text:
To GG:
You can find information about the red ball in the FAQ located in the walkthrough section at the top of this page.
About playing your current generation -
You just need to click on the "Done" button at the bottom of the family tree and it will take you back to the game. Whenever you're ready to start the new generation, click on the "Family" button and it will take you back to the family tree where you will click "New Generation" to start the new family.
To PrincessSweetie
If I have someone who is depressed you need to give them lots of praise take them round the house, doing diff things each time praise them twice .. don't wait for them to finish take them back to their job get them working. Praise them twice again.. then another task praise them twice ect ect, each time putting them back on their job. The more you praise them the happier they'll be. You can't praise them more than twice doing the same thing, or they run away asking you to stop nagging them!
Of course you can praise them twice and then give them candy -- slowly they will start to come up again to happy. Also buying those household items makes them happy, I believe grocery's makes them the happiest of all.
If she is that depressed there is a reason- did her partner die? Is she sick? I would get her a doctors consult to be sure, if you can afford it that is.
Good luck with it princess.
Something funny just happened to one of my families! My wife looks like a clown. I kid you not. She looks like a bag a confetti exploded on her head. Her hair is every color of the rainbow and it has straight parts, curly parts. I love it! If I knew how to take a picture of it and put it on here I would totally show everyone, it's great.
To Chris:
You receive fewer marriage proposals as your little person grows older. The second one comes in pretty quick, though. They'll have long enough to work on their career for awhile and piddle around the house, then one should come in. If you reject the second one, it will be even longer, and so on.
For those of you with depressed people, how desperately do they want kids?I had a couple who both desperately wanted them, but I got them to work on their careers a while first and then they got depressed and either argued or tried and failed to make a baby. Eventually they had one, and then almost straight away had the chance to adopt! I chose little Pierolo to take over the family when Gispi and Burono both died at the weekend.
my other families are all doing fine (and most importantly working hard!lol)
Dopey :)
Okay, I have a few questions. If you let both parents die does that end the game or are you still able to pick a child to carry on after their deaths? And is it possible to choose a child that is under 18 to inherit the house? I have a little girl with a full head of purple hair, but I am pretty sure her parents will die before she is 18 and I really want to give her the house. Has anyone used the chamomile drinks? If so, what exactly are they good for? Also does anyone know how many marriage proposals you can get before they stop coming? Because I feel like I am settling for a person even if I don't really like them, just because I want to keep the family going. Ok I think that is it for now. Some one please hurry and help me with the under 18 question because I am afriad those parents may die soon. THANKS!
The best thing I can tell you is use the baby booster if you can afford it, also just keep trying to make them. Even if they argue, just keep placing them on each other and eventually they will try again. I had a couple that made a few kids but would not make any more. But I kept forcing them to try constantly. Eventually they ended up adopting 2 kids at seperate times and I finally ended up with 6 in that family. So just keep trying as often a you can. Don't give up! Good Luck!
I put the tape on the hose and the wall compound next to the bucket and when someone goes to repair the wall it says "confused no water pressure" (on the hose with the wall compound) and says "confused too much water pressure" (on the other hose in the back of the house when i put someone over it) i really want to fix the wall. HELP. You guys have the answer to everything except this (or so it seems). So thank you. and just HELP
One of my families was getting too old for children... she was 49 and he was 50. They already had 2 girls so it wasn't a matter of next generation, but wanted to see if they could have another before they were too old. WOW!! They not only had a baby... they had TRIPLETS!!! Now if I can get them up to 65..
I had something unusual happen...
I have a single dad... he adopted a little boy but hasn't found the right wife yet. I got an email from him saying something to the effect that he was glad to be married but was really wanting a child!!! It was backwards.
I am still trying to get the perfect match for that family and since there is already a child, I figured it would be the best time since I don't have to worry about procreation. So we are waiting for a female toaster repairer to come along....
On a funny note... I was looking after one of my families and one of them was pulling a weed from the yard. I was ready to check on one of my other families, but decided to wait till the guy had put the weed in the container (to make sure it counts)... out loud I said "I think I will wait till he delivers the weed"... then it hit me what I had just said.
To all those who have a sock or wrapper stuck on you computer desk:
I used my smallest child (she was 2) and I just kept placing her at different spots around the sock eventually she picked up the sock!!!
I was fed up with waiting for the random event of the maids cleaning the house. It has been sitting there for at least 2 weeks!
So if you got some trash stuck on you computer desk I would advise to spend a little time dropping your smallest person on it over and over It might work for you too!!
The strangest thing just happened to my family. One of my families had a couple in their 60's. When I opened the family I saw the man and his wife lying on the bed (dying of course) I paused the game to check the store to see if they had any energy drink and they didn't . Just to give it a shot I gave him a bottle of vitamins. A screen popped up and said something about adopting a child and the pitcure was of the old dying man!!!
So I adopted him so now he is living and is not depressed at all!!!
Go to the menu screen. Where it says current player (which will be the name you choose for your family) click on the name and it will open a screen that will allow you to have up to 5 families going at one time
To switch between families just go back to that screen and choose the family you want to play with
Me again...
Just a tip...
I lost the remote for two of my families. They have been missing a long time. I placed a child on the desk in their room to make him study and instead its says he was returning the remote.
So I went to the other family that was missing the TV remote and I did the same thing and sure enough they returned the remote.
I didn't see it (maybe someone else has better eyes and can see it near the desk when its there) If your missing a remote try the desk in the kids room
To Dumb or anyone else who dropped their person in the kitchen to make the latte
Where in the kitchen did you drop them? Around the sink, table, coffee maker, or just in the midddle of the floor.
4 weeks with 5 families and not one latte I'm getting frustrated about the trophy for latte and perfect match
If one doesn't happen soon I'm giving up because it's feeling impossible...
To Shauna:
It's really not about dropping someone in the kitchen to make a latte. Dropping a person only triggers a new random activity. They key to making a latte is the time of day. Your families only make lattes in the morning. If you're playing the game only in the afternoons or at night, you're just not playing at the right time of day. If it's impossible for you to play in the morning, just go to the options menu and switch the day/night option so that it's morning at night. Then watch your people in the kitchen for making lattes.
That is strange!!
Keep an eye on your store and look for an item called weed bomb. It will take care of the weeds but it sounds like you have a glich in your game. Try everyone to pull the weeds and try different areas around the weed. Make sure you have the most current version of the game.
I'm sure that Pam can answer your question better so wait for a post from her. She will eventually answer your post (She is the all knowing when it comes to this game lol)
So Pam,
I want to know if I understand you right about switching between night and day so I can get my latte trophy because you were right about me not playing my game in the early morning.
If I want it to be 6:00 am on the game I need to wait till 6:00 pm and then switch from night to day?
Thanks for all your help
Hello all,
I have been playing this game for a few weeks and have read ALL of the 13 pages of comments. Some of you are quite funny with the way you worry about your "families', as if they were REAL... LOL!!
I am wondering if anyone can help me..... I have been TRYING very hard to make my dying people into ghosts....I CAN NOT DO IT!!! I can not tell you how many times I have watched and waited for someone to lay down to die, or come along when one was ready to die then TRIED to drop the energy drink on them... but not ONE has EVER reacted. I have even tried to wear them down and kill them myself, (usually by giving a healthy person Vancomycin, then refusing to give them Peptic syrup, and MAKING them work, clean and cook literally to their death). I have FAILED every time... can someone break it down to the simplest explanation possible for me??? I need to know if I am doing it wrong. Like WHEN are you giving them the drink? I understand it to be AT the moment of death..... And WHERE on the body are you clicking? I feel kinda sadistic TRYING to kill my people JUST to see the result...... UGH!!! Is it possible that some people have a game with a glitch that is allowing this??? Or is it possible that I have a glitch that prevents me???
Also this CRAZY red ball.... I got mine from the original place mentioned in the instructions.... But I CAN NOT seem to pull a second, much less third, one from ANY other place... can someone break down where and how they are getting the second (and even third or fourth) red ball? Like, EXACTLY where are you clicking? And are you clicking then holding in a particular fashion? Another silly thing I am trying to resolve...
Oh, and I have a tip... when you click on the Family button... if you click on a family member and the NOTES page pops up... I have been adding notes on the kids, like SLOW, LAZY, or hard worker, etc.. Then when I have to "Start a new generation", I go to the family screen and check my notes first. This way, I KNOW what the kid is like BEFORE I let them take over. I also have been noting the salaries of the adults there. Once I get some accumulated I will come back and post them.
Thanks to anyone that can help me solve these SILLY mysteries.
I have also had the same trouble with trying to get the ghost. They will not drink it!!! I gave up along time ago Right now I am in the process of an experment I have been able to give a dying person a bottle of vitimins and they hang around for minute So I am thinking I will try vitimins first then drink....My person is 55 so I am just waiting on them to croak...
I also have not been able to get the second or third ball So your are not alone..
Shauna -
That's correct, when you reverse night and day 6 pm your time will be 6 am in the game. For folks who only play the game at night this is a handy feature because they tend to start going to bed around 10 pm.
Milo -
First off, the thing with the energy drink and the ghosts was a glitch in earlier versions of the game. Now that I have 1.00.05 for instance I cannot pull the same trick anymore. Shame they fixed that one, it was fun. :-)
As for the red balls: Go to one of your games and put the red ball in the hoop in the kids room where they play with toys. Now go to one of your other games. You can click and pull the ball from that spot. If you already have a ball in the other game, put it in your inventory then click and pull. Another ball! However, two balls can't seem to exist in the same game. As long as the balls are in your inventory you are fine, but drop one back in the game and one of them will disappear.
Lynne -
If the people won't pull the weeds try the weed bomb in the store. You may have an earlier version of the game that has a glitch. Go to the main menu page and check the lower left corner. The latest version is 1.00.05. If you have an earlier version go back to the vendor where you purchased the game and see if they have the latest version. If so, download and install the latest version. Hopefully that will clear up your weed problem. Warning: do not uninstall the earlier version, just install the later version right on top of it. If you uninstall the earlier version first you may lose all your progress and have to start from scratch.
I have not found a second or third ball on the same family, but when I started new families, I had to find the ball where I left it on the previous family. So say on my first family on the list, I left it on the shower rug, then on the next family on the list I have to pull it out from the rug to find it. After I pull it out the first time it stays in the game. But I had to repeat this for each family on the list. I have tried to find more than one ball for a family but I have not come across any. Well good luck to all of you!
To find more than one ball within the same family:
After you get the first ball from the top left corner, take note of where it is on the ground and then put it in your item tray. Then click on the exact same spot where the first ball was resting before you moved it. A 2nd ball should appear. You can continue to get more red balls to fill up your item tray by always clicking in the same spot that that was the last place the previous ball touched, not by always clicking in the same spot as the first ball.
My current family has a husband that constantly does not want to work. I had to praise him a gazillion times for working in the very beginning, then when I turned off the game he advanced quite a bit in his career, but now he's back to not working. It's frustrating! I put him on the computer and he constantly shakes his head and says "no".
To kjm:
You just have to keep working with your little person. They have individual personalities and some can be quite stubborn. It should get easier once you get him beyond the second or third level of his career.
To Brooke:
Please check the walkthrough located at the top of this page. Look for the Repairs spoiler.
To Shauna:
You don't have to wait until 6:00 p.m. to switch your time. You can change that option whenever you like and the game will reverse from a.m. to p.m. and vice versa.
To Fishie:
The latte is still a random behavior even in the mornings. Just keep watching for it. :)
For everyone else:
Yeah, what grinnyp said. :D
hello , i'm new and i have some questions plz
-i got a baby,but for how long will the female be carrying the baby??
-is the female unable to work on career when she is carrying the baby?
-when the baby is 3 or 4 what will i have to do for him?
-will children go to school or will i teach them in home,or no teaching at all?and at what age should the education start?
-the female's salary is higher than the male's , so now when she is carrying the baby and not working , i get very few coins , is there something i can do about this??
-if i am not going to open the game for a day or two, how much food should i leave for them to survive?? and is it better to pause the game while am away??
thats for now ,thanks alot :)
Hi, this is a really nice game, i am really enjoying it, but i hope someone can help me with these questions.
When the status of a child says "a bit blue" what should i do for him? And what does "elated" mean when its written in someone's status and what should i for for him??
And the other problem that i have 3 families but one of them gets little money, the man is at level 2 and the woman at 1 but they really make very few money, i drop them on their work area constantly, they work but make few money, will this affect the children? Should i wait to make some more money before i try to make the second baby??
Waiting for the reply .. and thanks for the help.
jess159 - "A bit blue" means they are depressed - check out the FAQs in the walkthrough section to see ways to help depressed people. Elated means they are very happy - you don't have to do anything for them!
Regarding your family's careers, have you been praising them for working, as well as dropping them on their work area? And I don't think you need to wait to have another child - the cost of living in this game is just food, which I'm sure your family can afford. Hope this helps!
yeah it helped .. thanx alot
i just wanted to say something .. i noticed that many people are excited about the "latte" thing..
in one of my families , i dropped both the parents to work at morning , after they worked they went to make latte , it happened three times , they went to the coffee machine in the kitchen and made latte but i didnot get anything out of it .. so whats is the use of it?
anyway for the people who are excited about it , maybe u can try doing what i did ... send both parents to work in morning .. and if any1 can tell me why is this useful?
Katie - Check the FAQs in the walkthrough section for information about the red ball.
Okay, thanks for the advice but where is that on this website or the game?
[edit: The walkthrough section is located right above the comments on this page, in the large blue box. It contains FAQs and other helpful information about the game. Here is a link:
Dumb -
The kids chasing gophers is a random behavior. They will scream while doing so (just like they do when playing in the dirt). So if you hear the kids scream like that go see if they are chasing the gopher.
As for the bugs, they tend to come out when it's raining, so look carefully when it rains or use the tropical rain that you can buy from the store.
Hi. Thanks for the reply, but I have some more questions. And sorry for bothering, but am a bit new.
1) The players fail to water plants. They take the water cans from the shed and go to the hose but then they just shake their head. Is the solution for this the "waterproof tape"? And what do I do if i did not find this yet in the store?
2) How can I adopt children?
3) I have a couple who always argued when I dropped them on each other to make a baby, then they had their first 1 when they were 30. Will it be difficult for them to have more kids?
4) One of my families, all its members are ALWAYS "exhausted" or "tired", so they go to bed or I put them in bed sometimes. They are sleeping almost all the time , They rarely work and the house is becoming messy. What can I do? I got 1 energy drink from the store and used but it did not make much difference and now no more energy drinks. What can I do?
To Sasha:
If you're going to leave the game for awhile, I would suggest you put the game on pause (use the spacebar). Food isn't the only concern while you are gone. They could get sick and without medicine they will eventually die. Plus, not cleaning the house makes them depressed. I deliberately left a family unattended to see what would happen and it was pretty bad. The mother and daughter died. I nursed the father back to health, but he never remarried or had any other kids. He died after spending over 20 years alone.
To Jess159:
Many of your questions are covered in the blue walkthrough section located at the top of this page. Here's a direct link:
If you still have questions after looking through the walkthrough, let us know and we'll be glad to help you! :)
Hi. Does the game have a clock? I see people saying it's 6 a.m. in the game, for example. How do you know that? I can only recognize day and night, but can't recognize mornings and afternoons, night or evening , and so on!!
How can I know the suitable time to put my players in bed? Because I put them in bed when it's dark, but then I find them "tired" or "exhausted." Seems as if I'm making them go to sleep at wrong times or maybe they are not getting enough sleep. Can someone help me in this?
And one more question please. How can I know that the children are studying enough? And will it affect them when it's time to join college or work if I do not make them study a lot now when they are young?
Thank you all.
To Jess159:
Have you checked to make sure you have the most current version (1.00.05)? There was a problem with energy levels in earlier versions. Look in the lower left corner of the menu screen to find the version number. If you have an earlier version, you need to go back to the site where you originally purchased the game and download the current version on top of your existing game.
To Adel:
About the time of day -
Your families are in the same time zone as you. If it's 9:00 a.m. for you, then it's also 9:00 a.m. for your families. You can reverse a.m. and p.m. from the options screen, which is sometimes helpful if you only play at night, but want some daytime with your families.
About energy levels -
You can help with their energy levels by putting them in the hammock or in bed, but you need to be sure to let them finish their sleep cycle. If you interrupt them, they'll never gain energy. Also, you need to shut the game down every day to let them recharge.
About children studying -
Studying seems to just be an activity for the children to do. I haven't seen that it effects their adult careers at all. So, it doesn't really matter if a child studies or not, except as something to keep them busy.
To Borgessa:
I have NO idea why she is depressed. Her partner has not died. No one has died! There is plenty of food for them. Also, I need help on one more thing. She now has a child and a husband and all of their statuses are " Feeling Blue" don't know why though. Could you always help me when I need help please?
To PrincessSweetie:
Here are some ways to help your people with being depressed:
Praise them and give them candy often. Keep the house clean. Make sure they have plenty of food. Buy upgrades when you have the money. The one that works the best is the praising. Just be sure that you don't praise them too often for the same thing because they'll run away. Watch the things they do and when it's something good, praise them.
Let me know if this helps. :)
Whats with this red ball. i have been to the wakthrough but it is only a picture pointing to the upper left hand corner. I would love you all to death if you could share more info,also, i am in my 3rd generation and for some reason the photos have stopped popping up, am i supposed to accomplish something in order for them to continue? thanks in advance.
So I had something different happen. Had a family that had children late in life and adopted a little girl even later in life. I opened the game and the dad had died. So I figured I am going to keep trying for the mom for the 65 age trophy. Then she died and the two youngest kids were there 15 and 7ish. I could continue with the kids until school, but was earning no money. . .
Mail order baker tops out at 285
To Deborah:
About the red ball -
The red ball is just something extra the developers threw in for fun. It's not relevant to the rest of the game.
About the picture pieces -
The picture pieces do slow down, but keep in mind that there is only one set of them. All of the other collections pop up with duplicates, so it seems like there are more of them. There aren't any duplicates of the picture pieces. You don't have to do anything to get them except be patient.
I just wanted to ask how do they remove cobwebs? When will they do Kung Fu? When will they make a latte? When will they chase gophers?
[Edit: Please check the walkthrough section at the top of this page for help with your questions. If you still need to ask something, we'll be happy to help you. -Pam]
Does anyone know what's up with the birdbath? I've repaired it and now it sparkles. Knowing the VV series very well, I know that anything that sparkles has a hidden meaning. I've dropped adults on it, I've dropped kids on it, I've dropped the whole family all on it, but all they do is 'admiring the birdbath'.
Maybe something is hidden inside it? If anyone knows, I'm dying to find out.
It seems to me that a few things for sale in the store are not that useful... sunscreen, towelette, encyclopedia. Am I missing something are these items more for fun and not really useful? I know the encyclopedia can add interests, but other than the "likes walking" thing, it doesn't seem to me that any of these add much to how you play the game.


text:
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, OHIO (Sept. 11, 1:40 p.m. ET) — America's oil and gas drilling boom is fueling use of polyethyene pipe — and prompting Pipe Coil Technology Inc. to build coiling machinery for larger-diameter pipe.
Pipe Coil Technology is introducing to North America a range of automatic coiling equipment that can package 8-inch, high density PE pipe onto coils for easy transport. PCT already has sold coilers for 6-inch pipe to U.S. customers.
PCT coiling systems feature the company's low-ovality technology. The machines can automatically strap pipe, apply labels and apply shrink wrap.
Bryan Friend, PCT's vice president of sales and marketing for North America, said smooth-wall HDPE pipe is growing quickly in several applications, including municipal water and for carrying water to oil and gas drilling sites. Friend said the boom in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, is driving demand for pipe.
"It's definitely a growing market, and if you look at pipe demands, speculated over the next five to 10 years, there's definitely a growth sector. And what we're trying to penetrate is the larger-diameter coiling," Friend said.
The American Chemistry Council in Washington reports the use of HDPE in smooth-wall pipe grew by 10.8 percent in 2012 over 2011.
Friend outlined PCT's strategy in an early August interview at the company's headquarters and manufacturing operation in Highland Heights, a suburb of Cleveland.
After years of exporting machinery to the U.S., British parent company Pipe Coil Technology Ltd. set up the 20,000-square-foot plant to begin U.S. manufacturing. The Highland Heights factory, which employs 14 people, is equipped with two 20-ton cranes.
Pipe Coil Technology hired Friend, a veteran of extrusion downstream equipment who had worked in engineering and technical sales positions at auxiliary equipment makers ACS Group and Vulcan Machinery Corp.
PCT promotes coiled, larger-diameter pipe — one length of pipe can be hundreds of feet long — as an improvement over single lengths of pipe, termed "sticks."
"There are huge advantages to having a 500-foot coil of pipe vs. the same length in 40-foot sticks, where you need a joint and a splice every 40 feet when you install it," Friend said. "If you can take the splices out, you'll increase the pipeline integrity."
Also, in fracking operations it's easier to move the HDPE supply lines to another well, by coiling them up again, he said.
Coiling allows more pipe to be transported at one time. For the 8-inch pipe, coil lengths of up to 400 feet (in wall thicknesses of DR7 and DR9) or 300 feet (DR11 or DR13.5) can be produced on PCT's smaller machine, with overall coil dimensions of up to 11.3 feet in diameter and 48 inches wide.
The larger machine has a coil-width capacity of 8 feet and can hold coil lengths of pipe up to 800 feet long.
The key to Pipe Coiling Technology machines is the company's low ovality, or LV, technology. As plastic pipe is wound on a coil, the stresses tend to make it become oval, which is not as desirable, or as precise, as round pipe. Round is the goal, for accuracy in installation.
Friend said that with some competing systems, oval-shaped pipe has to be re-rounded in the field before installation, requiring a separate step.
With PCT's LV process, after the pipe comes out of an extruder, the still-warm pipe goes through a mechanism that precisely squeezes it on a vertical plane, to counteract the natural tendency to become oval.
"You need the low-ovality technology to be able to coil the larger-diameter pipe and still have a usable, round pipe in the field," Friend said. "The primary advantages at 6 inches and up would be there's no re-rounding required in the field."
Pipe Coiling Technology introduced LV technology at NPE2009.
In Highland Heights, PCT employees recently built a giant coiler to handle steel-reinforced plastic pipe for a North American customer. Friend said the beefy machine can handle a coil that weighs 19,000 pounds, with finished coil dimensions of up to 8 feet wide and 12 feet in diameter.
Friend said it is the largest reinforced-plastic-pipe coiler in North America. PCT is scheduled to ship the machine out in mid-September.
In addition to HDPE pipe, PCT coilers also handle tube, hose and conduit; sub-sea flexible lines; and wire rope and cable.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I am neither a Catholic nor the son of a Catholic (to misquote the prophet Amos), and I disagree with Rome on a wide array of ecclesiastical and theological issues. Yet here I am, rising to the defense of the Catholic Church in the face of media attacks that seem to me to be patently unjust.
I am neither a Catholic nor the son of a Catholic (to misquote the prophet Amos), and I disagree with Rome on a wide array of ecclesiastical and theological issues. Yet here I am, rising to the defense of the Catholic Church in the face of media attacks that seem to me to be patently unjust.The journalist Sheila Liaugminas attributes the recent spate of biased stories about Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church to "lazy journalism and tendentious reporting." She is being charitable. The slanted stories and offensive editorials are motivated by something darker: by a disrespect for the Church in general, for Catholics in particular and for conservative beliefs, in toto.
Consider the Feb. 15 Newsweek article by Tim Parks titled "Benedict's Act of Grace" and subtitled "John Paul II left the church a mess." There is a sense of disdain throughout the article. Rather than using papal names, the author repeatedly refers to John Paul II as Wojtyla and Gregory XVI as Ratzinger. He chooses inflammatory adjectives to describe the pontiffs: "reactionary," "arch-conservative," "interminably glamorous" (John Paul II) and "unimpressive" (Benedict XVI).Michael Moynihan's Newsweek column, "Good Riddance, Benedict! Why the pope was a moral failure," is, if possible, even more disrespectful. The lead calls Benedict "the failed pontiff" and the article characterizes the 85-year-old ailing pope's retirement as an abandonment of his post.
One might try to excuse this contempt as a reaction to the ongoing clergy sexual abuse scandal, and surely it has played a role. It has been a hellish business, and the Church's response to it has, in some cases, been shameful. But even this tragic matter must be put into perspective.In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education reported that 9.6 percent of school students — nearly 1 out of 10 — "in grades 8-11 report contact and/or noncontact educator sexual misconduct that was unwanted." Commenting on the report, Hofstra University researcher Charol Shakeshaft said, "So we think the Catholic Church has a problem? The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."
But while that may make parents cringe, it does not make the Catholic Church's clergy sex abuse problem any less of a problem. Still, one can't help but feel there is another dynamic at work behind the devastating critiques appearing in the secular media. A characteristic feature of both print and broadcast media's coverage has been the repeated references to the Church's conservative stance on sex and gender issues. Again and again commentators imply that the Church's present difficulties could be surmounted if only she would abandon her moldy sexual ethics and give her blessing to same-sex relationships, contraceptive use and married priests. Additionally, if the church would ordain women to the priesthood, everything would be rosy.This prescription, I suspect, comes from people who see the Church through a postmodern, irreligious and political lens. And it comes with a subtle kind of arrogance: that the outside observer's objectivity allows him to form a clearer understanding than the poor, superstitious (an adjective Parks used to describe John Paul II) believer.
But who sees more: the person looking at a beam of light, shining into a dark room, or the person looking along that same beam of light, to see what it illuminates? Much of the recent commentary comes from the first perspective and, we would do well to remember, is severely limited in its point of view.Shayne Looper is the pastor at Lockwood Community Church in Branch County, Mich.


text:
FRANKFURT, GERMANY -- (Marketwire) -- Dec 05, 2012 -- HP (NYSE: HPQ) today extended its Converged Cloud portfolio to help customers succeed in a hybrid world, providing the essential foundation of solutions to drive agility, speed innovation and lower costs.
The new cloud solutions span private, managed and public cloud environments. These include:
- HP CloudSystem and HP Cloud Service Automation (CSA) 3.1, which provide both the foundation and the necessary management platform for fast deployment of cloud services.
- HP Continuous Delivery Automation (CDA) 1.1, which fully automates the application release process for cloud applications.
- New and enhanced HP Cloud Services, which offer public cloud services in the areas of compute, storage and application platform as a service.
- Two new industry offerings for communication service providers (CSPs) and manufacturers.
"HP is committed to delivering cloud capabilities that enterprises can rely on," said Bill Veghte, chief operating officer, HP. "Today's announcements enable customers to more affordably and easily take advantage of the agility of the cloud without jeopardizing their enterprise service level agreements."
New research
New research conducted on behalf of HP(1) supports the need for solutions that span traditional, private, managed and public cloud environments. Respondents indicated that 75 percent of business and IT executives plan to pursue a hybrid delivery model. At the same time, 65 percent are concerned with vendor lock-in, and 72 percent said that portability of workloads between cloud models is important to their cloud implementations.
Providing choice in hybrid cloud environments
To ensure that clouds are affordable and easy to deploy, HP has further enhanced the functionality of HP CloudSystem. Based on HP Converged Infrastructure and HP Cloud Service Automation software, the new enhancements enable clients to:
- Manage cloud requirements for cost, security and availability with an open, extensible architecture for heterogeneous IT environments that now include support for Kernel-based Virtual Machines (KVMs) and virtualization technologies from HP, Microsoft and VMware, as well as physical provisioning for server blades.
- Gain instant access to additional capacity and manage uneven service demands on an as-needed, pay-as-you go basis through new HP CloudSystem bursting capabilities.
- Reduce administration time and accelerate development of service offerings with an expanded HP Cloud Maps portfolio that includes 50 new prepackaged application templates. The portfolio now consists of more than 200 templates that allow clients to create customized catalogs of application services ready for push-button deployment.
Providing consistency in managing hybrid environments
HP also introduced a new version of HP CSA, which is available as part of HP CloudSystem or standalone. HP CSA 3.1 provides clients with a comprehensive, unified cloud management platform for brokering and managing enterprise-grade applications and infrastructures specifically for cloud services. This new version ensures business continuity with a highly available architecture that continues to operate even in the event of a failure. In addition, it offers greater protection against security threats with HP TippingPoint security solutions. HP CSA speeds time to market of application services for public, private and hybrid cloud environments.
Competitive pressure is driving enterprises to deploy high-quality applications in less time. The new HP CDA 1.1 fully automates the application release process, enabling clients to deliver high-quality applications by eliminating delays traditionally caused by manual hand-offs between teams during the application life cycle.
HP also introduced HP Cloud Solutions for CSPs, which enable CSPs to build and operate public cloud environments for enterprise and small and midsized business (SMB) customers. By transforming into cloud service brokers, CSPs can profitably build, operate and monetize a cloud infrastructure to accelerate the delivery of new services to their business customers while achieving higher retention rates among subscribers.
Providing confidence in cloud services consumption
HP has introduced new functionality to HP Cloud Services, the company's public cloud. These new offerings enable organizations of all sizes to confidently move enterprise-grade production workloads to the cloud. New services and solutions include:
- The general availability of HP Cloud Compute, a pay-as-you-go model that allows users to deploy and customize compute instances on demand.
- The advancement of HP Cloud Block Storage, a storage solution that enables users to easily move data from one compute instance to another, to public beta.
- HP Cloud Application Platform as a Service (PaaS), which enables enterprises, developers and independent software vendors to focus on application development and deployment. Based on the Cloud Foundry Open PaaS project, it supports a multi-application infrastructure along with instant provisioning and deployment through a single click.
- HP Cloud Workload Migration Services, delivered in conjunction with HP's partner ecosystem, helps users assess, plan and migrate existing production workloads to HP's public cloud without user disruption.
Providing confidence in supply chains
The newly enhanced HP Global Product Authentication Service (GPAS) allows brand owners to detect, combat and reduce the incidence of counterfeit goods and activities. The cloud-based protection solution for manufacturers provides real-time authentication features and an intuitive web portal with advanced business intelligence capabilities for product verification as well as fraud incidence tracking.
A recording of the HP Discover Frankfurt press conference and additional information about HP's announcements at its premier client event, HP Discover Frankfurt, are available at www.hp.com/go/HPDiscoverFrankfurt2012.
About HP
HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world's largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.
(1) "HP Cloud and Information Optimization," Coleman Parkes Research, Ltd., October 2012.
This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance, market share or competitive performance relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the competitive pressures faced by HP's businesses; the development and transition of new products and services (and the enhancement of existing products and services) to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the protection of HP's intellectual property assets, including intellectual property licensed from third parties; integration and other risks associated with business combination and investment transactions; the hiring and retention of key employees; assumptions related to pension and other post-retirement costs and retirement programs; the execution, timing and results of restructuring plans, including estimates and assumptions related to the cost and the anticipated benefits of implementing those plans; expectations and assumptions relating to the execution and timing of cost reduction programs and restructuring and integration plans; the resolution of pending investigations, claims and disputes; and other risks that are described in HP's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2012 and HP's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including HP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2011. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.


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A new study finds that women who follow the Standard Days Method®, are likely to continue using the method and to use it effectively. Results of the large, multi-country study of 1659 women appear in the October 2011 issue of the Journal of Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care.
The Standard Days Method identifies the 12-day "fertile window" of a woman's menstrual cycle. These 12 days take into account the life span of the woman's egg (about 24 hours) and the viable life of sperm (about five days) as well as the variation in the actual timing of ovulation from one cycle to the next. The new study examines the long-term use of the Standard Days Method, following the participants for three years.
"Many women desire a way to plan their family that doesn't involve medications or devices that might affect their health," says Institute for Reproductive Health Director Victoria Jennings, Ph.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Georgetown University Medical Center. "They most often do this for personal preferences, though some are attracted to these methods for religious or cultural reasons. The family planning methods we at Georgetown have developed meet a growing need for sustainable, accessible, high-quality fertility awareness methods of family planning. This new study shows that women will continue to use a method that works for them while meeting their needs and preferences." Jennings is not an author of the new study.
The Standards Days Method was established as an effective short-term (one year) family planning method in a study published in 2002. In this earlier study, of which Jennings was the principal investigator, the Standard Days Method was found to be more than 95 percent effective at avoiding pregnancy, with a failure rate of less than 5 percent. This effectiveness rate is higher than other use-directed methods such as diaphragm or condom.
James N. Gribble, Sc.D. of the Population Reference Bureau and senior author of the 2011 paper, says their results demonstrate that effectiveness continues throughout the second and third years of use.
"Family planning enables women to have the desired number of children and to space and time births. Almost all the 2011 study participants had children, often with at least one child younger than two years old, before they began to use the Standard Days Method," he says. "Yet few of the study participants had unplanned pregnancy over the three-year period of the study due to the method's very high effectiveness."
To help women who follow the Standard Days Method to know on which days pregnancy is likely or unlikely, the Institute for Reproductive Health developed CycleBeads®, a string of 32 color-coded beads with each bead representing a day of the menstrual cycle. Beginning with the red bead, which represents the first day of her menstrual period, the woman moves a small rubber ring one bead each day. The brown beads are the days when pregnancy is very unlikely, and the glow-in-the dark white beads (beads 8-19) represent her fertile days.
The women who participated in the original 2002 study relied on CycleBeads to track their cycles. Many had not previously used any family planning method. They continued to use CycleBeads for up to two additional years during the study published in 2011.
In addition to Gribble, authors of "Continued Use of the Standard Days Method" are Irit Sinai, Ph.D. and Rebecka Lundgren, M.P.H. of the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Funding for the new study was provided by the Institute for Reproductive Health and a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
With support from USAID, more than three million women in Asia, Africa, South and Central America have been exposed to the fertility awareness-based family planning methods developed by Georgetown researchers.
CycleBeads are a patented technology owned by Georgetown University that has been licensed to Cycle Technologies for commercialization. Jennings is one of the inventors on the patent.
About the Institute for Reproductive Health
The Institute for Reproductive Health is dedicated to helping women and men make informed choices about family planning and providing them with simple and effective natural options. As part of Georgetown University's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Institute conducts research to develop natural methods of family planning and tests them in service delivery settings.
About Georgetown University Medical Center
Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis — or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization (BGRO), which accounts for the majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical Translation and Science Award from the National Institutes of Health. In fiscal year 2010-11, GUMC accounted for 85 percent of the university's sponsored research funding.


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About the Harvard Alumni Association
The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) maintains and enhances a highly engaged, vibrant community of alumni and friends worldwide.
The Harvard Alumni Association was previously known as the Associated Harvard Alumni. The latter was formed on July 1, 1965, as an amalgamation of the Harvard Alumni Association (est. 1840) and the Associated Harvard Clubs (est. 1897).
The HAA, with offices on the 6th floor of 124 Mt. Auburn Street in Cambridge, is the official association of all alumni of Harvard University. Its regular members include recipients of all degrees granted by the University and Radcliffe College, as well as the members of all University Faculties. Others whose names appear on the alumni records of the University, but who have not received degrees, are associate members. They may attend any meetings and take part in any activities of the Association but may not vote for Overseers of the University or Directors of the HAA.
The purpose of the HAA as stated in its Constitution is to promote the welfare of Harvard University and to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between Harvard University and its alumni. The HAA helps alumni connect with the University and with fellow graduates through a wealth of Club activities, continuing education programs, online services, and alumni events around the world.
The HAA has constitutional duties to nominate candidates for Overseer and elected HAA Directors and to conduct the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association in May on the afternoon of Commencement. The main work of the Association is carried out by standing committees of the HAA Board of Directors, with each Director serving on at least one committee. These committees cover such areas as educational alumni events, communications, Harvard Clubs and Shared Interest Groups, reunions, the graduate schools' alumni organizations, recent graduates, and undergraduates. The HAA also administers two awards: the HAA Award and the Harvard Medal.
The Board of Directors holds three slated meetings each year in Cambridge. At these meetings, in addition to the transaction of the business of the Association, the Directors are informed about University programs, facilities, and concerns. They participate in discussions with students, administrators, and faculty members. Informed Directors can thus provide knowledgeable leadership in interpreting Harvard to alumni and others. In addition, the Harvard Alumni Association sponsors yearly meetings away from Cambridge in conjunction with local Harvard Clubs and graduate school associations. These meetings assist in spreading the current story of Harvard.


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Auto Publishers Price Starting at
*Based on model year EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your atual mileage will vary, depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions, battery pack age/condition (hybrid only) and other factors.VIEW OUR INVENTORY
Multiple model configurations to suit all needs; ample available V8 power with improved V6; increased fuel efficiency; user-friendly cabins; Ram-Box bed-side storage
While the 2013 Ram 1500 full-size pickup looks a lot like last year's truck, the changes are, in fact, far more than skin deep. In fact, the new Ram rides on a new, stronger chassis. Under the hood, the old 210-hp 3.7L V6 and 4-speed automatic powertrain is gone, replaced by a new 305-hp 3.6L "PentaStar" V6 mated to a new 8-speed automatic, which results in an EPA-estimated 18 mpg city/25 mpg highway -- a 20 percent increase over the outgoing V6. The new engine is also rated to tow up to 4,800 pounds. The 8-speed automatic is slated to make its way into 4.7- and 5.7L V8-powered Ram 1500s midway through the model year, to replace the current 6-speed auto, which should aid in fuel economy on those models as well. New available air suspension offers five separate settings for controlling ride height, which allows for increased ground clearance off road or improved fuel efficiency on the highway, as well as automatic load leveling to aid in towing and hauling. Electric power steering replaces the previous hydraulic setup, making for an easier steering experience, particularly at low speeds. Inside, the cabin has been rethought, with new materials, improved sound deadening and noise reduction, a more functional design, and improved gadgetry, with Uconnect multimedia and an intuitive touchscreen at its core. Finally, the column shift lever has been replaced by a small rotary dial on the lower left corner of the dashboard.


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Today in food coverage:
Andrea Weigl, my colleague at the Raleigh News & Observer, admitted in a recent column that she can't make pie crust or gravy. That one resonated with me: While I was raised in a cooking family, I hit a point in early adulthood when I realized I couldn't make either of those things, either. Teaching myself to do it is what led me to realize I wanted to become a food writer. Today, Andrea shares the story of two readers who invited her into their kitchens to learn. Pie crust and gravy are Thanksgiving basics, but they are also the kinds of foods that teach you about cooking everything else.
Could trans fats go away? And is that a good thing, or will it just open the door to even worse things in processed food production? In my column today, I puzzle through this latest development.
The Charlotte beer scene continues to grow. In his Beer Here column, Daniel Hartis covers the opening of the two newest breweries, D9 and Unknown.
Yes, it's time to start planning your Thanksgiving dinner. Here's a countdown that might help.
Remember the Pillsbury Bake-Off? It's still a popular event -- and that $1 million prize doesn't hurt. Here's this year's winner and the winning recipe.
And elsewhere in our food pages:
Maple-glazed Brussels sprouts.
Cranbury Curd Bars.
2-Serving Slow Cooker Pot Roast.
Smoked Fish Dips.
Snapper With Orange Sauce for 2.
Find all that and more in today's food coverage, at www.charlotteobserver.com/food.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Yes, it's fall food . . . and more
Today in food coverage:


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Friday, May 22, 2020:
We are officially back!
It's been a long 9 weeks and we cannot wait to see all of our loyal and supportive patients back in our office! We are currently working with a more limited schedule than before, so please be patient as we navigate through this, together.
There are a few key changes we've made to our appointment protocol to ensure we are maintaining social distancing and following strict COVID-19 health and safety protocols - for you AND for us.
And of course, all rooms will be heavily disinfected immediately after you leave just as we have always done prior to the pandemic. We will place a major focus on high-contact areas such as chairs, doorknobs, counter tops, mirrors and more.
Watch us take you through what your next appointment will look like:
We are still continuing to conduct Virtual Consultations if you prefer a quicker and no-contact experience.
Thank you for your continued support and we can't wait to see you again!
Kindest Regards,,
Dr. Elbert, Dr. Jacqueline and staff at Cheng Plastic Surgery


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April last year saw Rhuari McAulay finally drive home the car he'd waited 16 months to arrive. It would be his first modern, high performance Volkswagen and it was a treat to himself after an intense open-heart surgery operation one-year prior.
His 2012 Golf R was one he had to own and, of course, the story starts with an enthusiast planning to "keep it stock and enjoy it." But we all know how that goes...
Rhuari (pronounced Rory) works at a bodyshop in Vancouver, BC. He's loved VWs forever and travels to shows, events and gatherings whenever he can.
Living in Vancouver places him in close proximity to one of the best-known VW tuners in the world; HPA Motorsports. Highly regarded for its all-wheel drive and twin-turbo VR6 conversions, HPA fills all the gaps from mild to wild.
So while the Golf R was a departure from its traditional VR6 roots, company owner Marcel Horn realized it was an important car and looked for one as a testbed for some development parts.
Not only was Rhuari fortunate enough to be selected to receive these parts but Marcel had decided to take just four days to prepare his car in time for our 2012 european car Tuner GP (EC 2/13).
He called the setup "get fast quick", turning a four-door hatch into a genuine track contender. But don't be fooled: while the kit isn't excessively technical, it's not something you could do in your driveway in three hours either, despite Marcel's assertion it's a DIY conversion.
Drawing on existing developments by long-time German tuning partner, HGP Turbo, HPA took a Garrett GT30-71/76 turbo and mated it with its own prototype exhaust manifold, high-flow fuel injectors and low-compression head spacer. These were paired with a new high-pressure fuel pump and front-mount intercooler to breathe new life into the 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
In fact, during the dyno day at our Tuner GP the car put down 392hp to the wheels at 6700rpm, with 350 lb-ft at 5000rpm. With the boost set at 26.5psi, it was a whisker shy of the 410hp HPA had predicted but a healthy increase over the stock 256hp at the crank.
Undoubtedly, some of that increase was thanks to the stainless downpipe and mid-pipe with 100-cell cat employed to keep the system free-flowing. The quad-chamber bypass exhaust is a work of art and the subsequent sound is somewhere between a vicious growl and an air compressor purge, depending on RPM.
Keeping the power in check is a Stage 3+ Spec clutch, transferring drive to a set of gorgeous 19x8.5" BBS CH-R Titanium wheels and the 235/35 Continental ExtremeContact DW tires that were specified for participation in our Tuner GP.
Of course, the build wouldn't be complete without addressing how the car rotates into corners, so KW Clubsport coilovers were fitted to provide road manners and track-day prowess.
Inevitably, the Golf R's Haldex AWD system could benefit from some tweaking, so HPA added a Haldex Gen4 Competition controller. This was designed to transfer more power to the rear wheels, reacting faster and more aggressively than the factory unit. Say goodbye to understeer!
This R stops, too. HPA partnered with Baer brakes to produce a line of European big brake kits utilizing Baer calipers. The R comes to a halt with six-piston calipers up front, clamping 355mm rotors with factory rear calipers and slotted rotors.
The result of the engine and chassis mods was a best lap time around the Streets of Willow circuit of 1:32.035 during the Tuner GP. However, it was achieved with some rather worn tires as the result of intensive set-up laps during the morning practice sessions. There's no doubt they needed a little more time in the car and fresh tires but it represents a valiant attempt for a car that was only completed a few days prior.
So, while no area was skipped in the build, HPA laid out a clear path to transforming your R into a badass street car that's equally at home on the track or in the passing lane.
No, it's not a simple weekend project, but it's not a built motor with standalone engine management, either. Rhuari's car represents a happy medium, and you know he was happy to discover he got to keep all the parts except the turbo... but we're pretty sure HPA has another on its shelf if he decided he can't live without its Tuner GP spec.
2012 VW Golf R
Rhuari McAulay
Vancouver, Canada
Engine 2.0-liter four-cylinder TSI 16v with HPA GT30-71/76 turbo, head spacer, prototype intake manifold, high-flow fuel injectors, high-pressure fuel pump, front-mount intercooler, downpipe, mid-pipe with 100-cell cat, exhaust bypass system
Drivetrain six-speed manual transmission, Spec stage 3+ clutch, Haldex Gen4 Competition controller
Brakes HPA/Baer six-piston calipers, 355mm rotors f, slotted stock rotors r
Suspension KW Clubsport coilovers
Wheels & Tires 19x8.5" BBS CH-R Titanium wheels, 235/35 R19 Continental ExtremeContact DW tires
Exterior Badgeless grille, hood notch filled
Interior rear seat delete
Contact HPA Motorsports (hpamotorsports.com)


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Congratulations to Dauphine Press fans Julie Roszkowski and Andrea&Marcus (of@AndreaAndMarcus). You just won our second of four fan drawings leading up to the National Stationery Show! A set of three foil notebooks will be coming your way soon. For the rest of you, we will be doing 2 more fan drawings (each Wednesday through 5/11). Please tell your friends to be sure to follow us on twitter and click the "like" button on our Facebook page.
Thank you so much for your continued support!
Today's photo is from the amazing www.confettisystem.com.