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NC Sea Grant enables ECU to study emergency communication
GREENVILLE, NC (Jan. 22, 2008) — East Carolina University has received a grant from the N.C. Sea Grant to study how the state's coastal residents receive and use emergency information.
The $120,000 grant will enable researchers from the departments of English and sociology to study how to more effectively deliver to the public information about weather-related risks and hazards.
"Almost every disaster after-action report identifies communication as a major failing, yet both practical guides on natural hazards and academic scholarship neglect communication as an influence on perception and behavior related to risk," said Catherine Smith, an ECU professor of English. Smith is the principal investigator and will work on the grant along with English colleague Donna Kain and sociology professor Kenneth Wilson.
Working with ECU colleagues John Howard in communication and Tom Crawford in geography, Smith and Kain conducted a pilot study in Dare County that suggested residents in coastal communities seek, process and use risk and emergency information in complicated ways. They shared their findings with emergency management officials from coastal North Carolina Dec. 11 at the Risk and Emergency Communication Workshop in Manteo.
"They tend to synthesize expert assessments, past personal experience with storms, family wishes, and practical concerns that may include pet ownership, medical conditions, or congested evacuation routes," said Kain, who is also the director of outreach for RENCI's Center for Coastal Informatics and Modeling at East Carolina University.
"Consequently, developing a more robust model of emergency communication that views communication as dynamic, interactive, and linked to context is vital because communication impacts every stage of disaster management — preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation."
RENCI (the Renaissance Computing Institute) at ECU will provide technical and facilities support for the project that will begin in February. The three researchers are also faculty affiliates of ECU's Center for Natural Hazards Research.
Through surveys and in-depth interviews, the researchers will develop a model of risk and emergency communication that would help characterize how people seek and respond to information about coastal weather events. Such a model could help assess vulnerability or resiliency in eastern North Carolina as well as in coastal communities nationally.
"We will continue to share our findings with emergency management professionals and public information officers in North Carolina who have the responsibility for providing information before, during, and after hazardous events," said Kain.
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Shopping Cart
IMPORTANT NEWS - ELF IS DOWN SIZING! From April 2019 we will no longer be stocking mass-produced items (with the exception of some kitchen appliances). Elizabeth will continue to make kitchens, both ready built and in kits, but will no longer produce items for other areas of the house, with the exception of a small number of commissions (dependent on her workload at any given time).
What this means is that we have reduced the prices on hundreds of items (many of which are half price or less). We have also indicated where stocks are very low ("LAST ONE", "LAST TWO"). The "SALE" items are all in the various "SALE" categories (£10 and under, £1 and under, etc), whilst "LAST" items are to be found in their own relative categories ("Bathroom furniture", "Office" etc). Additionally, if you search for *LAST via the search box (on the right side of the website if viewing on a large screen, or at the bottom of the drop down menu if you are using a small tablet or smart/cell phone) you will find all these items listed together.
You may wish to check out these items before completing checkout and pick up a few bargains!
If you have already spent your budget for the month, we will be happy to hold items for you for a period of 1 month to enable you to purchase one-off items you would particularly like (just drop us an email at email@example.com).

subset: commoncrawl


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Purrint is a small and simple tool which makes it easier to save your screen captures.
The program is extremely basic. There are no extra screen capture types, for instance - you can't grab scrolling windows, freehand areas of the screen or anything else: it's just about saving either the full screen or individual application windows.
This does make Purrint very easy to use, though. There are no extra hotkeys to learn, for instance - all you have to do is press PrtSc or Alt+PrtSc as usual. The program then pops up a window displaying the captured image. And you can either copy the image to the clipboard, print it, or save it to disc (in BMP, PNG, JPG or GIF formats) with a click.
If you're taking a lengthy series of captures then the good news is that you can tell Purrint to choose your preferred options automatically. In which case you can keep hitting PrtSc or Alt+PrtSc and, say, have the program automatically save your captures to disc (by default it'll create the files Purrint001.bmp, Purrint002.bmp, Purrint003.bmp and so on).
There are plenty of configuration options, too. You can set the quality of saved JPEG files, reduce the colour depth of saved images, save files using the name of application window, and so on.
And all this is presented very simply, in a portable 277KB executable which runs under any version of Windows since 95 and requires just a little over 2MB RAM.
We generally prefer our screengrab tools to support more capture types - freehand, DirectX and so on - but if you can get by with just full screen and individual window captures then Purrint could be very useful.


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Swordfish & Billfish
Swordfish and other billfish are hunted for food and for sport. The indiscriminate methods used to catch them also puts additional pressure on other vulnerable and endangered species such as marine turtles and tuna.
How many?
Include marlin, sailfish, swordfish and spearfish
Family Names
Xiphias (Swordfish) and Istiophoridae
Maximum 455cm
Armed and in danger
These fish dominate the seas as a top predator, but their pursuit and harvest by humans puts them under threat.
They are distinguished by their elongated nasal bones which form the 'bill'. Sailfishes also have an erectile dorsal fin, known as a sail, which often stretches the entire length of the back.
Swordfish and billfish are found worldwide in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas. Their diet consists of smaller pelagic and benthic fish, squid and octopus.
Swordfish and billfish are built for speed with their long bills cutting through the water and their aerodynamic bodies allowing them to reach speeds of up to 120 kph making them among the fastest fish in the ocean.
Priority species
Swordfish and billfish are a WWF priority species. WWF treats priority species as one of the most ecologically, economically and/or culturally important species on our planet. And so we are working to ensure such species can live and thrive in their natural habitats.
What are the main threats?
A significant number of swordfish are also caught by illegal driftnet fisheries in the Mediterranean. Labelled "walls of death", driftnets are also indiscriminate, catching any animal that crosses their path. Both species of marlin face a specific threat to their future due to bycatch by tuna or swordfish fisheries.
There is also insufficient regulation to ensure that fisheries comply with rules.
News: Swordfish slip through the net.
What is WWF doing?
WWF also monitors catch to ensure fisheries are adhering to minimum size limits and argues for stronger controls to ensure regulations are enforced.
WWF promotes sustainable fishing through its support for the Marine Stewardship Council.
WWF seeks to address the problem of bycatch by working with fisheries to develop smart fishing methods which gather only the target species and not other endangered species.
Did you know?
- Adult swordfish have no scales or teeth.
- The bill is used as protection rather than a weapon to slash at prey.
- These fish can travel at estimated speeds of 80-100kph.


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Ex-Anorexic Christian Woman: The Battle Is in the Mind; God's Image Is Diverse
After penning her struggle with anorexia as a teenager in her first book, Hollow: An Unpolished Tale, Jena Morrow received such an overwhelming response from men and women alike that she wrote a devotional to help individual with eating disorders and body image issues find hope and healing in the midst of their battle.
Hope for the Hollow: A Thirty-Day Inside-Out Makeover for Women Recovering from Eating Disorders is a devotional guide meant to encourage and inspire women to accept the truth of God's word as it applies to their bodies. The book includes 30 devotionals that share an applicable passage of Scripture dealing with the underlying themes of eating disorders such as guilt, shame, control, fear and pride.
"The response to the first book was so overwhelming. I met so many women and men who were struggling with an eating disorder or who had been in recovery," said Morrow. "There was such a need for a message of hope. The devotional was placed in my spirit and I went from there. I wanted to offer bite-size pieces of encouragement."
Eating disorders are becoming more prevalent with more than 11 million Americans suffering from anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has recognized binge eating as a disorder.
Although there have been numerous organizations launched within recent years to spread awareness as well as media campaigns to address the issue among teenage and young adult women, Morrow believes that the fight to combat eating disorders has just begun.
"I do see good things happening within the media. However, our young women receive double messages. There may be a love your body story on the front of a magazine yet images of very underweight models or certain body types that are more accepted. This causes a lack of trust with our young women. They doubt themselves and question which messages they should believe."
Young women that battle with eating disorders are often victims of low self-esteem and depression. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says as many as half of all patients diagnosed with binge eating disorder have a history of depression.
Morrow explained to CP that young women have to break their silence in order to start the healing process. She encourages finding a trusted person that one can receive honest, truthful feedback and to get counseling. "The battle is in the mind. There is a lot of secrecy and shame with eating disorders. Talking will take the power away from the disease."
Therapists suggest that people who are suffering from eating disorders have a long journey of recovery. Not only will they have to deal with the physical rehabilitation but also the rebuilding of their minds and spirits. Therapists encourage patience in the process of healing.
"This is a process. We are God's handiwork. We are his masterpiece. We were created in His image which means that His image is diverse. We have been conditioned by society to believe certain things about ourselves. Now we have to be reconditioned by God's word," Morrow stated.


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Heartbreaking: Teddy Riley (MJ's Record Producer) Starts To Tear Up When Speaking On Michael Jackson Passing Away!
Teddy Riley produced Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous' album and is also a friend of the late King of Pop. He talked with CNN's Don Lemon about his memories about Michael and his reaction to his death. Teddy becomes very emotional towards the end of the interview and starts crying. It's so heartbreaking and will make you start to cry. I know I did. RIP Michael.
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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I really love the colors in my layout today from the Miss Art's kit Vinnie's Vignette. This kit is full of softness and Spring… and that's just about what I need this time of year to breathe a little fresh air into the Winter gray.
Both my color pallet and design elements everywhere in home décor and design right now. It doesn't hurt that I absolutely love these colors and patterns! Chevrons (or zig zags) are also popping up everywhere in design these days. I like using them as a more masculine touch, even though I am perfectly comfortable putting floral prints on my boy pages.
The chevron pattern was easier to make than it looks. I cut 1" x 1" squares of patterned paper and then cut each of those into triangles. Then, you simply stagger the triangles in two lines. I added some stitching to reinforce the pattern.
I really enjoy picking a kit apart to find the unexpected uses that go beyond a first impression. In this case Vinnie's Vignette initially appears to be an ultra feminine heritage kit but I think I did a pretty decent job with this layout of my little guy. I'll be back next month with a more traditional look for this gorgeous kit but check it out in full detail at Miss Art's Papercrafting School!


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Knicks try to stave off elimination against Pacers
The New York Knicks are in a must-win situation Thursday night when Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Indiana Pacers shifts back to Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks dropped both contests in Indiana, including a 93-82 setback on Tuesday night.
In that loss, head coach Mike Woodson changed his starting lineup. Inserted was Kenyon Martin and out was Pablo Prigioni. Woodson said the change had a lot to do with Iman Shumpert's health, but he also wanted to go big to match the strength of Indiana's frontline.
It didn't work.
Martin scored zero points in almost 29 minutes. Prigioni played a little over three minutes.
"There's a strong chance we could go right back to that lineup," said Woodson, referring to the Prigioni-based starting group. "That lineup has been great for us for two, three months.
"A lot of that was based on guys not being in practice. There were a lot of things playing into why I did what I did."
The Pacers still out-rebounded the Knicks, 54-36. Indiana, one of the best defensive squads in the NBA during the regular season, held the New York to 35 percent shooting on Tuesday.
The offensive woes for the Knicks have been exacerbated under the bright lights of the playoffs, but they exist.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 24 points on 9-for-23 shooting in Game 4. He has been the butt of subtle criticism from fellow Knicks about stagnant ball movement, but who is going to carry the load for them?
J.R. Smith, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, has shot 28 percent from the field during this series. His scoring, which was at 18.1 ppg, is down to 14.3 ppg during the postseason. After the Game 4 loss, he was candid about his play.
"I take the blame for this whole series," admitted Smith.
That's unfair.
"My job is to get us out of this hole," Woodson said.
He needs some of his players to start scoring the basketball.
Jason Kidd hasn't scored a point in the month of May. Shumpert, Martin and Prigioni both took the collar in Game 4. Raymond Felton had 14 and Tyson Chandler managed 12 and 10 rebounds.
The Knicks have just been unable to match up with the Pacers' awesome starting front court. Paul George had 18 points and 14 rebounds on Tuesday, while David West registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards and Roy Hibbert only scored six points, but had 11 rebounds and three blocks.
"The effort they're putting forth is humbling for me to watch," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "To see these guys pour their heart and souls into the game and playing the game the right way - unselfishly - and doing all the little things to make winning plays. I'm excited and extremely proud of them."
The Knicks, partially because of the dominant performance of Hibbert in Game 3, elected to double-team almost every post player for Indiana in Game 4. The Pacers swung the ball and made eight 3-pointers.
The main beneficiary of the ball movement was George Hill. The starting point guard shot 9-for-14 and paced the Pacers with 26 points. Lance Stephenson (13) and D.J. Augustin (11) also scored in double figures.
The Pacers are in great shape, but are too savvy to think this series is over.
"We understand the next game will be the toughest game of the series," said West. "They had some desperation, but the desperation they play with Thursday night is going to be tremendous. We just have to be prepared to deal with it."
If the Knicks win on Thursday, Game 6 will be Saturday in Indianapolis.


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23 Apr 2013
24 April 2013. As part of our ongoing coverage of the 2013 International Congress on Schizophrenia Research (ICOSR), held 21-25 April in Orlando, Florida, we bring you session summaries from some of the Young Investigator travel award winners. We are, as always, grateful for the gracious assistance of conference directors Carol Tamminga and Chuck Schulz, as well as meeting staff Cristan Tamminga and Dorothy Denton. For this report, we thank James Kirkbride of the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
The symposium The Earth Is Not Flat: Gradients in the Epidemiology of Schizophrenia Across the Globe, dynamically organized by John McGrath of the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Australia, continued to pave the way for embracing variance in the epidemiological landscape of schizophrenia in the search for etiological risk factors for psychosis in the environment. During the first decade of the new millennium, McGrath and others have rejuvenated interest in our understanding of heterogeneity in incidence rates, course, and outcome of psychotic disorders across the globe (McGrath, 2008; McGrath et al., 2004; Mortensen et al., 1999; Lewis et al., 1992; Morgan et al., 2010; Kirkbride et al., 2012). But for the large part of this decade, the epidemiological landscape was dominated by a few influential studies from Northern European settings. We have learned tremendously from these studies: rates are higher in urban areas (Kirkbride et al., 2006), urban birth is a risk factor for later disorder (Mortensen et al., 1999), some migrants and their offspring face elevated rates of psychotic disorders (Cantor-Graae and Selten, 2005), and this risk may be conditional upon neighborhood composition (Veling et al., 2008). But for all these accomplishments, we have lacked true heterogeneity in research settings, with notable absences in empirical evidence from regions outside of the traditional bastions of psychosis epidemiology—the U.K., Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Australia.
But the "Earth Is Not Flat" session revealed how this research landscape is now changing, to be more diverse and explore the full range of epidemiological variance in psychosis, using carefully designed research from diverse settings, including Italy (both in Sicily and Bologna Tarricone et al., 2012), Brasil (Sao Paulo; Menezes et al., 2007, and shortly Ribeirao Preto), Nigeria, Jamaica (Hickling and Rodgers-Johnson, 1995), and India (Chennai). Alice Mule, University of Palermo, Italy, began the session by presenting new incidence findings from the SGAP study in Palermo. Using careful inclusion and case ascertainment criteria in a defined catchment area, Mule estimated that the incidence of all first-episode psychoses was around 15 new cases per 100,000 person-years, low compared with rates from the U.K. Craig Morgan wisely cautioned that studies such as AESOP in the U.K. (Kirkbride et al., 2006), where rates were twice as high as in Palermo, should not be held as any gold standard in terms of absolute incidence. If genuine, differences such as those between Southern and Northern Europe may hold vital clues to social or environmental factors underlying the epidemiology of schizophrenia (McGrath, 1999; Brown and Derkits, 2010; Birchwood et al., 1992). James Kirkbride noted that the incidence in the white British group in the U.K. AESOP study was in the region of 20 new cases per 100,000 person-years (Fearon et al., 2006), closer to the rate observed in Palermo, where immigrants only account for 3 percent of the population.
Paulo Menezes of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, presented further data from his first-episode psychosis study in São Paolo (Menezes et al., 2007). As in Palermo, the overall incidence of FEP was lower than rates in Northern Europe. Interestingly, Menezes showed how Brazil is undergoing rapid sociodemographic and economic change, with marked social inequality, an aging population, rapid urbanization, and changing ethnicity away from the majority white Caucasian group. While too early to say what effect these changes will have on the incidence of schizophrenia, Menezes is not remaining idle, setting up a new first-episode psychosis study in a second, smaller city inland of São Paolo, Ribeirao Preta. This study should pave the way for future investigations of rates in dramatically changing societies as well as understanding contextual differences in social or physical environments in new settings. During the Q&A period, Robin Murray summarized the incidence difference with intrigue, proposing that the lower rates in São Paolo and Sicily (compared with Northern Europe) could potentially be attributable to a range of factors requiring further research: family structure, religion, social fragmentation and cohesion, industrialization and infection, religion, vitamin D. Ezra Susser suggested that, given comparable levels of urbanicity between São Paolo and London, explanations for their differences in incidence had to be more plausibly explained by social rather than biological (i.e., infection, nutrition) differences.
One growing challenge for psychosis epidemiology is the study of psychotic disorders in low and middle income countries (LAMIC) (Esan et al., 2012; Rangaswamy and Gureje, 2012; Gureje and Cohen, 2011). In his beautifully crafted talk, Oye Gureje, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, highlighted the many methodological challenges of investigating the incidence of schizophrenia in Nigeria. Here, a solid epidemiological framework needs to underpin complex, sensitive adaptations in study design to successfully detect the true incidence of psychotic disorder in the population. Central to this, case ascertainment needs to be multifaceted, working with both formal care facilities and complementary and alternative practitioners, who need to be engaged as partners in such research efforts. Prior to any epidemiological fieldwork, Gureje emphasizes, there is a need to conduct qualitative research in the community to fully understand what people understand by psychosis, and how its presentation and phenomenology may differ within and between settings. He is engaged in several psychosis studies of both incidence and outcomes, including SCALP (SCALing up services for people with Psychosis), PaM-D (Partnerships for Mental Health Development in Sub-Saharan Africa), and INTREPID, the last of which is a major collaboration among researchers in Nigeria, Jamaica, the U.K., and India.
The final speaker in the session was Rangaswamy Thara, of the Schizophrenia Research Foundation of Chennai, India, who spoke about the complexities and challenges of designing and conducting psychiatric research in India, with a population of 1.2 billion people and little mental health research infrastructure or investment. Thara has worked tirelessly to establish epidemiological studies in India, overcoming substantial barriers to research in the process (Thara and Sujit, 2013). Forty percent of people with schizophrenia in India do not receive treatment, and several problems, including stigma, misconceptions about mental illness and its treatment, a lack of disability benefits, and poor care facilities mean that the axiom of better course and outcome in LAMIC is in urgent need of questioning (Cohen et al., 2008). Thara called for young researchers to embrace this call, to conduct high-quality research in these settings, to deconstruct the evidence surrounding this notion (Thornicroft et al., 2010). Several studies in India are underway, including a First-Episode Psychosis program in conjunction with the Douglas Institute, McGill University (Canada), lay worker treatment training programs, and psychiatric genetic research studies. See the Schizophrenia Research Foundation India for more information on such research.
There is a clear need to elucidate the epidemiology of psychotic disorders across the full continuum of environments, between and within national contexts. Luckily, the rich contours of epidemiology detected in Northern Europe over the last 20 years are now being mapped in many diverse settings, across LAMIC and developed world settings, paving the way for a more complete understanding of the etiology of psychoses. The methodological challenges of conducting incidence- and outcome-based epidemiology across diverse settings are formidable, and no one single study design will be applicable in all situations. Reassuringly, this session demonstrated that a new wave of researchers are thinking carefully about such issues. It was perhaps Oye Gureje who summarized the challenge ahead best: "The earth is not flat, but full of potholes." Potholes that he and others are successfully circumnavigating.—James Kirkbride.


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Let's presume that the armor he actually fought in was not that fancy armor we saw in v10_p120, when Gaiseric's legend was told, but he Berserk Armor. Him having this armor seems like a fair justification for his legendary fighting ability.
If he had the Berserk Armor that would make him to fight his own Beast of the Darkness, right?
. . .everyone have them in the same places, making me think that those are not the genuine brands and there was a cult of the Idea of Evil in the Capital and they carved the brand themselves.
. . .which probably means that she knew him as a human.
And Void becomes that sage that Mozgus told about in v18_p109.
Here I should focus on what I think happened 1000 years ago with the Imperial Capital. A lot of people think that it was a result of the Sage's sacrifice, which made him into Void. But mathematically, logistically and in general it doesn't make much sense. Here's why. . .
Logistically Sage was locked up in the Tower of Conviction, which is in st.Albion and The Imperial Capital was standing where the Tower of Rebirths is - in Wyndham.
And also, I think it was mentioned that Eclipse happens at the same location each time, which is not in Wyndham. Though I don't remember where exactly it was said, so I might imagine things.
Other thing is it doesn't make much sense for Sage to sacrifice the Imperial Capital, it would mean it's his most precious thing. If anyone, it's Gaiseric who could've sacrifice the capital.
So what destroyed the Capital? I think it was Sage/Void and he did it with magic to stop the Gaiseric with his cult of the Idea of Evil and whatever he intended to do. From the legend we know that it were lightnings and earthquakes that destroyed the Capital, which sound more like an actions of the Four Kings of the World rather than apostles.
As for Skully's current intentions. . .
The armor isn't responsible for the Beast of Darkness
doesn't necessarily means that it always happens every 1000 years.
I don't know that was ever said. I think you're imagining it.
I like to think SK has a nobler cause than that
So, the fact that this Brands does not attract evil spirits and everyone have them in the same places, making me think that those are not the genuine brands and there was a cult of the Idea of Evil in the Capital and they carved the brand themselves.
Gaiseric might have wanted to transcend into divine (demonic) being and to become what's Griffith is now
or to summon someone from the astral world to the human's world (SK already knew that it's possible to do once in a thousand years in v18_p201)
She said something like "I want to believe the heart of a man still remains within you" to SK in v24_p142, which probably means that she knew him as a human.
This makes Gaiseric mad and he sends Void to the St.Albion into the Tower of Conviction for tortures, while proceeding with his plans. And Void becomes that sage that Mozgus told about in v18_p109.
So, the Event happened a couple hundreds years before Void became Void and we know for a fact the Sage existed at the same time as Gaiseric did. So if Sage is Void, he had to have access to a place like Skellig or Spirit House, because time flows differently there. This makes me think that Sage/Void was a mage when he was a human.
This makes me think that Sage/Void was a mage when he was a human.
Other thing is it doesn't make much sense for Sage to sacrifice the Imperial Capital, it would mean it's his most precious thing. If anyone, it's Gaiseric who could've sacrifice the capital. But it doesn't seem like Gaiseric or SK was part of the God Hand or apostle - Brand of the sacrifice doesn't react to him at all.
I think it was Sage/Void and he did it with magic to stop the Gaiseric with his cult of the Idea of Evil and whatever he intended to do. From the legend we know that it were lightnings and earthquakes that destroyed the Capital, which sound more like an actions of the Four Kings of the World rather than apostles. We know that they're powerful enough to do that, we only saw a glimpses of their power in the Enoch village and Vrittanis, and it was only a freshly graduated witch, imagine what a powerful mage could do.
The angel that came down to the Sage might have been Sage's possesion by one of the elementals (as we saw with Schierke in v25_p140-141) or it could've been some other mage or witch that wanted to free him up (which Sage maybe sacrificed later to become Void). That angel actually might have been Flora
And Gaiseric either fled or tried to actually fight the astral gods and got devoured by the Berserk Armor as a result
I think he lost all of his humanity (Guts now in the process of loosing it) and couldn't exist outside of the Berserk Armor anymore.
In PS2 game he actually sounds very much like a voice speaking into a metal pipe
Maybe he still want to become the king of the world instead of Griffith/Femto? Or maybe he has same dream as Griffith and he's wishing for his own perfect paradise castle and now he want to take it for himself? Maybe he didn't misjudged the effect of his Beherit sword and he actually wanted to bring back his Capital?
Falconia seems like a perfect reincarnation of the Gaiseric Capital. Because it appeared on top of Wyndham, which was build on top of Imperial Capital and Falconia has similar Ancient Greek and Roman architecture as we seen on the bottom of the Tower of Rebirth.
Same is why he wasn't fast enough and allowed Femto to rape Casca and corrupt the child
Sage got to his breakdown (maybe he realised that fate is premeditated and he has no power over anything no matter what he does) and he sacrifices his closest friend or pupil or, let's make it dramatic, his lover. And his sacrifice was Flora.
In v24_p084 Guts feel the ache in his Brand and some weird unusual feeling when he was introduced to Flora and he assumes that she was branded too. This one page allows to speculate that it was the Sage/Void who sacrificed her and Gaiseric/Skully saved her (and maybe at that Eclipse he lost his body to the Armor).
Though Zodd might have known Gaiseric's story as he is probably the legend among the apostles.
Which means Schierke might be objectively older than Guts, which is kind of funny. Wish to see her reaction when Guts call her "onee-san".
Griffith and Guts didn't break too much of a sweat doing what they did in the Hundred Years War without mages and magical armors (slight hyperbole, but I think you catch my drift).
It could have just been your regular old cult, led by Void, whose true motivations and allegiances were known only to him.
I don't get that sense at all. He seemed to have accomplished his goal of unifying the continent
Who/what would he have summoned? It's entirely possible the incarnation ceremony we saw in Albion was the first of its kind.
Actually, if we go by what's said in Vol 18, the sage became Void right there in Albion ("an angel descended")
Was the sage bunking with Gaiseric in Elfhelm during this time, because this theory requires Gaiseric's life span to be artificially extended as well, as they both wait around staring at their watches until the clock strikes 864.
First, I want to remind you of a detail about The Four Kings summon: It only works as a defensive barrier against evil things. It couldn't be used as a weapon in the way you're describing here, unless you have an explanation for it?
Wait, huh...? Flora saved the sage from imprisonment by Gaiseric...? Why would she do that and still be able to call herself friends with Gaiseric? Not sure you thought this part through...
The "angel" was probably a God Hand member (i.e. Void becoming one). After all, they were first introduced as the "desired guardian angels (or guardian angels of desire)," and the apostles consider them, and call them angels throughout the series.
Well... Guts is in the process of losing his senses, not his humanity. I think what happened with Skull Knight that resulted in him being cold and inhuman was quite different -- likely the process by which his soul was fused with his current armor.
I find it hard to believe someone would land on these notions after reading Berserk as much as you seem to have.
That's because Falconia appears to have been grafted on top of Gaiseric's lost capital
man, you really have a low opinion of the Skull Knight, don't you?
No, sorry that's not what Guts guesses about Flora. And you're mistaken about how the brand reacts.
That wouldn't make Schierke "objectively older" than Guts. She'd still be a girl, and he'd still be a man in his 20s.
Something like this would make Gaiseric/SK even bigger schemer than I making him to be, wouldn't? It only adds to the idea that Skully's intentions might not be as simple as "foe of all inhumans".
Now that I think about it, they might actually created the Desired God only 1000 years ago. We know that Idea came after humans and was created by them from the chapter 83. Maybe then Void had a chat with the Idea and he realised what they've created. After that he told Gaiseric to drop this idea of summoning/becoming god which sets him furious and he sends Void to tortures and so on.Maybe after 216 years after the Capital was destroyed, Sage/Void finally dies and he gets into the Abyss and meets his desired God he helped to create which made him the first God Hand. It is a pure speculation of course, but this seems reasonable enough to me.
What if his ambitions was not only to conquer and unify human lands but astral worlds as well? Or he was going for becoming the Desired God himself?
I don't have a concrete idea. Maybe that was that 5th angel from the Gaiseric's legend, which was destroyed by Four Kings. Maybe he desired to see God. Maybe he wanted to resurrect someone. Or maybe he actually dived into the astral world himself trying to conquer it or to become the Idea himself (maybe Idea of Evil was a human at some point) and than had to summon himself back to human's world.
Last one sounds insane, I know.
Skully of course might have just researched his rituals enough in all this years. Can't imagine him reading a book though.
What I meant is that they might interpret a possesion by spirit or a magic summon as an angel descending. Giant fiery image of Flora for example might be seen as angel for an outsider, don't you think so? Church doesn't even accept existence of the magic, so they might called anything magic as an act of god (just like 4-5 angels that destroyed Imperial Capital).
By the way, Schierke referred to Four Kings as "four cardinal guardian angels" in v25_p076, so not only God Hand members being called angels. And in v25_p141 someone from the crowd actually asked if it's an angel, while looking at Schierke's possession by the water spirit. So, where I'm getting at is that Sage's angel might not be a birth of the God Hand, but a magic spirit or a spell instead.
Well Skully did said that he's no longer exists within the reason of time, which makes me think that he had to visit Elfhelm or other places with different time flow at some point.
Well it seemed pretty offensive to me when Schierke summoned and got possessed by the water spirit. And Rotten Root Lord actually agreed to "reduce the trolls", which seemed more like an attack type of spell rather than defensive one. I don't really have anything concrete, but it's not like we saw all possible magic spells, right?
Well, Berserk character are able to make mistakes and change their minds, right?Sage/Void might be a leader of the cult trying to create God, but then he realised how much evil it will bring and destroys the Capital, but then after 216 he accepts the fate and causality and becomes God Hand in the end.Flora might have been closer to Void than to Gaiseric, but when Void became Void she joined Gaiseric and stayed with him until he chose that awesome horse over her. It's been 1000 years, after all, it took just a couple of years for Guts and Griffith to become buddies first and then turn to foes.
I don't think "angel" necessarily means God Hand, even though they have been referred as "angel" a number of times. Again, in v25_p076 Schierke described Four Kings as "four cardinal guardian angels written of in your holy scriptures" and she previously described Griffith as an "angel" too
which means term "angel" is used loosely and might mean very different beings.
Isn't it goes deeper than just senses? He's loosing his ego as well, among many other things.
In v28_p020-021 SK said to never use the Armor at it's fullest if Guts want to continue existing as a human.
Which makes me think that if Guts ever go overboard with Berserk
As far as I understand the effects of the Armor it's continuously making a user stronger when he's wearing the Armor, while making him weaker when he's not wearing them, by devouring different parts of his being.
Why not? Storywise it seems a bit more interesting to me rather than another revenge or anger story. We already have Guts for that, right? Gaiseric obviously was extremely ambitious person and had many similarities with Griffith. Why think that his goals and ambitions only went so far and he dropped them after the Capital fallen and he became Skully?
You think brand reacted just because Flora was a powerful witch?
But Flora knew for a fact that God Hand were humans once and about the whole sacrifice ceremony. I don't think a lot of witnesses leaving the ceremony. Unless of course some apostle was willing to share the knowledge, but it seems very strange and unusual. But then again, Daiba was able to dissect the whole monster creation mechanism with his manmade Beherit, so I don't know.
Why? Subjectively she lived less, but she might been born before Guts (objectively older).
For example Rickert is objectively younger than Guts, but if the crew will hang out long enough on the Skellig Island, Rickert might grow older than Guts, even though he was born after him.
This of course works if time in Spirit Tree house flown differently than outside world as well. Which was hinted by the fact she didn't change at all in 50 years and that she knew human Gaiseric, who was still a human at least 300 years ago.
They can easily be the member of the previous cycle, summoned by the Sage/Void.
Cause is Void is the first, how can we explain the 4/5 Angels in the legend of Gaiseric?They can easily be the member of the previous cycle, summoned by the Sage/Void.
I have three words for you: What previous cycle?
Like I said, the Angels mentioned in the legend of Gaiseric.
But, for example, the Incarnation Ceremony, "that occur every millennia", well, why tell that, if is the first time?
And if you believe that the events are cyclical in this regard, then was Gaiseric a direct parallel to Griffith, thus a member of the God Hand?
Where are the hints, clues, allusions, ciphers, that there were ever any God Hand members dating before 1,000 years ago?
The fact than Falconia arise from the ruins of Midland is a +1 for the Cyclic Theory.For me, of course.
Well, we know there were at least 4 angel at the time of the Fal of Midland,
but as we've said a few times here, that could be interpreted as a few different things.
Eh, I know, I said the same
Of course, like I said, it can be like jackson_hurley said.It's just a Theory after all, nothing more.
I just want to precise here that it's not my theory, only that I'm inclining toward that theorie. (Just in case, I don't want to have credit for a theorie that I did not come up with)That said, if there was a "first cycle" (which I don't think so, I did think about that a few years back) These members must have been not so strong. As Walter said, it's kinda hard to get rid of one member... I think 4 in a shot would be impossible. Unless there is some very very strong entity or spirit that could do that deal but I don't see that scenario being possible.
and you pointed to something that can't be confirmed as God Hand members.
And that is why is called "Theory"
I can rephrase: I was asking for any evidence to support your theory, and you gave me a theory.I guess when it comes down to it, for me, an illustration of angels, and an oral legend handed down for 1,000 years is not enough to suggest that there were another 4-5 God Hand members that have never otherwise been hinted at or mentioned throughout the series' 25 years. But for you, that illustration and text is enough.
Well, yes, for me, that illustration+text is enough.Cause I don't think is some random story that Miura liked to add just for the shake of it, but something more.
Him needing a crutch to accomplish his human-world feats makes him a bigger schemer? Why?
It doesn't seem reasonable to me that Gaiseric was interested in summoning/becoming god.
So then why offer it?
He has other very wise sources.
We both accept that the sage likely became Void, so why are you trying to separate the logical course of reasoning about this scene?
Like I asked before, jokingly, did these two rivals bunk together in Elfhelm?
The way the Four Kings summon works and how the other summonings/possessions have worked is different. They're fundamentally different kinds of magic. Note that Schierke isn't possessed during it.
Pretty consistently means powerful beings from deep in the astral world.
No, not really. It's slowly killing him, yes. But he's not "losing his ego," unless you're referring to the Beast of Darkness, which was a preexisting issue with Guts, before he acquired the armor.
Hmmm, no. I don't think that's how it's described. The armor dulls pain, which helps for Guts in his condition. When it's activated, it nullifies pain. It doesn't heighten senses. I think the enhanced vision he has in the scene you're describing comes from Schierke aiding him
It doesn't sound likely at all based on everything we know about the Skull Knight.
Well in that case, Rickert WOULD be older than Guts, because he had experienced more years.
I don't think Void is the first ever God Hand.I thing is the first ot this cycle.I thing the God Hand is cyclical.
Cause is Void is the first, how can we explain the 4/5 Angels in the legend of Gaiseric?
It would also make current God Hand and Griffith feel not that important in general.
Also, destruction of the Capital was described as "lightings and earthquakes" not "flesh eating monsters and weird creepy shit".
Well, yes, at the end of the day they're pawns on the chessboard of Idea.Powerfull/very important pawns, but still pawns.
Yes,but there is this page.
Well what you happened to the previous God Hand? And with the one even before that? Have they all failed? Or succeeded? Should we even worry about whatever God Hand's final goal is if in the end it won't matter at all after many years?
After all we know that Idea was created by humans from episode 83, and it'd be nice to have it's creation within the actual story, don't you think?
Since they're at the same place, does not attract evil spirits and bodies haven't been eaten or dragged to hell.


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Honda Car Forum
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2007 Acura RL - Powertrain
Torrance, Calif. - Sep 11
The RL powertrain features a 3.5-liter V-6 engine, VTEC®, a 5-speed automatic with Sequential SportShift, paddle shifters and Grade Logic Control and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. The crankshaft of the RL is positioned transversely (side to side) instead of longitudinally (front to rear), which allows the RL to be packaged more tightly for better handling agility, without sacrificing interior comfort.
The advanced VTEC® engine develops 290 horsepower and 256 lbs-ft of torque. Fuel economy is 18/26 estimated City/Highway and meets CARB LEV-2 ULEV requirements.
While it is as powerful as some competitive V-8 engines, the high output V-6 in the RL is lightweight for better acceleration and more nimble handling. To put the power to the ground with a high level of efficiency, smoothness and driver control, the RL comes standard with a 5-speed automatic with Sequential SportShift and paddle shifters to allow finger-tip manual operation.
To maximize available traction and to provide exceptional handling balance and responsiveness, the RL comes standard with Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD™), the first and only all-wheel drive system that distributes the optimum amount of torque not only between the front and rear wheels but also between the left and right rear wheels. The system's direct yaw control makes the cornering character of the RL exceptionally neutral under power.
Emissions/Fuel Economy
Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)
5-speed Automatic with Sequential SportShift, Paddle Shifters and Grade Logic Control
Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD™)
The 3.5-liter VTEC® V-6 in the RL is the most powerful production engine in Acura's history and incorporates many of the refinements and improvements that have been developed in other Acura powerplants. The RL engine has a smooth-firing 60-degree
A high inertia intake system, increased compression ratio, close-coupled catalytic converters and high flow exhaust help make the RL engine the most powerful normally aspirated 6-cylinder engine in its class.
The lightweight, heat-treated die-cast aluminum-alloy block has cast-in-place iron cylinder liners. These thin-wall, centrifugal-cast iron liners help reduce the block's overall length and weight. With their rough outer surfaces, these liners bond securely to the surrounding aluminum during the manufacturing process, enhancing liner-to-block rigidity and heat transfer. The block also incorporates a deep-skirt design for rigid crankshaft support and minimized noise and vibration.
The forged crankshaft of the RL is equipped with revised counterweights to accommodate the weight of higher compression pistons. With their taller, reinforced crowns, these new pistons raise the compression ratio from 10.0:1 to 11.0:1. Part of the reason this elevated compression ratio is possible is an oil jet system that sprays cooling oil on the underside of the piston crowns to keep temperatures in check. New steel connecting rods are forged in one piece and then the crankshaft ends are broken, creating a lighter and stronger rod with a perfectly fitted bearing cap.
Like the TL, the RL uses cast alloy single overhead camshaft cylinder heads that incorporate tuned exhaust manifolds as an integral part of the casting. Made of pressure-cast, low-porosity aluminum, these lightweight components improve overall packaging, enhance exhaust flow and allow the optimal positioning of a primary close-coupled catalytic converter on each cylinder bank. To ensure positive sealing, the RL has a three-layer type head gasket like that of the TL. A single Aramid-fiber reinforced belt drives the overhead camshafts. The RL cylinder heads have 36mm diameter intake valves and 30mm diameter exhaust valves.
Acura VTEC® (Variable Timing and Lift Electronic Control) is a major contributor to the engine's large gains in horsepower and torque. The system operates the 12 intake valves in two distinct modes, so that the operation of the intake valves changes to optimize both volumetric efficiency and combustion of the fuel-air mixture. At low engine speeds, the intake valves have low lift and are open a comparatively short period of time during cylinder filling. At high engine speeds where breathing is critical, the valves switch to high-lift, long duration mode to deliver the best volumetric efficiency. The VTEC™ changeover point is undetectable to the driver and occurs at 4950 rpm.
The RL uses a 3-rocker VTEC® system similar to that of the all-new MDX and TL. This configuration allows each of a given cylinder's intake valves to be controlled by its own low-speed cam lobe, allowing for staggered valve opening and lift. (By comparison, with 2-rocker VTEC, a single low-speed cam lobe controls both intake valves for each cylinder). Better mixing in the cylinders improves both combustion speed and combustion stability. When the engine reaches 4950 rpm, the powertrain control module (PCM) triggers the opening of an electric spool valve that routes pressurized oil to small pistons in the intake valve rocker arms. These pistons slide into position to lock together the three intake rockers in a given cylinder, which then follow a single high-lift, long-duration cam lobe. The intake and exhaust valve timing and duration is unique to the RL.
The RL uses a dual-stage intake manifold that is designed to deliver maximum airflow, to the cylinders. The 2-piece cast-aluminum manifold is also very light and saves the RL 2.6 lbs.
Working in concert with the VTEC® valve train, the induction system significantly boosts torque across the engine's full operating range. Internal passages and two butterfly valves commanded by the powertrain control module provide two distinct modes of operation.
These valves are closed at lower rpm. In this mode, the three cylinders on each bank draw air from only the nearer half of the manifold's internal chamber, or plenum. The volume of the plenum and the length of inlet passages are tuned to maximize the resonance effect, wherein pressure waves are amplified within each half of the intake manifold at certain rpm ranges. The amplified pressure waves significantly increase cylinder filling and the torque produced by the engine throughout the lower part of its rpm band. Funnel-shaped intake ports-similar to those used on racing engines-are built in at the uppermost end of each intake runner to improve airflow.
As the benefits of the resonance effect lessen with rising engine speed, the butterfly valves open at 4000 rpm to interconnect the two halves of the plenum, increasing its volume. An electric motor, commanded by the powertrain control module, controls the connecting butterfly valves. Now each cylinder draws intake air from the full plenum chamber. The inertia of the mass of air rushing down each intake passage helps draw in more charge than each cylinder would normally ingest. This phenomenon is the same effect produced by a low-pressure supercharger. The inertia effect greatly enhances cylinder filling and the torque produced by the engine at higher rpm.
The RL power afforded by the 11.0:1 compression ratio is made possible by a powertrain control module (PCM) that monitors engine functions to determine the best spark timing. An engine block mounted acoustic detonation/knock sensor "listens" to the engine; and based on this input, the PCM retards the ignition timing incrementally to prevent potentially damaging detonation. The RL has iridium alloy-tipped sparkplugs, each with a coil unit positioned above it in the access bore.
The Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI) system monitors the exact state of the exhaust gas and tracks multiple engine inputs including throttle position, intake air temperature, coolant temperature, intake manifold pressure, etc. Based on these inputs PGM-FI continuously adjusts and optimizes the amount of fuel delivered to each cylinder.
The RL utilizes a drive-by-wire throttle system that eliminates the need for a conventional throttle cable. The system monitors various parameters like throttle pedal position, throttle valve position, road speed, engine speed and gear position, then adjusts the moment-to-moment relationship between pedal position and throttle opening. By altering the amount of "gain" between the pedal and butterfly valve, significant improvements in drivability and acceleration linearity are possible.
For smooth launches from a standing start the system has relatively little gain, so that engine response is smooth and progressive. At higher speeds, the gain increases to provide responsive acceleration for passing and hill climbing. The Sequential SportShift automatic transmission and Vehicle Stability Assist® (VSA®) with traction control are fully integrated with drive-by-wire.
The exhaust manifolds of the RL are cast directly into the alloy cylinder heads to reduce weight and to put the engine's two primary catalytic converters as close as possible to the combustion chambers. The 600-cell per-square-inch, high-efficiency converters mount directly to the exhaust port of each cylinder head for extremely rapid converter light off after the engine starts. By eliminating traditional exhaust header pipes, this arrangement results in a significant weight savings.
A hydroformed 2-into-1 collector pipe carries exhaust gases to a single 350 cell-per-inch secondary converter under the passenger cabin. To balance the engine's need for proper exhaust backpressure at low speed and free flow at high speed, the exhaust system incorporates a variable flow rate feature. An exhaust pressure-operated valve in the system has two operating modes. The low speed mode has a flow rate of 130 liters per second; when the engine reaches about 4000 rpm, the exhaust pressure rises enough to open the valve, which increases the flow to 150 liters per second.
Although the new RL powerplant has made large power advances, it has also gotten much cleaner. It now meets the tough CARB LEV-2/ULEV emissions standards, and is certified to this level of emissions performance for 120,000 miles (20,000 more than required by the current LEV standard).
Many advanced technologies contribute to this emissions performance. The cylinder head-mounted close-coupled catalysts light off quickly after engine start up, and a 32-bit RISC microprocessor in the powertrain control module (PCM) boosts computing power to improve the precision of spark and fuel delivery. Particularly right after startup, better fuel atomization is provided by high-efficiency multi-hole fuel injectors; these deliver fuel to each cylinder and direct fuel around the intake valve stems.
*California Air Resources Board
With its 60-degree V-angle and compact, rigid and lightweight die-cast aluminum-alloy block assembly, the new RL powerplant is exceptionally smooth. Other factors that reduce noise and vibration are a rigid forged crankshaft, die-cast accessory mounts, and a stiff, cast aluminum-alloy oil pan.
The RL requires no scheduled maintenance for 100,000 miles or more, other than periodic inspections and normal fluid and filter replacements. This first tune-up includes water pump inspection, valve adjustment, and replacement of the cam-timing belt and sparkplugs.
To eliminate unnecessary service stops while ensuring that the vehicle is properly maintained, the RL has a Maintenance Minder system that automatically monitors the vehicle's operating condition. When maintenance is required, the driver is alerted via a message on the Multi-information display.
The system monitors operating conditions such as oil and coolant temperature and engine speed to determine the proper service intervals. Depending on the operating conditions, oil change intervals can be extended to a maximum of 10,000 miles, potentially sparing the owner considerable money and inconvenience over the life of the car. The owner-resettable system monitors all normal service parts and systems, including oil and filter, tire rotation, air-cleaner, automatic transmission fluid, spark plugs, timing belt, coolant, brake pads and more.To prevent driver distraction, maintenance alerts are presented when the ignition is first turned on, not while driving.
To maximize acceleration performance, fuel economy and driver control, the RL has a standard 5-speed automatic with Sequential SportShift, paddle shifters and Grade Logic Control. Mechanically related to the extremely compact transmission that made its debut in the 2003 MDX, the RL unit has upgrades and enhancements to suit the greater engine output and higher engine speeds of the RL.
Designed for low maintenance and a high level of durability, the RL transmission requires no scheduled service until 120,000 miles when operated under normal conditions. To provide strong off-the-line acceleration coupled with a relaxed, fuel-efficient cruising rpm, the unit has the widest ratio spread of any 5-speed automatic transmission in the class.
Automatic Mode
The Sequential SportShift transmission can be operated in conventional fully automatic mode via a front center console-mounted gated shifter. When in automatic mode, the transmission incorporates an advanced Grade Logic Control System and Shift Hold Control, both of which work to reduce gear "hunting" and unnecessary shifting.
Shift Hold Control keeps the transmission in its current (lower) ratio when the throttle is quickly released and the brakes are applied (as might be the case when decelerating to enter a corner). Shift Hold Control leaves the chassis undisturbed by excess shifting, ensuring that abundant power is immediately available without a downshift.
Grade Logic Control alters the 5-speed automatic's shift schedule when traveling uphill or downhill, reducing shift frequency, and improving speed control. Throttle position, vehicle speed and acceleration/deceleration are continuously measured, then compared with a map stored in the transmission computer. The Grade Logic Control System then determines when the car is on a hill; if this is the case, the shift schedule is adjusted to automatically hold the transmission in a lower gear for better climbing power or increased downhill engine braking.
Manual Mode
The Sequential SportShift transmission can be shifted into manual mode by moving the front center console-mounted selector lever laterally to a special gate to the left of the "Drive" position. The RL offers two ways to change gears when in manual mode: either by a push or pull of the shift lever, or via F-1®style paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel. A digital display in the tachometer face indicates which gear the transmission is in. To heighten control and driver involvement, special shift logic in manual mode delivers quicker, firmer shifts than in fully automatic mode.
To help protect the engine and drivetrain from damage, an array of preventative features are active when the transmission is in manual mode. In second, third and fourth, the logic changes, and the transmission ECU cuts off fuel flow to the engine if there is a possibility of over revving.
In the rare situation where the fuel cutoff alone is unable to prevent engine over revving (as could happen on a steep downhill) the transmission will upshift itself to prevent engine damage. And finally, when downshifting, the transmission won't execute a driver-commanded downshift that would send the engine beyond redline in the lower gear. The
Sequential SportShift transmission will automatically downshift to first gear as the vehicle comes to a stop, to prevent lugging away from a stop in a high gear.
The RL benefits from an innovative 5-position shift gate that simplifies the operation of the transmission. It features a quiet linkage and a speed-controlled reverse lockout solenoid to prevent transmission damage. When operated in automatic mode, the transmission lets the driver choose D (1st through 5th gear) or D3 (1st through 3rd gear). Engine braking can be provided easily by moving from D to the D3 position, downshifting from 5th, 4th or 3rd gear, depending on the vehicle speed.
Both shift speed and smoothness are improved by cooperation between the drive-by-wire throttle system and the electronically controlled automatic transmission. The engine can be throttled by the engine management system during upshifts and downshifts, the function of the engine and transmission can be closely choreographed for faster, smoother shifting. As a result, the peak g's (or "shift shock") are reduced significantly during upshifts and downshifts.
Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD™) is an innovative all-wheel drive platform that distributes the optimum amount of torque not only between the front and rear wheels but also between the left and right rear wheels. SH-AWD™ goes a step beyond conventional all-wheel drive by actively controlling the torque delivered to each rear wheel during corning. The result is neutral, accurate steering when cornering under power that front-drive, rear-drive or conventional all-wheel-drive can't equal.
Torque splits are as follows:
SH-AWD™ ingeniously varies the amount of torque to the left and right rear wheels. When cornering, a planetary gear set overdrives (or accelerates) the rear wheels while individual right and left clutch packs direct torque to either or both rear wheel, faster than the average of the front wheels to dramatically enhance the cornering, steering feel, overall handling and stability of the RL. The result is class leading cornering precision as well as enhanced traction.
Direct Yaw Control System Theory
SH-AWD™ counters understeer under power with the Direct Yaw Control System. Spinning the outside rear wheel faster than the average speed of the two front wheels allows the system to use engine power to yaw the vehicle while turning. By relieving the front tires of some of the work of turning the car, the system reduces understeer and the vehicle stays balanced and controllable. In addition, with the cornering load more evenly distributed between the front and rear tires, the total cornering grip is increased. In conventional cars, cornering is created almost entirely by the steering angle of the front tires; In the RL, cornering is created by steering angle of front tires combined with the extra drive torque supplied by the outside rear tire.
This is a significant advance over conventional drive systems. To deal with high power output, front- or rear-drive systems generally use some type of limited-slip device to maintain traction under power. The linking effect of the inside and outside drive wheels in these systems resists turning, however. This is a factor that works against the front tires as they attempt to turn the car. Conventional AWD systems have a similar linking effect between the inboard and outboard tires and front and rear axles, causing a similar resistance to turning. This is part of the reason why traditional AWD systems typically lack the more nimble feel of the best two-wheel drive systems. By using drive torque to actually help turn the car, the RL can be more responsive, neutral and predictable, while simultaneously offering all of the usual benefits of all-wheel drive.
Electronic Controls and Parameters
The logic and control of SH-AWD is integrated with the RL Engine Electronic Control Unit (ECU), and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) ECU. The Engine ECU provides engine rpm, intake manifold pressure, and transmission gear ratio data. The VSA ECU provides data on lateral g, yaw rate, wheel rotation speed and steering angle. The SH-AWD ECU monitors the status of the acceleration device and the right and left Direct Electromagnetic Clutch torque. Traction is calculated based on the information from the engine ECU. During an acceleration situation, lateral g and steering angle are used to set the torque split between the right and left rear wheels. At the same time, this data is used to control the acceleration device.
SH-AWD™ System Layout
SH-AWD™ is a full-time all-wheel drive system that requires no driver interaction for operation. A torque transfer unit is bolted directly to the front-mounted transaxle. Attached to the front wheel differential's ring gear is a helical gear that provides input torque to the transfer unit. A short horizontal shaft and a hypoid gear set within the case turn the propeller shaft ninety degrees and move it to the vehicle center line. A lightweight carbon fiber reinforced composite propeller shaft carries power to the reardrive unit.
The rear drive unit of the RL contains three planetary gear and clutch sets. Torque from the propeller shaft passes through the first clutch/planetary gearset, which is as a unit called the Acceleration device.
Output torque from the Acceleration device is carried a short distance rearward to a hypoid gear that turns the output 90-degrees and drives the rear axle shafts. A matched pair of Direct Electromagnetic Clutch systems, one on each side, send power to each rear wheel. These clutch systems can be controlled as a pair to alter the front/rear torque split; depending on the situation, the rear wheels receive between 30 and 70 percent of the total engine output. The right and left Direct Electromagnetic Clutch systems can also be controlled independently, to allow up to 100 percent of the total rear axle torque to go to only one rear wheel.
Acceleration Device
Positioned at the front of the RL rear drive unit, the Acceleration device typically passes torque rearward to the rear axle at very close to a one-to-one ratio. In cornering, however, the Acceleration device's output shaft spins faster than its input shaft.
The Acceleration assembly uses a compact planetary gearset to achieve its speed increase. Hydraulic actuators operate clutch packs that control the planetary gearset. When the input shaft is locked with the planetary gear carrier, there is no ratio change (this is the straight-line mode). During cornering, the carrier is coupled with the case, and the output shaft speed increases up to five percent. A speed sensor at the hypoid gear, downstream of the Acceleration device provides a feedback loop to the SH-AWD Electronic Control Unit to ensure that the system is working properly.
Direct Electromagnetic Clutch Systems
Located on either side of the hypoid gear that drives the rear axle, two identical Direct Electromagnetic Clutch systems control the amount of drive torque that reaches each rear wheel, and provide limited-slip differential function. An electric coil controls the pressure applied to a clutch, which slows the sun gear in a planetary gearset to modulate the torque that is sent to the wheel. The amount of torque transmitted to each rear wheel can vary continuously, between zero and 100 percent, depending on the conditions.
Under deceleration (throttle closed) while cornering, torque to the outside rear wheel is varied to change from an inward to an outward yaw moment, helping vehicle stability. A search coil sensor allows the ECU to estimate the clutch plate coefficient of friction (which changes with heat,) and then adjusts voltage sent to the electromagnetic coil that controls the clutch to compensate. To ensure that the amount of torque transmitted remains optimized as miles and wear accumulate, a coil provides a feedback loop that the ECU uses to adjust voltage to the electromagnetic clutches to compensate for potential clutch wear.
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text:
July 24, 2003LOS ANGELES — The Anderson School at UCLA announces that Dr. Raghuram Rajan, the recently appointed economic counselor and director of research at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is serving as a distinguished visiting international scholar for the next month. Prof. Rajan was invited to The Anderson School by Prof. Bhagwan Chowdhry under the auspices of UCLA's Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) Distinguished Visiting Scholars Program.
"We're pleased to have in our midst a scholar of Prof. Rajan's intellect," said Prof. Chowdhry, who is director of UCLA's CIBER. "His presence helps us fulfill our CIBER's mission of enriching our curriculum with timely, pertinent and scholarly international content."
While he is here, Prof. Rajan will give public lectures about his book "Saving Capitalism from Capitalists: Unleashing the Power of Financial Markets to Create Wealth and Spread Opportunity," written with Luigi Zangales (February 2003, Crown Business Division of Random House). In addition to a talk at the Milken Institute, Prof. Rajan will give a lecture on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003, at 4 p.m. at The Anderson School. Along with addressing issues from his book, he will discuss other topical issues related to international finance.
Dr. Rajan is the Joseph L. Gidwitz Professor of Finance at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago. He teaches courses in financial management and financial theory and is a noted scholar in the areas of international finance, banking, and corporate governance. He has been awarded numerous prizes for his publications in the Journal of Finance, including the Smith Breeden Prize and the Brattle Prize. Earlier this year, Prof. Rajan was given the American Finance Association's Inaugural Fisher Black Prize, which goes to the person under 40 who has contributed the most to the theory and practice of finance. He has received numerous grants over the years, including four National Science Foundation Grants and a Sloan Foundation Grant, among others. Click here to visit Prof. Rajan's personal homepage.
In addition to the honors he has received for academic achievement, Prof. Rajan has held many coveted scholarly posts. He is a member of the board of directors of the American Finance Association and a program director, corporate finance, at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He has also been a consultant for the World Bank, the Federal Reserve Board and the Swedish Parliamentary Commission. He was appointed to his IMF role earlier this month.
About The Center for International Business Education and Research
Through its academic, research and external programs, CIBER seeks to enrich the international content of the business school curriculum, providing funding to faculty and doctoral students working on projects related to the international activities of US-based corporations. CIBER has established the Advanced International Management (AIM) program, which prepares MBA students for international leadership roles through an integrated focus on global research, course work and innovative activities.
About The Anderson School at UCLA
The Anderson School at UCLA is perennially ranked among the top-tier business schools in the world. Award-winning faculty renowned for their research and teaching, highly selective admissions, successful alumni and world-class facilities combine to provide an extraordinary learning environment. Established in 1935, The Anderson School provides management education to more than 1,400 students enrolled in full-time, part-time and executive MBA programs and doctoral programs.


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Haiti and the Early United States
Philippe R. Girard
Haiti (known as Saint-Domingue until it gained its independence from France in 1804) had a noted economic and political impact on the United States during the era of the American Revolution, when it forced U.S. statesmen to confront issues they had generally avoided, most prominently racism and slavery. But the impact of the Haitian Revolution was most tangible in areas like commerce, territorial expansion, and diplomacy. Saint-Domingue served as a staging ground for the French military and navy during the American Revolution and provided troops to the siege of Savannah in 1779. It became the United States' second-largest commercial partner during the 1780s and 1790s. After Saint-Domingue's slaves revolted in 1791, many of its inhabitants found refuge in the United States, most notably in Philadelphia, Charleston, and New Orleans. Fears (or hopes) that the slave revolt would spread to the United States were prevalent in public opinion. As Saint-Domingue achieved quasi-autonomous status under the leadership of Toussaint Louverture, it occupied a central place in the diplomacy of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The Louisiana Purchase was made possible in part by the failure of a French expedition to Saint-Domingue in 1802–1803. Bilateral trade declined after Saint-Domingue acquired its independence from France in 1804 (after which Saint-Domingue became known as Haiti), but Haiti continued to loom large in the African-American imagination, and there were several attempts to use Haiti as a haven for U.S. freedmen. The U.S. diplomatic recognition of Haiti also served as a reference point for antebellum debates on slavery, the slave trade, and the status of free people of color in the United States.
Ideas of Race in Early America
Sean P. Harvey
"Race," as a concept denoting a fundamental division of humanity and usually encompassing cultural as well as physical traits, was crucial in early America. It provided the foundation for the colonization of Native land, the enslavement of American Indians and Africans, and a common identity among socially unequal and ethnically diverse Europeans. Longstanding ideas and prejudices merged with aims to control land and labor, a dynamic reinforced by ongoing observation and theorization of non-European peoples. Although before colonization, neither American Indians, nor Africans, nor Europeans considered themselves unified "races," Europeans endowed racial distinctions with legal force and philosophical and scientific legitimacy, while Natives appropriated categories of "red" and "Indian," and slaves and freed people embraced those of "African" and "colored," to imagine more expansive identities and mobilize more successful resistance to Euro-American societies. The origin, scope, and significance of "racial" difference were questions of considerable transatlantic debate in the age of Enlightenment and they acquired particular political importance in the newly independent United States.
Since the beginning of European exploration in the 15th century, voyagers called attention to the peoples they encountered, but European, American Indian, and African "races" did not exist before colonization of the so-called New World. Categories of "Christian" and "heathen" were initially most prominent, though observations also encompassed appearance, gender roles, strength, material culture, subsistence, and language. As economic interests deepened and colonies grew more powerful, classifications distinguished Europeans from "Negroes" or "Indians," but at no point in the history of early America was there a consensus that "race" denoted bodily traits only. Rather, it was a heterogeneous compound of physical, intellectual, and moral characteristics passed on from one generation to another. While Europeans assigned blackness and African descent priority in codifying slavery, skin color was secondary to broad dismissals of the value of "savage" societies, beliefs, and behaviors in providing a legal foundation for dispossession.
"Race" originally denoted a lineage, such as a noble family or a domesticated breed, and concerns over purity of blood persisted as 18th-century Europeans applied the term—which dodged the controversial issue of whether different human groups constituted "varieties" or "species"—to describe a roughly continental distribution of peoples. Drawing upon the frameworks of scripture, natural and moral philosophy, and natural history, scholars endlessly debated whether different races shared a common ancestry, whether traits were fixed or susceptible to environmentally produced change, and whether languages or the body provided the best means to trace descent. Racial theorization boomed in the U.S. early republic, as some citizens found dispossession and slavery incompatible with natural-rights ideals, while others reconciled any potential contradictions through assurances that "race" was rooted in nature.


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Trish Stratus built a career out of defying the odds and breaking new ground. So it should come as little surprise that the Canadian-born WWE legend will again be breaking new ground when she is immortalized in the WWE Hall of Fame next weekend in New York City.
Stratus, born Patricia Anne Stratigias in Toronto in December 1975, will become the youngest person, at 37, to be inducted into the prestigious hall during WrestleMania weekend, another first for the likable legend.�
Stratus's destiny with wrestling immortality began at a very early age.
"Gosh, I just grew up watching it," Stratus said over the phone. "It was always around. I have a couple of boy cousins, and I grew up as a tomboy, playing with the boys, and we used to go to Maple Leaf Gardens (to watch it live). It was on the TV, we'd watch on Saturdays, we played with the wrestling dolls ... it was just always around me.
"Of course, then growing up we got back into it when, I guess, probably the NWO time ... and then wrestling just became hot again and it's been in my life ever since."
Ask Stratus who her favourite wrestler growing up was and she doesn't hesitate one bit.
"Macho Man (Randy Savage) was the man to me," she said. "I mean don't get me wrong, I definitely was a Hulkamaniac because I think we all were, but Macho Man, I just thought he was great, just so charismatic and I really loved his ring work. I loved how athletic he was. I was actually ... just watching a string of his promos the other day, and it's just, 'Wow, he's just untouchable,' " she said, adding that she thinks he was so good, he wouldn't even look out of place today.
Sadly, however, Stratus never had the opportunity in her career to meet her idol, who died tragically in May 2011.
Despite her love for all things wrestling, Stratus never aspired to enter the business for of a couple of reasons, mainly because jobs for women in pro wrestling were few and far between.
"There wasn't really a role for the women to look at and go, 'I want to do that when I grow up.' "
"There was a time when Wendi Richter and Cindy Lauper were doing their thing," she said, "and I remember thinking, 'Gosh, that's so cool,' but I guess it was such a once-in-a-while thing that you didn't really look at it as a feasible career option, I guess you could say."
There was that and the fact that Stratus had her eyes set on another career pretty much from childhood.
"Growing up, I was quite a sensible child, thinking I actually was going to become a doctor. I actually grew up my whole life thinking I was going to be a doctor ... everything from my high school to university -- I went to pre-med -- and everything I did was gearing up for me to go to med school. Wrestling was just a hobby on the side."
Looking back, Stratus says not much had changed in wrestling even up to the point when she entered the business.
"I'd even say that when I started wrestling, there was no real defined role for the women," she said. "We knew there were some women in wrestling, but there was no real, 'This is what women can do in wrestling.' So I decided to set out and change that once I got in there."
Did she ever.
But before she even embarked on a career that would see her become a record seven-time WWE Women's Champion, the Diva of the Decade, and even win the WWE Hardcore Championship, Stratus was taking care of business.
A successful fitness model, she had already made a name for herself in that industry before diving into a new one.
"WWE had called and asked for my press kit and I sent it to them and waited for a few months with no answer and thought, 'Oh, there's nobody calling.' I actually thought, 'If they call, I want to prepare the best possible package. My motto is preparedness meets opportunity, so I thought, 'You know, let me go and find a gym."
It was during her search for a gym to train when she met the man who would mentor her, preparing her for the career that would lie ahead, and becoming a lifelong friend along the way. That man was Ron Hutchison, who, along with Sweet Daddy Siki, trained wrestlers out of gym in Toronto.
"I found the gym and so I found the gym that Edge trained out of, which was Sully's, which was (where) Ron Hutchison (was)."
Stratus explained her situation to Hutchison.
"I kinda told him the story. I didn't go in saying, 'Hey WWE is going to call me soon.' I went in saying, 'OK, hi I want to become a wrestler.' "
It was the beginning of an incredible journey.
"He had me write an essay and there was a whole admittance process," Stratus recalled. "He told me straight up, 'You know, there's just guys here.' I said, 'That's cool.' I was used to that. Like I said, I grew up a tomboy. He's like, 'It gets pretty rough in here.' I grew up playing soccer and I was playing varsity field hockey for York University and I was kind of the goon on the team so I was like, 'I'm ready for that.'
That was all Hutchison needed to hear.
"He accepted me," Stratus said. "He saw something in me and said, 'OK, well, let's give this girl a shot,' and I'll always thank him for that. I got in there and just started tussling it up with the boys. It was great."
Stratus fondly recalls those early days at Sully's, working with Hutchison and the other guys with whom she trained.
"They got to sort of be there for that journey with me," she said, her smile evident even over the phone. "They were like, 'Did they call?' I was like 'No, they haven't called.' And then of course one day the call came and it was really cool that we got to all share in the moment. It was like, 'One of us got a call from the big company.' They all watched the journey. They watched me get accepted, sign the contract and they watched me and waved me off into the sunset."
Hutchison, who also trained and played a role in the careers of Hall of Famer Adam (Edge) Copeland, Christian, Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix, to name some, will be on hand to watch another of his students receive wrestling's highest honour.
"Ron and I have remained really close," Stratus said. "I'm bringing him up to New York. I got him tickets to come out to see the Hall of Fame (ceremony)."
Hutchison was among the first to congratulate Stratus on the honour.
"He contacted me right away and of course said he was so proud of me. You're right, he's like a proud papa," she said, quoting the reporter. "I'm really lucky to have had someone like that in my life, especially in the beginning, to really let me hone my craft, but also just to sort of let me know straight up what to expect once I entered the WWE and what the world was going to be about."
When she enters the Hall, joining the likes of fellow Canadians Edge and Bret "The Hitman" Hart, it will be in part, she says, because of the great support she received from fans in her home country.
"There's just this different thing (in Canada)," she said, referring to the fans. "I think in America, (wrestlers return their home towns) and they definitely have their hometown love, but we have a hometown love that goes right across the country. So we can get the same hometown love in Vancouver, British Columbia, that we do in Toronto. They're proud of us," she added, tipping her cap to how even the Canadian media views its athletes in such a positive light.
It has been while doing media in the lead-up to her induction that Stratus has had a chance to reflect on her successful and trailblazing career. She was an integral player in the rise of women's wrestling, which became a legitimate part of the WWE during her tenure.
"This week has been interesting, because we've been doing some media here and there and it's interesting to look back and see what we created," Stratus said. "And it certainly wasn't just me. It was the era at the time. We had a group of girls who were really all fighting to just kind of redefine what women's wrestling was. We definitely had to fight for it."
It is at this point that Stratus pays homage to another influential person in her career.
"I worked very closely with one of my mentors -- Fit Finlay -- and it's something that we literally looked at each other and said, 'Let's change this, let's do something different here,' and I just said 'Because I really don't want to fight like a girl.' He said 'Well, there's no reason you can't go out there and kick butt in the ring just like a guy does, and present the same product that the guy does.' So we went out there. I think we were a little bit under the radar. I think we were kind of just doing our thing and then fans started to sit up and notice."
Inevitably, so did WWE brass.
"It got to the point where there was this really cool time where -- I was working with Jazz at the time, doing the live events, which were the non-televised events -- and the WWE crew would go around and ask the audience members, leave a survey with the first couple of rows and ask what were your top three or top five matches. Jazz and I kept making that list. Just like another proud papa of mine, (Finlay) would come to me and say 'Wow, you guys got the mention.' That's what made WWE kind of notice and say 'Oh, we might have something special here.' They kind of just let us do our thing and suddenly we found we were getting a couple more minutes of ring time, and then we'd get 10 more minutes and we'd get more TV time, pre-tapes and vignettes. It started to simmer and we just knew at this point we were creating something special. We saw a rise in the female demographic. We were kind of creating these positive role models for women. It was a really special time for us."
Stratus's full-time in-ring career culminated with a dream retirement match, which she fully credits WWE Chairman Vince McMahon with orchestrating.
Stratus retired at WWE Unforgiven in 2006. She did so by winning the Women's Championship one final time, in her hometown of Toronto, in a match against one of her best friends, Lita, and by employing Bret Hart's Sharpshooter to do so.
It was a perfect moment. And to think it almost didn't happen.
"Absolutely perfect moment," Stratus said. "First of all, of course, to have that moment in my home town," she said, pausing, before explaining how McMahon made it all happen.
"My contract was actually ending in August and Vince had come to me and said, 'You know, if you stick around for one more month, we have a really cool opportunity. We're going to be in Toronto and we could have your retirement match there,' " Stratus explained, adding that the idea of the match in Toronto alone was "perfect."
"To be able to take my final bow in front of my hometown crowd, in front of my friends, my family ... And then of course, I never expected that, but to be crowned champion, and go out as champion ..."
If all that weren't enough, Stratus did the most Canadian thing she could think of to conclude the match.
"The Sharpshooter, you only get that if you're Canadian and you're a Bret Hart fan," she said. "It was my shout-out to Bret Hart. People questioned it backstage. It was like, 'Why is she doing that move?' 'That's not even her move.' If you're Canadian, and you know Bret Hart, and you know the history, this is why we did it. I got a call from Bret afterwards actually and he saw the match and he saw that moment. That made everything just worth every moment for sure."
Some seven years after that picture-perfect conclusion to an equally great career, Stratus got the call every pro wrestling hopes to one day get. The call to the hall.
What was her reaction upon receiving the news?
"Actually, my reaction was ... already?" she said with a laugh.
"I guess I've remained very active with the company, and I still feel like I was wrestling yesterday, but you know it has been seven years since I retired," she said. "I'm just so honoured. I'm completely honoured. And hearing the class that I'm going in with, I just was like 'Wow.' It's a huge honour.
"As a wrestling fan first and foremost, growing up watching this, just going in with these guys is pretty amazing. I'm super excited about the evening and clearly, it's shaping up to be an epic evening. I mean, with Donald Trump added to the card, I think that's kind of a neat thing. And it being at Madison Square Garden. And the recent announcement of Arnold (Schwarzenegger) inducting Bruno (Sammartino) is, gosh, it's amazing. I'm honoured to be in this class this year for sure."
Stratus, Sammartino and Trump (in the celebrity wing) will be joined by Bob Backlund, Booker T and Mick Foley.
It has been widely rumoured that Stratus's close friend Lita would be inducting her. That's not the case, Stratus said.
"I have someone and you'll just have to wait," she said with a laugh, before turning serious.
"That's obviously been swirling around," she said of the Lita speculation. "It was a difficult choice. There's a number of people that have really, really impacted my career. In my speech, you'll know the choice I made is very clear. But you'll know soon enough."
When Trish Stratus delivers that speech next weekend, in front of her friends, family, her trainer and others, she'll do so as an innovator, a role model and a great Canadian.
Take a bow, Trish.


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Quantumsurfer wrote:players should feel free to share their ideas.
I think this is the core idea that needs to remain true. Everyone can share their ideas yes, but if I (or anyone else) sees an idea that can be improved by a previous idea, they should share that too. Hell, even if someone thinks your idea is shitty they should be able to share that - that doesn't mean you need to listen to them.
I guess I can't speak for anyone else, but I personally take zero offense to people pointing out where my idea has been thought of before, or at least elements of it. Even if it's a worse idea. I wish I didn't have to censor myself and completely nitpick apart some truly tasteless rules (read: sam, collette, etc.), but it's neither worth my effort, nor constructive to the free flow of ideas. Boy could they be improved with a bit of criticism, though.


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Views: 268
The description of her eating habits managed to disgust me, and I'm not exactly a walking stick. But as everyone is saying, it's her body, and her choice. Not everyone wants to try to live to be a centurion. Some people would rather die young while enjoying life than live to an old age fretting about their health. *shrug*
What you might want to do is not be around when she's eating if that bothers you. The only thing I could see you doing is explaining to her that her language is not appropriate for the professional setting. If she doesn't want to fix that, either, then let her. She's only making a fool of herself, not of you.
This lady seems to have enough issues to deal with, without having someone judge and criticise her. Confrontational criticism of her lifestyle will not work. You will only alienate her. The biggest condition of change is called cognitive dissonance. When your mind has two or more conflicting ideas, it causes a lot of psychological discomfort (or dissonance/discord). She is almost certainly aware of what she should be eating/of how much exercise she needs, but her behaviour is the opposite of what she knows to be healthy. So when these two conflicting ideas become strong enough and persistent enough, the internal discomfort can only be relieved by her changing her own behaviour. And of course, it takes time. Recovery is a complex issue and is beset by relapse and recovery. Try and catch her doing something healthy and praise her for it. The gold tooth is her choice and you will have to deal with your own issues over that fact. If you want to help your friend, then finding out about the cycle of change is a good place for you to start. These links will take you to some excellent articles and relatively short reading. I hope this helps.
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Dave White Profile
Dave White
Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex
Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...Read full profile
Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex
Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...Read full profile
If it's too un-loud you're too old. Read full review
Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.
out of 100
Metascore®Mixed or average reviewsbased on a weighted average of allcritic review scores.
Everyone in the cast (including Geoffrey Arend, Mark Webber, and Caplan's Party Down colleague Martin Starr) is talented enough to deserve a stronger story line than this.
Read Full Review
Short on both romance and humor.
See all Save the Date reviews at Metacritic.com
Iffy for 16+
Racy romcom has realistic characters but needs more plot.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Save the Date is an indie romantic comedy about two sisters at opposite end of the relationship spectrum -- one is busy planning her wedding, while the other is coming off a bad break-up. Expect frank emotional discussions, both between the siblings and between couples, and many sex scenes; they don't show any sensitive body parts, but they're still plenty racy (including some vigorous motions and explicit sounds). Characters drink, get drunk, smoke pot, and make bad decisions while wasted. There's also plenty of swearing, including "f--k," "s--t," and more.
Messages: Sarah and Beth are both muddling through life and trying to do the right thing. They're not completely successful, but that feels pretty realistic. In the end, they, like most everyone else, are seeking happiness and end up willing to accept whatever life hands them in that respect.
Role models: Sarah and Beth have a very close relationship, and the film shows how they manage to get along both in good times and when they're at odds with each other. But, must Sarah always be with a guy? The movie doesn't seem to explore the other obvious choice: being happy on your own.
Violence: Emotional bickering between two sisters and between a couple that's breaking up. One very brief fist fight.
Sex: Several sex scenes, some including suggestions of oral sex. No sensitive body parts are visible, but the sequences look and sound like real people having intimate encounters, including playful banter, energetic thrusting, and plenty of moans and groans. One man has a very obvious erection when he strips down to his boxers.
Language: Frequent swearing includes "f--k," "bitch," "d--k," and several variations of "s--t."
Consumerism: A few characters use Mac laptops and sometimes drink Heineken beer.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Many scenes show adult characters drinking -- at bars, at parties, at home -- and several people get quite drunk. While inebriated, some get wistful, some get hostile, and one woman falls asleep with her head on the bar. People make poor choices while under the influence, including dropping in unannounced on former lovers. A few scenes also show adults smoking pot.
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