text:
|View Poll Results: Critique of Episode 21
|10 out of 10 : Near Perfect...
|9 out of 10 : Excellent...
|8 out of 10 : Very Good...
|7 out of 10 : Good...
|6 out of 10 : Average...
|5 out of 10 : Below Average...
|4 out of 10 : Poor...
|3 out of 10 : Bad...
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad...
|1 out of 10 : Torturous...
|Voters: 96. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2012-11-25, 16:15
|Link #161
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
I think this series had the potential to be great but has been brought down by retarded stuff like the parody tentacle rape scene. I just don't understand why they put that there. You're engrossed in the action and story and then that joke scene comes up and disrupts the flow of the story and makes you question just how serious the people making this show are. 'OloLOL lets put tentecles gais iz so funny' Uh, no.
|2012-11-25, 16:30
|Link #163
Endless Sorceror
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Wisconsin
"These are creepy bad guys!" Again with the subtlety of a brick to the face. Actually thinking about, that seems to be a common thing with SAO. Suguha's feelings, Sugou's over the top villainy, Kirito's badassitude, they all probably could have benefited from a tad more restraint when written.
Although I'll agree, the tentacle thing is a definite low point.
|2012-11-25, 17:32
|Link #164
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 36
I'm not going to try to defend the tentacle thing, but I do think there were a few interesting things to take out of that scene beyond just "they're creepy bad guys" (which is doubtless true).
I think the implication of their comments is that they assume that Sugou is "having his way" with Asuna, and that he's "keeping her to himself". They contrast her to the "dolls" that they're playing with (we can assume what sort of play...), and they think it's unfair that Sugou would allow himself this sort of "play thing".
But this contrasts to the conversation Sugou had with Asuna a few episodes back about why she wouldn't just fool around with him, since it's "just a game". And that even though his position and research could both easily make it such that she would have no choice but to be subject to his will, he doesn't do that to her. To her, this isn't just a game, and I suppose he doesn't want her to just be a "doll" either.
When the scientists are talking about their test subjects, they excuse their research saying that they're "just dreaming" (i.e. it isn't real/it doesn't really hurt them in the real world). I assume they also excuse their in-game behaviour with the "dolls" because they're not real. But there's obviously a certain threshold going on between "dolls" and "dreaming" and "it's just a game" (per Sugou) that is apparent even to these immoral/amoral researchers. Having power over someone who can fight back is a lot more satisfying to a power-freak than having power over people with no choice but to obey.
All of Asuna's situation (and so much of the vicious debates about her portrayal in the show) come down to whether she's a "doll" or not. She's essentially being forced into a sort of arranged marriage by her family (even though she isn't really getting married). She's trapped in a cage with no (otherwise obvious) means of escape. She's being intimidated and harassed by Sugou, who could forcefully dissolve her will at any time. Even the tentacled-scientists sort of imply they wish to make a glorified doll out of her (hence the tentacle scene). Basically everyone is conspiring to make her into the doll they want her to be for their own satisfaction. But even the villains realize that there's no satisfaction in having power over a doll. Asuna's value is in her own free will.
This goes back to what Asuna said herself way back in Episode 6 when this plot element was introduced in the context of Griselda: love isn't reflected in a desire to possess someone. Before SAO, Asuna may have been an obedient child and may have submitted to those who wanted to make doll of her (thinking she had no other choice). But SAO gave her the opportunity to grow into her own person and to have her own ideas and ideals worth fighting for. And that's the very thing that keeps her from becoming a "doll" in spite of everything that conspires against her. At the end of the day, for all its clumsiness, the story is saying that turning a woman (or any person) into a doll you possess or control is wrong. Of course, that's so obvious that it probably goes without saying.
|2012-11-25, 18:16
|Link #165
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: USA
Age: 32
Who wears short shorts in the middle of winter? Sugu wears short shorts in the middle of winter.
I facepalmed when I read the tentacles scene and facepalmed harder when I watched it. The tentacles were justified by being more productive than two arms, but they were added for the simple reason of the tentacle fetish of which I will never understand.
Other than that, it was a good episode.
|2012-11-25, 18:53
|Link #166
Endless Sorceror
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Wisconsin
I think Asuna's situation and peoples reaction again ties into the separation between fiction and metafiction I talked about a bunch of episodes ago.
Some people look at her situation and think that while unfortunate, it's something pretty much anyone would be unable to escape from, that Asuna is putting on an incredibly brave face for someone in her situation, and while that Sugou's a tad over the top, scumbags like him are all too common in real life as well.
Others look at it and only see Kuwahara pulling all the strings, because the author wrote those characters, put them in those situations, and controls whether or not Asuna escapes or gets molested or whatever.
Some stories are enhanced by trying to see it from the authors perspective, others are better to just sit back and pretend the puppets are real. Whichever one SAO is is up to individual taste, but between these two viewpoints there can be little reconciliation, because they end up discussing two totally different things.
|2012-11-25, 19:01
|Link #167
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Age: 27
But half-assed joking aside, I'd honestly like to hear what you thought was interesting in that scene. Perhaps I can walk away from it with...anything.
|2012-11-25, 19:06
|Link #168
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 36
In other words, what matters most (to me anyway) isn't "what happened", it's "why" (or "what does it mean"/"how is it connected"). Too often the answer you get is just "Because the author." (period). Well okay...
Edit: To be clear, I have no problem with people who dislike the scene, or who find it to be not necessary to communicate the author's intent (as long as they've given at least a bit of real thought as to what the author's intent might have been). The author is certainly not infallible or beyond making decisions we might find questionable. But I personally do try to place everything in context of the big picture. Again, that's just my own personal philosophy.
Last edited by relentlessflame; 2012-11-25 at 19:29.
|2012-11-25, 19:11
|Link #169
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Age: 27
|2012-11-25, 19:29
|Link #171
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Age: 25
Although I really like the SAO LNs and the anime I facepalmed the same as DragoZERO as I read/watched it and imo that's the worst part of the whole series.
Well luckily that was the only time he did that (I dont really count the Sicilia scene as nothing happened there)
It's fine that it is repulsive, but pls consider: was this really needed at this point? Seriously we all hate Sugou enough by now, you don't need anymore scenes with that apart from the scene where the main guy meets the heroine and the villian wants to make the main guy rage.
|2012-11-25, 20:00
|Link #172
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 36
(That aside the difference between what happened with Asuna and what happened with Silica is that the monsters that attacked Silica were AI-controlled, while these monsters were human-controlled. Well that and the context and perceived seriousness of the situation.)
Again, I'm really not trying to defend the scene (it was repulsive and that was intentional), but at the same time I don't think it was completely without purpose either.
(Edit: Personally, I wish the scene wasn't there only because it has provided yet another thing for the fanbase to rage about. I am so tired after 21 weeks of discussing about this anime, even though I find the anime quite fun. But yes, of course I know it's my fault for participating too... )
Last edited by relentlessflame; 2012-11-25 at 20:30.
|2012-11-25, 21:03
|Link #173
Anime Watcher
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Sanford, Maine
Age: 30
Good episode. Not much action, not that I mind, but we got some insight into Suguha and into ALO. I'm liking Suguha's character, both inside ALO and out, she's a nice honest girl who genuinely cares for her "brother." Favorite characters are still Asuna and Yui.
Speaking of Yui. Please stay adorable Yui, I like how she's trying to imitate humans, and her ability to detect nearby players is proving quite useful.
Did anyone else think Asuna looked completely adorable when she was sneaking around Yggdrasil, especially right here?:
If there was any doubt about Kirito's sense of urgency, I think it's gone after the end of this episode. Now that he's gotten proof that yes, Asuna is indeed in ALO, I dont think the nigh invulnerable guardian NPC's are going to be enough to stop him.
The scene also gave us this little tid-bit of information: Pain can be turned on and off in ALO. This applies to the scientists so it probably also applies to let's say Kirito and Asuna, and maybe Leafa as well.
|2012-11-25, 21:15
|Link #174
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Age: 32
Granted, that's only true when you're looking for eroticism, not when you're watching for character development and action.
|2012-11-25, 21:51
|Link #175
Oshite mairu!!!
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Ware wa Kuu. Ware wa Kou. Ware wa Jin!
Regarding Suguha's love for Kirito I'd stick to the notion that it was developed through a "suspension bridge effect". First she had a falling out w/ her brother when they were young and she was having trouble trying to get close to him again for most of those years. Then she finds out he's been trapped in a death game for who knows how long. She didn't even have any guarantee he'll survive the ordeal. She probably felt regret that she didn't put more effort in trying to regain her and her brothers good graces now that the SAO incident happened. Personally I think anybody in her position might think the same. Then w/ all those conflicting emotions bubbling up inside her she gets hit w/ the fact that her "brother" isn't really her brother at all. It was probably too much to take all at once for an adolescent girl. As a way to resolve her conflicting emotions she decided to play ALO as an attempt to try to understand Kirito more and to serve as a sort of make shift bridge to him after all those years of not minding each others business. Probably somewhere along the way the thoughts of "wanting to be close to onii-chan again" turned into that of "liking onii-chan". Whether or not this was genuine or just a distortion caused by emotions going haywire is topic for another discussion.
|2012-11-25, 22:24
|Link #176
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Another slow episode but it is understandable after the last two. Also surpirsed they covered both feet and tentacle fetishes in the same episode, I guess SAO is a very complete series.
Now moving onto the famous Grand Quest, which means the battle against those high level World Tree mobs is coming up.
|2012-11-26, 00:39
|Link #177
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Asuna has also developed quite a lot during her time in SAO, so much that her parents may have trouble reconciling the difference. She started out her life in SAO by hiding out in the starting village for weeks, then she decided that she rather die then huddle in fear and thus decided to go out while fighting. This is where she met Kirito and he tought her that there were a way to beat the game rather then just suicidally fighting against mobs until you drop. She then started to 'play' the game for earnest, progressed herself, joined a guild etc. Later Kirito taught her that you could also enjoy SAO some despite it being a death game. All of those experiences have left Asuna in love with Kirito and rather emotionally dependant on him. So this latest arc actually helps her develop further as she has to rely on herself to stay sane. She rightly assumes that Kirito is doing everything he can to try and free her, but she has to resist Suguo's break down attempts on her own. Thus when this is over so is it likely that Asuna will be a stronger person then before. That is also quite a few stages of development of one character over time in one story.
|2012-11-26, 00:50
|Link #178
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
I wonder really: I see alot of assertions among some of the more intensively Anti-SAO commentators that Asuna has minimal character development and characterization. So far, there's quite alot of assertion being thrown that way, but I've not seen a detailed analysis of Asuna's character and why her character fails in their eyes.
|2012-11-26, 01:15
|Link #179
Oshite mairu!!!
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Ware wa Kuu. Ware wa Kou. Ware wa Jin!
|2012-11-26, 01:26
|Link #180
Join Date: Oct 2004
It's common reaction. If entertainment industry has some popular singers/actors, their anti-crowd are as much as their fans. People who against them think these "characters" received the underserved popularity. For example, Misaka Mikoto wins another Konorano award for most popular female character. Her anti-crowd stays strong. Asuna is the second place for 2013. So, her anti-crowd is less.
If minor characters are mentioned, it would be fine. Even it's the popular topic, they are not getting as much attention. For examples,
|Thread Tools


text:
Group build/rental
View Single Post
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Manteca
Posts: 169
/ 100%
10/12/2013 Group Build/ Rental
Group Build Party 10/12/2013
This weeks builds
Hello fellow Calgunners, want to let everyone know that
will be hosting a group build on Saturday 10/12 from 8 to 3 for you to finish your AR-15 paperweights.There have been numerous paperweights cut on the machine and all have come out flawless. Please PM what times you would like followed by email and we will reserve your time. Please feel free to call me or email me to get appointment we are going to set up the old fashion way.
Pricing will be as follows
If you bought your paperweight from us then your price is:
15s $80.00
If you bought your paperweights from some other company then your price is:
15s $100.00
If you would like to cut lr308s it is $120 if you did not buy from us and $100 if you did buy from us. These take a little longer and we have to change the programing so allow yourself a little more time.
If you would like to buy any ar15 80% lowers, we sell them during the week but never the day of the build party. The 80% paperweights that we have for sale are 6061 billet for the ar15 platform. We charge $125 to Calgunners and can send them to you or local pickup in San Jose.
Currently we are out of the lr308s but should have in within a week or so.
Each paperweight will take around 15 minutes to cut so the reservations are set in 10 minute slots. Ex. if you have 4 paperweights to finish you will need a 40 min. time slot. Please make sure to show up at least 15 minutes early for your reserved slot.
Who may attend: Any person who may legally possess a CA-Legal AR15 can build their own. You must not be a "prohibited person", must be 21 or older, and both a US Citizen and CA resident. Builders may bring a +1 with them as long as they are 21 or older and also not a "prohibited person". +1's may not assist with building or cutting.
Contact either Germaine at
or Clint at
with your desired times
View Public Profile
Find all posts by Nastyn8

subset: commoncrawl


text:
News Release: July 5, 2012
Docket No. AD12-12-000
FERC Schedules Conferences on Gas-Electric Coordination
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today announced the dates and locations for five regional technical conferences on better coordination between natural gas and electricity markets. The conferences will explore gas-electric interdependence as well as ways to improve coordination and communication between the two industries.
Public comments filed with the Commission earlier this year identified a wide range of issues related to gas-electric interdependence. Many commenters suggested those issues differ on a regional basis.
Discussion at each conference will focus on: (1) communications, coordination and information sharing; (2) scheduling; (3) market structures and rules; and (4) reliability concerns. The conferences will be open to the public, and Commission members will attend.
The Commission has created a conference-specific Twitter feed, #FERC-GEC, to provide information about the conferences and allow the public, industry, and state officials to follow and discuss the issues. In addition, a new section on gas-electric coordination has been added to FERCs website.
The schedule for the conferences is:
|August 6, 2012
|St. Louis, Mo.
|August 20, 2012
|Boston, Mass.
|August 23, 2012
|Washington, D.C.
|August 28, 2012
|Portland, Ore.
|August 30, 2012
|Washington, D.C.
Although natural gas infrastructure may not neatly fit into those divisions, the Commission said they are reasonable for discussing gas-electric coordination.
The Central region includes the organized wholesale electric markets of Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator Inc., Southwest Power Pool Inc. (SPP) and Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The Northeast region includes the ISO New England Inc. market. Southern Company, Duke and Progress Energy, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and other areas south of PJM Interconnection LLC (PJM) and east of SPP and ERCOT make up the Southeast region.
The West region covers the Western Interconnection. Finally, the Mid-Atlantic region includes areas covered by New York Independent System Operator Inc. and PJM.
Specific venues, times and agendas for the regional technical conferences will be announced at a later time. The Southeast and Mid-Atlantic conferences will be held at FERC Headquarters, located at 888 First St., N.E.


text:
Many students were nervous about their first day of school at the newly reopened and rebuilt Big Sandy Elementary, but that nervousness quickly turned into excitement as their teachers reassured them and they met new students and potential new friends.
Emily Rice sat at a desk that was a good fit for her larger classmates but a bit too big for her. The 7-year-old looked around at her peers, who excitedly wrote, drew and asked questions of their second-grade teacher, Angela Whitehead.
Emily then silently dropped her head to look at the paper and pencil on her desk.
Her assignment — the first one on the first day of the school year at the new Big Sandy Elementary School — was to write about a memory "as precious as gold" to her, or a sad one.
She trembled, took a deep breath and picked up her pencil.
"I'm kinda ... kind of nervous about being in a new school," Emily said before she started writing.
The first thing she wrote was "Happy" at the top of her paper. She then began to tell a story about a day she spent at the beach with her family.
"My mommy and daddy took me to the beach for four days," she said and wrote. "I collected sea shells with my daddy and sissy. I still have them in my house. My favorite shell is a crab's. It was one that a (hermit) crab was in."
Many students were nervous about their first day of school at the newly reopened and rebuilt Big Sandy Elementary, but that nervousness quickly turned into excitement as their teachers reassured them and they met new students and potential new friends.
Whitehead, an elementary school teacher for 17 years, asked Emily and the other
second-graders to sit on a blue rug as she asked them what school they attended last year.
Most students said Taylorville Primary or Englewood Elementary, but a few named schools outside the Tuscaloosa County School System.
"No matter what school you came from, we are now a family," Whitehead said. "We're an awesome family, and you are all brothers and sisters. And guess who I am?"
Most of them yelled "you're the mommy."
"That's right," Whitehead said. "I'm the momma from between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday."
The students giggled and then quieted down as Whitehead read a story.
Glynis Rhodes, principal of Big Sandy, said more than 370 students were enrolled at the school as of Monday morning. Like Whitehead's class, most came from Taylorville Primary and Englewood Elementary, which are still open.
"We do know most of the children, so that's what made the opening day smoother," said Rhodes, who was formerly the assistant principal at Taylorville Primary.
Many parents said they were thrilled about Big Sandy opening because it's much closer to their homes than Taylorville or Englewood.
"My son, Cordae, attended Taylorville Primary before," said Ashley Billups, after dropping her son off. "Big Sandy is closer to home and more convenient for us as far as traffic goes.
"I'm excited and glad for him to be here and back in school. He's excited about going to a new school, too."
There hasn't been a Big Sandy Elementary in the Big Sandy community off Alabama Highway 69 South since 1959, which is when the original Big Sandy closed after 50 years, Rhodes said.
The old Big Sandy existed a few miles to the east of the new school at 11950 Upper Hull Road, she said.
"Everyone's worked hard to make this happen," Rhodes said. "The teachers, the community ... we've had overwhelming community support. Church groups and alumni from the original Big Sandy have helped us. The school is brand new and beautiful.
"The children are very fortunate to have this school," she said.
Rhodes said Big Sandy Elementary covers 66,000 square feet, cost $13 million to build and feeds into Duncanville Middle and Hillcrest High. Construction was completed last week, she said.
Some interesting features about the school's design are that it has water fountains attached to the classroom sinks, multicolored stained concrete floors depicting animals and a "safe wing" that can withstand winds of up to 250 mph.
"We're the first school in the county to have a safe wing," Rhodes said. "It can fit the whole school in it."
Total Tuscaloosa County School System student enrollment numbers for Monday weren't available, said county schools superintendent Elizabeth Swinford.
She said system administrators will conduct a total student enrollment count today.
"We had some students schedules that were not complete," Swinford said. "But the individual (school) reports from my administrators were very positive. The students from each school were very happy. Parents were satisfied. There were no major incidents or minor incidents. We were quite excited."
Lesley Bruinton, spokeswoman for the Tuscaloosa City School System, said a total of 9,493 students attended school in the city system Monday, which is 97 more students than last year's first day.
"Generally, what we find is that the attendance over the first five-to-six days will increase every day," Bruinton said. "Last year, we went from 9,396 students on the first day to 9,602 on the second day."
"We had an impressive day, and it speaks to our planning during the summer," said Paul McKendrick, city schools superintendent. "We plan for days like this.
"We have to be prepared for every need, scenario and request. And I think that we met the standards. But we also plan so that the second day is better than the first, the third better than the second, etc.," he said.


text:
Paul LaBella
LaBella is starting his 12th season on the Blue Devil coaching staff in 2011. He will work closely with the infielders and all hitters. LaBella brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the staff. He has coached at various levels throughout his career, including coaching several Middletown American Legion State Championship teams.He has also coached at the University of Hartford. LaBella is a graduate of Saint Michael's College. He resides in Middletown with his wife, Susan, and two children, Kate and Luke.


text:
Karla Gray
Send an Email
What is Paralympic Sport Metrolina?
Paralympic Sport Clubs are community-based programs developed to involve youth and adults with physical and visual disabilities in sports and physical activity, regardless of skill level. And is designed as a program to be implemented within an agency or organization's program. Does this mean I have to be ready to try out for the Olympics?
No (unless you want to). The primary objectives of Paralympic Sport Clubs include:
2011 Paralympic Experience Video


text:
Breaking News
File this under cheapest proposal ever -- Diddy (who's worth a reported $580 million) may have popped the question to his longtime GF Cassie ... on Instagram.
Granted, the rock is roughly the size of Pluto ... but rather than renting out a baseball stadium and proposing in front of an orchestra, Diddy posted a photo of the ring on Instagram for his 3.2 million followers.
Hours later, Keyshia Cole posted a photo of Cassie showing off the rock ... it's enormous ... but we still gotta ask ...


text:
Style # 203290
Around the week cocktail hour calls for high-glam pieces that can be worked with round-the-clock items. This bebe top features back zipper, metallic coated lace and sleeveless cut. Offers a lightweight stretch. Try it with a pair of leather pants and a chunky necklace.
- 95% polyester, 5% spandex.
- Center back to hem: 24" (61 cm).
- Hand wash.
- Made in USA.
- Model is 5'9" and is wearing a size S.
Foil Lace Muscle Tank is rated out of 5 by 2.
Rated 5 out of 5 by tennisjunkie from Great dressy top This is a great piece to throw on to dress up your jeans! Very nice top. Great color & fit. I am a DD, and the Small fit great.
Date published: 2012-10-16
Rated 4 out of 5 by sbrya28 from GLITTER AND GOLD!!!! I fell in love with this top as soon as I saw it online. However, instead of ordering it, I wanted to wait and see what it looked like on when it got to the store. I am glad now that I did. Normally I wear a Small in most Bebe tops; I am 5' 3" with a small waist and a 36DD chest. This top is GORGEOUS! I love the metallic gold lace overlay over the black; perfect with my Bebe black skinny jeggings! I only gave it 4 stars because it does fit small; I had to go up to a Medium, and even then it is still a bit snug. It may be because of the lace overlay not having too much stretch and give. It is also a little sheer, so I put a black cami underneath, and it looks fine. I can't wait to wear this top out this weekend!
Date published: 2012-10-03


text:
Barefoot running has become a hot fitness trend thanks to evidence that it can reduce injuries and strengthen feet. But ironically, many "barefooters" prefer to keep their feet covered. Fear of injuries from broken glass, rocks and other sharp objects inspired the invention of the "minimalist" running shoe, whose essential feature is a thin, tactile and flat bottom that lacks the elevated heel cushion typically found on running shoes. This category — pioneered by Vibram's popular FiveFingers individual-toed shoe-glove four years ago — now includes styles that enclose all five toes together. Hard-core barefooters will scoff at any shoe, even these stripped-down alternatives to traditional running shoes with generously padded soles. But for those who want the benefits of barefooting with some protection, the minimalists have you covered.
TOE SHOESCool looks, less feel
Vibram Bikila LS: Fancy version of Vibram's basic Sprint running toe shoe with a thicker sole and a quick lacing system.
Likes: Extremely comfy and natural feeling. No support mechanisms to detract from "barefoot" flexibility and freedom. The elasticized laces look cool and give a nice custom fit. About 6 ounces in the equivalent of a size 9 (41 in Vibram's sizing).
Dislikes: If, like me, you're used to the Vibram Sprint (the category standard), you'll notice significantly less ground feel in the Bikilas due to a thicker rubber outsole and polyurethane insole than leaves you about 7 millimeters off the ground.
Price: $100. (978) 318-0000; http://www.vibramfivefingers.com
Second skin
Inov8 EvoSkin: One-piece toe shoe made entirely of silicone that's 31/2 mm thick.
Likes: The best ground feel of any minimalist shoe reviewed here — even better than my Vibram Sprints. You notice every little change in road texture, as if barefoot, yet you're protected against all but the sharpest road debris. A dimpled texture on the inside of the sole allows air flow, keeping feet surprisingly sweat-free. The adjustable strap allows good fit. Each shoe weighs 6 ounces. Comfortable, although the shorter-toed Vibrams fit my blunt foot better.
Dislikes: Durability is a big question mark. I saw no wear in three runs, but I fear the soft silicone will not hold up as well as a rubber sole.
Price: $65. (508) 480-8856; http://www.inov-8.com
Fashion first
Fila Skele-toes: Casual walking/running neoprene toe shoe with a tough sole and large single pocket for the pinky and fourth toe.
Likes: Quite comfy and quicker to put on than other toe shoes due to the two-toe "EZSlide" compartment. I like the styling. Great for walking — I wore them for six hours in one day while sightseeing in Washington, D.C., on sidewalks, dirt paths and other surfaces. Size 9 shoes weigh 71/2 ounces each.
Dislikes: While you can easily run in them, and there is decent ground feel, Skele-toes feel overbuilt for barefoot-style running due to a substantial arch support and a harder, relatively inflexible sole. For this reason, Fila does not consider them a running product. Also, the neoprene gets quite sweaty when worn without toe socks.
Price: $60 for adults and $55 for kids. (800) PRO-FILA; http://www.fila.com
ENCLOSED SHOESDo-anythingers
Merrell Trail Glove: A multipurpose, on- and off-road "adventure shoe" with a mesh upper, 4-mm midsole cushioning and a thin hard-rubber sole (made by Vibram) with a forefoot plate to protect against stone bruises.
Likes: Very good for running and hiking on all surfaces. Quite comfy with a huge, roomy forefoot that lets toes spread wide and a narrow waist that hugs your midfoot. Great ground feel for a shoe — just a notch less than with the Bikila. Shoes weigh 7 ounces in size 9. While simply not as "barefoot" as the Bikila and the Evoskin, these can probably take you to far rougher places.
Dislikes: None.
Price: $110. (616) 863-866-5500; http://www.merrell.com
Barely there lightweight
Somnio Nada: Stripped-down 4-ounce shoe with mesh upper and foam rubber sole.
Likes: A great "barefoot" street shoe — even better than Merrell's Trail Glove. So light it almost feels like you're wearing nothing (after all, they call it Nada). With a 6-mm midsole and no real structure, it's essentially a sock with a super-flat sole.
Dislikes: It's too delicate for off-road surfaces and won't last long on pavement either. Two small pieces of hard rubber at the ball of the foot and the heel aren't enough to prevent the foam-rubber bottom from wearing out very quickly. They should have been made with a thin Vibram sole.
Price: $80. (831) 688-7861; http://www.somniorunning.com
Not minimus enough
New Balance Minimus: A lightweight shoe designed to marry flat, barefoot positioning with a conventional feel.
Likes: It's light for a normal running shoe, at 81/2 ounces in size 91/2.
Dislikes: It's uncomfortable and has poor ground feel, due to an overpadded upper and thick, 3/4-inch sole made of soft rubber formed in odd hexagonal blocks. It made my normal barefoot-style gait clunky and unnatural. The heel is 4 mm higher than the forefoot, causing wearers to lean forward just a tad. This encourages a heel strike, which is anathema to the very idea of barefoot running. In fact, the sole has a hard-rubber impact patch on the heel, strange for a shoe designed to teach you to run with a "barefoot-style forefoot landing."
Price: $99.95. (800) 343-1395; wwwnewbalance.com
Wallack is the author of "Run for Life" and "Bike for Life."


text:
Featured SaleShop All Sale
Top Pet CalendarShop All Pets
Top GiftShop All Gifts
An Oral History of the Mickey Mouse Club Book: This book will tell the behind-the-scenes story of how The Mickey Mouse Club paved the way for all that came after, from its humble beginnings as a marketing ploy, through its short but mesmerizing run, to the numerous resurrections that made it one of television's first true cult hits—all through the recollections of those regular kids-turned-stars who made it a phenomenon. It will reveal, for the first time ever, the untold stories of Annette, Darlene, Cubby and Karen, Bobbie and the rest of the beloved cast. It will explore, through the reminiscences of former fans who grew up to be some of television's finest minds, what made the show so special. By Jennifer Armstrong. This book may have a small Remainder Mark. EAN: 9780446545952


text:
Looks tasty. I might suggest a touch of warrior at 60 minutes so it doesn't come across too sweet. Both of those hops have some fruity/citrusy characteristics that you may want to balance out with some bittering additions. However they're two of my favorites. Also, IMO might want to dry hop so you get the full effect of both hops.
My favorite hop combo.+1 to what blatz said.
Quote from: hoser on May 06, 2013, 02:59:42 PMMy favorite hop combo.+1 to what blatz said.One of mine as well.


text:
Waka Flocka In The Studio With DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes & Vado Recording His Verse For The "Welcome To My Hood" Remix!
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
Thanks for that very prompt response Ronin !
Hi, Ronin! How did your mother like the Juicy Couture for her birthday? I hope she loves it. I know you were working hard to find her a good one.
Basenotes is an online guide to perfume and fragrance, featuring news, a database of fragrances, perfume glossary, fragrance forums, user reviews and more.


text:
Obama made the remarks in a speech at the Export-Import Bank's annual conference in Washington.
"We're going to aggressively protect our intellectual property," Obama said in his speech, "Our single greatest asset is the innovation and the ingenuity and creativity of the American people [...] It is essential to our prosperity and it will only become more so in this century. But it's only a competitive advantage if our companies know that someone else can't just steal that idea and duplicate it with cheaper inputs and labor."
"There's nothing wrong with other people using our technologies, we welcome it," Obama continued, "We just want to make sure that it's licensed and that American businesses are getting paid appropriately. That's why the [US Trade Representative] is using the full arsenal of tools available to crack down on practices that blatantly harm our businesses, and that includes negotiating proper protections and enforcing our existing agreements, and moving forward on new agreements, including the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement."
It seems that the RIAA, MPAA, and similar organisations have been successful in lobbying the US administration into supporting their cause. This means that the US government will continue to (financially) support an industry that is simply outdated, and has failed to adapt to the changing market - which seems remarkably anti-capitalistic and anti-free market, even for a Democratic president.
Luckily for at least us Europeans, the European Parliament has already shot the ACTA agreement down in an overwhelming 633-to-13 vote, while also forcing total openness - something the US does not want. This means that despite Obama siding with the content providers, ACTA will most likely not come to fruition.
Sadly, all this also means that American consumers will continue to see their rights eroded, as corporations and content providers further gain influence within the government. This means that devices you buy will not actually be yours, that uploading a video of your daughter dancing to a song on the radio could cost you thousands of dollars in damages, and it will also most likely mean that three strikes laws will be enacted.
Good times.


text:
This report covers the activities of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) from October 1, 2002, to September 30, 2003. In addition to describing OCR's civil rights compliance program, the report demonstrates how OCR is able to make a real difference in the lives of students.
|"Any system and any person that gives up on any child because of what
he looks like or who his parents are is no less discriminatory than a jeering
mob blocking the schoolhouse door. It is every inch the bigotry that once exiled
some people to the back of the bus."
Rod Paige
As we submit this report, 2004 marks a special year in America's longstanding efforts to bring about equal educational opportunity for all people. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that declared separate but equal schools to be unconstitutional. Brown stands as one of the greatest decisions handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB Act), the comprehensive reform of federal elementary and secondary education programs that President George W. Bush signed into law on January 8, 2002, may be viewed as furthering the intent of the Brown decision. The goal of the NCLB Act is to ensure that every child from every background receives a high quality education and that every school in America is a place of high expectations and high achievement.
|"Even though progress has been made, there is more to do. There are still
people in our society who hurt. There is still prejudice holding people back.
There is still a school system that doesn't elevate every child so they
can learn."
President George W. Bush
The fair, effective and efficient enforcement of the civil rights laws works to advance both equity and educational excellence. There is no better way to honor this historic Brown anniversary than to stay focused in our efforts to help all of our children have an equal chance to succeed and reach their full potential. We will continue to build on these accomplishments in bringing access to high quality education to all students in our nation.
Respectfully submitted,
James Manning
Delegated the Authority of
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights


text:
By Kristin Littrell, CFCA freelancer
This is the second installment in our series about helping kids develop a global worldview. View part one here.
Like many young families, we read a lot in our house.
Some books are just silly, others teach subtle life lessons. Slowly, we're adding books to our collection that purposefully introduce a global worldview.
Interestingly enough, these are some of our preschooler's favorite books in her library.
They're the books she chooses to keep with her at rest time, looking through them time and time again.
Three of our favorite books that teach kids a global worldview
- The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio
Lily and Salma are best friends. They like doing all the same things, and they always eat lunch together.
Lily eats peanut butter and Salma eats hummusóbut what's that between friends? It turns out, a lot. Before they know it, a food fight breaks out. Can Lily and Salma put aside their differences? Or will a sandwich come between them?
The smallest things can pull us apartóuntil we learn that friendship is far more powerful than difference. In a glorious three-page gatefold at the end of the book, Salma, Lily, and all their classmates come together in the true spirit of tolerance and acceptance.
After we read The Sandwich Swap the first few times, we took Kate, our oldest, to a nearby Mediterranean restaurant so we could eat hummus, just like Salma. She loved it.
- A Country Far Away by Nigel Gray
Two boys from different parts of the world–rural Africa and urban North America–talk about one day in their lives and the joys they experience: riding bicycles and swimming, staying up late with cousins, scoring goals while playing soccer, and more.
Philippe Dupasquier's detailed color illustrations show the similarities and differences between the two boys' lives.
What do you do when you lose a tooth? Do you put it under your pillow and wait for the tooth fairy? Not if you live in Botswana! In Botswana, children throw their teeth onto the roof. In Afghanistan they drop their teeth down mouse holes, and in Egypt they fling their teeth at the sun! Travel around the world and discover the surprising things children do when they lose a tooth.
Selby B. Beeler spent years collecting traditions from every corner of the globe for this whimsical book, and G. Brian Karas adds to the fun, filling every page with humorous detail. He perfectly captures the excitement and pride that children experience when a tooth falls out.
Do you have any favorites we didn't mention? Feel free to add them in the comments below!


text:
Did your children moan that winter break was too short as you got them ready for the first day back in school? They might get their wish of more holiday time off under proposals catching on around the country to lengthen the school year.
But there's a catch: a much shorter summer vacation.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan, a chief proponent of the longer school year, said American students have fallen behind the world academically.
"Whether educators have more time to enrich instruction or students have more time to learn how to play an instrument and write computer code, adding meaningful in-school hours is a critical investment that better prepares children to be successful in the 21st century," he said in December when five states announced they would add at least 300 hours to the academic calendar in some schools beginning this year.
The three-year pilot project will affect about 20,000 students in 40 schools in Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee.
Proponents argue too much knowledge is lost while American students wile away the summer months apart from their lessons.
The National Summer Learning Association cites decades of research showing students' test scores are higher in the same subjects at the beginning of the summer than at the end.
"The research is very clear about that," said Charles Ballinger, executive director emeritus of the National Association for Year-Round School in San Diego. "The only ones who don't lose are the upper 10 to 15 percent of the student body. Those tend to be gifted, college-bound, they're natural learners who will learn wherever they are."
Supporters also say a longer school year would give poor children more access to school-provided healthy meals.
Yet the movement has plenty of detractors - so many Ballinger sometimes feels like the Grinch trying to steal Christmas.
"I had a parent at one meeting say, �I want my child to lie on his back in the grass watching the clouds in the sky during the day and the moon and stars at night,'?" Ballinger recalled. "I thought, �Oh, my. Most kids do that for two, three, maybe four days, then say, �What's next?'?"
But opponents aren't simply dreamy romantics.
Besides the outdoor opportunities for pent up youngsters, they say families already are beholden to the school calendar for three seasons out of four. Summer breaks, they say, are needed to provide an academic respite for students' overwrought minds, and to provide time with family and the flexibility to travel and study favorite subjects in more depth. They note advocates of year-round school cannot point to any evidence it brings appreciable academic benefits.
"I do believe that if children have not mastered a subject that, within a week, personally, I see a slide in my own child," said Tina Bruno, executive director of the Coalition for a Traditional School Calendar. "That's where the idea of parental involvement and parental responsibility in education comes in, because our children cannot and should not be in school seven days a week, 365 days a year."
Bruno is part of a "Save Our Summers" alliance of parents, grandparents, educational professionals and some summer-time recreation providers fighting year-round school. Local chapters carry names such as Georgians Need Summers, Texans for a Traditional School Year and Save Alabama Summers.
Camps, hotel operators and other summer-specific industries raise red flags about the potential economic effect.
The debate has divided parents and educators.
School days shorter than work days and summer breaks that extend to as many as 12 weeks in some areas run up against increasing political pressure from working households - 30 percent of which are headed by women. These families must fill the gaps with afterschool programs, day care, babysitters and camps.
"Particularly where there are single parents or where both parents are working, they prefer to provide care for three weeks at a time rather than three months at a time," Ballinger said.
The National Center on Time andamp; Learning has estimated that about 1,000 districts have adopted longer school days or years.
Some places that have tried the year-round calendar, including Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and parts of California, have returned to the traditional approach. Strapped budgets and parental dissatisfaction were among reasons.
School years are extended based on three basic models:
�?Stretching the traditional 180 days of school across the whole calendar year by lengthening spring and winter breaks and shortening the one in the summer.
� Adding 20 to 30 actual days of instruction to the 180-day calendar.
�?Dividing students and staff into groups, typically four, and rotating three through at a time, with one on vacation, throughout the calendar year.
At the heart of the debate is nothing less than the ability of America's workforce to compete globally.
The U.S. remains in the top dozen or so countries in all tested subjects. But even where U.S. student scores have improved, many other nations have improved much faster, leaving American students far behind peers in Asia and Europe.
Still, data are far from clear that more hours behind a desk can help.
A Center for Public Education review found that students in India and China - countries Duncan has pointed to as giving children more classroom time than the U.S. - don't actually spend more time in school than American children when disparate data are converted to apples-to-apples comparisons.
The center, an initiative of the National School Boards Association, found 42 U.S. states require more than 800 instructional hours a year for their youngest students, and that's more than India does.
Opponents of extended school point out that states such as Minnesota and Massachusetts steadily shine on standardized achievement tests while preserving their summer break with a post-Labor Day school start.
"It makes sense that more time is going to equate to more learning, but then you have to equate that to more professional development for teachers - will that get more bang for the buck?" said Patte Barth, the center's director. "I look at it, and teachers and instruction are still the most important factor more so than time."


text:
of degrees
& programs
Fall: January 15 [December 15 for international applicants]
All applications are evaluated by the end of January. Visit www.temple.edu/pharmacy/graduate.htm for details about the application process.
Number Required: 3
From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from college/university faculty members familiar with the applicant's academic competence and professionals in a supervisory position.
It is recommended that applicants complete the courses taken in obtaining a B.S. in Chemistry (preferably Organic Chemistry), Biochemistry, or Pharmacy (or their equivalent as determined by the School of Pharmacy) before entering the program.
Not required.
A baccalaureate degree in Chemistry (preferably Organic Chemistry), Biochemistry, or Pharmacy is required.
The Statement of Goals should be approximately 500-1,000 words and should include the following elements: your interest in Temple's program; your research goals; your future career goals; and your academic and research achievements.
The GRE is required. The GRE scores should be in the 65th percentile or above. Recent scores have been in the range of 650-750 or > quantitative and 500-600 or > verbal.
Minimum TOEFL score or range of scores needed to be accepted:
600 paper-based, 250 computer-based, or 100 internet-based.
A resume is encouraged.
Number of Didactic Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 40
Required Courses:
Survey in Pharmaceutical Sciences 1 s.h.
Pharmaceutical Analysis 3 s.h.
Statistics 3 s.h.
Seminar in Pharmaceutical Sciences 1-2* s.h.
Pharmacogenomics 2 s.h.
Biochemistry 4 s.h.
Advanced Organic Chemistry 6 s.h.
Physical Methods in Organic Chemistry 3 s.h.
Advanced Medicinal Chemistry 3 s.h.
Biochemistry 3 s.h.
Elective courses for Ph.D. degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences can be found on the website: http://www.temple.edu/pharmacy/graduate.htm
Elective courses should be taken primarily in Chemistry, although courses in Pharmacology and Computer and Information Science may also be taken.
Internship: No internship is required.
Language Examination: No language examination is required.
Preliminary Examination:
The purpose of the preliminary examination is to demonstrate critical and interpretive knowledge in specialized areas of the discipline. The examination evaluates the student's ability to apply specific research foci to anticipated practical problems in the field.
Students who accumulate 40 didactic credits are eligible to take the exam.
The Preliminary exam consists of two sections; 1. a written section consisting of questions from the student's Doctoral Advisory Committee (D.A.C.) and 2. a) a second portion that includes the preparation of a research proposal approved by the D.A.C. and b) an oral summary of the proposal (30 mins) followed by an oral defense of the proposal.
Each Advisory Committee question submitter will judge the quality of the student's answer to their question (based on criteria such as accuracy, thoroughness, and originality) and share the score, and the reasons for it, with other members of the Advisory Committee. The evaluators look for a breadth and depth of understanding of concepts in the areas being tested; application of that knowledge; and the ability to write technical prose in a manner consistent with scientists in the field.
Students who are preparing to take their preliminary examinations should confirm a time and date with the Director of Graduate Studies and register with the Administrative Assistant in the Office of Graduate Studies. The student and Director will receive confirmation of the time, date, room, and proctor for the examination.
Dissertation Proposal:
The dissertation proposal demonstrates the student's knowledge of and ability to conduct the proposed research. The proposal should consist of the following: (a) the context and background surrounding a particular research problem; (b) an exhaustive survey and review of literature related to the problem; and (c) a detailed methodological plan for investigating the problem. The proposal should be completed and approved no more than one year after completing the preliminary exam. Upon approval, a doctoral student is promoted to a Ph.D. candidate and
a timeline for completing the investigation and writing process will be established.
The Doctoral Dissertation is an original, theoretical, and/or empirical study that makes a significant contribution to the field. It should expand existing knowledge and demonstrate the student's knowledge of both research methods and a mastery of her/his primary area of interest. Dissertations should be rigorously investigated; uphold the ethics and standards of the field; demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the primary area of interest and the broader field; and be prepared for publication in a professional journal.
The Dissertation Advising Committee is formed to oversee the student's doctoral research and is comprised of at least three Graduate Faculty members. Two members, including the Chair, must be from the School of Pharmacy. Committee compositions must be approved by the departmental graduate committee. The Chair is responsible for overseeing and guiding the student's progress, coordinating the responses of the Committee members, and informing the student of her/his academic progress.
The Dissertation Examining Committee evaluates the student's dissertation and oral defense, including the student's ability to express verbally her/his research question, methodological approach, primary findings, and implications. This committee is comprised of the Doctoral Advising Committee and at least one additional Graduate Faculty member from outside the School of Pharmacy. The Outside Examiner should be identified no later than the beginning of the semester in which the student will defend the dissertation.
The Committee will vote to pass or fail the dissertation and the defense at the conclusion of the public presentation.
If a student needs to change a member of a Committee, the new member must be approved by the departmental graduate committee and by the Graduate School. The changes must be documented with the Graduate Secretary and the Graduate School (http://www.temple.edu/grad/forms/index.htm).
Students who are preparing to defend their dissertation should confirm a time and date with their Dissertation Advisory Committee and register with the Office of Graduate Studies at least 15 days before the defense is to be scheduled. The Office of Graduate Studies will arrange the time, date, and room and forward to the student the appropriate forms. After the Graduate Secretary has made the arrangements, the student must send the Graduate School a completed "Announcement of Oral Defense" form at least 10 days before the defense. The Department will post flyers announcing the defense.
Office of Graduate Studies
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
School of Pharmacy
3307 N. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19140
Karen Austin
Office of Graduate Studies
Room 528
Program Coordinator:
Daniel J. Canney, Ph.D.
Graduate Chairperson:
Daniel J. Canney, Ph.D.
Associate Director:
Joy Baumgardner, Ph.D.
Robert Raffa, Ph.D.
The School of Pharmacy offers a graduate program leading to the M.S. and the Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in Medicinal Chemistry. The program is designed to prepare students for positions in the pharmaceutical industry, government agencies, and faculty positions in schools of pharmacy.
Time Limit for Degree Completion: 7 years
Health Sciences
Students may take a majority of required and elective courses at the Main and Health Sciences campuses. Several courses may be offered at the Fort Washington campus. Research must be carried out at the Health Sciences campus under the supervision of an advisor who is a member of the Graduate Faculty.
Full-time status is highly preferred due to the nature of ongoing research.
The program encourages interdisciplinary coursework, research, and collaborations among faculty and students with interests in Organic Chemistry, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Modeling.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The focus is Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, including design and synthesis of ligands for cholinergic receptors and ligands for retinoic acid receptors, novel anticonvulsants, and the development of analytical methodologies.
The program is primarily concentrated to provide research scientists for the pharmaceutical industry, government agencies, and faculty positions in schools of pharmacy.
Non-matriculated students are able to take up to 9 credits.
Support options include University Fellowships, Teaching Assistantships (TAs), and Research Assistantships (RAs). Recipients of support are determined on a competitive basis during the admission process. Fellowships and assistantships include full tuition remission (up to 9 credits) and a monthly stipend. The principal duties of a TA include assisting faculty members in laboratory instruction, preparing apparatus or materials for Pharm.D. students, conducting recitations, grading quizzes and reports, and proctoring exams. TAs are expected to work 20 hours per week. RAs are expected to spend 20 hours per week engaged in research and will be assigned to a specific faculty member. The research subjects are determined by consultation between the student and her/his research advisor. The department attempts to make offers of assistantships on or before May 1. June 1 is the final date for acceptance or declination of department offers of support. Applications should be directed to Office of Graduate Admissions, Suite 528, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Temple University School of Pharmacy, 3307 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140.
April 2008


text:
Texas Business Advisor #get #a #business #loan
#business advisor
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Glenn Hegar
The Texas Business Advisor
Entrepreneurship forms the basis of free market capitalism, fueling growth in the state economy. The Comptroller joins others in encouraging the spirit to try new ideas, build a business, attain wealth, and create jobs. The Business Advisor is our attempt to provide helpful information by opening a "one-stop shop," for your convenience in learning how to start a business in Texas.
Starting a Business
Prepare Define your product or service, study the market, write a plan, and get financing.
Register Choose a name for the business. Obtain an identification number. Decide on the legal form. Discover which licenses or permits you may need, and what kinds of taxes you might owe.
Growing Your Business
Take free, or at least low cost, advice Several organizations, some government, some not, give advice about how to achieve profit in local markets.
Expand your client base Sell to the government as well as to private clients. Find foreign buyers.
Keep reference materials for the future Know where to get facts quickly, especially the same information you will want updated periodically.
The information in this document is presented solely as technical assistance and as a resource available to entrepreneurs. The information does not serve as a substitute for legal advice or tax advice nor replace the independent judgment of an appropriate specialist. An entrepreneur should consult his/her attorney, accountant or other appropriate professional to answer specific questions about establishing a business in Texas.


text:
posted by Thom Holwerda on Tue 10th Feb 2009 22:39 UTC, submitted by poundsmack
Some more details concerning Apple's upcoming Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard release are trickling onto the web. First of all, as expected, Snow Leopard will include more thorough support for ZFS, but it's reserved for the server releases. In addition to that, printer drivers on Snow Leopard will be delivered on demand, shaving off a few gigabytes of space off a default Mac OS X installation. The drivers will be obtained via Software Update if necessary.


text:
Death From Above: At Northwestern
|Michigan at Northwestern
|Welsh-Ryan Arena
Evanston, IL
|M –1 (Kenpom)
Remember when Michigan hadn't been to the tourney in ten years? Multiply that by infinity, give them a shot, and that is this game. Sippin' on Purple:
Hey, Northwestern's playing tonight! And it's not important at all! BREATHES HEAVILY INTO PAPER BAG) Hahahahahahahaha basketball is fun! (DIES)
So, Northwestern fans experiencing the team's first true bubble run don't really know how to feel. It turns out I've mastered the correct feeling, and here's how you do it: AFJKLSDSA;KLFJDL;ASJKADLS;KJFDAS WHAT WHAT IS HAPPENING AHHHHHH AHHHH EVERY SINGLE BASKETBALL GAME WE PLAY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER TO HAPPEN EVER AND I'M NOT EVEN JOKING. There. Just be like that.
One of these pictures is of John Shurna, but which one? Okay, fine, you got it. It's the beak. Dead giveaway.
Penn State is terrible, Purdue is at home, and by the time Michigan plays Illinois Champaign will be in the throes of civil war. Thus tonight's game against Northwestern is Michigan's most daunting hurdle left. Kenpom says @ Illinois is more difficult but Kenpom cannot take the breakdown of civil society there into account.
Meanwhile, the stakes. Oh, the stakes. If Michigan wins they'll probably double their chances of getting a share of their first Big Ten title since 1986. If Northwestern wins they probably double their chances of getting their first tourney bid since the Big Bang. If Northwestern gets to 9-9 in conference they are in, and they have games against Iowa and Penn State left. Road game, sure, but their path to the a bid is clear if they defend home court tonight. Expect Welsh-Ryan to be bats. What's that, Stu Douglass?
"That gym's pretty small and it doesn't get too loud"
Expect Welsh-Ryan to be double bats.
The Wildcats got the preview treatment already. The main change since then has been due to injury: Luka Mirkovic has been out with an ankle sprain that must be of the dreaded "high" variety for him to miss so much time. In his absence, secret albatross John Shurna has played a lot of center—Northwestern's primary lineup these days is basically Michigan's lineup with Smotrycz on the floor and Morgan on the bench. Mirkovich did not play against Minnesota on Saturday and it doesn't seem like he'll return today.
Northwestern will go to a bigger lineup with post-type guy Davide Curletti, who got twenty minutes against the Gophers. Curletti is a lot like Mirkovich statistically but has significantly lower usage and turns the ball over a bit more. This may be due to Curletti playing more against Big Ten competition. Curletti's not much of a concern from the floor (low usage, 44%) or line (57%) and might see his time against Michigan reduced since the rebounding imperative will be lower than it was against Ralph Sampson III and company.
Northwestern also has guard JerShon Cobb back after a long injury absence. His numbers this year are too thin to draw much from; last year he was an inefficient offensive player (45% from 2, 30% from 3, few free throws but few turnovers). He has a reputation as a defensive stopper, however, and may be placed on Burke in an effort to slow him down. The Minnesota game was his first significant playing time since the Illinois game before the first Michigan-NU matchup of the year; he went 0-3 from the floor (all threes) in 24 minutes but had five steals.
Those are the relative newcomers. The team's engine is still John Shurna and Drew Crawford, who you know about. Shurna has massive usage, plays 92% of the time, never turns the ball over, and shoots 43% from 3. Crawford's got Hardaway-level usage, never turns the ball over, and shoots 40% from 3. Both are around 52-53% from inside the arc. They're quality.
The third banana is coming on like gangbusters as the season draw to a close. That's freshman point guard Dave "Sobocop" Sobolewski (right), who is averaging 14.8 points per game over the past six. He's got 22 assists to 8 turnovers in that span and is hitting 56% of his threes. He's only had one stinker in there (three points against Indiana) and if he can keep that up Northwestern's going to be hard to beat on their home floor.
Though Sobolewski was just okay against Michigan the first time out he impressed with his ability to get to the basket. Again: Michigan should closely monitor all Northwestern recruiting classes for opportunities to violate gentleman's agreements.
Aside from the three bolded fellows and the guys who need no introduction there aren't many other players to mention. Only two bench players got more than a minute against the Gophers: Curletti and Alex Marcotullio. He and Reggie Hearn are generic Northwestern low-usage guards with a lot of threes and not much else. Hearn does get off a decent number of two pointers.
It's been a while since Michigan eked out a two-point OT win over the Wildcats in Crisler. Since that game Northwestern has gone 5-5 in the league. They beat Michigan State at Welsh-Ryan and then took care of some of the league's poorer teams at home; they also helped initiate the Illinois death spiral by beating them 74-70 at Assembly Hall, Champaign Edition.
On the less-happy side of the ledger they suffered double-digit road losses against Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Purdue, a five-point road loss against Indiana, and a two-point home loss against Purdue.
Conference four factors:
|Offense (Rk)
|Defense (Rk)
|Effective FG%:
|54.4 1
|52.9 10
|Turnover %:
|17.1 4
|18.4 7
|Off. Reb. %:
|24.6 12
|36.3 12
|40.2 4
|38.7 2
Northwestern is Michigan only moreso. They are getting hammered on the boards in the post-Mirkovich era, and while they make up for that with excellent shooting on the offensive end—as a team they are hitting almost 40% of their threes in the Big Ten—they can't make up for the crappy defensive rebounding with good FG defense like Michigan does. As a result they're the second-worst D in the league, in front of only Iowa.
As you might expect, Northwestern launches a huge quantity of threes (44%, 7th nationally) and gets a ton of assists (65% of made field goals are assisted, 6th nationally); they also give up a lot of threes at a high rate of success and a low plenty of assists themselves.
Run 'em off the line. In a marked contrast with every other team in the league, Michigan should not have to double when the ball goes in the post—if the ball goes in the post—and can stick with their shooters. If Curletti is going to put it up, fine. If Shurna's willing to work for a two, fine. If a team that's hitting 40% from three gets a bunch of them, not so much.
The key thing to watch here is Sobolewski and Crawford penetrating. Without a post presence, Northwestern generates its open threes with a lot of penetrate-and-kick. Sobolewksi was effective at this in the first game. Trey Burke is going to have to D up a lot more than he did against the passive Aaron Craft. Stu Douglass will likely draw Crawford, and that will be okay unless he starts sinking a bunch of contested jumpers. Which could happen.
Anyway: reducing the numbers of threes taken is a priority. Michigan did a good job of this in the first game, holding the Wildcats to just 13 threes. That and a ton of offensive rebounding (17 on 44 opportunities) eventually gave them the win despite shooting 7 of 30 behind the arc themselves.
Morg-ownage: possible? Shurna at the five has been a problem for a lot of Big Ten defenses. Michigan would seem in better shape than most with Jordan Morgan, a relatively quick center who has the stamina to chase Shurna around the court. If Morgan can cope defensively, Michigan should have an advantage on the other end of the court when it comes to offensive rebounding. Yes, they're more than rumors.
Is that likely? Well… Shurna had 21 points on 15 shots in the first matchup. So maybe not. Morgan may be able to outrun most centers in the league but guarding Shurna on the perimeter has been an issue. So then you've got Smotrycz, whose defense is… inconsistent.
Morgan needs to dominate the boards here to make up for what will be an awkward matchup with Shurna.
Make some threes. Northwestern gives up a ton of quality three point opportunities and allows opponents to shoot 50% from two. There aren't a whole lot of bad shots when you play the Wildcats.
Michigan just has to hit them. That 7 of 30 thing is going to be tough to overcome on the road. Michigan's been judicious and effective from deep in the past couple games. Let's hope it continues. If Michigan can hit 35% instead of 23% they will win comfortably.
Yes, this bullet is basically "score points!"
Bench help. Matt Vogrich can be useful in this game; Evan Smotrycz will have a relatively even matchup when he's in at the five.
Michigan by one. Sippin' On Purple's Rodger Sherman literally dies. The second part is not a part of the Kenpom prediction, at least not yet.
UMHoops rounds up recruiting and previews tonight. Rod Beard has an interesting article on Michigan's preparations for the Northwestern offense:
"If we play the way we play against everyone else, it opens things up for things they want to do offensively, such as back-door plays and cuts," Jordan said. "We have to figure out how to make a new habit in two days (of practice)."
But for Jordan, his task is daunting because he doesn't want to miss a single detail or not be prepared when the game plan is presented in practice to the players and coach John Beilein.
"The goal is to eliminate surprises. You want to try to crack the code," he said. "You want to give some sense of what maybe to expect, but a lot of it is personnel-driven."
That Sippin' on Purple item is also a game preview.


text:
OTTAWA, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Retail sales in Canada dropped 2.1 percent in December to $38.5 billion, Statistics Canada said Friday.
Sales fell after five consecutive monthly gains. Sales slid 0.9 percent excluding the volatile category of motor vehicles and automotive parts, the data agency said.
A 6.4 percent sales decline at new car dealers led the downturn. Sales at new car dealerships fell 7.7 percent in the month. Sales of automobile accessories and tires also fell.
Holiday shopping was also slow. "Most store types typically associated with holiday shopping registered weaker sales in December," the report said.


text:
Francesco Scognamiglio seems like a new (and tongue-twisting) name on the Milan schedule, but as his latest show proudly stated, he's been in the business under his own name for ten years, albeit under the radar of most of the fashion press. As with so many others, it was one Lady Gaga who pulled his name into the spotlight - his show tonight closed with a face-framing, thigh-baring dress created especially for her, and the benches were packed with influential international fashion press.
But what is Scognamiglio's style? That's the tricky question. Gaga seems to have chosen the right man, as his creations veer towards theatrics rather than workaday. Example: bubbly organza frocks with leg-of-mutton sleeves bigger than an armchair; dresses crafted from layers of petals, cut-away to expose bare breasts; and a gilded eagle was strapped as a muzzle over a model's mouth. Okay, that was three examples, but hopefully you get the point. Even when Scognamiglio did simple, it was rather complex: a Bianca Jagger-esque white trousersuit pushed arms through piecrust slits at the front, rather than the conventional sleeve exit, and a short buttoned-up black dress was accessorised with a Gothic feather headpiece like a Victorian funeral mare.
The theme was the opulence of Versailles' opera - but there was something far more grandiose about this offering. It reminded me of those Württemberg princes that saw Versailles and tried to build their own, far more extravagant, versions. At the same time, Scognamiglio is quintessentially Italian, coming from the Rome Alta Moda world with all the overblown baroque maximalism that engenders. As an exercise in wanton, exuberant excess, it was unparalleled - the only worry was with Scognamiglio's taste-level, and the fact that it all seemed to be done with a completely straight face and proposed as genuine high fashion. In this day and age, there's slightly unsettling about any designer who can be that oblivious.


text:
Kurt Russell, Wayne Gretzky among luminaries returning to BMW Charity Pro-Am in the Upstate in mid-May.
GREER — Some familiar faces will be back in the field as the BMW Charity Pro-Am makes its 13th annual appearance in the Upstate in mid-May.
The Web.com Tour event features future PGA Tour stars and long-time touring pros seeking another shot on the big tour being paired with celebrities and amateurs.
Every other Web.com Tour event features a 36-hole cut at a single venue, while the BMW Charity Pro-Am not only has the unique multiple courses with amateurs format, it also provides a week's worth of pro-ams, concerts and parties.
The event raised $634,571 for Upstate charities last year to push its total to more than $9.25 million over its 12-year existence. Due to the nature of changing locales over the years (The Reserve at Lake Keowee is new to the rotation in place of The Carolina Country Club), putting on the tournament is an ever-changing process.
"All the different pieces that come into play, logistically it is something you really have to key in on during a year-round basis and continue to tweak it," Executive Director Darin MacDonald said Tuesday. "We have lessons learned every year and come up with more than 100 things we want to tweak and change for the next year.
"I've never been involved with a PGA Tour event and what it takes to put it on, but during tournament week we have (an official) who runs the (PGA Tour's) Northern Trust Open that comes in and runs the Chanticleer course during our tournament week. He saw it firsthand for the first time last year and said anyone who can run this event could run a PGA event blindfolded because everything is multiplied by three, so that was a great compliment."
The inclusion of celebrities (most of whom will take the time to chat and sign autographs during and after their rounds) has long been a favorite aspect. Actor Kurt Russell and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky will return after being absent last season.
"I was really excited we have eight returning celebrities who had been here before, but there was a lapse in time since they'd been back," MacDonald said. "With 15 coming back from last year it's probably as deep as we've ever had as far as star power."
While the big names are fun, spectators also can witness at least several players who might not be known now, but will likely make a name in the coming years. Five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd won the inaugural event in 2001, while reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson was the 2005 runner-up. He tied that year with Charley Hoffman, who tied for third with Jim Furyk at last week's PGA stop in Texas.
While new venue The Reserve is more remote (about 30 miles from downtown Greenville), MacDonald points out making the longer trek does have its advantages.
"It's not too difficult to get to and what's nice about the remote course in our rotation is that golf course on that day you're going to get as much up close and personal attention from the celebrities and pros as you're going to get anywhere. Thornblade being right here in the heart of town is busy with a lot of spectators, but out there you're going to get to know Wayne Gretzky by the end of the day if you decide to follow his group because there just won't be as much gallery out there."
As far as the additional headaches of having to bring a new course aboard, MacDonald said it's always an ongoing process even at courses that have been used for a while as part of the tournament.
"The second year and beyond is certainly easier than any first-year golf course. With the first year you visualize what you want it to be from the person who pays $10 to come out to the person who spends thousands to play in the tournament as an amateur. You have to look at all those ingredients."


text:
|Oracle® Real User Experience Insight Installation Guide
Release 6.5.2 for Linux x86-64
Part Number E20329-02
|View PDF · Mobi
This chapter describes the procedure for installing the Apache Web server and RUEI software. The procedure for upgrading an existing RUEI 5.x, 6.0.x, or 6.5.x installation to release 6.5.2 is described in Chapter 5, "Upgrading to RUEI 6.5.2". The post-installation configuration procedure is described in Chapter 6, "Configuring RUEI".
The RUEI software is available from the Oracle E-Delivery Web site (
http://edelivery.oracle.com). Select the following media pack criteria:
Oracle Enterprise Manager
Linux x86-64
Copy the downloaded RUEI zip file to
/root directory on the server, and unzip it. Use the following commands:
cd /root
unzip package_name.zip
The following directories are created which contain the software needed to complete the RUEI installation:
All steps described in this section must be performed regardless of your planned installation (that is, a Reporter with local database, a Reporter with remote database, or a Collector).
/etc/ruei.conf file specifies the settings used within your installation. Note that all components in your RUEI environment (such as the remote database and Collectors) require the same global
/etc/ruei.conf configuration file. The settings shown in Table 4-1 are defined.
|DescriptionFoot 1
RUEI_HOMEFootref 2
Home directory of the RUEI software.
RUEI_DATAFoot 2
Directory for RUEI data files.
The RUEI operating system user.
The RUEI operating system group.
RUEI_DB_INSTFoot 3
The database instance name.
RUEI_DB_USERFoot 4
The database user name.
RUEI_DB_TNSNAMEFoot 5
The database connect string.
The export database connect string.
Footnote 1 Be aware that all variables specified in this table are the values used throughout this guide, and can be modified as required.
Footnote 2 The directory name cannot exceed 50 characters in length.
Footnote 3 The database instance name cannot exceed 8 characters in length.
Footnote 4 The database user name cannot exceed 30 characters in length.
Footnote 5 The alias name cannot exceed 255 characters in length.
Footnote 6 By default, this setting does not appear in the configuration file.
There is no need to change the settings for JAVA_HOME and INSTANTCLIENT_DIR if you intend to use the software contained on the RUEI distribution pack.
Create the
moniforce group and user. The home directory of
moniforce should be set to
/var/opt/ruei, with read permissions for group members.
/usr/sbin/groupadd moniforce /usr/sbin/useradd moniforce -g moniforce -d /var/opt/ruei chmod -R 750 /var/opt/ruei chown -R moniforce:moniforce /var/opt/ruei
An example of the configuration file is included in the RUEI distribution pack. Ensure the file is readable by the RUEI_USER user by issuing the following commands:
cp /root/RUEI/extra/ruei.conf /etc/ chmod 644 /etc/ruei.conf chown moniforce:moniforce /etc/ruei.conf
In case of a remote database installation, the
ruei.conf file needs to be identical with that of the Reporter system.
For both Reporter and Collector systems you need to install the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Java is bundled within the RUEI distribution pack.
Issue the following commands:
cd /root/RUEI/Java chmod +x ./jre-1_5_0_22-linux-amd64-rpm.bin ./jre-1_5_0_22-linux-amd64-rpm.bin
Note you are prompted to accept the Java licence agreement. You cannot continue until you have done so.
This installs the necessary Java software in the directory
/usr/java/jre1.5.0_22. To make the install directory version independent, create a more generic symlink using the following command:
ln -s /usr/java/jre1.5.0_22 /usr/java/jre
This section can be skipped for Reporter or remote database servers.
Logon to the Collector system as the
root user, and do the following:
The RUEI file and directory locations are fixed. Therefore, it is necessary to use the exact directory name described below. Create the RUEI application root directory using the following command:
mkdir -p /opt/ruei chmod 750 /opt/ruei
Change to the RUEI root directory and run the
ruei-install.sh script using the following commands:
cd /root/RUEI/65 chmod +x ruei-install.sh ruei-check.sh ./ruei-install.sh collector
In addition to the actions described above, you need to configure the network interfaces. This is fully described in Configuring the Network Interface. Moreover, you also need to setup a password-less remote login from the Reporter system to the newly created Collector system. The necessary configuration steps are described in Configuring Reporter Communication (Split-Server Setup Only).
This section describes the procedure for installing the required components for a Reporter system. These include the Apache Web server, the Oracle database Instant Client, and the Zend Optimizer.
This section describes the installation and configuration of the Apache Web server, and the components that use it.
Ensure that the Web server starts automatically after re-boot by issuing the following command:
/sbin/chkconfig httpd on
Edit the
/etc/sysconfig/httpd file to include the following line at the bottom of the file:
source /etc/ruei.conf
Create the following settings in the
/etc/php.d/ruei.ini file:
session.gc_maxlifetime = 14400 memory_limit = 96M upload_max_filesize = 128M post_max_size = 128M
Install the Oracle database Instant Client and SQLplus extension with the following commands as the
root user:
cd /root/RUEI/IC rpm -Uhv oracle-instantclient11.2-basic-*.rpm rpm -Uhv oracle-instantclient11.2-sqlplus-*.rpm
Install the
php-oci8 module (this is part of the RUEI distribution set) using the following commands:
cd /root/RUEI/PHP rpm -Uhv php-oci8-11gR2-5*
Go to the directory containing the Zend Optimizer code, unpack the tar file, and run the Zend optimizer installer. Read the license agreement. You will not be able to proceed until you have accepted the license terms. Accept all default settings, and allow the installer to restart the Apache Web server. Issue the following commands:
cd /root/RUEI/ZendOptimizer tar zxvf ZendOptimizer-3.3.3-linux-glibc23-x86_64.tar.gz cd ZendOptimizer-3.3.3-linux-glibc23-x86_64 ./install
Note:If you upgrade your system packages (for example, using Yum), this can overwrite changes you previously made to the
/etc/php.ini file. Therefore, you should be prepared to re-install the Zend Optimizer. When doing so, ensure the Zend Optimizer installer indicates the location of the
php.ini file as
/etc/php.ini and not
It is recommended you move the Zend configuration lines created in the
/etc/php.ini file to the RUEI-specific PHP configuration file
/etc/php.d/ruei.ini to prevent upgrade issues. If you performed a default installation of the Zend Optimizer, this involves moving the following lines:
[Zend] zend_extension_manager.optimizer=/usr/local/Zend/lib/Optimizer-3.3.3 zend_extension_manager.optimizer_ts=/usr/local/Zend/lib/Optimizer_TS-3.3.3 zend_optimizer.version=3.3.3 zend_extension=/usr/local/Zend/lib/ZendExtensionManager.so zend_extension_ts=/usr/local/Zend/lib/ZendExtensionManager_TS.so
The RUEI database can reside either locally (that is, on the Reporter server) or on a remote database server. In this section you will create the database instance required for RUEI, and generate the "connection data" required for the Reporter to connect to this database instance. As an alternative for the database setup described in this chapter, you can follow the procedure described in Appendix A, "Generic Database Instance Setup".
You will need the following scripts to be present on the system where the database instance (RUEI_DB_INST) will be created:
ruei-prepare-db.sh: creates the database instance, Oracle wallet, and database connect files.
ruei-check.sh: this is a hardware and environment check utility, and is automatically invoked by
ruei-prepare-db.sh. The script can also be used as a stand-alone troubleshooting utility. For a complete description of the script, refer to Appendix C, "The ruei-check.sh Script".
The four "connection data" files created during the procedure described in this section are as follows:
The RUEI configuration file (
/etc/ruei.conf) also needs to be present on the database server and configured as described in The RUEI Configuration File.
Do the following:
Copy the
ruei-prepare-db.sh and
ruei-check.sh scripts to the server on which you intend to run the database instance, and make them executable for the
oracle user. These scripts can be found in the RUEI distribution zip (
Review the settings in the
/etc/ruei.conf file to match your needs as described in The RUEI Configuration File.
Logon to the database server as the
oracle user on the database server, and set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable. You need to run the
ruei-prepare-db.sh script as the
oracle user. This script creates the RUEI_DB_INST database, but only after a number of hardware and software environment checks have been performed. The actual checks performed depend on the system type you are currently installing.
The script prompts you for the RUEI database user passwordFoot 1 . This enables the RUEI application to login to the database automatically. The script also creates the "connection data" files for you now.
If you run the
ruei-prepare-db.sh script for a combined Reporter/Database server, all files are placed automatically in the correct locationFoot 2 . In case of a remote database, a separate .
tar file is generated, and you will need to perform the extra step 4.
Issue the following commands:
chmod +x ruei-prepare-db.sh ruei-check.sh export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0/db_1 ./ruei-prepare-db.sh
If you ran the above commands on a combined Reporter/Database server you can skip step 4 and proceed to step 5.
This step only applies when using a remote database.
In the case of a Reporter system using a remote database, you will need to copy the generated
/tmp/ruei-database-configuration.tar file in step 3 from the database server to the Reporter system. The
/tmp/ruei-database-configuration.tar file must be extracted on the Reporter server in the directory
/var/opt/ruei (RUEI_DATA). The permissions of the files need to be set so that the specified RUEI_USER (
moniforce) can use them.
Copy the generated .
tar file, which holds connection data files to the Reporter system. Logon to the Reporter server and extract the .
tar file using the following commands:
cd /var/opt/ruei
tar xvf path-to-tar-file/ruei/database-configuration.tar
chown moniforce:moniforce cwallet.sso ewallet.p12 sqlnet.ora tnsnames.ora
Because logging of the database can consume a large amount of disk space, it is recommended that you install a clean-up script to avoid the usage of unnecessary disk space. Copy the (example) script to the
oracle user directory and activate it via
cron using the following commands:
mkdir -p /home/oracle/bin cp /root/RUEI/extra/ruei-clean.sh /home/oracle/bin chmod +x /home/oracle/bin/ruei-clean.sh su - oracle -c 'echo "10 0 * * * /home/oracle/bin/ruei-clean.sh" | crontab'
The RUEI directory locations are flexible. Therefore, it is necessary to use the exact directory name described as configured in the
/etc/ruei.conf file. Create the RUEI application root directory using the following command:
mkdir -p /opt/ruei chmod 750 /opt/ruei
Note:The specified RUEI_HOME and RUEI_DATA directories must have 750 permissions defined for them.
Make the
apache and
moniforce members of two additional groups using the following commands:
/usr/sbin/usermod -aG moniforce apache /usr/sbin/usermod -aG uucp apache /usr/sbin/usermod -aG uucp moniforce
Go to the directory which holds the RUEI software, and install the RUEI packages. You can specify
reporter or
collector to the
ruei-install.sh script depending on the required installation:
cd /root/RUEI/65 chmod +x ruei-install.sh ./ruei-install.sh reporter
Re-start the Apache Web server using the following command:
/sbin/service httpd restart
Verify that the RUEI software was correctly installed by issuing the following command:
./ruei-check.sh postinstall
As the
moniforce user, set the RUEI
admin user password to enable logging onto the RUEI interface with the following commands:
su - moniforce set-admin-password
You are prompted to enter and confirm the password.
Note:When defining the
admin user password, bear the following in mind:
The password must have at least eight characters, and contain at least one non-alphanumeric character (such as $, @, &, and !).
The initial password must be changed within seven days.
The user name and password are case sensitive.
This section is only relevant to Reporter and Collector systems.
Make the monitoring network interface up status permanent (after a reboot) by setting the ONBOOT parameter of the capturing interfaces to yes in the interface configuration files. The network interfaces configuration can be found in
X (where
X represents the necessary network interface). Alternatively, use the graphical utility system-config-network to set the appropriate interfaces to "activate device when computer starts".
This section is only relevant to the Reporter system.
For PDF generation with multibyte character content, additional fonts need to be enabled. These fonts need to be made available to Java. Use the following command to copy (or move) the RUEI-installed fonts to the appropriate Java directory:
cp /opt/ruei/gui/include/bi_publisher/fonts/* \ /usr/java/jre/lib/fonts/
This section is only relevant to the Reporter system.
RUEI assumes a working local MTA for sending PDF reports and E-mail alerts. By default, Linux uses the Sendmail MTA. By default, Sendmail will deliver the E-mail directly to the destination MTA. If this behavior is not according to your needs or policies, sending mail via a SmartHost (relay) might be an alternative. To configure a SmartHost in Sendmail, do the following:
Install the Sendmail configuration utility by going tothe directory containing the uploaded RPM and issuing the following command:
rpm -Uhv sendmail-cf-8.13.8-*.el5.x86_64.rpm
Find the line which contains the Smart Host setting in
/etc/mail/sendmail.mc. Modify the SMART_HOST setting to your needs. For example:
define('SMART_HOST', 'my.example')dnl
Generate the new configuration into a new
sendmail.cf by executing the following command:
make -C /etc/mail
Restart Sendmail. For example:
/etc/init.d/sendmail restart
Note:Extensive information about the configuration of the Sendmail MTA is available at
You can download the RUEI MIB definition file through the Reporter interface. This definition file can be added to the SNMP manager. The procedure for downloading the MIB file is described in the Oracle Real User Experience Insight User's Guide.
This section is only relevant to Reporter systems.
To have the browser automatically redirected to the correct RUEI path, create the file
/var/www/html/index.html with the following content:
<head> <meta http-equiv="REFRESH" content="0;URL=/ruei/"> </head>
This section is only relevant to a Reporter system with remote Collector(s).
A password-less SSH connection must be setup between the
Moniforce user from the Reporter system to each Collector system. Do the following:
Logon to the Reporter server as
root. Issue the following commands:
su - moniforcessh-keygen -P ""
Press Enter to accept the defaults.
Logon as
root to each of the Collector systems and become the
moniforce user by issuing the following command:
su - moniforce
Create the
.ssh directory (if it does not already exist) for the
moniforce user on each Collector system by issuing the following commands:
mkdir ~/.ssh chmod 700 ~/.ssh
Copy the SSH key on the Reporter system to the required location on the Collector system by issuing the following commands:
cd ~/.ssh
ssh root@Reporter cat /var/opt/ruei/.ssh/id_rsa.pub >> authorized_keys
(you will need to specify the Reporter system
root password)
chmod 600 authorized_keys
Check that it is now possible to execute a remote command (as
moniforce user) on the Reporter system without using a password. For example:
Logon as
root on the Reporter server.
Logon as
moniforce user:
su - moniforce.
Execute a remote pwd command:
ssh Collector
Enter yes to the question "Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?".
The command should return
The above steps must be performed for each Collector!
Note:If the connection between the Reporter and the Collector(s) has not been correctly configured, you will receive an authorization error when you try to register the remote Collector.
On completion of the Initial Setup Wizard (described in Performing Initial RUEI Configuration), you can verify your installation by selecting System, the Status. All system indicators should report OK. Note Status notification will indicate "Unknown" because no system alerts have yet been configured. This is fully described in the Oracle Real User Experience Insight User's Guide.
Footnote LegendFootnote 1: The database password is also used as the Oracle wallet password. Both passwords must be between 8 and 30 characters in length, and contain both numbers and letters. For information on changing the Oracle wallet password, please consult the appropriate Oracle documentation.


text:
FOXBORO, Mass. — — Interpretations are necessary for all NFL preseason games, in which final scores mean little, partial scores mean a lot and players are evaluated as much by how far they can push themselves emotionally as well as physically without cracking.
Such was the case for the Philadelphia Eagles, who in Monday night's 27-17 victory over New England revealed almost all of the good, the bad and the ugly in themselves.


text:
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Updated: September 5, 2009, 9:54 PM ET
Suit dismissed with prejudice
ESPN.com news services
A federal judge has dismissed Roger Clemens' defamation suit against his former trainer, Brian McNamee, ending that chapter of the litigation in Texas and shifting the focus to New York, where McNamee has filed his own defamation suit against the former Cy Young Award winner.
The New York Daily News first reported the dismissal, which took place Aug. 28.
Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, filed the suit on Jan. 6, 2008, in Houston, claiming McNamee was "malicious and grossly negligent" in his remarks about Clemens to baseball investigator George Mitchell and SI.com.
Federal judge Keith Ellison of the U.S. District Court dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Clemens cannot file the suit again. Clemens does, however, retain the right to appeal.
"Brian has defeated Clemens in Texas," McNamee's lawyer, Richard Emery of the Manhattan firm of Celli, Emery, Brinckerhoff & Abady, told the Daily News. "And now the battleground moves to New York."
Clemens is under investigation by a federal grand jury in Washington that is trying to determine whether he lied when he told a congressional committee in February 2008 that he had not used steroids.
McNamee has told federal agents, Mitchell and a House committee that he injected Clemens more than a dozen times with steroids and human growth hormone from 1998 to 2001. Clemens has denied using performance-enhancing drugs.
Ellison previously had dismissed much of Clemens' lawsuit in February 2009, saying the Southern District in Houston did not have jurisdiction, and McNamee's conversations with Mitchell were protected by his immunity deal with the government.
In late June, Clemens' legal team sought to revive some of the claims in the defamation suit against McNamee, but Ellison affirmed his February ruling.
In late July, McNamee sued Clemens in federal court in Brooklyn, alleging the pitcher "waged a defamatory public relations campaign against McNamee ... intended to deceive the public and Congress into falsely believing that McNamee is a liar."
The lawsuit quotes Clemens saying in a YouTube video in 2007 that McNamee "did not inject steroids into my body either when I played in Toronto for the Blue Jays or the New York Yankees."
It also cites an interview with ESPN in May in which Clemens, when asked about McNamee, responded that it was a case of "somebody out there that is really crawling up your back to make a buck."
The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, claims Clemens' statements have "humiliated McNamee, destroyed his reputation, both personally and professionally, and caused him severe emotional distress."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
|Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Linear Mode


text:
Life in Christian County, Kentucky...
this blog entry.)
I was shocked when I drove by there yesterday. The house has been bulldozed and burned. I think the landowner may have been having trouble with people going into the house. He had recently cut some trees so that they fell across the driveway and blocked it. Maybe he was afraid that someone would get hurt while messing around there. And I suppose it's better to burn the house down than to let it slowly fall down.
So it's dust to dust and ashes to ashes with Bill's house. I suppose that the land will be plowed and planted along with the rest of the field that adjoins it. All too soon, no one will even remember that there used to be a little house there.


text:
Seed Information Management
Seed Information Management is a consulting and integration company specializing in Enterprise Content Management. Our team of Alfresco certified consultants have delivered solutions throughout Australia in Web Content Management, Records Management and Digital Assset Management for clients in Banking, Mining, Marketing and Government. We strive to deliver solutions for managing content which maximize return on investment by using open source technologies in conjunction with an agile delivery methodology.