Blades
|Filter Thread Size (mm)
|Focal Length – Tele (mm)
|Focal Length – Wide (mm)
|Included Accessories
|Please see item description for included accessories
|Lens Mount
|Sony E
|Lens Type
|Standard Zoom
|Maximum Aperture – Tele
|Maximum Aperture – Wide
|Minimum Aperture
|Number of Lens Elements
|Number of Lens Groups
|Sensor Format
|Size (mm)
|64.7 x 29.9 mm
|Weight (g)
|Minimum Focus Distance (m)
1x {{usedProd.DisplayName}}


text:
Immortal War
"I was asked for a little more detail as to some of the background of the events leading up to the Immortal War, here's what I replied." - Warhead
From: Warhead
To: Azshuran Empire
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 2:11 pm
Subject: Re: the Azure guard
If you're sure you really want to know.
Here goes...
After discovering the existence of the Brikverse the Immortals in secret sent a fifth column force through first that secretly made contact with many of the Brikverse denizens posing as weapons traders. They judged who were the most suitable to their needs for alliances and who where the most likely to defy them. They laid their plans and made their alliances in secret. They then ran supplies and weapons to the disaffected populations and gained their help in organising an uprising throughout the Empires of the stronger nations (Gamma Corps, Assyria, Sythia etc...) The battle Zombie (Zulu) Dawn was part of that.
They then sent a vast vanguard fleet commanded by Warhead (sif-fig) to gain a foothold in the Brikverse. The system FICO was a heavily defended system but fell to the surprise attack in days. Warhead was beheaded during the fighting but survived? Instead of dying his personality was splintered throughout the Brikverse and each grew into another Warhead. (Off shoot story: This was to justify why Warhead was appearing in everyone's battles but these splinters seek to conquer and reform by killing all the other splinters... split personalities, what's a mini-fig to do?) Anyway, the Immortal invasion destroys FICO entirely and starts using the debris to build a gigantic shipyard building infrastructure and system defences. They declare their intention of Brikverse conquest and their allies announce their allegiance to the cause in the hopes of furthering their own goals.
Despite many raiding forces in strength, the Immortals haven't broken out from FICO or taken any other systems, yet. Also, the Emperor with the main fleet has still to arrive.
The rest should be on the wiki.
And now you know...
The Immortal War
The Immortal War, a massive conquest campaign by The Immortal Empire, began recently in R. 2,010 as the Immortals took the home planet of the Elmagnifico called Fico from the Gamma Corps and have been amassing an army and ships for a breakout attempt. Their agents in the form of weapons traders contacted the neighboring and further flung Star Empires with lots of new Immortal TechTM and sounded them out as allies or potential enemies as well as weighing up their capabilities as a Military/Economic threat. Obviously, this aggressive build up of ships and men wouldn't go unnoticed and the whole region is in turmoil as thoughts turn to the war that is in full swing.
See also:
Envoys, meetings, and all that foreshadowing crap between battles.
Welcome to the Immortal Alliance
"If you would all turn to page 4001 of your "Welcome to the Immortal Alliance" pamphlet you will read edict 40:1:02a, and 40:1:02b...
Excerpt from Welcome to the Immortal Alliance
40:1:02a - The Immortals are sensitive to internecine wars between allied nations and will deal with all such situations with a refined over the centuries no-nonsense approach...
I think it was the Emperor himself that said it best in the first such instance...
The Immortal Emperor, R. 1,980: "...We know where you live..."
The edict goes on to say...
Those Nations found instigating old grudges in such a fashion as to harm Immortal interests and are identified as the guilty party then the lives of the ruling caste of that nation are forfeit as are their military High Command. If there should be any resistance it will be met with extreme prejudice at the hands of ALL the allied nations and the Capital planet will be razed. If one side can not be identified as the guilty nation then both suffer the same fate.
40:1:02b - IF however the nations involved fail to desist and hostilities continue then the people of that nation will suffer the same fate as their leaders as in 40:1:02a. As it is considered that if the rulers were weak and so have been executed but the situation persists, then the problem must be the people and the weakness inherent to that race and therefore extermination is the only recourse.
Obviously the Immortals take this sort of shenanigans very seriously"
Diplomacy in action
Alliances & Forces
Small Force: - This may also include large organizations that prefer to attack in small numbers.
Host/Uprising:- This includes minority groups across an Empire in various planets or a large scale army.
NPC/NPR: - Owned/created by a player as a second nation, often in opposition to their main faction. These are sometimes open for others to play or use in Forum Battles.
For the Immortal Empire
The Immortal Empire - (Warhead) Dominion Empire
Britannian League (NPC - Lord Cromwell: Grand Admiral of the Black - Warhead, High Lord deSilva Admiral of the Yellow - Silverdream, High Lady ??? Admiral of the White - White Nun, High Lord Blackdog Admiral of the Blue - Theblackdog) - Cosmopolitan- Vast Empire - Free Trade situated in the middle of Brikverse converging all major trade routes. In a War with the Scythian Empire and Arms race of agression with the Assyrian Star Empire.
VOL (Tuefish) - Military Alliance - Empire
Time Travelling Super Jews (Cpt. Zipps) - Military Alliance - Empire
Akkadian Empire of Ultra-Badassery (Piltogg) - Military Alliance - Empire
Praetorian Empire (Dilanski) Military Alliance - Empire
The Tyronian Empire (Lt. Krus) - Military and Trade Alliance - Empire
Inquistadores (Bragallot) - Military and Trade Alliance - Empire
Hammersmith Empire - (Ham701) - Military Alliance - Empire
MAOX - (BFenix) - Military Alliance - Empire
Iron Golems - (NPC, Warhead) - Pledged Immortal Mercenaries - Small Empire
Trorc of Planet Kurvinia 6 (Lordofdragonss) - Trade/Military Alliance - Small Empire
Noob Crushers (samuelzz10) - Military Alliance Small Empire
The Glacier PMC (Tunasailor) - Military Alliance (Merc Force) Small Empire
Space Vikings (OneEye) - Military Alliance (Small Empire used for raids)
Coalition of Ajax-4 (RunsWithLego) - Military Alliance (Small Empire)
The Nobodies - (Naussica) - Military Alliance - Small Empire?
UNDF- (MasterEcabob) - Military Alliance - Small Empire - SUFFERING INTERNAL STRIFE - CIVIL WAR!!!
Tanaris Confederacy - (OREMAWESOME) - Military Alliance - Small Empire?
M.A.S.S. - (mgb519) - Military Alliance - Small Empire
Crimson Dawn - (Alex) - Small Empire
Shady Mercenaries - (The Honorable Leprechaun/Ex-Lep) - (Merc Infiltration Force, present at Fico)
Slashbob Slaughterpants and the bikini bottom death brigade (Silent-Sigfig - Merc Terror Force - HIRED BY IMMORTALS
The Universal Union - (501stCadians) - (Merc Raiding Force)
Survival Union - (Sloopofwar) - Medium Raiding Force, Conditional
Mad-Evils - (NPC - Massam) Military Alliance (Small raiding force)
Manly Men Brigands (NPC, Warhead) (Small Merc Force) MFS is now a member of The Immortal Family. 1st to be Immortalized in the Brikverse
Blacklist Mercinaries - (Lt Krus) Military Alliance for a fee - Small mercenary force
Green Rangers of Greeentoppol - (RunsWithLego) - Small Force
Atomic Unlimited - (GrafZeppelin) - The Count + Small Force?
Zupponn Minning Co - (Zupponn) - Merc Force - HIRED BY IMMORTALS - Astro-mining black ops.
Ordo Orientium Flagrans - (Rev. Sylvanus) - Small Force (one planet) - HIRED BY IMMORTALS
ShapeShifter (ShapeShifter) - Amusing Cannon Fodder - Himself
Stoned and Drunk Mini-Fig haphazard Co-Op (Rody) - Just him and a few pals, in it for the luls... and bar snacks.
Against the Immortal Empire
The Great Scythian Empire (Shadowscythe) - Vast Empire
The Gamma Corps (Elmagnifico) - Owned the first system to fall and lost the planet Fico. Battle to be done after ZZD. - Fractured Vast Empire
United Systems Alliance - (Silent-SigFig ) Vast (Democratic/Capitalist) Vast Empire
Assyrian Star Empire (Natalya) - (Advanced High Tech) - Own Agenda. Vast Empire.
The Arillian Commonwealth - (Dragonfire666666) - Large Empire
The Military of United Nations (aka Trattorians, same ol' shit different name) (PandoraNuker, Pedochild) - Large Inter-Galactic Empire
Halkron Imperuim - (james+burgundy) - Empire
The Empire of Briktopia (Apollyon) - Empire
FELC (Ross_Varn) - Immortal Termination Order for former alliance with Immortals, Empire
AN android nation (Fredde) - Own Agenda, Large Empire
Silvarian Empire - (Silvadream) - Empire
Larscorp.® Industries - (Sizz-lor) - Corporate Empire - Weapons/Arms Dealers
The U.S. - (Alex) - Empire
The Republic of Inependent Nations - (Robot Monkey) Vast Empire - Bitter grudge against Immortal Invasion.
Diver Dudes - (NPR - Massam) - (Small Raiding Force) - Small Empire
Lesser Spacemen - (Sloopofwar) - Small Empire
M.U/Space Gangsters/Peaches of Ajax-4: - (RunsWithLego) - Small Empire
The evil corrupt slavers of Albion - (Magic Soap) - Small Empire
The Etruscan Kingdom of Pasta - (Jbgarrison) - Pro-Peach + Anti-Immortal, Small Empire
Galaxian Colonies of Razgrizia Armed Forces (Razgriz - 25th Inf) - Small Empire
Paladin Corps - (Enders_Shadow) - Small Empire.
Alliance Special Forces (Subyrally) Small Merc SpecOp Force
Post Apoc Survivors (Massam) mAd MaX sAm (Small Raiding Force, Survivors from the fall of Fico AND the Britannian Planet Praetoria)
The Duck Ninjas - (Paco, didn't know what else to call them) - Small force.
Sir Bragallot - (Bragallot) - (Very Small Raiding Force)
Other Forces
Also covers Nations/Forces waiting to see what happens or Mercenaries that can join FOR or AGAINST at any time.
Ancient Worlds - (Many Players) - Many worlds haven't the technology or where-with-all to participate in the Immortal War unaided. That isn't to say they can't contribute as a steady supply of soldiers is always welcome. These planets are all scattered, have no way to contribute purposefully and are hopelessly unconnected and dispirit from one another but together would be considered a Dominion in itself.
NEGA-VERSE: A chaotic doppelganger parallel to the Brikverse, one day there shall be a reckoning. - Dominion
Deadly Spacemen (NPC but mostly a fractured group so it's anyone's guess) - Fractured Vast Empire - Own Agenda - Xenophobic, Mercs for Hire
The Swarm - (Asterios) - Vast Empire - Single minded xenophobic, they will consume all living forms in order to increase their numbers. No discussion no negotiation. Consume or die! - Kill on sight.
The BIN (Ross_Varn) - Large Empire
EMPIRE UNKNOWN (Warman45) - Empire - Own Agenda - Isolationist Xenophobic
Vergilius Raskolnikov - (Arkbrik) - Empire - Own Agenda, Tyrant
Space Commies (NPC - Cpt. Zipps) - Empire - Own Agenda
UPA (OneEye) - Fractured Empire - Isolationist
Fenian Raiders (SilvaDream) - Empire (Always Against Britannian) Own Agenda
RAG(formerly Glacier PMC) - (Tunasailor) - Empire
The Neo-Prussian Empire - (Braggalot) - Small Empire
Star Daemons (NPC - Warhead - played by IVHorseman in ZZD) - Own Agenda, Mercs for Hire - Small Empire
UFAS - (Ranger S2H) - Still Debaiting - Small Empire
Czecho-Slovenian Republik (Natalya) - Small Empire - Successfully revolted against ASE
Iceworld Of Krysto (IVHorseman) - Small Empire? (Psychotic) Up yours and eat my OTC like a Bitch Agenda. Hate Akkadians!
Army of the Damn Tech (Undead) - (PrimalAge) - Own Agenda, Small Empire
The Confederate Legion - (Olothontor) - Small Empire, Heavily Industrialized Infrastructure, site of some of the most advanced and extensive shipyards. Produces some of the best fleet units that exists.
Consortium (trebnos1) - Small Merc Empire? Own agenda, will hire out to any side in this war.
Space Rastafariens - (Silent Sig-Fig) - Small Smuggler Empire, will hire out to who ever they please at the time, so long as the pay is good.
The Free Enterprises - (Ogle) - Empire - LEFT TO DO OTHER THINGS, LIKE THEIR HAIR (And nails. Can't forget those manicures, ladies!).
Republic of Mauros (Cpl. Halan) - Small Empire, Gamma Corps Ally but now wishing to take on all comers, prone to psychotic episodes.
The Armorian Alliance - (Solvess) - Own Agenda, Small empire
Al-Kind-of (Capt Zipps) Xenophobic, Own Agenda -Small Empire
The Anachronists - (Alex) - Small Empire - Mostly harmless
The Wanderers-(Ogel)- Neutral Empire, as yet no side has given them reason to join.
Originators - (Asterios) - Ancient and mysterious race that can be arrogant and pompous to the younger races. To all other races they're like your dad when you where a teenager, that man is such a goober! - Small Empire as they're in decline?
The White Crusaders - (Sizz-lor) - Fledgling Empire, very small
Paladins against the Peaches - (NPC - beluga AKA: Pandoranuker, PedoNuker, PedoChild) - Hates Trattorian Empire and peaches, sworn to ignore immortal war and only focus on killing the peach race and its allies, Small Empire. If seen both forces will kill on sight.
Zombie Lincoln and the Danse Macabre. (NPR - Warhead) - Vast Horde Uprising spanning many systems- Own Agenda, Xenophobic
Dimmies of BoB (NPR) Vast Horde Uprising spanning many systems - Own agenda
Blokbots- (NPR, Sloopofwar) -Vast Horde Uprising spanning many systems - Own agenda.
Civilians- (RunsWithLego) - Vast Horde - to be found everywhere, desperate for help and constantly getting in the way of bullets.
The Shard (NPR - Ross_Varn) - Small Force - Own Agenda
The Azure Guard (NPR - Warhead) - Small Force - Own Agenda - Xenophobic
Adamas Ranger Corps Delta (Ranger S2H) - Small Force - Gunrunning and Technology Espionage for Hire
The Pirates of Charybdia (NPR, Arkbrik) - Merc Force for Hire
The Cowboy Bandits (Kiemaster) Small raiding Force for Hire.
The MEC (White Ops) - (aoffan23) - Small Force
Space Ninjas (NPR - Natalya) - Small Force
Gludavian Raiders (NPR - Natalya) - Small Force - Raiders, Anti-Assyrian Agenda
Robomas interstellar DOOMacrats - (RunsWithLego) - Small Force (Trades in Dial'O'Death weapons)
DroidCo - (RunsWithLego) - Small Force, Own Agenda
The Order - (Candlejack Alt) - Peach Haters, Small Elite Force?
Athraithes/the P.M.S.R.T - (Solvess) - Peach Haters, Small Force
Squidhead Dominion - (Swordsalmon) - Small Empire, up for negation and deal-striking
Zupponn Mining Co.** - (Zupponn) - Merc Force and/or Miners for Hire
Kraken Guard - (Asterios) Playboy Mercs for hire: They're in it for the Drama, money isn't important, they have principles and stuff.
Crystalline - (Evz)


text:
MMA fighter Johnny Burgess aims to set world record
November 18. 2017 12:29AM
Mixed martial artist Johnny Burgess will attempt to accomplish one of his life's goals by setting a world record, while at the same time giving kids stricken with cancer a fighting chance of survival.
Burgess, the owner of Team Burgess MMA in Manchester and the principal for the Aflac Insurance agency in New Hampshire, intends to eclipse the Guinness Book of World Records mark of breaking 2,897 one-inch wooden boards with his hands in one hour. This record has stood since May 10, 2003. The attempt will be from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. tonight prior to the start of Combat Zone 64 at the Downtown Radisson Hotel in the Queen City.
"Ten years ago, I wrote down 100 life goals, and this is one of them that I haven't crossed off the list yet. I plan to break 3,400 boards," he said.
Burgess and his wife, Michelle, who have a blended family of eight children, are coupling the attempt with a fundraiser for The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
Burgess, 49, has been involved in martial arts since he opened his first karate studio at age 16 and was still in school.
"It's mostly mental, "Burgess said of his training for tonight. "I've conditioned my hands over the years from doing traditional karate."
Tonight, Team Burgess on Massabesic Street will see three of its standard bearers — pro MMA fighter Tom Caron (7-1), amateur MMA fighter Ramano Medina (3-0) and amateur kickboxer Matt Gordon — (2-3) compete on the Combat Zone card.


text:
We've discovered that evolution strategies (ES) , an optimization technique that's been known for decades, rivals the performance of standard reinforcement learning (RL) techniques on modern RL benchmarks (e.g. Atari/MuJoCo), while overcoming many of RL's inconveniences.evolution strategies (ES) reinforcement learning (RL)
In particular, ES is simpler to implement (there is no need for
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), it is easier to scale in a distributed setting, it does not suffer in settings with sparse rewards, and has fewer hyperparameters . This outcome is surprising because ES resembles simple hill-climbing in a high-dimensional space based only on Find Great Cheap Price Dolce amp; Gabbana Domenico and Stefano embroidered Tshirt Store Sale Online Quality For Sale Free Shipping LdOo7KyJY
along a few random directions at each step.
Our finding continues the modern trend of achieving strong results with decades-old ideas. For example, in 2012, the "AlexNet" paper showed how to design, scale and train convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to achieve extremely strong results on image recognition tasks, at a time when most researchers thought that CNNs were not a promising approach to computer vision. Similarly, in 2013, the Deep Q-Learning paper showed how to combine Q-Learning with CNNs to successfully solve Atari games, reinvigorating RL as a research field with exciting experimental (rather than theoretical) results. Likewise, our work demonstrates that ES achieves strong performance on RL benchmarks, dispelling the common belief that ES methods are impossible to apply to high dimensional problems.
ES is easy to implement and scale. Running on a computing cluster of 80 machines and 1,440 CPU cores, our implementation is able to train a 3D MuJoCo humanoid walker in only 10 minutes (A3C on 32 cores takes about 10 hours). Using 720 cores we can also obtain comparable performance to A3C on Atari while cutting down the training time from 1 day to 1 hour.
In what follows, we'll first briefly describe the conventional RL approach, contrast that with our ES approach, discuss the tradeoffs between ES and RL, and finally highlight some of our experiments.
Let's briefly look at how RL works. Suppose we are given some environment (e.g. a game) that we'd like to train an agent on. To describe the behavior of the agent, we define a policy function (the brain of the agent), which computes how the agent should act in any given situation. In practice, the policy is usually a neural network that takes the current state of the game as an input and calculates the probability of taking any of the allowed actions. A typical policy function might have about 1,000,000 parameters, so our task comes down to finding the precise setting of these parameters such that the policy plays well (i.e. wins a lot of games).
The iPhone X started shipping last week to the public and while much of the discussion about the phone focused on Face ID, Animoji and the notch, it's far more interesting to read into what Apple is signaling for the future of iPhone with this device.
It is a glimpse at what will be possible in a few years, and what we're seeing right now is clearly laying the foundation for Apple's next big product: Augmented Reality glasses.
The TrueDepth sensor FaceID is the most advanced facial detection and recognition hardware and software in the world, but what it is capable of is not as exciting as what it will be capable of .
It's no coincidence that ARKit launched alongside the iPhone X. Apple's next big platform is AR so by putting it on everything from the iPhone 6 and above it's now in of peoples' hands — making it the biggest augmented reality platform in the world.
By doing this Apple is building up the content library it needs for a successful platform launch years ahead of showing the world what the device that powers it might look like and gets developers comfortable with the building blocks needed to succeed in a 3D-first world.
Building out ARKit now gives developers time to create killer apps, and some have already launched many compelling real-world demonstrations of its power, like IKEA's Place app .
This is an unusual departure for Apple. With the iPhone and Apple Watch, SDKs and toolkits were released to developers only the product was announced. This time, Apple is releasing ARKit a couple before the anticipated AR glasses.
Take a second to realize the magnitude of the accomplishment here: in a fraction of a second, a tiny device in the palm of your hand can recognize who we are and map our faces onto other objects, and track our emotions.
The real-time motion capture ("mocap") technology used to map your face in the iPhone X to create Animoji was reserved for big-budget film studios until recently (side note: Apple also owns a company that creates those motion effects for the Star Wars franchise).
Apple is now able to accurately map out the details of your unique face in milliseconds, and drop that onto a 3D model, or understand who are uniquely — perfect for building out a database of people or letting you load on a face filter that makes you look like Darth Vader.
Fast forward a few years from this and put this sensor on a pair of augmented reality glasses: suddenly you can identify the people you're talking to (or about to) at a meetup or conference.
That data, when used as a ambient data point with machine learning, could remind you: "" and ""
The secret is that the iPhone X already contains many of the moving parts needed to build a great AR headset. If we zoom out and look at what a 'mass adopted' AR headset would need to succeed, some pieces are already in place:
This is a potent mix: your phone is learning to uniquely recognize millions of faces, understand the world around you, and identify what cups, tables, chairs, and other objects look like.
Apple will have a huge head start here because it's already in your pocket and the machine learning models are baked in from day one.
Before Apple's September iPhone X announcement, ARKit looked to be the only mobile platform for AR. But Google took the wraps off ARCore just days before the event — a true competitor for Android.
ARCore is incredibly advanced — it's built off the back of Google's work on Tango phones, which required dedicated hardware with multiple cameras to function and recognize the world.
Today, ARCore is further ahead in some areas: it's able to detect ramps, ceilings and vertical surfaces such as boxes. Both platforms are able to do horizontal surface detection, but that's where it stops for ARKit.
That doesn't actually matter, however: by having millions of devices in the market Apple is learning quickly and will be able to leverage millions of data points over the next year while Google tries to get ARCore adoption across its many vendors.
Apple will likely win out from sheer scale and their ability to catch up, slow and steady, over time.
Google has been loudly investing in AR since at least 2014 publicly, but Apple has been as well — in secret — for perhaps longer. Apple acquired the company behind the TrueDepth camera array in 2013, Primesense, and then
, a motion capture and animation company, in 2015. Yesterday, Apple boldly acquired
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, an AR headset company.
PrimseSense's technology was pretty advanced in 2013, but it's clear how far it's come since. The TrueDepth camera array is essentially an entire Kinect crammed into an inch of space, running using your phone's processor.
There's one big piece missing for AR goggles to work: the back-facing camera array needs to be upgraded for AR as well to adopt more advanced sensors for measuring the environment in front of you.
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confirms exactly that:
Earlier, I mentioned the need for sophisticated tracking, like SLAM, and the report mentions that as the focus for 2019:
Time-of-flight cameras are a bleeding edge technology and can be found in Microsoft's Hololens (AR headset) and
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. That's what's left in the puzzle of Apple's future AR headset and it's already rumored to be in the product pipeline.
One of Steve Jobs' greatest talents was his ability to influence behavior and persuade people to buy into his own version of reality, an ability famously referred to as the reality distortion field. Even high-powered CEOs were sometimes rendered powerless when presented with a high-octane sales pitch from the charismatic Apple co-founder. One prime example which highlights Jobs' power of persuasion involves the build-up to the original iPhone release. Famously, Gorilla Glass as a consumer-facing product came to be as a result of Jobs convincing Corning CEO Wendell Weeks that his company could, in fact, mass produce the protective glass within a six-month time frame.
As recounted by Walter Isaacson — who penned Jobs' biography — Weeks initially told Jobs that mass production on the scale Apple wanted simply couldn't be done. Jobs thought otherwise and, as the story goes, emphatically told Weeks: "Don't be afraid. You can do this."
Even as a young executive in the late 70s, stories of Jobs willing things into existence are voluminous. That said, an early Apple employee named Joe Shelton recently sat down for an interview
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where he touched on a number of topics, including Jobs' somewhat mythical reality distortion field. Interestingly enough, though not at all surprising, is that Jobs would sometimes back initiatives that were somewhat ill-conceived.
Back in the early 80s, Shelton was a product manager for Apple's first Mac. Interestingly, Shelton recounts how Jobs — persuasive though he might have been — wasn't always the champion of well-thought ideas. Citing one example, Shelton recalls how Jobs back in the 80s wanted the Mac to have a memory limit of 128k.
Standing in front of his employees, Jobs told them, "we want developers to write small, efficient code, not Microsoft code." His logic was that would metastasize all over the place. The limit would become Apple's advantage by forcing developers to do more with less headroom.
The staff seemed to like the logic — Jobs' reality distortion field at work — but Shelton wasn't convinced. "I was the only person who wasn't accepting it because I knew how operating systems grow, how software grows." Jobs thought developers would make their apps smaller, "but it wasn't going to go that way," Shelton says. Software code only ever balloons in size.
Check out HP's developer community to ask questions. Swap code and let everyone know about your latest software masterpiece.


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Ann Arbor is a city of contrasts. It features retail boutiques and a major shopping mall; national chains alongside local art galleries; historic homes along brick-paved boulevards as well as cutting-edge architecture; a vibrant downtown and beautiful tree-lined streets. (The Campus Information Centers website provides exhaustive listings of what the city has to offer.)
There are over 140 parks within city limits, bike paths along most major streets, and a variety of recreational facilities. Numerous national and international figures come to Ann Arbor for lectures, presentations, shows, dance performances, and concerts—the city, in fact, has earned a national reputation for excellence in the performing arts—so students can see Broadway touring companies or avant-garde drama, attend University Musical Society performances featuring world-renowned symphony orchestras, ensembles, and choral societies, and frequent local clubs and concert halls featuring jazz, hip-hop, techno, classical, indie, alternative, folk, zydeco, and other genres. Two independent movie theaters are within easy walking distance of the Law Quad and they, along with nearby multiplexes, offer art films, national film festival winners, cult cinema and classics, not to mention first-run traditional movie theater fare. Culinary needs are easily satisfied by an array of cafés, bistros, restaurants, and pubs on the one hand, and on the other, outstanding artisanal, ethnic, regional, and gourmet food, wine, and microbrew selections at farmer's markets, specialty stores, and multiple national groceries. And few areas of the country can rival the range of college and professional sports events available for spectators. Such richness of arts, culture, and entertainment offerings is hardly typical of a small city, but it is an integral part of what makes Ann Arbor vital and attractive.Unlike many other universities, the University of Michigan is completely absorbed into the city. The heart of downtown is within a few blocks of the Law Quadrangle. University housing is readily accessible, either in the Lawyers Club (part of the Law Quadrangle) or in other graduate dormitories and apartment complexes for individuals or families. Private housing is available in apartments, cooperatives, condos, and houses near campus. Detroit Metropolitan Airport, a major hub, is 30 minutes away by car. Detroit is less than 50 miles to the east, while Chicago and Toronto are just a few hours away. Train and bus stations are conveniently located in downtown Ann Arbor.
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