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PTA, full-time job keep Ga. man busy
SAVANNAH, Ga. - James Putney, 55, recently walked along State Street wearing his gray county maintenance uniform and baseball cap while talking through a cell-phone headset over his ear.
Putney was discussing another maintenance job while heading toward the County Courthouse, where he had to finish painting one of the restrooms. Keeping Chatham County's aging government buildings up to par is a never-ending task. But Putney doesn't call it quits when he clocks out of his day job.
That is when he goes to work as the director of the Georgia PTA's 6th District, which encompasses Chatham and 18 other counties. The work, which is unpaid, takes up most of his remaining time - including about 123 hours of his vacation leave this year - because of the number of meetings he attends and travel it involves.
"I eat, sleep and dream PTA," Putney said. "Because PTA ain't about cookies and wrapping paper anymore."
Only about 30 percent of parents typically show up to meetings, and Putney said he is trying to get more involved. One way he is trying to do that is getting more fathers to participate by holding male-oriented programs such as fishing and "donuts with dads" events.
Putney recently chartered a Latino Community PTA after some from the Spanish-speaking community expressed concerns about parents not being able to understand English. The organization is meant as a supplement for the parents and not a replacement for their child's school association, Putney said.
Despite his busy schedule, Putney still finds time to serve as co-chairman of his church's deacon's board and assist Savannah High School's marching band.
All of the activity can be tiring, Putney said, but he does not like to just sit around.
"More than anything else, I don't think about it," he said. "I just do it."
For his efforts, Putney was awarded the Outstanding Georgia Citizen award from Secretary of State Karen Handel.
Former state Sen. Regina Thomas, an old friend who addressed Putney as "Uncle Bubba" while growing up, said he deserves the award.
"You don't find many fathers that get that involved on that level with the PTA," Thomas said. "Some go to meetings, but Mr. Putney - Uncle Bubba - he started it and he is sticking with it."
Putney's boss, Fred Thompson, director of maintenance, shared Thomas' sentiment.
"I feel the award should have been given several years ago," Thompson said. "I'm glad he is finally being recognized."


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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Warning that no steps have been taken on either the federal or state level to establish effective safeguards for Americans' civil liberties and privacy rights, John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute, is urging Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, to rectify that oversight by approving a two-year moratorium on the use of drones within the Commonwealth in order to ensure that lawmakers have the time necessary to educate themselves on the use of drone technology within the Commonwealth, assess its impact on the rights of Virginians, and take whatever steps are needed to protect citizens from these aerial, robotic threats to privacy, safety and security.
See: FAA Releases New Drone List—Is Your Town on the Map?
Whitehead has also called on the governor to establish an independent, nonpartisan commission to explore and address concerns relating to the domestic use of drones.
Whitehead's letter to McDonnell comes in the wake of the Virginia General Assembly's passage of Virginia House Bill 2012, which would place a two-year moratorium on the use of drone technology within the Commonwealth. Rutherford Institute attorneys have drafted and made available to state and local legislatures model legislation aimed at preventing police agencies from utilizing drones outfitted with anti-personnel devices such as tasers and tear gas and prohibiting the government from using data recorded via police spy drones in criminal prosecutions.
"The urgency of formulating legislative safeguards to address the rapid, uncritical adoption of drone technology around the country cannot be understated," said Whitehead. "No matter where one stands on the issue of drone use domestically, it is clear that we need to take a well-reasoned approach to how drone technology will be implemented and what safeguards are necessary to ensure that Americans' safety, privacy, and civil liberties are not jeopardized."
The FAA Reauthorization Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2012, authorized the use of drones domestically for a wide range of functions, both public and private, governmental and corporate. Prior to this, drones had been confined to military use in the battlefields over Iraq and Afghanistan.
Yet as attorney John Whitehead points out, without proper safeguards, these drones, some of which are deceptively small and capable of videotaping the facial expressions of people on the ground from hundreds of feet in the air, will usher in a new age of surveillance in American society. Not even those indoors, in the privacy of their homes, will be safe from these aerial spies, which can be equipped with technology capable of peering through walls.
In addition to their surveillance capabilities, drone manufacturers have confirmed that drones can also be equipped with automatic weapons, grenade launchers, tear gas, and tasers. Many local police departments throughout the country, including in Florida and California, have already begun utilizing drones in police procedures without any real regulations in place. Virginia House Bill 2012, which was passed overwhelmingly by both houses in the General Assembly, would prohibit state and local law enforcement from using drone technology until July 1, 2015.
The issue has become the topic of national and international attention, especially since, at the urging of The Rutherford Institute, the City of Charlottesville became the first city in the nation to call for limits on the use of drone technology by state and local law enforcement agencies. The City of Seattle has since followed suit, with its mayor ordering the police department to abandon its plan to use drones altogether. Lawmakers in at least eleven states are considering legislation to restrict the use of drones.
02-05-2013 • Relying on Rutherford Institute Model Resolution, Charlottesville Becomes First U.S. City to Limit Police Drones; TRI Calls on Rest of Country to Follow Suit
09-19-2012 • Rutherford Institute Issues Model Drone Legislation, Calls on Congress to Protect Americans from Weaponized Drones and Police Spy Drone

subset: commoncrawl


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Isla del Sol, Bolivia
Isla del Sol with its colours, turquoise beaches, rocky and green mountains and Inca ruins is one of the most photogenic places I have visited so far. Located on the bolivian site of Lake Titicaca, the island definitely lived up to its name (island of the sun) when I visited it. I started my excursion from Copacabana, where I took a boat to the northern part of the island. The journey lasted around 3 hours. From there I set off for a 4 hour hike to the southern part. Throughout the day the landscape changed : from beaches to Inca ruins, high mountains and Eucalyptus forest.Read More


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Achievement Guide - Guide for Grand Theft Auto IV
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- Glitches |
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Scroll down to read our guide named "Achievement Guide" for Grand Theft Auto IV on PlayStation 3 (PS3), or click the above links for more cheats.
=============================================================================== ---------------- \ Grand Theft Auto IV / ---------------- ---------------- \ Games for Windows LIVE Achievements Guide / ---------------- ---------------- \ Version 4.00 / ---------------- ---------------- \ Last updated - 11/07/2010 / ---------------- ---------------- \ By Hydro_PT ([email protected]) / ---------------- ---------------- \ Copyright (C) 2009 - 2010 Mário Peixoto / ---------------- ---------------- \ All rights reserved. / ---------------- =============================================================================== +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | TABLE OF CONTENTS | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 1. Copyright notice 2. Introduction 2.1. Structure of the guide 2.2. Cheats 3. Guide version history 4. About the game 5. Achievements guide: 5.1. Singleplayer achievements 5.2. Multiplayer achievements 5.2.1. Fly The Co-op 6. Conclusion 7. Contact details 8. Credits 9. Trademarks notice =============================================================================== 1. COPYRIGHT NOTICE / ==================== This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. The only sites that are allowed to have this guide are the following: - http://www.gamefaqs.com (all updates to the guide will be posted here first) - http://www.cheatbook.de - http://www.cheatchannel.com - http://www.gamershell.com - http://www.gta4.net - http://www.neoseeker.com - http://www.supercheats.com If you want to host this guide on your site/blog or other place, please email me to ask for permission. See section 7. to know how to contact me. =============================================================================== 2. INTRODUCTION / ================ I decided to write this guide because it might be useful for players that are trying to unlock some or all the achievements in the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV. Just remember to be be connected to Games for Windows LIVE while playing, otherwise you won't unlock any achievement. Almost everything on this guide comes from my personal experience, as I do unlock all achievements before writing the guide. However, I base myself on some sources to be sure that what is written here is as correct as possible. Everyone that helps me (directly or indirectly) is properly credited. Having said that, I hope you find this guide useful. Thank you for reading. Hydro_PT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2.1. STRUCTURE OF THE GUIDE ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I try to make a good structure for the guide, so that way you can quickly find what you need. Even though most browsers nowadays feature an easy-to-use search function, this section will help you understand how I structured the guide, in case you have any trouble. All achievements are organized in alphabetic order. I use their official name to organize them alphabetically. So, in the first line you have the name of the achievement, its official description and its Gamerscore. Below that I give a detailed explanation on how to unlock it. Here's an example: ...................................................................... . . . Key To The City - Achieve 100% in "Game progress" statistic. [100] . . . . Explanation on how to get this achievement goes here. . . . ...................................................................... You can refer to the following page to see a list of all achievements: -> http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/grand-theft-auto-iv/achievements ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2.2 CHEATS ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Be aware that some cheats disable certain achievements. To prevent this from happening, DO NOT save your game after you use cheats. If you save the game the achievement will be permanently blocked on that savegame, so you will need to to start a new one to unlock it. Here are the 2 cheats that block achievements: - Health & Armour - Blocks the achievement "Finish Him". - Remove Wanted Level - Blocks the achievement "Walk Free". =============================================================================== 3. GUIDE VERSION HISTORY / ========================= Version 1.00 - 01/02/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guide fully written. All achievements are covered. Version 1.01 - 03/02/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added the Gamerscore for each achievement. Version 1.10 - 09/02/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added detailed information relative to the online co-op missions. Version 1.11 - 15/02/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fixed minor grammar/spelling mistakes throughout the entire guide. Version 1.12 - 24/02/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added images for the achievements "Chain Reaction" & "One Hundred and Eighty". Version 1.13 - 03/03/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added links for the video walkthroughs relative to the online co-op missions. Version 1.14 - 10/03/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added various helpful links (missions walkthroughs, maps, 100% checklist, etc). Version 1.15 - 27/04/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fixed the information relative to the achievements "Auf Wiedersehen Petrovic" and "Finish Him". Version 2.00 - 02/06/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Almost all texts for each achievement were rewritten. Fixed minor mistakes and incorrect/incomplete information. Fixed the information relative to the achievements "No More Strangers" and "Liberty City (5)". Version 2.10 - 22/06/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guide fully revised to meet GameFAQs standards (standard ASCII text, 79 characters per line, etc). Fixed minor mistakes. Version 2.20 - 28/07/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added more information relative to the achievement "Walk Free". Fixed minor spelling mistakes. Added helpful images for the achievement "Fly the Co-op". Version 2.30 - 21/08/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added more information relative to the achievement "One Man Army". Fixed minor spelling mistakes. Revised the "credits" section. Version 3.00 - 23/08/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guide's structure totally revised for better reading/searching. Added "table of contents". Version 3.01 - 11/09/2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fixed the information relative to the achievement "Liberty City (5)". Version 3.10 - 01/02/2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reorganization of the guide's structure. Fixed minor mistakes. Version 4.00 - 11/07/2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Changed the structure of the guide for better reading/searching. Some texts for each achievement were rewritten, adding information or explaining certain things better. =============================================================================== 4. ABOUT THE GAME / ================== - TITLE: Grand Theft Auto IV - PLATFORM: Microsoft Windows - RELEASE DATE: 3 December 2008 - DEVELOPERS: Rockstar North and Rockstar Toronto - PUBLISHER: Rockstar Games - WEBSITE: www.rockstargames.com/IV - ACHIEVEMENTS: 50 - TOTAL GAMERSCORE: 1000 points =============================================================================== 5. ACHIEVEMENTS GUIDE / ====================== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5.1. SINGLEPLAYER ACHIEVEMENTS [40] = 860 (G) ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Assassin's Greed â Complete all 9 assassin missions. [20] To get this achievement you just need to complete all 9 missions for the "Fixer" contact on the phone. You will get access to this contact after you have completed the mission "Truck Hustle" for Phill Bell. An icon will appear on the map indicating the place where these missions begin. A weapon and body armour will be provided to you once a mission starts. All you have to do in these missions is eliminate various targets located on the map. If you need help to complete any of them, just check the link below. The missions are given randomly, so the first one on that page may not be your first one ingame. -> http://www.gta4.net/high-end-assassinations/ Chain Reaction â You must blow up 10 vehicles in 10 seconds. [20] Go to Autoeroticar in Alderney (if you donât know where it is, check the link I provide). There will be around 10 vehicles in there, just make sure they are all close to each other (park them inside if necessary). Be sure there are at least 10, and once they are all parked, throw some grenades and fire one or two RPGs. It should be enough to blow all the cars in less than 10 seconds and unlock the achievement. Don't use any cheat, or this won't work. -> http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/6214/autoeroticara1.jpg Cleaned The Mean Streets â Capture 20 criminals through the police computer. [20] To get this achievement you need to enter a police car, use the computer, go to "current crimes" and activate one of the 3 missions there. Drive to the point marked on the map and capture (kill) the criminals. Do this 20 times and you get the achievement. You don't need to do them all in a row. Courier Service â Complete all 10 package delivery jobs. [10] After you meet Little Jacob and do all missions for him, you will be able to do some work for him. Select the "Job" option on the phone and he will place a car near his café with a drug package inside. Just enter in the car to grab the package and then go to the desired place. Be careful that these missions have a timer, a gang or the cops waiting for you. Jacob gives you a car every time you go get a package, but you donât need to use it. If you want you can bring your own vehicle, enter Jacob's car, retrieve the package, get back to your vehicle and drive to the location marked on the map. Do all 10 deliveries and you get the achievement. Dare Devil â Complete 100% of the unique stunt jumps. [30] There are 50 stunts jumps in the game that you must complete to unlock this achievement. The jumps are not marked on the map, so you must find them for yourself. Usually there is some kind of ramp, and once you begin the jump, the camera will turn into a cinematic camera in slow motion (you can still control the vehicle, though). The jumps require you to land on a certain place with at least two wheels on the ground. If you have problems finding or completing a jump, refer to the link below, which is a map that shows you all locations and a video of all stunt jumps. -> http://www.gta4.net/map/?z=1&c=stunt Dial B for Bomb â Unlock the special ability of phoning for a bomb to be placed. [10] This special ability is offered by Packie. Go out and do activities with him until he likes you enough (above 75%). Once he calls you offering the service, the achievement unlocks. Driving Mr. Bellic â Unlock the special ability of taxi. [10] This special ability is offered by Roman. Go out and do activities with him until he likes you enough (above 60%). Once he calls you offering the service, the achievement unlocks. Endangered Species â Collect every hidden package in the game. [50] The hidden packages are pigeons scattered throughout Liberty City. They are standing still all the time, even when it is raining. They make a particular noise when you are near them and they also have an orange glow around them. Find and kill all 200 pigeons and the achievement will unlock. To prevent the entrance on the "199 Pigeons Club", I recommend killing 20 pigeons, then save the game, kill more 20, save the game and so on. In case you miss one pigeon, at least you know it is one of the last 20 you searched for. If you keep going without saving and you miss 1 pigeon, you will have to check all 200 locations again. So, be absolutely sure that you do kill each pigeon before advancing to the next one. To know the exact location of each bird, check the link below: -> http://www.gta4.net/map/?lat=-2.4609375&lng=2.8125&z=1&c=pigeon Fed the Fish â Complete the mission "Uncle Vlad". [5] This achievement is related to the storyline, so you shouldn't have any problem unlocking it. If you have, this walkthrough will certainly be useful: -> http://www.gta4.net/missions/chapter-one.php#uncle-vlad Finish Him â Complete 10 melee counters in 4 minutes. [15] To get this achievement I recommend going to the Helitours site. There are plenty of pedestrians in there and the police takes some time to get to you. What you need to do is start a fight with someone and then, when that person is going to hit you with a punch, press the key you use to dodge them (SPACE key is the default one) and then use the attack key (LMB is default). If timed correctly, Niko will avoid the punch and then perform a counter that will knock the enemy off. You need to perform 10 counters like that in 4 minutes. If you need health in the middle of the process, just buy a hot dog from the entrance of the Helitours site. In case you die or get busted, keep fighting once you respawn back in the hospital/police station, because the timer won't be reseted. For a better description of this fighting technique, check the link below: -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWY0KvVtKx4 Full Exploration â Unlock all the islands. [20] Nothing much to say here. During the main story missions you will automatically unlock all the islands. Once Alderney is unlocked, this achievement is yours. Genetically Superior â Come first in 20 singleplayer street races. [25] After you meet Brucie and you do the mission "No.1", you can do races for him. Select the "Race" option on the phone and he will hit you up with one. There are 9 in total, 3 in each island (Broker/Dukes/Bohan, Algonquin and Alderney). The races are easy and you just need to finish in 1st place, so drive safely. Donât kill the other drivers or the race will be over. To get the achievement you must win 20 races, so you will need to repeat some of them in order to get it. Be aware that you must finish all 9 races to get the opportunity to repeat them. If Brucie tells you that there are no races going on, move to another island, because this means that you have already completed all 3 races on that island. Once you have won them all for the first time, Brucie will text you a message, saying that you can repeat whichever race you want. Gobble Gobble â Score 3 strikes in a row, a turkey, in 10-pin bowling. [10] Go to a bowling place with a friend and start a game. Choose the first lane and then take two full steps to the left. Give your mouse a good speed forward, but keep it straight. It is vital to keep the ball going straight, or else you are going to miss. You need to do a strike 3 times in a row using this technique, that it, take down all 10 pins in a single shot. It may take a bit of practice, but it isnât really hard to do this. You don't need to win the game, nor it is necessary to be a full game (it can be a half-game). Gracefully Taken â Complete the mission "I'll Take Her". [10] This achievement is related to the storyline, so you shouldn't have any problem unlocking it. If you have, this walkthrough will certainly be useful: -> http://www.gta4.net/missions/chapter-three.php#ill-take-her Half Million â Reach a balance of $500,000. [55] A pretty self-explanatory achievement. There are two missions in the game that alone give you $500,000 ($250,000 each). Just donât spend much money buying weapons or paying visits to the hospital and you should get this one easily. Impossible Trinity - Complete the mission "Museum Piece". [10] This achievement is related to the storyline, so you shouldn't have any problem unlocking it. If you have, this walkthrough will certainly be useful: -> http://www.gta4.net/missions/chapter-three.php#museum-piece It'll Cost Ya â Complete a taxi ride without skipping from one island to another. [5] This is one of the easiest achievements to get. Just enter in a taxi at the start of a bridge in Broker, for example, and set the waypoint in the end of the same bridge in Algonquin. Donât skip the trip and you get the achievement. Key to the City â Achieve 100% in the "Game Progress" statistic. [100] Nothing special to say here. There is a lot of stuff you need to do in order to achieve 100% completion. If you need help finding what it takes to do it, check the link below. To see your current progress go to the ingame statistics. -> http://www.gta4.net/100-percent-completion-checklist/ King of QUB3D â Beat the High Score in QUB3D. [15] The QUB3D is a minigame created by Rockstar much similar to Tetris To get this achievement all you have to do is beat highest score, which is 10950 points. You can find the QUB3D machine on the Strip Club in Bohan, the Modo shop in Algonquin and behind the stage inside the Perestroika Club in Broker. Before start playing, watch the tutorial to see how the game works, because it is not equal to Tetris. You may need a few tries to get it done, but it isnât really to reach 11000 points. After this you can either lose the game or keep playing, your choice. You canât play this game while dating someone or doing a mission. Liberty City (5) â After meeting all possible friends, the ones left alive all like you above 90%.. [20] The following achievement needs to be explained with a bit more detail, and it contains a major spoiler in the game history. If you don't want to spoil your game, don't read this one. Even if you are interested in this achievement, come here only at the beginning of the mission "The Holland Play" for Playboy X and before the last mission, when you decide the final (there are two finales). *********************************** SPOILER *********************************** You can have a total of 5 friends during the entire game. They are: Brucie, Packie, Little Jacob, Roman and Dwayne. The first 3 you donât have a choice, they will become your friends during the main storyline missions. However, you have to make two decisions during the story. The decisions are: - Kill Playboy X or Dwayne. If you choose to kill Dwayne, you don't need to make him like you more than 90%. However, if you leave him alive, you must make him like you more than 90%. - Let Roman alive or dead. Depending on the final that you choose, Roman will either live or be killed. If he dies, you don't need to make him like you more than 90%, but if you leave him alive, you must also raise his friendship to 90% to unlock this achievement. *********************************** SPOILER *********************************** Liberty City Minute â Complete the story missions in less than 30 hours. [30] To get this achievement you only need to finish all the main storyline missions in less than 30 hours of gameplay (real life time). Avoid dating your friends, don't do side missions, use a cab if you need to travel a long distance and skip all cut-scenes. You can check your current playing time on the game statistics in the pause menu. I recommend you do this on a second playthrough, because then you will already know what must be done in each mission. Lowest Point â Complete the mission "Roman's Sorrow". [5] This achievement is related to the storyline, so you shouldn't have any problem unlocking it. If you have, this walkthrough will certainly be useful: -> http://www.gta4.net/missions/chapter-one.php#romans-sorrow Manhunt â Complete the most wanted side missions from the police computer. [15] Just like the Vigilante missions, these need a police car computer to be activated. Enter one, use the computer, go to the "Most Wanted" option and select one of the criminals there. There are 10 most wanted guys for each island (Broker/Dukes/Bohan, Algonquin and Alderney). Be sure to have ammo and body armour when doing them. Usually the criminals are not alone, they can be with their gang, inside a car or a building. You don't need to do them all in a row. The dead criminals will appear on the list as deceased, so you know which ones you have already dealt with. You need to be on the right island to complete these missions. For example, if you are in Alderney, only the Alderney Most Wanted criminals will appear. Kill them all and the achievement is yours. No More Strangers â Meet all random characters. [5] There are on the streets some characters that you can interact with. These appear on the map with a blue human-like icon when you are close to them. Meet all of them once and you get this achievement. The random characters are not always on their places, so if you're looking for one and he/she doesn't appear, wait some ingame hours and check again. Be aware that some characters are only available after you do certain missions. Check the links I provide below if you need help finding the random characters. -> http://www.gta4.net/map/?z=1&c=character -> http://www.gta4.net/random-characters/ *********************************** SPOILER *********************************** There is a total of 14 random characters, but during the main missions you can kill 3 of them. If you kill them, you won't need to find them. However, if you leave them alive you must find them to get this achievement. The ones that can be killed are Ivan ("Ivan the Not so Terrible"), Clarence ("Holland Nights") and Cherise ("Ruff Rider"). *********************************** SPOILER *********************************** Off the Boat â Complete the first mission. [5] This achievement is related to the storyline, so you shouldn't have any problem unlocking it. If you have, this walkthrough will certainly be useful: -> http://www.gta4.net/missions/chapter-one.php#the-cousins-bellic One Hundred and Eighty â In a darts game score 180 with 3 darts. [10] To get this one, go to the darts place in Dukes and start playing. Aim for the triple 20 mark and hit it 3 times in a row, scoring 180 points. You donât need to win the game, just score 180 points with 3 darts. If you donât know where the triple 20 mark is, check the link below. You must hit the "triple ring" area that is under the 20 mark (little red rectangle). - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Dartboard.svg One Man Army â Survive 5 minutes on 6 star wanted level. [40] 1st method (the hard way) - Start by creating a lot of trouble with the police until you have a 6 star wanted level. Be ready to fight them all and donât die, you must survive 5 minutes on 6-star. Annihilators will pursue you, along with FIB and NOOSE agents. You better have a good amount of ammo and weapons, and also use body armour to help. Once 5 minutes have passed, the achievement is yours (you don't need to evade the cops). A good spot for this is the Schottler Medical Center in Broker. Start shooting the peds inside and then, when you get a 3-star wanted level, take cover behind the walls and keep shooting the cops that come through the doors. You will eventually reach a 6-star wanted level, so just hang in there for 5 minutes. There is health on the hospital if you need, and the dead cops will drop their weapons, so if you need ammo, just pick them up. 2nd method (the easy way) - If you don't have enough skill to survive a 6 star wanted level for 5 minutes, just start a new game, cross one of the blocked bridges and then go through the subway. The cops don't catch you there, so just stand within their range (marked on the map with a flashing circle) and wait 5 minutes to get the achievement. You don't need to evade the cops. Order Fulfilled â Complete all 10 Exotic Export orders. [10] After you meet Brucie you will be able to find certain cars for him. He will use the ingame Internet to send you an email for each car he wants, so just reply positively to initiate the mission. These tasks are pretty easy, because the game will give you the exact location of the wanted vehicle, so you just need to go there, steal it and bring it to Brucie's lockup. Try not to damage the cars, you will get more money if they are in good condition (you can always use the Pay 'n Spray to fix them). Once all 10 cars are delivered, the achievement will unlock. Pool Shark â Beat a friend at pool. [10] Pretty self-explanatory, I think. Just play a game of pool against a friend and win. If you don't know how to play pool, now it would be a good time to learn. Retail Therapy â Unlock the special ability of buying guns from a friend. [10] This special ability is offered by Jacob. Go out and do activities with him until he likes you enough (above 75%). Once he calls you offering the service, the achievement unlocks. Rolled Over â Do 5 car rolls in a row from one crash. [30] To get this one I recommend going to the airport. Pick up a fast car, use the runways to give you enough speed and then use the yellow ramps to send the car into the air. For example, use one of the runways to gain speed and then place only two wheels on the side of the ramp, so that way your car comes out doing a barrel roll. Leave the gas and turn in the direction you want the car to roll. If you are going fast enough, you can do 5 rolls easily. I recommend a fast car like the Infernus for this one. Check the link below if you want to have a better idea of how you must place the car in order to do a barrel roll: -> http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/6984/rolledover.jpg Sightseer â Fly on all helicopter tours of Liberty City. [5] An easy achievement to get, but that takes some time. Once you have unlocked Algonquin you can go to the Helitours site to take some trips. Approach one of the choppers there and enter as a passenger to trigger the trip. There are 5 different trips, one on each heliport (there are 6 heliports, but one of them is always empty). You don't need to complete the entire trip, just let the pilot take off, fly a bit and then skip it the tour. That Special Someone â Complete the mission "That Special Someone". [10] This achievement is related to the storyline, so you shouldn't have any problem unlocking it. If you have, this walkthrough will certainly be useful: -> http://www.gta4.net/missions/chapter-four.php#that-special-someone That's How We Roll! â Unlock the special ability of helicopter. [10] This special ability is offered by Brucie. Go out and do activities with him until he likes you enough (above 75%). Once he calls you offering the service, the achievement unlocks. Under the Radar â Fly underneath the main bridges in the game that cross water with a helicopter. [40] One of the easiest achievements you can get. Get hold of a chopper and then fly under the main bridges in the game that cross water. Once you fly under one, the game will tell you how many you still have left and it will even mark them on the map for some seconds. Some bridges are a piece of cake, since they have a lot of space under them, but some are more tricky. Just fly slowly and you will do it. There are 14 bridges. Walk Free â Lose a 4 star wanted rating by outrunning the cops. [50] To get this achievement you must start a conflict with the police until you reach a 4 star wanted level. Then escape the cops, but donât go to any Pay 'n Spray or a safehouse. You must lose the cops by running away from them until the stars go away. The best way to do this is having a fast car and then travel quickly between streets and alleyways, avoiding all the cop cars that spawn. Pay attention to the map, because it indicates where the cops are coming from. Another method is to enter the airport with a fast bike. This will instantly give you a 4 star wanted level. To escape, just start on one end of a runway (there are two to choose from) and quickly drive to the end of the other runway, in the opposite direction. The two runways combined are enough to escape the cop's zone really fast. Then just leave the airport and keep a low profile until the stars go away. Warm Coffee â Successfully date a girl to be invited into her house. [5] If you remember Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you probably also remember the "Hot Coffee" controversy that it caused. Rockstar had to pay a good amount of money because of legal complications, but now they seem to make fun of that. You get this achievement when Michelle* (a girl who you meet right at the beginning of the game) accepts Niko to go inside her flat to "have coffee". Enjoy the cut-scene (no sex displayed) and you get the achievement. *NOTE: You can get this achievement by dating other girls, but Michelle is the first one you meet and she invites Niko for a coffee right on the second date. Wheelie Rider â Do a wheelie lasting at least 500 feet on a motorbike. [30] A pretty self-explanatory achievement. Get a bike (I recommend the PCJ 600) and search on the map for a street without climbs or descents that goes straight. Start driving and then do a wheelie that lasts longer than 500 feet. If you don't know how to do wheelies, just press the key you mapped for the function "lean back". This will make Niko pull the front wheel, starting a wheelie. Just hold on that key and then play with the gas, trying to keep the front wheel above the ground. Be careful not to accelerate too much or you will fall. The airport is a good place to unlock this achievement, since the runways are long. You Got The Message â Deliver all 30 cars ordered through text message. [20] Brucie will later on (after the mission "Smackdown") introduce you to a friend of him, Stevie. Stevie wants 30 special cars to be delivered to his garage, so Niko steps up for the job. These missions are harder than Brucieâs ones because you only get a text message showing a picture of the car he wants, but you are not given the exact location, just an area to search on. Go to that area and search for the car, then bring it back to Stevieâs garage in Bohan. Try not to damage the cars, he pays really well if they are in good condition. Once you have delivered the car he wants, wait 6 ingame hours so he can text you the next one. After you deliver the 30th vehicle, you get the achievement. If you donât want to bother searching for the cars, use the link below to see where they are: -> http://www.gta4.net/map/?z=1&c=theft You Won! â Complete the final mission. [60] The final of GTA IV consists of 6 different missions, 3 belonging to one final (Deal) and another 3 belonging to another final (Revenge). The decision will be available after the mission "One Last Thing". Once you beat the game, the achievement will unlock. This walkthrough will be useful if you need help to complete the mission: -> http://www.gta4.net/missions/chapter-four.php?vo=45#one-last-thing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5.2. MULTIPLAYER ACHIEVEMENTS [10] = 140 (G) ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These achievements are only obtained by playing online with other people. Only RANKED MATCHES count for these achievements. Player matches don't unlock achievements and don't make you level up. Auf Wiedersehen Petrovic â Win all ranked multiplayer variations, all races and "Cops 'n Crooks" as both sides. [30] We start with the most difficult achievement in the whole game. To get this one you must win all game modes in ranked matches once. It is a good idea to keep an eye on the leaderboards, because sometimes you can win a race, for example, but the leaderboards wonât update it. Create a checklist to help you keep tracking of what you actually won so far. Here is a "rough" checklist for you: ONE MAN ARMY MATCHES: - Car Jack City --------- [ ] - Deathmatch ------------ [ ] - Mafyia Work ----------- [ ] - GTA Race (all races) -- [ ] - Race (all races) ------ [ ] TEAM MATCHES: - Cops 'n Crooks -------- [ ] - Team Car Jack City ---- [ ] - Team Mafyia Work ------ [ ] - Team Deathmatch ------- [ ] - Turf War -------------- [ ] CO-OP MISSIONS: - Bomb da Base II ------- [ ] - Deal Breaker ---------- [ ] - Hangman's N.O.O.S.E. -- [ ] NOTE 1: On Cops 'n Crooks you must win, in one of the modes and on the same round, as a cop and as a crook. NOTE 2: In total there are 112 races that you must win to get this achievement. However, in the PC version there are 2 extra road races in Race and GTA Race, so that makes a total of 4 extra races. You can still get this achievement by doing only 54 races on each mode (Race and GTA Race). Cut Your Teeth â Earn a personal rank promotion in multiplayer. [5] We go from the hardest achievement to probably one of the easiest. Once you get into the online mode, your rank will obviously be a nice zero. You only need $1000 to level up, so any ranked match that you win will probably give you enough money to level up and get the achievement. Join the Midnight Club â Win a ranked multiplayer race without damaging your vehicle too much and with damage enabled. [10] You can get this achievement by winning a race without damaging your vehicle. Try to avoid all other players and hazards on the road. A good way to get this one is playing a race with few players. Some scratches are ok, but something more serious than that and you won't get the achievement. Just be sure that damage is enabled and you finish in 1st place. Let Sleeping Rockstars Lie â Kill a Rockstar developer in a ranked multiplayer match. [10] Pretty self-explanatory. But you might be wondering "how am I going to kill a Rockstar developer online?" Donât worry because this is called a "viral achievement". You just need to kill someone that has this achievement to get it too. Right now almost every player online will have it, so just keep playing (and killing other players) to get it. Don't be amazed if you get it the first time you kill someone online. Taking It For The Team â Be on the winning team in all ranked multiplayer team games. [10] To get this one You just need to win all the team matches available. You don't need to do everything on the same game session, nor you need to be the best player on your team. You just need to be on the winning team. Once you have won them all you get the achievement. The team matches are: - Cops 'n Crooks ------ [ ] - Team Car Jack City -- [ ] - Team Mafyia Work ---- [ ] - Team Deathmatch ----- [ ] - Turf War ------------ [ ] Teamplayer â Kill 5 players who are not in your team, in any ranked multiplayer team match. [10] A self-explanatory achievement. A team deatchmatch is the best to get this one. You will be able to kill 5 enemies quickly before the match is over, so getting this achievement is a piece of cake. Top of the Food Chain â Kill 20 players with a pistol in a ranked multiplayer deathmatch. [10] This one is a bit harder. The best way to do it is entering a deathmatch that has only pistols available. If you canât find one like this, be prepared for some deaths until you get the achievement. Pistols are not the best weapon for deathmatches, especially when all the players are using AKs, RPGs or SMGs to kill you. Just keep trying to kill them with a pistol (either the normal pistol or the Desert Eagle) enough times. You can kill whoever you wish, you do not need to kill 20 different players, just perform 20 kills with a pistol in the same match. Top the Midnight Club â Come first in 20 different ranked standard multiplayer races. [20] Pretty self-explanatory. Win 20 different ranked standard races (not GTA races) and the achievement is yours. Free Races and Cannonball Runs don't count for this one, so just stick to the road races (22), boat races (4) and helicopter races (10). You can use all the time you want, you donât need to win all these races in the same game session. Once you win your 20th different race, the achievement is yours. Wanted â Achieve the highest personal rank in multiplayer. [20] You can level up on the game by gaining money, and you can gain money on every kind of ranked match. To get to the top, which is rank 10, you will need to get the amount of $5 million (5000000). The quickest way to level up is to play the co-op missions, as each one gives you $4500 just for winning (hard difficulty). Since you get $100 for each enemy you kill, you can easily reach the amount of $7000 or more on each mission. Just play a lot and be sure to pick up all the money you can. ---------------------- 5.2.1 Fly The Co-op -- ---------------------- Fly The Co-op â Beat our time in ranked versions of "Deal Breaker", "Hangman's NOOSE" and "Bomb da Base II". [15] This is the achievement that most people want, or at least it seems so. There are 3 co-op missions that Rockstar prepared for us, and they have also set a record for each that you must beat in order to get this achievement. First of all, and this applies to all the co-op missions, play with people that you already know. It's really hard to beat the records if you keep playing with randoms. You should create a team, so to speak. Start doing these missions as Player Matches, so that way you can invite whoever you want and block all the other players from entering without being invited. This way you can practice all the missions without problems with your team mates. You cannot invite your friends in Ranked Matches, so that's why I say to play in Player Matches first. There are various strategies online, but I will only post here the ones I used. Be aware that nothing that you read or see or listen will help you get this achievement if you don't practice. You need to play these missions with your team to actually know how to do it. Having an organized team, where everyone knows exactly what to do, is vital. Also it would be a good idea to set the settings properly. Most players don't even notice them, but I would suggest something like this: - Difficulty set to EASY - Friendly fire set to OFF - Cars set to PARKED - Peds set to OFF - Weather set to CLEAR - Time of day set to MIDDAY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bomb da Base II (5 minutes and 32 seconds): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I suggest a team of 4 players for this one. You will start in Algonquin with two cars near you. Two players should enter in each car, then drive to a van full of explosives (this van will be marked on the map and it can spawn in 3 different locations). To beat the record you need the nearest location, which will be at the beginning of a bridge, near where you start. It is possible to beat the record even if the van spawns at the farthest location, but you will need a very good team to do so. This van will have two Jeeps near it, each with 2 armed guys inside that will shoot you. Kill them quickly and then kill the guys that will appear on the back of the truck. While the back doors are open, hit the small windows inside, so that way you can kill both the driver and the passenger. This allows the truck to stop, so you can quickly steal it. Only one player must enter the truck to drive it. Go to the location. A cut-scene will trigger and now it is time to fly. Be sure that only one player tries to be the pilot... you donât want 4 players going in circles around the chopper trying to enter. Once everyone is on, quickly fly trough the buildings to the Platypus boat, in Broker. Fly as lower as you can between the buildings. Don't take the chopper too high, that will only slow you down. Land on the back of the ship, then all but the pilot must get out. Start shooting all the enemies. Be careful because there are lots of them inside the boat. Once you are in you will have a stair going up and one going down. All the three players that left the chopper must go down. While that the player on the chopper will use it to land on top of the ship. Once there kill the enemies and plant the first bomb (the spot is marked with a yellow marker). The players that are going down must also kill the enemies and plant the other bomb. After both bombs are planted, get out of the ship, either jumping to the sea or jumping to the docks. If done correctly you will do this in less than 5:34. -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nQww0cwX6w ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deal Breaker (7 minutes and 4 seconds): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For this mission I recommend 2 players. You will spawn in Pegorinoâs house, Alderney. There are two Schafter cars inside the garage and sometimes a Cognoscenti outside. One of the players must drive one of the cars to the location marked on the map. This player must enter the highway near the hospital. Don't follow the GPS route, it will take more time. Once you get on the highway, as you approach the location, there will be a corner with a jump. If you go at full speed and jump you will end almost in front of the place where you need to go. Check the following image to see the route: -> http://img140.imageshack.us/i/dealbreakercar.jpg/ While that, the other player must drive the other car to a mansion near where you start. Usually there is a chopper there (if it isnât you must restart the mission because you need that chopper to beat the record). This player must quickly fly to the location marked on the map. If done correctly, both players will arrive at the same time. Check the following image to see where the helicopter is: -> http://img140.imageshack.us/i/dealbreakerchopper.jpg/ Once there you will have a 7 floor structure full of gang members. The player with the chopper must land on top and quickly kill the 4 enemies there (don't crash the chopper, you will need it later). While the chopper player works his way down, the car player works his way up. Make sure that you kill every enemy on each floor and that you collect their money. It is very important that you leave no one alive and no money when you clean each floor, otherwise the other part of the mission wonât be triggered. The money is marked on the map with a green icon, and only one gang member drops money per floor. If the building is cleared at the 3:30 mark, you are doing great. Once all the enemies are dead, the mission will trigger another sequence: some enemies are going away from the location, either by road or by sea. This is where I explain why you only want 2 players for this one. - If there are 2 players, only 1 group of enemies will go away, making them easier and quicker to catch. - If there are 3 players, 2 groups of enemies will try to escape. - If there are 4 players, 3 groups of enemies will try to escape. So, assuming that you are playing with another mate, once all of the enemies are dead, you will see some escaping. If they are on the boat just let them be close enough to the coast and kill them. Aim for the driver first, and donât miss. If they are going by road just get one car or a bike from the entrance (the bike is better) and go after them. Only one player must do this, though. The other player must quickly return to the top and get the helicopter back. Follow your mate and once he is done with the enemies let him enter the chopper and quickly fly back to Pegorinoâs house. Crash land and enter the garage to finish the mission. -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCAKTs8oyCk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hangman's N.O.O.S.E. (2 minutes and 32 seconds): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This mission starts on the airport. I recommend 3 players for this one, although 2 is a good number too. Just donât do it with 4. You'll start outside Petrovic's jet, with a bunch of NOOSE officers shooting at you. They will keep spawning, so you must be careful and keep killing them. Petrovic won't get out until you kill at least 15 of them. While you do this, one player must grab one of the SWAT vans parked there. Bring the van to Petrovic's jet and when he gets out, call your friends back. All must get into the van. The driver must drive to the heliports at the end of the airport. Park the van, enter the chopper and fly to the spot marked on the map. Don't do a nice landing, just crash land right on the mark to end the mission. If done correctly, you can do it under 2:32. Why you only want 2 or 3 players? Simply because both the van and the chopper can only transport 4 people, so if you are 4 players, one of them must use a second van and chopper, something that will slow you down.Don't forget that Petrovic also counts. -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_mpG7it-Mc =============================================================================== 6. CONCLUSION / ============== This is the end of the guide. I hope you had enjoyed reading it and I hope it will help you get some achievements. It was a pleasure to write it. Check the section below in case you need to contact me. Thank you for reading. =============================================================================== 7. CONTACT DETAILS / =================== Feel free to contact me ([email protected]) in any of the situations below: - If you see any fault of any kind (incorrect or incomplete information, spelling/grammar mistakes or other), please let me now so I can fix it. - If you want to contribute with useful information to improve the guide, don't hesitate in doing so. Full credit will be given to you if your contribution is accepted (don't forget to include a real name or alias so I can properly credit you). I will inform you if your contribution is accepted or not. - If you want to host this guide on your site/blog or other place, please ask me for permission first. - Last but not least, if you have any doubts about a certain achievement, you can also contact me. I promise to answer as soon as possible. I only accept emails written in English or Portuguese. All emails that are not written in one of these two languages WILL NOT be answered. Also do not forget to include something like "GTA Achievements Guide" in the subject, or it might be recognized as spam, and therefore I might not read it. Thank you. Hydro_PT =============================================================================== 8. CREDITS / =========== - GTA4.net staff for all the pages with important information, such as the map, mission walkthroughs, list of achievements, etc. - GTA Wiki members for the precious information on various subjects, such as the cars, info on random characters, story missions, etc. - 007craft for the tutorial videos on YouTube. - Street Mix and Captain_Obvis456 for the info relative to the achievement "Auf Wiedersehen Petrovic". - something_else for the tips relative to the achievement "Chain Reaction". - Spuds725 for the tips relative to the achievement "Finish Him". - Christopher for the tips relative to the achievement "Walk Free". - Patrick Lynch for the tips relative to the achievement "One Man Army". - Dan Spevack for the tips relative to the achievement "Liberty City (5)". - VBProject and LB95DK for helping me getting the achievement "Fly the Co-op". - Roland1905, ciZco85 and alex13is for being a great team. ## If I forgot someone, please forgive me and contact me to add you. ## =============================================================================== 9. TRADEMARKS NOTICE / ===================== All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. ******************************* END OF DOCUMENT *******************************


text: /* * Copyright (c) 2004 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. * * @APPLE_LICENSE_HEADER_START@ * * This file contains Original Code and/or Modifications of Original Code * as defined in and that are subject to the Apple Public Source License * Version 2.0 (the 'License'). You may not use this file except in * compliance with the License. Please obtain a copy of the License at * http://www.opensource.apple.com/apsl/ and read it before using this * file. * * The Original Code and all software distributed under the License are * distributed on an 'AS IS' basis, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER * EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND APPLE HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL SUCH WARRANTIES, * INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, QUIET ENJOYMENT OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. * Please see the License for the specific language governing rights and * limitations under the License. * * @APPLE_LICENSE_HEADER_END@ */ /* * objc-sel-set.h * A set of SELs used for SEL uniquing. */ #include <stdint.h> #include "objc-os.h" __BEGIN_DECLS struct __objc_sel_set; extern struct __objc_sel_set *__objc_sel_set_create(uint32_t capacity); extern SEL __objc_sel_set_get(struct __objc_sel_set *sset, SEL candidate); extern void __objc_sel_set_add(struct __objc_sel_set *sset, SEL value); __END_DECLS


text:
All's sweet at Black Tie Cookies
One could say Nicole Tracz's job is sweet.
The owner of Black Tie Cookies, Tracz spends her days churning out cookies to sell at her shop at 211 Middle Road, Acushnet, as well as to online customers. There's the Symphony, with chocolate cookie dough, butterscotch chips, white chocolate and peanut butter chips; Tuxedo, with chocolate chip cookie dough, and a blend of milk chocolate and dark chocolate chunks; the Encore, a chocolate truffle filled chocolate chip cookie; and Last Dance, an espresso cookie with Heath bar chips and chocolate chunks.
And those cookies, all named for a black tie night out on the town, are just for starters.
The Wedding Song is a peanut butter cookie with chocolate chunks.
For those with more classic tastes, there's the Lemon Heaven, a lemon cookie with lemon icing; and the Oatmeal Raisin.
There's also the candy bar-inspired cookies: Turtle, with pecans and caramel; the Snickers Candy Cookie, and Love at First Bite, an M&M-filled concoction.
No ordinary cookie, most of the sweet confections weigh in at 5 ounces; they're about four inches wide and more than an inch thick. Instead of using chocolate chips, Tracz carves chucks for the cookies right from big blocks of milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate.
Though the recipes are a proprietary secret, Tracz says she gets the uniform shape and thickness for the cookies by cutting them off of logs of rolled cookie dough.
Tracz began making cookies using some of the same recipes back when she was studying culinary arts at New Bedford Regional Technical High School. A 1990 graduate, Tracz worked as a prep cook and eventually a baker at the Mattapoisset Inn as part of her school studies. After graduating, she went to work for owner, chef Marlene Goddu, who eventually sold the inn and opened Black Tie Cookies in Rochester selling the cookies wholesale to restaurants and eventually to online customers.
In December 2010, Tracz bought the business from Goddu, but about seven months later, the business was destroyed in a fire that started in an apartment that was located in the building.
Faced with the option of where to locate the cookie business, Tracz opted for its current location in a former convenience store at the front of the White's Family Fun and Sports Center on Middle Road. When the weather warms up and the amusement center opens for the season, Tracz will be busy making cookies to sell to kids — and their parents — who stop in at White's to play arcade games or for a ride on the amusements. Tracz said she's even been known to whip up a sundae pairing her cookies with ice cream and other treats, at the request of customers.
But it's the cookie, the giant adult-sized cookie that's more than enough for a treat, that has her loyal customers coming back to the retail shop for more. One of the main aspects of her business is filling orders for the cookies sold in elegantly wrapped gift boxes for myriad occasions including bridal favors, kid's gifts, birthday and anniversary celebrations, business gifts, and as a sweet treat for new parents. "Some people even send them as a sympathy present," added Tracz.
Recently, Tracz also started to offer kids cookie baking classes, in which the kids get to make the cookies, ice them when they come out of the oven, and decorate a box to take their baked goodies home with them. The classes that ran during school vacation week last week were such a big hit, she plans to offer them again this spring.
Black Tie Cookies is open only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. But customers who want to place an order on an off day, are always welcome to call and most likely they will find Tracz, a mother of two sons, there making cookies to sell for special orders.
For more information, visit www.blacktiecookies.com.
Black Tie Cookies is open only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, visit www.blacktiecookies.com


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The more Israeli leaders huff and puff about their determination to stop Iran's nuclear program, the more sophisticated analysts are inclined to believe that Israel is bluffing. After all, if George W. Bush refused to provide Israel with the bunker busters and refueling capacity to take out Iran's nukes in 2008, the chance that Barack Obama will give Israel the green light anytime soon seems quite remote—this being the same President Obama who greeted North Korea's recent missile launch with a speech outlining his plan to dismantle America's nuclear arsenal on the way to realizing his dream of a nuclear-free world. Israel's performance in the 2006 war in Lebanon was widely depicted as catastrophic, and with Israel's diplomatic standing hitting new lows after the stomach-turning images of destruction from Gaza, the diplomatic consequences of a successful attack on Iranian nuclear facilities might be worse than the prospect of military failure. There is also the fact that no one knows exactly where Iran's nuclear assets are.
Many perfectly reasonable people chalk up the rhetorical excesses of both parties to the hot desert sun and assume that nothing particularly awful will happen whether Iran becomes a nuclear power or not. From a U.S. point of view, at least, there is little reason to doubt the analysis that a nuclear Iran with a few dozen bombs can be contained at relatively limited cost using the same strategies that successfully constrained an aggressive Soviet Empire armed with nearly 45,000 nuclear warheads at the height of the Cold War.
What the nuclear optimists miss is that it is not the United States that is directly threatened by the Iranian nuclear program but Israel—and the calculations that drive our Middle Eastern client state are very different from those that guide the behavior of its superpower patron.
Less sanguine types—who think that Israel isn't bluffing—generally fall into two camps: those who think that the Israelis are crazy and require the firm hand of America to restrain them and those who think that the Iranian leadership lives on a different planet and will use nuclear weapons against Israel. Yet it is not necessary to stipulate that either party is crazy in order to see why an Israeli attack on Iran makes sense.
From the standpoint of international relations theory, the scariest thing about recent Israeli rhetoric is that an attack on Iran lines up quite well with Israel's rational interests as a superpower client.
While Israeli bluster is clearly calculated to push America to take a more aggressive stance toward Iran, that doesn't mean the Israelis won't actually attack if President Obama decides on a policy of engagement that leaves the Iranians with a viable nuclear option. In fact, the more you consider the rationality of an Israeli attack on Iran in the context of Israel's relationship with its superpower patron, the more likely an attack appears. Given Iran's recent technological triumphs, like the launch of the Omid communications satellite earlier this year and the lack of ambiguity about the aims of the Iranian nuclear program, it is hardly apocalyptic to expect an attack within the next year—assuming that the Russians continue to dither about delivering S-300 surface-to-air missiles to protect Iranian nuclear sites. A stepped-up delivery date for large numbers of S-300 missiles could lead to an earlier attack.
The fact that U.S. and Israeli interests with regard to Iran may diverge in radical ways comes as a surprise to many mainstream analysts because of the tendency among both supporters and opponents of America's "special relationship" with Israel to invoke various forms of mind-bending mumbo-jumbo—from dimwitted theories about an all-powerful Jewish conspiracy to childlike evocations of the community of democratic values that unites the two countries. While America's embrace of Israel is partially motivated both by shared values and by the lobbying power of an influential minority group, neither Israel's creaky democratic polity nor the hidden persuasive powers of AIPAC can claim much credit for the billions of dollars in American military credits that Israel enjoys—a vast corporate welfare program that benefits Pentagon defense contractors as much as it benefits Israel's military.
The key fact of the American-Israeli alliance that most commentators seem eager to elide is that Israel is America's leading ally in the Middle East because it is the most powerful country in the Middle East. Critics of the American-Israeli relationship love to conflate American support for Israel before 1967 with America's support since then by citing statistics for tens of billions of dollars in U.S. military credits and aid given to Israel "since 1948," when the Jewish State was founded. In fact, Israel's rise to becoming a regional superpower was accomplished without any significant help from United States. Israel's surreptitious program to build nuclear weapons was accomplished with the aid of the British and the French, who joined with Israel to seize the Suez Canal from Egypt's rabble-rousing President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and who were then forced to give it back by Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Israeli air force pilots who destroyed the Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian air forces on the ground flew French-made Mystère jets—not American-made F-4 Phantoms. The U.S. Congress did not appropriate a single penny to help Israel accommodate an overwhelming influx of Holocaust survivors and poor Jewish refugees from Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, and other Arab countries until 1973—25 years after the founding of the state.
By shattering the old balance of power in the Middle East with its spectacular military victory in the Six Day War, Israel announced itself to America as the reigning military power in the region and as a profoundly destabilizing influence that needed to be contained. The parallels between Israel's rise to superpower-client status in the 1950s and 1960s and the Iranian march toward regional hegemony over the past decade are quite striking. Both Israel circa 1967 and modern-day Iran are non-Arab states that utilized innovative military tactics to panic the Arabs. Yet where Iran is a non-Arab country with a population of more than 70 million, Israel was and is a tiny non-Arab, non-Muslim country whose small population and seat-of-the-pants style of leadership made even the country's modest colonial ambitions seem like a stretch. In the absence of any fixed plan of expansion, or any long-term plan for dealing with its neighbors, Israel decided to use its excess military power and captured lands as a chit that it could exchange for resources provided from outside the region by its wealthy American patron.
Israel earned its role as an American client with a series of daring military victories won by a tiny embattled country with a shoestring budget and its back against the sea: the capture of the Suez Canal from Nasser in 1956, the audacious victory in 1967, and the development of a nuclear bomb. Yet the terms of the bargain that Israel struck would necessarily relegate such accomplishments to the history books. Israel traded its freedom to engage in high-risk, high-payoff exploits like the Suez Canal adventure or the Six Day War for the comfort of a military and diplomatic guarantee from the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world. As a regional American client, Israel would draw on the military and diplomatic power of its distant patron in exchange for allowing America to use its control over Israel as leverage with neighboring Arab states.
With each American-brokered peace move—from Camp David to the Madrid Conference to Oslo and Annapolis—the United States has been able to hold up its leverage over Israel as both a carrot and a stick to the Arab world. Do what we want, and we will force the Israelis to behave. The client-patron relationship between the United States and Israel that allows Washington to control the politics of the Middle East is founded on two pillars: America's ability to deliver concrete accomplishments, like the return of the Sinai to Egypt and the pledge to create a Palestinian state, along with the suggestion that Washington is manfully restraining wilder, more aggressive Israeli ambitions.
The success of the American-Israeli alliance demands that both parties be active partners in a complex dance that involves a lot of play-acting—America pretends to rebuke Israel, just as Israel pretends to be restrained by American intervention from bombing Damascus or seizing the banks of the Euphrates. The instability of the U.S.-Israel relationship is therefore inherent in the terms of a patron-client relationship that requires managing a careful balance of Israeli strength and Israeli weakness. An Israel that runs roughshod over its neighbors is a liability to the United States—just as an Israel that lost the capacity to project destabilizing power throughout the region would quickly become worthless as a client.
A corollary of this basic point is that the weaker and more dependent Israel becomes, the more Israeli interests and American interests are likely to diverge. Stripped of its ability to take independent military action, Israel's value to the United States can be seen to reside in its ability to give the Golan Heights back to Syria and to carve out a Palestinian state from the remaining territories it captured in 1967—after which it would be left with only the territories of the pre-1967 state to barter for a declining store of U.S. military credits, which Washington might prefer to spend on wooing Iran.
The untenable nature of this strategic calculus gives a cold-eyed academic analyst all the explanation she needs to explain Israel's recent wars against Hezbollah and Hamas, its assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and engineers, and its 2007 attack on the Syrian nuclear reactor. Israel's attempts to restore its perceived capacity for game-changing independent military action are directed as much to its American patron as to its neighbors. Israel's current strategic posture was established by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who alternated strong, unpredictable military actions like Operation Defensive Shield and the final isolation of Yasser Arafat with invocations of the importance of peace and surprising concessions, such as the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. Sharon also took care to balance his close relationship with President Bush with a program of diplomatic outreach to second-tier powers like Russia and India.
An attack on Iran might be risky in dozens of ways, but it would certainly do wonders for restoring Israel's capacity for game-changing military action. The idea that Iran can meaningfully retaliate against Israel through conventional means is more myth than fact. Even without using nuclear weapons, Israel has the capacity to flatten the Iranian economy by bombing a few strategic oil refineries, making a meaningful Iranian counterstroke much less likely than it first appears.
If the 2006 Lebanon war showed the holes in Israel's ability to fight a conventional ground war, it also showed the ability of the Israeli air force to destroy long-range missiles on the ground. Israel's response to fresh barrages of missiles from Hezbollah and Hamas while engaged in a shooting war with Iran would presumably be even less restrained than it has been in the past.
Short of an Iranian-hostage-rescue-mission-type debacle in which a small Israeli tactical force crashes in the Iranian desert, or a presidential order from Obama to shoot down Israeli planes on their way to Natanz, any Israeli air raid on Iran is likely to succeed in destroying masses of delicate equipment that the Iranians have spent a decade building at enormous cost in time and treasure. It is hard to believe that Iran could quickly or easily replace what it lost. Whether it resulted in delaying Iran's march toward a nuclear bomb by two years, five years, or somewhere in between, the most important result of an Israeli bombing raid would be to puncture the myth of inevitability that has come to surround the Iranian nuclear project and that has fueled Iran's rise as a regional hegemon.
The idea of a mass public outcry against Israel in the Muslim world is probably also a fiction—given the public backing of the Gulf states and Egypt for Israel's wars against Hezbollah and Hamas. As the only army in the region able to take on Iran and its clients, Israel has effectively become the hired army of the Sunni Arab states tasked by Washington with the job of protecting America's favorite Middle Eastern tipple—oil.
The parallels between Israel's rise to superpower client status after 1967 and Iran's recent rise offer another strong reason for Israel to act—and act fast. The current bidding for Iran's favor is alarming to Israel not only because of the unfriendly proclamations of Iranian leaders but because of what an American rapprochement with Iran signals for the future of Israel's status as an American client. While America would probably benefit by playing Israel and Iran against each other for a while to extract the maximum benefit from both relationships, it is hard to see how America would manage to please both clients simultaneously and quite easy to imagine a world in which Iran—with its influence in Afghanistan and Iraq, its control over Hezbollah and Hamas, and easy access to leading members of al-Qaida—would be the partner worth pleasing.
Bombing Iran's nuclear facilities is the surest way for Israel to restore the image of strength and unpredictability that made it valuable to the United States after 1967 while also eliminating Iran as a viable partner for America's favor. The fact that this approach may be the international-relations equivalent of keeping your boyfriend by shooting the other cute girl he likes in the head is an indicator of the difference between high-school romance and alliances between states—and hardly an argument for why it won't work. Shorn of its nuclear program and unable to retaliate against Israel through conventional military means, Iran would be shown to be a paper tiger—to the not-so-secret delight of America's Sunni Arab allies in the Gulf. Iran's local clients like Syria and Hamas would be likely to distance themselves from an over-leveraged Persian would-be hegemon whose ruined nuclear facilities would be visible on Google Earth.
The only real downside for Israel of an attack on Iran is Washington's likely response to the anger of the Arab street and the European street, both of which are likely to express their fierce outrage against Israel and the United States. The price of an Israeli attack on Iran is therefore clear to anyone who reads Al Ahram or the Guardian: a Palestinian state. It seems fair to say that both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak see the establishment of some kind of Palestinian state as inevitable and also as posing real security risks to Israel.
Yet, in a perverse way, the idea that the price of an attack on Iran will be the establishment of a Palestinian state makes the logic of such an attack even clearer. Israel's leaders know that the security threats inherent in giving up most of the West Bank will be greatly augmented or diminished depending on how a Palestinian state is born. A Palestinian state born as the result of Israeli weakness is a much greater danger to Israel than a state born out of Israeli strength. Ariel Sharon was able to withdraw from Gaza because he defeated Arafat and crushed the second intifada. Desperate to rid themselves of the bad PR and the demographic threat posed by maintaining Israel's hold over the West Bank, Sharon's successors have been unable to find a victory big enough to allow them to retreat. Nor are they able to reconcile themselves to the threat posed by images of a defeated Israel being forced to withdraw from Hebron and Nablus by triumphant Palestinian militias backed by Iran.
The inevitability of a future Palestinian state is the most powerful argument for the inevitability of an Israeli attack on Iran—unless the Iranian nuclear program is stopped by other means. Taking out the Iranian nuclear program is the one obvious avenue by which Israel can turn the debilitating drip-drip-drip of territorial giveaways and international condemnation into a convincing appearance of strength. Destroying a respectable number of Iranian centrifuges will end Iran's march to regional hegemony and eliminate Israel's chief rival for America's affections while also allowing Israel to gain the legal and demographic benefits of a Palestinian state with a minimum of long-term risk.
Israel's version of a nuclear grand bargain that brings peace to the Middle East may be messier and more violent than what the Obama administration imagines can be accomplished through sanctions, blandishments, and the invocation of Barack Obama's magic middle name. But who can really argue with the idea of trading the Iranian nuclear bomb for a Palestinian state? Saudi Arabia would be happy. Egypt would be happy. Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates would be happy. Jordan would be happy. Iraq would be happy. Two-thirds of the Lebanese would be happy. The Palestinians would go about building their state, and Israel would buy itself another 40 years as the only nuclear-armed country in the Middle East. Iran would not be happy.
But who said peace won't have a price?


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Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) announced today that its Keene, New Hampshire manufacturing facility recently received the 2015 Supplier Excellence Award from L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.
Chosen from hundreds of suppliers, it was Corning's role in solving an especially challenging technical problem that resulted in the achievement. The award was recently presented by L-3 Communications to Corning officials at the Keene facility.
"On behalf of our dedicated Keene employees, we are very pleased to receive this award from L-3 Communications," said Michael Crisp, Keene plant manager, Corning Incorporated. "Our work in Keene is always focused on solving our customer's toughest optical challenges. We look forward to continuing to support L-3 Communications as a valued customer."
L-3 is a prime contractor in aerospace systems. L-3 is also a leading provider of a broad range of communication and electronic systems and products used on military and commercial platforms.
Corning's Keene manufacturing facility is a leading producer of electro-optical assemblies and systems. The facility has been serving the optics and aerospace and defense industries for nearly 30 years and is integral in implementing Corning's core technology in optical physics and advanced electro-optical and infrared systems development to pursue market opportunities.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), which are based on current expectations and assumptions about Corning's financial results and business operations, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include: the effect of global political, economic and business conditions; conditions in the financial and credit markets; currency fluctuations; tax rates; product demand and industry capacity; competition; reliance on a concentrated customer base; manufacturing efficiencies; cost reductions; availability of critical components and materials; new product commercialization; pricing fluctuations and changes in the mix of sales between premium and non-premium products; new plant start-up or restructuring costs; possible disruption in commercial activities due to terrorist activity, armed conflict, political or financial instability, natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, or major health concerns; adequacy of insurance; equity company activities; acquisition and divestiture activities; the level of excess or obsolete inventory; the rate of technology change; the ability to enforce patents; product and components performance issues; retention of key personnel; stock price fluctuations; and adverse litigation or regulatory developments. These and other risk factors are detailed in Corning's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the day that they are made, and Corning undertakes no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.
Digital Media Disclosure
In accordance with guidance provided by the SEC regarding the use of company websites and social media channels to disclose material information, Corning Incorporated ("Corning") wishes to notify investors, media, and other interested parties that it intends to use its website (http://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/news-events.html) to publish important information about the company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. The list of websites and social media channels that the company uses may be updated on Corning's media and website from time to time. Corning encourages investors, media, and other interested parties to review the information Corning may publish through its website and social media channels as described above, in addition to the company's SEC filings, press releases, conference calls, and webcasts.
About Corning Incorporated
Corning (www.corning.com) is one of the world's leading innovators in materials science. For more than 160 years, Corning has applied its unparalleled expertise in specialty glass, ceramics, and optical physics to develop products that have created new industries and transformed people's lives. Corning succeeds through sustained investment in R&D, a unique combination of material and process innovation, and close collaboration with customers to solve tough technology challenges. Corning's businesses and markets are constantly evolving. Today, Corning's products enable diverse industries such as consumer electronics, telecommunications, transportation, and life sciences. They include damage-resistant cover glass for smartphones and tablets; precision glass for advanced displays; optical fiber, wireless technologies, and connectivity solutions for high-speed communications networks; trusted products that accelerate drug discovery and manufacturing; and emissions-control products for cars, trucks, and off-road vehicles.


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Dr. Killen tells Anderson Cooper and Soledad O'Brien how adults need to approach the topic of race with their children.
Post by: Anderson Cooper
Filed under: Kids on Race • Race in America
Your study on race was interesting, but I think it would be more telling if you expanded the study to include Asian and Hispanic children, especially because the segment seemed to be linked to the Travyon Martin controversy.
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


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Degaussing is the process of reducing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field (or data) stored on tape and disk media such as computer and laptop hard drives, diskettes, reels, cassettes and cartridge tapes. When exposed to the powerful magnetic field of a degausser, the magnetic data on a tape or hard disk is neutralized, or erased. Degaussing is the guaranteed form of hard drive erasure, as such; it serves as the standard method of data destruction. Using the right degausser will guarantee that your information is no longer retrievable.
To understand how a degausser works, one must first understand how information is first recorded onto hard drives, tapes, reels, cassettes and other magnetic media.
Magnetic media has been with us since the 1920s. Although it has seen dozens of changes over the years, the basic ideas remain the same.
Magnetic tape has three basic components: a fine metal iron oxide powder, a binder and the film backing. A tape recorder works by moving the tape past a set of small metal blocks, called heads, at a steady speed. A tape recorder contains both record and playback heads. These heads are specialized electromagnets. When recording, the recording heads will create a magnetic field that alters the positioning of the fine iron oxide powder on the surface of the tape into a digital recording pattern. In turn, the playback heads read this pattern and convert it into sound, video or computer data.
Image credit: Center for Magnetic Recording Research (CMRR)
Hard drives function in a similar matter, but were built for increased reliability and speed. Here, tape is exchanged for a flat, circular piece of metal, called a platter, which contains a fine coating of iron oxide or chromium dioxide. The platter spins beneath a read/write head. When small pulses of electricity are passed through a coil in the head, the surface of the platter becomes magnetized. Data is recorded using binary code, a series of 1s and 0s (magnetic pulse and reverse pulse, consecutively).
A degausser erases by generating a magnetic field so powerful that it permanently removes the magnetic properties from the iron oxide or chromium dioxide coatings which erases, or randomizes, the recorded data pattern.
With so many different degausser models on the market, it's important to know what to look for when choosing a right model for your needs as not all degaussers are created equally. Electromagnetic degaussers generate a magnetic field by charging a degaussing coil. Permanent magnet degaussers contain one or more rare earth magnets and do not require electricity to operate. Some degaussers are meant for mobile operations, while others are built for high volume.
The most important aspect to consider when shopping for a degausser is its ability to erase your media. Degaussers are rated for different media based upon the degausser's maximum magnetic field strength. The magnetic field strength of a degausser is measured in gauss, or oersteds. Tapes and hard drives also have a measurable magnetic value called coercivity, which is measured in oersteds as well.
As technology has advanced through the years, coercivity ratings on tapes and hard drives has grown allowing users to store more information on said media. In turn, these higher-coercivity tapes and hard drives require advanced degaussers with more powerful magnetic fields.
At Data Security, Inc., we can help you identify the correct degausser based upon your media sanitization needs.
No, you cannot reuse a hard drive once it has been degaussed. This is because the degaussing process not only removes all the data, but it also removes the start up files. As such, a degaussed hard drive will not boot up.
Most tapes are reusable after being degaussed, but a few are not. Non-reusable tapes are those which contain a servo-track, or boot-up files that are erased during the degaussing process. Non-reusable tapes include, but are not limited to:
Contact us for specific format concerns.
Once a hard drive has been degaussed, it can be recycled for its precious metals. Recycling companies are often willing to purchase degaussed/damaged hard drives. Complete hard drives provide a higher recycling value than shredded hard drives. Offerings will vary by location and current market prices for precious metals, please check your local listings for a hard drive recycling vendor.
There is a lot to consider. We're happy to provide you with a FREE Needs Assessment and No Obligation Quote.


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This is a pivotal point in the fascinating life and times of Ronan O'Gara, not to mention Munster themselves perhaps, and yesterday the Heineken Cup's all-time record points scorer revealed he was still unsure as to whether this would be his last campaign, along with an ambition to coach his native province one day.
O'Gara recently turned 36 and is in negotiations with Munster over a new one-year provincial contract which is apparently on the table. But, a la Brian O'Driscoll, O'Gara is clearly being given ample time to decide whether he wants to continue playing for another season.
"I genuinely don't know," he admitted as to when a decision will be made, but it wouldn't be in the next three or four weeks. As with the Munster captain Doug Howlett, negotiations were ongoing. "In fairness the goods are there. It's not a question of that; it's a question of what I want to do."
Ultimately though, he gave the strongest hint yet of a newly-revealed desire to become a coach. "I'd love to, yeah. I want to coach Munster. Of course I do because it's my home team. There will be steps you've got to take before you do that so I've got to go to come back, is how I look at it. Because I only know one way and that's the Munster way and to be the best possible you need to see different cultures and different teams, how they operate. That's for another day's chat, lads," he concluded with a mischievous smile.
Fire still burns
As he spoke of different cultures and teams, one immediately had visions of him perhaps taking a detour to the Top 14, given his fluency in French. But it's also abundantly evident that the fire still burns.
"Rugby has given me everything and I'm so thankful for that and I get such a buzz out of it. That's why I want to play on. People will say 'why doesn't he walk with all that he's achieved?' But there's no crime in playing a game you love and I just want to maximise that. But there's a time and it's very close when it's time for me to go and I don't know whether that will be this season or next season. That's exactly where I am."
And the fire burns this week. Reflecting on last Friday's "hugely disappointing" result, he added: "We made it easy for them and the way we capitulated towards the end was un-Munster-like and a small bit worrying. We need to be mentally stronger and stronger in our body language going into another crucial away game."
With that, there was a hint of the senior players reclaiming ownership of the game next Sunday. "It's going to come from the players. I think preparation and results and plenty of things haven't been ideal but if ever there is a time to stick together and our backs are to the wall it's now. People are right to probably question what we're doing and how we're playing but we want to deliver and that will be our goal on Sunday."
So what's been missing and what do they need to find? "I think balance, if we can find cup rugby with taking our chances . . . We have to give ourselves the chance of winning the game as opposed to losing the game in terms of making Harlequins win the game. It's subtle differences there."
Nor was Munster's undoubted Euro pedigree, all the more so when boxed into a corner, a particular comfort. "I don't think it is, to be honest. I think it's a new team. I think it's a different team and a different mindset. If we can get the mindset hopefully we will get the performance. Essentially on Sunday evening it could be season over, so if that doesn't motivate us then we'd be disappointed with what's going on."
Coaching is a precarious career, as had been reinforced the day before. The muted reaction to Declan Kidney's departure – save for one generous and genuine tweet from Gordon D'Arcy – is perhaps typical of the modern professional.
Fruitful yet fractious
But O'Gara and Kidney have had a long, often fruitful yet fractious relationship dating back to when O'Gara played on the Pres Cork under-12s and culminating in what he clearly felt was the erroneous decision to leave him on the bench against Scotland before his omission from the squad.
"I was omitted from the squad a few weeks ago and that's really really disappointing and then Deccie got his news yesterday and I'm sure he's hugely disappointed. I know the man really well and he's been there for my whole career so it would be remiss of me not to compliment him on what he's achieved.
"The last few years haven't been great but the Grand Slam has been a masterstroke, really. But that's the standard we need to be at. We need to be contesting Grand Slams every year and the last few years we haven't been, so in this ruthless business you get moved on for the next person and that's what's unfortunately happened to Deccie," he said, with genuine empathy in his voice.
"I've had mixed times with him," he added candidly. "I've had some great times and some challenging times with him but I respect the man and that's exactly where I stand on the whole thing. It was only when I watched the news last night and saw Cardiff (the Grand Slam) . . . that's why you play sport. And we need to get back to that stage.
"And that's why I'm frustrated, or challenged, at Munster at the minute, too. That doesn't seem to be within arm's length so we've a bit of work to do to get to those stages and that's for all of us to get behind and get back there ."


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Video shows horrifying moment when pickup crashes into home
A homeowner captured on video the horrifying moment when a pickup truck crashed into his Des Moines home Thursday night.
The crash happened at the corner of 13th Street and Carpenter Avenue and caused thousands of dollars in damage.
Home surveillance video shows a truck speeding away from the house diagonal to the house that was struck, hopping a curb and crashing through a fence before running into the McGregor's home.
Seconds later, other people from the home run across the street to help get the driver out.
"One gentleman climbs up the backside of the pickup," homeowner Terry McGregor said. "He is immediately trying to open up the passenger's door. He runs around the other side and immediately busts the window with a caulking gun."
He and his wife, Kimberly, were sleeping when the accident happened.
"My son knocks at the door and says, 'Mom, I think someone hit the house,'" Kimberly McGregor said. "Well, I felt something, but I thought I was just dreaming."
"I went to the window, looked out and seen a pickup on its side, so I told my wife to call 911," Terry McGregor said.
By the time they got outside, the driver was gone. Security video shows the truck leaving the neighbor's house.
KCCI went to the neighbor's house Friday afternoon. The woman who answered the door said she didn't see the accident but admitted the driver was staying with her. She also said her son was the person who helped the driver out of the car.
"People need to take responsibility for what they do," Kimberly McGregor said. "They have not contacted us, and they live across the street."
Damage included a shattered screen door and a crumbling wall that is knocked out from under the window frame.
"We lived here 25 years," Kimberly McGregor said. "Our blood, sweat and tears are in this house."
The crash remains under investigation, and police have not made any arrests. One neighbor told KCCI she hadn't heard from the driver since the accident and doesn't know his condition.


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Samsung has launched the Omnia W, its first smartphone based on Windows Phone 7.5, also known as Mango. The phone is aggressively priced at about $422 before taxes and subsidies, following in the footsteps of HTC's Radar.
Part of the reason Windows Phone 7 struggled initially was because products were priced directly against the iPhone, with very high specs, according to Geoff Blaber, an analyst at CCS Insight.
"What we are seeing now is far more aggressive price points with this new wave of Mango-based products, and there is probably a feeling among the manufacturers that they need to price more aggressively to really give the Windows platform a chance," said Blaber.
The Omnia W has a 3.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with an 800 x 480 pixel resolution; it measures 115.9 x 58.8 x 10.9 millimeters and weighs 115.3 grams.
Under the hood, the Omnia W has a 1.4GHz processor and 8GB of storage. Consumers can take pictures with the 5-megapixel camera and access the Internet at up to 14.4M bps (bits per second) over HSDPA (High-Speed Download Packet Access) networks.
The spec is similar to that of HTC's Radar, with the exception of a slightly faster processor on the Samsung device, 1.4GHz compared to the Radar's 1GHz. The Radar is also a little more expensive at about €399 without subsidies.
The launch of new Windows Phone-based products from HTC, Samsung and later this year Nokia's will be important to Microsoft. So far, its smartphone operating system has garnered some positive reviews, but little interest from consumers, according to sales figures from Gartner. While 46.8 million phones running Google's Android were sold in the second quarter, and Apple sold 19.6 million iPhones, fewer than 1.6 million Windows Phone devices were sold to end users in the same period, according to Gartner.
HTC and Samsung are going to want to see some tangible results from their commitment to Windows Phone, according to Blaber. But at the same time they need Windows Phone to balance out a "rather unhealthy" reliance on Android, he said.
"Windows Phone and Microsoft are in a slightly stronger position than this time last year simply by virtue of the uncertainties around Android, particularly following Google's intended Motorola acquisition," said Blaber.
The Omnia W will be commercially available starting in Italy from the end of October and then gradually rolled in Europe, CIS, Latin America, Africa, South East and South West Asia.
The HTC Radar and its bigger brother, the Titan, will start shipping in Europe and Asia in October. On Sep. 21, Microsoft said its plans to start upgrading existing phones "in the next week or two," according to a blog post.
Nokia is expected to launch its first Windows Phone at the Nokia World conference on Oct. 26.
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