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So you've lost a loved one recently, and everything for the past couple weeks has been kind of a blur, and you're only just now cluing in to the fact that you've got a plant in your home that wasn't there before, and you're wondering what you're supposed to be doing to take care of it.
We'll get to that, but first let me just say I am genuinely sorry. Not that I know you, not that I knew them, but still. Everybody pretty much agrees that death is confusing and painful and hard. The universe is often appallingly stupid that way. I can't do much about this except sympathize, which I do, and help you deal with the plant, which I will. So.
Often, florists place plants in plastic-lined baskets, or wrap the pot in colored foil. The purpose is to make the plant more attractive by hiding the plain plastic pot the plants are grown in, and catch any water that drains out of the plant when it is watered, so it doesn't wet carpet or tabletops or whatever. However, this is a very bad thing for the long-term health of the plant. If your plant is in foil, remove the foil and throw it away. Plastic plant saucers are available to protect carpet or furniture, if you need them, or you can use a plate or a plastic lid or whatever. (I use plant saucers at home.)
If your plant is in a plastic-lined basket, you can either remove the basket (my preference) or place something (like a brick) in the bottom of the basket to raise the pot up, so that when you water the plant, it won't have to stand in the water that drains out. The latter is probably a temporary solution: usually the plastic is pretty flimsy, and tears sooner or later, and then the water leaks out anyway.
The reason this is important is, although all plants need water, the roots also need oxygen. The soil of a plant that stands in water will be waterlogged, which prevents air from reaching the roots. If the roots die because they're too wet, then they can't take up water for the rest of the plant, which means that the rest of the plant also dies, sooner or later. (Worse: when the roots die back and the plant is unable to take up more water, the plant often wilts, which a lot of people think means that the plant is too dry, so then they dump more water in.)
Gift plants may also be planted in decorative pots lacking drainage holes; if you receive such a plant, you need to repot it into a pot that can drain. (There are plenty of attractive options with drainage holes out there.) It's technically possible to grow plants successfully in pots that lack drainage holes, but it's much harder to know how much water you're adding and how much is there already, so it's very easy to overwater and end up with a waterlogged plant.
For anything after this, it becomes important to know what plant(s) you have. Florists tend to use the same things over and over as condolence plants, leaning heavily on those of a certain size, usually with rounded leaves (sharp, pointy, jagged shapes are apparently considered unsettling), and a shape that isn't too unusual or dramatic. Normally, it's a single kind of plant, but occasionally dish gardens, with multiple plant species potted together, may be sent. Since there's such heavy reliance on the same plants over and over again, there's a pretty good chance that I can guess what you have without having to see it. Here are the usual suspects.
Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum cvv.) are the king of condolence plants, I suspect mainly because of their common name. Plants vary in size and color but always have white flowers, held above the tops of the leaves. Read about how to take care of peace lilies at the Spathiphyllum cvv. profile.
The other very common condolence plant in my personal experience is the rubber tree, Ficus elastica, particularly the variety 'Burgundy,' which is actually nearly black. Read about how to take care of rubber trees at the Ficus elastica profile.
Chinese evergreens (Aglaonema cvv.) have fairly large leaves, patterned in varying shades of gray, silver, and green. There are many varieties, which differ in size, color, or patterning. A few new varieties are being introduced which have pink, red, orange, or yellow in the leaves as well, though the green/gray varieties are still much more common. Read about how to take care of Chinese evergreens at the Aglaonema cvv. profile.
Dumb canes, or dieffenbachias (Dieffenbachia spp.) are similar to Chinese evergreens, but tend to be white or yellow where a Chinese evergreen would be gray or silver. They are also poisonous, and are not a good choice if you have pets or children who might chew on the leaves by accident. Read about how to take care of dieffenbachias at Part II of the Dieffenbachia cvv. profile, and learn about their toxicity and history in Part I.
Crotons (Codiaeum variegatum) are very diverse. Leaves can be nearly any color (red, orange, yellow, green, dark purple, white) and shape ("leaf-shaped," long and skinny, nearly round, threadlike), with spots and streaks all over. They can be kept as long-term houseplants, but they're more demanding than the others on the list. Read about how to take care of crotons at the Codiaeum variegatum profile.
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is an atypical funeral plant; florists usually stay away from trailing plants for these situations, because of the possibility that the vines will be stepped on. One sometimes sees specimens that have been trained to climb a post in the center of the pot, though, and it's a common addition to group plantings. Pothos is a very robust indoor plant that does well for most people. Several varieties are available, with white, gray, or yellow variegation. Read about how to take care of pothos at the Epipremnum aureum profile.
Small specimens of the above plants are also frequently used in mixed containers. Some other common small plants for dish gardens are below.
English ivy (Hedera helix) is a trailing plant that I haven't written about much yet. I don't have a lot of experience with this plant, because what experience I have is pretty uniformly bad. Does best in a cool, humid spot with bright light but no direct sun. They're sensitive to dry soil, so don't let them get overly dry. English ivy is also very prone to spider mite infestations.
Heart-leaf philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) is another trailer. It looks a lot like pothos, but they really are different. I have written a post about how to tell the difference between heart-leaf philodendron and pothos here, and the profile for Philodendron hederaceum is here.
Parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) is another plant I haven't written about very much, due to bad experiences with them. Care is basically the same as for English ivy, but unlike English ivy, they prefer warmer temperatures.
Arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum) will eventually trail, but the plants used in dish gardens are usually small juvenile plants, which have an upright habit. The Syngonium podophyllum profile is here.
Baby rubber plant (Peperomia obtusifolia) is a plant I actually like, but haven't written about yet. They do best with some direct sun, but will survive fine in bright indirect light (the variegation may not be as intense, though). Let them get fairly dry between thorough waterings. Plants will suffer if exposed to extreme temperatures (above 90F/32C or below 60F/16C). Despite the name, they are a different species from rubber trees, and aren't actually "baby" anything: that's a full-grown, if young, plant in the picture.
Madagascar dragon tree (Dracaena marginata) is a very common dish garden plant, which I talk about in its profile.
Ribbon dracaena (Dracaena sanderiana) is the same species as "lucky bamboo," but the variety used in dish gardens is almost always variegated. I find them hard to kill, and also hard to make interesting or attractive, as a separate plant. The profile for Dracaena sanderiana is here.
Nerve plant (Fittonia albivenis) is a small, attractive plant with veins that can be white, pink, or red. They shouldn't be allowed to dry out (they'll wilt dramatically, but will revive if watered -- most of the time), and prefer high humidity. Some sun is okay, but they're happy with bright indirect light too. Temperatures should always be at or above 60F/16C. Fittonias are easiest to grow in terrariums. The profile for Fittonia albivenis is here.
Pineapple dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig Compacta'), like all of the Dracaena deremensis varieties, is a tough plant that handles neglect well. Though 'Janet Craig' is a different, larger variety, most of what is said in the Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig' profile also applies to 'Janet Craig Compacta.'
Friendship plant (Pilea involucrata) is much like Fittonia -- it would be happier in a terrarium, though if you water when the soil is moderately dry and give it decent light (bright, but not necessarily sun), and keep the temperature above 60F/16C, it's fairly easy to grow.
Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura cvv.) is so named because the leaves change position during the day: they're horizontal during the day and vertical at night. See the Maranta leuconeura erythroneura profile here.
Polka-dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) is a fast-growing, weedy plant with leaves covered in white, pink, or red polka dots, hence the name. It needs a lot of maintenance but isn't hard to keep alive. The Hypoestes phyllostachya profile is here.
Umbrella tree refers to two different species in the genus Schefflera, but only S. arboricola is a common dish garden plant. Some varieties have white or yellow variegation. They do best when allowed to get almost completely dry between thorough waterings, and should be kept above 50F/10C. Scheffleras are prone to spider mites, particularly if grown in direct sun in a room with dry air; they don't mind bright indirect light, though.
If you have received a plant you are unable to identify from this list, I'll do my best to identify it and direct you to good care information if you can e-mail me a photo at email@example.com (remove the three 7s from the address first; they're there to foil spambots).
You may also wish to read:
Funeral Plants, part I (for the senders)
The Ten Houseplant Commandments: covers most of the basic mistakes people make with houseplants.
Repotting Questions (With Answers!) Part I and II: covers how, when, and why to repot.
How Often Should I Water This?: about watering plants on a strict schedule, and why you shouldn't do it.
Caring For Unknown Tropical Plants: what to do with houseplants you can't identify.


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Like it or not, disasters happen – and they do not discriminate.
Natural disasters are larger, more frequent and more violent than ever before in our nation's history. Combine this with our very unstable economical, political and global economy, and the scene is set for very unpredictable events. If your plan is to depend on local or federal government to save you in the event of a large scale natural or man-made disaster, then you are planning to be a victim. History repeatedly tells us that all public safety systems are overwhelmed during large scale disasters, no matter how well their intentions may be. You must be prepared to provide you and your family with basic human survival needs should a disaster come knocking at your front door.
Oftentimes, a disaster will threaten the safety of you and your family in your own home. Suddenly, staying at home and "hunkering down" is no longer the safest decision. To stay alive, the best decision may be to leave. The buzz term for this decision is "bugging out." The one thing you don't want to forget on the way out the front door is your bug out bag.
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Get Creek Stewart's "Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag," your guide to making a 72-hour disaster survival kit, from the WND Superstore!
Bug out bag: Defined
TRENDING: God's plan: Save America by destroying current government
A bug out bag is a self-contained kit designed to get you through at least 72 hours of independent survival while on the journey to your destination, often called a bug out location.
Bug out bags should contain a wide variety of survival supplies and tools. In this article, I will discuss the most important 4 categories, which I call the core four. They are shelter, water, fire and food.
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These four categories are based loosely on what's known as the three survival rules of three: In extreme conditions, you can live for three hours without shelter, three days without water and three weeks without food.
In extreme conditions, shelter can be (and often is) your No. 1 priority. Humans can die in as little as three hours (or less) in extreme cold or hot conditions. There have been countless instances of hypothermia in temperatures as high as 50 degrees. Combine water, wind and cold temps and you have a recipe for death. Even if you pack a lightweight tent in your bug out bag, the knowledge and supplies to construct a quick tarp or poncho shelter as a wind or rain break can save your life.
Your main shelter system might get damaged, lost or stolen. Backup solutions to critical supply categories are important because nothing is guaranteed. Even an emergency survival blanket can be a life-saving shelter solution in a pinch.
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When prepping a bug out bag, you must include three liters of fresh drinking water in three separate containers.
Disasters (both man-made and natural) can decimate fresh drinking water supplies. During and following almost every disaster, local water facilities are often off grid, and well pumps will stop working once the electricity goes out. Combine this with failing sanitation facilities, and you've got a recipe for a shortage of drinking water.
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One of your three containers should be a metal water bottle, just in case you need to boil more water for purification. In addition, a light-weight backpacking style water filter is highly recommended. This gives you the option of quickly and safely sourcing more water on your journey from A to B.
I can't say enough about the importance of fire starting supplies in a bug out bag. A bug out bag without a guaranteed way to start a fire is incomplete.
Fire is a tool that can be used to regulate your core body temperature and stave off hypothermia in cold weather environments. It can dry wet clothes and heat rocks for radiant heat while you sleep. It can provide light in dark conditions and can boost the morale of those who become emotionally exhausted. Fire can also boil and disinfect your No.1 life-saving resource – water. In addition, it can heat and cook your meals.
Your fire kit should be comprised of two components: 1) An ignition device and 2) Fire-starting tinder. In addition to a few cigarette lighters, pack an all-weather ferro rod that can be used to ignite tinder in nearly any condition. Cotton balls mixed with petroleum jelly are my favorite fire starting tinder. They are cheap and easy to make and burn upwards of 10 minutes. Pack these items in a water-tight case.
Bug out bag food needs to be easy to prepare, light-weight, have a long shelf-life and be packed with calories. Some food products make better candidates than others, and these must be carefully and strategically selected – every ounce of weight and every calorie counts. With that said, this isn't 5-Star dining – it's survival food to get you through an uncertain time and place.
I suggest packing high-calorie energy bars. They are "open and eat" meals that don't require valuable resources to prepare and eat – and they fit all the requirements listed above. You can easily survive a 72-hour bug out with a handful of energy bars. Many people overcomplicate the food category. Keep it simple!
This has been a very brief discussion of the top four bag supply categories. There are 12 categories in total. If you haven't yet prepared your own personal bug out bag, consider purchasing my book, "Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag," through the WND Superstore. Don't wait until after a catastrophe to build your kit. Peace of mind is priceless.
As with any critical bug out supply category, what works for you may not be the best solution for the next guy and vice versa. Selecting gear is only the first step, and it is very personal – there are no right or wrong answers.
Mother Nature and mankind can be brutal and merciless adversaries. It's important that now, during moments of peace and normality, that you invest the necessary time into selecting gear that will withstand the conditions that only a bug out situation can present.
Remember, it's not IF, but WHEN.

subset: commoncrawl


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Heading into my interview with Ryan Gavin, senior director of product management for Windows Live, my opinion of Windows Live as either as a brand or a product group wasn't high. While there had been some exceptions (Windows Live Skydrive evolved quite nicely), the brand seemed diluted and unfocused.
After spending some time with Gavin and test-driving Microsoft's Wave 3 of Windows Live software, my opinion has been... upgraded. According to Gavin, Microsoft's goal with Windows Live is not to compete directly with the likes of Facebook or Myspace by creating a social network of its own, but instead to offer users a single synchronization point where people can go to manage their entire group of social networks. Company CEO Steve Ballmer highlighted Microsoft's new partnership with Facebook during his keynote this year, and that deal is meant to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Integration, integration, integration
Microsoft's decision to focus on integrating online content is a smart move given the plethora of competing networks already slugging it out for time and attention. Historically, when Microsoft has talked about adopting "open standards" or partnering with potential competitors, it has been part of the company's "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish" approach to market dominance. When it comes to Windows Live, however, Redmond seems devoted to building a framework rather than a proprietary trap.
Main page. This is where updates are posted and general information displayed. It can already interface with Facebook (though I've not enabled that here). The interface as presented here is remarkably simple by Microsoft standards—I'd go so far as to call it clean.
Windows Live Mail. The "Add an e-mail account" is displayed by default; the system interfaces happily with any number of other e-mail services once appropriate information is provided.
Windows Live Writer. When first run, the program asks if you'd like to create a blog through Windows Live, or if you already have a blog at a different location.
Blog posts can be posted simultaneously to multiple services; the program interface itself is clean and easily parsed. I can't comment on how it directly compares to other services like WordPress, but at least offering the ability to access these services from a central location is a nice touch. In the past, we've only typically seen software that seriously tried to build bridges between multiple clients from third parties (Trillian and Pidgin are easy examples). With Windows Live, Microsoft seems to be turning in a new direction.
Microsoft has emphasized that Windows Live Essentials will not ship installed by default with Windows 7; OEMs (and presumably customers) can decide whether or not they want systems with the software package. As for the software itself, these are programs I can actually see myself using, and that's not something I regularly say about Microsoft's "value-added" products.


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Contractor S.D. Ireland Companies has begun construction on the 1929 Kingsbury iron bridge, located on Route 100 in Warren.
The cost of the project is $3,522,363.
Currently, the construction crew is preparing the site to install a temporary (or "Mabey") bridge just downstream of the existing structure through which traffic will be rerouted while the crew works on installing the permanent pony truss replacement.
According to Jim LaCroix, project manager for the structures division of the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), the temporary bridge should be in place by mid-December of this year.
The temporary bridge is being constructed about 50 feet to the west of the northern end of the bridge and about 100 feet to the west of the southern end of the bridge. The southern entrance of the temporary bridge will be on town of Warren land near Sugarbush's snowmaking pond field/parking area.
Once it is built, the crew will work on rerouting the road through it, and during this time—depending on equipment use—Route 100 may alternate between one- and two-way traffic. Once the reroute is complete, the temporary bridge will have 24/7 two-way traffic.
Construction crews will work intermittently throughout the winter on disassembling the existing bridge and preparing the site for its permanent replacement. The replacement should be installed by October 25, 2013.
The new permanent bridge will be a prefabricated truss bridge. The exact shape and geometry of the bridge will be determined by the prefabricator but the state has specified a pony truss bridge with no top lateral braces.
The 1929 bridge will be removed next spring and although it has been offered to the public, LaCroix said that he didn't think there had been any takers. He said that typically the state will offer these aging historic truss bridges to the public and that they are sometimes used for non-vehicular traffic on bike and pedestrian paths.
If no one has a use for the Kingsbury bridge, it will be destroyed after the Agency of Transportation ensures that the bridge is properly photographed and documented for the state historic structures division.
After that, the temporary bridge will need to be removed and sent back to its rental company and the entire project should be completed by June 13, 2014.


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HelpDrivers offers drivers that support both currently shipping and obsolete scanners Canon, which are only available from this site.
To find a driver, utilities, manual, firmaware and BIOS for your Canon, select your scanners serie from the list above.
This site is designed to make your search as fast and efficient as possible.


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DUBLIN, Ohio, June 27, 2013. OCLC has signed new agreements with leading publishers around the world to add more books, e-books, journals, audiovisual materials and databases to WorldCat, the most comprehensive online database of resources available through libraries worldwide.
This new content will be integrated into library management workflows and will be discoverable by users through a variety of OCLC services, such as WorldCat Local and WorldCat.org.
OCLC negotiates access to critical content on behalf of the cooperative to ensure access to libraries' most popular resources. The following are among the new publishers that have signed agreements with OCLC since January 2013:
- 123Doc Education, based in London, UK, is a universal e-book supplier in the academic field (through 123library.org) and provides access to a database of thousands of medical exam preparation questions (123doc.com). 123library.org represents large international publishers such as Elsevier, Wiley Blackwell and Taylor & Francis and offers a fast-growing list of over 100,000 e-books for computers and tablets in both Web-based and downloadable formats.
- 3M_Library Systems, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, is an easy-to-use e-book lending system that expands libraries' services into wireless browsing, borrowing and Internet-free reading on most devices. 3M is working with OCLC's Contract Cataloging services for the creation and delivery of WorldCat records. Library customers can choose to receive WorldCat records for their titles and have their holdings set in WorldCat.
- Accessible Archives Inc., based in Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA, is adding five new databases. The additional 18th and 19th century primary source content will enrich the user experience for those looking for content in American history and culture.
- American Economic Association, based in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, is a leading economic research membership organization and publishes seven journals in economics.
- The Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), based in Clyde, North Carolina, USA, is an international, not-for-profit, educational organization with the mission of advancing information technology in education and e-learning research, development, learning and its practical application.
- Bentham Science, located in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates, is a major STM journal publisher of 116 online and print journals, more than 150 open access journals and related print/online book series. Bentham Science covers the fields of pharmaceutical, biomedical, medical, engineering, technology, computer and social sciences.
- CAIRN, based in Paris, France, is the collaboration of four publishing houses (Belin, De Boeck, La Découverte and Erès) that support the publication and distribution of over 330 journals in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
- Canadian Science Publishing (Publisher of the NRC Research Press journals), based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, covers a broad range of scientific disciplines and feature more than 2,000 articles each year. These award-winning, high-impact scientific and technical journals have an international readership in more than 175 countries.
- CSIC, based in Madrid, Spain, will offer metadata for the Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales del CSIC database.
- e-Libro, based in Miami, Florida, USA, provides nearly 60,000 Spanish-language academic e-books to libraries worldwide.
- Equinox Publishing, based in Sheffield, UK, publishes textbooks, anthologies, monographs and reference books in the areas of archaeology, linguistics, cultural history, religious studies, theology, biblical studies, cookery and popular music.
- Hindawi Publishing Corporation, based in Cairo, Egypt, and New York, USA, is a rapidly growing academic publisher with 517 peer-reviewed, open access journals covering a wide range of academic disciplines.
- Kluwer B.V., a division of Wolters Kluwer located in Deventer and Aalphen aan Rijn, the Netherlands, is the largest Dutch provider of legal information services and online content in all areas of Law and Finance.
- Library Ideas, Freading Service, based in Vienna, Virginia, USA, is a global media company focused on libraries. The company offers The Freading eBook Service as part of its developing product suite. Freading is a cost effective e-book solution for libraries, offering tens of thousands of titles with a great end-user experience. Library Ideas is working with OCLC Contract Cataloging services for the creation and delivery of WorldCat records. Library customers may choose to receive WorldCat records and have their holdings set in WorldCat.
- McGraw-Hill Education, based in New York, USA, combines proven, research-based content with the best emerging digital technologies to guide assessment, teaching and learning to achieve the best possible outcome for students, instructors and institutions.
- Medcom-Trainex, based in Cypress, California, USA, is a producer and distributor of print materials, videos and interactive CD-ROMS focusing on healthcare education for healthcare professionals, patients and the general public. Medcom-Trainex is the largest producer/distributor of nursing education video programs in North America. Medcom is working with OCLC Contract Cataloging services so that participating library customers may choose to receive WorldCat records and have their holdings set in WorldCat.
- The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, based in Hilversum, the Netherlands, has one of the largest audiovisual archives in Europe. The collection contains more than 750,000 hours of television, radio, music and film from 1898 to today.
- Nurimedia, based in Seoul, South Korea, will provide OCLC with three databases about Korean culture, history and education. These databases, DBpia, KRpia and Book Rail, represent a combined 80 million journal articles, 8,000 e-books and 1.3 million academic theses/papers.
- O'Reilly Media, based in Sebastopol, California, USA, spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines and conferences. An active participant in the technology community, O'Reilly publishes definitive books on computer technologies for developers, administrators and users. Bestselling series include the legendary "animal books," Missing Manuals, Hacks and Head First.
- Pearson Education, based in New York, USA, is a leading global education company in the areas of pre-K-12, Higher Education and professional development, and a prominent technology publisher.
- Project Muse, based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, is a leading provider of digital humanities and social sciences content and its electronic journal collections have supported a wide array of research needs at academic, public, special and school libraries worldwide.
- SAGE Publications (including CQ Press), based in Thousand Oaks, California, USA, is an independent publisher of journals, books and electronic media. SAGE is a world leader in scholarly, educational and professional markets. CQ Press, an imprint of SAGE Publications, based in Washington, DC, is the leading publisher of books, directories and Web products on American institutions and politics, federal and state government, current events and world affairs.
- Spandidos Publications, based in Athens, Greece and London, UK, is a leading journal publisher in oncology and the biomedical sciences field.
- Walter de Gruyter, based in Berlin, Germany, is a leading international publisher in the humanities and natural sciences. The scope of its publishing program includes theology and philosophy, biology and chemistry, linguistics and literature, mathematics and physics, history and archaeology, as well as law and medicine.
- Zeta Books, based in Bucharest, Romania, is an international publishing house specializing in the humanities.
New content and collections that have been added to WorldCat since January 2013 includes:
|ACP Journals
|American College of Physicians
|African American Study Centre
|Oxford University Press
|Afro-American Imprints, 1535-1922
|Berkeley ePress Digital Commons
|Berkeley Electronic Press
|British Academy Publications Online
|Oxford University Press
|Cassidy Cataloguing Records for Wolters Kluwer Intelliconnect
|Cassidy Cataloguing Services, Inc.
|Cassidy Records for Cataloguing LoisLaw Connect
|Cassidy Cataloguing Services, Inc.
|Chandos Publishing Online
|Chandos Publishing
|Expert Reviews
|Expert Reviews, Ltd.
|Future Medicine
|Future Medicine, Ltd.
|Future Science
|Future Science, Ltd.
|High School Collection
|Jones e-Global Library
|Higher Education Collection
|Jones e-Global Library
|Jewish Studies Collection
|Karger Books
|S. Karger
|Museo Galileo
|Museo Galileo
|Music Online Listening - Outside North America
|Alexander Street Press
|Music Online Listening Plus - Canada
|Alexander Street Press
|Music Online Listening Plus - Outside North America
|Alexander Street Press
|Oxford Bibliographies
|Oxford University Press
|Oxford Biblical Studies Online
|Oxford University Press
|Oxford Islamic Studies Online
|Oxford University Press
|Oxford Journals
|Oxford University Press
|Oxford Medicine Online
|Oxford University Press
|Oxford Scholarly Editions Online
|Oxford University Press
|Royal Society of Chemistry Books
|Royal Society of Chemistry
|Taiwan Academic Online
|Wordpedia.com Co., Ltd.
|Walter de Gruyter eBooks
|Walter de Gruyter GmbH
|Walter de Gruyter eJournals
|Walter de Gruyter GmbH
|Who was Who
|Oxford University Press
|Who's Who
|Oxford University Press
|Woodhead Publishing Online
|Woodhead Publishing
|World Scientific eBooks
|World Scientific Publishing Co.
About OCLC
Founded in 1967, OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing library costs. More than 74,000 libraries in 170 countries have used OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend, preserve and manage library materials. Researchers, students, faculty, scholars, professional librarians and other information seekers use OCLC services to obtain bibliographic, abstract and full-text information when and where they need it. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the world's largest online database for discovery of library resources. Search WorldCat on the Web at www.worldcat.org. For more information, visit www.oclc.org.


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Albert Pujols: Sign The Contract (Updated)
Seriously? Who's going to taunt him? Joe Mauer? A-Rod?
01 New York 19,171,09102 New York 19,171,09103 Los Angeles 12,981,19904 Los Angeles 12,981,19905 Chicago 9,645,49806 Chicago 9,645,49807 Boston 7,432,65508 Texas (D/FtW) 6,594,14509 Houston 6,008,27310 Philadelphia 5,996,00811 Florida (Miami) 5,592,35012 Washington 5,574,54613 Toronto 5,623,45014 Atlanta 5,564,84015 Arizona (Phx) 4,480,86516 Detroit 4,383,09317 SF-Oakland 4,375,47018 SF-Oakland 4,375,47019 Seattle 3,459,05920 Minnesota 3,302,01621 San Diego 3,088,31222 St.Louis 2,839,29223 Tampa Bay 2,764,53724 Baltimore 2,704,06025 Colorado 2,604,00626 Pittsburgh 2,354,52327 Cincinnati 2,185,14928 Cleveland 2,091,28629 Kansas City 2,067,58530 Milwaukee 1,559,667
18 Comments
Fantastic analysis. I also think Albert should just sign the contract and get this thing over with. A lot of money is a lot of money, even though he can get more, just take it.
– Anders (http://chisoxboy.mlblogs.com/)
I agree with your analysis, Keith, wholeheartedly. I would rather make less money and be happy, than make a mint and gain an ulcer to keep it company. But then I always kind of figured you weren't all about the money anyway. 🙂 By the way, yes – for some people money is an addiction, and greed becomes all-consuming. Look at some of the corporate heads out there. Some get so caught up with the collection of money that they don't enjoy life, because they have that nagging feeling of greed that tells them they need more, MORE MORE!! I don't have that bitter voice living inside my head, and my guess is you don't either. I'm grateful for that – on both counts.
Great analysis, Keith. Given the fact that no one really knows what the offers/counteroffers were, I hesitate to take sides — but if the reported offer is true, I am disappointed in Albert. Like you, I thought that he was both an exceptional ball player and an exceptional human being. I hope to be proven right on both counts.
Pujols and the Cardinals may have an under the table deal going on. Maybe they are purposefully NOT agreeing on a contract. That way, if the Cardinals are not in the race for the post season at the trade deadline, Pujols could be traded for prospects (and you could get a lot of talent in trade for Pujols). If they are in the race, then Pujols invokes his no trade clause and stays in St. Louis. Either way after the season Pujols would re-sign with the Cardinals as a free agent.
Spot on analysis and though I don't perceive Pujols as having a huge ego, I think that is what is driving his negotiation. It's not about the money, it's about how he should be looked at in MLB and his peers. Cliff Lee was just the opposite…..took less money to play where he is comfortable and where he feels he can be happy.
Yeah! Bring Pujols to Richmond!
I wrote a 2 part article on my blog (leanhrblog.com) about salary negotiations in general, but using Pujols as an example of how to do the work.
In the end, it's not about sentiment or "what he deserves." It's about the value he brings to the team and how much of that they should be willing to pay.
If his worth in revenue is $100M, and he wants to be paid $300M, it would be insane to do so. On the other hand, if he was worth $300M, and the team wanted him to take $100M, it would be equally inequitable.
None of us, I suspect, have access to the data to answer that question. But both sides in the negotiation do, and should be using that to reach a deal. Unless one side thinks they can create more value and therefore "win" without the other side. And without being in the room, it's hard to know which side that might be.
As a video editor for 30 years ( www. hdshotsandcuts.com ) and a FOK I decided to create a KO / Yankees music video for you for your private use and enjoyment. It is a token of appreciation for what you do. I was layed off and you provided both entertainment & inspiration during one of the most difficult years of my life( mom died, pet died and dad developed dementia). I would like to send you a DVD (Blu ray or regular). Please contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com. I think you will enjoy it! Please check out my web site if you have any qualms about this gift. It represents the kind of work I do and my "kosherness".
Tom Daigon
Avid DS / FCP/After Effects Editor
Great commentary, Keith– your observations are spot on. As a resident of the St. Louis area, I would hate to see Albert go elsewhere. Perhaps the best part of Pujols not having signed a contract is the incentive he will now have to play exceptionally well so that he can shop himself around to other teams at the end of the season. This could be a very good year for the Cardinals, indeed.
"And if you could perfectly place a franchise somewhere in Virginia . . . it would have a market . . . big enough that in theory the Cardinals could think about moving there." Bite your tongue! As a resident of St. Louis I've heard non-stop coverage on the radio and local news outlets for weeks. I no longer know what to believe, but it doesn't seem to be an acrimonious negotiation. As others have commented, I've been of the opinion that Pujols is less concerned with "whose is bigger" and more concerned with being happy, doing good works, and winning championships. I'm quite puzzled at why he's insisting on a ten year contract (if he really is). I'd love to see him committed to the Red Birds for the next 10 years, but who knows if he has 10 years left in him. As for the dollars, if the reported figures are accurate, what measure of security and what charitable work can he do with $300 million that he can't do with $200 million? And if he's tying up $30 million a year in a small market, what does that leave to sign other players that can help the team get that next championship? I've never thought of Albert as one of the knuckleheads of sports, but now I don't know what to think.
I guess the only part of your post I would disagree with is the mild assertion that if Albert doesn't sign for less and stay with the Cards, that he isn't an "exceptional human being".
Good question – Why is $25,000,000 not enough?
Because Pujols' ego and lack of humility want him to be paid more than A-Rod. Period. The same way that Jeter could not deal with being paid equal or less than AJ Burnett.
I wouldn't put much stock in what the guys on MLBN are saying on-air. I mean, I love watching Hot Stove as much as the next guy, but they're soaking in testosterone sitting on the set all day and love to talk big sometimes.
You're going to tell me Harold would have felt dissed had he been in Albert's position and offered a comparable salary increase to finish out his career in Seattle? Please.
As a Cubs fan, I want Albert to get every penny he can to lock up all that money in St. Louis so they can't spend big on anyone else for a decade! If not, then he can come to Chicago. 🙂
Finally a liberal standing up for the Corporation. After all when has a MLB team ever lied about their financial affairs and cried wolf about how much money they are losing. If you can't take an MLB team at their face value that an extra $5 million will bankrupt them, then who can you trust? After all, they've always been so forthright and willing to open their books…
Thank you Keith for siding with the multimultimulti-millionaire owner against the multimillionaire player. Picking a side in this battle was a good use of your time!
Additional notes:
1. I wonder what kind of negotiating strategy Keith used when he signed megabucks $7.5 mill/year from the "small-market" MSNBC. That made him the largest paid cable anchor. And he was being wooed by other stations at the time. Does his contract make Keith no longer "an exceptional human being?"
2. So why is Keith using population numbers to push their small market status in our face? Isn't the real question whether they can afford to pay Pujols? According to Forbes, their market is valued at $196 million. They are #8 most valuable team in baseball. They sold $94 million in tickets and filled over 80% of their seats. Since this mid-sized market (according to Forbes, not Keith) team consistently draws 3 million a year and has no competition from Kansas City in the near future, they can probably afford to sign Albert. Before you cry poverty on the owner's behalf, consider the team he bought for $150 million is now valued at $488 including a new stadium. That's 15% return annually in the past 15 years. Not exactly chump change growth in a recession.
Great analysis, Mr. O. For all the reasons you state I think that Albert should take the deal. But I also think that Albert should take the deal for the additional reason that it is probably the best deal that he is going to see.
A ten year deal to a player that is already 31 years old has to give pause to even the wealthiest of general managers in this league. Those last three, four, five, perhaps even six years could be excruciating as his body begins to deteriorate (some might say it has already begun to do so) and his skills begin to decline.
Do the Yankees want that deal, with an all-star quality player already at first, and a monumental contract for A.Rod already on the books?
Do the BoSox want that deal with another all star quality palyer already at first?
Do the Cubs want that deal after all the pain the they have dealt with with the Soriano deal?
The list of suitors willing an able to write that check is going to be very short.
Take the deal Albert, it may be the best you're going to get!
As a video editor for 30 years ( www. hdshotsandcuts.com ) and a FOK I decided to create a KO / Yankees music video for you for your private use and enjoyment. It is a token of appreciation for what you do. I was layed off and you provided both entertainment & inspiration during one of the most difficult years of my life( mom died, pet died and dad developed dementia). I would like to send you a DVD (Blu ray or regular). Please contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com. I think you will enjoy it! Please check out my web site if you have any qualms about this gift. It represents the kind of work I do and my "kosherness".
Tom Daigon
Avid DS / FCP/After Effects Editor
Your "market size" analysis is seriously flawed. The 366 Metro areas in the US are based on political boundaries, not on markets. For an MLB team, the potential market would consist of people living in a 90- to 120-minute radius. It's take me weeks to come up with a good table comparing size.
I suspect St. Louis wouldn't be at the bottom, though. They're 4th in average attendance. They obviously have no other MLB teams fighting over the same fans, and they must be easy to get to. Rather than fighting with the Orioles, the Nationals, and the Phillys for fans, wouldn't it make more sense to relocate to North Carolina, near the junction of I-40 and I-95? You'd have a huge 90-minute market with no local competition, and lots of corporate sponsors at Research Triangle Park.


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The highest rated 5* Security Plugin for WordPress
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Note: When you enable the plugin, the firewall is not automatically turned on. This plugin contains various different sections of
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This plugin should install as any other WordPress.org repository plugin.
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- Search: Shield
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A new menu item will appear on the left-hand side called 'Shield'.
Please see the dedicated help centre for details on features and some FAQs.
How does the Shield compare with other WordPress Security Plugins?
Easy – we're just better! 😉
Firstly, we don't modify a single core WordPress or web hosting file. This is important and explains why randomly you upgrade your security plugin and your site dies.
Ideally you shouldn't use this along side other Anti-SPAM plugins or security plugins. If there is a feature you need, please feel free to suggest it in the support forums.
My server has a firewall, why do I need this plugin?
This plugin is an application layer firewall, not a server/network firewall. It is designed to interpret web calls to your site to
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Any IP address that is on the whitelist will not be subject to any of the firewall processing. This setting takes priority over all other settings.
Does the IP Whitelist support IP ranges?
Yes. To specify a range you use CIDR notation. E.g. ABC.DEF.GHJ.KMP/16
I want to black list an IP address, where can I do that?
You can't. The plugin runs an automatic black list IP system so you don't need to maintain any manual lists.
I've locked myself out from my own site!
This happens when any the following 3 conditions are met:
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- you have enabled 2 factor authentication and email doesn't work on your site (and you haven't chosen the override option)
You can completely turn OFF (and ON) the Shield by creating a special file in the plugin folder.
Here's how:
- Open up an FTP connection to your site, browse to the plugin folder /wp-content/plugins/wp-simple-firewall/
- Create a new file in here called: "forceOff".
- Load any page on your WordPress site.
- After this, you'll find your Shield has been switched off.
If you want to turn the firewall on in the same way, create a file called "forceOn".
Remember: If you leave one of these files on the server, it will override your on/off settings, so you should delete it when you no longer need it.
Which takes precedence… whitelist or blacklist?
Whitelist. So if you have the same address in both lists, it'll be whitelisted and allowed to pass before the blacklist comes into effect.
What changes go into each version?
The changelog outlines the main changes for each release. We group changes by minor release "Series". Changes in smaller "point" releases are highlighted
using (.1) notation. So for example, version 4.4.1 will have changelog items appended with (.1)
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Yes! We actively develop our plugin on Github and the best thing you can do is submit pull request and bug reports which we'll review.
How does the pages/parameters whitelist work?
It is a comma-separated list of pages and parameters. A NEW LINE should be taken for each new page name and its associated parameters.
The first entry on each line (before the first comma) is the page name. The rest of the items on the line are the parameters.
The following are some simple examples to illustrate:
edit.php, featured
On the edit.php page, the parameter with the name 'featured' will be ignored.
admin.php, url, param01, password
Any parameters that are passed to the page ending in 'admin.php' with the names 'url', 'param01' and 'password' will
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*, url, param, password
Putting a star first means that these exclusions apply to all pages. So for every page that is accessed, all the parameters
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How does the login cooldown work?
When enabled the plugin will prevent more than 1 login attempt to your site every "so-many" seconds. So if you enable a login cooldown
of 60 seconds, only 1 login attempt will be processed every 60 seconds. If you login incorrectly, you wont be able to attempt another
login for a further 60 seconds.
More Info: https://shsec.io/2t
How does the GASP Login Guard work?
This is best described on the blog
How does the 2-factor authentication work?
I'm getting an update message although I have auto update enabled?
The Automatic (Background) WordPress updates happens on a WordPress schedule – it doesn't happen immediately when an update is detected.
You can either manually upgrade, or WordPress will handle it in due course.
How can I remove the WordPress admin footer message that displays my IP address?
You can add some custom code to your functions.php exactly as the following:
add_filter( 'icwp_wpsf_print_admin_ip_footer', '__return_false' );
How can I change the text/html in the Plugin Badge?
Use the following filter and return the HTML/Text you wish to display:
add_filter( 'icwp_shield_plugin_badge_text', 'your_function_to_return_text' );
How can I change the roles for login notification emails?
Use the following filter and return the role in the function:
add_filter( 'icwp-wpsf-login-notification-email-role', 'your_function_to_return_role' );
Possible options are: network_admin, administrator, editor, author, contributor, subscriber
Shield Security: Powerful All-In-One Protection はオープンソースソフトウェアです。以下の人々がこのプラグインに貢献しています。貢献者
The full Shield Changelog can be viewed from our home page:
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Project Description
Silver bowl
During one long dark night of mischief and revelry, the fairies rode on the backs of colourful birds into the human world. They stole a beautiful human baby girl from it's cradle and swapped it with a fairy changeling called Síofra. The human child was brought up by the fairies while Síofra grew up in the human world. However, both found it hard to adapt and become discontented and wearisome to everyone around them. Upset with the conditions of their lives, they both wanderred from their homes. The human girl came across her old house whereupon her mother immediately recognized her and welcomed her home. Síofra spent her days in the forest learning to speak with the birds who revealed her magical powers to her. She was eventually accepted back into the kingdom of fairies.


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When Nvidia came out with the GTX 660 Ti, there were some murmurs that there was going to be a GTX 660 variant card as well. When we asked Nvidia about the existence of such a card, we were told that it would be an OEM only card. However, today, we can clearly see that the GTX 660 is not an OEM card, but rather a fully blown retail card.
The GTX 660 SC from EVGA is based upon Nvidia?s GTX 660 GPU which is actually Nvidia?s first GK-106 based graphics card for desktops. All of the past cards have all been GK-104 based and Nvidia is also releasing the GT-650 which will be based on GK-107, which is Nvidia?s slowest Kepler based GPU. Remembering that GK-100 and GK-110 are going to be Nvidia?s flagship cards (one or the other) and then GK-104 the mid-to-high range cards and GK-106 the midrange and the GK-107 the bottom.
The point of the GTX 660 is really to fill the niche that Nvidia has left empty for quite some time for gamers. Most gamers have been watching Nvidia release all of these Kepler cards without being able to afford most of them as they have consistently been above the $300 price point. The 15 year old version of me would have never been able to go out and build my own computer if sub-$300 graphics cards did not exist. As such, Nvidia?s desire to release a sub-$300 graphics card for the mainstream gamer really makes a lot of sense. The EVGA GTX 660 SC is a slightly overclocked version of the reference clocks of the GTX 660 with an almost recycled cooler from the GTX 660 Ti.
The difference between the GTX 660 and GTX 660 Ti is surprisingly drastic, more so than we would have thought when thinking logically. The truth is that the price difference between the two models is about $100, which is unlike anything we have ever seen from Nvidia before. We are not entirely sure this is a good move on Nvidia?s part, but we believe this is the only way Nvidia is able to cope with AMD?s relatively competitive price cuts.
The Card and Accessories
With the GTX 660 SC, EVGA went pretty minimal in terms of accessories and packaging. They went with a smaller box than they did with the GTX 660 Ti, and they also went for much simpler packaging. In addition to the smaller box and simpler packaging, EVGA also included fewer accessories knowing that fewer accessories were necessary for a video card that only uses a single 6-pin PCIe power adapter.
When it comes to the card itself, this card looks very similar to the GTX 660 Ti, however the GPU and power adapters are not the same. The single power adapter on the GTX 660 vs the dual power adapters on the GTX 660 Ti means that the GTX 660 is a less power consuming graphics card and doesn?t necessarily need the full 150w supplied by the PCIe slot and a single 6-pin 12v power adapter. The GTX 660 Ti actually only needs 150w, however, because it could hit 150w Nvidia opted for two 6-pin 12v. Generally speaking, this card should draw up to 130w, but will more likely draw up to 127w.
From left to right: GTX 660 SC, GTX 660 Ti SC, HD 7870 and GTX 680
From Left to Right: HD 7870, GTX 660 Ti SC, GTX 660 SC, GTX 680
The EVGA GTX 660 SC is a 2GB card with a 192-bit memory interface. The base clock of the GTX 660 is 980 MHz, however, the GTX 660 SC has a base clock of 1046 MHz and a boost clock of 1111 MHz. Also note that this card only has one SLI finger on it, which means that the maximum you can do in terms of SLI is just two-way SLI and not three way or four way.
When it comes to benchmarks we decided to do a blend of synthetics, game and real world GPGPU benchmarks.
Synthetics ? 3DMark 11
When it comes to 3DMark 11, we really don?t expect to get much other than raw numbers that generally depend upon the driver?s latest release. Admittedly, this is one of the most synthetic benchmarks out there, but it does still measure graphical performance. Looking at our results, the GTX 660 SC out performs the HD 7870 while slower than the GTX 660 Ti, which is to be expected.
Synthetics ? PCMark7
With PCMark7 we don?t expect the scores to deviate much, however, since this test is supposed to be an overall system benchmark we can still see the effect of switching GPUs. Interestingly, in PCMark7, the GTX 660 SC loses against the AMD HD7870 and the GTX 660 Ti.
Synthetics ? Unigine Heaven 3.0
In Unigine Heaven 3.0 we run the benchmark at the absolute maximum settings in order to create the largest performance scenario and to show the biggest performance deltas. With the GTX 660, we saw the GTX 660 unsurprisingly performing slower than the GTX 660 Ti. Unfortunately, we had an issue with Unigine Heaven 3.0 and our HD 7870 so we weren?t able to test the card in time for this review.
Game ? Battlefield 3
In Battlefield 3, a game which we consider to be the most vendor agnostic, we saw the GTX 660 SC losing to the AMD HD 7870 in terms of performance and actually being the slowest card that we tested in this game to date.
Game ? Counter Strike: Global Offensive
From what we?ve seen in the past, CS:GO tends to be favored by AMD graphics cards and AMD?s graphics cards tend to outperform the NVIDIA cards by a pretty significant margin. Even though, we must admit that both cards are playing in th
e hundreds of frames per second and the difference is relatively minute. In this case, the GTX 660 SC did not perform the worst out of all of our cards, however it still did underperform when compared against the AMD HD 7870.
Real World GPGPU ? Elcomsoft EWSA
Since we?ve been seeing an increase in the importance of GPGPU in today?s world we?ve decided that we wanted to include a real world GPGPU test of both AMD and Nvidia graphics cards. Elcomsoft?s WSA or Wireless Security Advisor uses the power of your GPU to help crack the password of a wireless router. Different GPUs accelerate this program differently depending on their design, speed, and architecture.
Looking at our results, it appears that AMD?s HD 7970 is without a doubt the clear winner against all of the Nvidia cards. But if you look at Nvidia?s cards overall, the performance delta between all of the cards is narrower than it is with AMD. But once again, the AMD HD 7870 is still faster than the GTX 660 SC as it appears to be the case with most of our graphics cards.
When it came to overclocking this card, we were actually very disappointed because we were expecting the card would be a very high overclocking due to being GK-106 and generally being a high clocked card. Part of the reason why we believe that the GTX 660 SC is not the best overclocker on earth is because the card is already overclocked almost 200MHz over the stock GTX 660 clocks as well as being limited to 150w of power. The card itself will draw up to 127w at the stock 980 MHz, however, this card is running at 1046.
As such, we weren?t really able to get much out of this card as we were only able to squeeze out a boost clock of 1243 MHz or an additional overclock of almost 100MHz, which we find disappointing considering all of the other Kepler GPUs that we overclocked so well in the past. Our expectations for this card were that it would overclock really well and provide a great value for users at $229, but this does not seem to be true. Unfortunately, this card really has a real potential for power but it lacks the power necessary to really be an impressive overclocker. We understand Nvidia?s desire to make this card more popular and accessible regardless of power supply, but we believe that they may have sacrificed overclocking at the cost of having one PCIe 6-pin connector.
The EVGA GTX 660 SC is without a doubt a very nice card at $229, the one thing that you must consider, however, is that AMD?s HD 7870 has been cut to the price of $249 from $299. Obviously, AMD?s price cuts have been in response to Nvidia?s release of the GTX 670 and GTX 660 Ti which have forced AMD?s hand. Based upon our findings, though, the GTX 660 SC is placed at about the right price in order to be competitive with the HD 7870. Even though we were hoping it would be more competitive with the HD 7870, it seems reasonable to believe that the HD 7870 was never intended to be sold at the GTX 660 SC?s price point until Nvidia introduced the GTX 660 at ~$200 with custom cards like the GTX 660 SC at $229. For $20 more, you can get the HD 7870 over the GTX 660 SC, but the truth is that it is almost a 10% price increase which likely does not justify the price increase because the performance differential is not that great.
Unfortunately for EVGA and NVidia, we have decided to not give this card an award not because it is not a good card, but rather because we do not consider it to be the best choice unless you want to spend less than $250 on a graphics card. Most people, however, work within either $200 or $300, so the HD 7870 would be a better choice in the sub $300 scenario. It also isn?t innovating in any drastic way and we do not believe that this is our favorite or recommended card considering the overclocking capability, or lackthereof.


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Some people make the decision to do the work, make the push, strive for more... kind of like "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" While others make the decision to live off the fruits of others, push for as much benefits as they can get from the public coffers, and strive for an even larger nanny state.
I agree with much of cxt's comments, but still worry about the plight of the children. I don't think that DSS, foster-care, or orphanages are the answer. It is truly a tough issue. Private sector charitable solutions in this area are probable the place to look.
Bill Glasheen wrote:But you know... the waitresses were all UVa students. And one night, the evening (female) manager asked me over for a glass of wine. She was lonely, and wanted some company...
There's ALWAYS a silver lining - if you look for it - in every situation.
You forgot the and the ... So, I thought I'd help by adding them for you!


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One of Disney Channel's most beloved stars -- Selena Gomez -- and one of its most successful series ever, the multiple Emmy Award and BAFTA-winning "Wizards of Waverly Place," are set to return in an exciting new television event that begins production next month in Los Angeles. Ms. Gomez, an actress and platinum-selling recording artist, will executive-produce and also star along with Jake T. Austin, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals-Barrera, David DeLuise and Gregg Sulkin, who reprise the roles they made popular. The one hour television event is scheduled for premiere in early 2013.
Selena Gomez will join Radio Disney's Ernie D on-air tomorrow, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 (3:00 p.m., PT / 6:00 p.m., ET).
The storyline takes the Russo family and friends to Tuscany, Italy, to meet their long lost relatives... but when Alex (Gomez) tries to prove she's more than a seemingly carefree young Wizard, she inadvertently conjures a spell that creates a Good Alex and an Evil Alex. When Evil Alex gets roped into a charming young wizard's foreboding plan to take over the world, Good Alex must find a way to save her family and humankind, which leads to a monumental battle between the two versions of herself - all atop the Tower of Pisa.
Gary Marsh, President and Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide, said: "With the phenomenal ratings of the 'Wizards' finale earlier this year, it became clear that fans of the series were not ready to say goodbye to Selena or the rest of the 'Wizards' cast. As such, we're thrilled that the cast has agreed to reunite to bring their fans one last grand adventure!"
Gomez's breakthrough series "Wizards of Waverly Place" is one of Disney Channel's most successful series ever. It premiered in 2007, became a ratings driver worldwide and, in first quarter 2012, reached over 175 million unduplicated viewers in 163 countries and 32 languages. It inspired "Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie," which delivered 13.5 million Total Viewers, ranked as the #1 cable television movie of 2009 and is the #2 cable TV movie of all time (after "High School Musical 2"). The "Wizards of Waverly Place" series finale in January 2012 was the #1 cable TV telecast
-- among all kids' programming -- in Total Viewers (11.3 million), and is TV's #1 scripted telecast among Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14, 2012 to-date.
The TV movie won a 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program, and the series won an Emmy Award in the same category in 2012 and 2010, and was nominated in 2011. It has also been lauded for its portrayal of Latinos and was honored with Alma, Imagen and NAACP Image Award nominations.
On Hollywood Records, Selena Gomez has three Gold certified albums, one double-Platinum single, numerous Gold and Platinum singles and Top 40 radio hits. She's been honored with Teen Choice, Imagen, Alma and Kids Choice Awards, and is a strong force on social media with over 33 million Facebook likes and over 12 million Twitter followers.
The television special was written by Vince Cheung and Ben Montanio ("Wizards of Waverly Place") and Dan Berendsen (ABC Family's "Baby Daddy"). Selena Gomez, Cheung and Montanio and Dan Cross and David Hoge are the executive producers. It will be directed by Victor Gonzalez ("Wizards of Waverly Place"). "Wizards of Waverly Place" was created by Todd J. Greenwald ("Hannah Montana") and is a production of It's a Laugh Productions for Disney Channel.
Disney Channel is a 24-hour kid-driven, family inclusive television network that taps into the world of kids and families through original series and movies. Currently available on basic cable in over 99 million U.S. homes and to millions of other viewers on Disney Channels around the world, Disney Channel is part of the Disney/ABC Television Group.


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| 6.6°C Belfast
The NHS is facing a "profound tension" between financial constraints and the need to provide high quality care, according to a report published on the anniversary of the inquiry into Mid Staffs.
The study, involving key managers in NHS trusts, found agreement that the need for excellent care must have a higher priority in the health service.
It comes after Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said yesterday the scandal at Stafford Hospital was the "worst thing" in the history of the NHS and warned more hospitals could end up in special measures.
In a foreword to today's report, Robert Francis QC, who chaired the public inquiry into Mid Staffs, said NHS staff must understand that criticism of "poor and unacceptable practice" is not aimed at them but is "part of a struggle to support everything they stand for".
He said the vast majority of NHS staff are "consistently hard-working, conscientious and compassionate" and want to do what is best for their patients.
Mr Francis' inquiry report was published exactly a year ago and contained 290 recommendations for action to prevent another scandal like at Stafford Hospital.
Between 400 and 1,200 more patients died than would normally be expected at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust during years of neglect.
Mr Francis identified a culture where patients were not at the heart of the system and said failings went from the top to the bottom of the NHS.
In his foreword, Mr Francis said it the study revealed a general acceptance among trusts that "quality needs to be given much greater priority".
He said where trusts could not provide quality services for patients within the money allocated to them, it was up to trust leaders "to communicate that openly to those responsible for commissioning and funding services.
"That then needs to lead to a frank discussion about what needs to be provided within the available resources and what cannot. It is unacceptable to pretend that all can be provided to an acceptable standard when that is not true."
The research involved 48 in-depth interviews with predominantly senior staff at five hospitals, and the responses of 53 hospital trusts to an electronic survey.
It found general enthusiasm for the contents of the Francis Inquiry report, but noted a "profound tension" between the desire to provide quality services and financial constraints.
One leader said: "I'd rather be hung for money than for quality and safety."
The report said Francis had "brought a powerful sense of professional shame" but added: "The pressure to stay within limited budgets that existed at the time of Mid Staffordshire has not gone away but has intensified, as funding increases for the NHS have been frozen in real terms since 2011/12.
"Resolving concerns about poor-quality care with additional expenditure on staff is likely to be challenging for trusts, as they try to ensure safe staffing levels and skill mix within the context of often-stringent cost-improvement programmes and the pressure to meet their financial objectives."
The report also said some staff still do not feel comfortable in raising concerns about poor care in their trusts.
Mr Hunt said yesterday he thought the " last year has been an absolute nightmare for the NHS."
He added: "The Mid Staffs shock was probably the worst thing that has happened to the NHS in 65 years."
Mr Hunt said he believed the public would be "very reassured" by the report.
"Of course there are lots of challenges, the changes aren't going to happen overnight," he told BBC Breakfast.
He said it was an "encouraging start", but added that there is "lots, lots more to do".
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Francis said changing the culture in the health service would take "a long time".
He said providing proper care need not cost more - but if it did there should be "frank conversations" about funding levels.
"Clearly, as everyone would accept, there is still a lot of work to do," he said."Even I still receive letters from people who are not satisfied with the way their concerns are dealt with.
"It takes a long time for a very complicated and huge organisation to change. It requires great leadership at trust level. It requires registrars and others not to be continually appearing to be bullying people, even if that is not their intention."
Mr Francis went on: "Clearly there must continue to be conversations about money. But where the mistake is often made is a belief that you cannot have safe and effective care being provided without spending a lot more money. All the evidence shows that safe and proper care actually costs you less in the long run.
"I am afraid in my job as a barrister doing clinical negligence I see the bill that comes in from not doing it properly.
"You have to remember what we found at Stafford. We found cases of patients being left in their dry faeces because they were not being cleaned. I don't think we can properly say the NHS is providing proper care if it cannot stop that happening.
"If that costs money and they haven't got the money, then we need to have a very frank conversation about what the priorities are."
Mr Francis suggested that prescribing how many nurses should be on duty in a ward may not be appropriate, but he backed moves to provide better guidance for managers on staffing levels for different situations.
The report on interviews with NHS managers was published by the Nuffield Trust.


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Katy Perry: Better With or Without Bangs?
What are we thinking of the star's new bangs look?
Kevin Mazur/Wireimage; Frazer Harrison/Getty
Did you notice that Katy Perry was wearing bangs last night? That's okay, we wouldn't blame you if you missed them altogether. After all, she was wearing a whole lotta dress to the Beatles tribute event: a giant pink-and-purple rose print ballgown with matching cape.
RELATED PHOTOS: See Katy Perry's (and more!) Grammys hair from all angles!
But now that we've drawn your attention back to her hair, it's time to discuss. The star is revisiting a look that used to be her signature — thick, full bangs — though this time, they're less blunt than they used to be when she was in her pin-up girl phase. The new fringe was choppier, piecier and more gamine, peaking in the center of her forehead.
We're guessing these are bangs are likely "one night only": A clip-in piece worn to add a little edge to a toothache-sweet outfit. However, they look so natural on her that we forgot for a moment that she's been bangs-free for months. So we're wondering if Perry is testing the waters for a return to fringe? And more importantly, should she commit? Do you miss the bangs or do you like her best without? Tell us below!
–Alex Apatoff


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There's a lot of tech stuff going down at SXSW between talking shoes and the projection-effect pool tables and whathaveyou, but at the end of the day, music is still a huge part. A 7.39 GB part. And you can go grab it all for free right now.
For the ninth year running, SXSW is sharing a whole glut of DRM-free tracks from performing artists, and this year, the total is upwards of 7 gig. All the tracks are available on the SXSW site, but for your convenience, Ben Stolt has collected all 1210 tracks and crammed them into two torrents for your listening pleasure.
If you want to check it out, just hop on over to the (Unofficial) SXSW Torrent page and get going. In these days of streaming music, having a big ol' chunk of music on your hard drive might not be quite the same thrill as it used to be, but hey, it's free and guilt-free.
Check it out. [TorrentFreak]


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Floor Stand for Looms
For those weavers that do not want to hold their Harp in the traditional manner (back end propped against a table or desk edge), the Kromskis now have a beautiful floor stand. All the pieces have been turned so there is shape and contours to everything, making for a striking piece of woodworking. And note some of the features: your warping board pegs (these come with the loom) can be used as ledges on either side of the loom to hold shuttles, hold yarn or to keep other supplies handy. The remaining warping board pegs can be conveniently stored at the back of the loom. Use the stand for weaving, yes, but also for warping, and for storage (your Harp can be folded on the stand so it takes up less space). We are sure weavers will find even more ingenious ways to use the Harp floor stand.
This stand can be used with both the Harp Loom and the Fiddle Loom.
PLEASE NOTE: This item will be shipped to your home directly from the manufacturer and will arrive in approx. 1-2 weeks. If you are ordering other items they will be shipped by our standard shipping method and should arrive within our normal shipping time.
Sorry no shipping to PO Boxes, AK, HI, U.S. Territories, Canada, or APO/FPO.
Sorry, we are unable to accept cancellations or returns on items shipped directly from the manufacturer. If you have any difficulty in understanding the instructions, assembling the loom, or having it operate to its fullest potential, please contact Kromski's Customer Service at (229)-859-2001 for more information.
Kromski is open again as of 4/15/20 and will resume shipping drop ship items with a slightly longer fulfillment timeline due to increased employee safety measures.


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Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
1. In reciting the verse 77:20 according to Hafs by the way of Shatibi, as I understand, the Qaf can be assimilated (idgham) into the Kaf either partially or completely. I read, however, that in reciting this verse by the way of Tayyibah, only complete assimilation is allowed. Is this correct ? (The pdf document on your website does not mention this)
2. In reciting Hafs by the way of Tayyibah, would the "la" in "La ilaha illallah" be elongated two or four harakat?
3. Are there any principle tajweed differences between the riwayah of Hafs and Shu'bah, or are the differences only in the recitation of particular words?
Jazakallah Khayran
May Allah accept and increase your efforts.
Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
1. The word is read with complete assimilation, or idhgaam kaamil, for all of the different qira'aat including Hafs 'an 'Aasim in tareeq Ash-Shatibiyyah and in all of the turuq in Tareeq At-Tayyibah. There are some reports in the old documentations of turuq or ways that have an incomplete assimilation, but none of these ways are mutawaatir and are therefore not read today. Sheikh Muhammed Ad-Dabbaa' mentioned this in his work on the authentic ways of Hafs, . In the poem written by Sheikh Abdulazeez 'Uyoon As-Sood which outlines the ways of Hafs 'an 'Aasim according to the book there is a line about this. In it, may Allah be merciful to him, he states: , meaning "the merging of nakhluqkum is pure [complete] for Hafs." There are some modern tajweed books which state that this idhgaam can be read two ways: a. incompletely (with of the ) or b. completely merged into the with no characteristic left over from the . The truth is however, that this is not based on authentic chains of transmission and the assimilation should only be read with a complete merging of the into the .
2. There are 52 turuq or ways of Hafs 'an 'Aasim in Tareeq At-Tayyibah, and there a few of these many ways that allow the lengthening in question. These few ways have two vowel counts for and six vowel counts for and a ghunnah (incomplete merging/assimilation) on the idhgaam of the saakinah and tanween into the and , and have an allowed lengthening for vowel count on the in the phrases declaring that there is no deity except Allah, such as , and . This is called "glorification [magnification] lengthening" or . To read with this lengthening though, one has to follow all the rules for the tareeq and apply them. Please also see an explanation in: http://www.abouttajweed.com/150707.htm .
3. There is no difference in the basic rules, outside of some rules involving words in the and some words having imaalah between Hafs and Shu'bah, other than that and as indicated in the question, the difference is in individual words.
Jazakum Allahu khairan for the dua' and may Allah reward you greatly also.
Wa assalaam alaikum.


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An international team of scientists has made a new material just one atom thick, by extracting a single plane of carbon from a graphite crystal. Known as graphene, the new fabric effectively exists in just two dimensions, and could pave the way for computers built from single molecules.
In the latest edition of Science, published tomorrow, the scientists from Manchester University and Chernogolovka, Russia, explain that the atomic sheet is a fullerene molecule. Fullerenes are a class of carbon molecules discovered in the last twenty years. The first, the famous football-shaped Carbon-60 molecule, was named for architect Buckminster Fuller, because of its resemblance to his geodesic dome structures.
The sheet of atoms is highly flexible, stable and strong and demonstrates remarkable conductivity. Manchester University's Professor Andre Geim says that qualities like this have been found so far only in nanotubes. "As carbon nanotubes are basically made from rolled-up narrow stripes of graphene, any of the thousands of applications currently considered for nanotubes renowned for their unique properties can also apply to graphene itself," he said.
Although the samples they have studied are mere microns across, the researchers found that the electrons will travel across the material without scattering over submicron distances – ideal for building very fast switching transistors. The researchers have even managed to demonstrate an ambipolar field effect transistor (a transistor commonly used to amplify a weak signal, such as a wireless signal) that works under ambient conditions.
Geim adds that there is some way to go still before the material can legitimately be considered the next big thing. Currently, the samples are tens of microns across, but for real engineering, the scientist says wafers will need to be a few inches in size.
However, Dr. Novoselov, Geim's counterpart at Chernogolovka, is optimistic: "Only ten years ago carbon nanotubes were less than a micron long. Now, scientists can make nanotubes several centimetres long, and similar progress can reasonably be expected for carbon nanofabric too." ®
Related stories
Scientists send Buckyballs to detox
World safe from nanobot 'grey goo'
The nanotube light bulb: bright idea
Boffins synthesise Bucky's baby brother


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Giants beat Packers for fourth straight win
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. >> The New York Giants are not only back in the playoff hunt with a four-game winning streak, they're calling the plays that get them those wins.
That's exactly what Jason Pierre-Paul did against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
With the Giants clinging to a 20-13 lead early in the fourth quarter and the Packers about to start a series at their 30, Pierre-Paul said in the huddle he was going to pick a pass and score. Pierre-Paul hadn't seen the Packers' formation and he hadn't been listening to coach Mike McCarthy talk to Scott Tolzien on the sideline. He just knew, and he was right.
PHOTOS: Slideshow from Sunday's Packers-Giants game
Pierre-Paul scored on a spectacular, leaping 24-yard fourth-quarter interception return and the resurgent Giants won 27-13 over the slumping and injured-riddled Packers (5-5).
"I have never seen anything like it before in my life," fellow defensive end Justin Tuck said. "We were literally in a TV timeout and he said, `I'm going to pick this."'
Tuck said Pierre-Paul made the call before the Giants had even called a defense.
"If you look at my reaction to him picking it, I was in awe because he had just called it before it happened," Tuck said. "He called it before seeing the formation, so I don't know if it was Voodoo. I don't know."
Pierre-Paul, questionable because of a shoulder injury against Oakland that limited him to one day of practice, said he had a feeling.
"I knew I could deliver that play, that significant play, and I did," Pierre-Paul said. "It changed the game."
Tolzien, starting his first NFL game, took the blame.
"That's on me giving their team a freebie," said Tolzien, who finished 24 of 34 for 339 yards and three interceptions. "We had a chance at that point. That kills ya. It was a game-changer. You see the arms up in the air and you can't throw it."
Eli Manning threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Rueben Randle, and Brandon Jacobs added a 1-yard run as the Giants handed the Packers their third straight loss, their longest skid since a five-game losing streak near the end of 2008.
"It's not good," Packers linebacker Clay Matthews said. " It's definitely new territory. It's tough, because you go 10-5, 10-6, 15-1. You lose three, it doesn't feel good. But right now we're just not playing very good ball. We're 5-5 right now, so we've just got to move forward with the guys we have and play better."
Two of the three losses have come with 2011 NFL MVP Rodgers sidelined with a broken left collarbone.
The Giants are heading the other way. Their winning streak follows a 0-6 start and it improbably has moved them within 1 games of first-place Philadelphia (6-5) in the weak NFC East. They are a game behind second-place and idle Dallas (5-5), which will play here next Sunday.
"We've kept the dream alive and got to the game next week," center Jim Cordle said. "But there is still a long way to go."
The Packers, who got a 1-yard TD run by Eddie Lacy and two field goals by Mason Crosby, including a 57-yarder, fell a game behind Chicago and Detroit in the NFC North.
The Giants never trailed, but they never put the Packers away until the interception by Pierre-Paul.
New York had the better of the play in the first half, holding the ball for almost 20 minutes. The Giants jumped to a 10-0 lead on Manning's 26-yard touchdown pass to Randle and Josh Brown's 40-yard field goal.
The touchdown reception was Randle's sixth in the last six games, and he set it up with a 32-yard punt return. Manning finished 25 of 35 for 279 yards and an interception.
A 30-yard pass to Victor Cruz, who had eight catches for 110 yards, and a 5-yard run by Jacobs on a fourth-and-1 at the Packers 36 set up the field goal.
Tolzien threw passes of 25 yards to Jordy Nelson and 45 to James Jones on consecutive plays to set up a 24-yard field goal by Crosby on the next series.
Taking over at the Green Bay 37 with no timeouts, Tolzien hit on two passes, setting up Crosby for a 57-yard field goal on the final play. It was a yard shy of his Packers record and it was the longest against the Giants.
NOTES: Brett Conway of Washington kicked a 55-yard against New York in 2001. ... Nelson finished with eight catches for 117 yards. ... Packers DT Johnny Jolly (groin) and CB James Nixon (knee) left the game with injuries. ... LB Jon Beason and S Antrel Rolle had the Giants' other interceptions. ...Linebacker Brad Jones led the Packers with 13 tackles and a sack. ... CB Terrell Thomas, Beason and LB Jacquian Williams all had eight tackles for the Giants. ... Green Bay outgained New York 394-334, but the Giants had the ball 35:14.


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A hospital stroke team in St. Louis, Mo., used Toyota's "lean" manufacturing principles to streamline care — treating patients 21 minutes faster than usual.
The team adopted the manufacturer's assembly line approach, removing unnecessary or inefficient steps and adjusting others in the hospital's stroke treatment process.
After streamlining care, 78 percent of stroke patients received treatment within one hour of arrival, which is more than twice the national average.
Quick treatment to dissolve a blood clot that causes a stroke can reduce the chance of severe brain injury.
Related Information:
- American Heart Association News Release
- The American Heart Association has more information about stroke, and stroke treatment.